How Richard Plantagenet[587] Earle of Cambridge entending the king’s destruction, was put to death at Southamton, Anno Dom. 1415.[588]
Reading edition
How Richard Plantagenet[587] Earle of Cambridge entending the king’s destruction, was put to death at Southamton, Anno Dom. 1415.[588]
1. Haste maketh waste, hath commonly ben sayd, And secrete mischiefe seelde hath lucky speede: A murdering minde with proper poyze is wayd, All this is[589] true, I finde it in[590] my creede: And therefore, Baldwine, warne all states take heede, How they conspire any other to betrappe, Least mischiefe ment, light in the miner’s lappe.[591] 2. For I lord Richard, heyre Plantagenet, Was earle of Cambridge and right fortunate, If I had had the grace my wit to set, To haue content mee with mine owne estate: But, O, false honours, breeders of debate, The loue of you our lewde hartes doth[592] allure, To leese our selues by seeking you vnsure. 3. Because my brother Edmund Mortimer, Whose eldest sister was my wedded wife, I meane that Edmund that was prisoner In Walles so long, through Owen’s busie strife, Because I say that after Edmunde’s life, His rightes and titles must by lawe bee mine, For hee ne had, nor could encrease his line. 4. Because the right of realme and crowne was ours, I searched meanes to helpe him thereunto: And where the Henries held it by theyr powres, I sought a shift their tenures to vndoe, Which being force, sith force or sleight must doe, I voide of might, because their powre was strong, Set priuy sleight against their open wrong. 5. But sith the death of most part of my kin Did dashe my hope, through out the father’s dayes I let it slip, and thought it best begin, Whan as the sonne should dred least such assaies: For force through spede, sleight speedeth through delayes, And seeld doth treason time so fitly finde, As whan all daungers most bee out of minde. 6. Wherefore while Henry, of that name the fifte, Prepard his army to goe conquere Fraunce, Lord Scroope and I thought to attempt a drift To put him downe, my brother to auaunce: But were it[593] God’s will, my lucke, or his good chaunce The king wist wholly where about wee went The night before to shipward hee him bent. 7. Then were wee straight as traytours apprehended, Our purpose spied, the cause thereof was hid, And therefore, loe a false cause wee pretended, Where through my brother was fro daunger rid: Wee sayd, for hire of[594] French kinge’s coyne wee did Behight to kill the king: and thus with shame Wee staind our selues, to saue our frend fro blame.[595] 8. When wee had thus confest so foule a treason, That wee deserued, wee suffered by the lawe: See, Baldwine, see, and note (as it is reason) How wicked deedes to woefull endes doe drawe: All force doth faile, no craft is worth a strawe To attayne thinges lost, and therefore let them goe, For might ruleth[596] right, and will though truth[597] say no.[598]
[Whan stout Richarde had stoutely sayd his minde: “Belike,” sayd[599] one, “this Richard was but a litle man, or els litle fauoured of the[600] writers, for our cronicles speake very litle of him. But seeing wee be come nowe to king Henrie’s voyage into Fraunce, we cannot lacke valiaunt men to speake of, for among so many as were led and sent by the king out of this realme thyther, it cannot be chosen but some, and that a great somme were slayne among them: wherefore to speake of them all, I thinke not needefull. And therefore to let passe Edwarde duke of Yorke, and the earle of Suffolke, slayne both at the battayl of Agïncourt, as were also many other, let vs end the time of Henry the fift, and come to his sonne Henry the sixt: whose nonage brought Fraunce and Normandy out of bondage, and was cause that so[601] few of our noble men died aged: of whome to let passe the nombre, I will take vpon mee the person of Thomas Montague, earle of Salisbury, whose name was not so good at home (and yet hee was called the good earle) as it was dreadful abroade: who exclayming vpon the mutability of fortune may iustly say[602] in maner as followeth.”]