And lawde honor & prayse be to the o͞ Lord almyght,
For the redde lyon ys confusyd, & ye. whyte hath vyctory. MS.
Explycit bellum de Brampton.
Quod. Fraunces Dyngley de manston. MS.
[1967] The induction to the following legend of Jane Shore, in the edition of 1563, is that already given at p. 394, continuing from the sentence “so yll a person. And to supplye that whych is lackinge in him, here I haue Shore’s Wyfe, an eloquent wentch, whyche shall furnishe out both in meter and matter, that which could not comlily be sayd in his [K. Richard’s] person. Marke, I praye you, what she sayeth, and tell me howe you like it.”
In the editions of 1571, 75, 78, where this legend comes by transposition next after Michael Joseph, the Blacksmith, it has the induction printed at p. 415-17, to the words “God will suffer none of his to be tempted aboue their strength. But because [it continues] these two persons last before rehersed were thoughte not onelye obscure in the matter but also crabbed in the meeter, I haue here redy to supply that which lacked in them, Shore’s wyfe, an eloquent wench,” as just quoted, varying “his person” to “their persons.”
[1968] Although the name of Churchyard was affixed to the legend of Jane Shore in common with the other authors in the edition of 1571, it is certain that his title to that production was often questioned, (unless it may be believed that the doubt was started to assist in obtaining notoriety,) from the many laboured assertions made in various places in support of his title, and it is to that circumstance the above passage alludes.
Jane Shore did not die until about 1527, and her popularity long survived her: the events of her life were then almost recent and well known from the interesting character drawn other by Sir T. More, which will be found in a future note, and must have given celebrity to this poem beyond many other of the same poet’s productions. After a lapse of thirty years from its first appearance, Churchyard reprinted “the tragedie of Shore’s Wife, much augmented with divers newe additions,” with other pieces in his Challenge, 1593, and in a dedication strenuously defended himself against those who had attempted to wrest from him this portion of his literary honours. This fact was first pointed out by that accurate and diligent researcher into the productions of the elder poets, Mr. Park, in the Censura Literaria, Vol. II. p. 309, (where the whole legend had been previously inserted) and from that source with the advantage and kindness of a further collation of the additions with the original by Mr. Park, those additions are now inserted in their respective places in the body of the work. They consist of 21 stanzas, viz. from 11 to 14-29 to 31-34 to 36-52 to 60-68 and 74, and are distinguished with asterisks. To complete the additions there is now given the author’s dedication.