Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 2, Part 1

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

So long as fortune would permit the same,
        I liu’d[1655] in rule and ryches with the best:
        And past my time in honour and in fame,
        That of mishap no feare was in my brest:
        But false fortune, whom[1656] I suspected least,
          Did tourne the wheele, and with a dolefull fall
          Hath mee bereft of honour, life, and all.

    108.

        Loe, what avayles in riches, flouds that flowes?
        Though she so smylde, as all the world were his,
        Euen kings and kesars, byden[1657] fortune’s throwes,
        And simple sort, must beare it as it is:
        Take heede by mee that blithde in balefull blisse,
          My rule, my riches, royall bloud and all,
          When fortune frounde the feller made my fall.

    109.

        For hard mishaps, that happens vnto such
        Whose wretched state erst neuer fell no chaunge,
        Agreeue them not in any part so much
        As theyr distresse: to whom it is so straunge
        That all theyr liues, nay passed pleasures raunge,
          Theyr sodayne woe, that aye wielde welth at will,
          Algates theyr hearts more pearcingly must thrill.

    110.

        For of my byrth, my bloud was of the best,
        First borne an earle, then duke by due discent,
        To swinge the sway in court among the rest,
        Dame fortune mee her rule most largely lent,
        And, kinde with courage, so my corps had blent,
          That, loe, on whom but mee did shee most smyle?
          And whom but mee, loe, did shee most begyle?

    111.

        Now hast thou heard the whole of my vnhap,[1658]
        My chaunce, my chaunge, the cause of all my care:
        In welth and woe, how fortune did mee wrap,
        With world at will, to win mee to her snare:
        Bid kings, bid kesars, bid[1659] all states beware,
          And tell them this from me that tryde it true:
          Who reckles rules, right soone may hap to rue.”

                         T. S.[1660]

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

Opening the text

History

Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 2, Part 1

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

So long as fortune would permit the same,
        I liu’d[1655] in rule and ryches with the best:
        And past my time in honour and in fame,
        That of mishap no feare was in my brest:
        But false fortune, whom[1656] I suspected least,
          Did tourne the wheele, and with a dolefull fall
          Hath mee bereft of honour, life, and all.

    108.

        Loe, what avayles in riches, flouds that flowes?
        Though she so smylde, as all the world were his,
        Euen kings and kesars, byden[1657] fortune’s throwes,
        And simple sort, must beare it as it is:
        Take heede by mee that blithde in balefull blisse,
          My rule, my riches, royall bloud and all,
          When fortune frounde the feller made my fall.

    109.

        For hard mishaps, that happens vnto such
        Whose wretched state erst neuer fell no chaunge,
        Agreeue them not in any part so much
        As theyr distresse: to whom it is so straunge
        That all theyr liues, nay passed pleasures raunge,
          Theyr sodayne woe, that aye wielde welth at will,
          Algates theyr hearts more pearcingly must thrill.

    110.

        For of my byrth, my bloud was of the best,
        First borne an earle, then duke by due discent,
        To swinge the sway in court among the rest,
        Dame fortune mee her rule most largely lent,
        And, kinde with courage, so my corps had blent,
          That, loe, on whom but mee did shee most smyle?
          And whom but mee, loe, did shee most begyle?

    111.

        Now hast thou heard the whole of my vnhap,[1658]
        My chaunce, my chaunge, the cause of all my care:
        In welth and woe, how fortune did mee wrap,
        With world at will, to win mee to her snare:
        Bid kings, bid kesars, bid[1659] all states beware,
          And tell them this from me that tryde it true:
          Who reckles rules, right soone may hap to rue.”

                         T. S.[1660]

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

Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 2, Part 1

Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 2, Part 1

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