Constance of Cleueland.
A very excellent Sonnet of the most faire Lady Constance of Cleueland and her disloyall Knight.
To the tune of Crimson Veluet.
IT was a youthfull Knight,
lou'd a gallant Lady,
Faire she was and bright,
and of vertues rare:
Her sel
[...]e she did behaue
so courteously as may be,
Wedded were they braue,
ioy without compare.
Here began the griefe,
Paine without reliefe,
her husband soone her loue forsooke,
To women lewd of mind
Being bad inclin'd,
he onely lent a pleasant looke:
The Lady she sate wéeping,
While that he was keeping
company with others moe:
Her words my Loue, belieue not,
Come to me and grieue not,
Wantons will thee ouerthrow.
His faire Ladies words
nothing he regarded,
Wantonnesse affords
such delightfull sport:
While they dance and sing,
with great mirth prepared,
She her hands did wring
in most grieuous
[...] ▪
Oh what hap had I
Thus to waile and
cry[?],
vnrespected euery day▪
liuing in disdaine▪
While that others gaine
all the right I should enioy▪
I am left forsaken,
Others they are taken,
ah my Loue▪ why dost thou so?
Her flatteries beléeue not, &c.
The Knight with his faire Piece,
at length his Lady spied,
Who did him daily fleece
of his wealth and store:
Secretly she stood,
while she her fashions tried,
With a patient mood,
while deepe the Strumpet swore:
O sir Knight, quoth she,
So dearely I loue thee,
my life doth rest at thy dispose,
By day and eke by night,
For thy sweet delight,
thou shalt me in thy armes disclose.
I am thine owne for euer,
Still will I perseuer
true to thée where ere I goe.
Her flatteries beleeue not, &c.
The vertuous Lady mild
enters then among them,
Being big with child,
as euer she might be.
With distilling teares
she looked then vpon them▪
filled full of feares▪
thus replied she:
Ah my Loue and Deare,
Wherefore stay you here,
refusing me your louing wife,
For an Harlots sake,
Which each one will take,
whose vile déeds prouoke much strife▪
Many can accuse her,
O my Loue refuse her,
with thy Lady home returne:
Her flatteries beleeue not,
Come to me and grieue not, &c.
All in fury then
the angry Knight vpstarted
Uery furious, when
he heard his Ladies spéech:
With many bitter termes
his wife he ouerthwarted,
Using hard extremes,
while she did him beséech.
From her necke so white▪
He tooke away in spight
her curious chaine of finest
gold[?],
Her Iewels and her Rings,
And all such costly things,
as he about her did behold.
The Harlot in her presence,
He did gently reuerence▪
and to her he gaue them all▪
He sent away his Lady,
Full of woe as may be,
who in a sound with griefe did fal▪
The second part,
To the same tune.
AL his Ladies wrong
the Harlot
[...]léer'd and laughed,
[...]ements are so strong,
they[?] ouer-come the wife:
[...] knight nothing regarded,
to sée the Lady scoffed,
[...]his was her reward,
[...] her enterprise.
[...] Harlot all this space
[...] him oft imbrace,
she flatters him, and thus doth say,
[...]or thée Ile die and liue,
[...]or thée my faith Ile giue,
no[?] woe shall work my Loues decay.
[...] shalt be my treasure,
[...] shalt be my pleasure,
thou[?] shalt be my hearts delight:
[...]ll be thy darling,
[...] be thy worldling,
[...]
[...]espight of Fortunes spight.
[...] he did remaine
[...] wastfull great expences,
[...] itbred his paine,
and consum'd him quite:
[...] his Lands were spent,
[...]ubled in his senses,
[...] he did repent
[...] his lewd delight:
[...]
[...]liefe he hies,
[...]
[...]liefe he flies,
[...] them on whom he spent hi
[...] gold,
[...]ll doe him deny,
[...]ll doe him defie,
[...] will not once his face behold.
[...] thus distressed,
[...] thus oppressed,
[...] the fields that night he lay,
[...]ith the Harlot knowing,
[...]gh her malice
[...]ing▪
[...]ght to take his
[...] away.
A young and proper Lad,
they had slaine in secret,
For the gold he had:
whom they did conuey,
By a Ruffian lewd,
to that place directly,
Where that youthfull Knight
fast a sléeping lay:
The bloody dagger than,
Wherewith they kill'd the man,
hard by the Knight he likewise laid,
Sprinkling him with blood,
As he thought it good,
and then no longer there he staid.
The Knight being so abused,
Was forthwith accused
for this murther which was done,
And he was condemned,
That had not offended,
shamefull death he might not shun.
When the Lady bright
vnderstood the matter,
That her wedded Knight
was condemn'd to die,
To the King she went
with all the spéed that might be,
Where she did lament
her hard destiny:
Noble King, quoth she,
Pitty take on me,
and pardon my poore husbands life,
Else I am vndone,
With my little son,
let mercy mitigate this griefe.
Lady faire, content thée,
Soone thou wouldst repent thée,
If he should be saued so:
Sore he hath abus'd thee,
Sore he hath misus'd thee,
therefore Lady let him goe▪
O my Liege, quoth she,
grant your gracious fauor,
Deare he is to me,
though he did me wrong:
The King repli'd againe,
with a sterne behauiour,
A Subiect hée hath slaine,
die he▪ shall ere long,
Except thou canst find
Any one so kind,
that will die and set him frée.
Noble King, she said,
Glad am I apaid,
the same person will I bée,
I will suffer duely,
I will suffer truely,
for my Loue and husbands sake.
The King therefore amazed,
Though he her duty praised,
he bade that thence he should her take.
It was the Kings command,
on the morrow after,
She should out of hand,
to the Scaffold goe:
Her husband pointed was,
to beare the sword before her,
He must eke alas,
giue the deadly blow:
He refus'd the déed,
Shée bade him procéed,
with a thousand kisses swéet.
In this wofull case,
They did both imbrace
which mou'd the Ruffian in
y
t[?] place
Straight for to discouer
This concealed murther,
whereby the Lady saued was
The Harlot then was hanged,
As shée well deserued,
this
[...]ertue bring to passe.
FINIS.
Printed at London for I. Wright.