The Fall of William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, Banished for Abusing His King

Heauy is the hap whereto all men bee bound,
I meane the death, which no estate may flie:
But to be banisht, [be]headed, and than drownd
In sinke of shame from top of honors hie,
Was neuer man so serude, I thinke, but I:
Wherefore, Baldwine, amongest the rest by right,
I clayme of thee my woefull case to write.

My only life in all poynts may suffise,
To shewe how base all baytes of fortune bee,
Which thawe like yse, through heate of enuie’s eyes,
Of vicious deedes which much possessed mee:
Good hap with vice, long time cannot agree,
Which bring best fortunes to the basest fall,
And happiest hap to enuy to bee thrall.

Called I was William De la Pole,
Of Suffolke duke, in queene Margeret’s dayes,
That found the meane duke Humfrey’s bloud to coole,
Whose worthy actes deserue eternall prayse,
Whereby I note that fortune cannot rayse
Any one aloft, without some other’s wracke:
Fluds drowne no fieldes before they finde a bracke.

But as the waters which doe breake the walles
Doe lose their course they had within the shore,
And daily rotting stinke within their stalles,
For faut of mouing which they found before,
Euen so the state that ouer high is bore,
Doth lose the life of people’s loue it had,
And rots it selfe vntill it fall to bad.

For while I was but earle, ech man was glad
To say and doe the best by mee they might:
And fortune euer since I was a lad,
Did smile vpon mee with a chearefull sight,
For whan my king had doubed mee a knight,
And sent mee forth to serue at warre in Fraunce,
My lucky speede mine honour did enhaunce.

Where, to omitte the many feates I wrought
Under other’s guide, I doe remember one,
Which with my souldiers valiantly was fought,
None other captayne saue my selfe alone,
I meane not now the apprinze of Pucell Jone
In which attempt my trauaile was not small,
Though the duke of Burgoyne had the prayse of all.

[But] the siege of Awmarle is the feate I prayse:
A strong built towne, with castels, walles, and vaultes,
With men and weapon armde at all assayes:
To which I gaue nigh fiue times fyue assaultes,
Til at the last they yeelded it for naughtes:
Yet lord Rambur’s, like a valiaunt knight,
Defended it as long as euer hee might.

But what preuayled it these townes to winne,
Which shortly after must bee lost agayne?
Whereby I see there is more glory in
The keeping things, than is in their attayne:
To get and keepe not, is but losse and payne:
Therefore ought men prouide to saue theyr winnings
In all attempts, els lose they their beginnings.

Because wee could not keepe the townes we won,
(For they were more then wee might easely wyeld,)
One yeare vndid what wee in ten had done:
[For] enuy at home [and] treason abroade, did yeelde
King Charles his realme of Fraunce, made barrain field:
For bloudy warres had wasted all encrease,
Which causde the pope helpe pouerty, sue for peace.

So that in Tourayn at the towne of Toures,
Duke Charles and other for their prince appered,
So did lord Rosse and I than earle, for oures:
And whan wee shewed wherein ech other dered,
Wee sought out meanes all quarels to haue clered,
Wherein the lordes of Germany, of Spayne,
Of Hungary, and Denmarke, tooke exceeding payne.

But sith wee could no finall peace induce,
For neyther would the other’s couenauntes here,
For eyghteene monthes wee did conclude a truce:
And while as friendes wee lay together there,
Because my warrant did mee therein beare,
To make a perfite peace and through accord,
I sought a mariage for my soueraigne lord.

And for the French kinge’s daughters were to small,
I fancied most dame Margaret his niece,
A louely lady, beautifull, and tall,
Fayre spoken, pleasant, a very princely piece
In wit and learning, matchlesse hence to Greece,
Duke Rayner’s daughter of Aniow, king by stile
Of Naples, Ierusalem, and Scicil ile.

But ere I could the graunt of her attayne,
All that our king had of her father’s landes,
As Mauntes the citty, the county whole of Mayne,
And most of Aniow duchy in our handes,
I did release him by assured bandes,
And as for dowry with her none I sought,
I thought no peace could bee to derely bought.

And whan this mariage throwly was agreed
Although my king were glad of such a make,
His vncle Humfrey abhorred it in deede,
Because thereby his precontract hee brake,
Made with the heyre of the earle of Arminacke,
A noble maide with store of goodes endowed,
Which more than this with losse, the duke allowed.

But loue and beawty in the king so wrought,
That neyther profite, or promise, hee regarded,
But set his vncle’s counsaile still at nought,
And for my paynes I highly was awarded:
Thus vertue starues, but lustfoode must bee larded:
For I, made marquise, went to Fraunce agayne,
And brought this bride vnto my soueraygne.

At home because duke Humfrey aye repined,
Calling their mariage aduoutry (as it was)
The queene did moue mee, erst thereto enclined,
To helpe to bring him to his requiem masse,
Which sith it could for no crime come to passe,
His life and doinges were so right and clere,
Through priuy murder wee brought him to his bere.

Thus righteousness brought Humfrey to rebuke,
Because hee would no wickednes allowe,
But for my doinges I was made a duke:
So fortune can both bend and smoth her browe
On whome shee list, not passing why or how:
O Lord how high, how soone shee did mee raise,
How fast shee filde mee both with prayes and praise.

The lordes and commons both of like assent,
Besought my soueraigne kneeling on their knees,
To record my doinges in the parliament,
As deedes deseruing euerlasting fees:
In which attempt they did no labour leese,
For they set not my prayse so fast in flame,
As hee was ready to reward the same.

But note the ende: my deedes so worthy deemed
Of king, of lordes, and commons, altogether,
Were shortly after treasons false esteemed,
And all men curst queene Marget’s comming hither:
For Charles the French king, in his feates not lither,
Whan wee had rendered Rayner, Mauntes, and Mayne,
Found meane to wyn all Normandy againe.

This made the people curse the mariage,
Esteeming it the cause of euery losse:
Wherefore at mee with open mouth they rage,
Affirming mee t’haue brought the realme to mosse:
Whan king and queene sawe thinges thus goe a crosse,
To quiet all a parliament they called,
And caused mee in prison to bee thralled.

And shortly after brought mee forth abrode,
Which made the commons more than double woode:
And some with weapons would haue laide on lode,
If their graund captayne, Blewberd, in his moode
Had not in time with wisedome beene withstoode:
But though that hee and more were executed,
The people still their worst against mee bruted.

And so applied the parliament with billes,
Of haynous wronges and open trayterous crimes,
That king and queene were forst against their willes,
Fro place to place t’adiourne it diuers times,
For prince’s power is like the sandy slimes,
Which must perforce gieue place vnto the waue,
Or sue the windy sourges whan they raue.

Their life was not more deare to them than I,
Which made them search all shiftes to saue mee still,
But ay my foes such faultes did on mee try,
That to preserue mee from a worser ill,
The king was faine full sore against his will,
For fiue yeares space to send mee in exile,
In hope to haue restorde mee in a while.

But marke how vengeaunce wayteth vpon vice,
To shun this storme, in sayling towardes Fraunce,
A pyrat’s barke, that was of litle price,
Encountred mee vpon the seas by chaunce,
Whose captayn there tooke mee, as in a traunce,
Let passe my shippes with all theyr frayt and loade,
And led mee backe againe to Douer roade.

Where vnto mee recounting all my faultes,
As murdering of duke Humfrey in his bed,
And how I had brought all the realme to naughtes,
Causing the king vnlawfully to wed,
There was no grace but I must lose my head:
Wherefore hee made mee [to] shriue mee in his bote,
And on the brinke my necke in two hee smote.

This was mine end: which was by reason due
To mee, and such as other’s deaths procure:
Therefore bee bold to write, for it is true,
That who so doth such practise put in vre,
Of due reward at last shal be most sure,
For God is iust, whose stroke delayed long,
Doth light at last with paine more sharpe and strong.