He was envyronde aboute on every syde

Withe his enemys, that were stark mad and wode; 100 Yet whils he stode he gave them woundes wyde :

Alas for routhe! what thouche his mynde were goode, His corage manly, yet ther he shed his bloode! All left alone, alas! he fawte in vayne ; For cruelly amonge them ther he was slayne.

Alas for pite! that Percy thus was spylt,

1

105

The famous erle of Northumberlande :
Of knightly prowès the sworde pomel and hylt,
The myghty lyoun* doutted by se and lande!
O dolorous chaunce of fortuns fruward hande!
What man remembring how shamfully he was slayne,
From bitter weepinge hymself kan restrayne?

O cruell Mars, thou dedly god of war!

O dolorous teusday, dedicate to thy name,

110

When thou shoke thy sworde so noble a man to mar! 115
O grounde ungracious, unhappy be thy fame,
Whiche wert endyed with rede blode of the same!
Moste noble erle! O fowle mysuryd grounde

Whereon he gat his fynal dedely wounde!

O Atropos, of the fatall systers thre,

Goddes mooste cruell unto the lyf of man,

All merciles, in the ys no pitè !

120

* Alluding to his crest and supporters. Doutted is contracted for redoubted.

O homycide,

O homycide, whiche sleest all that thou kan,
So forcibly upon this erle thow ran,
That with thy sworde enharpid of mortall drede,
Thou kit asonder his perfight vitall threde!

My wordis unpullysht be nakide and playne,
Of aureat poems they want ellumynynge;
Bot by them to knoulege ye may attayne

Of this lordis dethe and of his murdrynge.
Which whils he lyvyd had fuyson of every thing,
Of knights, of squyers, chef lord of toure and toune,
Tyl fykkill fortune began on hym to frowne.

Paregall to dukis, with kings he myght compare,

Surmountinge in honor all erls he did excede, To all cuntreis aboute hym reporte me I dare. Lyke to Eneas benygne in worde and dede, Valiaunt as Hector in every marciall nede, Provydent, discrete, circumspect, and wyse,

125

130

135

139

Tyll the chaunce ran agyne him of fortunes duble

dyse.

What nedethe me for to extoll his fame

With my rude pen enkankerd all with rust?

Whos noble actis shew worsheply his name,
Transcendyng far myne homely muse, that must

Yet sumwhat wright supprisid with hartly lust, 145

Truly reportinge his right noble astate,

Immortally whiche is immaculate.

His noble blode never disteynyd was,

Trew to his prince for to defende his right,
Doublenes hatinge, fals maters to compas,

Treytory and treson he bannesht out of syght,
With trowth to medle was all his hole delyght,
As all his kuntrey kan testefy the same:
To slo suche a lord, alas, it was grete shame.

150

If the hole quere of the musis nyne

155

In me all onely wer sett and comprisyde, Enbrethed with the blast of influence dyvyne,

As perfightly as could be thought or devysyd;
To me also allthouche it were promysyde

Of laureat Phebus holy the eloquence,
All were to litill for his magnyficence.

160

O yonge lyon, bot tender yet of age,

Grow and encrese, remembre thyn astate,

God the assyst unto thyn herytage,

165

And geve the grace to be more fortunate, Agayne rebellyouns arme to make debate. And, as the lyoune, whiche is of bestis kinge, Unto thy subjectis be kurteis and benyngne.

I

pray God sende the prosperous lyf and long, Stabille thy mynde constant to be and fast, Right to mayntein, and to resist all wronge:

All flattringe faytors abhor and from the cast,
Of foule detraction God kepe the from the blast:

170

Let

Let double delinge in the have no place,
And be not light of credence in no case.

Wythe hevy chere, with dolorous hart and mynd,
Eche man may sorow in his inward thought,
Thys lords death, whose pere is hard to fynd

Allgyf Englond and Fraunce were thorow saught.

175

Al kings, all princes, all dukes, well they ought 180 Bothe temporall and spirituall for to complayne This noble man, that crewelly was slayne.

More specially barons, and those knygtes bold,
And all other gentilmen with hym enterteynd
In fee, as menyall men of his housold,

Whom he as lord worsheply manteynd:

To sorowfull weping they ought to be constreynd, As oft as thei call to ther remembraunce, Of ther good lord the fate and dedely chaunce.

O perlese prince of hevyn emperyalle,

That with one worde formed al thing of noughte; Hevyn, hell, and erth obey unto thi kall;

185

190

Which to thy resemblance wondersly hast wrought All mankynd, whom thou full dere hast boght, With thy blode precious our finaunce thou dyd pay, 195 And us redemed, from the fendys pray :

To the pray we, as prince incomperable,
As thou art of mercy and pite the well,
Thou bringe unto thy joye etermynable

The

The sowle of this lorde from all daunger of hell, 200

In endles blis with the to byde and dwell

In thy palace above the orient,

Where thou art lorde, and God omnipotent.

O quene of mercy, Olady full of grace,

Maiden moste pure, and goddis moder dere,
To sorowfull harts chef comfort and solace,
Of all women O floure withouten pere,
Pray to thy son above the starris clere,

205

He to vouchesaf by thy mediatioun

To pardon thy servant, and bringe to salvacion.

210

In joy triumphaunt the hevenly yerarchy,
With all the hole sorte of that glorious place,
His soule mot receyve into ther

company

Thorowe bounte of hym that formed all solace ;
Well of pite, of mercy, and of grace,
The father, the son, and the holy goste
In Trinitate one God of myghts moste,

215

ttt I have placed the foregoing poem of SkelTON'S before the following extract from HAWES, not only because it was written first, but because I think SKELTON is in general to be considered as the earlier poet; many of his poems being written long before HAWES's Graunde Amour,

X. THE