But to my cost I found to late beware:
There is no strength in armoure: men, ne horse
Can vayle, if loue on wronged take remorce.
Sith he on whom the deadly dart doth light,
Can neuer scape, by ransome, friend, or flight.
24.
So when our armies met nigh Habrine streame,
The trompetts blew and I denyde the peace:
I minded to expell them all the realme,
Or else to make them euer after cease.
And they, except I Elstride would relcase,
(They sayd) and take my Guendoline againe,
They would reuenge the wrong or else be slayne.
On this wee met, and valiauntly wee fought
On eyther side, and neither part did yeelde:
So equally they fell, it was great doubt,
Which part should haue the better of the fielde.,
But I to bolde rusht in with sword and shield,
To breake their rayes, so hasty men get smart,
An arrowe came and stroke mee to the heart.
Thus was I brought to bale, vnhappy, there,
My body pearst that wicked life had led:
When I had raygned all out twenty yeere,
And had my corps with many pleasures fed,
The earth receiu'd my corps as cold as led.
And all my pompe, my pryncely troupe and trayne,
On earth no more shall see their Prince agayne.
6 Or. 1575. 9 Fabian varies from the other chronicles by stating the death of Locrine as in the life time of Gwendoline's father; as she "beynge sore discontent, excyted her Fader and frēdes to make warre vpon the sayd Lotryne her husbande. In the which warre, lastly, he was slayne when he reygned or ruled Loegria, or Logiers, after the concordaunce of moste wryters XX yers: And was buryed by his Fader
To all estates 1° let this for wedlocke serue,
Beware of chaunge, it will not hold out long.
For who so mindeth from his mate to swerue,
Shall sure at length receiue reuenge for wrong.
Tis folly fight with God, h'is farre to strong,
For though yee coloure all with coate of ryght,
No fayned fard deceaues' or dimmes his sight,
Hee guydes the good, and wrekes the wronges of might.*
THIS is the iustice great of mighty Ioue aboue,
To plague the men whose fayth vnfirme hee findes,
The promisse plight in sponsales sacred loue,
Which both alike the Prince and simple subiect bindes,
Who recklesse breaks that same nor faithed promise mindes,
in the cytie of Troynouant." This might be the authority of our author for re-
lating his burial at Troynouant as the stanza appears in the first edition.
Then was I brought to Troynouant, and there
My body was enterrid as you reade:
When I had raigned all out twenty yere :
Lo thus I liude and thus became I deade:
Thus was my crowne depriued from my heade,
And all my pompe, my princely troupe and trayne,
And I to earth and duste resolude againe. (1575.)
No false deceit deceiues. N.
10 Now warne estates. ib.
2 Edition 1575 has only seven lines in this stanza: it concludes thus
For though ye colour all, with coate of right:
Yet can no fained farde deceiue his sight.
With that this king was vanisht quite and
And as a miste dissolued into ayre:
And I was left with Morpheus all alone,
Who represented straight a Lady faire,
Of frendes depriude and left in deepe dispaire:
As eke she spake, all wet in cordes fast bounde,
Thus tolde she how she was in waters drounde.
If hee ensue the vice, wherein his sence is drounde, No doubt lehouah iust will therefore him confounde.
If hee for wedlocke breatch in Pagan Princes then
So greate displeasure tooke, and did them sharply whip,
Will bee not rather nowe afflict such christen men,
As dare the sacred band of holy wedlocke rip?
Hee will not let the twifold faythed christian slip,
Which by so vayne delight in fleshly lustes is droun'd.
He cuts him of, and doth his queanes and him confound.
Examples are in all the ages seene before,
And also daily proofe declareth well the same.
Wherefore I will of this as nowe resite no more.
Perchaunce I may incurre some vndeserued blame.
But next beholde on stage apçar'd a noble dame,
(Whose beauty braue Locrinus' senses did confound)
Declaring how therfore Queene Guendoline her droun'd.
HOW QVEENE EL stride the Concubine and second wife
of king Locrinus was miserably drowned by Queene
Guendoline, The yeare before Christ.
AND must I needes my selfe recite my fall,
Poore Pryncesse' 1: must I declare my fate?
Must I the first of Queenes amongst vs all,
Shew how I thrise fell from my princely state:
And from the lofty seate on which I sate:
If needes I must, then well content, I will:
Lest here my place in vayne I seeme to fill.
1 am that Elstride whom Locrinus lou'd,
A Prince his daughter, came from Germanes land.
My fame of beauty many Princes mou'd 3
To sue for grace, and fauoure at my hand.
Which bruite once blowne abroad in euery land,
One Humber, king of Hunnes with all his trayne,
To come to mee a suiter was full fayne.
What neede I tell the giftes to me he gaue,
Or shew his suite, or promise he me plight,
Sith well you knowe a Prince neede nothing craue,
2 The first saue three amongst vs all. ib.
3" Eastrildis so farre excelled in bewtie, that none was then lightly found vnto her comparable, for her skin was so whyte that scarcely the fynest kind of Iuorie that might be found, nor the snowe lately fallen downe from the Elament, or the Lylles did passe the same." Grafton.
May nigh commaund ech thing as twere his right.
For as the foule before the Eagles sight,
Euen so we fall, submit, and yeelde vs still
At Prince his call, obeysaunt to his will.
And for that time the Hunnes full mighty were,
And did increase, by martiall feates of warre:
Therefore our Germayne Kinges agast did beare
Them greater fauoure then was neede by farre.
My father durst not Humber's hest debarre,
Nor I my selfe, I rather was content
In hope of crowne with Humber to consent.
Two Princely dames with me came then away,
He brag'd to winne these countrey partes all three.
We Ladyes rather were this Prince his pray,
Because he promist that we Queenes should bee.
We came to cost, these countrey coasts to see,
Sith hee on whom our hope did wholly stand,
Was drounde, nam'd Humber waters, lost the land.
6.
For as you heard before when he suppos'd
He had wonne all, because he wonne a part,
Strayght way he was agayne thereof depos'd,
Constrayn'd to flye and swim for life, poore heart.
Lo here the cause of all my dolefull smart:
This noble King with whom I came to raygne,
Was drencht, and drounde vnto my greeuous payne.
Then were his souldiers taken, slayne, or spoylde,
And well were they, that could make suite for life.
Was neuer such an army sooner foylde:
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