God graunt the grace for to resemble in al
Unto these noble worthy conquerours;
Longe to contynue in thyn estate royal,
And to be lyke to thy progenytours;
To gadre the vertu out of fresshe floures,
As dide thy fadir, myrrour of manhode;
And to represse of vices al the showres,
With fynal grace to love God and drede.
Fynally, remembryng of reasoun
Croppe and roote of that royal lyne
Fro whiche thow cam, folwe discrecioun
Of thy fader, whiche dide so shyne
In al vertu; plainly to termyne,
Late hym by thy myrrour and thy guyde,
With the goode lyf of qwene Kateryne,
Thi blessid moder, in that other side.
Of goode rootes, sprynggyng by vertu,
Must growe goode fruyte be necessité;
Whan influence by the Lord Jhesu
Is sent adowne from his hevenly cytee.
And God I pray, of his hygh bounté,
Of fader and moder in thy tendre yowth
To take ensample, reygneng in thy see, And bien in vertu als famous and als kowth.
With hym in knyghthode to have excellence; Like thy moder in vertuous goodenesse ; And liche hem both, grounde thy conscience To love thi Lord in parfite stabilnesse, Goode lyf and longe al vices to represse, Love of thy lieges, pees and obeysaunce.
TO KING HENRY VI. ON HIS CORONATION.
Prince excelent, be feythful, triewe, and stable;
Drede God, do lawe, chastice extorcioun ;
By liberal of courage, unmutable;
Cherisshe the chirche with hole affeccioun ;
Love thy lieges of eyther regioun ;
Preferre the pees, eschewe werre and debate;
And God shal sende from the heven downe
Grace and goode hure to thy royal estate.
Be mercyful, nat hasty ne vengeable;
Lightly forgyve, where as thow seest reasoun;
Be rightful juge, be manly, be tretable;
Thy right ay sugre with remyssioun ;
Deme nat to sone, but make dilacioun;
Rewe on the poore and folk desconsolate;
And God shal sende from the heven above
Grace and good hure to thy royal estate.
In thy behestes be nat variable;
Holde thy promesses, made of entencioun ; Be bountevous, and kyngly honurable; Voyde thy realme from discencioun ; Eschew flatery and adulacioun ;
Folkes reconsile that stonde desolate;
And God shal sende from the heven downe Grace and goode hure unto thy royal estate.
ON THE CORONATION OF HENRY VI.1
A balade made of the same kynge.
Holde up oure yong kyng, ave benigna,
And sende us peas in oure londe, ave regina.
Mater, nunc bright bee thy beamys,
Moodir of mercy, save bothe reamys;
See to oure innocent, oure crowne may be gladder,
Holde up oure lorde that nevir sigh his ffadir,
Ne the fadir his sone reynyng in his londes;
Grete nede have we to kepe peas amonge us.
On a Sounday, trewly ye may trowe,
Oure bisshoppes and oure abbottes were mytird arowe;
Two archiebisshoppes so woorthely acqueyntid,
And a gracious cardynalle aboute oure kyng anoyntid.
Thre swerdis there were borne, oon poyntlees, and two
poyntid;
The toon was a swerde of mercy, the oothir of astate,
The thrid was of the empier the which ert oure gate.
Three dukes were in presens woorshipe to encrece;
Two bisshoppis hym ledde to kepe in peece;
Six erles in their estate shewid them alle;
And the v. poortis beryng up the palle.
Gracious Werwik, God hym contynue,
Beryng up his trayne in peece and vue.
Alle the barouns of oure londe togidir they were founden,
The juges, the knyghtes of the shire, and the cité of
Londen.
This is procession goyng thorughe the halle;
Angelis mete, manna, on his crowne did falle,
1 Printed from MS. Lansdowne, No. 285, fol. 5, vo.
And conceyvid in this lande the crowne to encrece,
Evir enduryng with plenté and with peece.
The archiebisshope of Cauntirbury appoyntid,
The gracious kyng Harry the sixt he anoyntid
Oure sovereigne lorde in the chief, who wille undir-
stonde.
The cardynalle tho was on his right hande;
On the toothir side the chaunceller, theis lordes were able,
The bisshope of Beames' at the same table.
Huntyngdone kneelyng with his septure on the right honde,
Stafforde with his swerde there woorthyly holdande.
Northfolk as a marschalle fulle woorthyly beknowe,
Ridyng in his office, truly ye may trowe.
Salisbury in Bedforde office present hym there,
Sittyng on a stede, as he conestable were.
The v. poortis on the right hande that the palle beere, At the boorde on the right hande present they were. At the next bisshoppis and abbottes togidir were
And on the toothir side the citee of Londoun.
Many oothir lordis were present in that place,
To woorshipe oure soveraigne lorde with alle solace.
Byfore the kyng, with his lordis thus sittyng alle,
Came Phillipe Dymmok ridyng to the halle,
Armyd clene with armure so bright,
Like as perteynethe unto a woorthy knyght,
As the kynges champion by heritage ;
There redy his body and his gloove to wage,
Yif there were any man that wille say the contrary,
That kyng Harry the sixt is crownyd truly.
He is redy to delyvir hym, and not abasshe,
By signement of the kyng, tyme and place.
1 An error apparently for Rheims.
Praye we alle bothe more and lesse,
Crist save Englonde in reste and peece,
And God coomforthe that mykille hathe loost,
That was woon with woorshipe late nevir be loost.
ON THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.1
A songe made of the duke of Burgeyne.
Thow Phellippe, foundour of new falsehede,
Distroubar of pees, capiteine of cowardise,
Sower and distrouber, reprof of alle knyghthode,
Which of alle Bourgoyne, that is so gret of pris,
Thow clepest thi selfe duc, whan woltow ryse
Ande in pleyne felde do mustre with thi lance?
See how alle knyghthode thi werre doth despise,
White thi owne falsnes alle thi myschance.
Remembre the, Phelippe, ande have in mynde
Howe Henry the wte of werray gentelnesse,
Withotene thi desert, he was to the kynde,
Ande alwa thi socoure whane thou were in destresse,
Defende thi persone from alle wilfulnes
Of alle thi mortal enemys of Engelonde and of France;
Wherfor thou shewest gret unkyndnesse,
The which thou may wite alle thi myschance.
Remembre the, Phelippe, at thi begynnyng,
Whan that thi ffader, thurgh conspired tresoun,
This piece, which appears to be imperfect, was written at the time of the defection of the duke of Burgundy from the English alliance, probably shortly before, or at the time of, the siege of Calais (1436).
It is printed from MS. Sloane No. 252, fol. 169, ro. It is written in a French hand, and apparently by a scribe whose mother tongue was not English, which will account for some obscurity.
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