Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 2, Part 1

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

Whereof king _Edward_ warned came with speede,
        And camped with his hoast in _Barnet_ towne,
        Where wee right fearce encountred him in deed
        On _Easter_ day, right earely, on the downe:
        There many a man was slaine and stricken downe,
          On eyther side, and neither part did gaine,
          Till that I and my brother both were slaine.[1129]

    11.

        For wee to hart[1130] our ouermatched men,
        Forsooke our steedes, and in the thickest throng
        Ran preacing forth on foote, and fought so then
        That downe wee draue them were they neuer[1131] so strong:
        But ere this lucke[1132] had lasted very long
          With nomber and force wee were so fouly cloyed,[1133]
          And rescue faylde, that quite wee were destroyed.

    12.

        Now tell mee, _Baldwine_, hast thou heard or read
        Of any man that did as I haue done?
        That in his time so many armies led,
        And victory at euery voyage won?
        Hast thou euer[1134] heard of subiect vnder sonne,
          That plaast and baast his soueraignes[1135] so oft
          By enterchaunge, now low, and than aloft?

    13.

        Perchaunce thou thinkst my doinges were not such
        As I and other doe affirme they were:
        And in thy minde I see thou musest much
        What meanes I vsde, that should mee so prefer:
        Wherein, because I will thou shalt not erre,
          The truth of all I will at large recyte,
          The short is this: I was no hypocrite.

    14.

        I neuer did nor sayd saue what I ment,
        The common weale was still my chiefest care:
        To priuate gayne or glory was I neuer bent,[1136]
        I neuer past[1137] vpon delicious fare:
        Of needefull food my bourd was neuer bare,
          No creditour did curse mee day by day,
          I vsed playnnesse, euer pitch and pay.

    15.

        I heard poore[1138] souldiers and poore workemen whine
        Because theyr dutyes were not truely[1139] payde:
        Agayne I saw how people did repine
        At those through whom theyr payment was[1140] delayde:
        And proofe did oft assure (as scripture sayd)
          That God doth wreke the wretched people’s greues,
          I saw the polls cut of fro polling theues.

    16.

        This made mee alway iustly for to deale,
        Which whan the people playnly vnderstoode,
        Because they saw mee mynd the common weale,
        They still endeuoured how to doe mee good,
        Ready to spend theyr substaunce, life, and bloud,
          In any cause where to I did them moue:
          For sure they were it was for theyr behoue.

    17.

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

Whereof king _Edward_ warned came with speede,
        And camped with his hoast in _Barnet_ towne,
        Where wee right fearce encountred him in deed
        On _Easter_ day, right earely, on the downe:
        There many a man was slaine and stricken downe,
          On eyther side, and neither part did gaine,
          Till that I and my brother both were slaine.[1129]

    11.

        For wee to hart[1130] our ouermatched men,
        Forsooke our steedes, and in the thickest throng
        Ran preacing forth on foote, and fought so then
        That downe wee draue them were they neuer[1131] so strong:
        But ere this lucke[1132] had lasted very long
          With nomber and force wee were so fouly cloyed,[1133]
          And rescue faylde, that quite wee were destroyed.

    12.

        Now tell mee, _Baldwine_, hast thou heard or read
        Of any man that did as I haue done?
        That in his time so many armies led,
        And victory at euery voyage won?
        Hast thou euer[1134] heard of subiect vnder sonne,
          That plaast and baast his soueraignes[1135] so oft
          By enterchaunge, now low, and than aloft?

    13.

        Perchaunce thou thinkst my doinges were not such
        As I and other doe affirme they were:
        And in thy minde I see thou musest much
        What meanes I vsde, that should mee so prefer:
        Wherein, because I will thou shalt not erre,
          The truth of all I will at large recyte,
          The short is this: I was no hypocrite.

    14.

        I neuer did nor sayd saue what I ment,
        The common weale was still my chiefest care:
        To priuate gayne or glory was I neuer bent,[1136]
        I neuer past[1137] vpon delicious fare:
        Of needefull food my bourd was neuer bare,
          No creditour did curse mee day by day,
          I vsed playnnesse, euer pitch and pay.

    15.

        I heard poore[1138] souldiers and poore workemen whine
        Because theyr dutyes were not truely[1139] payde:
        Agayne I saw how people did repine
        At those through whom theyr payment was[1140] delayde:
        And proofe did oft assure (as scripture sayd)
          That God doth wreke the wretched people’s greues,
          I saw the polls cut of fro polling theues.

    16.

        This made mee alway iustly for to deale,
        Which whan the people playnly vnderstoode,
        Because they saw mee mynd the common weale,
        They still endeuoured how to doe mee good,
        Ready to spend theyr substaunce, life, and bloud,
          In any cause where to I did them moue:
          For sure they were it was for theyr behoue.

    17.

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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