Great Britain -- History -- Poetry; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Sources
And setled there, in perfect peace and rest,
Deuoid of warre, of laboure, strife, or paine,
Then _Iunogen_ the Queene his[196] ioyes increast,
A Prince shee bare, and after other twaine,
Was newer King of noble Impes[197] so faine,
Three sonnes which had so shortly here begat,[198]
_Locrinus_, _Camber_, last mee _Albanact_.
48.
Thus hauing wealth, and eke the world at will,
Nor wanting ought that might his minde content,
T’ increase his powre with wights of warlike skill
Was all his minde his purpose and intent.
Whereby if foes inuasion after ment,
The Britans might not feare of forraine lands,
But keepe by fight possessions in their hands.
49.
Eke[199] when his people once perceiu’d his minde,
(As what the Prince doth often most embrace,
To that the subiects all are straight inclinde,
And reuerence still in eche respect his grace)
They gat in warre such knowledge in short space,
That after they their force to try begon,
They car’d for nought by wit or wight not won.
50.
They got of giaunts mountaines whence they came,
And woods from whence they oft made wise, they would
Destroy and kill, when voyage out they frame,
Or shewde themselues in banding ouer bold:
Then straight the Britans, gladder then of gold,
Were ready still to fighte at euery call,
Till time they had extynct the monsters all.[200]
51.
Whereby the King had cause to take delight,
And might bee bolde the lesse to feare his foes:
Perdy[201] ech Prince may recke his enmies spight,
Thereafter as his force in fight hee knoes.
A princely heart the liberall gifts disclose.
He gaue to eche such guerdons for their facts,
As might them only mooue to noble acts.
52.
No labours great his subiects then refusde,
No trauayles that might like his regall minde:
But ech of them such exercise well vs’d,
Wherein was praise, or glory great to finde.
And to their liege bare faithfull hearts so kinde,
That what hee wild they all obeyd his hest,
Nought else was currant but y^e Kings request.
53.
What Prince aliue might more reioyce then hee?
Had faithfull men, so valiaunt, bold, and stout?
What pleasures more on earth could lightly bee
Then win an Ile, and liue deuoyde of doubt?
An Ile sayd I? nay nam’d the world throughout
Another world, sith sea doth it deuide
From all, that wants not all the world beside.
54.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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