Alas for pite! that Percy thus was spylt, O dolorous chaunce of fortuns fruward hande! 110 What man remembring how shamfully he was slayne, From bitter weepinge hymself kan restrayne? O cruell Mars, thou dedly god of war! 116 O dolorous teusday, dedicate to thy name, When thou shoke thy sworde so noble a man to mar! O grounde ungracious, unhappy be thy fame, Whiche wert endyed with rede blode of the same! Moste noble erle! O fowle mysuryd grounde Whereon he gat his fynal dedely wounde! O Atropos, of the fatall systers thre, Goddes mooste cruell unto the lyf of man, All merciles, in the ys no pitè! O homycide, whiche sleest all that thou kan, 120 That with thy sworde enharpid of mortall drede, 125 Thou kit asonder his perfight vitall threde! My wordis unpullysht be nakide and playne, Of aureat poems they want ellumynynge; Bot by them to knoulege ye may attayne 130 Of this lordis dethe and of his murdrynge. Paregall to dukis, with kings he might compare, 135 1 Alluding to his crest and supporters. Doutted is contracted for redoubted. -2 Fuyson for profusion.-ED. To all cuntreis aboute hym reporte me I dare. Tyll the chaunce ran agyne him of fortunes duble dyse. What nedethe me for to extoll his fame With my rude pen enkankerd all with rust? Whos noble actis shew worsheply his name, Transcendyng far myne homely muse, that must 140 Yet sumwhat wright supprisid with hartly lust, 145 Truly reportinge his right noble astate, Immortally whiche is immaculate. His noble blode never disteynyd was, Trew to his prince for to defende his right, If the hole quere of the musis nyne In me all onely wer sett and comprisyde, O yonge lyon, bot tender yet of age, 150 155 160 God the assyst unto thyn herytage, And geve the grace to be more fortunate, Agayne rebellyouns arme to make debate. And, as the lyoune, whiche is of bestis kinge, Unto thy subjectis be kurteis and benyngne. I pray All flattringe faytors abhor and from the cast, Wythe hevy chere, with dolorous hart and mynd, 165 170 175 Allgyf Englond and Fraunce were thorow saught. More specially barons, and those knygtes bold, In fee, as menyall men of his housold, Whom he as lord worsheply manteynd: 185 To sorowfull weping they ought to be constreynd, As oft as thei call to ther remembraunce, Of ther good lord the fate and dedely chaunce. O perlese prince of hevyn emperyalle, 190 That with one worde formed al thing of noughte; Hevyn, hell, and erth obey unto thi kall; Which to thy resemblance wondersly hast wrought All mankynd, whom thou full dere hast boght, With thy blode precious our finaunce thou dyd pay, And us redemed, from the fendys pray: To the pray we, as prince incomperable, As thou art of mercy and pite the well, Thou bringe unto thy joye etermynable 195 The sowle of this lorde from all daunger of hell, 200 In endles blis with the to byde and dwell In thy palace above the orient, Where thou art lorde, and God omnipotent. O quene of mercy! O lady full of grace! Maiden moste pure, and goddis moder dere! To pardon thy servant, and bringe to salvacion. In joy triumphaunt the hevenly yerarchy, With all the hole sorte of that glorious place, Thorowe bounte of hym that formed all solace: 205 210 215 †† I have placed the foregoing poem of Skelton's before the following extract from Hawes, not only because it was written first, but because I think Skelton is in general to be considered as the earlier poet; many of his poems being written long before Hawes's Graunde Amour. X. THE TOWER OF DOCTRINE. The reader has here a specimen of the descriptive powers of Stephen Hawes, a celebrated poet in the reign of Hen. VII. though now little known. It is extracted from an allegorical poem of his (written in 1505) intitled, 'The Hist. of Graunde Amoure and La Belle Pucel, called the Palace of Pleasure, &c.' 4to. 1555. See more of Hawes in Ath. Ox. v. 1, p. 6, and Warton's Observ. v. 2, p. 105. He was also author of a book, intitled, 'The Temple of Glass. Wrote by Stephen Hawes, gentleman of the bedchamber to K. Henry VII.' Pr. for Caxton, 4to, no date. The following Stanzas are taken from Chap. III. and IV. of the Hist. above mentioned. 'How Fame departed from Graunde Amour and left him with Governaunce and Grace, and howe he went to the Tower of Doctrine, &c.'As we are able to give no small lyric piece of Hawes's, the reader will excuse the insertion of this extract. I LOOKED about and saw a craggy roche, Farre in the west, neare to the element, The royal tower of MORALL DOCUMENT, Made of fine copper with turrettes fayre and hye, That for the very perfect bryghtnes What of the tower, and of the cleare sunne, I could nothyng behold the goodlines Of that palaice, whereas Doctrine did wonne: Then to the tower I drewe nere and nere, Of the craggy rocke, which quadrant did appeare: 5 10 15 |