[5]

The HISTORY of the

CIVIL WAR.

The ARGUMENT.

What Times fore-go Richard the Second's Reign;
The fatal Causes of this Civil War :

His Uncle's Pride, His greedy Minions Gain:
Gloc'fter's Revolt, and Death, deliver'd are.
Hef'ford, accus'd, exil'd, call'd back again,
Pretends t' amend what others Rule did marr.
The King from Ireland haftes, but did no good;
Whilft ftrange prodigious Signs fore-token Blood.

Si

Civil Wars, tumultuous

Broils,

[Land;

And bloody Factions of a mighty

Whofe People haughty, proud with

[foreign Spoils,

Upon themselves turn back their Conqu❜ring

[Hand

Whilft Kin their Kin, Brother the Brother foils;
Like Enfigns all, against like Enfigns band;
Bows against Bows, the Crown against the Crown;
Whilft all pretending Right, all Right's thrown down.

B 3

II. What

II.

What Fury, O what Madness held thee fo, Dear England, (too too prodigal of Blood) To wafte fo much, and war without a Foe; Whilft France, to fee thy Spoils, at Pleasure ftood How much might'ft thou have purchas'd with lefs [Woe, T'have done thee Honour, and thy People good? Thine might have been whatever lies between The Alps and us, the Pyrenees and Rhene.

III.

Yet now what Reason have we to complain,
Since hereby came the Calm we did enjoy,
The Blifs of Thee, Eliza? Happy Gain
For all our Loffes; when as no other Way
The Heav'ns could find, but to unite again
The fatal fever'd Families, that they

Might bring forth Thee: That in thy Peace might

[grow That Glory, which few Times could ever fhow.

IV.

Come, Sacred Virtue; I no Muse, but thee,
Invoke, in this great Labour I intend.
Do thou infpire my Thoughts: Infufe in me
A Power to bring the fame to Happy End.
Raife up a Work for later Times to fee,
That may thy Glory and my Pains commend :
Make me these Tumults rightly to rehearse;
And give Peace to my Life, Life to my Verfe.

V.

And Thou, Charles Montjoy, who did'ft once afford Reft for my Fortunes on thy quiet Shore, And cheer'd'ft me on these Measures to record In graver Tones than I had us'd before; Behold, my Gratitude makes good my Word Engag'd to Thee, altho' Thou be no more;

That

That I, who heretofore have liv'd by Thee,
Do give Thee now a Room to live with Me.

VI.

And MEMORY, Preferv'refs of Things done, Cone thou, unfold the Wounds, the Wrack, the [Waste;

Reveal to me how all the Strife begun
'Twixt Lancaster and Tork, in Ages paft:
How Causes, Counfels, and Events did run,
So long as thefe unhappy Times did laft;
Unintermix'd with Fictions, Fantasies:
I Verfify the Truth, not Poetize.

VII.

And to the end we may with better Eafe
Difcern the true Difcourfe, vouchsafe to fhow
What were the Times foregoing, near to these,
That these we may with better Profit know.
Tell how the World fell into this Disease ;
And how fo great Diftemperature did grow:
So fhall we fee by what degrees it came;
"How Things at full do foon wax out of Frame.

VIII.

Ten Kings had from the *Norman Conqu'ror reign'd, With intermix'd and variable Fate,

When England to her greateft Height attain'd
Of Pow'r, Dominion, Glory, Wealth, and State
After it had with much ado fuftain'd
The Violence of Princes, with Debate.
For Titles, and the often Mutinies -
Of Nobles, for their Ancient Liberties.

Which was in the Space of 260 Tears.

B.4.

IX. For

་

IX. *

For first, the Norman conqu❜ring all by Might, By Might was forc'd to keep what he had got; Mixing our Cuftoms and the Form of Right With foreign Conftitutions he had brought; Maft'ring the Mighty, humbling the poorer Wight, By all fevereft Means that could be wrought; And, making the Succeffion doubtful, rent> This new-gor State, and left it turbulent. L

X.

+William his Son tracing his Father's Ways, (The Great Men fpent in Peace, or flain in Fight,) Upon depreffed Weaknefs only preys,

And makes his Force maintain his Doubeful Right:
His Elder Brother's Claim vexing his Days,17
His Actions and Exactions still incite ;.;
And giving Beafts what did to Men pertain, b
(Took for a Beaft) himself in th end was flain.
Bobio Xaw nuet of lat pain. i wolf “

1067. William I. frnamed the Conqueror, the Bafe Son to Robert the VIth Duke of Normandy, reigned 20 Years and 8 Months; and left the Crown of England to William, his Third Son, contrary to the Custom of Succeffion.

1087. William II. had Wars with his Elder Brother, Robert Duke of Normandy; with whom his Un cle Otho, and many of the Nobility of England took Part. He was flain Hunting in the New Foreft, by Sir Walter Tyrrell shooting at a Deer, when he had reigned 13 Years.

JUX
XI

His Brother Henry next commands the State Who, Robert's Title better to reject,

Seeks to repacify the People's Hate;

Ard with fair Shews, rather than in Effect,
Allays those Grievances that heavy fat;
Reforms the Laws, which foon he did neglect:
And 'reft of Sons, for whom he did prepare,
Leaves Crown and Strife to Maud his Daughter's
[Care..

XII.

Whom Stephen, his Nephew, (falfifying his
[Oath).
Prevents; affails the Realm, obtains the Crown;
Such Tumults raifing as torment them both,
Whilft both held nothing certainly their own:
Th' Afflicted State (divided in their Troth,
And Partial Faith) moft miferable grown,
Endures the while, till Peace, and Stephen's Death
Gave fome calm Leisure to recover Breath..

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* 1190. Henry I. the Youngest Son of William the 4 whole.

Conqueror, reigned 35 Years and drowned in the

and being

Seas, he leaves the Crown to Maud, first married to the Emperor Henry the IVth, and after to Geoffrey Plantagenet, Earl of Anjou.

1135. Stephen, Son to the Earl of Blois and A-t dela, Daughter to William the Conqueror, invades the Kingdom, contends with Maud the Empress for the Succeffion, and reigned tumultuarily Eighteen Years, and ten Months.