A Ioyfull medytacyon to all Englonde of the coronacyon of our moost naturall souerayne lorde kynge Henry the eyght (A Joyful Meditation of the Coronation of King Henry the Eighth)

Excerpt

The prologue

THe prudent problems / & the noble werkes

Of the gentyll poetes in olde antyquyte

Vnto this day hath made famous clerkes

For the poetes Wrote nothynge in vanyte

But grounded them on good moralyte

Encensynge out the fayre dulcet fume

Our langage rude to exyle and consume

The ryght eloquent poete and monke of bery

Made many fayre bookes / as it is probable

From ydle derkenes / to lyght our emyspery

Whose vertuous pastyme / was moche cõmendable

Presentynge his bookes / gretely prouffytable

To your worthy predecessour the .v. kynge Henry

whiche regystred is in the courte of memory

Amyddes the medowe of flora the quene

Of the goddes elycon / is the sprynge or well

And by it groweth / a fayre laurell grene

Of whiche the poetes do ofte wryte and tell

Besyde this olyue / I dyde neuer dwell

To tast the water whiche is aromatyke

For to cause me wryte with lusty rethoryke

Wherefore good souerayne / I beseche your hyghnes

To pardon me whiche do rudely endyte

As in this arte hauynge small intres

But for to lerne is all myn appetyte

In folowynge the monke whiche dyde nobly wryte

Besechynge your hyghnes and grace debonayre

For to accepte this rude and lytell quayre

¶ Explicit prologus.

O God alone in heuen werynge crowne

In whose inspecte is euery regall se

Both to enhaũce & for to cast adowne

Suche is y power of thỹ hygh magiste

Neyther hardynes treasour nor dygnyte

May withstande thy strength whiche is Ä© euery place

So grete and myghty is thy dyuyne grace

Two tytles in one thou dydest well vnyfye

Whan the rede rose toke the whyte in maryage

Reygnynge togyder ryght hygh and noblye

From whose vnyd tytyls and worthy lygnage

Descended is by ryght excellent courage

Kynge Henry the .viii. for to reygne doutles

Vnyuersall his fame honour and larges

Whiche hathe spousyd a fayre floure of vertue

Descended of kynges dame katheryn of Spayne

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By grace and prudens the peace to attayne

Wherfore Englonde thou nedes not complayne

Syth thou hast crowned openly in syght

This kynge and quene by good true loue and ryght

What sholde I shewe by perambulacyon

All this grete tryumphe of whiche reporte

Is made aboute nowe in euery nacyon

Vnto all this realme to be Ioy and comforte

Wherfore you lordes I you exhorte

Spyrytuall and temporall with the comyns vnyfyde

To gyue god the prayse which dothe grace prouyde

Englonde be gladde / the dewe of grace is spred

The dewe of Ioy / the dewe holsome and soote

Dystylled is nowe from the rose so red

And of the whyte so spryngynge from the roote

After our trouble to be refute and boote

This ryall tree was planted as I knowe

By god aboue the rancour to downe throwe

Who is the floure that dothe this grace dystyll

But onely Henry the of his name

With golden droppes all Englonde to fulfyll

To shewe his larges his honour and his fame

His dedes therto exemplefye the fame

Wherefore nowe Englonde with hole deuocyon

For this yonge kynge make dayly orayson

Our late souerayne his fader excellent

I knowe ryght well some holde oppynyon

That to auaryce he had entendement

Gadrynge grete rychesse of this his regyon

But they lytell knowe by theyr small reason

For what hye entente he gadered doutles

Vnto his grace suche innumerable ryches

For I thynke well and god had sente hym lyfe

As they haue meruaylled moche of this gadrynge

So it to them sholde haue ben affyrmatyfe

To haue had grete wonder of his spendynge

It may fortune he thought to haue mouynge

Of mortall warre our fayth to stablysshe

Agaynst the turkes theyr power to mynysshe

But syth that dethe by his course naturall

Hathe hym arested / and wolde not delay

Lyke wyse as he was so be we mortall

How / where / or whan I nothynge say

Therfore to god aboue let vs all pray

For to graunt hym mercy whiche was our kynge

Bryngynge his soule to Ioy euerlastinge

A fayre Englonde mystruste the ryght nought

Regarde ryght well / his sonnes Iustyce

Se how that they whyche inuencyons sought

Delytynge them in the synne of auaryce

To oppresse the comyns by grete preiudyce

Dothe he not punysshe them accordynge to lawe

Suche newe promocyons to dampne and withdrawe

Fy on the saturne with thy mysty fume

Replete with fraude treason and wyckednes

To shewe thy beames thou darest not presume

So cursed thou arte withouten stablenes

Deuoyde of grace fulfylled with doblenes

Thy power to Englonde was neuer amyable

But alwayes euyll vntrue and varyable