Poems: by Michaell Draiton Esquire

The Lady Jane Gray to the Lord Gilford Dudley.

The Argument.

After the death of that vertuous young Prince King Edward the sixt, the sonne of that famous King Henry the eight, Iane the daughter of Henry Gray, Duke of Suffolke by the consent of Iohn Dudley Duke of Northumberland, was proclaimed Queene of England, being married to Gil∣ford Dudley, the fourth sonne of the fore-said Duke of Northumberland; which match was concluded by their ambitious fathers, who went about by this meanes, to bring the Crowne vnto their children and to dispossesse the Prin∣cesse Mary eldest daughter to King Henry the eight, heire to King Edward her brother. Queene Mary rising in Armes to claime her rightfull Crowne, taketh the saide Iane Gray and the Lord Gilford her husband, being lod∣ged in the Tower for their more safetie, which place being lastly their Pallace, by this meanes became their prison, where being seuered in sundry prisons, they write these Epi∣stles one to another.

MIne own deere Lord, sith thou art lockt frō mee, In this disguise my loue must steale to thee, Since to renue all loues, all kindnesse past, This refuge scarcely left, yet this the last.

My Keeper comming, I of thee enquire, Who with thy greeting answers my desire, Which my tongue willing to returne againe, Griefe stops my words, and I but striue in vaine; Wherewith amazde, away in haste he goes, When throgh my lips, my hart thrusts forth my woes, Whenas the dores that make a dolefull sound, Driue backe my words, that in the noise are drownd, Which somewhat hush'd, the Eccho doth record, And twice or thrice reiterates my word; When like an aduerse winde in Isis course, Against the tide bending his boistrous force; But when the flood hath wrought it selfe about, He following on, doth head-long thrust it out; Thus striue my fighes with teares e're they begin, And breaking out, againe sighes driue them in. A thousand formes present my troubled thought, Yet proue abortiue when they forth are brought, The depth of woe with words wee hardely sound, Sorrow is so insensibly profound: As teares do fall and rise, sighes come and goe, So do these numbers ebbe, so do they flow. These briny teares do make my incke looke pale, My incke clothes teares in this sad mourning vaile, The letters mourners, weepe with my dim eye, The paper pale, grieu'd at my misery. Yet miserable our selues, why should we deeme, Sith none is so, but in his owne esteeme? Who in distresse from resolution flies, Is rightly said, to yeelde to miseries; They which begot vs, did beget this sin,

They first begun, what did our griefe begin, we tasted not, t'was they which did rebell, Not our offence, but in their fall we fell; They which a crowne would to my Lord haue linckt, All hope of life and liberty extinct; A subiect borne, a Soueraigne to haue beene, Hath made me now, nor subiect, nor a Queene. Ah vile ambition, how doost thou deceiue vs, which shew'st vs heauen and yet in hell doost leaue vs? Seldome vntouch'd doth innocence escape, when error commeth in good counsailes shape, A lawfull title countercheckes prowd might, The weakest things become strong props to right. Then my deere Lord, although affliction grieue vs, Yet let our spotlesse innocence relieue vs. Death but an acted passion doth appeare, where truth giues courage, and the conscience cleere, And let thy comfort thus consist in mine, That I beare part of whatsoe're is thine; As when we liude vntouch'd with these disgraces, whenas our kingdome was our deere embraces; At Durham Pallace, where sweete Hymen sang, whose buildings with our nuptiall musicke rang: when Prothalamions praisde that happy day, wherein great Dudley match'd with noble Gray, when they deuisde to lincke by wedlockes band, The house of Suffolke to Northumberland; Our fatall Dukedome to your Dukedome bound, To frame this building on so weake a ground. For what auailes a lawlesse vsurpation, which giues a Scepter, but not rules a Nation?

Onely the surfet of a vaine opinion, What giues content, giues what exceedes dominion. When first mine eares were pierced with the fame, Of Iane proclaimed by a Princesse name, A suddaine fright my trembling heart appalls, The feare of conscience entreth yron walls. Thrice happy for our fathers had it beene, If what we fearde, they wisely had fore-seene, And kept a meane gate in an humble path, To haue escapde the heauens impetuous wrath, The true-bred Eagle strongly beares the winde, And not each bird that's neere vnto their kinde, That like a King, doth from the clowdes command, The fearefull fowle that moues but neere the Land, Though Mary be from mighty Kings descended, My blood not from Plantaginet pretended; My gransire Brandon did our house aduance, By princely Mary, Dowager of France; The fruit of that faire stocke which did combine, And Yorkes sweete branch with Lancasters entwine, And in one stalke did happily vnite, The pure vermilion Rose, with purer white; I the vntimely slip of that rich stem, Whose golden bud brings forth a Diadem. But oh forgiue me Lord, it is not I, Nor do I boast of this, but learne to die, Whilst we were as our selues conioyned then, Nature to nature, now an alien. The purest blood, polluted is in blood, Neerenes contemn'd, if soueraignty withstood; A Diadem once dazeling the eye,

The day too darke to see affinitie; And where the arme is stretch'd to reach a Crowne, Friendship is broke, the deerest thing throwne downe; For what great Henry most stroue to auoide, The heauens haue built, where earth would haue de∣stroide, And seating Edward on his regall throne, He giues to Mary, all that was his owne, By death assuring what by life is theirs, The lawfull claime of Henries lawfull he••res. By mortall lawes the bound may be diuorc'd, But heauens decree by no meanes can be forc'd: That rules the case, when men haue all decreed, Who tooke him hence, fore-saw who should succeed, For we in vaine relie on humaine lawes, Whē heauen stands forth to plead the righteous cause, Thus rule the heauens in their continuall course, That yeeldes to fate, that doth not yeelde to force. Mans wit doth build for time but to deuoure, But vertue's free from time and fortunes powre; Then my kinde Lord, sweete Gilford be not grieu'd, The soule is heauenly, and from heauen relieu'd; And as we once haue plighted troth together, Now let vs make exchange of mindes to either; To thy faire breast take my resolued minde, Armde against blacke dispaire, and all her kinde, And to my bosome breathe that soule of thine, There to be made as perfect as is mine; So shall our faith as firmely be approued, As I of thee, or thou of me beloued. This life no life, were thou not deere to mee, Nor this no death, were I not woe for thee.

Thou my deere husband, and my Lord before, But truely learne to die, thou shalt be more. Now liue by prayer, on heauen fixe all thy thought, And surely finde, what e're by zeale is sought; For each good motion that the soule awakes, A heauenly figure sees, from whence it takes That sweete resemblance, which by power of kinde, Formes (like it selfe) an image in the minde, And in our faith the operations bee, Of that diuinenesse which through that we see; Which neuer erres, but accidentally, By our fraile fleshes imbecillitie; By each temptation ouer-apt to slide, Except our spirit becomes our bodies guide; For as these Towers our bodies do inclose Their prisons, so vnto our soules suppose Our bodies, stopping that celestiall light, As these do hinder our exterior sight; Whereon death seasing, doth discharge the debt, And vs at blessed liberty doth set. Then draw thy forces all vnto thy heart, The strongest fortresse of this earthly part, And on these three let thy assurance lie, On faith, repentance, and humilitie; By which to heauen ascending by degrees, Persist in prayer vpon your bended knees; Whereon if you assuredly be staide, You neede in perill not to be distnaide, Which still shall keepe you that you shall not fall, For any perill that you can appall; The key of heauen thus will•• you, you shall beare,

And grace you guiding, giue you entrance there, And you of those celestiall ioyes possesse, Which mortal tongue's vnable to expresse. Then thanke the heauen, preparing vs this roome, Crowning our heads with glorious martiredome, Before the blacke and dismall daies beginne, The daies of all idolatry and sinne, Not suffering vs to see that wicked age, When persecution vehemently shall rage, When tyranny n••w tortures shall inuent, Inflicting vengeance on the innocent. Yet heauen forbids, that Maries wombe shall bring, Englands faire Scepter to a forraigne King, But vnto faire Elizabeth shall leaue it, Which broken, hurt, and wounded, shall receiue it; And on her temples hauing placde the Crowne, Roote out the dregs Idolatry hath sowne; And Syons glory shall againe restore, Laid ruine, waste, and desolate before; And from blacke sinders, and rude heapes of stones, Shall gather vp the Martires sacred bones, And shall extirpe the power of Rome againe, And cast aside the heauie yoke of Spaine. Farewell sweete Gilford, know our end is neere, Heauen is our home, we are but strangers heere. Let vs make haste to goe vnto the blest, Which from these weary worldly labours rest, And with these lines my deerest Lord I greete thee, Vntill in heauen thy Iane againe shall meet thee.

¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie.

They which beg••t vs did beget this si••ne.

SHewing the ambition of the two Dukes their Fathers, whose pride was the cause of the vtter ouerthrow of their children.

At Durham Pallace where sweete Hymen sang, The buildings, &c.

The Lord Gilford Dudley, fourth sonne to Iohn Dudley Duke of Northumberland, married the Lady Iane Grey, daughter to the Duke of Suffolke at Durham house in the Strand.

When first mine eares were pierced with the fame, Of Iane proclaimed by a princes name

Presently vpon the death of King Edward, the Lady Iane was taken as Queene, conueyed by water to the Tower of London for her safetie, and after proclaimed in diuers parts of the realme, as so ordained by king Edwards Letters-pattents, and his will.

My Grandsire Brandon did our house aduaunce By princely Mary, dowager of Fraunce.

Henry Gray, duke of Suffolk, married Frauncis the eldest daugh∣ter of Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke, by the French Queene, by which Frauncis he had this Lady Iane: this Mary the French Queene, was daughter to king Henry the seuenth, by Elizabeth his Queene, which happie mariage conioyned the two noble fami∣lies of Lancaster and Yorke.

For what great Henry most stroue to auoyde,

Noting the distrust that King Henry the eight euer had in the Princesse Mary his daughter, fearing she should alter the state of Religion in the land, by matching with a stranger, confessing the right that King Henries issue had to the Crowne.

And vnto faire Elizabeth shall leaue it.

A prophecie of Queene Maries barrennesse, and of the happie and glorious raigne of Queene Elizabeth, her restoring of Reli∣gion, the abolishing of the Romish seruitude, and casting aside the yoke of Spaine.