Classic Poem

In : the dayes of old, when faire ffrance did flourish,
 storyes plaine haue told, louers felt annoye.
the K ing a daughter had, bewtyous, bright, & louelye,
 w hi ch made her ffather glad, shee was his onlye ioye
A prince of England came, whose deeds did merit fame;
 he woed he[r] long, & loe, att last,
looke what he did requ[i]re, shee granted his desire;
 their harts in one were linked ffast:
w hi ch when her ffather proued, Lo rd ! how he was moued
 & tormented in his minde!
he sought p ro to p re uent them, and to discontent them,
 fortune crossed louers kind.

When these princes twaine, were thus debarred of plesure
 through the K ing s disdaine, w hi ch their ioyes w i thstoode,
the La dye gott vp close, her iewells & her treasure
 hauing no remorse of state or royall bloode,
in homelye poore array shee went ffrom co u rt away
 to meete her ioy & harts delight,
who in a fforrest great, had taken vp his seate
 to wayt her cominge in the night.
but see what sudden danger, to this princly stranger
 chanced, as he sate alone:
by outlawes hee was robbed, & w i th ponyards stabbedd,
 vttering many a dying grone.

The princesse armed by him, and by true desire,
 wandring all the night w i thout dreat att all,
still vnknowne shee past, in her strange attyre
 coming att the last, in the Ecohes call,
“you ffaire woods,” q uo th shee, “honored may you bee!
 harbouring my harts delight,
w hi ch doth compasse heere, my ioy & onlye deere,
 my trustye ffreind & comelye K nigh t.
sweete, I come vnto thee, sweete, I come to woo thee,
  tha t thou maist not angrye bee.
for my long delaying, & thy curteous staying,
 amends ffor all Ile make to thee!”

Passing thus alone through the silent forrest,
 many greeuous grones, sounded in her eares,
where shee heard a man to lament the sorest
  tha t was euer seene, fforct by deadlye teares:
“ffarwell my deere,” q uo th hee, “whom I must neu er see!
 ffor why, my liffe is att an end!
through villanes crueltye, lo! heere for thee I dye!
 to show I am a ffaith[f]ull ffreind,
there I lye a bleeding, while my thoughts are feedinge
 on thy rarest bewtye ffound
O hard hap tha t may bee, litle knowes my Ladye
 my harts blood Lyes on the ground!”

W i th tha t he gaue a grone, w hi ch did burst in sunder
 all the tender strings of his bleedinge hart.
shee, w hi ch knew his voice, att his tale did wonder:
 all her former ioy, did to greeffe conuert.
straight shee ran to see, who this man shol[d] be
  tha t soe like her loue did speake,
& found, when as shee came, her louely Lo rd lay slaine,
 all smeared in blood w hi ch liffe did breake.
when this deed shee spyed, Lo rd , how sore shee cryed!
 her sorrow cannott counted bee.
her eyes like fountaines runinge, while shee cryed out, “my darli[ng!]
 wold god tha t I had dyed for thee!”

His pale lipps, alas, 20 times shee kissed,
 & his fface did washe, w i th her trickling teares,
euery bleeding wound, her faire eyes bedewed,
 wipinge of the blood, with her golden haires.
“speake, faire loue!” q uo th shee, “speake, faire prince, to me!
 one sweete word of comfort giue!
lifet vp thy fayre eyes, listen to my cryes!
 thinke in what great greeffe I liue!”
all in vaine shee sewed, all in vaine shee vewed,
 the princesse liffe was dead and gone
there stood shee still mourning, vntill the sunns approching,
 & bright day was coming on.

“In this great distresse,” q uo th this royall Ladye,
 “who can now expre[s], what will become of me?
to my ffathers court will Ineuer wander,
 but some service seeke where I may placed bee.”
& thus shee made her mone, weeping all alone,
 all in dread and deadlye ffeare
A fforrester all in greene, most comely to be seene,
 ranging the woods, did ffind her there,
round besett w i th sorrow, “maid,” q uo th [he,] “god morrowe!
 what hard hap hath brought you heere?”
“harder happ did neu er , chance vnto maiden euer.
 heere lyes slaine my brother deere!

“where might I be placed, gentle forster, tell mee,
 where shall I p ro cure a service in my neede?
paines I will not spare, but will doe my dutye;
 ease mee of my care, helpe my extreme neede!”
the fforrester all amazed, att her bewtye gazed
 till his hart was sett on ffire:
“if, ffaire mayd,” q uo th hee, “you will goe w i th mee,
 you shall haue yo u r harts desire.”
he brought her to his mother, & aboue all other
 he sett fforth this maydens praise.
long was his hart inflamed, att last her loue he gained:
 thus did fortune his glory raise;

Thus vnknowen he macht, w i th a K ing s ffaire daughte[r];
 children 7 shee had ere shee told the same.
but when he vnderstood, shee was a royall princesse,
 by this meanes att last, hee shewed forth her fame:
he clothed his children then, not like to other men,
 in p ar tye coulors strange to see;
the left side, cloth of gold; th e right side, now behold,
 of wollen cloth still fframed hee
men heratt did wonder, golden fame did thunder
 this strange deede in euery place.
the K ing of ffrance came thither, being pleasan[t] whether,
 in the woods the harts to chase.

The children then did stand, as their father willed,
 where the royall K ing must of force come by,
their mother richly clad, in faire crimson veluett,
 their ffather all in gray, comelye to the eye
then the famous K ing , noting euery thinge,
 did aske “how hee durst be soe bold
to let his wiffe to weare, & decke his children the[re,]
 in costly robes of cloth, of gold.”
the fforrester replyed, & the cause descryed;
 to the K ing thus did hee say:
“well may they by their mother, weare rich gold w i th other,
 being by birth a princesse gay.”

The K ing vpon these words, more heedfully beheld them,
 till a crimson blush his conceipt did crosse:
“the more,” q uo th hee, “I looke on thy wiffe & Children,
 [The more I call to mind the Daughter whom I lost.”]
“I am tha t child,” q uo th shee, falling on her knee;
 “p ar don mee, my sou er aine leege!”
the K ing p er ceiuing this, did his daughter kisse,
 & ioyfull teares did stopp his speech.
w i th his traine he turned, & w i th them soiourned;
 straight hee dubd her husband knight,
then made him Erle of fflanders, one of his cheefe com m anders:
 thus was his sorrow put to fflight.