The life of Merlin, sirnamed Ambrosius his prophesies and predictions interpreted, and their truth made good by our English Annalls : being a chronographicall history of all the kings, and memorable passages of this kingdome, from Brute to the reigne of our royall soveraigne King Charles ...

CHAP. 14.

Divers remarkable passages during the Reigne of Henry the second, his numerous issue, and how they were affected towards him: his vices and vertues, his good and bad fortune: all which were by this our Prophet predicted.

HEnry the second, sonne of Ieffery Plan∣taginet, and Mawd the Empresse, began his Reigne over England, in the moneth of October, and the yeere of our Lord God, one thousand one hundred fifty five, of whom be∣fore it was thus prophesied.

The Eglet of the Flawde league shall behold, The Fathers of her prime bird shine in gold, And in her third nest shall rejoyce: but hee Who from the height of the great Rocke may see The Countries round (both neer and far away) Shall search amongst them, where hee best can pray: Some of whose numerous ayrie shall retaine The nature of the Desert Pelican, The all commanding keys shall strive to wrest, And force the locke, that opens to his nest, But break their own wards: of all flowers that grow

The Rose shall most delight his smell, and so That least it any strangers eyes should daze, Hee'l plant it close in a Dedalian Maze. Fortune at first will on his glories smile, But fail him in the end; alack the while.

The first words of this Prophesie seeme to re∣flect upon the Empresse his Mother: by rejoy∣cing her third nest, may be intended, that having three sonnes, Henry, Ieffery, and William, the two later failing, (as dying in their youth) shee might rejoyce in him whose Father (being King) she saw to shine in gold: or else, being first espoused to Henry the Emperour, and next to Ieffery Plantaginet, shee might in her death re∣joyce in her third espousall with her Saviour: but againe, where hee stiles her the Eglet of the Flawde, or Borbon League; It may bee conferd upon the Queen, who being first married to the King of France, and through neernesse of bloud divorced from him, and sent to her Father, and after married to this King, being then Duke of Normandy, she may be said first to have built her nest in France, secondly, in Normandy, and third∣ly, and last in England.

This Prince (as the Chronicle describes him to us) was somewhat high-coloured, but of a good aspect, and pleasant countenance, fat, full chested, and low of stature: and because hee grew somewhat corpulent, hee used a sparing and abstinent diet, and much exercised Hunting. He was well spoken, and indifferently learned,

Noble in Knighthood, and wise in counsaile, bountifull to strangers, but to his familiars and servants gripple-handed, and where hee loved once or hated, constant, and hardly to be remo∣ved: he had by his wife Eleanor six sonnes and three daughters: The names of five of them were William, Henry, Richard, Godfery, and Iohn; of which two came to succeed him in the Throne, Richard and Iohn, of the sixt there is small or no mention: the eldest of his daugh∣ters hight Mawd, and was married to the Duke of Saxony; the second Eleanor, to the King of Spaine; the third named Iane, to William King of Sicily.

This King was prosperous in the beginning of his Raigne, but unfortunate in the end, as the sequell will make apparant: he was of such magnanimity and courage, that hee was often heard to say, that to a valiant heart, not a whole World sufficeth, and according to his words hee greatly augmented his Heritage, and much ad∣ded to his Dominions. For hee wonne Ireland by strength, and in the seventh yeere of his Reigne, (for divers affronts offered him by William King of Scotland) he made such cruell warre upon him, that in the end hee tooke him prisoner, and compeld him to surrender into his hands, the City of Carlile, the Castle of Bamburch, the new Castle upon Tyne, with divers other holds, and a great part of Northumber∣land, which William before had wonne from the Borderers. He likewise added the whole King∣dome

to his owne, and from the South Ocean to the North Islands of the Orcades, hee closed all those Lands, as under one principall; which done, and receiving fealty and homage of the said King, having a certaine summe of money promist to bee payd unto him within nine moneths following, hee suffered him to goe at liberty.

He spred his Empire so far, that none of all his predecessours had so many Countries and Pro∣vinces under their Dominion and rule: for be∣sides the Realme of England, he had at once in his possession, Normandy, Gascoine, and Guien, Anjou, and Chinou, with Alverne and others, and by his wife as her rightfull Inheritance, the Pyrene Mountaines, which part France and Spaine: which proves

—that hee Who from the height of the great rock may see The Countries round (both neere and far away) Shall search amongst them, where hee best can prey.

In the seventh year of his Raigne, died Theobald Arch-bishop of Canterbury, and Thomas Becket, who was then Chancellour of England, was translated unto that See: and in the ninth yeare the King cal'd a Parliament, at Northampton. where hee intended to abolish some privileges which the Clergie had usurped, amongst which one was, that no Priest, or Clergie man, though he had committed felony, murther or treason

against the Kings owne person, yet had hee not power to put him to death, which he pur∣posed to have reformed; in which Thomas Becket then Arch-Bishop violently opposed him, and gave him very peremptory and unseemly lan∣guage, vilifying the Kings prerogatiue and au∣thority, to his face; but when he saw he had not power to prevaile against the King, hee in great heate and hast, sped him to Alexander then Bi∣shop of Rome, grievously complayning on the King, and suggesting, what iniuries and inno∣vations he would put upon the holy Church continuing there partly in Italy, and partly in France, for the space of six yeares together.

After which time Lewis King of France, recon∣ciled the King and the Archbishop (the King being then in Normandy) and Becket returned to his See at Canterbury, whither hee summond all such persons as in his absence had spoyled, and rifled his moveables and goods, advising them first by faire meanes to restore them; but when he saw that course prevailed not, he tooke a more severe and compulsory way, excommu∣nicating and denouncing all such accursed in his Anathema (not sparing the Kings royall person,) at which the parties here in England, whom it particularly concerned, sailed over unto the King in Normandy; and made a grie∣vous complaint against the Archbishop, at which his being extraordinarily incensed, sayd in the open audience of those then about him, had I any friend that tendered mine honour and safe∣ty,

I had ere this time beene revenged of that traiterous Archbishop.

At that time were present, and heard these words, Sir William Breton, Sir Hugh Morvill, Sir Richard Fitzvile, and Sir William Tracy, which foure Knights, having communed and considered amongst themselves, with an unani∣mous resolution took shipping, and landed at Dover, and road thence to Canterbury, where the fift day in Christmasse weeke, they slue the said Bishop in the Church as hee was going to the Altar, who had before in the open pulpit denounced the King, and divers others of his subjects accursed: which answers to the former,

The All-commanding keys shall strive to wrest, And force the lock that opens to his nest: But breake their own wards, &c.

By the All-commanding Keys, is meant the power of the Keyes of Rome, who striving to force the lock opening to his nest, that is, his prin∣cipality and prerogative, broke their owne wards, which proved true in this Th. Becket, Pri∣mate and Metropolitan, who was slaine in the yeer 1170, over whose Tombe this Distich was inscribed:

Anno milleno, centeno septuageno, Anglorum primus corruit ense thronus.

which with small alteration may bee thus para∣phrased,

Anno, one thousand one hundred seventy dy'd, Thomas the Primate, in his height of pride.

Henry in the fourteenth yeere of his Reigne, caused his eldest sonne Henry to bee crowned King of England, at Westminster, giving him full power over the Realme, whilst hee himselfe was negotiated in Normandy, and his many o∣ther provinces, which after proved to his great disadvantage and trouble. In which interim he had cast his eye upon a most beautifull Lady cal∣led Rosamond, on whom hee was so greatly en∣amoured, that it grew even to dotage, inso∣much that hee neglected the Queenes company, insomuch that she incensed all his sonnes, who tooke up armes against their Father in the quar∣rell of their mother, by which the peace of the Land was turned to hostility and uprore; yet the King so farre prevailed, that hee surprised the Queen, and kept her in close prison, and withall was so indulgent over his new Mistresse, that he built for her a rare and wondrous fabricke, so curiously devised, and intricate with so many turning Meanders, and winding indents, that none upon any occasion might have accesse unto her, unlesse directed by the King, or such as in that businesse hee most trusted: and this edifice •…•…e erected at Woodstocke, not farre from Ox∣ford, and made a Labyrinth which was wrought like a knot in a Garden called a Maze, in which any one might lose himselfe, unlesse guided by a line or threed, which as it guided him in, so it

directed him the way out: But in processe it so hapned, that the sonnes having the better of their Father, set at liberty their Mother, who when the King was absent, came secretly to Woodstocke with her traine, at such a time when the Knight her Guardian being out of the way, not dreaming of any such accident, had left the Clue carelesly and visible in the entrance of the Labyrinth.

Which the Queene espying, slipt not that ad∣vantage, but wound her selfe by that silken threed, even to the very place where shee found her sitting, and presenting her with a bowle of poyson, shee compeld her to drinke it off in her presence, after which draught shee within few minutes expired, and the Queene departed thence in her revenge fully satisfied, for which cruell act the King could never be drawne to re∣concile himselfe unto her after, and this makes good that of Merlin.

—of all the flowers that grow, The Rose shall most delight his scent: and so That lest it any strangers eyes should daze, He plants it close in a Dedalian Maze.

Rosamund being dead, was buried in the Mo∣nastery of Goodstow, neere unto Oxford, upon whose Tombe was inscribed,

Hic jacet in tumba, Rosamundi non Rosamunda: Non redolet, sedolet, quae redolere solet.

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Which by an ancient Writer was thus paraphra∣sed into English.

The Rose of the World, but not the clean flower Is graven heere, to whom beauty was lent In this grave full darke, now is her bower That in her life was sweet and redolent: But now that she is from this life blent, Though she were sweet, now fouly doth she stink, A mirrour good for all that on her think.

Such was their English poetry in those dayes. Long after the death of Rosamond was shewed in that Abbey, a rare Coffer or Casket of hers about two foot in length, in which was a strange artificiall motion, where were to be seen Giants fighting, Beasts in motion, Fowls flying, and Fishes swimming: This Henry was troubled by the Queenes animating of his sonnes against him: betwixt whom were divers conflicts, which would appeare tedious to bee rehearsed. It is written of this King, that in his Chamber at Windsore, hee had painted an Eagle with foure young ones, whereof three of them, pulled and pecked the body of the old Eagle, and the fourth picked at his eyes: and being asked what that picture should signifie, hee made answer, This old Eagle figureth my selfe, and the foure birds, my foure sonnes, who cease not to pursue my life: but most of all my sonne Iohn, whom I most have loved, and therefore

Some of his numerous ayrie will retain The nature of the Desert Pelican.

The nature of the Pelican in the Desert be∣ing to pierce her brest with her bill, and feed her young ones with her owne bloud. In the twenty eight yeere of this Henry, died his el∣dest sonne Henry; whom hee had before crow∣ned, much repenting on his death-bed, for his unnaturall rebellion against his Father.

Rainold Monke of Chester relates, that soon after the death of the Lady Rosamond, Lewis the French King, and the eighth of that name, sent to King Henry one of his daughters to bee kept for his second sonne Richard, whom the King vitiated, and laboured to Haguntia a Car∣dinall then in the Land, for a Divorce betwixt him and his wife, intending to have maried that French Lady; but he failed of his purpose (for he meant by that match to have disinherited his unnaturall sonnes.) It is further recorded, that when William King of Scots was taken by the King of England, Hee did him Homage at the City of Yorke, and in witnesse of subjection, he offered his Hat and Saddle upon Saint Peters Altar, which were kept there many yeeres after.

This King had many strange admonitions for the amendment of his life: one was that in his returne from Ireland, as he was taking his horse, there appeared unto him a man of a pale and meager aspect, bare-foot, and in a white Mantle,

who spake unto him and said, I am sent to thee from the Lord of the Sabbaoth, who comman∣deth thee to take order that no Markets bee kept, nor any servile worke bee done on the Lords day (dressing of meate excepted only) which if thou feest performed, whatsoever thou purposest, thou shalt bring to a good and happy end: whose speech the King seemed to distaste, and said to him, that held his bridle, aske of this Churle, if he have dreamed that which hee speaketh? to which the apparition answered againe: whether I have dreamed or not; take thou heed to my words, and amend thy life, or what thou now mockest, shall returne to thy great misery, which having said, he vanisht sud∣denly: the strangenesse whereof though he se∣riously apprehended, yet of the former there was nothing amended.

He had a second admonition by an Irishman, who told him all things which the King had done in secret, which hee had thought none had knowne but himselfe, and withall advised him to repentance and amendment of life, but hee regarded it as the former: about which time being the foure and twentieth yeere of his Reigne, were taken up the bones of King Ar∣thur, and his Queene Guenever, in the Vale of Avalon, the haire of her head seeming white, and of a fresh colour, but as soone as touched, they turned to powder: their bones were after translated to the Church in Glastenbury, and there the second time buried: they were found

by a Bard or Singer of Rythmes under the root of an Oke fifteen foot within the ground: his third admonition I leave to the next Chapter.

Notes

• The Coronati∣on of King Henry the second.
• The prophesie of his Re•…•…gne.
• Part of the prophesie ex∣plained.
• The Kings Character.
• His Issue.
• The Kings Dominions.
• He taketh the Scots King pri∣soner.
• No King before him of such large Empire.
• Tho Becket created Arch-bishop of Can∣terbury.
• The Archbi∣shop opposeth the King.
• The King and the Archbishop atton'd.
• The King cur∣sed by the Archbishop.
• The Archbi∣shop slain go∣ing to the Al∣tar.
• The inscription over his Tombe
• Henry crow∣neth his sonne Henry King.
• The faire Lady Rosamond.
• The King im∣prisons the Queene.
• The Sonnes release their mother.
• Lady Rosa∣mond poisond by the Queene.
• Her inscription on her tombe.
• Henries cha∣racter of his foure sonnes.
• The death of King Henry sonne of King Henry.
• Henry labou∣reth a divorce betwixt him and his wife.
• Sundry admo∣nitions to the King to amend his life.
• His second ad∣monition.
• The bones of King Arthur and his Queen found.