Classic Poem

THE Argument .

H ENRY the fifth, that onely Man of Men ,
Too soone deceased; bright Queene K ATHERINE then ,
(H ENRY the sixt her sonne of tender yeeres ,
Fortune so strangely her Affection steeres,
That amongst many, call'd one day to dance
Before the King and her) this Heire of France,
And Englands Dowager ; her Eye taken had ,
By O WEN T UDOR , a brave youthfull Lad ,
One of her Ward-robe, and from Wales descended:
She, the great good that was to him intended,
To let him know, this Letter doth devise,
Lest that the greatnesse of the enterprise
Should hap to daunt him; but he bold by kind,
Shew'd her, his love was answ'ring to her mind.

Judge not a Princesse worth impeach'd hereby,
That Love thus triumphs over Majestie;
Nor thinke lesse Vertue in this Royall Hand,
That it intreats, and wonted to command:
For in this sort, though humbly now it woo,
The day hath beene, thou would'st have kneel'd unto.
Nor thinke, that this submission of my State
Proceeds from Frailtie (rather judge it Fate.)
 A LCIDES ne'r more fit for Warres sterne Shocke,
Then when with Women spinning at the Rocke;
Never lesse Clouds did P HOEBUS glory dim,
Then in a Clownes shape when he covered him:
J OVES great Command was never more obay'd,
Then when a Satyres Anticke parts he play'd.
He was thy King, who su'd for love to mee,
And she his Queene, who sues for love to thee.
When H ENRY was, my love was onely his,
But by his death, it O WEN T UDORSIS ;
My love to O WEN , him my H ENRY giveth,
My love to H ENRY , in my O WEN liveth:
H ENRY woo'd me, whilst Warres did yet increase,
I woo my T UDOR , in sweet calmes of Peace;
To force Affection, he did Conquest prove,
I come with gentle Arguments of Love.
 Incamp'd at Melans , in Warres hot Alarmes,
First saw I H ENRY , clad in Princely Armes;
At pleasant Windsore , first these Eyes of mine
My T UDOR judg'd, for wit and shape divine;
H ENRY abroad, with Puissance and with Force,
T UDOR at home, with Courtship and Discourse:
He then, thou now, I hardly can judge whether
Did like me best, P LANTAGINET , or T ETHER ;
A March, a Measure, Battell, or a Daunce,
A Courtly Rapier, or a conqu'ring Launce.
His Princely Bed hath strength'ned my Renowne,
And on my Temples set a double Crowne;
Which glorious Wreathe (as H ENRIES lawfull Heire)
H ENRY the sixt upon his Brow doth beare.
At Troy in Champaine he did first injoy
My Bridall Rites, to England brought from Troy ;
In England now that Honour thou shalt have,
Which once in Champaine famous H ENRY gave.
 I seeke not Wealth, three Kingdomes in my Power;
If these suffice not, where shall be my Dower?
Sad Discontent may ever follow her,
Which doth base Pelfe before true Love preferre;
If Titles still could our Affections tye,
What is so great, but Majestie might buy?
 As I seeke thee, so Kings doe me desire;
To what they would, thou eas'ly may'st aspire.
That sacred Fire once warm'd my Heart before,
The Fuell fit, the Flame is now the more;
And meanes to quench it, I in vaine doe prove,
“We may hide Treasure, but not hide our Love:
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 these other.
Nor feare, my T UDOR , that this love of mine
Should wrong the G AUNT -borne, great L ANCASTRIAN Line,
Or make the English Bloud, the Sunne and Moone,
Repine at L ORAINE , B URBON , A LANSON ;
Nor doe I thinke there is such different ods,
They should alone be numbred with the Gods:
Of C ADMUS Earthly Issue reck'ning us,
And they from J OVE , M ARS , N EPTUNE , E OLUS ;
Of great L AIONA'S Off-spring onely they,
And we the Brats of wofull N IOBE .
Our famous Grandsires (as their owne) bestrid
That Horse of Fame, that God-begotten Steed;
Whose bounding Hoofe plow'd that Beotian Spring,
Where those sweet Maids of Memorie doe sing.
I clayme not all from H ENRY , but as well
To be the Child of C HARLES and I SABEL :
Nor can I thinke from whence their Griefe should grow,
That by this Match they be disparag'd so;
When J OHN and L ONGSHANKS Issue were affy'd,
And to the Kings of Wales in Wedlocke ty'd,
Shewing the greatnesse of your Bloud thereby,
Your Race and Royall Consanguinitie:
And Wales , as well as haughtie England boasts,
Of C AMILOT , and all her Pentecosts;
To have precedence in Pendragons Race,
At A RTHURS Table challenging the Place.
 If by the often Conquest of your Land,
They boast the Spoyles of their victorious Hand;
If these our ancient Chronicles be true,
They altogether are not free from you.
When bloudie R UFUS sought your utter sacke,
Twice entring Wales , yet twice was beaten backe;
When famous Cambria wash'd her in the Floud,
Made by th' effusion of the English Bloud;
And oft return'd with glorious Victorie,
From Worcester, Her'ford, Chester, Shrewsburie ;
Whose Power in ev'ry Conquest so prevayles,
As once expuls'd the English out of Wales .
 Although my Beautie made my Countries Peace,
And at my Bridall former Broyles did cease;
More then his Power, had not his Person beene,
I had not come to England as a Queene.
Nor tooke I H ENRY to supply my want,
Because in France that time my choyse was scant,
When it had rob'd all Christendome of Men,
And Englands Flower remayn'd amongst us then:
G LOSTER , whose Counsels (N ESTOR -like) assist;
Couragious B EDFORD , that great Martiallist;
C LARENCE , for Vertue honour'd of his Foes;
And Y ORKE , whose Fame yet dayly greater growes;
W ARWICKE , the pride of N EVILS haughtie Race;
Great S ALISBURIE , so fear'd in ev'ry place:
That valiant P OOLE , whom no Atchievement dar's;
And V ERE , so famous in the Irish Warres;
Who, though my selfe so great a Prince were borne,
The worst of these, my equall need not scorne:
But H ENRIES rare Perfections, and his Parts,
As conqu'ring Kingdomes, so he conquer'd Hearts.
As chaste was I to him, as Queene might bee,
But freed from him, my chaste love vow'd to thee;
Beautie doth fetch all Favour from thy Face,
All perfect Court-ship resteth in thy Grace:
If thou discourse, thy Lips such Accents breake,
As Love a Spirit forth of thee seem'd to speake.
The British Language, which our Vowels wants,
And jarres so much upon harsh Consonants,
Comes with such grace from thy mellifluous Tongue,
As doe the sweet Notes of a well-set Song,
And runs as smoothly from those Lips of thine,
As the pure Tuskan from the Florentine ;
Leaving such seasoned sweetnesse in the Eare,
That the Voyce past, yet still the Sound is there:
In N ISUS Tower, as when A POLLO lay,
And on his golden Violl us'd to play;
Where senselesse Stones were with such Musicke drown'd,
As many yeeres they did retaine the Sound.
 Let not the Beames, that Greatnesse doth reflect,
Amaze thy Hopes with timerous respect;
Assure thee, T UDOR , Majestie can bee
As kind in love, as can the mean'st degree,
And the imbraces of a Queene as true
As theirs, which thinke them much advanc'd by you;
When in our Greatnesse, our Affections crave
Those secret Joyes, that other Women have:
So I (a Queene) be soveraigne in my choyse,
Let others fawne upon the publique voyce;
Or what (by this) can ever hap to thee,
Light in respect, to be belov'd of mee?
Let peevish Worldlings prate of Right and Wrong,
Leave Plaints and Pleas, to whom they doe belong,
Let old Men speake of Chances and Events,
And Lawyers talke of Titles and Descents,
Leave fond Reports to such as Stories tell,
And Covenants, to those that buy and sell:
Love, my sweet T UDOR , that becomes thee best;
And to our good successe referre the rest.