The false Duessa, now Fidessa hight,
Heard how in vaine Fradubio did lament,
And knew well all was true.

But the good knight,
Full of sad feare and ghastly dreriment,
When all this speech the living tree had spent,
The bleeding bough did thrust into the ground,
That from the blood he might be innocent,

And with fresh clay did close the wooden wound: Then turning to his lady, dead with feare her fownd.

Her seeming dead he fownd with feigned feare,
As all unweeting of that well she knew;
And paynd himselfe with busie care to reare
Her out of carelesse swowne. Her eyelids blew,
And dimmed sight with pale and deadly hew,
At last she up gan lift; with trembling cheare
Her up he tooke, (too simple and too trew,)
And oft her kist. At length, all passed feare,
He set her on her steede, and forward forth did beare.

DANIEL.

KING RICHARD THE

SECOND

BROUGHT PRISONER TO

LONDON, RESIGNS HIS CROWN TO HENRY BOLINGBROKE.

In Dearth of Faith, and Scarcity of Friends,
The late Great Mighty Monarch, on the Shore,
In th' utmost Corner of his Land attends,

To call back false Obedience, fled before;
Toils, and in vain his Toil and Labour spends;
More Hearts he sought to gain, he lost the more :
All turned their Faces to the Rising Sun,

And leave his Setting Fortune, Night begun.

But thus is Richard left, and all alone,

Save with th' unarmed Title of his Right;

And those brave Troops, his Fortune Followers, gone,
And all that Pomp, (the Complements of Might)

Th' amusing Shadows that are cast upon

The State of Princes, to beguile the Sight;

All vanish'd clean, and only Frailty left,
Himself of all besides Himself bereft.

Like when some great Colossus, whose strong Base
Or mighty Props are shrunk, or sunk away,
Foreshewing Ruin, threatening all the Place
That in the Danger of his Fall doth stay;
All strait to better Safety flock apace,
None rest to help the Ruin while they may.
"The Perii great, and doubtful the Redress,
"Men are content to leave Right in Distress."

And look how Thames, enrich'd with many a Flood, And goodly Rivers, (that have made their Graves And bury'd both their Names, and all their Good, Within his Greatness, to augment his Waves) Glides on with Pomp of Waters, unwithstood, Unto the Ocean, (which his Tribute craves) And lays up all his Wealth within that Pow'r, Which in it self all Greatness doth devour.

So flock the Mighty, with their following Train,
Unto the All-receiving Bolingbroke ;

Who wonders at himself, how he should gain
So many Hearts as now his Party took;
And with what Ease, and with how slender Pain,
His Fortune gives him more than he could look :
What he imagin'd never could be wrought,
Is pour'd upon him far beyond his Thought.

And Richard, who look'd Fortune in the back,
Sees headlong Lightness running from the Right,
Amazed stands, to note how great a Wreck
Of Faith his Riots caus'd; what morta. Spite
They bear him, who did Law and Justice lack:
Sees how concealed Hate breaks out in Sight,
And Fear-depressed Envy, (pent before)
When fit Occasion, thus unlock'd the Door.

Which when he saw, thus to himself complains; "O why do you, fond, false-deceived, so "Run headlong to that Change that nothing gains, "But Gain of Sorror, only Change of Woe? "Which is all one; if he be like who reigns: "Why will you buy with Blood what you forego; ""Tis nought but Shews that Ignorance esteems: "The Thing possess'd is not the Thing it seems.

"And when the Sins of Bolingbroke shall be "As great as mine, and you unanswered "In these your Hopes; then may you wish for me, "Your Lawful Sov'reign, from whose Faith you fled;

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And, grieved in your Souls, the Error see

"That shining Promises had shadowed:

"As th' hum'rous Sick removing, find no Ease,

"When changed Chambers change not the Disease.

"Then shall you find this Name of Liberty, "(The watch word of Rebellion ever us'd; The idle Echo of Uncertainty,

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"That evermore the Simple hath abus'd.) "But new-turn'd Servitude, and Misery; "And ev'n the same, and worse, before refus'd. "Th' Aspirer once attain'd unto the Top, "Cuts off those Means by which himself got up."

Thus he complain'd-When lo, from Lancaster,
(The new entitl❜d Duke) with Order sent
Arriv'd Northumberland, as to confer,
And make Relation of the Duke's Intent;
And offer'd there, if that he would refer
The Controversy unto Parli'ment,

And punish those that had abus'd the State,
As Causers of this Universal Hate;

And also see that Justice might be had On those the Duke of Glos'ter's Death procur'd, And such remov'd from Council as were bad; His Cousin Henry would, be there assur'd, On humble Knees before his Grace be glad To ask him Pardon, to be well secur'd, And have his Right and Grace restor❜d again; The which was all he labour'd to obtain.

And therefore doth an Enterparle exhort; Persuades him leave that unbeseeming Place, And with a Princely Hardiness resort Unto his People, that attend his Grace. They meant his Public Good, and not his Hurt; And would most joyful be to see his Face. He lays his Soul to pledge, and takes his Oath, The Host of Christ, an Hostage for his Troth.

This Proffer, with such Protestations, made
Unto a king that so near Danger stood,
Was a sufficient Motive to persuade,

When no Way else could shew a Face so good:
Th' unhonourable Means of Safety bad
Danger accept, what Majesty withstood.
"When better Choices are not to be had,
"We needs must take the seeming Best of Bad.

Yet stands H' in doubt a-while what Way to take; Conferring with that small-remaining Troop Fortune had left; which never would forsake Their poor, distress'd Lord; nor ever stoop To any Hopes the stronger Part could make : Good Carlisle, Ferby, and Sir Stephen Scroope, With that most worthy Montague, were all That were content with Majesty to fall.

Grave Montague, whom long Experience taught In either Fortune, thus advis'd his King:

"Dear Sov'reign, know, The Matter that is sought, "Is only how Your Majesty to bring

(From out of this poor Safety you have got) "Into their Hands, that else hold ev'ry thing. "For now, but only You they want of all; "And wanting You, they nothing theirs can call.

"Here have you craggy Rocks to take your Part; "That never will betray their Faith to you; "These trusty Mountains here will never start, "But stand t'upbraid their Shame that are untrue. "Here may you fence your Safety with small Art, "Against the Pride of that confused Crew: "If Men will not, these very Cliffs will fight, "And be sufficient to defend your Right.

"Then keep you here; and here you shall behold, "Within short Space, the sliding Faith of those "That cannot long their Resolution hold, "Repent the Course their idle Rashness chose. "For that same Mercenary Faith they sold, "With least Occasions discontented grows, "And insolent those voluntary Bands; "Presuming how by them He chiefly stands.

"And hither to approach he will not dare; "Where Desarts, Rocks. and Hills, no Succours give; "Where Desolation, and no Comforts are; "Where few can do no Good, many not Live.

"Besides, We have the Ocean, to prepare

"Some other Place, if This should not relieve:

"So shall you Tire his Force, consume his Strength "And weary all his followers out at length.

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