sig: [A1] | |
ref.ed: 85 | |
¶A Ioyfull medytacyon to all Englonde of the coronacyon of our moost naturall souerayne lorde kynge Henry the eyght. | |
The prologue |
|
THe prudent problems / and the noble werkes | |
Of the gentyll poetes in olde antyquyte | |
Vnto this day hath made famous clerkes | |
For the poetes wrote nothynge in vanyte | |
5 | But grounded them on good moralyte |
Encensynge out the fayre dulcet fume | |
Our langage rude to exyle and consume | |
The ryght eloquent poete and monke of bery | |
Made many fayre bookes / as it is probable | |
10 | Fro[m] ydle derkenes / to lyght our emyspery |
Whose vertuous pastyme / was moche commendable | |
Presentynge his bookes / gretely prouffytable | |
sig: [A1v] | |
To your worthy predecessour the .v. kynge Henry | |
Whiche regystred is in the courte of memory | |
15 | Amyddes the medowe of flora the quene |
Of the goddes elycon / is the sprynge or well | |
And by it groweth / a fayre laurell grene | |
Of whiche the poetes do ofte wryte and tell | |
Besyde this olyue / I dyde neuer dwell | |
20 | To tast the water whiche is aromatyke |
For to cause me wryte with lusty rethoryke | |
Wherfore good souerayne / I beseche your hyghnes | |
To pardon me whiche do rudely endyte | |
As in this arte hauynge small intres | |
25 | But for to lerne is all myn appetyte |
In folowynge the monke whiche dyde nobly wryte | |
Besechynge your hyghnes and grace debonayre | |
For to accepte this rude and lytell quayre | |
¶Explicit prologus. |
|
ref.ed: 86 | |
O God alone in heuen werynge crowne | |
In whose inspecte is euery regall se | |
Both to enhaunce and for to cast adowne | |
Suche is the power of thyn hygh magiste | |
5 | Neyther hardynes treasour nor dygnyte |
May withstande thy strength whiche is in euery place | |
So grete and myghty is thy dyuyne grace | |
Two tytles in one thou dydest well vnyfye | |
Whan the rede rose toke the whyte in maryage | |
10 | Reygnynge togyder ryght hygh and noblye |
From whose vnyd tytyls and worthy lygnage | |
Descended is by ryght excellent courage | |
Kynge Henry the .viii. for to reygne doutles | |
Vnyuersall his fame honour and larges | |
15 | Whiche hathe spousyd a fayre floure of vertue |
Descended of kynges dame katheryn of Spayne | |
[..............]line missing, cut away in binding | |
sig: [A2] | |
By grace and prudens the peace to attayne | |
Wherfore Englonde thou nedes not complayne | |
20 | Syth thou hast crowned openly in syght |
This kynge and quene by good true loue and ryght | |
What sholde I shewe by perambulacyon | |
All this grete tryumphe of whiche reporte | |
Is made aboute nowe in euery nacyon | |
25 | Vnto all this realme to be Ioy and comforte |
Wherfore you lordes I humb[l]y you exhorte humbly] humby 1509 | |
Spyrytuall and temporall with the comyns vnyfyde | |
To gyue god the prayse whiche dothe grace prouyde | |
Englonde be gladde / the dewe of grace is spred | |
30 | The dewe of Ioy / the dewe holsome and soote |
Dystylled is nowe from the rose so red | |
ref.ed: 87 | |
And of the whyte so spryngynge from the roote | |
After our trouble to be refute and boote | |
This ryall tree was planted as I knowe | |
35 | By god aboue the rancour to downe throwe |
Who is the floure that dothe this grace dystyll | |
But onely Henry the .viii. kynge of his name | |
With golden droppes all Englonde to fulfyll | |
To shewe his larges his honour and his fame | |
40 | His dedes therto exemplefye the same |
Wherfore nowe Englonde with hole deuocyon | |
For this yonge kynge make dayly orayson | |
Our late souerayne his fader excellent | |
I knowe ryght well some holde oppynyon | |
45 | That to auaryce he had entendement |
Gadrynge grete rychesse of this his regyon | |
But they lytell knowe by theyr small reason | |
For what hye entente he gadered doutles | |
Vnto his grace suche innumerable ryches | |
50 | For I thynke well and god had sente hym lyfe |
sig: [A2v] | |
As they haue meruaylled moche of this gadrynge | |
So it to them sholde haue ben affyrmatyfe | |
To haue had grete wonder of his spendynge | |
It may fortune he thought to haue mouynge | |
55 | Of mortall warre our fayth to stablysshe |
Agaynst the turkes theyr power to mynysshe | |
But syth that dethe by his course naturall | |
Hathe hym arested / and wolde not delay | |
Lyke-wyse as he was so be we mortall | |
60 | How / where / or whan I ca[n] nothynge say can] cam 1509 |
Therfore to god aboue let vs all pray | |
For to graunt hym mercy whiche was our kynge | |
Bryngynge his soule to Ioy euerlastinge | |
ref.ed: 88 | |
A fayre Englonde mystruste the ryght nought | |
65 | Regarde ryght well / his sonnes Iustyce |
Se how that they whyche inuencyons sought | |
Delytynge them in the synne of auaryce | |
To oppresse the comyns by grete preiudyce | |
Dothe he not punysshe them accordynge to lawe | |
70 | Suche newe promocyons to dampne and withdrawe |
Saturne |
|
Fy on the saturne with thy mysty fume | |
Replete with fraude treason and wyckednes | |
To shewe thy beames thou darest not presume | |
So cursed thou arte withouten stablenes | |
75 | Deuoyde of grace fulfylled with doblenes |
Thy power to Englonde was neuer amyable | |
But alwayes euyll vntrue and varyable | |
Iupyter. |
|
Now gentyll Iupyter the lodesterre of lyght | |
Thy stedfast beames so fayre and so clere | |
80 | Cast now abrede that we may haue a syght |
To gladde vs all whan that they do appere | |
Sendynge downe trouthe from thy fulgent spere | |
For to make our hertes mekely to enclyne | |
sig: [A3] | |
To serue our soueray[n]e whiche doth nowe domyne | |
Mars |
|
85 | O myghty Mars o god of the warre |
O flambynge honour of euery hardy herte | |
Sende downe thy power truely from so ferre | |
Vs to encourage that we do not sterte | |
But by hardynes that we maye subuerte | |
90 | Our soueraynes enemyes to hym contaryous |
By bataylles fyerse ryghtfull and rygorous | |
Phebus |
|
And thou fayre bryght / and aureate phebus | |
Encreace now lyght with loue and honoure | |
Amonge the lordes so gay and gloryus | |
ref.ed: 89 | |
95 | With thy radyant beames so hye of fauoure |
Deuoydynge all trechery debate and rancoure | |
And yllumyne the mynde with lyberalyte | |
Of our good souerayne with welth and vnyte | |
Venus. |
|
And lady Venus with thy sone Cupyde | |
100 | And euery lorde do nowe the herte enspyre |
With feruent loue that he do not slyde | |
And of the comyns set the hertes on fyre | |
To loue our souerayne with theyr hole desyre | |
Folowynge his grace with dulcet armonye | |
105 | To the ryghtf[u]ll waye withouten Ieoperdye |
Mercury |
|
Also thou Mercury the god of eloquence | |
The gentyll sterre of grace and vertue | |
Thy beames of ryght peace and conscyence | |
On our kynges counsayll downe sende and renue | |
110 | The trouthe of Iustyce / that they may extue |
For to do wronge by the synne of couetyce | |
That here-before hathe done grete preiudyce | |
Luna. |
|
And thou watery dyane of the se the goddes | |
With thy broder eolus the god of the wynde | |
115 | Encourage the hertes by in_warde hardynes |
[...............]line missing, cut away in binding | |
sig: [A3v] | |
And enmyes ryse that they be not behynde | |
Them for to chace and the se to scoure | |
By grace and fortune in many a stormy stoure | |
120 | O god aboue / trononysed in heuen |
In whose wyll resteth euery-thynge alone | |
The skye / the erthe / with all the planettes seuen | |
Without whose grace / comforte haue we none | |
As thou arte thre enclusyd in one | |
125 | So saue our souerayne / from all maner wo |
And this his realme from mortall warre also | |
ref.ed: 90 | |
Holy chirche reioyse / with all your lybertees | |
Withouten dommage / the kynge wyll ye encreace | |
And be your shelde from all aduersytees | |
130 | No wronge shall be but he wyll it soone seace |
Knyttynge the knotte of fayth loue and peace | |
Bytwene you and hym without dysturbaunce | |
So for to endure by longe contynuaunce | |
Ryght myghty prynce our good souerayne lorde | |
135 | To god enclynynge be hardy and gladde |
Of you and your realme he wyll se concorde | |
Though other nacyons be therfore full sadde | |
Agaynst you murmurynge with theyr werkes badde | |
Yet drede ye nothynge for god with his myght | |
140 | Wyll be alwaye redy to defende the ryght |
Ryght noble / wyse / and excellent pryncesse | |
Ryght benygne lady / lyberall and vertuous | |
Dyscended lynyally of the lyne of noblenesse | |
Fayre quene Katheryne so swete and precyous | |
145 | To our souerayne espoused with Ioy solacyous |
Almyghty god gyue grace to multyplye | |
From you your floures to reygne ryght ryally | |
And lady Mary prynces ryght beauteuous | |
Indued with honour / vertue / and prudence | |
sig: [A4] | |
150 | Ryght meke / goodly / gentyll and gracyous |
Syster ryght dere vnto the excellence | |
Of our good souerayne / surmountynge in sapyence | |
Ryght fayre yonge lady / the grete lorde aboue | |
He graunte you grace / hygh fame / fortune / and loue | |
155 | And all you lordes and ladyes honourable |
And you noble knyghtes so hauntynge chyualry | |
Vnto our souerayne be meke and tendable | |
Whiche wyll rewarde you well and nobly | |
As to shewe his largesse vnyuersally | |
160 | Encouragynge your hertes [w]t courage chyualrous with] that 1509 |
In tyme of batayll for to be vyctoryous | |
ref.ed: 91 | |
And all ye offycers of euery degree | |
Beware extorcyon / for and it be knowen | |
No doute it is but ye shall punysshed be | |
165 | Take hede of them / the whiche be ouerthrowen |
Remembre well how fortune hathe blowen | |
The promoters downe / and castynge them full lowe | |
In folowynge them ye shall fall as I trowe | |
Englonde be true and loue well eche other | |
170 | Obey your souerayne / and god omnypotent |
Whiche is aboue / of all the worlde the rother | |
Wyll sende you welth / from whome all good is sente | |
He gyue vs grace to kepe his commaundement | |
And saue our souerayne / with his semely quene | |
175 | With all theyr bloode / without trouble and tene |
¶Amen. | |
¶Excusacio auctoris |
|
¶Go lytell treatyse submyt the humbly | |
To our souerayne lorde / to be in his presence | |
Besechynge his grace to accepte the mekely | |
And to pardon thy rudeness and neclygence | |
5 | [..............]line missing, cut away in binding |
sig: [A4v] | |
To compyle those maters whiche sholde pleasure be | |
Vnto his hyghnes and regall maieste | |
Now ye fayre ladyes / wyse and vertuous | |
I ryght humbly praye you for to condyscende | |
10 | To accepte my makynge nothynge facundious |
I wolde that fortune wolde connynge extende | |
That myn endytynge I myght than amende | |
To dyrecte my maters after your pleasaunce | |
Whiche yet replete am with all ygnoraunce | |
15 | AMEN |
¶Thus endeth this Ioyfull medytacyon made and compyled by Stephen_hawes somtyme grome of the chambre of our late souerayne lorde kynge Henry the seuenth | |
¶Enprynted at London in the fletestrete at the sygne of the sonne by wynkyn_de_worde |