And his fair limbs left in the woods forlorn ;
That for his sake Diana did lament,
And all the woody nymphs did wail and mourn :
So was this soldan rapt and all to rent,
That of his shape appeared no little moniment.
E. Spenser.
ENGLAND UNDER A BAD KING.
HIS rash fierce blaze of riot cannot last,
For violent fires soon burn out themselves;
Small showers last long, but sudden storms are short;
He tires betimes that spurs too fast betimes;
With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder :
Light vanity, insatiate cormorant,
Consuming means, soon preys upon itself.
This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings,
Feared by their breed and famous by their birth,
Renowned for their deeds as far from home,
For Christian service and true chivalry,
As is the sepulchre in stubborn Jewry
Of the world's ransom, blessèd Mary's Son,
This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land,
Dear for her reputation through the world,
Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it,
Like to a tenement or pelting farm:
England, bound in with the triumphant sea,
Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege
Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame,
With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds :
That England, that was wont to conquer others,
Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
THE TRIUMPH OF BOLINGBROKE.
THEN, as I said, the duke, great Bolingbroke, Mounted upon a hot and fiery steed
Which his aspiring rider seemed to know,
With slow but stately pace kept on his course,
Whilst all tongues cried 'God save thee, Bolingbroke!'
You would have thought the very windows spake,
So many greedy looks of young and old
Through casements darted their desiring eyes
Upon his visage, and that all the walls
With painted imagery had said at once
'Jesu preserve thee! welcome, Bolingbroke!'
Whilst he, from one side to the other turning,
Bareheaded, lower than his proud steed's neck,
Bespake them thus: 'I thank you, countrymen :'
And thus still doing, thus he passed along.
As in a theatre, the eyes of men, After a well-graced actor leaves the stage, Are idly bent on him that enters next,
Thinking his prattle to be tedious;
Even so, or with much more contempt, men's eyes
Did scowl on Richard; no man cried God save him!'
No joyful tongue gave him his welcome home:
But dust was thrown upon his sacred head;
Which with such gentle sorrow he shook off,
His face still combating with tears and smiles,
The badges of his grief and patience,
That had not God, for some strong purpose, steeled
The hearts of men, they must perforce have melted
And barbarism itself have pitied him.
AT last she chanced by good hap to meet
A goodly knight, fair marching by the way,
Together with his squire, arrayèd meet :
His glittering armour shinèd far away,
Like glancing light of Phoebus' brightest ray;
From top to toe no place appeared bare,
That deadly dint of steel endanger may :
Athwart his breast a baldric brave he ware,
That shined, like twinkling stars, with stones most precious rare:
And, in the midst thereof, one precious stone
Of wondrous worth, and eke of wondrous mights,
Shaped like a lady's head, exceeding shone,
Like Hesperus amongst the lesser lights,
And strove for to amaze the weaker sights:
Thereby his mortal blade full comely hung
In ivory sheath, ycarved with curious sleights,
Whose hilts were burnisht gold; and handle strong
Of mother perle; and buckled with a golden tongue.
His haughty helmet, horrid all with gold,
Both glorious brightness and great terror bred :
For all the crest a dragon did enfold
With greedy paws, and over all did spread
His golden wings; his dreadful hideous head
Close crouched on the beaver, seemed to throw
From flaming mouth bright sparkles fiery red,
That sudden hororr to faint hearts did show,
And scaly tail was stretched adown his back full low.
Upon the top of all his lofty crest,
A bunch of hairs discoloured diversely,
With sprinkled pearl and gold full richly drest,
Did shake, and seemed to dance for jollity;
Like to an almond tree ymounted high
On top of green Selinis all alone,
With blossoms brave bedeckèd daintily;
Whose tender locks do tremble every one
At every little breath, that under heaven is blown.
His warlike shield all closely covered was,
Ne might of mortal eye be ever seen :
Not made of steel, nor of enduring brass,
(Such earthly metals soon consumèd been,)
But all of diamond perfect pure and clean
It framèd was, one massy entire mould,
Hewn out of adamant rock with engines keen,
That point of spear it never percen could,
Ne dint of direful sword divide the substance would.
(Henry the Fourth)
HOTSPUR-SIR RICHARD VERNON.
Hotspur. HE shall be welcome too. Where is his son, The nimble-footed madcap Prince of Wales,
And his comrades, that daffed the world aside,
All furnished, all in arms;
All plumed, like estridges that with the wind
Baited; like eagles having lately bathed ;
Glittering in golden coats, like images;
As full of spirit as the month of May,
And gorgeous as the sun at midsummer;
Wanton as youthful goats, wild as young bulls.
I saw young Harry, with his beaver on,
His cuisses on his thighs, gallantly armed,
Rise from the ground like feathered Mercury,
And vaulted with such ease into his seat,
As if an angel dropped down from the clouds,
To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus
And witch the world with noble horsemanship.
W. Shakespeare.
|