Book VIII, Chapter 39

EIGHT Henry (heire indubitate of Yorke and Lancaster)
Succeeded, and with Kingly rites his Father did interr.
His mind, his words, his lookes, his gaet, his lynaments, and Stature,
Weare such for Maiesties as shew'd a King compos'd by Nature.
All Subiects now of ciuill strife, all counter-minds for Raigne,
All enuious of his Empier now weare rid, weare pleas'd, or slaine.
Rich weare his sundrie Tryumphs: but his cost had foyzen than
When Terwin and strong Turnay in resisting France he wan:
When Maximilian Emperour did vnder Henry fight:
When English Ships did often put the French Sea-powre to flight:
And that the French King was inforc'st to craue and buy his peace,
Who, wiuing louely Mary, so the warres for then did cease.

This sister to our King, and then the French Kings goodly Queene,
Was welcommed with Tryumphs such as erst in France vnseene.
Iustes, Barriers, Tylts, & Turneyes were proclaymed each wheare for All:
Whereforeto Paris at the time flockt Caueliers ful tall,
With Princes braue, and Ladies faire of euery Realme about,
And hence, with moe, Charles Brandon, in fine Chiualrie most stout,
Whose bodie fitted to his mind, whose mind was puesant, and
Whose puesance yeelded not to Mars, this Mars in France did lād:
With whō incoūtred valiāt knights, but none might him withstād.
The English-French Queene standing theare, admir'd for beautie rare,
Behild the Tryumphs, in the which high Feates performed ware.
But Brandon (yet no Duke) he was the Knight aboue the rest
That in her eye (nor did she erre) acquited him the best.
For whether that he trots, or turnes, or bounds, his barded Steede,
Did runne at Tylt, at Randon, or did cast a Speare with heede,
Or fight at Barriers, he in all did most her fancie feede.
Weake on a Couch her King lay theare, whō though she loued well,
Yeat likte she Brandon, and the same lou'd her ere this befell:
For chastly had they fancied long before she came to Fraunce,
Or that from meane estate to Duke Henry did him aduaunce.
The dayes of Triumph weare expir'd, and English Peeres with praise
Come home, and Lewes King of France decea'st within few daies.
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolke then, with honour furnisht hence,
Was sent to France for to returne the widow Queene from thence,
Who had been wed scarce thrice three weekes vnto a sickly King,
To her, a fayre young Queene, therefore smal time might solace bring.
Yet lesse did timethā braue Duke Charles asswage fair Maries griefe:
He chats, she cheers, he courts, she coyes, he wowes, she yeelds in briefe.
No windes (thought she) assist those Sayles that seeke no certain Shore,
Nor find they constant liues that but they liue respect no more.
Let each ones life ayme some one end: as, if it be to marrie,
Then see, heare, loue, and soone conclude, it betters not to tarrie.
To cast too many doubts (thought she) weare oft to erre no lesse
Than to be rash: And thus, no doubt, the gentle Queene did gesse,
That seeing This or That at first or last had likelyhood,
A man so much a manly Man weare dastardly withstood:
Then Kisses reuel'd on their Lips to eithers equall good,
And, least King Henry should dissent, they secretly did wead,
And then sollicet his good will, and of their wishes spead.
The periut'd valiāt Scotch-King Iames, slayn at braue Flodons Slaughter,
Had also left in widowhood Englands fayre elder Daughter.
She also weds a Scottish Earle, vnlicenc'st of her Brother:
And was to her Sons Daughters Sonne, now sixt Iames, great-Grandmother.

A Scruple, after twentie yeares, did enter Henries mind,
For wedding of Queene Katherin, a Ladie fayre and kind,
Spaynes Daughter, then the Emperours Aunt, and for her vertuous life
Well worthie Henry: But for she had beene his Brothers wife,
And also of their coiture surmise directed Lawes,
He seem'd in conscience toucht, and sought to rid him of the Cause.
Then was the matter of Deuorse through Christendome disputed,
The Match of all adiudged voyd, and so the Queene non-suted.
She, after teares to him from whom she was to be deuorste,
Did humbly say: and am I not, my Lord, to be remorste?
That twentie yeeres haue bene your Wife, & borne your Children, and
Haue lou'd and liu'd obediently, and vnsuspected stand.
I am (ah too too sweetly err'd) I was, poore Soule, the same
Whom once you did preferre, nor now of me you neede to shame.
The blossomes of my beautie was your Bootie, nor my fauour
Now alters so to alter so from me your late behauour.
But Conscience is the colour of this quarrell: well I wot
I also haue a conscience that in this accuseth not:
But as the same, perhaps, might say that me succeedes say I,
That for the pleasure of a Prince goe many things awry.

Which her Fore-doomes seem'd to effect in her that her succeeded,
In Queene Anne Bullyn: who, for she in Luther[…]sme proceeded,
Was hated of the Papists, and enui'd because preferr'd,
And through the Kings too light beleefe (for Kinges haue sometimes err'd)
She lost her head, and might haue sayd (some thought) ere she did dye,
That for the pleasure of the Prince goe many things awry.
So dyde the gracious Mother of our now most glorious Queene,
Whose zeale in reuerent Fox his works autenticall is seene.
The Kings foure other Queenes (for why? he dide a Sexamus)
Shall passe, though Iane did beare a Sonne to him, a King to vs,
Edward the Sixt: and of the same we shall deliuer thus.