Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 2, Part 1

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

But words of course are these of fortune had,
        When vnto princes haps chaunce good or ill;
        God sends to euery sorte these tempests sad,
        When from his worde they swarue and heauenly will:
        Men must endeuour then to please his goodnesse still,
          And then come life, or death, come ioy, come smarte:
          No fortune’s frowne can daunte the doughty harte.

    12.

        The famous king so dead, his son, but nyne months olde,
        _Henry_ the sixt of England was proclaymed king:
        And then the Frenchmen wexte more stoute and bolde,
        His youth occasion gaue them to conspire the thing,
        Which might them all from due subjection bring?
          On which the councell calde a parliament,
          Of French that might the treasons high preuent.

    13.

        Wherein the duke of _Bedford_, my good lorde and frend,
        Was regent made, the prince his deputy in Fraunce:
        The duke of _Glocester_ protectour was, to th’end
        To rule in cases such at home might hap to chaunce:
        They chose to garde the prince, in honour to aduaunce
          _Henry Beuforde_ bishop of _Winchester_,
          And _Thomas_ the noble duke of _Excester_.

    14.

        But here before those things coulde well be setled sure,
        (As great affayres of kingdomes longer time do take)
        The Frenchmen did by treason, force, and coyne, procure
        Some townes which English were, in Fraunce theyr fayth forsake:
        A long discourse it were of all recitall make:
          But of my chaunce that time, resite will I,
          Which seru’d in warres my prince in _Normandy_.

    15.

        Before the mount S. _Michaell_ as in seige I lay,
        In confines of the _Normane’s_ and the _Breton’s_ land,
        From townsemen famisht nigh we vitailes kept away,
        And made them oft in daunger of dis-mounteing stand:
        But it being strong and also stoutly mand,
          Euen by our losses they gate harte of grasse,
          And wee declineing saw what fortune was.

    16.

        Yet nathelesse[1874] wee thought by famine make them yeelde,
        Eke they by fight or succours hoapt the seige to rayse,
        T’accomplish which they rusht on sodayne out to feelde,
        As bent to dy or win the wanted foode with prayse:
        And wee as ready were for them at all assayes:
          These eager impes whome foode, want, feazde to fight amayne,
          Wee forc’d them dye, fall, fly, to take theyr forte agayne.

    17.

        Where I in chase pursude them euen to the towne,
        Tane prisner was, a while for ransom lay:
        But then the worthy duke, the regent of renowne,
        Did for mee quite disburse the price requirde to pay:
        The seige wee raysde, from thence wee went our way,
          And I redeemed bare this blanke in minde,
          Till of requite I might occasion finde.

    18.

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

But words of course are these of fortune had,
        When vnto princes haps chaunce good or ill;
        God sends to euery sorte these tempests sad,
        When from his worde they swarue and heauenly will:
        Men must endeuour then to please his goodnesse still,
          And then come life, or death, come ioy, come smarte:
          No fortune’s frowne can daunte the doughty harte.

    12.

        The famous king so dead, his son, but nyne months olde,
        _Henry_ the sixt of England was proclaymed king:
        And then the Frenchmen wexte more stoute and bolde,
        His youth occasion gaue them to conspire the thing,
        Which might them all from due subjection bring?
          On which the councell calde a parliament,
          Of French that might the treasons high preuent.

    13.

        Wherein the duke of _Bedford_, my good lorde and frend,
        Was regent made, the prince his deputy in Fraunce:
        The duke of _Glocester_ protectour was, to th’end
        To rule in cases such at home might hap to chaunce:
        They chose to garde the prince, in honour to aduaunce
          _Henry Beuforde_ bishop of _Winchester_,
          And _Thomas_ the noble duke of _Excester_.

    14.

        But here before those things coulde well be setled sure,
        (As great affayres of kingdomes longer time do take)
        The Frenchmen did by treason, force, and coyne, procure
        Some townes which English were, in Fraunce theyr fayth forsake:
        A long discourse it were of all recitall make:
          But of my chaunce that time, resite will I,
          Which seru’d in warres my prince in _Normandy_.

    15.

        Before the mount S. _Michaell_ as in seige I lay,
        In confines of the _Normane’s_ and the _Breton’s_ land,
        From townsemen famisht nigh we vitailes kept away,
        And made them oft in daunger of dis-mounteing stand:
        But it being strong and also stoutly mand,
          Euen by our losses they gate harte of grasse,
          And wee declineing saw what fortune was.

    16.

        Yet nathelesse[1874] wee thought by famine make them yeelde,
        Eke they by fight or succours hoapt the seige to rayse,
        T’accomplish which they rusht on sodayne out to feelde,
        As bent to dy or win the wanted foode with prayse:
        And wee as ready were for them at all assayes:
          These eager impes whome foode, want, feazde to fight amayne,
          Wee forc’d them dye, fall, fly, to take theyr forte agayne.

    17.

        Where I in chase pursude them euen to the towne,
        Tane prisner was, a while for ransom lay:
        But then the worthy duke, the regent of renowne,
        Did for mee quite disburse the price requirde to pay:
        The seige wee raysde, from thence wee went our way,
          And I redeemed bare this blanke in minde,
          Till of requite I might occasion finde.

    18.

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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