Howe the Lord Irenglas cosen to king Cassibellane was slayne by the Lord Elimine cosen to Androgeus Earle of London, about the yeere before Christ, 51.

Amongst the rest that whilome sate aloft,

Amongst the rest, that once had happie chaunce,

Amongst the rest, that had good Fortune oft,

Amongst the rest, that coulde themselues aduaunce,

Amongst the rest, that led in warres the staunce,[754]

And wanne the palme, the prayse, renowne, and fame,

[(Yet after fell in proofe to trye the same)]

Leaue in thy booke a place to put my name.

[Which, Higgins, if thou shalt, and write therein

This tale I tell, no doubt thou shalt me please;

Thy selfe likewise thereby maist profit win;

For why, who writes such histories as these,

Doth often bring the Readers hearts such ease,

And[755] when they sitte, and see what he doth note,

And lessons learne to saue his[756] armour coate,

Well fare his heart (say they) this worke that wrote.

Perhaps thou answere wilt and eke confesse,

They may in deede giue thankes, and that is all:

They can (saist thou) I thinke giue scarcely lesse,

For such a gifte a guerdon farre too small:

Well, yet doe write, content thy selfe withall,

Thou must the ende that God appoyntes abide:

Though they ingratefull be of reason wide,

Thou must not therefore this thy talent hide.

This I obiect not that I thinke is so,

But if it erst haue chaunced so to hitte,

Thou shouldst not therefore let these stories go,

Which may perchaunce so exercise thy witte,

And may so frame thy phrases fine and fitte,

Though now no other gifte then thankes thou haue:

Yet shall thy verses liue, thy name to saue,

And spread thy prayse, when thou art layde in graue.

But sure I thinke among so great a sort,

As shall thy workes and writinges chaunce to see,

Of courtzy all thou canst not finde them short,

But some must needes consider well of thee:

Though some doe pinche and saue, to thriue and thie,

And some doe polle and pill to get the pelfe,

And some haue layde vp all on leesing shelfe,

Yet some will well consider of thy selfe.

I had almost stept in with thee so farre,

To bid thee wryte and register my name,

(Because I fearde of late the Romayne warre

Thou wrotste, had ended all thy former frame,

And I had beene excluded from the same)

That now I feare I wery thee with talke,

While from my purpose farre aloofe I stalke,

In steed of choyse, for cheese to giue thee chalke.][757]

Wherefore I will be briefe, and tell thee all

My minde, the cause why I doe now appeare.[758]

I will recite to thee my sodayne fall,

And what in life mine exercises were:

To which since I doe see thee set thine eare,

Marke now my tale, and beare it well away,

Marke what mee brought so sodayne in decaye,

[And marke of lusty life the vnstable staye.]

Let who so stands trust to a stedfast holde,

(Yf hee suppose hee may a steedy finde)

And then hee neede not stagger when hee nolde,

As I and others calde agayne to minde:

But trust not Fortune, shee is counted blinde,[759]

To prayse her prankes occasion giues no cause:

Doe wisely, or you prayse her take the pause,

[Else may you proue your selues at length but dawes.]

Some loue to boast what fortune they haue had,

Some other blame misfortune theyrs as fast,

Some tell of fortunes there bee good and bad,

Some fooles of fortune make themselues agast,

Some shewe of fortune comming, present, past,

And say there is a fate that ruleth all:

But sure it seemes theyr wisdome is but small,

[To talke so much of Lady Fortune’s ball.]

10.

No fortune is so bad our selues ne frame,[760]

There is no chaunce at all hath vs preseru’d,

There is no fate whom wee haue neede to blame,

There is no destiny but is deseru’d,

No lucke that leases vs safe or vnpreseru’d:

Let vs not then complayne of Fortune’s skill,

For all our good descends from God’s good will,

[And of our lewdnes springeth all our ill.]

11.

If so a man might stay on Fortune’s holde,

Or else on Prince, as piller of defence,

Then might my selfe t’haue done[761] the same bee bolde,

In euery perill, purpose, or pretence:

Cassibellane as much as any Prince,

Lou’d mee his cosin[762] Irenglas by name,

Both for my feats in armes, and fauour, fame,[763]

[And for because I of his linage came.]

12.

I came (by parents) of his regall race,

Liude happy dayes (if happy mortall bee)

Had (as I sayd) his fauour, bare the grace,

I was his loyall seruant[764] franke and free,

But what of this at all preuayled mee?

Yet furthermore the feates of armes I knew,

I fought in field, when mighty Cæsar flewe,

[And of the Romaynes came my part I slewe.]

13.

Shall I for this prayse Fortune ought at all?

Did Fortune ought in this? no whit bee sure:[765]

Or shall I blame her after for my fall,

That neuer could mee any hurte procure?

T’was glory vayne did sweetely mee allure,

Wherefore giue care, and then with pen disclose

[A tale which (though but rudely I dispose)

Who reades and heares it both, may pleasure those.[766]]

14.

Full happy were our Countrey men that dy’d,

And[767] noble Nennius, in the field wee[768] fought:

When first both Britaynes, and the Romaynes tryd

With dint of sword, if titles theyrs were ought:

They dyed in theyr defence, no pompe they sought,

They liu’d to see their Countrey conquere still,

They dy’d before they felt of priuate ill,

[And bare eache other all their liues, good will.]

15.

When Cæsar so with shamefull flight recoyl’d,

And left our Britayne land vnconquer’d first,

Which only thought our Realme and vs t’haue spoyl’d,

Wee came to see (of all our field the worst)

Our souldiers slayne. O cruell Cæsar curst

(Quoth wee) should all these giltlesse Britaynes die[769]

[For thine ambition? fie, O Cæsar, fie,]

That durst not[770] byde but like a dastard flie.

16.

But then to see them in aray to lie,

And for to see them wounded all before,

Not one but in his place his life did trye,

To see the Romaynes bloudy backes that bore

In field, flight, dead, and scattered[771] on the shore,

What thousand tongues (thinke you) could tell our ioy[772]

This made our hartes reuiue, this pleas’d our Roy,[773]

[And wee lesse fearde our enemies all annoy.]

17.

With trompets mourning tune, and wayling cries,

And drummes, and fluits, and shawmes, wee sound adieu,

And for our friends wee watred all our [weeping] eyes,

As loth to leese the liues of such a [noble] crew:

To th’earth wee bare them all in order dew,

According vnto each man’s noble name,

And as their byrth requirde and worthy fame,

[Euen so to honour them, with herce wee came.]

18.

Of noble triumphes after was no spare,

Wee Britaynes erst were neuer halfe so glad,

That so wee made the Romaynes hence to fare,

No tongue can tell the harty ioyes wee had:

Wee were therewith so myrry mooded mad,[774]

Our fingers tickled still, which came from fight,

Wee had before our eyes our enmyes flight,[775]

[And nought was seemely then but warlike might.][776]

19.

So fares it when the meaner giue the spoyle,

And make the mighty all theyr force reuoke:

So fares it when great victours feele the foyle,

And meaner sorts of count doe giue the stroke,[777]

That pearceth euen the hardest harte of oke,

For where the weaker win the wage of fame,

[And stronger leese their wonted noble name,]

The victours harts a thousand ioyes enflame.

20.

A Iusting then proclaymed was for those,

That turneis[778] would approatch themselues trye,

Amongst vs Britaynes (not agaynst our foes)

Tweene th’Earle of London’s cosin stout and I:

And both the partes wee both could make, perdy,

To winne the price, the prayse, the pompe consent,

And eke the fame of former warres wee ment,

But foolish was the end of our intent.[779]

21.

For why, when glory vayne stirres men to strife,

When hope of prayse prouokes them once to ire,

Then they at all regard no goods nor life,

From faithfull frendship rudely they retire,

They are so set with glorie’s gloze on fire,

That quite they rule and reason wrest awrye,

They turne away their friendly fuwting eye,[780]

[And others eache, as fixed foes defie.]

22.

O God that workest all the wonders wrought,

(And hast the powre to turne the hartes aliue)

Graunt grace to those that labour so for nought

But flitting fame, and titles hauty striue:

Let not ambition so the Earth depriue

Of worthy wightes, giue them some better grace,

That they may run for Countrye’s weale their race,

[And not their bloud with braynsicke brawles debace.]

23.

Let them not breake the bond of frendly loue

In broyles of bate, but frendly faults redresse,

Let not them so their manhood seeke to proue

By priuate hate, to worke their owne distresse,

So shall they neede their enemies feare[781] the lesse:

Perdy, foule forayne[782] foes themselues they make,

That in their Countrye, for vayne quarells sake,[783]

[Doe dare in hand reuenging weapons take.]

24.

But what neede I on those aliue to stay,

They haue examples good before their eyes,

By which (if they haue grace) beware they may,

The happiest men by others harmes are wise:

Let them not then our warning wordes despise,

Doe will them wisely of these thinges debate,

For why, the foolishe aye the[784] warning hate,

[Are neuer wise, or, had I wist, to late.][785]

25.

[Perhaps thou thinkste to long a time I stay,

And from that I proposed erst digresse,

Because that here (as it were by the way)

For warning’s sake, my conscience I professe:

Yet for my breache of compasse blame mee lesse,

In talke, sith that thou come to heare mee art,

Which seeme (as woemen vse) to reme my hart,

Before I come to open all my smart.]

26.

Wee spent the day in iusting (as I sayd,)

Appoynted erst among our selues before,

And all the feates of armes in fielde wee playd,

Æneas taught our auncestours of yore,

What neede I fill thine eares with talking more,

My men and I had put those feates in vre,

And hee likewise (but nothing yet so sure,)

[Which did, at length, my haplesse end procure.]

27.

For as with fortune still I gaue the foyle,

To him that thought the glory all to haue,

When hee perceau’d hee coulde not keepe the coyle,

Nor yet with equall match himselfe to saue,

Occasion of dissention great hee gaue:

In stead of iest hee offred earnest play,

In lieu of sport hee spite did still[786] display,

[In stead of myrth, both malice and decay.]

28.

The traytour vile, the tyraunt (so hee prou’d)

With coward, canker’d, hatefull, hasty ire,

And caytife dealing, shewde how mee hee[787] lou’d,

When as hee could not to his hope aspire,

To winne the prayse of triumph, his desire,

Hee chalengde mee, and here began the broyle,

He thought with banding braue to keepe the coyle,

[Or else with flatts and facings mee to foyle.]

29.

And that because the[788] iudgment fauourde mee,

[Perdy,] report almost of all the route,[789]

Ran still that I was worthy praysde to bee,

And often times they gaue mee all a shoute:

This made mine enmies stare[790] and looke aboute,

And often wish them euill aloude that cryde,

Such is the nature still of naughty pryde,

[Can nothing worse[791] then others prayse abyde.]

30.

Wee twayne (quoth hee) betwene our selues will try

Alone our manhoods both, if thou consent:

Wee ought not breake the Prince his peace, quoth I,

His grace would not therewith bee well[792] content,

And sith no hurt was here nor malice ment,

You ought not so on choller take it ill,

Though I to win the price put forth my skill,

[But for my Knighthoode beare[793] mee more good will.]

31.[794]

With that quoth Elenine (for so hee hight,)

That was the Earle his cosin, then[795] my foe,

I meane (quoth hee) to try the case in fight,

Before thou passe againe my presence froe,[796]

And euen with that hee raught to mee[797] a bloe:

My friends nor I could[798] not this wrong abide,

Wee drewe,[799] and so did those on th’other side

[That fearcely[800] fought, and other each defide.]

32.

But I was all the marke whereat hee[801] shotte,

The malice still hee[802] meant to none but mee,

At mee hee[803] cast, and drewe mee for the lotte,

Which should of all reuenge the ransom bee:

Wherefore hee set them at mee francke[804] and free,

Till mee they tooke, so compast rounde aboute,

As I coulde not scape from among them out:

[Was neuer Lord[805] betrayde with such a route.]

33.

To make it short: I singled was therefore,

Euen as the Dere to finde his fatall stroke:

I could not scape, in numbre they were more,

My pageaunt was in presence there bespoke:[806]

A pillowe they prepared mee of oke,

My hands they bounde, along my corps they led,

From of my shoulders quite they stroke my head,

[And with my death theyr cruell eyes they fed.]

34.

If euer man that seru’d his Prince with payne,

And well deserued of his publique weal:

If euer Knight esteemde it greatest gayne,

For Prince and Countrey in the warres to deale:

My selfe was such, which venterde life and heale

At all assayes, to saue my natiue soyle,

With all my labour, trauayle, payne and toyle,

[Both from the force of foes and foraine foyle.]

35.

Yet heere you see, at home I had my fall,

Not by my fearcest foes that came in warre,

But by my friend I gate this griping thrall,

When folly framde vs both at home to iarre.

Oh that my Countrey man[807] should raunge so farre,

From wisedome’s way, to wedde himselfe to will,

From reason’s rule, to wrest his wittes to ill,

[From friendship fast, his dearest friend to kill!]

36.

Well, bid the rest beware of triumphes such,

Bid them beware for titles vaine to striue,

Bid them not trust such sullayne friends to much,

Did them not so theyr honours high achieue:

For if they will preserue theyr names aliue,

There is no better way to worke the same

Then to eschue of tyrany defame:

[Meeke clemency deserues a noble name.][808]

LENUOY.

What griefe is this that such a worthy wight,

(Which meant to Prince and Countrey both so wel)

Should haue his death amongst his friendes adight,

Though he in noble feates did so excell:

But so full oft it falles (the trueth to tell)

Who best doth meane the publike weales defence,

By some mishap is soonest reaued thence.

Such Nennius was (of whome I spake before)

Such diuers haue in ages all bene seene,

Such therefore still were enuide much the more,

Both of the proude, and such as hatefull beene:

For when they seeke the publique weales defence,

By some mishap th’are soonest reaued thence:

But what ensues such members reaft away?

The rest begin within themselues to striue,

Which when they doe, the body feeles decay,

It cannot long preserue it selfe aliue,

For when diseases bad good health depriue,

If once they reaue the vitall strength from thence,

Too late is sought for sicknesse sure defence.

Now next appeard on stage the Romayne stoute,

Which made vs tribute first to Rome to pay,

The monarch Iulius Cæsar, halfe in doubte

In th’english tongue what he were best to say:

At length me thought, not making more delay,

His life, warres, death, to shewe he did commence,

Which first with hostage bare the conquest hence.