¶ AN EXHORTAtion to Englande.
A Wake each English Wight,
both high and low awake:
Feare not the froward boasting bragges,
that forraine foes doe make.
Conspiring your distresse, for
sticking to the troth,
And for refourming the abuse,
of such as liued in sloth.
But way the rightfull grounde,
and state wherein you stand:
And marke thaccursed cruell cause,
that they doe take in hand.
You doe your sacred faith,
and countries soyle defend:
Tabolish faith, and conquer you,
they surely doe intend.
Each cause of yours may cause
your hart great comfort take:
Each cause of theirs may iustly cause
their coward hart to quake.
They hope perhaps to haue,
some help within this Ile:
[Page] But sure I hope their firmest frindes,
will iustly them beguyle.
For though they thinke that some,
doe so digresse from kynde,
That tryfling toyes and childish chattes,
can chaunge their English mynde:
I trust when triall happes,
they shall haue their desarts.
Not Traytours ayde, but sharpe reuenge
by trustie english harts.
Thinke they we force so light,
the losse of English soyle?
Our natiue countrie so long kept,
will we now lose with foyle?
Our kinred and Alies,
our wiues and children deare
Shall we not seeke to shielde from death?
shall we so vile appeare?
Each brute and saluage beast
his kynd will séeke to saue:
Shall Christians then? shall they be séene
more beastly mindes to haue?
I hope what euer cause
doth cause debates to bée,
The doubt to lose life, landes, and goods,
will cause vs to agrée
[Page] To ioyne our willing myndes,
our goods and greatest force:
Tannoy our foes, to shield our selfe
from bloudy stained corse.
What should vs daunt one ioate,
or make vs be dismayd?
Let neuer threates of forraine foes
make English men afrayd.
Looke back to auncient writ
of valiant enterprise:
And sée with how great foyles their foes
your Elders did agrise.
Read Froysart that did write
the Frenchmens happes that fell:
What ouerthro wes by thenglish giuen
to Fraunce, doth he there tell?
1 Let Cressy battell great
most ioyfull comfort yéelde:
Who there but manfull Englishmen
did winne the foughten fielde?
King Edward third of name,
ematcht with eight to one,
Did yet preuayle: shall we then quayle,
though Edward now be gone?
2 At Poytiers note our fight
with Bow and rested Launce:
[Page] Did not one handfull (as it were)
beate all the force of Fraunce?
For as their Storie telles,
no French were from the same,
But such as forced not too lose
their honor or their fame.
The king himselfe was tane,
each noble (welnigh) slaine:
Right few or none but dint of sword
did put to deadly paine.
3 How delt the Englishmen
in Britaine at Alroy?
Did they not French and Britaines both
full deadly there annoy?
4 The Spanyardes may not boast
to daunt an English hart,
If they to auncient historie
their memorie doe reuart.
Prince Edwardes noble act
call vnto mynde agayne,
Who did discomfit Henrick, that
vsurpt the crowne of Spayne:
Did vanquish both the French
and Spanyardes there in fight:
And set king Peter in his seate,
and state of souereigne right.
[Page] 5 Where had our hardy harts
of courage greater vse
For our auayle, than on the sea
before the towne of Scluse?
The fight was fierce, and we
there matcht with foure to one:
Did yet from French and Normans
both, winne victorie alone.
6 The fielde of Egincourt
the Frenchmen yet may rue:
Their greatest force our army small
did nobly there subdue.
7 The iourney of the Spurres
so calde by hastie flight
The French did make, and by our
hote pursute of them in fight
May make vs to reioyce,
and passing comfort finde:
As oft as we the hap thereof
doe haply call to minde.
Our king had then in Fraunce
that field in chase to scoure
The most of his nobilitie
and other his chiefest powre.
But yet the Scottish king
that sought this Realme to sack,
[Page] Found men ynow (huge though it were)
to beate his army back.
His chaunce each other Prince
by proued skill may teach
To gouerne well his owne, not roanie
for that he cannot reach.
¶ We that haue thus so oft
bene vsed to victories,
Shall we now doubt for to subdue
such deadly enimies?
Nay rather thinke we sure,
that these their plagues forepast,
To deale with vs on this side sea,
will make them sore agast.
‡ I trust as of one realme,
euen so they shall vs sée
Of one allegiaunce, of one hart,
and firme fidelitie.
Behold the wofull state,
our neighbours stand now in:
By cloked craft, with show of sooth,
their sorrowes did begin.
Those that did nothing doubt
defended for to bée,
Doe now with bitter teares lament
their heauy hap, you sée.
[Page] Their land and riches great,
confiscate to the spoyle,
That they and theirs in many yeares
haue woon with painfull toyle.
And shall we thinke to finde
more courtesie than those,
If we permit, and not withstand
the force of forraine foes?
Nay rather, this deceipt
may driue vs for to dréed,
And of such like most subtile sleight
to take most carefull héed.
Our foes like friends will fayne
to come for our soule helth;
But God doth know their foule pretense,
they shoote but at our welth.
The help they hope to haue,
for that we not agrée
(As they suppose for sacred writ)
most iustly forceth mée,
To call to mynde thaduice
of Scorios hoast alone
The Romaines in dissension then.
that he would set vppon.
Not so said Scorio,
I not allow your réed:
[Page] For that were euen the nearest way
to make them soone agréed.
For argument whereof
two Mastiffes forth he brought,
And deadly foes he did them make,
by cause right aptly sought.
A Woolfe put forth in place
no sooner in their sight,
But they as friends their common foe,
did set vpon with spight.
‡ Let then our foes forecast,
in séeking vs to sack,
That naturall loue in English hartes
shall not be séene to lack.
And lack we men to fight?
nay were there euer moe?
More actiue or more firmely bent,
to kill their common foe?
Munition wanteth not,
nor ordinaunce for warre:
Each storehouse stust, each priuate house
hath furniture from farre.
The Quéene hath courage stoute,
hir subiects to defend:
Hir people haue as willing mindes,
their goods and life to spend.
[Page] The cause is chiefly Gods,
whome euer his elect
Haue found most ready from their foes
to shield them and protect.
Examples manifold,
for proofe thereof most strong
I might alleadge: but some, perhaps,
would thinke the worke to long.
Let this therfore suffise,
and let vs firmely trust,
God neuer did nor neuer will
forget them that be iust.
Let each repent in hart,
and mend that is amisse:
Then God, no doubt, our chiefe defense
will take vs to be his.
That we may grace obteine
by his most gracious will,
Let euery well disposed Wight
crie out vnto him still.
Looke Lord on Englandes state,
we humbly pray thée then,
And graunt that each true English hart
consent to say, Amen.
R. D.