AN ENGLISH-MANS LOVE TO BOHEMIA:
WITH A friendly Farewell to all the noble Souldiers that goe from great Britaine to that honorable Expedition.
AS ALSO, The names of the most part of the Kings, Princes, Dukes, Marquisses, Earles, Bishops, and other friendly Confederates, that are combined with the Bohemian part.
BY IOHN TAYLOR.
Printed at Dort. M DC XX.
We beare the outward forme of Martialists,
But worth and manhood in the minde consists.
And noble Souldiers that our shapes do see,
We are but shadowes, you the substance be.
TO THE HONORABLE WELL APPROVED AND accomplisht Souldier, Sir Andrew Gray, Knight; Colonell of the forces of Great Britaine, in this noble Bohemian Preparation.
SIR ANDREVV GRAIE. Anagramma. I GARDE IN WARRES.
Honorable Knight:
THere are two especiall Causes that haue moued me most boldly to thrust these rude lines into the world: the first is my hearty affection to the generality of the cause you vndertake, (which I beleeue God and his best seruants do affect:) and the other is my loue and seruice which I owe to your worthy selfe in particular, for many vndeserued friendships which I haue receiued from you, and many of your noble friends for your sake. Ingratitude is a Diuell, so farre worse then all the diuels, that if it should craue harbor [Page] of me, in the likenesse of an Angell of light,yet I would neuer be perswaded to entertaine it. My thankfull acknowledgement of your goodnesse towards mee is my prayers and best wishes, which shall euer be a poore requitall towards you, not forgetting my thanks in the behalfe of all the worthy Ladies and others of that Angelicall sex that are maried and resident in London, whose chast honours you (as became a true Knight) defended, when an audacious Frenchman most slanderously did (without exception) swear there was not one honest woman dwelling within the boundes of this populous City, but that they had all generally abused the bed of mariage: then did your noble selfe inforce the pestiferous pesant to swallow his odious calumny, and in humility to confesse there were fifty thousand or a greater number that neuer had wronged their husbands in that vnlawfull act. I haue made bold to speake of this matter here, because the abuse was so generall, & your quarrell so honorable, which I think vnfit to be buried in silence or forgetfulnesse: howsoeuer, I craue you pardon and worthy acceptance, whilst I most obsequiously remaine
Euer to be commanded by you,
Iohn Taylor.
A FRIENDLY FAREWEL to all the noble Souldiers that goe out of Great Britaine vnto BOHEMIA.
WArres, noble Warres,
and manly braue designes;
Where glorious valour
in bright armour shines:
Where God with guards of Angels
doth defend,
And best of Christian Princes doe befriend,
Where mighty Kings in glittering burnisht armes
Lead bloody brusing battels, and alarmes,
VVhere honour, truth, loue, royall reputation,
Make Realmes and Nations ioyne in combination,
Bohemia, Denmarke and Hungaria,
The vpper and the lower Bauaria,
The two great Counties of the Pallatine,
The King of Sweden friendly doth combine,
The Marquesse and Elector Brandenburge,
The Dukes of Brunswicke, and of Lunenburge,
[Page 2]Of Holsten, Deuxpont, and of Wittemberge,
Of the low-Saxons, and of Mackelberge,
Braue Hessens Lantsgraue, Anholts worthy
Prince of Ascania.
Prince,The inhance Townes, whom force cannot conuince:
Prince Maurice, and the States of Netherlands,
And th'ancient Knights of th'Empire lend their hands.
These and a number more then I haue nam'd,
Whose worths and valours through the world are fam'd,
With many a Marquesse, Bishop, Lord and Knight
Bishops of Halberstadt, Magenberg, Hilsheine, Osenburgh
T'oppose foule wrong, and to defend faire right:Whose warlike troops assembled brauely are
To ayde a gracious Prince in a iust warre.
For God, for Natures, and for Nations lawes
The Marquesse of Anspash, Cullinbagh, Durlagh. The Count Palatine of Lowtrecke and Luxenburgh. The States of Venice & Sauoy.
This martiall armie vndertakes this cause;And true borne Britaines, worthy countrymen,
Resume your ancient honors once agen.
I know your valiant minds are sharpe and keene
To serue your Soueraignes daughter, Bohems Queene.
I know you need no spur to set you on,
But you thinke dayes are yeares till you are gon;
And being gone, you'le wealth and honour win,
Whilst ryot here at home addes sin to sin.
You (God assisting) may do mighty things,
Make Kings of captiues, and of captiues Kings,
Riches and loue those that suruiue shall gaine,
And fame, and Heauen the portion of the slaine.
The wounds and scarres more beautifull will make
Those that doe weare them for true honours sake.
Since God then in his loue did preordaine
That you should be his Champions, to maintaine
[Page 3]His quarrell, and his cause; a fig for foes,
God being with you, how can man oppose?
Some may obiect, Your enemies are store:
If so, your fame and victori's the more;
Men do win honour when they cope with men,
The Eagle will not triumph o're a wren:
The Lyon with the Mouse will not contend,
Nor men gainst boyes and women wars will bend,
But clouds of dust and smoak, and bloud and sweat
Are the maine meanes that will true honour get.
Thus to fames altitude must men aspire
By noble actions, won through sword and fire,
By trumpets clangor, drums, guns, flute or fife:
For as there is an end to euery life,
And man well knowes that one day he must end it,
Let him keep't well, defend, and brauely spend it.
O griefe to see how many stout men lye
Halfe rotten in their beds before they dye;
Some by foule surfets, some by odious whoring,
In misery lye stinking and deploring,
And e're a lingring death their sad life ends,
They are most tedious loathsome to their friends;
Wasting in phisicke, which addes woe to griefe
That which should yeeld their families reliefe:
At last when wished death their cares do cure,
Their names like to their bodies lie obscure.
Whereas the souldiour with a Christian brest,
Wars for his Soueraignes peace, and Countries rest:
He to his Makers will, his will inclines,
And ne're gainst heauen impatiently repines,
[Page 4]He to his Sauiour sayes, that thou art mine,
And being thou redeem'st me, I am thine,
That if I liue or die, or die or liue,
Blest be thy name whether thou take or giue.
This resolution peirces heauens high roofe,
And armes a souldier more then Cannon proofe.
Suppose his life ends by some noble wounds,
His soule to heauen, from whence it came rebounds:
Suppose blowne vp with powder vp he flies,
Fire his impurity repurifies,
Suppose a shot peirce through his brest or head
He nobly liu'd and nobly he is dead,
He lies not bedred stinking, nor doth raue
Blaspheming against him, that him should saue,
Nor he in Phisicke doth consume and spend
That which himselfe and others should defend,
He doth not languish, drawing loathsome breath,
But dies before his friends doe wish his death,
And though his earthly part to earth doth passe,
His fame out weares a monument of brasse.
Most worthy countrymen, coragious hearts,
Now is the time, now act braue manly parts,
Remember you are sonnes vnto such sires
Whose sacred memories the world admires,
Make your names fearefull to your foes againe
Like Talbot to the French, or Drake to Spaine:
Thinke on braue valiant Essex, and Mountioy,
And Sidney, that did Englands foes destroy,
With noble Norris, Williams, and the Veares,
The Grayes, the Willoughbies all peerlesse Peers,
[Page 5]And when you thinke what glory they haue won,
34 Battells fought in France by Englishmen since the Conquest. Henry the sixt.
Some worthy actions by you will be done.
Remember Poicteirs, Cressy, Agincourt,
With Bullen, Turwin, Turnyes warlike sport,
And more (our honours higher to aduance)
Our King of England was crown'd King of France,
In Paris, thus all France we did prouoake
T'obay and serue vnder the English yoake.
In Ireland 18 bloudy fields we fought,
And that fierce Nation to subiection brought,
Besides Tyrones rebellion, which soule strife
Cost England many a pound, lost many a life,
And before we were Scotlands, or it ours,
How often haue we with opposed powers
In most vnneighbourly, vnfriendly manners,
With hostile armes, displaying bloudy banners:
With various victories on either side,
Now vp, now downe, our fortunes haue bin tride,
What one fight winnes, the other losing yeelds,
In more then sixscore bloudy foughten fields.
But since that we and they, and they and we
More neere then brethren, now conioyned be.
Those scattering powers we each gainst other lead,
Being one knit body, to one royall head.
Then let this Iland, East, West, South and North
Iointly in these braue warres emblaze our worth.
And as there was a strife, that once befell
Twixt men of Iuda, and of Israel:
Contending which should loue King Dauid best,
And who in him had greatest interest:
[Page 6]Long may contention onely then be thus
Twixt vs and Scotland, and twixt them and vs,
Still friendly striuing which of vs can be
Most true and loyall to his Maiesty.
This is a strife will please the God of peace,
And this contending will our loues increase.
You hardy Scots remember Royall Bruce,
And what stout Wallace valour did produce:
The glorious name of Stewarts, Hamiltons,
The Ereskins, Morayes, and the Levingstons,
The noble Ramseies, and th'illustrious Hayes,
The valiant Dowglasses, the Grimes and Grayes,
Great Sir Iames Dowglas,
The praise of sir Iames Dowglas, in the raigne of K. Robert Bruce 1330.
a most valiant KnightLead seauenty battles with victorious fight,
Not by Lieutenants, or by deputation,
But he in person wanne his reputation.
The Turkes and Sarazens he ouercame,
Where ending life he purchast endlesse fame,
In 13. maine battells he ouercame Gods enemies, and at last was slaine.
And his true noble worth is well deriu'd
To worthies of that name that since suruiu'd.
Then since both nations did and do abound
With men approu'd, and through all Lands renown'd,
Through Europe, and through Asia, further farre,
Then is our blest Redeemer Sepulchre.
Through all the coasts of tawny Affrica,
And through the bounds of rich America.
And as the world our worths acknowledge must,
Let not our valour sleeping lye and rust:
But to immortalize our Britaines name,
Let it from imbers burst into a flame.
[Page 7]We haue that Land and shape our elders had,
Their courages were good, can ours be bad?
Their deedes did manifest their worthy mindes,
Then how can we degenerate from kindes?
In former times we were so giuen to warre
(Witnesse the broyles twixt Yorke and Lancaster)
Hauing no place to forreigne foes to goe,
Amongst our selues, we made our selues a foe
Full threescore yeares with fierce vnkinde alarmes,
Were practis'd fierce vnciuill ciuill armes,
Whilst fourescore Peeres of the bloud royall died,
With hundred thousands commoners beside.
Thus Englishmen to warres did beare good will,
They would be doing although doing ill.
And Scotlands historie auoucheth cleare,
Of many ciuil warres, and tormoyles there,
Rebellion, discord, rapine and foule spoyle
Hath peirc't the bowels of their natiue soile,
Themselues against themselues, Peeres against Peeres,
And kin with kin together by the eares,
The friend gainst friend, each other hath withstood,
Vnfriendly friends weltering in their bloud.
Thus we with them, and they with vs contending,
And we our selues, and they themselues thus rending,
Doth shew that all of vs haue euer bin
Addicted vnto martial discipline:
Spaine can report, and Portingale can tel,
Denmarke and Norway both can wittnesse wel,
Sweden and Poland truely can declare
Our seruice there, and almost euery where.
[Page 8]And
The low countries, Holland, Zeland &c.
Belgia but for the English and the Scots,Perpetuall slauery had beene their lots
Vnder the great commanding power of Spaine,
By th'Prince of Parma's and the Archdukes traine.
Farre for my witnesses I neede not looke,
'Tis writ in many a hundred liuing booke.
And Newports famous battell brauely tels
The English and the Scots in fight excels:
Yea all, or most townes in those seauenteene Lands
Haue felt the force, or friendship of their hands.
Ostend whose siege all sieges did surpasse
That will be, is, or I thinke euer was,
In three yeares, three moneths, Scots and Englishmen
Did more then Troy accomplished in ten.
Ostend endur'd (which ne'er will be forgot)
Aboue seauen hundred thousand Cannon shot:
And, as if hell against it did conspire,
They did abide death, dearth, and sword and fire.
There danger was with resolution mixt,
And honour with true valour firmly fixt.
Were death more horrid then a Gorgons head,
In his worst shapes they met him, free from dread.
There many a Britaine dide, and yet they liue
In fame, which fame to vs doth courage giue.
At last when to an end the siege was come,
The gainers of it, cast their losing summe,
And the vneuen reckoning thus did runne:
The winners had most losse, the losers wonne;
For in this siege vpon the Archdukes side
Seauen Masters of the Campe all wounded dide.
[Page 9]And fifteene Colonels in that warre deceast:
And Serieant Mayors twenty nine, at least.
Captaines fiue hundred sixty fiue were slaine.
Lieutenants (whilst this Leaguer did remaine)
One thousand, and one hundred and sixteene
Dyed, and are now as they had neuer beene.
Ensignes three hundred twenty two, all euen:
And nineteene hundred Serieants and eleuen.
Corp'rals and Lantzprizadoes death did mixe
In number seauenteene hundred sixty sixe.
Of Souldiers, Mariners, women, children, all,
More then seauen times ten thousand there did fall.
Thus Ostend was at deare rates wonne and lost,
Besides these liues, with many millions cost.
And when 'twas wonne, 'twas wonne but on conditions,
On honourable tearmes, and compositions:
The winners wanne a ruin'd heape of stones,
A demi-Golgotha of dead mens bones.
Thus the braue Britaines that the same did leaue,
Left nothing in it worthy to receiue.
And thus from time to time, from age to age,
To these late dayes of our last pilgrimage,
We haue bin men with martiall minds inspir'd,
And for our meeds, belou'd, approu'd, admir'd.
Men prize not Manhood at so low a rate
To make it idle and effeminate:
And worthy Countrymen I hope and trust
You'le do as much as your forefathers durst,
A faire aduantage now is offered here
Whereby your wonted worths may well appeare,
[Page 10]And he that in this quarrell will not strike,
Let him expect neuer to haue the like.
He that spares both his person and his purse,
Must (if euer he vse it) vse it worse.
And you that for that purpose go from hence
To serue that mighty Princesse, and that Prince,
Ten thousand, thousand praiers shall euery day
Implore th'Almighty to direct your way.
Goe on, goe on, braue souldiers, neuer cease
Till noble warre, produce a noble peace.
A briefe Description of Bohemia.
THe Kingdome of Bohemia is well peopled with many braue horsemen and footmen: rich, fruitfull, and plentifully stored (by the Almighties bounty,) with all the treasuries of Nature fit for the vse and commodity of man: it hath in it of Castles and walled townes, to the number of 780 and 32000 villages; by a grant from the Emperor Charles the fourth, it was freed for euer of the payments of all contributions to the Empire whatsoeuer, Morauia, Silesia, and Lusatia are as large as Bohemia, well replenished with stout horsmen and footmen.
FINIS.