---

“The Common Peoples Apollegy to the Queene of Bohemia. 1623”

When we but heare that Turkes and Tartars fight1

(Thou best of Princes) onely in thy right

That they have tooke up armes, do lay downe lives

Forsake their Countryes fortunes Children wives

Beate up their drummes their bloody Coullers spread

5

And all to place a Croune2 uppon thy head

When we do heare and see and know all this

Shall not a Brittaine gainst a Brittayne hisse?3

Must the pale Turkish moones4 lend light to thee

Thou glorious starre of Europe? and must wee

10

So much degenerate from the bravery

of all our Ancestors as to stand by

When Romes bold dareinge Eagles5 pearch so high

The Phœnix of the world?6 Can we for shame

See Pagans throw themselves into this flame

15

opening their veines with zealous true desyre

To Quench with their lost blood seditious fyre?

Are we so stupid growne so dull so Colde

shall it I say to after tymes be tolde

That England Scotland Ireland did give leave

20

unto the mice to breed spyders to weave

and eateinge rust within their Armes to rest

When their owne best of Princes was distrest?

When the Cheife glory of this brittish ile

lives, though not in thraldome in exile7

25

And must by Turkes and Infidells alone

Without our Ayde be seated in her throne?

Shall not our Soules blush after we are dead

When this unsampled basenes shall be read

in lastinge records? yes our sonnes shall be

30

asham’d to owne us: and there Pedegree

rather derive from some strange nacion faind

Then with such worthless fathers names be staynd

But oh thou mistress of Each good mans heart

This is our least of Feares our Cares least part,

35

It is thy frowne (blest soule) or which is worse

It is that foreseene everlastinge Curse

Of all thy Childrens Children, who will shame

To name the nacion whence their Mother Came.

And to their royall Issue will they say

40

Thou wert let downe from heaven not framd of Clay

For we (brave princess) should have thought no other

Had we not knowne thy father seene thy mother.

For sure a Soule more pure more white more good

As yet was never Cloath’d in Flesh and blood.

45

On that unshaken rocke of Excellence

Undoubted Charity matchless temperance.

Approved Industry rarest Apprehension

Our hopes firme ground, onely good intencon

We trust (brave princess) shall be receiv’d as fact

50

And though we do not yet our desires Act

Shall free us from that future infamy

That else would dogge us to eternity

For know (thou glory of thy sexe) in whome

The blotte and Taint of Eve8 I dare presume

55

has lost all force, makeing thy faire Creacion

Above all others worthy admiracion.

Know for a Truth deigne to reporte it soe

Thy Isle had been unpeopled long agoe

If Soveraigne Dignity9 and scourge of Lawe

60

Had not restrayn’d us kept us still in Awe

In Prague10 we would once more have seene the Cround

Or with our blood revolting Bohemia drownd

Their Like a Sun whose beames no Eagles eye

For feare of Blastinge should have durst come nigh.

65

We would have fixed thee no divine Turkish moone

At midnight should have rose much less at noone.

No salvadge Tartar should have had the glory

Once to have mencion in thy lives best story

But all with feare and Tremblinge should have stood

70

Whilst Brittish Ensignes11 swamme in Spanish blood.

It was not feare then (maddam) kept us thence

Nor want of Love, nor dare I say from whence

This base neglect originally Grewe

You had our hearts what hindred then judge yow.

75

Yow might have had our hands our blowes our blood

Had not our good intencions been withstood

Had not some power abouve us12 us restraynd

Yourselfe had been more grac’d we less disdayn’d

The Poorest widdowe Maddam in your Quarrell

80

With Joy and13 Emptyed both her Cruse14 and barrell.

Nay sacrific’d her sonne without a groane

Proud to have had his tombe but neere your throne.

The Churlish Nabal15 to a Souldiers pay

A weather16 would have tend’red every day

85

Each Country lass her Jette ringe would have broken

And sent the sylver lyneinge for a Token -

unto that Lad that from her Parrish went

And in your Quarrell had the least blood spent

The knotty fisted Ploweman thickeskin’d boore

90

That greives to leave the least gleaninge for the poore

Or pay to God the Tyth17 of his encrease

Would gladly give the thirds to buy your peace.

The Toylinge Clowne18 that eates no other Meate

Then what is dayly basted with his sweat

95

Would borrow from the night one houre or two

And singe for Joy that then he wrought for you.

The poore mechannicke at whose Elbowe stands

More Mouths then he Hath fingers on his hands

Each suckinge from his labor their repast

100

Would teach those hungry Infants how to fast

And from their halfe starvd bellyes every day

ravish a meale, that he might so defray

A souldiers Charge. A nurse no sucke would give

Till she had taught her babe to cry long live

105

Bohemia’s Queene, whilst heaven Confound all those

Profess themselves your opposites your foes.

And thus much Maddam I dare boldly sweare

Each English face doth sacrifice a yeare

and writes in wrinckles, or in white heares more

110

Some by five some by Ten some by a Score

Since these thy Troubles then they would have done

If these unhappy broyles had nere begun.

For when we did suppose yow sigh’d we wept

And when we dream’d yow wak’d we never slept

115

And if (as heaven defend) A teare yow shedd

Uppon my soule) each good mans heart then bledd.

Your voyce is lyke an oracle and all

Will hold what yow shall speake Canonicall

Proclayme then Maddam to posterity

120

That Englands Commons Englands Gentery

Did waste more blood in sighes and grones then those

That did encounter with your boldest foes.

This by yow beleiv’d this by yow proclaym’d

Our sonnes need never blush when we are namd.

125

---

Source. Bodleian MS Eng. Poet. c.50, fol. 21v-22v

Other known sources. Brotherton MS Lt. q. 44, fol. 13r

Nii5

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here < N0. Introduction Ni1 You men of Britaine Ni2 A Prince out of Ni3 A Prince out of the North Ni4 If 88 be past then Nii1Some say Sir Edward Nii2 Whiles thy sonnes rash Nii3 The famous Embassador Nii4 The Belgick Frogge Nii5 When we but heare Nii6 Religion the most sacred Niii1 Why? what meanes this? Niii2 Adew deere Don Niii3 Anagram on Count Niv1 If Saints in heaven Niv2 Your bold Petition Mortalls Nv1 What suddayne change Nv2 From Englands happy Nv3 I’ve read of Ilands flotinge Nv4 False on his Deanrye? Nv5 Tell mee for gods sake Nv6 The day was turnd Nv7A Phillipp once to england Nv8 The starre that rose Nv9 Since Arthure, or his Nv10 Ilium deplores, but still Nv11Our eagle is yett flowne Nv12 Poor silly wight that Nv13 Our Prince whom we Nv14 The Prince of Wales Nv15 All the newes thats Nv16 Oh for an Ovid Nv17 The Prince is now Nv18 The fift of August Nvi1O stay your teares yow Nvi2 Contemne not Gracious Nvi3 Withold thy fiery steeds

¹   Turkes and Tartars: probably an allusion to the anti-Habsburg military activities of the Protestant Prince Bethlen Gabor of Transylvania, a close ally of the Ottoman Turks (who supported his military activities because of a common concern to see Austrian power weakened). Turkish military efforts at this time, however, were focused on a war with the Persians. <back>

²   Croune: the crown of Bohemia. Elizabeth’s husband Frederick V had been chosen King of Bohemia by rebellious Bohemian nobles in August 1619, and had accepted the crown the following month. Frederick had been driven from Bohemia by Imperial forces after the Battle of White Mountain in November 1620. <back>

³   Shall not...Brittayne hisse: an allusion perhaps to the “hissing” of the libellers against their monarch. <back>

⁴   Turkish moones: probably an allusion to the crescent moon symbolism on Islamic battle flags. <back>

⁵   Romes bold dareinge Eagles: the Catholic military powers of Spain and Austria. <back>

⁶   The Phœnix of the world: meaning here something like the Habsburg “Universal Monarchy”, “the unique supreme power of the world”. <back>

⁷   in exile: Elizabeth and Frederick, their lands in the Palatinate occupied by Spanish and Bavarian troops, were in exile in the United Provinces. <back>

⁸   Eve: Eve’s eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was held to have brought original sin upon mankind. By overcoming the “blotte and Taint of Eve”, Elizabeth had also transcended the specifically female weaknesses that Eve was held to embody. <back>

⁹   Soveraigne Dignity: i.e. James’s opposition to large-scale military intervention on behalf of Elizabeth and Frederick. <back>

¹⁰   Prague: capital of the kingdom of Bohemia. <back>

¹¹   Ensignes: battle flags. <back>

¹²   some power abouve us: i.e. King James. <back>

¹³   and: probable scribal error; read “had”. <back>

¹⁴   Cruse: jar. <back>

¹⁵   Churlish Nabal: Nabal, a wealthy farmer, refused King David’s request to supply his troops with provisions (see 1 Samuel 25). <back>

¹⁶   weather: wether; a male sheep. <back>

¹⁷   Tyth: tithe; the tenth of a person’s goods or earnings paid to the church. <back>

¹⁸   Clowne: rustic. <back>