Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (05 of 12): Henrie the SecondHolinshed, Raphael
History
Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (05 of 12): Henrie the Second
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- Henry II, 1154-1189; Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
¶ Thus ended this yoong king in his floorishing youth, to whome through
his owne iust deserts long life was iustlie denied, sith he delighted to
begin his gouernement with vnlawfull attempts, as an other Absolon
against his owne naturall father, seeking by wrongfull violence to pull
the scepter out of his hand. He is not put in the number of kings,
bicause he remained for the more part vnder the gouernance of his
father, so that he rather bare the name of king as appointed to reigne,
than that he may be said to haue reigned in déed. So that héere by the
waie a notable obseruation dooth occurre and offer it selfe to be noted
of vs; namelie, that euen princes children, though borne to great
excellencie, and in high degree of dignitie, are to consider with
themselues, that notwithstanding their statelie titles of souereigntie,
they haue a dutie to discharge vnto their parents, which if it be
neglected, and that in place thereof disobedience is substituted, God
himselfe (when politike lawes prouide not to punish such offenses) will
take the cause in hand, & will powre vengeance vpon such vngratious
children. For he will be true of his word both in blessing and curssing,
in blessing the dutifull child with long life and happie daies, and in
curssing the obstinate and froward with short life and vnfortunate
daies, according to the tenure of his law. If this man had liued in the
old Romans time, when aged persons were so reuerenced and honoured (much
more parents) he had beene cut off in the prime of his disobedience, and
present death had beene inflicted vpon him as a due and deserued reward;
which Iuuenal noteth excellentlie well in these words,
[Sidenote: Iuuen. sat 13.]
Credebant hoc grande nefas, & morte piandum,
Si iuuenis vetulo non assurrexerat, & si
Barbato cuicunq; puer, licèt ipse videret
Plura domi farra, & maioris glandis aceruos,
Tam venerabile erat præcedere quattuor annis,
Primáq; par adeò sacræ lanugo senectæ.
[Sidenote: Limoges rendred to king Henrie.] King Henrie (after his sonne
the king was thus dead) inforced his power more earnestlie than before
to winne the citie and castell of Limoges which he had besieged, and at
length had them both surrendered into his hands, with all other castels
and places of strength kept by his enimies in those parts, of the which
some he furnished with garisons, and some he caused to be laied flat
with the ground.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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