Londricvs the Picte slayne by King Marius of Britayne, about the 80. yeere of Christ, giues his verdit of Fortune.

Fortune erst was wont to lift aloft her children high,[1040]

And giue them kingdoms great and conquests at her will,

And place them, as they thought, aboue the gods welnigh,

She blindly leades them forth as is her custome still,

With pleasures all a while she doth their fancies fill,

And at the last doth let them fall in foule despite againe.[1041]

Shee sets aloft and pulles them downe with might and maine;

[Such is of Fortune blind the use to plague her impes with pinching paine.]

When wee the glory see of those that come to great renowne,[1042]

We are enflamed straight the like attempts to make;

But when we see mischaunce againe to driue them downe,

We are not able yet example there to take;

The stormes of enuie blacke the hawtiest housen shake,

The basest sort contend with all their force t’aspire;

The meaner persons eke the loftie roomes require,

[And equalles heartes doe burne with hatefull brands of burning ire.]

Then is the meane estate commended well for meaner sorte[1043]

And golden meane is best in euery trade of life:

For though a countrey clowne doe[1044] keepe a stately porte,

[And in expenses great, and idle charge is rife;

Although he brauely builde his house and proudly paint his wife,

Yet is he but a clowne, and makes (in deede) himselfe a scorne:

Full hard it is to make such one a gentill borne,

Except some noble gifts of grace his gentill minde adorne.][1045]

So though a noble borne could get an higher seate

By conquest, or by weale, by fauour, or by fight,

And would from mighty Ioue his petegrue repeate,

Yet ought hee not aduaunce him selfe aboue his height,

Hee ought not make a clayme to that hee hath no right,

Or trust to Fortune so (although shee seeme to smyle)

As though shee did not turne her selfe within a while:

[For whom shee fauours most of all, shee soonest doth beguyle.]

When with my Picts I came first to the Scotish shore,

I bare my selfe in hand that I could Brytayne win,

Because that Scithes of whome I came, by conquests wan before[1046]

Right many noble Realmes, which they had entred in:

Yet I no sooner could my conquest here begin,

But strayght King Marius came with all his bande,

And met with mee and mine in Westmerlande,[1047]

[Where both our armies met, and fought it hande to hande.][1048]

I trusted sure that Fortune woulde mee guide so well

As erste shee had,[1049] in batayles whilome faught:

But proofe doth teache mee nowe the trueth[1050] to tell

What I by Fortune’s flattery fayre haue caught.[1051]

Whom shee setts vp,[1052] shee bringeth soone to naught.

[As when I had the Britaynes in disdayne,

And thought by batayle all theyr lande to gayne:

In fielde both I and mine were vanquisht, taken, slayne.][1053]

T’is foly or the ende, for men to prayse theyr chaunce,

Or brag what luck they haue, or tell theyr fate,[1054]

Or boaste how Lady Fortune doth theyr deedes aduaunce:

For Fortune at the last doth vse to gieue the mate.[1055]

Whom first shee loues, shee afterwarde doth hate,

She flings them headlong downe, whom erste shee made excell,

Shee makes them bare and poore, whom erst shee placed well,[1056]

[And those which thinke to scale the skies, she hurleth downe to hell.]