Poems: by Michaell Draiton Esquire

Queene Katharine to Owen Tudor.

The Argument.

After the death of that victorious Henry the fift, Queene Katharine, the Dowager of England and France, daughter to Charles the French King, holding her estate with Henry her sonne, (then the fixt of that name) falleth in loue with Owen Tuder a Welchman, a braue and gallant Gentleman of the Wardrobe to the yong King her son; yet grently fear∣ing if her loue shoulde be discouered, the Nobilitie woulde crosse her purposed marriage; or fearing, that if her faire and princely promises should not assure his good successe, this high and great attempt, might (perhappes) daunt the for∣wardnesse of his modest and shamefast youth; wherefore to breake the ice to her intent, she writeth vnto him this Epi∣stle following.

IVdge not a Princesse worth impeacht hereby, That loue thus triumphs ouer maiestie; Nor thinke lesse vertue in this royall hand, Which now intreates that wonted to command, For in this sort, though humbly now it wooe, The day hath beene, thou wouldst haue kneeld vnto. Not thinke that this submission of my state, Proceedes from frailtie, (rather iudge it fate.) Alcides ne're more fit for warres sterne shocke, Then when for loue sate spinning at the rocke, Neuer lesse cloudes did Phoebus glory dim, Then in a clownes shape when he couered him;

Ioues great commaund was neuer more obeyd, Than when a Satyres anticke parts he playd. He was thy king that sued for loue to mee, Shee is thy Queene that sues for loue to thee. When Henry was, whats Tuders now, was his; Whilst yet thou arte, whats Henries, Tuders is; My loue to Owen, him my Henry giueth, My loue to Henry, in my Owen liueth; Henry woode me whilst warres did yet increase, I wooe my Tuder, in sweet calmes of peace, To force affection he did conquest proue, I fight with gentle arguments of loue. Incampt at Melans, in warres hote alarmes, First saw I Henry clad in princely armes. At pleasant Windsore first these eies of mine, My Tuder iudgde for wit and shape diuine. Henry abroade, with p••issance and with force, Tuder at home, with courtship and discourse, He then, thou now, I hardly can iudge whether Did like me best, Plantaginet or Tether. A march, a measure, battell or a daunce, A courtly rapier, or a conquering launce. His princely bed hath strengthned my renowne, And on my temples set a double crowne; Which glorious wreathe, (as Henries lawfull heire) Henry the sixt vpon his brow doth beare. At Troy in Champaine he did first enioy My Brydall rites, to England brought from Troy, In England now that honour thou shalt haue, Which once in Champaine famous Henry gaue, I seeke not wealth, three kingdomes in my power,

If these suffice not, where shall be my dower? Sad discontent may euer follow her, Which doth base pelfe before true loue prefer; If titles still could our affections tie, What is so great but Maiestie might buy? As I seeke thee, so Kings do me desire, To what they would, thou easily mai'st aspire. That sacred fire, once warmde my heart before, The fuell fit, the flame is now the more, And meanes to quench it, I in vaine do proue, We may hide treasure, but not hide our loue; And since it is thy fortune (thus) to gaine it, It were too late, nor will I now restraine it. Nor these great titles vainely will I bring, Wife, daughter, mother, sister to a King, Of grandsire, father, husband, sonne and brother, More thou alone to me, then all the other, Nor feare my Tudor, that this loue of mine, Should wrong the Gaunt-borne great Lancastrian line, Nor stir the English blood, the Sunne and Moone, T'repine at Lorame, Burbon, A lansoon; Nor do I thinke there is such different ods, They should alone be numbred with the Gods. Of Cadmus earthly issue reckoning vs; And they from Ioue, Mars, Neptune, Eolus, Of great Latonas of-spring onely they, And we the brats of wofull Niobe, Our famous grandsires (as their owne) bestride, That horse of fame, that God, begotten steede, Whose bounding hoofe plow'd that Boetian spring, Where those sweete maides of memory do sing,

Not onely Henries Queene, but boast as well, To be the childe of Charles and Isabell. Nor do I know from whence their grief should grow, They by this match should be disparag'd so; When Iohn and Longshankes issue both affied, And to the Kings of Wales in wedlocke tied, Shewing the greatnesse of your blood thereby, Your race, and royall consanguinity. And Wales as well as haughty England boasts, Of Camilot, and all her Penticosts; A nephewes roome in great Pendragons race, At Arthurs Table held a princely place, If by the often conquest of your land, They boast the spoiles of their victorious hand, If these our antient Chronicles be true, They altogether are not free from you. When bloodie Rufus sought your vtter sacke, Twice entring Wales, yet twice was beatenbacke. When famous Cambria wash'd her in the flood, Made by th'effusion of the English blood, And oft returnde with glorious victory, From Worster, Herford, Chester, Shrowesbury, Whose power in euery conquest so preuailes, As once expulsde the English out of Wales. Although my beautie made my Countries peace, And at my Bridall former broyles did cease; Yet more then power, had not his person beene, I had not come to England as a Queene. Nor tooke I Henry to supply my wont, Because in France, that time my choice was scant; When he had robde all Christendome of men,

And Englands flower remainde amongst vs then; Gloster, whose counsells (Nestor-like) assist, Couragious Bedford, that great martiallist, Clarence, for vertue honoured of his foes, And Yorke, whose fame yet daily greater growes, Warwicke, the pride of Neuels haughty race, Great Salebury, so fearde in euery place. That valiant Poole, whom no atchieuement dares, And Vere, so famous in the Irish warres, Who though my selfe so great a Prince were borne, The worst of these my equall neede not scorne: But Henries rare perfections and his parts, As conquering Kingdomes, so he conquer'd hearts. As chaste was I to him as Queene might bee, But freed from him, my chaste lone vow'd to thee; Beautie doth fetch all fauour from thy face, All perfect courtship resteth in thy grace. If thou discourse, thy lips such accents breake, As loue a spirit forth of thee seem••d to speake. The Brittish language, which our vowels wants, And iarres so much vpon harsh consonants, Comes with such grace from thy mellifluous tongue, As do the sweete notes of a well set song, And runnes as smoothly from those lips of thine, As the pure Tuskan from the Florentine; Leauing such seasoned sweetenes in the eare, As the voyce past, yet still the sound is there: In Nisus Tower, as when Apollo lay, And on his golden viall vsde to play, Where sencelesse stones were with such musicke drownd, As many yeares they did retaine the sound,

Let not the beames that greatnes doth reflect, Amaze thy hopes with timerous respect; Assure thee Tudor, maiesty can be As kinde in loue, as can the mean'st degree; And the embraces of a Queene as true, As theirs (might iudge them) much aduanc'd by you, When in our greatnes our affections craue Those secret ioyes that other women haue: So I (a Queene) be soueraigne in my choice, Let others fawne vpon the publique voice; Or what (by this) can euer hap to thee, Light in respect to be belou'd of mee. Let peeuish worldlings prate of right and wrong, Leaue plaints and pleas, to whom they do belong; Let old men speake of chances and euents, And Lawyers talke of titles and discents, Leaue fond reports to such as stories tell, And couenants to those that buy and s••ll; Loue my sweete Tudor, that becomes thee best, And to our good suceesse referre the rest.

Notes of the Chronicle Historie.

Great Henry sought to accomplish his desire, Armed, &c.

HEnry the fift, making claime to the Crowne of France, first sought by Armes to subdue the French, and after sought by marriage to confirme what he got by conquest, the heate and fu∣rie of which inuasion, is alluded to the sixion of Semele in Ouid: which by the crafty perswasion of Iuno, requested Ioue to come vnto her, as he was wont to come vnto his wife Iuno, who at her request hee yeelding vnto, destroyed her in a tempest.

Incamp'd at Melans in wars hote alarmes, First, &c.

Neere vnto Melans, vpon the Riuer of Scyne, was the appoin¦ted place of parley, betweene the two Kings of England and France, to which place, Isabell the Qucene of France, and the Duke of Burgoyne, brought the yong Princesse Katherine, where King Henry first saw her.

And on my temples set a double Crowne.

Henry the fift and Queene Katherine, were taken as King and Queene of France, and during the life of Charles the French king, Henry was called King of England, and heire of France, and after the death of Henry the fift, Henry the sixt his sonne, then being ve∣ry yong, was crowned at Paris, as true and lawfull King of Eng∣land and France.

At Troy in Champaine he did first enioy.

Troy in Champaine, was the place where that victorious king Henry the fift married the Ptincesse Katherine, in the presence of the chiefe nobilitie of the Realmes of England and France.

Nor these great tules vainely will I bring, Wife, daughter, mother, &c.

Few Queenes of England or France, were euer more princely alied then this Queene, as it hath beene noted by Historiogra∣phers.

Nor thinke so Tudor that this loue of mine, Should wrong the Gaunt-borne, &c.

Noting the discent of Henry her husband, from Iohn Duke of Lancaster, the fourth sonne of Edward the third, which Duke Iohn was sirnamed Gaunt, of the Cittie of Gaunt in Flanders, where he was borne.

Nor stirre the English blood, the Sunne and Moone, Trepine, &c.

Alluding the greatnes of the English line, to Phoebus and Phoe∣be, fained to be the children of Latona, whose heauenly kind might seorne to be ioyned with any earthly progenie: yet withall, boa∣sting the blood of France, as not inferior to theirs. And with this allusion followeth on the historie of the strife betwixt Iuno and the race of Cadmus, whose issue was afflicted by the wrath of heauen. The children of Niobe slaine, for which the wofull mo∣ther

became a rocke, gushing forth continually a sountaine of teares.

And Iohn and Longshanks issue, both affied,

Lheellin or Leolin ap Iorweth, married Ioane, daughter to king Iohn, a most beautifull Lady. Some Authors affirme that she was base borne, Lhewellin ap Gryfith, married Ellenor, daughter to Si∣mon Montfort, Earle of Leicester, and Cosin to Edward Long-shankes, both which Lhewellins were Princes of Wales.

Of Camilot and all her Pentecosts, A Nephewes roome, &c.

Camilot, the antient Pallace of King Arthur, to which place all the Knightes of that famous order yeerely repaired at Penti∣cost, according to the law of the Table, and most of the famous home-borne Knights were of that Country, as to this day is perceiued by their antient monuments.

When bloody Rutus sought your vtter sacke.

Noting the ill successe which that William Rufus bad in two voyages he made into Wales; in which a number of his chiefe Nobilitie were slaine.

And oft returnde with glorious victorie.

Noting the diuers sundry incursions that the Welchmen made into England, in the time of Rufus, Iohn, Henry the second, and Longshankes.