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¶A lamentation of the death of the moost victorious Prynce Henry the eyght late Kynge of thys noble royalme of Englande. |
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IF the riuer Phison and Euphrates, | |
With Tigris and Gehon wer in my hed, | |
Wt weping Pliades, yet shuld I lack teres | |
Worthely to bewaile our king that is ded. | |
5 | Not his mysfortune, for he (wythout dred) |
Is there, whence he would not come to be here | |
Though al our lamenting might turne him to chere. | |
But we, whom he loued, as the hed his members, | |
As parentes theyr chyldren defending vs aye: | |
10 | Cannot haue such abondaunce of teares, |
As may suffice, the truth for to saye, | |
The lest part of our losse iustly to bewraye, | |
Such is the losse that a publycke weale hath, | |
When theyr kyng is taken from them by death. | |
15 | The chylde, without father or mother may be, |
And yet not defaute though it be but young. | |
But a publyke weale dyd we neuer se: | |
That without a kyng myght continewe long. | |
For alwayse the multitude wilbe headstrong, | |
20 | And hath no lesse nede of a gouernoure, |
Then the greate shyp hath of a nauclere. nauclere: otherwise unattested | |
Consider therfore what great losse England | |
Hath, by the death of Henry hyr kyng. | |
In whose myghtie hande no enemyes myghte stand, | |
25 | So long as he was in this worlde liuyng. |
Yea, the Lorde prospered hym in al-thyng. | |
Though diuers dyd hym, diuersly assayle: | |
Yet could ther none be able to preuayle | |
His marcial prowes and ciuile policie, | |
30 | His sage wysedome and most politicke wit: |
Brought suche thynges to passe so easelye, | |
That men would scarsly haue beleued, it | |
Had bene possible such knottes to vnknyt, | |
Without great disturbance daunger and perell. | |
35 | Yet could his wysedome vndo them full well. |
What blindnes? what errour? what supersticion? | |
What sturdy Idolles? and what blasphemye? | |
What fond disgysynges and false religion? | |
What diuilysh doctrine, and Romyshe papry? | |
40 | Hath he extincted in this his country? |
And in howe short tyme did he these thynges finysh: | |
And all theyr contraries fyrmely stablysh? | |
What liuinges for studentes hath he appointed: | |
In Cambridge and Oxford, aye to indure? | |
45 | Besides the great number of Coleges buylded: |
Abrode in the country to mayntayne litterature. | |
And that each coast of preachers myght be sure. | |
Such care he toke the truth for to auaunce | |
And quit to abolyshe all ygnoraunce. | |
50 | He dyd not forget the impotent creatures, |
But for them also prouision he made, | |
Estemyng them no lesse then gostly treasures, | |
Of whose relyfe studentes should be glad. | |
And therfore among them he caused to be had. | |
55 | In euery of theyr colleges a place seuerall, |
Wyth all thynges nedefull to releue theym withall. | |
But to what purpose is it to reherse, | |
The manifold benifites receiued: | |
Syth halfe of them worthely to expresse, | |
60 | If I thought my-selfe able I were disceiued. |
But seyng great plentie of them are perceyued, | |
Let vs praye dayly (as our dutye is) | |
That he at the last day may ryse to blys. | |
And as we haue liued to him in subiection, | |
65 | For the tyme of his reigne, so let vs do nowe: |
To noble Kyng Edward in succession, | |
Desiryng our Lorde God his youth so to bowe, | |
That he may accomplyshe his fathers vowe, | |
In settyng abrode the truth more and more | |
70 | Commaundyng all men therby to set store. |
And you that erst haue ben stubbourne and stiffe, | |
Resistyng goddes truth, relent, be not blynd | |
Styll, but imbrace ye your goostly relyffe: | |
For thereunto reason doth you bynd, | |
75 | Sith you that should go before are so far behynd, |
Go forward lustely, and be not slacke. | |
Setting your hand to the plough loke no more back. | |
Set contencion a_part, as a thyng vayne, | |
That you may imbrace concord and vnitie. | |
80 | Let charite your affeccions restrayne, |
And as we by nation and religion be | |
But one body, so let vs nowe studye | |
To be of one mynde, and not to dissent, | |
Then doutles we shall haue no cause to repent. | |
85 | Let vs shewe charite eache one to other, |
For that is the badge of Christes elect: | |
Who wylleth vs to be as brother and brother, | |
And all our study hyther to dyrect. | |
That we may lyue worthy the chrystian sect, | |
90 | Declaryng with workes what fayth we professe, |
And that we detest all wyckednes. | |
So doyng no doubt this realme shal prosper, | |
No lesse in the dayes of our noble young kyng: | |
Then it hath done in the dayes of hys father, | |
95 | Who studied alwayse to set furth that thyng |
That myght be to our edefiyng | |
In christian fayth and true religion, | |
Abolyshyng all vayne supersticion. | |
That we maye this doo nowe let vs praye, | |
100 | To hym that is able to graunt our request: |
And all contencion asyde let vs laye, | |
For concord and vnitie is euer best, | |
And therby are kyngdomes alwayes increst, | |
Weake thinges made strong, and strong thinges maintained. | |
105 | Enuye expelled, and frendship retained. |
For noble Kyng Edward praye we also. | |
And for the nobles each in hys degree, | |
That they may aye condissent herevnto, | |
And for the prelates of the Clargye, | |
110 | That they may also study [i]n vnitie. in] an 1547 |
Than all that is a_mysse God wyll amende, | |
To whom be all honour world without ende. | |
Finis. |
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¶Imprinted at London in Pater_noster_rowe by Ihon_Turcke. | |
Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum. |