Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 2, Part 1

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

Dyrecting my letters to diuers noble men,
        With earnest request their power to prepare
        To _Notingham_ castle, where, as I lay then,
        To ayde and assist mee in this waighty affayre:
        Where straite to my presence did then repayre,
          _Ihon_ duke of _Northfolke_, his eldest sonne also,
          With th’earle of _Northumberland_ and many other mo.

    37.

        And thus being furnisht with men and munition,
        Forwarde wee marched in order of battayle ray,
        Making by scouts euery way inquisition,
        In what place the earle with his campe lay:
        Towards whom dyrectly wee tooke then our way,
          Euermore mynding to seeke our most auayle,
          In place conuenient to gieue to him battayle.

    38.

        So long wee laboured, at last our armies met
        On _Bosworth_ playne, besides _Lecester_ towne,
        Where sure I thought the garland for to get,
        And purchase peace, or els to lose my crowne:
        But fickle fortune, alas, on mee did frowne,
          For when I was enchamped in the fielde,
          Where most I trusted I soonest was begylde.

    39.

        The brand of malice thus kindling in my brest
        Of deadly hate which I to him did beare,
        Pricked mee forward, and bad mee not desist,
        But boldly fight, and take at all no feare,
        To wyn the field, and the earle to conquere:
          Thus hoping glory greate to gayne and get,
          Myne army then in order did I set.

    40.

        Betyde mee lyfe or death I desperatly ran,
        And ioyned mee in battayle with this earle so stoute,
        But fortune so him fauoured that hee the battayle wan,
        With force and great power I was beset about:
        Which when I did beholde, in midst of the whole route,
          With dint of sword I cast mee on him to be reuenged,
          Where in the midst of them my wretched life I ended.

    41.

        My body was hurried and tugged like a dog,
        On horsebacke all naked and bare as I was borne:
        My heade, hands, and feete, downe hanging lyke a hog,
        With dirte and bloud besprent, my corpes all to torne,
        Cursing the day that euer I was borne:
          With greuous woundes bemangled, moste horrible to see,
          So sore they did abhorre this my vile cruelty.

    42.

        Loe, heare you may behold the due and iust rewarde
        Of tyranny and treason, which God doth most detest:
        For if vnto my duety I had taken regarde,
        I might haue liued still in honour with the best,
        And had I not attempt the thing that I ought leste:
          But desyre to rule, alas, did mee so blinde,
          Which caused mee to doe agaynst nature and kynde.

    43.

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

Dyrecting my letters to diuers noble men,
        With earnest request their power to prepare
        To _Notingham_ castle, where, as I lay then,
        To ayde and assist mee in this waighty affayre:
        Where straite to my presence did then repayre,
          _Ihon_ duke of _Northfolke_, his eldest sonne also,
          With th’earle of _Northumberland_ and many other mo.

    37.

        And thus being furnisht with men and munition,
        Forwarde wee marched in order of battayle ray,
        Making by scouts euery way inquisition,
        In what place the earle with his campe lay:
        Towards whom dyrectly wee tooke then our way,
          Euermore mynding to seeke our most auayle,
          In place conuenient to gieue to him battayle.

    38.

        So long wee laboured, at last our armies met
        On _Bosworth_ playne, besides _Lecester_ towne,
        Where sure I thought the garland for to get,
        And purchase peace, or els to lose my crowne:
        But fickle fortune, alas, on mee did frowne,
          For when I was enchamped in the fielde,
          Where most I trusted I soonest was begylde.

    39.

        The brand of malice thus kindling in my brest
        Of deadly hate which I to him did beare,
        Pricked mee forward, and bad mee not desist,
        But boldly fight, and take at all no feare,
        To wyn the field, and the earle to conquere:
          Thus hoping glory greate to gayne and get,
          Myne army then in order did I set.

    40.

        Betyde mee lyfe or death I desperatly ran,
        And ioyned mee in battayle with this earle so stoute,
        But fortune so him fauoured that hee the battayle wan,
        With force and great power I was beset about:
        Which when I did beholde, in midst of the whole route,
          With dint of sword I cast mee on him to be reuenged,
          Where in the midst of them my wretched life I ended.

    41.

        My body was hurried and tugged like a dog,
        On horsebacke all naked and bare as I was borne:
        My heade, hands, and feete, downe hanging lyke a hog,
        With dirte and bloud besprent, my corpes all to torne,
        Cursing the day that euer I was borne:
          With greuous woundes bemangled, moste horrible to see,
          So sore they did abhorre this my vile cruelty.

    42.

        Loe, heare you may behold the due and iust rewarde
        Of tyranny and treason, which God doth most detest:
        For if vnto my duety I had taken regarde,
        I might haue liued still in honour with the best,
        And had I not attempt the thing that I ought leste:
          But desyre to rule, alas, did mee so blinde,
          Which caused mee to doe agaynst nature and kynde.

    43.

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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