ROGER MORTIMER.

[When maister Ferrers had finished his[163] tragedy,[164] which seemed not vnfit for the persons touched in the same: another, which in the meane time had stayed vpon sir Roger Mortimer, whose[165] miserable ende (as it shoulde appeare) was somwhat before the others, sayed as foloweth: “Although it be not greatly appertinent to our purpose,[166] yet in my iudgement I thinke it woulde doe well to obserue the times of men, and as they be more auncient, so to place them.[167] For I finde that before these, (of whome maister Ferrers here hath spoken) there were two Mortimers,[168] the one[169] in Edwarde[170] the iij. time, out of our date; an other slayne in Ireland in Richarde the seconde’s time,[171] a yeare before the falle of these iustices: whose history sith it is notable, and the example fruitefull, it were not good to ouerpasse it: and therefore by your licence and agreemente,[172] I will take vpon mee the personage of the laste, who full of woundes mangled,[173] with a pale countenaunce, and griezly looke, may make his mone to Baldwine, as foloweth.”[174]]

How the two Rogers, surnamed Mortimers, for their sundry vices ended their liues vnfortunately, the one An. 1329, the other, 1387.[175]

Among the riders of[176] the rolling wheele

That lost their holdes, Baldwine, forget not mee,

Whose fatall thred false fortune needes would reele,[177]

Ere it were twisted by the sisters three:

All folke be fraile, their blisses brittle bee:

For proofe whereof, although none other were,

Suffise may I, sir Roger Mortimer.

Not hee that was in Edwarde’s dayes the thyrde,

Whom fortune brought to boote and eft to bale,[178]

With loue of whome, the king so much shee sturde,

That none but hee was heard in any tale:[179]

And whiles shee smooth blew on this pleasaunt gale,[180]

Hee was created earle of March, alas,

Whence enuy sprang which his destruction was.[181]

For welth breedes[182] wrath, in such as welth doe want,

And pride with folly in[183] such as it possesse,

Among a thousand shall you finde one[184] skant,

That can in welth his lofty harte represse,

Which in this earle due proofe did playne expresse:

For whereas hee was somewhat haut before,[185]

His high degree hath made him now much more.[186]

For now alone hee ruleth as him lust,

Ne recketh[187] for reade, saue of king Edwarde’s mother:[188]

Which forced enuy foulder[189] out the rust,

That in men’s hartes before[190] did lye and smother:

The peeres, the people, as well the one as other,[191]

Against him made so haynous a complaynt,

That for a traytour hee was taken and attaynt.[192]

Then all such faultes as were forgot afore,[193]

They skowre afresh, and somwhat to them adde:

For cruell enuy[194] hath eloquence in store,

When fortune bids to worse things meanly badde:[195]

Fiue haynous crimes agaynst him soone were had,

First, that hee causde the king to yeelde the Scot,

To make a peace, townes that were from him got:[196]

And therewithall the charter called Ragman,

That of the Scots hee had[197] bribed priuy gayne,[198]

That through[199] his meanes sir Edwarde of Carnaruan,

In Barkeley castle most[200] trayterously was slaine:

That with his prince’s mother hee had layne,

And finally with polling[201] at his pleasure,

Had robde[202] the king and commons of theyr treasure.

For these things lo, which erst were out of minde,

Hee was condempned,[203] and hanged at the last,[204]

In whome dame fortune fully shewed her kinde,

For whom shee heaues shee hurleth downe as fast:

If men to come would learne by other past,

This cosin of mine might[205] cause them set aside

High climing, bribing, murdering, lust, and pride.[206]

The finall cause why I this processe tell,

Is that I may bee knowen from this other,

My like in name, vnlike mee, though hee fell,

Which was I thinke[207] my grandsire, or his brother:

To count my kin, dame Phillip was my mother,

Deare[208] daughter and heyre of douty Lionell,

The second son of a king who did[209] excell.[210]

My father hight sir Edmund Mortimer,

True[211] earle of March, whence I was after earl

By iust[212] discent, these two my parentes were,

Of which the one of knighthood bare the ferll,

Of womanhood the[213] other was the pearle:

Through theyr desert so calde of euery wight,

Till death them tooke, and left mee in[214] theyr right.[215]

10.

For why th’attaynter of my[216] elder Roger,

(Whose shamefull death I tolde you but of late)

Was founde to bee vniuste, and passed ouer,[217]

Agaynst the lawe, by those that bare him hate:

For where by lawe the lowest of[218] free estate

Should personally bee hearde ere iudgement passe,

They barde him this, where through distroyde he was.[219]

11.

Wherefore by doome of court in[220] parliament,

When we had prou’de our cosin ordered thus,[221]

The king, the lordes, and commons, of assent

His lawles death vnlawfull did discusse:

And both to bloud and good restored vs:

A president most worthy, shewed, and lefte

Lordes liues to saue, that laweles might bee refte.[222]

12.

While fortune thus did forder mee a mayne,[223]

King Richarde’s grace, the second of that[224] name,

(Whose dissolute[225] life did soone abridge his raine)[226]

Made mee his mate in earnest and in game:

The lordes themselues so well allowed the same,

That through my titles duely comming downe,

I was made heyre apparant to the crowne.

13.

Who then but I was euery where esteemed?

Well was the man that might with mee acquaynt,[227]

Whom I allowed, as lordes the people deemed:

To whatsoeuer folly had me bent,

To like it well the people did assent:[228]

To mee as prince attended great and small,

I hoapt[229] a day would come to pay for all.

14.

But seldome ioy continueth trouble voyde,

In greatest charge cares greatest doe ensue,

The most possest are euer most anoyde,

In largest seas sore tempestes lightly brue,

The freshest coulours soonest fade the hue,[230]

In thickest place is made the deepest wounde,

True proofe whereof my selfe too soone haue founde.

15.

For whilst fayre fortune luld[231] mee in her lap,

And gaue mee giftes more then I did require,

The subtile queane[232] behinde mee set a trap,

Whereby to dash[233] and lay all in the myre:

The Irish men[234] agaynst mee did conspyre,

My landes of Vlster fro mee to haue refte,

Which heritage my mother had mee lefte.[235]

16.

And whiles I there, to set all thinges in stay,

(Omit my toyles and troubles thitherwarde)

Among mine owne with my retinue lay,

The wylder men, whom litle I did regarde,[236]

(And had therefore the reckles man’s rewarde)[237]

When least I thought set on mee in such numbre,

That fro my corps my life they rent asunder.[238]

17.

Naught might auayle my courage nor my force,

Nor strenght of men[239] which were (alas) to fewe:

The cruell folke assaulted so my horse:

That all my helpes in peeces they to hewe:

Our bloud distayned the grounde as drops of dewe,

Naught might preuayle to flye nor[240] yet to yeelde,

For whome they take they murder in the fielde.

18.

They know no law of armes,[241] nor none will learne,

They make not warre (as other doe) a play:

The lord, the boy, the gallowglas, the kerne,

Yeelde or not yeelde, whome so they take they slay:

They saue no prisoners[242] for ransome nor for pay:

Theyr chiefest boote they counte theyr bodoh’s heade,[243]

Theyr end of warre to see theyr enmy deade.[244]

19.

Amongst these men or rather sauage beastes

I lost my life, by cruell murder slayne:

And therefore, Baldwine, note thou well my geastes,

And warne all princes rashnes to refrayne:

Bid them beware theyr enmies when they faine,[245]

Nor yet presume vnequally to striue:

Had I thus done, I had beene man aliue.[246]

20.

But I dispised the naked Irish men,

And, for they flew, I feared them the lesse:

I thought one man enough to match with ten,

And through this carelesse vnaduisednes

I was destroyde, and all my men I gesse,[247]

At vnawares assaulted by our foen,

Which were in nombre forty to vs one.

21.

See here the stay of fortunate estate,

The vayne assurance of this brittle life:[248]

For I but yong-proclaymed prince of late,

Right fortunate in children and in wife,[249]

Lost all at once by stroke of bloudy knife:

Whereby assurde let men themselues assure,

That welth and life are doubtfull to endure.

Ca.[250]