Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 1

Great Britain -- History -- Poetry; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Sources

We raygnde of yeares thrice seuen with good successe,
        Then dolor and debilitie did driue
        My louing lord with faynting feeblenesse,
        For vitall life with braying breath to striue:
        He felt, howe death of life would him depriue,
          He calde his lordes, his childe, and me his wife,
          And thus he spake, euen as he left his life:

    30.

        “The haughtye pines of loftye _Libanus_,
        From earth, to earth, in tract of time returne:
        So I whose spreading prayse were marueilous,
        Must now returne my fleshe to filthy slime,
        On fortune’s wheele I may no longer clime:
          Therefore my lordes, although my glasse be runne,
          Yet take remorse on _Constantine_ my sonne.

    31.

        “My monarche, court, my kingdomes all,
        (O stately _Rome_) farewell to them, and thee,
        Farewell my lordes, which see my finall fall,
        Farewell my childe, my wyfe, more deare to mee
        Then all the world, we must depart I see:
          And must we needes depart? O Fortune fye,
          We must depart, adue, farewell, I dye.”

    32.

        Wherewith he sighte and senselesse dyd remayne,
        Then I his death as women doo, dyd wayle:
        But when I view’d, that weeping was but vayne,
        I was content to beare that bitter bale,
        As one who founde no meanes for her auayle:
          His corps at _Yorke_ in princely tombe I layde,
          When funerall sacred solemne rights were payde.

    33.

        And when report his death about had blowne,
        _Maxentius_ then the triple crowne to weare,
        Did challenge all the empire as his owne,
        And for a time that mighty mace dyd beare:
        Which when my sonne, my _Constantine_ dyd heare,
          The youthfull lad, indeuour’d by and by,
          To claime his right by _Mars’_ his crueltie.

    34.

        I then his tender youthfull yeares to guyde,
        Went with my sonne to see his good successe,
        He being campt by fruitfull _Tyber’s_ side,
        To spoyle his foe he dyd hymselfe addresse,
        He knew that God dyd geue all happinesse:
          Therefore to God, euen then the youth dyd pray,
          With mightie hande to keepe hym from decay.

    35.

        Beholde how God doth godly men defend,
        And marke how he doth beate vsurpers downe:
        _Maxentius_ nowe he al his force dothe bende
        For to defend his diademe and crowne:
        But frowarde fate vpon the prince did frowne:
          For why his men were scattered euery where,
          In _Tyber_ he did drowne himselfe for feare.

    36.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 1

Great Britain -- History -- Poetry; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Sources

We raygnde of yeares thrice seuen with good successe,
        Then dolor and debilitie did driue
        My louing lord with faynting feeblenesse,
        For vitall life with braying breath to striue:
        He felt, howe death of life would him depriue,
          He calde his lordes, his childe, and me his wife,
          And thus he spake, euen as he left his life:

    30.

        “The haughtye pines of loftye _Libanus_,
        From earth, to earth, in tract of time returne:
        So I whose spreading prayse were marueilous,
        Must now returne my fleshe to filthy slime,
        On fortune’s wheele I may no longer clime:
          Therefore my lordes, although my glasse be runne,
          Yet take remorse on _Constantine_ my sonne.

    31.

        “My monarche, court, my kingdomes all,
        (O stately _Rome_) farewell to them, and thee,
        Farewell my lordes, which see my finall fall,
        Farewell my childe, my wyfe, more deare to mee
        Then all the world, we must depart I see:
          And must we needes depart? O Fortune fye,
          We must depart, adue, farewell, I dye.”

    32.

        Wherewith he sighte and senselesse dyd remayne,
        Then I his death as women doo, dyd wayle:
        But when I view’d, that weeping was but vayne,
        I was content to beare that bitter bale,
        As one who founde no meanes for her auayle:
          His corps at _Yorke_ in princely tombe I layde,
          When funerall sacred solemne rights were payde.

    33.

        And when report his death about had blowne,
        _Maxentius_ then the triple crowne to weare,
        Did challenge all the empire as his owne,
        And for a time that mighty mace dyd beare:
        Which when my sonne, my _Constantine_ dyd heare,
          The youthfull lad, indeuour’d by and by,
          To claime his right by _Mars’_ his crueltie.

    34.

        I then his tender youthfull yeares to guyde,
        Went with my sonne to see his good successe,
        He being campt by fruitfull _Tyber’s_ side,
        To spoyle his foe he dyd hymselfe addresse,
        He knew that God dyd geue all happinesse:
          Therefore to God, euen then the youth dyd pray,
          With mightie hande to keepe hym from decay.

    35.

        Beholde how God doth godly men defend,
        And marke how he doth beate vsurpers downe:
        _Maxentius_ nowe he al his force dothe bende
        For to defend his diademe and crowne:
        But frowarde fate vpon the prince did frowne:
          For why his men were scattered euery where,
          In _Tyber_ he did drowne himselfe for feare.

    36.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 1

Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 1

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