Michael Drayton- Collected Poetical Works

by Michael Drayton

  At Durham Pallace where sweet Hymen sang,

  The buildings, &c.

  The Lord Gilford Dudley, fourth sonne to Iohn Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, married the Lady Iane Gray, daughter to the duke of Suffolke at Durham house in the Strand.

  When first mine eares were persed with the fame,

  Of Iane proclaimed by a Princesse name.

  Presently vpon the death of King Edward, the Lady Iane was taken as Queene, conueyed by water to the Tower of London for her safetie, and after proclaimed in diuers parts of the Realme, as so ordained by King Edwards Letters-pattents, and his will.

  My Grandsire Brandon did our house aduaunce,

  By princely Mary, dowager of Fraunce.

  Henry Gray, Duke of Suffolk, married Frauncis the eldest daughter of Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk, by the French queene, by which Frauncis he had this Lady Iane: this Mary the French Queene, was daughter to king Henry the seauenth, by Elizabeth his Queene, which happy mariage co¯ioyned the two noble families of Lancaster & York.

  For what great Henrie most stroue to auoyde,

  Noting the distrust that King Henry the eyght euer had in the Princesse Mary his daughter, •earing she should alter the state of Religion in the Land, by matching with a stranger, confessing the right that King Henries issue had to the Crowne.

  And vnto faire Elizabeth shall leaue it.

  A prophecy of queene Maries barren•es, & of the happy & glorious raigne of Queene Elizabeth, her restoring of Religion, the abolishing of the Romish seruitude, & casting aside the yoke of Spayne.

  The Lord Gilford Dudley, to the Lady Iane Gray.

  AS Swan-like singing at thy dying howre,

  Such my reply, returning from this tower.

  O if there were such power but in my verse,

  As in these woes, my wounded hart doe pierce,

  Stones taking sence, th’obdurate flint that heares,

  Should at my plaints dissolue it selfe to teares.

  Lend me a teare, Ile pay thee with a teare,

  And interest to, if thou the stocke forbeare;

  woe, for a woe, and for thy interest lone,

  I will returne thee frankly two for one;

  And if thou thinke too soone one sorrow ends,

  Another twice so long shall make amends.

  Perhaps thow’lt iudge, in such extreames as these

  That words of comfort might far better please,

  But such strange power in thy perfection liueth,

  As smiles in teares, and teares in gladnes giueth•

  Yet thinke not Iane, that cowardly I faint,

  As begging mercy by this sad complaint;

  Or yet suppose my courage daunted so,

  That thou shouldst stand betwixt me, and my so,

  That grim-aspected death should now controule,

  And seeme so fearefull to my parting soule,

  For were one life, a thousand lifes to me,

  Yet were all those too few to die with thee;

  when thou my woes so patiently dost beare,

  As if in death, no cause of sorrow were,

  And no more doost lifes dissolution shunne,

  Then if cold age his longest course had runne.

  Thou which didst once giue comfort in my woe,

  Now art alone, becom my comforts foe;

  Not that I leaue wherein I did delight,

  But that thou art debarr’d my wished sight;

  For if I speake, and would complaine my wrong,

  Straight-waies thy name doth come into my tong•

  And thou art present as thou still didst lye,

  Or in my hart, or in my lips, or eye,

  No euill plannet raigned at thy birth,

  Nor was that houre prodigious heere on earth;

  No fatall marke of froward destinie,

  Could be diuin’d, in thy natiuitie;

  Tis onely I, that did thy fall deuise,

  And thou by me art made a sacrifice;

  As in those Countries, where the louing wiues,

  Doe with their husbands euer end their liues,

  And crown’d with garlands, in their brides attire,

  Goe with their husbands to that holy fire;

  And she vnworthy thought to liue, of all,

  when feare of death, or danger doth appall.

  I boast not of Northumberlands great name,

  Nor of Kets conquest, which adornes the same;

  when he to Norfolke led his troupes from far,

  And yok’d the rebels in the chaine of war,

  when our white Beare, did furiously respire•

  The flames that sing’d their Villages with fire,

  And brought sweet peace in safety to our doores,

  Yet left our fame vpon the Easterne shores;

  Nor of my princely brothers which might grace,

  And plant true honour in the Dudleys race;

  Nor of Grayes match, my children borne by thee,

  Alied to great Plantaginet should bee;

  But of thy vertues proudly boast I dare,

  That she is mine, whom all perections are.

  I crau’d no Kingdome, though I thee did craue,

  And hauing thee, I wish’d no more to haue.

  Yet let me say, how euer it befell,

  Me thinks a Crowne should haue becom’d thee well,

  Me thinks thy wisedome was ordain’d alone,

  To blesse a Scepter, beautifie a throme;

  Thy lips a sacred Oracle retaine,

  wherein all holy prophecies remaine;

  More highly priz’d thy vertues were to me,

  Then crownes, then Kingdomes, or then Scepters b•.

  So chast thy loue, so innocent thy life,

  A wiued virgine, and a mayded wife;

  The greatest gifts that heauen could giue me heere,

  Nothing on earth to me was halse so deere.

  This was the ioy wherin we liu’d of late,

  Ere worldly cares did vs excruciate,

  Before these troubles did our peace confound,

  By war, by weapon, massacre, or wound;

  Ere dreadfull Armies did disturbe our shores,

  Or walls were shaken, with the Cannons roares.

  Suspect bewrayes our thoughts, bewrayes our words;

  One Crowne is guarded with a thousand swords;

  To meane estate but common woes are showne,

  But Crownes haue cares that euer be vnknowne,

  And we by them are to those dangers led,

  Of which the least we are experienced.

  When Dudley led his Armies to the East,

  Of all the bosome of the land possest,

  what Earthly comfort was it that he lack’d,

  That with a Counsels warrantie was back’d?

  That had a Kingdome, and the power of lawes,

  Still to maintaine the iustnes of his cause;

  And with the Clergies helpe, the Commons ayd,

  In euery place the peopled Kingdome swayd.

  But what (alas) can Parliaments auaile,

  when Maries right, must Edwards acts repeale•

  When suffolks power, doth Suffolks hopes withstand,

  Northumberland, doth leaue Northumberland.

  And those which should our greatnes vnder prop,

  Raze our foundation, ouerthrow our top.

  Ere greatnes come, we wish it with our hart,

  But being come, desire it would depart,

  And indiscretly follow that so fast,

  which when it comes, brings perrill at the last,

  If any man doe pittie our offence,

  Let him be sure to get him far from hence;

  Heere is no place, no comfort heere at all,

  For any one that shall bewaile our fall,

  And we in vaine of mercy should but thinke,

  Our briny teares the fullen earth doth drink.

  O that all teares for vs should be forlorne,

  And all should die so
soone as they be borne;

  Mothers that should their childrens fortunes rue,

  Fathers in death too kindly bid adue;

  Friends of their friends, a kind farwell to take,

  The faithful seruant mourning for our sake;

  Brothers and sisters waiting on our Beere,

  Mourners to tell what we were liuing heere;

  Those eares are stopt which should bewaile our fall,

  And wee the Mourners, and the dead and all;

  And that which first our Pallace was ordain’d,

  The prison, which our libertie restrain’d,

  And where our Court we held in princely state,

  There now alone, are left disconsolate

  Thus then resolu’d, as thou, resolu’d am I.

  Die thou for me, and I for thee will die;

  And yet that heauen Elizabeth may blesse,

  Be thou (sweet Iane) a faithfull Prophetesse,

  With that health gladly resaluting thee,

  Which thy kind farwell wish’d before to mee.

  Notes of the Chronicle Historie.

  Nor of Kets conquest, which adornes the same.

  IOHN Duke of Northumberland, when before he was Earle of Warwicke in his expedition against Ket, ouerthrew the rebels of Norfolk and suffolk, encamped at Mount-Surrey in Norfolke.

  Nor of my princely brothers which might grace,

  Gilford Dudley as remembring in this place the towardnesse of his brothers, which were all likely indeed to haue raised that house of the Dudleyes, of which he was a fourth brother, if not suppressed by their Fathers ouerthrow.

  Nor of Grayes match, my children borne by thee,

  Noting in this place the alliance of the Ladie Iane Gray, by her mother, which was Frauncis the daughter of Charles Brandon, by Mary the French Queene, daughter to Henry the seuenth, and sister to Henry the eight.

  To blesse a Septer, beautifie a threne,

  Sildome hath it euer been known of any woman endued with such wonderfull gifts, as was this Ladie, both for her wisedome and learning, of whose skill in the tongues one reporteth by this Epigram.

  Miraris Ianam Graio, sermone •alere,

  Qu• primum nata est tempore Graia Fuit.

  When Dudley led his armies to the East.

  The Duke of Northumberland prepared his power at London for his expedition against the Rebels in Norfolke, and making hast away, appointed the rest of his forces to meete him at Newmarket Heath: of whom this saying is reported, that passing through Shorditch, the Lord Gray in his company, seeing the people in great numbers, came to see him, hee said, the people presse to see vs, but none bid God speede vs.

  That with the Counsels warranty was back’d,

  Iohn Dudley Duke of Northumberland, when he went out against Queene Mary, had his Commission sealed for the generalship of the Armie, by the consent of the whole Counsell of the Land; insomuch that passing through the Counsell chamber at his departure, the Earle of Arondell wished that he might haue gone with him in that expedition, and to spend his blood in the quarrell.

  When suffolks power doth Suffolks hopes withstand,

  Northumberland doth leaue Northumberland.

  The Suffolke men were the first, that euer resotted to Queene Mary in her destresse, repairing to her succours, whilst she remained both at Keningall and at Fermingham Castle, still increasing her aydes, vntill the Duke of Northumberland, was left forsaken at Cambridge.

  FINIS.

  THE BARONS’ WARS IN THE REIGN OF EDWARD II

  CONTENTS

  TO SIR WALTER ASTON, KNIGHT OF THE HONOURABLE ORDER OF THE BATH, AND MY MOST WORTHY PATRON.

  TO THE READER.

  TO M. MICHAELL DRAYTON.

  TO M. MICHAELL DRAYTON.

  THE FIRST BOOKE OF THE BARRONS WARRES.

  THE SECOND BOOKE OF THE BARRONS WARRES.

  THE THIRD BOOKE OF THE BARRONS WARRES.

  THE FOURTH BOOKE OF THE BARRONS WARRES.

  THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE BARRONS WARRES.

  THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE BARRONS WARRES.

  Error! No table of contents entries found.

  TO SIR WALTER ASTON, KNIGHT OF THE HONOURABLE ORDER OF THE BATH, AND MY MOST WORTHY PATRON.

  I Will not striue m’invention to inforce,

  With needlesse words your eyes to entertaine,

  T’obserue the formall ordinarie course

  That euerie one so vulgarly doth faine:

  Our interchanged and deliberate choise,

  Is with more firme and true election sorted,

  Then stands in censure of the common voice,

  That with light humor fondly is transported:

  Nor take I patterne of an others praise,

  Then what my pen may constantly avow,

  Nor walke more publique nor obscurer waies

  Then vertue bids, and iudgement will allow;

  So shall my loue, and best endeuours serue you,

  And still shall studie, still so to deserue you.

  Michaell Drayton.

  TO THE READER.

  That at first I made choise of this argument, I haue not as yet repented me for if the Muse haue not much abvsed me, it was most worthy to haue found a more worthie Pen then mine owne; for the Barrons warres, (omitting the qualitie of those Armes, whereof I haue not heere to speake) were surely as well for their length in continuance, as for their manifold bloodshed, and multitude of horrid accidents, meet matter for trumpet or tragedy. Therefore, as at first the dignitie of the thing was the motiue of the doing, so the cause of this my second greater labour was the insufficient handkung of the first, which though it were more then boldnesse to venter on so noble an argument without leisure, and studie copetent, either of which trauell hardly affoords; yet the importunitie of friends made me, contrarie to mine own iudgement, take, vndertakem & publish it, so as the world hath seene; but herein I intend not to be too exact, as if eyther it needed too much excuse (knowing, that euen as it was it ought to haue passed for better then some would suffer, who can hardly thinke any thing hath sauour but their own, though neuer so vnsauoury) or as if I should seeme now to haue excelled my selfe, and failing in my hopes, be kept without excuse. Grammaticasters haue quarreled at the title of Mortimeriados, as if it had beene a sinne against Syntaxis to haue subscribed it in the second case, but not their idle reproofe hath made mee now abstaine from fronting it by the name of Mortimer at all, but the same better aduise which hath caused me to alter the whole; and where before the stanza was of seauen lines, wherein there are two couplets, as in this figure appeareth. the often harmonie thereof softned the verse more then the maiesty of the subiect would permit, vnlesse they had all bin Geminels, or couplets. Therefore, (but not without fashioning the whole frame) I chose Ariostos stanza, of all other the most complete and best proportioned, consisting of eight, six interwouen, and a couplet in base. The Quadrin doth neuer double, or to v•e a word of He raldrie, neuer bringeth forth Gemells. The Quiazain too soone. The Sostin hath Twinnes in the base, but they detaine not the Musicke nor the Cloze (as Musitians terme it) long enough for an Epicke Poeme; The stanza of seauen is touched before; This of eight both holds the tune cleane through to the base of the columne, (which is the couplet, the foote or bottome) and closeth not but with a full satisfaction to the care, for so long detention. Briefely, this sort of stanza hath in it, maiestie, perfection and soliditie, resembling the pillar which in Architecture is called the Tuscan, whose shaft is of six diameters, and bases of two. The other reasons this place will not beare, but generally all stanzas are in my opinion but tyrants and torturers, when they make inuention they their number, which sometime would otherwise scantle it selfe. A fault that great Maisters in this Art striue to auoide. Concerning the diuision which I vse in this Poeme, I am not ignorant that antiquitie hath vsed to distinguish workes into Bookes, and euery one to beare the number of their order, Homers •liads, and Vlysiads indeede are distinguished by seuerall letters of the Greeke Alphabet, as all the world kn•wes,
and not by the numerall letters onely, which to lot• are digit, and afterward compound; the Alpha being our vnite, for the Greeks had no figures nor ciphers in their Arithmeticke. Virgils Aeneis, Statius Theba•s, Silius worke of the Carthaginian warre, Illyricus Argonauticks, Vidas Christeis, are all diuided into books. The Italians vse Cantos, and so our first late great Reformer Master Spenser; that I assume another name for the sections in this volume, cannot be disgratious nor vnauowable. Lastly, if I haue not already exceeded the length of an Epistle, I am to intreats, that he who will (as any man may that will) make himselfe a partie to this of ours, would be pleased to remember that Spartan Prince, who being found by certaine Ambassadors playing among his children, requested them to forbeare to censure, till also they had some of their owne. To such I giue as ample power and priuiledge as euer Ius lib•rorum coulain Rome, crauing backe againe at their hands by a regrant, the like of that which I impart; for great reason there is, that they should vndergoe the licence which themselues challenge, and suffer that in their fames which they would wrongly put vpon others, according to the most indifferent law of the Talio. Fare you well.

  TO M. MICHAELL DRAYTON.

  WHAT ornament might I deuise to fit

  Th’aspiring height of thy admired spirit?

  Or what faire Garland worthy is to sit

  On thy blest browes, that compasse in all merit?

  Thou shalt not crowned be with common Bayes,

  Because for thee it is a crowne too low,

  Apolloes tree can yeeld thee simple praise,

  It is too dull a vesture for thy brow;

  But with a wreathe of starres shalt thou be crown’d,

  Which when thy working temples do sustaine,

  Will like the Spheares be euer moouing round,

  After the royall musicke of thy braine:

  Thy skill doth equall Phoebus, not thy birth,

  He to heauen giues musicke, thou to earth.

  Thomas Greene.

  TO M. MICHAELL DRAYTON.

  THOSE painefull wits, which natures depth admire,

  And view the causes of vnconstant strife,

  Doe tremble least the Vniuerse expire,

  Through lasting iarres, the enemies of life,