Classic Poem

THE A RGUMENT

Richard the Second wrongfully depos'd
By Henry Duke of Harford, and inclos'd
In Pomfret Castle ; I SABEL the Queene ,
To the neglected King, who having seene
His dis-investing, and disastrous Chance,
To C HARLES her Father ship'd againe for France,
(Where, for her Husband griev'd and discontent)
Thence this Epistle to King R ICHARD sent ;
By which, when he her Sorrow doth descry,
He to the same as sadly doth reply.

As doth the yeerely Augure of the Spring,
In depth of Woe, thus I my Sorrow sing;
My Tunes with Sighes yet ever mixt among,
A dolefull Burthen to a heavie Song:
Words issue forth, to find my Griefe some way,
Teares overtake them, and doe bid them stay;
Thus whilst one strives to keepe the other backe,
Both once too forward, soone are both too slacke.
 If fatall Pomfret hath in former time
Nourish'd the Griefe of that unnaturall Clime,
Thither I send my Sorrowes to be fed;
Then where first borne, where fitter to be bred?
They unto France be Aliens, and unknowne,
England from her doth challenge these her owne.
They say, all Mischiefe commeth from the North;
It is too true, my Fall doth set it forth:
But why should I thus limit Griefe a place,
When all the World is fill'd with our Disgrace?
And we in bonds thus striving to containe it,
The more resists, the more we doe restraine it.
 Oh, how even yet I hate these wretched Eyes,
And in my Glasse oft call them faithlesse Spyes!
(Prepar'd for R ICHARD ) that unwares did looke
Upon that Traytor Henry B ULLENBROOKE :
But that excesse of Joy my Sense bereav'd
So much, my Sight had never beene deceiv'd.
Oh, how unlike to my lov'd Lord was hee,
Whom rashly I (sweet R ICHARD ) tooke for thee!
I might have seene, the Coursers selfe did lacke
That Princely Rider, to bestrid his Backe;
He that since Nature her great Worke began,
She onely made the Mirrour of a Man,
That when she meant to forme some matchlesse Lim,
Still for a Patterne tooke some part of him;
And jealous of her Cunning, brake the Mould,
When she in him had done the best she could.
 Oh, let that Day be guiltie of all sinne,
That is to come, or heretofore hath beene,
Wherein great N ORFOLK'S forward Course was stay'd,
To prove the Treasons he to H ARFORD layd,
When (with sterne Furie) both these Dukes enrag'd,
Their Warlike Gloves at Coventrie engag'd,
When first thou didst repeale thy former Grant,
Seal'd to brave M OWBRAY as thy Combattant:
From his unnumbred Houres let Time divide it,
Lest in his Minutes he should hap to hide it;
Yet on his Brow continually to beare it,
That when it comes, all other Houres may feare it;
And all ill-boding Planets, by consent,
In it may hold their dreadfull Parlament:
Be it in Heav'ns Decrees enrolled thus,
Blacke, dismall, fatall, inauspitious.
Proud H ARFORD then, in height of all his pride,
Under great M OWBRAY'S valiant Hand had di'de,
And never had from Banishment retir'd;
The fatall Brand wherewith our Troy was fir'd.
Oh, why did C HARLES relieve his needie state!
A Vagabond and straggling Runnagate?
And in his Court, with grace did entertaine
That vagrant Exile, that vile bloudie Cain ;
Who with a thousand Mothers Curses went,
Mark'd with the Brand of ten yeeres Banishment.
 When thou to Ireland took'st thy last Farewell,
Millions of Knees upon the Pavements fell,
And ev'ry where th'applauding Ecchoes ring
The joyfull showts that did salute a King.
Thy parting hence, the Pompe that did adorne,
Was vanish'd quite when as thou didst returne?
Who to my Lord one Looke vouchsaf'd to lend?
Then, all too few on H ARFORD to attend.
“Princes (like Sunnes) be evermore in sight,
“All see the Clouds, betwixt them and their Light:
“Yet they which lighten all downe from their Skies,
“See not the Clouds offending others Eyes,
“And deeme, their Noone-tide is desir'd of all,
“When all expect cleere Changes by their Fall.
 What colour seemes to shaddow H ARFORDS clayme,
When Law and Right his Fathers Hopes doe mayme?
Affirm'd by Church-men (which should beare no Hate)
That J OHN of Gaunt was illegitimate;
Whom his reputed Mothers Tongue did spot,
By a base Flemmish Boore to be begot;
Whom E DWARDS Eaglets mortally did shun,
Daring with them to gaze against the Sunne:
Where lawfull Right and Conquest doth allow
A triple Crowne on R ICHARDS Princely Brow;
Three Kingly Lyons beares his Bloudie Field,
No Bastards Marke doth blot his conqu'ring Shield:
Never durst he attempt our haplesse Shore,
Nor set his foot on fatall Ravenspore ;
Nor durst his slugging Hulks approach the Strand,
Nor stoope a Top as signall to the land,
Had not the P ERCYES promis'd ayde to bring,
Against their oath unto their lawfull King,
Against their Faith unto our Crownes true Heire,
Their valiant Kinsman E DMUND M ORTIMER .
 When I to England came, a World of eyes,
Like Starres attended on my faire arise,
Which now (alas) like angry Planets frowne,
And are all set, before my going downe;
The smooth-fac'd Ayre did on my comming smile,
But I with Stormes am driven to exile:
But B ULLENBROOKE devis'd we thus should part,
Fearing two Sorrowes should possesse one Heart,
To adde to our affliction, to denie
That one poore Comfort, left our Miserie.
He had before divorc'd thy Crowne and thee,
Which might suffice, and not to Widdow mee;
But so to prove the utmost of his hate,
To part us in this miserable state.
Oh, would A UMERLE had sunke, when he betray'd
The Plot, which once that noble Abbot layd;
When he infring'd the Oath which he first tooke,
For thy Revenge on perjur'd B ULLENBROOKE ;
And beene the ransome of our Friends deare Blood,
Untimely lost, and for the Earth too good;
And we untimely doe bewayle their state,
They gone too soone, and we remaine too late.
 And though with Teares I from my Lord depart,
This Curse on H ARFORD fall, to ease my Heart:
If the foule breach of a chaste Nuptiall Bed
May bring a Curse, my Curse light on his Head;
If Murthers guilt with Bloud may deepely staine,
G REENE , S CROOPE , & B USHY dye his fault in graine;
If Perjurie may Heavens pure Gates debarre,
Damn'd be the Oath he made at Doncaster ;
If the deposing of a lawfull King,
Thy Curse condemne him, if no other thing;
If these dis-joyn'd, for Vengeance cannot call,
Let them united, strongly curse him all.
And for the P ERCYES , Heav'n may heare my Prayre,
That B ULLENBROOK , now plac'd in R ICHARDS Chayre,
Such cause of Woe to their proud Wives may be,
As those rebellious Lords have beene to me.
And that coy Dame, which now controlleth all,
And in her Pompe triumpheth in my Fall,
For her great Lord may water her sad Eyne
With as salt Teares, as I have done for mine.
And mourne for Henry H OISPUR , her deare Sonne,
As I for my deare M ORTIMER have done;
And as I am, so succourlesse be sent,
Lastly, to taste perpetuall Banishment.
 Then lose thy Care, when first thy Crowne was lost,
Sell it so dearely, for it dearely cost:
And sith it did of Libertie deprive thee,
Burying thy Hope, let nothing else out-live thee.
But hard (God knowes) with Sorrow doth it goe,
When Woe becomes a comforter to Woe:
Yet much (me thinkes) of Comfort I could say,
If from my Heart some Feares were rid away;
Something there is, that danger still doth show,
But what it is, that Heaven alone doth know:
“Griefe to it selfe most dreadfull doth appeare,
“And never yet was Sorrow void of feare;
But yet in Death doth Sorrow hope the best,
And R ICHARD , thus I wish thee happie Rest.