A web-based edition of early seventeenth-century political poetry from manuscript sources. It brings into the public domain over 350 poems, many of which have never before been published.
Nv13 Our Prince whom we soe dearely lov’d
Notes. This rare verse stands out both for its well-informed scepticism about the health of Spanish royal finances—and thus about the low probability of a massive dowry payment as part of a marriage alliance—and for its political critique of the Jacobean regime. This critique, couched in “patriot” anti-popish rhetoric, engages not only with James’s foreign policy, but also with his domestic religious and financial policies, and then concludes by comparing James unfavourably with his predecessor.
“An Epithalamion1 on the Princes Mariage writt by a truer Catholiqe then he that styles himselfe the most Catholiqe Kinge”2
Our Prince3 whom we soe dearely lov’d
And of whose lyfe we soe approved
Our hopes did strangely mocke
By Saylinge through the Westerne deepe
To marry with a Scabbed Sheepe4
5Of ThantiChristian5 flocke.
Whose father6 but a beggar was
And brother7 now doth likewyse pass
For such a one or worse
As best the Genowayes8 can tell
10That to the fearefull pit of hell
him & his projects curse.
Tis true his Indies9 doe abound
With Jemms above, Gold underground
In wished manner yet,
15But those the states10 do still surprise
Knoweinge which way their passage lyes
Before they home can gett.
Whereat inraged he11 doth vowe
Hee’le make them to his Scepter bowe
20Or battle with them joyne
Which plotte his treasure hath so spent12
that he must pay in Complement
What we desire in Coyne.
Loe here is all the hopes we have
25Howere the Papists doe outbrave13
Of Portion14 with our Prince
Allthough the braggeinge Spaniard sweares
Hee meanes to frustrate all our feares
And us of Spite Convince.
30Her wealth yow heare, her tawny face
Doth herrald like proclaime her race
And shewes shee is a Moore:15
Her faith it is Heriticall
To guess what then should him inthrall
35My judgement is too poore
Except their Silver alters, and
the golden gods that on them stand16
His heart did so bewitche,
That thence he did conclude there Kinge
40As much out of his chests could bringe
As Scottelande17 would inriche.
Which of all Countryes is the worst
And when the fruitefull earth was curst
Was made the barrennest
45As by our Kinges Revenues there18
It might full easily appeare
If that where here exprest.
But if those babyes won his19 love
And made him Neptunes20 kindenes prove
50And yet he bee beguiled:
Of Heyres, no matter, he did neede
A wyfe I know, but not for breede
For he doth want no chyld.
Nor other riches for the Land21
55Where now he keepes & shall Command
Much skornes the least increase
Of wealth or honour, as it seemes,
But rich enough in both esteemes
Her selfe because at peace.
60And soe her prudent ruler22 sayes
That money at his will may rayse23
As hee himselfe beleives
And soe he hath done hitherto
Not careinge whom it doth undoe
65So he his ends acheives.
But he his taxes must foregoe,
Or, sure our weale24 is chang’d to woe
Wee’l change our love to hate:
And more condemne his crueltye
70Than we commend her25 clemencye
That in his throane last sate.
Dureing whose raigne, though none drunke wyne
Under the shaddowe of his vyne
Because no vines we hadd,
75Yet Milke & honey Canaans food26
By runninge in a several flood
Therewith our hearts did gladde
But ah! these days of happynes
For others of as much distress
80Long since exchanged were
Our Ease to toyle our Joy to greife
And he of whom we crave releife
Our cryes doth onely heare.
In Purse and Spirrit equally
85We feele so great a poverty
As mars our wonted sport,
Yet who can choose but faint & fall
To see Religion like a ball
Quite bandied out of Court.27
90And to consider how our Kinge
Whose Fame through Christendome doth ringe
For store of guifts divine,
Doth with the prodigal28 rejecte
The meate his Soule should most effecte
95To Feed on Huskes with swyne.
Source. Bodleian MS Eng. Poet. c.50, fols. 15v-16r
Nv13
1 Epithalamion: a wedding poem. <back>
2 truer Catholiqe...Kinge: Protestants often affirmed that they, not the Church of Rome, were the true “catholic”, universal Church. The kings of Spain assumed the title of “most Catholic king”. <back>
3 Prince: Prince Charles, who travelled to Spain in February 1623. <back>
4 Scabbed Sheepe: diseased sheep; here standing for the Infanta Maria of Spain. In September 1622, Joseph Mead learned that a Paul’s Cross preacher, one Clayton from Fulham, had been punished for telling a “tale of a great murrain of sheep in Edward the Sixth’s days (I think); the reason whereof was, as he said, the coming of scabbed sheep, our of Spain” (Birch, James I 2.329-330). <back>
5 ThantiChristian: Protestant polemicists believed the Pope was the Antichrist. <back>
6 father: the Infanta Maria was the daughter of Philip III of Spain. <back>
7 brother: Maria’s brother had become Philip IV of Spain in March 1621. <back>
8 Genowayes: Genoese. Genoese bankers served the cash-strapped Spanish crown. <back>
9 his Indies: Spain’s American possessions. <back>
10 the states: the Dutch, whose navy worked to capture Spanish treasure ships sailing from the Americas. <back>
11 he: i.e. the King of Spain. <back>
12 Which plotte...so spent: the Spanish had been fighting the Dutch for six decades, putting a huge strain on Spanish finances. <back>
14 Portion: the dowry the Spanish will offer with the Infanta. <back>
15 Moore: a Spanish Muslim. <back>
16 Silver alters...stand: the silver altars and golden statuary upon them are symbols not only of Spain’s apparent wealth, but also of the Spaniards’ Catholicism (and hence, from a Protestant perspective, “idolatry”). <back>
17 Scottelande: to the English, Scotland was notoriously impoverished (see Section E). <back>
18 our Kinges Revenues there: i.e. James I’s revenues from his Scottish kingdom. <back>
19 his: though the sense of the poem becomes a little convoluted, the best reading is to assume that the poem here is referring again to Charles. <back>
20 Neptunes: god of the sea. <back>
22 prudent ruler: James I. <back>
23 money...may rayse: referring to James I’s raising of taxation without parliamentary consent, including customs duties (impositions) and benevolences (voluntary taxes). In May 1622, Lord Saye and Sele was reported to have spoken out against a benevolence as an illegal tax (Birch, James I 2.312). <back>
24 weale: good, well-being. <back>
26 Milke & honey Canaans food: “And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites” (Exodus 3.7-8). <back>
27 Religion...bandied out of Court: court here has a double meaning, being both a tennis court, from which a ball can be struck out of bounds, and the royal court, where, in 1622-23, a number of high profile conversions to Catholicism and promotions of known Catholics seemed to imply a grave threat to Protestant political hegemony. <back>
28 the prodigal: the last three lines of the stanza allude to Christ’s parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15.11-32). <back>
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