The Fall of King Rudacke of Wales, Slain by Mulmucius Donwallo

Rude are the reuelles royaltie that rape,
Restlesse the raygnes of rebels in the robe,
Reckles the rage where cruelty doth scrape,
Roundnesse regarded but little of the globe,
No man ambitious prudent with the probe,
Crownerape accounted but cunning and skill,
Bloudshead a blockehouse to beate away ill.

The rudenesse of rebels reaching the crowne,
May be compared to Bladhud’s deuise:
[But] better sit still than fall so farre downe,
If Lordes coulde by others hurt learne to be wise.
My selfe of [high] climbing haue payde well the price,
That rudely in throne myselfe did install
Aloft, not regarding how low I might fall.

When Britayne was restlesse, wanting a Kyng,
(For Forrex and Porrex the Princes were slayne)
The land many peeres ambitious did wring,
Endeuouring each the kingdome to gayne.
The heires good apparent forsake it were fayne,
The subiects were armed, wee nobles did striue,
At length we amongst vs deuision contriue.

Then recklesse wee were when all was at rest,
And each had a kingdome aloted his part:
The vice of the subjects dayly increast,
And justice and right were layd quite apart.
The lawes ouerlashed by couine and craft,
And wee that did gouerne did winke at this geare:
The worser, perdy, our faythed frends were.

The ball that dame Fortune emparteth of blisse
Is golden to gaze on, but voluble round:
If once of your handfast in holding you misse,
Away then it roleth, and you are on grounde.
Of watchers thereon so many abounde,
And catchers thereat, with snatching therefore,
That if once you leese it, you catch it no more.

A Chirurgian that taketh a wounde for to cure,
If skilfull and carefully hee sercheth it furst:
The sea man doth sounde to take the deepth sure,
Ay wisedome well taught for feare of the worst.
But our vile ambition, blinde, blockish, accurst,
Not prouing the sore, nor reckoning the sounde,
Our shippes and our science we sinke and confounde.

Ambition out sercheth to glory the greece,
The staire to estate, the graple of grace:
But in her is hidde of perill a peece,
Which all our attempts doth dimme and deface.
Perdy shee gets vs vaine ioyes but a space,
Short, britle as glasse: false fayre giueing light:
Not golden, though glittering braue in the sight.

For when see hath brought vs vnto the throne,
And Fortune hath fraught vs with honour at fill:
Then there to sit stedy and rule all alone
Wee racke our deuices, and scud with our scill.
Wee cutt off occursions, wee prole, pole, and pill:
Wee bolster, wee band out, to brybe, banish, sley,
The pillers of prudence that prop in our wey.

Our race is then restles, our sleeping vnsounde:
Our wakeing is warfare, our walkeing hath woe:
Our talkeing is trustless, our cares doe abound:
Our fauners deemde faythfull, and frendshippe a foe.
Which troubles our fancies so tosse to and froe.
That scarcely wee neuer inioy any rest
Tormented, whome Fortune exalted and blest.

This thing can I witnesse what troubles ensue,
What cares doe vs compass enhaunced aloft:
I therefore wish rebells to take better vewe
Of the falles of intruders, recorded so oft.
Who climeth so highe his fall is not soft.
If once hee doe stagger or falter aside,
Hee cannot recouer the rest for to guide.

When I with my felowes (our selues which thought sure)
Here ruled the realme, there fell out a flawe:
Donwallo did seeke the Crowne to procure,
Alleadging a title thereto by the lawe.
He when him resisting in armes bright vs sawe,
Came strayght with an hoaste prepared to fight,
With sworde for to trye out whose title was right.

Our numbre was great, our title vniust:
Our consciences guilty, our souldiers agast:
Our enmy with honour had souldiers of trust:
And Fortune was frendly to them as they past.
They slewe of our men by manhoode full fast,
Or forst them to flye: In the feelde wee were fayne
To resist them (poore Prynces) and so wee were slayne.

First Pinnar, then Stater, I Rudacke likewise
At last was with number oppressed dispatcht,
Let Lordings beware how aloft they doe rise,
[For] by Princes and commons theyr climing is watcht.
No sooner they haue at the scepter once snatcht,
But guilty themselues they deeme worthy to die,
And God’s iustice such sentence [t’accomplish] doth hie.

Lenvoy.

You see the end of rebelles here descride,
Entruders see whereto they haue to truste:
Their seat vnsure and slippery downe doth slide,
Their names are eaten out with cankerd ruste.
Theyr honours soone lay toumbling in the duste.
Wherefore I count them triple thrise and foure times blest,
Which prudently to serue their God and Prince are prest.

Sith stories all doe tell in euery age
How these crowne croachers come to shamefull ends,
And how they shortely winne the woefull wage,
Which for uvniustice Ioua iustely sends:
Let hauty headstrong heede what hee pretends,
Sith hee aliue, in death, and after’s only blest,
Which prudently to serue his God and Prince is prest.

But now behold, from Delphos next in place
A noble valiaunt Britayne there I vewde,
Of stature tall, well sett, of comely grace,
With body broysde, and armoure all embrewde.
His wounded breast my woefull hart berewde:
Whose life and death may proue contented wights are blest,
Which prudently to serue their God and Prince are prest.