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.
Nv18 The fift of August, and the fift
Notes. A variant source gives a more accurate title for this song: “Upon Prince Charles his arrivall from Spaine. Octob. 5. 1623” (Beinecke MS Osborn b.197). The poem appears to be a song, but unfortunately no evidence of tune or performance survives.
“Of Prince Charles his voyage into Spayne”
The fift of August,1 and the fift
Of good November2 made a shift
To make us sing and drinke merrily, ly, ly, ly.
But shalbee treason to bee sober
On the fift day of October:3
5And will you knowe the reason why? why, why, why.
The sonne of our most noble king
wentt into Spayne to fetch a thing;4
perhappes you heard of it before; before, before, etc
But there was such a doe about her,
10That hee is come agayne without her,
And I am very gladd therefore, therefore, therefore etc
With him is come unto our coast,
A man as great as hee all most,
A Duke5 hee is, a Dutches6 is his wife, his wife, his wife etc
15What needed hee so farre to come,
Who had so many wives at home,7
Doe what hee could, to last him all his lyfe? his lyfe, his lyfe etc
Your Puritans8 who will not drinke,
I warrant you, did wisely thinke,
20That our prudent King was very much to blame; to blame, to blame etc
Bycause hee made so many blottes;
They knew not hee had after plottes,
And went about to play an after game; game, game etc
Even as the head is wiser then
25The body, So let other men,
Give leave unto our king to bee wise; be wise, be wise, etc
And drinke a health unto the Prince
Who hath been absent ever since
Hee went away from hence in a disguise;9 disguise etc.
30Harke, I heare the belles ring;
O strange, How the gunnes sing,
It is not for a Mayor,10 or such a toye; a toye, a toye etc
The melancholy drums do beate,
The bonefires all are in a sweate,
35And melt away themselves for very joye, joy etc
The Lord Maior and his brothers,11
Though not so wise as others
But that it rain’d, had mett him all in order, order etc
Much joye in heart they did conceive,
40But, for they cannot speake, they leave
Their minde in the mouth of their Recorder,12 corder etc.
The citizens of London there
All pitifully undone were
And hung downe their heades; like men forlorne; forlorne, etc.
45When now the Prince is come from Spaine,
Holde up their broken heades agayne
And every one exalts on high his horne;13 his horne etc
I would his Majesty of Spaine were here a while to se
The jollyty of our English nation; nation etc
50Then surely hee would never hope, That either hee or els the pope
Could make here a Romish plantation,14 etc.
Now fye upon I knowe whom
Who turne for hopes in tyme to come,
And say that wee are blindly ledd away; away etc.
55As if that they had better sight
Who say the masse by candle light15
When the sunne shines as cleare as day: day etc.
And therefore you, who serve the tyme,
Lend both your eares unto my rime;
60And turne agayne, or els ere it bee long, long etc
I hope to see you killed all,
Like those that from a ladder fall,16
And put into a lamentable song, song, song etc
God blesse our Prince, and if hee chance
65To goe once more by Spaine to France;
His love unto his mistress for to show, show etc
I hartily desire hee may,
Even as he went, so come away:
And have no worse luck then hee had now, now etc.
70And if our royall King wilbee
In one thing well advis’d by mee:
Then let him give his loyall subjects leave, leave etc
To put the day the Prince ariv’d,
Into such bookes as are contriv’d
75By John a Stowe,17 and Jeffery a Neave,18 a Neave etc.
Source. Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 26, fols. 23v-24r
Other known sources. Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 160, fol. 180v; Beinecke MS Osborn b.197, p. 63
Nv18
1 fift of August: 5 August was commemorated as the anniversary of King James’s deliverance from the Gowrie assassination plot in Scotland. <back>
2 fift / Of good November: 5 November was commemorated as the anniversary of the discovery of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up King James and the Houses of Parliament. <back>
3 fift day of October: Prince Charles and Buckingham arrived in England from Spain on 5 October 1623. <back>
4 thing: i.e. the Spanish Infanta, Maria. <back>
5 A Duke: the Duke of Buckingham. <back>
6 Dutches: Katherine (Kate) Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham. <back>
7 so many wives at home: perhaps a (relatively friendly) dig at Buckingham’s reputation for womanizing. <back>
8 Puritans: mocking term for the godly, sober, hotter sort of Protestant. The poet is dismissing criticism of James’s conduct of the Spanish Match negotiations in 1623 as the work of Puritans. <back>
9 disguise: Charles and Buckingham left England disguised in false beards and simple clothes as Jack and Tom Smith. <back>
10 not for a Mayor: the festivities for the return of Prince Charles—church bells, bonfires in the streets, drums and cannon salutes—were part of the early modern English “vocabulary of celebration” (Cressy) and were thus similar to those used at the installation of Lord Mayors of London. <back>
11 his brothers: presumably the London aldermen. <back>
12 Recorder: the Recorder of London. <back>
13 exalts on high his horne: celebrates his victory or deliverance. The phrase is biblical (see, e.g., 1 Samuel 2.10). <back>
14 make here a Romish plantation: i.e. re-establish Catholicism in England. <back>
15 say the masse by candle light: reference to priests and Catholics who perform mass in secret at night. <back>
16 those that from a ladder fall: those that are hanged (about whom many a “lamentable song” was printed). <back>
17 John a Stowe: John Stow (d.1605), chronicler and antiquary. <back>
18 Jefferey a Neave: Jeffere Neve (or Le Neve) was an almanac writer. His A New almanack and prognostication was published annually during the early Stuart period. Cogswell (Blessed Revolution 11) notes that 5 October did find its way into almanacs. <back>
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