A CONTINVATION OF the Blessednes of Brytain, Comprehending the Thirtieth yeere of her Maiesties Raigne. 1588.
MOst sacred
Muses, lend me of your light,
To driue foorth darknes from my dull conceat:
Jmpart your Powrs, to sharp my dimned sight,
That
perfect things, by pen I may repeat;
To honour
her, with yeerely
Fames encrease,
Who houlds the Helm, of our long lasting
Iustitia Regis, Pax est Populorum. Cypr.
Peace.
Who Rules by
Right, and liues in
loue of all:
Iustitia firmatur solium.
Pro. 16.
Who wisely works the
Sauegard of her
Land:
Ʋ Ʋho both
preuides, and eke
preuents our fall:
Who gards, and guydes, her Realms frō Hostile hand:
Who hath the
Inexpugnabile munimentum, Amor Giuium. Seneca.
harts, of her leege folk in hold:
And whome
Iehoue, hath blest ten Thousand fold.
Such is our Sacred
Sov'raigne, and our
Queene:
Such is her
Care, to shield her Subiects still:
Such be their
Faithfull Harts, to herwards seene;
Such are the
guifts,
Tuta est Cō ditio subiectorū vbi vi uitur sub Aequitate Regnātium.
Cass. li. 3. Ep.
of
Gods most
gracious will:
Such is the Life we lead with her in
blisse;
Such is the
Queene we may by no meanes misse.
Adore we
God who lends vs still her lyfe:
Adore we
her, whom
God hath plas'd in Powre:
Adore we
him in
her that Stints our Strife:
Adore we
Both, Respectiuelie, eche howre:
The
one in Heav'n Directs vs by his Grace:
The
other here on Earth, supplieth his place.
Time was whē
Popes through-pold this Royal Ream,
Plato asserit, Tyrannt dē esse, cum vi compulsi Ciue
[...] Iugū seruitutis violenter subeunt: Reg
[...]
Reauing eche
Right, fowle
Might Misruling all:
And as stearn Rage of strong and sturdy stream,
Down-bearing Banks and Bridges forst to fall;
Euen so by
will they wrought the Peoples wrack,
Lust was their Law, the Ruefull land to Rack.
Time is, when
Iustice houlds the
Regall Throne;
Regnū aūt, cum vltro parēt parē
(que) Dimēsionē Iustitiae & Officiorū expectant.
Fr. patr. De Regno & Regis institutione. Firmabitur Iustitia Thronus.
Pro. 15.
From whence as from a sure, and sacred Spring,
Furth flowes the flood of
Royal Right alone,
Ʋ Ʋhich mastreth
Might, and still withstāds his sting:
Compare
Times past with this our
present Age:
VVe Rul'd by
Right: They, wrōgd by
Cruel Rage.
Time shalbe, when our murding Malecontents,
Qui contra suprapositā sibi potestatē murmurat: Liquet quòd illum redarguit qui eā dē Homini potestatem dedit.
Greg. in Mor.
Ʋ Ʋhich Murmur, and Malign this shining
State;
Shall, to their Shame, acknow with full Consents,
The
Truth they tread in wrongfull harbourd hate:
Then shall appeere, in playne and publick sight,
The diffrent works of
wrong and eke of
Right.
Nullatam modesta foelicitas est vt Malignitatis dētes vitare possit. Senec.
Some muddy Mindes no
Cleernes can content,
But euer thickning thirst for Troubled Change:
Hanging their Hopes on
future false
euent,
VVhereby they seek some Alteration strange:
Huiusmodi Artes nugatoriae vel noxiae Superslitionis ex quadā pestifera societate hominum & Demonū cōstituta, pe nitus sunt Repudiandae & sugienda Christiano. Aug.
Others do Calk, and cast
Constellations;
And yet be deceyv'd by deepe
Diuinations.
The fatall yeere of fearefull
Eighty Eight,
Forethreatning falls of
Empires, Realms, &
Kings:
Out-breathing Bale, to euery Earthly wight,
By pestring Plagues, and Dreadfull drery things:
Is Now nigh spent, and yet our
Realm &
Queene,
Through
Gods great Pow'r, secure in Saftie seene.
Whereby appeeres,
Mens prophesies be vaine,
When
God decreeth a Contrarie Successe:
That which the Lord of Hosts hath d
[...]termined, who is able resist? Esay. 14.
Fraud is the frute of
Mans vnstable braine
Out-strayd from
Truth, in
Errors wide excesse:
Who trusts
Vntroth must needs downslip and slide:
Men are but Men,
God is the certaine
Guide.
This was the yeere, wherein by
Fire and
Sword,
Our Foes forethought, to woork this Kingdoms wrack:
Accipe nunc Dan
[...]um Insidias & crimine ab vno. Disce omnes.
Against which
Time, much Malice hid in hoord,
And now descride, discovreth all their Pack:
Long erst were laide foregrounds for our Regreete
Ere Fame was furth isprad of
Spanish fleete.
VVhich hugie
Fleete, full fraught with
Murdring Mindes
Such a fleet, as the like was neuer known or read of before.
Meaning
Massacre to our
Natiue Soyle:
Being furnisht furth with Ships of sundry kindes,
To geue the
Fall: Receiv'd them selues the
Foyle:
The Prays be
His who still protects our Cause:
Foulding his
Flock from Rauening Wooluish Iawes.
Strange was the Stroke wherewith they went to wrack,
On diuers Coasts of Countries round about:
God scattereth the Devices of the Crasty: So that their hands cānot accomplish that which they doe enterprise. Iob. 5.
Before which
Fall, their Liues susteind much
lack,
Of Needfull things, vnable to hould out:
Then
drery Drowning, stopt their staruen breath,
By
heapes of hundreds haald to dole full Death.
A
Miracle of mightie Magnitude,
Don by the Dreadfull Powre of
Gods Right hand:
This was the Lords doing, And it is marueilous in our eyes. Psal. 118.
Ʋ Ʋherein our
Might and Meanes he did exclude,
That so himself
most Gloriously may stand:
Jt is beyond the Reache of Humane thought,
To think the
Things he for our sakes hath wrought.
By hideous stormes, their Ships constraynd to stray,
The Times whē: The places where: And the maner how: Is particularly declared in the late Aduertisments thereof sent from Ireland.
Rusht some on Rocks, and some on Sholles and Sands,
Betottred, torn, and Rent in Wrackt array:
Much of their
mē, dead strowd on Shoares & Strāds:
Others Deuourd in Depth of Surging Seas,
Both
Men and
Ships, the waters wrath t'appeas.
So
Pharaos hoast was drencht in Drowning fluds,
As he pursude poore
Israel folk amayne,
From
Pharaos stock, furth bloamd these
balefull buds,
Which in like sort, for like Attempt are slayne.
Fierce
Pharao found
Due guerdon for his guylt:
The like
Due Doome, their
Spanish Pomp hath spilt.
The furious Foe enthralld in thirst of Blood,
Furor Tyrā norū mextinguibilis, quem Regni furiosa Cupido accendit.
Whos Rauenous Rore, outreacheth
Seas and
Lands,
Still Raging, seeks Subuersion of the
Good,
By Mighty Meanes of stearnfull Armed Bands:
But
God Regarding his true Peoples plight;
Preuēts their
wrong, & makes
preuail their
Right
No
Councels, or
Complots of Men, may stand:
Or
Stratagems, of strange inuented Jll:
Or
Strength by Sea, or
Puissant Powre by Land,
To striue with
God, or straine beyond his
will.
God fights for vs, & shields our Liues from
Thrall:
If God bee with vs, who can be against vs? Paul. 8. Rom.
VVhat skills it than, who be our
Foes at all?
The
Prosprous plight, and
Peace of this our Land:
Acrius Diuitibus quā Pauperibus inuidetur: & non Inopes, sed Locupletes, inquietat Infestatio saeua Latronum. Aug.
(A heauy hart-sore to our Fuming foes)
Ʋp-mooues their
Mindes, with grudging to gainstand:
Ʋ Ʋishing our
weale, were turnd to
wailing woes.
The Bronds of
Enuie, burn so in their brest,
As still they Rage to
Reaue our Liues of Rest.
Fowl
Tyrannie, pursues with pearcing hate,
Such as abhorre the Cruell shead of blood:
For herein cheefly stands the
Tyran state,
Tyrannus infensus est Omnibus qui Virtuti student. Fr. Patr. de Reg. &c.
To shrowd the
Bad, and seeke to shread the
Good.
Lo here the
sink of
Machiauels lewd Lore;
Ʋ Ʋhere Tyrants turn them selues to
bloody gore.
Wo woorth the wretch that wrote those
Rules of
Rage:
N. Machiauel las Florēt. per niciosiss. Author: qui in suo Libro de principe nihil fere tradidit praeter Tyrā: nidis instituendae Praecepta: quorū pauca sunt hac. viz. Principē Saeuitiae famā negligere debere. Vtilius esse Principt metui quā amari. Crudelitatē qua laudabi lem finē sibi propon
[...]t, reprehēdi non deberi. Principem Peierare, Fallere, & Dissimulare sine vlla dubitatione licere. Principem prudentē fidem seruare non debere, si dāno ei est Fidem, Clemētiam, Liberalitatem Virtutes esse damnosas principi.
Wo woorth the
Peeres, which practise them in life:
Ʋile
Machiauell, thy pen depaints
Outrage,
To plunge a
Prince, in streames of
bloody strife,
The Feends infernall, fraught thy Reaching brain
With wiles to work thy Follwers endles Payn.
Those be our Foes, whom
Machiauel hath schoold;
With whom are ioynd, fals
Iudas faith-lorn
Crew:
But
Ioue the iust Iudge, their courage hath coold,
Who made them drink the Draught they for vs drew.
Thus
Tyrānie, and
Treason, Trauaild with hate,
To
seege and
subuert this
Peacefull Estate.
And Trans-pakt Traytors, bragging made their boast,
Of
Lands,
Magis Insidijs nostrorū quam Aliorum periclitamur. Isid. Caueamus igitur perfidum, Caueamus Prod
[...]orem. Ambr.
and
Lordships, here to hould by
Spoyl:
But as they Reckend wyde without their Oast,
So must they trye much
Terror, Teene, and Toyle,
And loose their Liues, (Defilde with fowle Defect)
Ere that their VVreakfull Willes do work effect.
Hi triformes Canes ora proterua habent intonancia ingenti Latratu.
These are the Treble
Treason-headed whelps:
Their sire is
Cerberus huge hound of Hell;
Whos
threefold throat, still yeelds thē yallping helps,
To Bark, and Bawle, with hideous sounding yell,
Treble, Traitors. viz. To God: To their Prince: To their Country.
Gainst
God, their
Prince, and
Cuntry, at a breath:
Trusting by
Treason, to see
True mens death.
All
Faithfull Subiects, serue your
Royall Queene,
Nemo enim Bello lacessere aut facere audet Iniuriam Regno vel populo, quē expeditū & promptū ad resistēdum vindicandum
(que) agnoscit.
Veg. lib. 4. cap. 13.
VVith wonted Might, and Magnitude of Harts:
Such let your powr, and Puissance be seene,
As may forefaint your
Foes with grislie smarts:
Euen so besits it woorthy warlik wights,
To Fight in Fēce of
Queene and
Cuntry Rights.
Ʋ Ʋho will not Fight against a
Cruell Foe?
How can we Ioyne
in Iuster Cause of fight?
Than to Conserue our selues from
slaughtring woe,
Ʋ Ʋith Courage fierce, and forcefull Manly Might?
Lands Liberties, and
Liues, lye on the stake;
VVhereof eche priuate person dooth partake.
For wicked Machiauel saith: Principē in Prouincia nuper victa, oēs quibus mutatio graui damno est subuertere debere: At
(que) eorū qui prius in ea dominabantur familiam ac sobelem ab stirpe tollere.
VVhere
Tyrants triumph, Mischeefs must ensue:
No spare of
hoary Age, or
Infants small:
Matrons, &
Mayds, their shameful Rape shal Rue:
Slaughter and
Slav'ry, shalbe servd on all:
Huge Stormes, & streames, of wastful wrack & woe,
The
Cities, Townes, and
Fields, shall ouer-floe.
And againe: Principem si quidin Religione falsi est, Id cōfirmare debere
Besides their
Rage, and
Rancour, raught at full,
On
Lim, &
Life, where losse hath wrought their gaine;
And in another place preferring the Pagans Religion before Christs, he saith: Religionem Ethnicorum Animos illis excelsos & ad magnas res fortitersuscipiendas audaces fecisse: Christianorū verò Religionē mentes in nimiam humilitatē deprimere: Indolē oēm debilitare, eos
(que) Iniuriae ac praedae opportunos facere.
The Pillers pure of
faith, they will down pull,
Trāpling
Christs truth, with mōstrous might & main
Rightfull Religion, shall to
Ruin Ronne;
Gainst which, no fowle
Despite shall faile vndonne.
These be the
Things,
Diu adpārā dum est Bellum vt vincas celerius: quia longa belli praeparatio celerē facit Victoriam.
Sen. in Epi. 15
our Enimies forethreat:
These be the
frutes, and
furies of our foes:
These be the
Men, we must in
Time back-beat.
These be the
Clouds, whence all fowle weather growes:
Then Arme,
Plurimū. n. Terroris Hostibus Armorū Splendor importat.
Veg. lib. 2.
with Alarm, their slights we do see:
Once warnd, Euer Armd, henceforth we should bee.
For though their
Late Attempt Returnd them
Losse,
Whereas they weend to
winne and wreak their hate,
Mala Ment, Malus Animus.
And thereby sore susteind a
Deadly Crosse:
Yet doth their
murdring Malice, naught abate;
But will
Retrye their Trechrous
Mischeefs ment;
VVhom to
Resist we must be
Ready bent.
Conioyne all in strength of hearts, and strong hands;
Quum tē pus Necessitas
(que) postulat, decertandum. est manu, & Mors Seruituti Turpitudinique anteponēda. Cicero. Donabit Certanti Victoriam qui certandi dedit Audaciam, Aug.
As
warriours and
wreakers, of
vnbrooked wrongs:
In Ire, all on fire, like wilde burning brands;
Skattring, and
battring, our
foes thickest throngs:
God will furth guyde vs with
victorie and
Fame:
Downfelling our
foes with
Infamy and
shame.
And thank we highly
In somuch as God hath deliuered vs from great perrills, wee thank him highly. 2. Mackab. 1.11.
Him that held vs vp,
From plunging
Pits, of grislie
Perrils past,
VVhere others sank, and (sorrows forst to sup)
Ʋ Ʋith huge consuming Cares were ouercast:
Our Neerest
Neighbours, neuer Ioyd the
Tale Bonū est bonum Pacis vt in rebus creatis nil gratiosius soleat audiri: nil delectabilius cōcupisci: & nihil vtilius possidert. Aug. d
[...]iu. Det.
Rest
VVhich we
whole Thirtie yeeres haue here possest.
No, nor this
Land, had euer earst the like,
In all the Princes dayes that Rulde the same:
But often goard with Push of warring Pike,
It bare the brunt of
Famin, Sword, and
Flame:
Saue in our
Queenes, bright shyning Days of Peace,
That
Heav'nly health, and
worldly welth increase.
Vaeduplici corde suo, partem faciunt Deo, & partem Diabolo. Aug.
VVho than can Doubt, or deeme in Double Harte,
But
God hath wroght great
wonders by our
Queene?
Ʋ Ʋhereof (All partiall Censures, put a parte:)
Abundant
Proofs and
Precedents be seene.
Ʋ Ʋhereon, a sure
Conclusion sound doth sort,
That
God will still her
Royall State support.
Full
Thirty yeeres her Gouernment hath dur'de;
Wherby what precious Frutes her Realmes haue reapt
All Subiects in their Conscience are assur'de,
On whom the goulden grayn thereof is heapt:
The
Eternall God prolong her
Ruling dayes,
His
Glorious Name, to further furth alwayes.
Powre Prayres, and Prayses, to the
King of Kings,
Ʋ Ʋho makes the
world a witnes of our
weale,
Who so offe
[...] reth me prays and thanks, hee honoreth me. Psalm. 50.
By
perfect Peace, and
Plenty of all things:
VVhose guift it is, our
Foes to
fore-reueale.
Els
Lack, War, &
wrack, wold work al our
woes:
Our
Liues, Lands, &
wiues subiected to
Foes.
Her
Highnes One and
Thirtieth yeere succeedes,
Renewing Now, Nouembers
Sev'nteenth day:
On which, she first tyme ware th'
Imperiall weedes;
A
Royall making to this
Realme alway.
Long may Her
Grace Renew her Raigning yeeres:
And Lyue a Patern to all
Princely Peeres.
Psalm. 147.
O Hierusalem praise the Lord: Praise thy God, o Sion. For he hath strengthned the Barres of thy Gates: And hath blessed thy Children within thee. Hee hath made all thy Borders Peace: And with the good Nutriment of VVheate doth satisfie thee, &c. Hee hath not don thus to euery Nation els: Praise wee all the Lord therefore. Amen.
FINIS.
A Monsieur M. Kyffin Poëte: Sonet.
O Que ie te connois, Poëte digne d'vn Laurier,
Gentil Kyffin, chantre d'vn Heröique vers
Figuré, court, limé, rich en langage diuers
Pour le parler Anglois, Poëte bon-ouurier.
Ta Muse est arriueé à vn august port,
La sacreé Deess', à la Royalle Grace,
Fille d'vn Sire-Souuerain, la prudente Pallas,
ELIZABETH la Grande, Claire Perle du Nort.
Princesse redoutée de toute la Machine ronde,
Aiant pour son Guidon le plus grand Roy des Rois
De
[...]fiers Hespaignols rembarre lesfiers arrois,
Et combatte, guerriere, leur Armée vagabonde.
A beaux coups de Cannons l'enfonce, force au naufrage,
Fend l'Ost Hespaignol & le prent en pillage
Par son Armée Royalle, voyant que tel bagage
N'estoit vogué sur mer sinon en brigandage.
O que c'est vn grand heur de viure sous tel Prince.
Heureux, Anglois heureux viuant où droit & Loy
Venerable fleurit auec la blanche Foy
Sous la Royne Paisible, qui gouuerne ta Prouince.
Hola ma Muse, tay-toy. Kyffin a bien chanté
De sa Iustice, Bonté, Prudence & pieté
Et ses autres vertus, dont il fait vn meslange,
Donc mon gentil Kyffin Poëte braue en ton langage.
Sois premier en honneur, bien que dernier en age,
Encor tu chanteras maint annees sa louange,
Seruant d'vn Virgil à celle qui promet rendre
Egaux ses Laurien, aux Lauriers d' Alexandre,
ELIZABETH la Grande, terrestre Royne & Ange.
VIVE LA ROYNE ELIZABETH.