To the Maiestie of King James A gratulatorie poem by Michaell Drayton.

TO THE MAIESTIE of King Iames. THE hopefull raigne of a most happy King , Loe thus excites our early Muse to sing , Of her own strength which boldly thus presumes , That 's yet vnimpt with any borowed plumes , A Counsailes wisdome , and their graue fore-sight , Lends me this luster , and resplendent light : Whose well-prepared pollicie , and care , For theyr indoubted Soueraigne so prepare , Other vaine titles strongly to withstand , Plac'd in the bosome of a peacefull Land : That blacke destruction which now many a day , Had fix'd her sterne eye for a violent pray , Frustrate by their great prouidence and power , Her very nerues is ready to deuoure , And euen for griefe downe sincking in a swound Beats her snak'd head against the verdant ground . But whilst the ayre thus thunders with the noise , Perhaps vnheard , why should I straine my voyce ? When stirs , & tumults haue been hot'st & proudest , The noble Muse hath song the stern'st & lowdest ; And know great Prince , that Muse thy glory sings , ( What ere detraction snarle ) was made for Kings . The neighing courser in this time of mirth , That with his arm'd hoofe beats th' reecchoing earth , The trumpets clangor , & the peoples cry , Not like the Muse can strike the burnish'd skie , which should heauen quench th' eternal quicking springs The stars put out , could light them with her wings . What though perhaps my selfe I not intrude Amongst th' vnstedy wondring multitude , The tedious tumults , and the boystrous throng , That presse to view thee as thou com'st along , The praise I giue thee shall thy welcome keepe , When all these rude crowds in the dust shal sleepe , And when applause and shouts are hush'd & still Then shal my smooth verse chant thee cleer & shril . With thy beginning , doth the Spring begin , And as thy Vsher gently brings thee in , Which in consent doth happily accord With the yeere kept to the incarnate Word , And in that Month ( cohering by a fate ) By the old world to wisdome dedicate , Thy Prophet thus doth seriously apply , As by a strong vnfailing Augury , That as the fruitfull , and ful-bosom'd Spring , So shall thy raigne be rich and florishing : The month thy conquests , & atchieuements great By those shall sit on thy Imperiall seate , And by the yeere I seriously diuine The Crowne for euer setled in thy line . From Cornwall now past Calidons proude strength , Thy Empire beares eight hundred miles in length : Halfe which in bredth her bosome forth doth lay From the faire German to 'th Vergiuian sea : The Irish Sea . Thy Realme of Ireland , a most fertile Land , Brought in subiection to thy glorious hand , And all the Iles theyr chalkie tops aduance To the sunne setting from the coast of Fraunce . Saturne to thee his soueraignty resignes , Op'ning the lock'd way to the wealthy mines : And till thy raigne Fame all this while did houer , The North-west passage that thou might'st discouer Vnto the Indies , where that treasure lies Whose plenty might ten other worlds suffice . Neptune and Ioue together doe conspire , This giues his trydent , that his three-forkt fire , And to thy hand doe giue the kayes to keepe , Of the profound immeasurable deepe . But soft my Muse , check thy abundant straine To the conceiuing of th' vnskilfull braine , That whilst thy true descent I doe rehearse , Th' vnlearned'st soule may sweetly tast my verse : Which now in order let me first dispose , And tell the vnion of the blessed Rose , That to thy Grandsire Henry I may bring thee , ( From whom I after to thy birth may sing thee . ) That Tudors blood did worthily prefer , Katherine wife to He●● the fift . From the great Queene that beautious Dowager , Whose sonne braue Richmond from the Brittons fet , Edmond Tudor Ea●●● of Richmond , son of Owen Tudor by the Queen Graft in the stock of Princely Sommerset , The third faire Sien , the sweet Roseat plant , Sprong from the Roote of the Lancastrian Gant , Which had seauenth Henry , that of royall blood The daug●●ter of Iohn Duke of Sommerset , sonne ●● Iohn Earl● of Somm●●●set , the so●●● of Iohn o● Gaunt . By his deere Mother , is the Red-rose bud , As theyr great Merlin propheci'd before Should the old Brittons regalty restore , Which Henry raigning by th' vsurpers death , Maried the Princesse faire Elizabeth Fourth Edwards daughter , whose predest'nate bed Did thus conioyne the White-rose , and the Red : These Roseall branches as I thus entwyne , In curious trayles embelishing thy lyne , To thy blest Cradell let me bring thee on , Rightly deriu'd from thy great Grandsires throne . Who holding Scotlands amity in worth , Strongly to linck him with King Iames the fourth , His eldest daughter did to him vnite , Th' vnparaleld bright louely Margarite , Which to that husband prosperously did bring , The fifth of that Name , Scotlands lawfull King , Father to Mary ( long in England seene ) The Daulphins dowager , the late Scottish Queene . ●●laried ●hilst he ●as Daul●hin . But now to Margarite backe againe to come , From whose so fruitfull , and most blessed wombe We bring our full ioy , Iames her husband dead , Tooke gallant Anguish to a second bed , ●rchibald ●owglasse ●arle of An●uish . To whom ere long she bare a princely gerle , Maried to Lenox , that braue-issued Earle , This beautious Dowglasse , as the powers imply , ●he Coun●le of Le●ox . Brought that Prince Henry , Duke of Albany , who in the prime of strength , in youths sum'd pride ●enry Lord ●●rly . Maried the Scotch Queene on the other side , Whose happy bed to that sweet Lord did bring , This Brittaine hope , Iames our vndoubted King , In true succesion , as the first of other Of Henries line by Father , and by Mother . Thus from the old stock showing thee sprong to be , Grafting the pure White , with the Red-rose tree , By mixture made vermillion as they meet , For in that colour is the Rose most sweet : So in thy Crowne the precious flower that growes Be it the Damaske , or Vermillion Rose , Amongst those Reliques , that victorious King , Edward cald Longshanks , did from Scotland bring , And as a Trophie royally prefer To the rich Shrine in famous Westminster , That stone reseru'd in England many a day , On which great Iacob his graue head did lay , Recorded to be that stone whereon Iacob slept . And saw descending Angels whilst he slept : Which since that time by sundry Nations kept , ( From age to age I could recite you how , Could I my pen that liberty alow . ) An ancient Prophet long agoe fore-told , ( Though fooles their sawes for vanities doe hold ) A King of Scotland , ages comming on , A prophecie belonging to that stone . Where it was found , be crown'd vpon that stone . Two famous Kingdoms seperate thus long , Within one Iland , and that speake one tongue , Since Brute first raign'd , ( if men of Brute alow ) Neuer before vnited vntill now , what power , nor war could do , nor time expected , Thy blessed birth hath happily effected . O now reuiue that noble Brittaines name , From which at first our ancient honors came , Which with both Nations fitly doth agree That Scotch and English without difference be , And in that place wher feuds were wont to spring Let vs light Iigs , and ioyfull Paeans sing . Whilst such as rightly propheci'd thy raigne , Deride those Ideots held their words for vaine . Had not my soule beene proofe gainst enuies spite I had not breath'd thy memory to write : Nor had my zealous , and religious layes Told thy rare vertues , and thy glorious dayes . Renowned Prince , when all these tumults cease , Euen in the calme , and Musick of thy peace , If in thy grace thou deigne to fauour vs , And to the Muses be propitious , Caesar himselfe , Roomes glorious wits among , Was not so highly , nor diuinely sung . The very earthl'est & degenerat'st spirit , That is most voyd of vertue , and of merit , With the austeer'st , and impudentest face , Will thrust himselfe the formost to thy grace ; Those silken , laced , and perfumed hinds , That haue rich bodies , but poore wretched minds , But from thy Court ( O Worthy ) banish quite The foole , the Pandar , and the Parasite , And call thy selfe most happy ( then be bold ) When worthie places , worthi'st men doe hold , The seruile clowne for shame shall hide his head , His ignorance , and basenesse frustrated , Set louely vertue euer in thy view , And loue them most , that most doe her pursue , So shalt thou ad renowne vnto thy state , A King most great , most wise , most fortunate . FINIS .