They make a marrige twixt the Scot and vs,
To giue more strength vnto this strange release,
Which vnto all men seemd so dangerous
Whilst Roberts raigne, and after his decease,
The league might euer be continued thus,
Dauid the Prince the Lady Iane should take,
which twixt the Realms a lasting bond shuld make.
9
When th’Earle of Kent that being one of those,
Which in their actions had a powerfull hand,
Perceiuing them of matters to dispose,
To the subiection of so great a land,
Finding the inconuenience that growes
Vnder the guidance of their wilfull hand,
To shake their power whilst he strangely doth cast,
His fatall end too violently doth haste.
10
Which giuing out his brother yet to liue,
(Long now supposed the deceased King)
Vnto his nephew might that scandall giue,
As into question might his title bring:
Ill this report beganne, and worse it thriue,
Being so foule and dangerous a thing,
Which being the motiue of intestine strife,
The time not long ere it bereft his life.
11
Whilst Edward takes what late their power did giue,
Whose non-age craues their bountifull protection,
Which know to rule whilst he must learne to liue,
From their experience taking his direction,
Which more and more their doubtfull hopes reuiue,
When borne to raigne, yet crownd by their election,
Th’allegiance duely dooth to him belong,
Now makes their faction absolutely strong.
12
Prouiding for protection of the king,
Men of most power, and noblest of the Pecres,
That no distaste vnto the realme might bring,
For ripened iudgement, or well seasoned yeeres,
With comelines all matters managing,
Yet whilst they row, tis Mortimer that steeres,
wel might we think the man were worse than blind,
That wanted sea-roome, and could rule the wind.
13
To smoothe the path wherein this course was gone,
Which as a test might to their actions stand,
And giue more full possession of their owne,
In being receiued from a soucraine band,
Into their bosomes absolutely throwne,
Both for the good, and safety of the land:
When their proceedings colourd with this care,
To the worlds eye so faire an out-side bare.
14
All complement that appertainde to state,
By giuing greatnes eu’ry honored rite,
To feed those eies that did their houres awaite;
And by all meanes to nourish their delight,
That entertaining loue, they welcome hate,
And with free bounty equally inuite,
A Princes wealth in spending still doth spred,
Like to a brooke with many fountaines fed.
15
To Nottingham the Norths emperious eye,
Which as a Pharus guardes the goodly soile,
And armd by Nature danger to defie,
There to repose him safely after toile,
Where treason least aduantage might espie,
Closely conuaies this great in-valued spoile:
That by residing from the publique sight,
He might more freely relish his delight.
16
Nine score in checke attending in their court,
Whom honored Knighthood knitts in mutuall bands,
Men most select, of speciall worth and sort,
Much might they doe that haue so many hands,
Who payes not tribute to this lordly port?
This hie-rearde Castell eu’ry way commands;
Thus like those Giants gainst great heauen they rise,
Which darted Rockes at the emperiall skies.
17
It seemes in him Fame meanes hir power to show,
And twixt her wings to beare him through the skies,
He might more easly see the things below,
Hauing aboue them mounted him so hie,
Vnto whose will they meckely seeme to bow,
Vnder whose greatnes meaner powers doe •e:
All things concurre with faire succeslefull chance,
To raise that man whom Fortune will aduance.
18
Heere all along the flower enameld vales,
The siluer. Trent on pearly sand• dooth slide,
And to the medowes telling wanton tales,
Her Cristall limbs lasciuiously in pride,
(As rauished with the enamored gales,)
with often turnings casts from side to side,
As loath she were the sweete soyle to for sake,
And cast her selfe into the German lake.
19
Neare whom; faire Sherwood wildely bent to roue,
Twines her loose armes about the flattering Towers,
By the milde shadowes of her scattered groue,
Lends winter shelter, and giues’ summer bowers,
As with the flood in curtesie it stroue,
And by repulsing the sharpe Northerne showers:
Courts the prowd Castell, who by turning to her,
Smiles to behold th’lasciuious wod-nymph wo hir.
20
Who being retirde so strictly to this place,
To this faire sted the Princes person drawes,
When Fortune seemes their greatnes to embrace,
That as a working and especiall cause,
Effects each formall ceremonious grace,
As by her iust and necessary lawes,
That in the towne retaines his kingly seate,
With Marches Court the Castle is repleate.
21
Occasiond where, in counsels to debate,
And by the king conueniently is met,
So soueraigne and magnificent in state,
As might all eies vpon his greatnesse set,
Prizing his honour at that costly rate,
As to the same due reuerence might beget,
which as the obiect sundry passions wrought,
Stirring strange forms in many a wandring thoght.
22
Could blind ambition find the meanest stay
His disproportiond and vaine course to guide,
Tassure some safety in that slippery way,
Where the most worldly prouident doe slide,
Feeling the steep fall threatning sure decay,
Besotted in the wantonnesse of pride,
The minde assuming absoluter powres,
Might checke the fraile mortality of ours.
23
But still in pleasure sitting with excesse,
His sauory junkett tasted with delight,
Ne’re can that glutton appetite suppresse,
Where eu’ry dish inuites a licorish sight,
Nor hauing much, is his desire the lesle,
Till tempted past the compasse of his might,
The pampered stomacke more than well suffizde,
Casts vp the surfet lately gurmundizde.
24
And when som brook from th’ouer moistned ground
By swelling waters prowdly ouer slowd,
Stoppeth his ••rrent, shouldrrth downe his mownd,
And from his course dooth quite himselfe vnloade,
The bordring meddowes eu’ry where surrownd,
Dispersing his owne riches all abroade,
Spending the store he was maintained by,
Leaues his first channell desolate and dry.
25
When now those few that many teares had spent,
And long had wept on murthered
Edwards graue,
Muttring in corners, grieud, and discontent,
And finding some a willing care that gaue,
Sti• as they durst, bewraying what they meant,
Tending his pride and greatnes to depraue,
Vrging withall, what some might iustly do,
If things thus borne, were rightly lookt into,
26
Some giue it out, that March by blood to rise,
Had cut off Kent, the man might next succeed,
And his late treasons falsly did surmise,
As a meere colour to this lawlesse deede,
That his ambition onely did deuise,
In time the royall family to weede,
When in account there was but only one,
That kept him off from stepping to the throne.
27
And those much busied in the former times,
Then credulous that honour was his end,
And by the hate they bare to others crimes,
Did not his faults so carefully attend,
Perceiuing how he desolutely climes,
(Hauing thus brought his purpose to an end)
With a seuere eye now more strictly looke
Into the course that his ambition tooke.
28
All fence the tree that serueth for a shade,
Whose large growne body doth repulse the winde,
Vntill his wastefull branches do inuade,
The straighter plants, and them in prison binde,
And as a tyrant to the weaker made;
When like a foule deuourer of his kinde,
Vnto his roote all put their hands to hew,
Whose romth but hinders others that would grow.
29
Thus at his ease whilst he securely sate,
And to his will these things assured were,
With a wel gouernd and contented fate,
Neuer so much freed from suspitious feare,
Wel fortifide, and in so good estate,
As not admits of danger to be neare,
But still we see before a sodaine shower,
The sunne shines hotst, and hath the greatest power.
30
Within the Castle hath the Queene deuisde
A chamber with choice rarities so frought,
As in the same she had imparadizde
Almost what man by industrie hath sought,
where, with the curious pensill was comprizde,
what could with colours by the Arte be wrought,
In the most sure place of the Castle there,
which she had namde the Tower of Mortimer.
31
An orball forme with pillers small composde,
Which to the top like paralels doe beare,
Arching the compasse where they were inclosde,
Fashioning the faire roofe like the hemisphere,
In whose partitions by the lines disposde,
All the cleere Northerne Asterismes were
In their corporeall shapes with starres inchased,
As by th’old Poets they in heauen were placed.
32
About which lodgings, towards the vpper face,
Ran a fine bordure circularly led,
As equall twixt the hi’st point and the base,
That as a Zone the waste ingirdled,
That lends the sight a breathing or a space,
Twixt things neere view, and those farre ouer head;
Vnder the which the Painters curious skill,
In liuely formes the goodly roome did fill.
33
Heere Phoebus clipping Haycinthus stood,
whose liues last drops his snowie breast imbrew,
The ones teares mixed with the others blood,
That shoul’t be blood or teares, no sight could view,
So mix’d together in a little flood,
Yet heere and there they seu’rally with-drew,
The pretty wood-nimphs chafing him with balme,
To bring the sweete boy from his deadly qualme.
34
With the Gods Lire, his quiuer and his bow,
His golden mantle cast vpon the ground,
T’expresse whose geiefe, Art euen her best did show,
The sledge so shadowed still seem’d to rebound,
To counterfet the vigor of the blow,
As still to giue new anguish to the wound,
The purple flowre sprung from the blood that run,
That opneth since, and closeth with the Sun.
35
By which the heyfer Io, Ioues faire rape,
Gazing her new tane figure in a brooke,
The water shadow’d to obserue the shape,
In the same forme that she on it doth looke:
So cunningly to clowde the wanton scape,
That gazing eyes, the portrature mistooke,
By prospectiue deuisde beholding now,
This way a maiden, that way •t seemde a Cow.
36
Swist Mercury like to a Sheepheards boy,
Sporting with Hebe by a fountaine brim,
with many a sweete glance, many an amorous toy,
He sprinckling drops at her, and she at him;
wherein the Painter so explainde their ioy,
As though his skill the perfect life could lim;
Vpon whose browes the water hung so cleere,
As throgh the drops the faire skin might appeare.
37
And Ciffy Cynthus with a thousand birds,
whose freckled plumes adorne his bushy crowne,
Vnder whose shadow graze the stragling heards,
Out of whose top the fresh springs trembling downe,
Dropping like fine pearle through his shaggy beards,
With mosse and climing Ivie ouer-growne,
The Rocke so liuely done in eu’ry part,
As Nature could be paterned by Art.
38
The naked Nimphs some vp and downe descending,
Small scattering flowers at one another flung,
With nimble turnes their limber bodies bending,
Cropping the blooming branches lately sprung,
(Vpon the briers their coloured mantles rending)
Which on the Rockes grew heere and there among;
Some combe their haire, some making garlands by,
As with delight might satisfie the eye.
39
There comes prowde Phaeton tumbling through the clowdes,
Cast by his Palfraies that their raines had broke,
And setting fire vpon the welked shrowdes,
Now through the heauen run madding from the yoke,
The elements together thrust in crowdes,
Both Land and Sea hid in a reeking smoke,
Drawne with such life, as some did much desire,
To warme themselues, some frighted with the fire.
40
The riuer Po, that him receiuing burnde,
His seauen sisters standing in degrees,
Trees vnto women seeming to be turnde,
As the gods turnde the women into trees,
Both which at once so mutually that mournde,
Drops from their boughs, or tears fell from their eyes,
The fire seemde to be water, water flame,
Such excellence in shewing of the same.
41
And to this lodging did the light inuent,
That it should first a naturall course reflect,
Through a short roome into the window sent,
Whence it should come expressiuely direct,
Holding iust distance to the lineament,
And should the beames proport onably proiect;
And being thereby condensated and graue,
To eu’ry figure a sure colour gaue.
42
In part of which, vnder a golden Vine,
Whose broad leau’d brauches cou’ting ouer all,
&nbs
p; Stood a rich bed, spred with this wanton twine,
Doubling themselues in their lasciuious fall,
Whose rip’ned clus•ers seeming to decline,
Whereas among the naked Cupids sprawle,
Some at the sundry coloured birds do shute,
Some swaruing vp to plucke the purple fruite.
43
On which a Tissue counterpoint was cast,
Arachnes web the same did not surpasse,
Wherein the story of his fortunes past,
In liuely pictures neatly handled was;
How he escap’d the Tower, in France how grac’d,
with stones embroyd’red of a wondrous masse;
About the border in a curious fret,
Emblems, Empresas, H••oglifiques set.
44
This flattering calme, congeales that thickned shower,
Which the full clowdes of poisnous enuy fed,
whose desolution waits th vnhappy hower,
To let the fury on his hatefull head,
which now was of that violence and power,
As his delights yet not imagined,
when men suppose in safety most to stand,
Then greatest dangers are the neer’st at hand.
45
Yet finding the necessitie is such,
To execute what he doth vndertake,
And that his crowne it did so neerely tuch,
If they too soone his sleeping power awake;
Th’attempt was great, the danger was as much,
Must secretly prouide some course to take,
By which he might th’enterprise effect,
And most offend, where he might least suspect.
46
A deepe blacke caue low in the earth is found,
whose duskie entrance like pale Morpheus Cell,
with strange Meanders windeth vnder ground,
where sooty darkenes euermore doth dwell;
That with such dread and horror doth abound,
As might be deemde an entrance into hell;
which Architects to serue the Castell made,
Whenas the Dane this Iland did inuade.
47
Now on along this cranckling path doth keepe,
Then by a rocke turnes vp another way,
Now rising vp, now falling towards the deepe,
As the ground leuell, or vnlevell lay;
And now direct, now angular doth creepe,
Nor in the course keepes any certaine stay,
Till in the Castell in a secret place,
He casts the fowle maske from his clowdy face.
48
By which the King with a selected crew,
Of such as he with his intent acquainted,
And well affected to this action knew,
That in reuenge of Edward neuer fainted,
And to their vtmost zealously pursue,
Such, whose cleere blood no time had euer tainted;
Aduentures now this labirinth t’assay,
To rowze the beast which kept them all at bay.
Michael Drayton- Collected Poetical Works Page 69