ENGLANDS ELIZA: OR THE VICTORIOVS AND TRIVMPHANT REIGNE OF THAT VIRGIN EMPRESSE OF SACRED memorie, ELIZABETH, Queene of _England, France and Ireland, &c._ [Illustration] _AT LONDON_ Imprinted by FELIX KYNGSTON. 1610. TO THE VERTVOVS _Ladie, the Ladie Elizabeth Clere_, Wife to the Right Worshipfull Sir Francis Clere, Knight. My muse, that whilome wail’d those Briton kings, Who vnto her in vision did appeare, Craues leaue to strengthen her night-weathered wings, In the warm sun-shine of your golden _Clere_: Where she (faire ladie) tuning her chast layes Of England’s empresse to her hymnicke string, For your affect, to heare that virgin’s praise, Makes choice of your chast selfe to heare her sing: Whose royall worth (true vertue’s paragon) Heere made me dare t’ingraue your worthie name; In hope, that vnto you the same alone Will so excuse me of presumptuous blame, That gracefull entertaine my muse may find, And euer beare such grace in thankfull mind. Your Ladiship’s euer humblie at command, RICHARD NICCOLS. TO THE READER. Gentle Reader, when I first writ this poem, I had thought for the length therof to haue distinguished it by section into cantoes or bookes; but since perswaded by the printer to publish it with this worke: it being, though no fall, yet a worthie Mirrour answerable to that of the empresse Helena in the first part of this volume: I present it in one whole entire hymne, distinguishing it only by succession of yeares, which I haue margented through the whole storie, and by an analysis of euery chiefe exploit inserted in their proper places. For my quotation of authors, I heere vse it not for singularitie, it being a thing not customarie to writers in this kind, but to confirme the truth of that which is written, as not being ignorant that I shall be bitten by those mongrill English (I can terme them no other) that barke at the maiestie of that most noble princesse, against whose railing, an inseperable propertie to their profession, I only arme my selfe with this confidence, that the fame of her royalties mounting aloft like the sun verticall, shall in the height of all true borne English estimation, abate the shadowes of their enuie. Farewell. THE INDVCTION.