Epitaph of the Lord Sheffield's death, An
When brutish broil and rage of war
in clownish hearts began,
When tigers stout in tanner's bond
unmuzzled all they ran,
The noble Sheffield, Lord by birth
and of a courage good,
By clubbish hands of crabbed clowns
there spent his noble blood.
His noble birth availed not,
his honour all was vain,
Amid the press of masty curs
the valiant Lord was slain;
And after such a sort (O ruth!)
that who can tears suppress?
To think that dunghill dogs should daunt
the flower of worthiness.
Whileas the ravening wolves he prayed
his guiltless life to save,
A bloody butcher big and blunt,
a vile unwieldy knave,
With beastly blow of boisterous bill
at him (O Lord) let drive,
And cleft his head, and said therewith
" Shalt thou be left alive?"
O Lord, that I had present been,
and Hector's force withal,
Before that from his carlish hands
the cruel bill did fall.
Then should that peasant vile have felt
the clap upon his crown
That should have dazed his dogged heart
from driving Lords adown;
Then should my hands have saved thy life,
good Lord whom dear I loved;
Then should my heart in doubtful case
full well to thee been proved.
But all in vain thy death I wail,
thy corpse in earth doth lie.
Thy king and country for to serve
thou didst not fear to die.
Farewell, good Lord, thy death bewail
all such as well thee knew,
And every man laments thy case,
and Googe thy death doth rue.
in clownish hearts began,
When tigers stout in tanner's bond
unmuzzled all they ran,
The noble Sheffield, Lord by birth
and of a courage good,
By clubbish hands of crabbed clowns
there spent his noble blood.
His noble birth availed not,
his honour all was vain,
Amid the press of masty curs
the valiant Lord was slain;
And after such a sort (O ruth!)
that who can tears suppress?
To think that dunghill dogs should daunt
the flower of worthiness.
Whileas the ravening wolves he prayed
his guiltless life to save,
A bloody butcher big and blunt,
a vile unwieldy knave,
With beastly blow of boisterous bill
at him (O Lord) let drive,
And cleft his head, and said therewith
" Shalt thou be left alive?"
O Lord, that I had present been,
and Hector's force withal,
Before that from his carlish hands
the cruel bill did fall.
Then should that peasant vile have felt
the clap upon his crown
That should have dazed his dogged heart
from driving Lords adown;
Then should my hands have saved thy life,
good Lord whom dear I loved;
Then should my heart in doubtful case
full well to thee been proved.
But all in vain thy death I wail,
thy corpse in earth doth lie.
Thy king and country for to serve
thou didst not fear to die.
Farewell, good Lord, thy death bewail
all such as well thee knew,
And every man laments thy case,
and Googe thy death doth rue.
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