That drownythe the dowghty, and bryngethe hem

abeere.

And alle is for the lordane lovithe no pere.

Practyse his preff of alle that I sey,

God kepe oure kyng, and hym to convey.

Bridelle yow, bysshoppe, and be not to bolde,
And biddeth yowre beawperes se to the same;
Cast awey covetyse now be ye bolde,

This is alle ernest that ye calle game.

The beelesire ye be, the more is youre blame.
Trowthe tellithe the tale, and wille it not hide;
Your laboure for lucre is playnly aspiede.
God, for his mercy alle this reme gyde.

A WARNING TO KING HENRY.1

Ye that have the kyng to demene,
And ffrauncheses gif theyme ageyne,
Or els I rede ye fle;

Ffor ye have made the kyng so pore,
That now he beggeth fro dore to dore;
Alas, hit shuld so be.

Tome of Say2 and Danielle bothe,
To begyn be not to lothe;

Then shalle ye have no shame.
Who wille not, he shalle not chese,
And his life he shalle lese,

No resoun wille us blame.

'From the Cotton. Charters, ii. 23. 2 James Fienes, lord Saye and Sele, lord treasurer, was one of the unpopular statesmen of the day, and having been, as a matter of policy, committed to the Tower, he was

dragged thence by the mob in Jack Cade's rebellion, and was beheaded by them on the 4th of July 1451. This song was written apparently before this nobleman was thrown into the Tower.

Trowthe and pore men ben appressede,
And myscheff is nothyng redressede;
The kyng knowith not alle.
Thorowout alle Englonde,

On tho that holdene the fals bonde
Vengeaunce wille cry and calle.

The traytours wene they bene so sly,
That no mane can hem aspy;

We cane do theme no griffe.

We swere by hym that hairwede helle
They shalle no lenger in eresy dwelle,
Ne in ther fals beleve.

So pore a kyng was never seene,
Nor richere lordes alle bydene;

The communes may no more.
The lorde Say biddeth holde hem downe,
That worthy dastarde of renowne,
He techithe a fals loore.

Suffolk Normandy hath swolde,
To gete hyt agayne he is bolde,
How acordeth these to in one;

And he wenythe, withouten drede,
To make the kyng to avowe his dede,
And calle hit no tresoun.

We trow the kyng be to leere,

To selle bothe menne and lond in feere;
Hit is agayne resoun.

But yef the commyns of Englonde
Helpe the kynge in his fonde,

Suffolk wolle bere the crowne.

Be ware, kynge Henré, how thou doos;
Let no lenger thy traitours go loos;
They wille never be trewe.

The traytours are sworne alle togedere
To holde fast as they were brether ;

Let hem drynk as they hanne brewe.

The chaunselere that last was hath staffes take,
Blanke charters, to done us wrake,

No nombre of them, hit is ferde.
He wolle not suffre the clerkes preche;
Trowthe in no wise he wille not teche
He is the devels sheparde.

This bille is trewe; who wille say nay,
In Smythfelde synge he a day,

And the helpe of the rode;

That traitours shalle provide;
More resoun canne not be mevide ;
Ther shalle hit be made goode.

O rex, si rex es, rege te, vel eris sine re rex
Nomen habes sine re, nisi te recte regas.

VERSES AGAINST THE DUKE OF SUFFOLK.'

Ffor feer or for favour of ony fals mane,
Loose not the love of alle the commynalté;
Be ware and sey, by seint Juliane,

;

Duke, jwge, baroun, archebisshope and he be, He wolle repent it within this monthes thre. Let ffolke accused excuse theym selff, and they cane; Reseyve no goode, let soche bribry be;

Support not theyme this wo bygane,

And let theym suche clothis as they spane,

And take from theym ther wages and ther fee, or, by God and seint Anne!

Som must go hens, hit may none othere weys be, And els is lost alle this lond and we;

Hong up suche menne to oure soverayne lorde,
That ever counselde hym with fals men to be acorde.
Anno milleno Domini centumque quaterno

L. simplex pleno caveat omnis homo.

' From the Cottonian Rolls, ii. 23.

ON THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF SUFFOLK.1

May 3, 1450.

In the monethe of May, when gresse groweth grene, Flagrant in her floures, with swete savour,

Jac Napes wolde one the see a maryner to ben,

With his cloge and his cheyn, to seke more tresour. Suyche a payn prikkede hym, he asked a confessour. Nicolas said, "I am redi thi confessour to be;"

2

He was holden so that he ne passede that hour.
For Jac Napes soule Placebo and Dirige.

Who shalle execute his exequies with a solempnité?
Bisshopes and lordes, as grete reson is;
Monkes, chanons, prestes, and other clergie,

Pray for this dukes soule that it might come to blis ;
And let never suyche another come after this;

His interfectours blessed might thei be,

And graunte them for ther dede to regne with angelis;

And for Jac Nape soule Placebo and Dirige.

"Placebo," begynnethe the bisshop of Herforde.

Dilexi, for myn avauncement," saithe the bisshop of Chestre.1

Heu mei," saith Salisbury,5 "this gothe to ferre forthe." "Ad Dominum cum tribularer," ssaith the abbot of Gloucestre."

1 From MS. Cotton. Vespas. B. xvi. fol. 1, vo.

2 Nicholas was the name of the ship which arrested the vessel on which the duke of Suffolk was embarked.

3 Reginald Baker, who had been promoted to this see from the abbacy of Gloucester in 1450.

Boothe, bishop of Coventry and Litchfield. See the note, p. 225. * Richard Beauchamp was elected bishop of Salisbury in 1450.

* Reginald, abbot of St. Peter's in Gloucester; he was one of the unpopular courtiers indicted at Rochester in 1451, according to the Cottonian Roll.

"Dominus custodit," saith the abbot of Rouchestre. "Levavi oculos," saith frere Stanbury, "volavi.”

"Si iniquitates," saith the bisshop of Worcetre; For Jac Nape soule de profundis clamavi.”

1

Opera manuum tuarum,” seith the cardynal wisely,"
That brought forthe confitebor, for alle this Napes

reson.

“Audivi vocem," songe Allemightty God on hye; And therfore syng we "Magnificat anima mea

"Dominum.”

Unto this dirige most we gon and come This pascalle tyme, to say veryli

Thre psalmes and thre lessouns, that alle is and somme, For Jac Nape soule, Placebo and Dirige.

Executors of this office Dirige for to synge,

3

Shalle begyn the bisshop of synt Asse; "Verba mea auribus," saith abbot of Redynge; "Alle your joye and hope is come to alasse."

Committere, Domine, yet graunte us grace,'

Saith abbot of synt Albans ful sorily.

The abbot of the Toure hille, with his fat face, Quaketh and tremuleth for "Domine, ne in furore.”

Maister Water Liard shal synge "Ne quando." The abbot of Westmynstre, "Domine Deus meus, in "te speravi;

1 John Carpenter, bishop of Worcester, who was also a great supporter of the high church party, and therefore of the court.

2 John Kemp, archbishop of York, had been made a cardinal at the close of the year 1439.

3 Thomas, bishop of St. Asaph,

a prelate who appears to have gained no degree of celebrity.

4 Walter Liard (in the ordinary lists of bishops he is called Hart and Lyhart) was bishop of Norwich from 1445 to 1472. This name also occurs in the list of unpopular courtiers indicted at Rochester.