THE COMPLAINT OF EDRICUS.
Howe Edricus destroyed the valiant king Edmunde Ironsyde, hoping to haue greate preferment for his labour of Canutus the Dane, and howe the same Canutus caused him to be be-headed for his labour. A necessary example for al such as thinke by craft and deceite to increase their credited.[1246]
1.You hellish hagges of limbo lake belowe,Which dayly doo my cursed corps torment,Come forth, come forth, come forth, (I say) and sheweHow I on earth my dismal dayes haue spent:And wil you not, you wretched wightes, assentTo helpe me here to tell that drierie tale,Which may amongst men liuing much preuayle?2.O cursed ghost condemde to endelesse thrall,Sith they refuse to aide thee in this neede,Doo thou declare and tel the truth of al,That men aliue my wretched woorkes may reade,And see the fruite of suttle Satan’s seed,Auoyding vice, and fancie’s fonde delight,Note wel my tale, the truth I shal recite.3.WhenEtheldredehad geuenCanutusplace,Edmundehis sonne, surnamedIronside,Deuising howe he might his foe deface,By wrath of warre the cause they did decide:And in the ende the realme they did deuide:Edmundehad halfe,Canutushad the rest,Then they with peace and quietnesse were blest.[1247]4.O blinde beleefe, O hope of higher hope,Why did you moue my minde to meditate,Howe I in woe kingEdmundemight inwrap,And howe I might depresse my kinge’s estate?Thou blinde beleefe, thou breeder of debate,I wanting grace did let thee moue my minde,Causlesse to kil a courteous king, and kinde.[1248]5.He being kilde, I toCanutuswent,To whom I sayd: “See here a faithfull friend,I for thy loue with bloody blade haue bent,[1249]And brought my king to his vntimely ende:Thou by that meanes shalt rule thy realme with rest,My friendly fist with happie good successe,Hath thee inricht with blisse and happinesse.”6.“Hast thou,” quoth he, “destroyde thy souerayn king?Thou faythlesse fauning friende, for loue of me?Thou verlet vile, and couldste thou doo the thingThe which might more abridge my libertie?O heynous acte! O bloody crueltie!But sith that loue did moue thee doo that deede,Thou for thy paynes shalt be preferde with speede.”7.Wherewith in haste he to the hangman said:“Let this man’s head the hyghest place obtayneOnLondonwalles:” wherewith I neuer stayde,But on a blocke my necke was cut in twayne,In all men’s sighte, my head did long remayne:See here what wit the grape of hope dooth yeeld,See on what sand such busie braynes do builde.8.O hateful thing that fancie’s fonde delight,The sense of mortal man should senselesse make:When vice’s vaunts with vertue’s deedes dare fyght,Then dooth the soule the happie heauens forsake,Then man makes haste toPlutoe’slothsome lake:Why should man loue that sugered sowre sweete,Which wisedom’s lore to lothe hath thought most meete?
1.You hellish hagges of limbo lake belowe,Which dayly doo my cursed corps torment,Come forth, come forth, come forth, (I say) and sheweHow I on earth my dismal dayes haue spent:And wil you not, you wretched wightes, assentTo helpe me here to tell that drierie tale,Which may amongst men liuing much preuayle?2.O cursed ghost condemde to endelesse thrall,Sith they refuse to aide thee in this neede,Doo thou declare and tel the truth of al,That men aliue my wretched woorkes may reade,And see the fruite of suttle Satan’s seed,Auoyding vice, and fancie’s fonde delight,Note wel my tale, the truth I shal recite.3.WhenEtheldredehad geuenCanutusplace,Edmundehis sonne, surnamedIronside,Deuising howe he might his foe deface,By wrath of warre the cause they did decide:And in the ende the realme they did deuide:Edmundehad halfe,Canutushad the rest,Then they with peace and quietnesse were blest.[1247]4.O blinde beleefe, O hope of higher hope,Why did you moue my minde to meditate,Howe I in woe kingEdmundemight inwrap,And howe I might depresse my kinge’s estate?Thou blinde beleefe, thou breeder of debate,I wanting grace did let thee moue my minde,Causlesse to kil a courteous king, and kinde.[1248]5.He being kilde, I toCanutuswent,To whom I sayd: “See here a faithfull friend,I for thy loue with bloody blade haue bent,[1249]And brought my king to his vntimely ende:Thou by that meanes shalt rule thy realme with rest,My friendly fist with happie good successe,Hath thee inricht with blisse and happinesse.”6.“Hast thou,” quoth he, “destroyde thy souerayn king?Thou faythlesse fauning friende, for loue of me?Thou verlet vile, and couldste thou doo the thingThe which might more abridge my libertie?O heynous acte! O bloody crueltie!But sith that loue did moue thee doo that deede,Thou for thy paynes shalt be preferde with speede.”7.Wherewith in haste he to the hangman said:“Let this man’s head the hyghest place obtayneOnLondonwalles:” wherewith I neuer stayde,But on a blocke my necke was cut in twayne,In all men’s sighte, my head did long remayne:See here what wit the grape of hope dooth yeeld,See on what sand such busie braynes do builde.8.O hateful thing that fancie’s fonde delight,The sense of mortal man should senselesse make:When vice’s vaunts with vertue’s deedes dare fyght,Then dooth the soule the happie heauens forsake,Then man makes haste toPlutoe’slothsome lake:Why should man loue that sugered sowre sweete,Which wisedom’s lore to lothe hath thought most meete?
1.
You hellish hagges of limbo lake belowe,Which dayly doo my cursed corps torment,Come forth, come forth, come forth, (I say) and sheweHow I on earth my dismal dayes haue spent:And wil you not, you wretched wightes, assentTo helpe me here to tell that drierie tale,Which may amongst men liuing much preuayle?
You hellish hagges of limbo lake belowe,
Which dayly doo my cursed corps torment,
Come forth, come forth, come forth, (I say) and shewe
How I on earth my dismal dayes haue spent:
And wil you not, you wretched wightes, assent
To helpe me here to tell that drierie tale,
Which may amongst men liuing much preuayle?
2.
O cursed ghost condemde to endelesse thrall,Sith they refuse to aide thee in this neede,Doo thou declare and tel the truth of al,That men aliue my wretched woorkes may reade,And see the fruite of suttle Satan’s seed,Auoyding vice, and fancie’s fonde delight,Note wel my tale, the truth I shal recite.
O cursed ghost condemde to endelesse thrall,
Sith they refuse to aide thee in this neede,
Doo thou declare and tel the truth of al,
That men aliue my wretched woorkes may reade,
And see the fruite of suttle Satan’s seed,
Auoyding vice, and fancie’s fonde delight,
Note wel my tale, the truth I shal recite.
3.
WhenEtheldredehad geuenCanutusplace,Edmundehis sonne, surnamedIronside,Deuising howe he might his foe deface,By wrath of warre the cause they did decide:And in the ende the realme they did deuide:Edmundehad halfe,Canutushad the rest,Then they with peace and quietnesse were blest.[1247]
WhenEtheldredehad geuenCanutusplace,
Edmundehis sonne, surnamedIronside,
Deuising howe he might his foe deface,
By wrath of warre the cause they did decide:
And in the ende the realme they did deuide:
Edmundehad halfe,Canutushad the rest,
Then they with peace and quietnesse were blest.[1247]
4.
O blinde beleefe, O hope of higher hope,Why did you moue my minde to meditate,Howe I in woe kingEdmundemight inwrap,And howe I might depresse my kinge’s estate?Thou blinde beleefe, thou breeder of debate,I wanting grace did let thee moue my minde,Causlesse to kil a courteous king, and kinde.[1248]
O blinde beleefe, O hope of higher hope,
Why did you moue my minde to meditate,
Howe I in woe kingEdmundemight inwrap,
And howe I might depresse my kinge’s estate?
Thou blinde beleefe, thou breeder of debate,
I wanting grace did let thee moue my minde,
Causlesse to kil a courteous king, and kinde.[1248]
5.
He being kilde, I toCanutuswent,To whom I sayd: “See here a faithfull friend,I for thy loue with bloody blade haue bent,[1249]And brought my king to his vntimely ende:Thou by that meanes shalt rule thy realme with rest,My friendly fist with happie good successe,Hath thee inricht with blisse and happinesse.”
He being kilde, I toCanutuswent,
To whom I sayd: “See here a faithfull friend,
I for thy loue with bloody blade haue bent,[1249]
And brought my king to his vntimely ende:
Thou by that meanes shalt rule thy realme with rest,
My friendly fist with happie good successe,
Hath thee inricht with blisse and happinesse.”
6.
“Hast thou,” quoth he, “destroyde thy souerayn king?Thou faythlesse fauning friende, for loue of me?Thou verlet vile, and couldste thou doo the thingThe which might more abridge my libertie?O heynous acte! O bloody crueltie!But sith that loue did moue thee doo that deede,Thou for thy paynes shalt be preferde with speede.”
“Hast thou,” quoth he, “destroyde thy souerayn king?
Thou faythlesse fauning friende, for loue of me?
Thou verlet vile, and couldste thou doo the thing
The which might more abridge my libertie?
O heynous acte! O bloody crueltie!
But sith that loue did moue thee doo that deede,
Thou for thy paynes shalt be preferde with speede.”
7.
Wherewith in haste he to the hangman said:“Let this man’s head the hyghest place obtayneOnLondonwalles:” wherewith I neuer stayde,But on a blocke my necke was cut in twayne,In all men’s sighte, my head did long remayne:See here what wit the grape of hope dooth yeeld,See on what sand such busie braynes do builde.
Wherewith in haste he to the hangman said:
“Let this man’s head the hyghest place obtayne
OnLondonwalles:” wherewith I neuer stayde,
But on a blocke my necke was cut in twayne,
In all men’s sighte, my head did long remayne:
See here what wit the grape of hope dooth yeeld,
See on what sand such busie braynes do builde.
8.
O hateful thing that fancie’s fonde delight,The sense of mortal man should senselesse make:When vice’s vaunts with vertue’s deedes dare fyght,Then dooth the soule the happie heauens forsake,Then man makes haste toPlutoe’slothsome lake:Why should man loue that sugered sowre sweete,Which wisedom’s lore to lothe hath thought most meete?
O hateful thing that fancie’s fonde delight,
The sense of mortal man should senselesse make:
When vice’s vaunts with vertue’s deedes dare fyght,
Then dooth the soule the happie heauens forsake,
Then man makes haste toPlutoe’slothsome lake:
Why should man loue that sugered sowre sweete,
Which wisedom’s lore to lothe hath thought most meete?