1. Where no good giftes haue place, nor beare the sway, What are the men but wilful castaway? Where gifts of grace doe garnish well the King, There is no want, the land can lacke no thing: The Court is stil well stor’d with noble [prudent] men, In Townes and Cities Gouernours are graue: [The lands are tild,] the common wealth doth prosper[685] then, And wealth at will the Prince and people haue. 2. Perhaps you aske, what Prince is this appeares? What meanes his talke in these our golden yeares? A _Britayne_ Prince that _Varianus_ hight, I helde some time the [crowne and] scepter here by right: And though no neede there be in these your [golden] dayes Of states to tell, or vertues good discriue, Good counsayle yet may after stand[686] in stead alwayes, When time agayne may vices olde reuiue. 3. If not: yet giue me leaue amongst the rest Which felt the[687] fall, or had their deaths addrest: My cause of fall let me likewise declare, For falles the deathes of vicious Princes are: They fal, when all good men reioyce to heare or see That they short time enioyde their places hie, For Princes which for [princely] vertues praysed bee, By death arise extold, they scale the skie. 4. I will be short because it may suffice That soone is sayde, to warne the sage and wise: Or if that they no warning neede to haue, This may perchaunce somewhat their labour saue With yonger heads, that will[688] not heare their faultes them tolde, By such as would admonish them for loue: When they my words and warnings here [of vice] beholde, They may regarde and see their owne behoue. 5. About my time the Princes liu’de not long, For all were giuen almost to vice and wrong: My selfe voluptuous was abandond quite, To take in fleshly lust my whole delite: A pleasure vile, that drawes a man from [all good] thrifte and grace, Doth iust desires, and heauenly thoughtes expell: Decayes the corps,[689] defiles the soule, [the factes] and fame deface, And bringes him downe to _Plutoe’s_ paynes of hell. 6. For this my sinne my subiectes hated mee, Repining still my stayned life to see: As when the Prince is wholy giuen to vice, And holdes the lewder sort in greatest price, The land decayes, disorder [sprouts and] springes abroade, The worser sort do robbe, pille, polle, and spoyle, The weaker are constraynd to[690] beare the greatest loade, And leese the goodes for which [full sore] they erst did toyle. 7.