The Fall of Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, Put to Death at York

O morall Senec, true finde I thy saying,
That neither kinne, riches, strength, or fauour,
Are free from fortune, but are aye decaying:
No worldly welth is ought saue doubtfull labour,
Man’s life in earth is like vnto a tabour,
Which nowe to myrth doth mildly men prouoke
And straight to warre, with a more sturdy stroke.

All this full true I Percy finde by proofe,
Which whilom was earle of Northumberland:
And therefore, Baldwine, for my pier’s behoofe,
To note men’s falles sith thou hast tane in hand,
I would thou should my state well vnderstand:
For fewe kinges were more than I redouted,
Whom double fortune lifted vp and louted.

As for my kinne their noblenesse is knowen,
My valiaunt acts were folly for to prayse,
Where through the Scots so oft were ouerthrowen,
That who but I was doubted in my dayes:
And that king Richarde found at all assayes,
For neuer Scots rebelled in his raigne,
But through my force were eyther caught or slayne.

A brother I had was earle of Worcester,
Alwayes in office and fauour with the king,
And by my wife dame Elinor Mortimer,
A sonne I had which so the Scots did sting,
That being yong, and but a very spring,
Henry Hotspur they gaue him vnto name,
And though I say it, hee did deserue the same.

Wee three triumphed in king Richard’s time,
Till fortune ought both him and vs a spite:
But chiefly mee, whome clerely from any crime,
My king did banishe from his fauour quite,
Proclayming mee a trayterous knight:
Where through false slaunder forced mee to bee,
That which before I did most deadly flee.

Let men beware how they true folke defame,
Or threaten on them the blame of vices nought,
For infamy breedeth wrath, wreke followeth shame:
Eke open slannder often times hath brought
That to effect, that erst was neuer thought:
To bee misdeemed men suffer in a sort,
But none can beare the griefe of misreport.

Because my king did shame mee wrongfully,
I hated him and in deede became his foe:
And while hee did at warre in Ireland lye,
I did conspire to turne his weale to woe:
And through the duke of Yorke and other moe,
All royall power from him wee quickely tooke,
And gaue the same to Henry Bolenbroke.

Neither did wee this onely for this cause,
But to say truth, force draue vs to the same:
For hee despising God and all his lawes,
Slewe whome hee would, made sinne a very game:
And seeing neyther age nor counsaile could him tame,
Wee thought it well done for the kingdome’s sake,
To leaue his rule, that did all rule forsake.

But when sir Henry had attaynde his place,
Hee strayght became in all poynts worse then hee,
Destroyed the peeres, and slewe king Richard’s grace,
Against his othe made to the lordes and mee:
And seeking quarels how to disagree,
Hee shamelesly required mee and my sonne,
To yeelde hym Scots which wee in fielde had wonne.

My nephue also Edmund Mortimer,
The very heyre apparant to the crowne,
Whome Owen Glendour held as prisoner,
Vilely bound in dungeon deepe cast downe,
Hee would not raunsome, but did felly frowne
Against my brother and mee, which for him spake,
And him proclaymed traytour for our sake.

This foule despite did cause vs to conspire,
To put him downe as wee did Richard erst,
And that wee might this matter set on fire,
From Owen’s jaile, our coosin wee remerst,
And vnto Glendour all our griefes reherst,
Who made a bond with Mortimer and mee,
To priue the king and part the realme in three.

But when king Henry heard of this deuise,
Toward Owen Glendour hee sped him very quicke,
Mynding by force to stop hur enterprise:
And as the deuill would, than fell I sicke,
Howbeit my brother, and sonne, more polliticke
Than prosperous, with an hoast from Scotland brought,
Encountred him at Shrewesbury, where they fought.

The one was tane and kild, the other slayne,
And shortly after was Owen put to flight,
By meanes whereof I forced was to fayne,
That I knewe nothing of the former fight:
Fraude oft auayles more then doth sturdy might,
For by my faining I brought him in beliefe,
I knewe not that wherein my part was chiefe.

And while the king thus tooke mee for his frend,
I sought all meane my former wrong to wreake,
Which that I might bring to the sooner end,
To the bishop of Yorke I did the matter breake,
And to th’earle marshall likewise did I speake,
Whose father was through Henrie’s cause exiled,
The bishop’s brother with trayterous death defiled.

These strayt assented to doe what they could,
So did the lord Hastings and lord Fauconbridge:
Which altogether promised they would
Set all their power the king’s dayes to abridge:
But see the spite, before the byrdes were flydge
The king had word and seasoned on the nest,
Whereby, alas, my freendes were all opprest.

The bloudy tyrant brought them all to end
Excepted mee, which into Scotland scapt,
To George of Dunbar th’earle of March, my frend,
Who in my cause all that hee could ey scrapt:
And when I had for greater succour gapt,
Both at the Frenchmen and the Fleming’s hand,
And could get none, I tooke such as I fand.

And with the helpe of George my very frend,
I did enuade Northumberland full bolde,
Whereas the folke drewe to mee still on end,
Bent to death my party to vpholde:
Through helpe of these, full many a fort and holde,
The which the king right manfully had mand,
I easely wonne, and seised in my hand.

Not so content (for vengeaunce draue mee on)
I entred Yorkeshire, there to wast and spoile:
But ere I had far in the countrye gone,
The shiriffe thereof, Rafe Rokesby did assoyle
My trobled hoast of much part of our toyle:
For hee assaulting freshly tooke through power,
Mee and lord Bardolph both, at Bramham More.

And thence conueyed vs to the towne of Yorke,
Untill hee knewe what was the kinge’s entent:
There loe lord Bardolph kinder than the storke,
Did lose his head, which was to London sent,
With whome for friendship mine in like case went,
This was my hap my fortune or my faute,
This life I led and thus I came to naught.

Wherefore, good Baldwine, will the peeres take heede,
Of slaunder, malice, and conspiracy,
Of couetise, whence all the rest proceede,
For couetise ioynt with contumacy,
Doth cause all mischiefe in men’s hartes to breede:
And therefore this to esperance my word,
Who causeth bloudshed shall not escape the sword.