While putting on, poor girl, a suit of armour;

And, foul befal the chiefs that so could harm her! To all their everlasting shames,

(I burst to call them fifty names,)

Condemn'd the gallant damsel to the flames.

And was this most unmanly action done
Merely for putting martial harness on?

No, 'twas mere spite, one sees it in a minute,
Because she had most soundly thrash'd 'em in it.

The death of BEDFORD* matters didn't mend,
Each day we gain'd a foe or lost a friend;
Each day our gallic fortune met reverse,
And bad news only came to herald worse.
King HENRY some time after this got married, †
A match which gave his subjects little pleasure,
For all his wishes, save the Queen, miscarried,

And folks grew discontented out of measure.

+

To

When the Dauphin, after being crowned, was advised to demolish the Regent's decent monument of black marble, “ Lęt him repose", said the generous monarch, "in peace, and be thankful that he does repose; were he awake, he would make the stoutest among us tremble."

+ To Margaret of Anjou, Daughter to Reigner, King of Sicily. Cardinal Beaufort had been a Bishop fifty years; he left an illegitimate daughter, and founded the Abbey of Saint Cross, at

VOL. I.

T

Winton;

To MARGARET, we hope with falsehood's breath, The people laid the good Duke HUMPHREY'S death;

His nephew BEAUFORT 'twere as just to deem An agent too,-his constant wrangling strife, Embitter'd the deceased protector's life.

BEAUFORT not long survived, at it should seem And left, sans sign of grace, this world's unequal dream.

Affairs in France proceed as ill as ever,
Normandy, Gascony, their interests sever;
While SOMERSET in France is losing ground,
At home dissentions and distrust abound.
The Duke of YORK that flame 'gins light,
Which, fed by Roses red and white,
Produced to hundreds, then unborn,
Many a sharp and burning thorn ;

Winton; as Legate from Rome, and as an ambitious meddling Priest, he was universally dreaded. He survived his uncle, the good Duke, whom he had greatly persecuted, but a few days.

* Soon after having been seized by the Queen's party on a charge of treason, he was found dead in his bed. His wife Eleanor had been ignominiously punished on a charge of sorcery, and was not permitted to enjoy her jointure after her husband's death. The Duke has the credit of having founded the Bodliean Library.

Accused

Accused of good Duke HUMPHRY's end,
SUFFOLK is banished; on his way a friend
Of YORK's, turn'd pirate, as 'tis said,
Makes SUFFOLK shorter by the head.

And now,

disunion's cause to aid,

"Lord of Misrule," comes famed JACK CADE; And thus the essence of his doctrine ran,

And, thus inscribed, his standard graced the van : "When Adam delv'd,

"And Eve span,

"Who was then

"A Gentleman ?"*

With Johnny decent dress or education

Were 'clep'd high treason 'gainst the nation;
And every mortal that could read or spell,
By axe or halter swang or fell.

For taking peoples nobs off, JACK took pride in ;
Yet changed his tone,

Just as his own

Was going to be cropp'd by Mister IDEN;

*"Now am I master of London." said Cade, striking his staff upon London-stone. He had been a dependant on Sir Thomas Dacre, in Sussex, and lately returned from France, whither he had fled in consequence of having murdered a woman and her child.

T 2

RYMER,

Who

Who for the death of this high, low, Commander, Was, by King HENRY, dubb'd Sir ALEXANDER.

Vic❜try continues on the French to smile,
And we lose TALBOT and the valiant LISLE:
Now YORK and LANCASTER With fury glow,

And Roses, red and white, alternate blow.
YORK heads St. Alban's battle, and the King,
Wounded, defeated, and in rebel hands,

Begins, as Avon's swan doth sweetly sing,
To envy peasants on his humblest lands.
The Duke of YORK protector they create,
And on a thread depends King HENRY's fate;
Next year the new protector is displaced,
And HENRY, once more, with dominion graced ;
Now mark a strange reverse, the Frenchmen land
At Sandwich, fifteen thousand from their band
In Devonshire and Cornwal too, to make

Reprisals on old England they begin,

And unprotected spoil they burn or take;
Thus have we war without, and war within.
YORK, at Bloreheath, in sanguinary fight,
Depress'd the red rose, to exalt the white;
At LUDLOW battle HENRY's fortune led,
To crush the white and elevate the red;

North

Northampton's contest turns the scale again,
A fatal field to HARRY and his reign.

When treacherous RUTHYN, most disloyal GREY,
Deserting, changed the fortune of the day,
The King again is prisoner, and the crown
Decreed to pass to YORK's descendants down ;
But martial MARGARET, on Wakefield's plains,
Her husband's honor manfully regains ;
YORK, late triumphant, fierce defeat appals,
And crimsoned o'er, "the white rose leader falls."
EDWARD his son his better fortune tries,*

And fickle vict'ry from HENRY flies;

The QUEEN again essays the doubtful field,
And now once more the white rose banners yield.
This second battle of St. Alban's fought,
Redeem'd the captive King, but still it brought
No true advantage:-London chose to name
EDWARD of YORK their Sovereign, he came:
The shadow only of poor HAL remain❜d,
Who from this time in substance never reigned.
After events which EDWARD's life will tell,
By crooked GLOUCESTER'S Sword King HENRY
fell.

* At Mortimer's Cross.

A man