The Author’s Induction

When Sommer sweete, with all her pleasures past,
And leaues began, to leaue the shady tree,
The winter colde encreased on full fast,
And time of yeare to sadnes moued mee:
For moysty blastes, not halfe so mirthfull bee,
As sweete Aurora bringes in spring time fayre,
Our ioyes they dimme, as winter damps the ayre.

The nights began, to growe to lengthe apace,
Sir Phœbus to th’ Antarctique gan to fare:
From Libraes lance, to th’ Crab hee tooke his race
Beneth the lyne, to lende of light a share.
For then with vs the dayes more darkishe are,
More shorte, colde, moyste, and stormy cloudy clit,
For sadnes more then mirths or pleasures fit.

Deuising then, what bookes were best to reade,
Both for that time, and sentence graue also,
For conference of frende to stande in steade,
When I my faithfull frende was parted fro;
I gate mee strayght the Printers shops vnto,
To seeke some worke of price I suerly ment,
That might alone my carefull mynde content.

Amongst the rest, I found a booke so sad,
As tyme of yeare or sadnesse coulde requier:
The Mirour namde, for Magistrates hee had,
So finely pende, as harte could well desire.
Which when I read, so set my heart on fire,
Eftsoones it mee constraynde to take the payne,
Not lefte with once, to reade it once agayne.

And as agayne I vewde this worke with heede,
And marked playne each party paynt his fall:
Mee thought in mynde, I sawe those men indeede,
Eke howe they came in order Princely all;
Declaring well, this life is but a thrall,
Sith those on whom, for Fortunes giftes wee stare,
Ofte sooneste sinke, in greatest seas of care.

For some, perdy, were Kinges of highe estate,
And som were Dukes, and came of regall race:
Som Princes, Lordes, and Iudges greate that sate
In councell still, decreeing euery case.
Som other Knightes, that vices did imbrace,
Som Gentlemen, som poore exalted hye:
Yet euery one, had playde his tragedye.

A Mirour well it might bee calde, a glasse
As cleare as any cristall vnder Sun:
In each respecte, the Tragedies so passe,
Theyr names shall liue, that such a worke begun.
For why, with such Decorum is it don,
That Momus spight with more then Argus eyes,
Can neuer watche, to keepe it from the wise.

Examples there, for all estates you finde,
For iudge (I say) what iustice hee shoulde vse:
The noble man, to beare a noble mynde,
And not him selfe ambitiously abuse.
The gentleman vngentlenes refuse,
The rich and poore, and eu’ry one may see,
Which way to loue, and liue in due degree.

I wishe them often well to reade it than,
And marke the causes why those Princes fell:
But let mee ende my tale that I began.
When I had red these Tragedies full well,
And past the winter euenings long to tell,
One night at last I thought to leaue this vse,
To take som ease beefore I chaundge my muse.

Wherefore away from reading I mee gate,
My heauy heade waxte dull for wante of reste:
I layde mee downe, the night was waxed late,
For lacke of sleepe myne eyes were sore oppreste:
Yet fancy still of all theire deathes increaste,
Mee thought my mynde from them I coulde not take,
So worthy wightes, as caused mee to wake.

At length appeared clad in purple blacke
Sweete Somnus, rest which comforts eache aliue;
By ease of mynde, that weares away all wracke,
That noysome night, from wery witts doth driue,
Of labours long, the pleasures wee atcheiue.
Whereat I ioyde, sith after labours paste,
I might enioye sweete Somnus sleepe at laste.

But hee by whom I thought my selfe at reste,
Reuiued all my fancyes fond before:
I more desirous humbly did requeste,
Him shew th’ vnhappy Albion Princes yore.
For well I wist, that hee coulde tell mee more,
Sith vnto diuers, Somnus erste had tolde,
What thinges were done, in elder times of olde.

Then strayght hee foorth his seruante Morpheus calde,
On Higins here thou muste (quoth hee) attende;
The Britayne Peeres to bring (whom Fortune thralde)
From Lethian lake, and th’ auncient shapes them lende;
That they may shew why, howe, they tooke theire ende,
I will (quoth Morpheus) shewe him what they were;
And so mee thought, I sawe them strayght appeare.

One after one, they came in straunge attire,
But some with woundes and bloude were so disguisde,
You scarsly coulde by reasons ayde aspire,
To know what warre such sondry deaths deuisde;
And seuerally those Princes were surprisde.
Of former state, these states gaue ample show
Which did relate their liues and ouerthrow.

Of som the faces bolde and bodyes were
Distaynde with woade, and turkishe beardes they had:
On th’ ouer lyppes mutchatoes long of heyre,
And wylde they seemde, as men dispayring mad.
Theire lookes might make a constant heart full sad,
And yet I could not so forsake the vewe
Nor presence, ere theire myndes I likewise knewe.

For Morpheus bade them each in order tell
Their names and liues, their haps and haplesse dayes,
And by what meanes, from Fortunes wheele they fell,
Which did them earst, vnto such honours rayse.
Wherewith the first not making moe delayes,
A noble Prince broade wounded brest that bare
Drew neere, to tell the cause of all his care.

Which when mee thought to speake hee might be bolde,
Deepe from his breste hee threwe an vncouth sounde:
I was amazde his gestures to beholde.
And bloud that freshly trickled from his wounde,
With Eccho so did halfe his wordes confounde,
That scarce a while the sence might playne appeare:
At last, mee thought, hee spake as you shall heare.