Excerpts from <title level="a">The Complaint of Henry Duke of Buckingham Author William Baldwin Editor Toby Malone Conversion and Remediation LEMDO Team Markup and Metadata LEMDO Team Copyright Holder (Content) Toby Malone Copyright Holder (XML and interface) University of Victoria Queen’s Men EditionsQME

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Modernized excerpts of The Complaint of Henry Duke of Buckingham from Mirror for Magistrates (Baldwin).

And being thus, alone, and all forsake, Amid the thick, forewandered in despair, As one dismayed, ne wistNot knowing. what way to take, Until at last, ’gan to my mind repair, A man of mine, called Humphrey Banastre: Wherewith me feeling much recomforted. In hope of succor, to his house I fled. Who being one whom erst I had upbrought Even from his youth, and loved and liked best, To gentry state advancing him from naught, And had in secret trust, above the rest Of special trust, now, being thus distressed, Full secretly to him I me conveyed. Not doubting there but I should find some aid. But out, alas, on cruel treachery! When that this caitiff, once an inkling had, How that king Richard had proclaimed, that he Which me descried should have for his reward A thousand pounds, and farther be preferred, His truth so turned to treason, all distained,Besmirched, stained (OED distain, v. 2). That faith quite fled, and I by trust was trained. For by this wretch I being straight betrayed To one John Mitton, sheriff of Shropshire then, All suddenly was taken, and conveyed To Salisbury, with routTroop, crowd (OED rout, n.1 1.a). of harnessedArmored. men, Unto king Richard there, encamped then Fast by the city with a mighty host: Withouten doomOffering judgement. where head and life I lost. And with these words, as if the axe even there Dismembered had his head and corpse apart, Dead fell he down: and we in woeful tear Stood ’mazed when he would to life revert: But deadly griefs still grew about his heart, That still he lay, sometime revived with pain, And with a sigh becoming dead again. Thou, Banastre, ’gainst thee I clepeCry, shout (OED clepe, n. 1). and call Unto the gods, that they just vengeance take On thee, thy blood, thy stained stock and all: O Jove, to thee above the rest I make My humble plaint. Guide me, that what I speak, May be thy will upon this wretch to fall: On thee, Banastre, wretch of wretches all! O would to God, that cruel dismal day That gave me light first to behold thy face, With foul eclipse had reftTaken. my sight away. The unhappy hour, the time, and ekeAlso, as well as (OED eke, n.1 4). the place, The sun and moon, the stars, and all that was In their aspects helping in ought to thee, The earth and air, and all, accursed be. And thou, caitiff,Wretch, villain (OED caitiff, n. 3.a). that like a monster swerved From kind and kindness, hast thy master lorn,Doomed, condemned (OED lorn, adj. 1). Whom neither truth, nor trust wherein thou served, Ne his deserts could move, nor thy faith sworn, How shall I curse, but wish that thou unborn Had been, or that the earth had rent in tway,Two (OED tway, adj. 3). And swallowed thee in cradle as thou lay. To this did I, even from thy tender youth, WitsaveVouchsafed, consented (OED vouchsafe, v. 1.1.a). to bring thee up? Did I hereforFor this reason. Believe the oath of thy undoubted truth? Advance thee up, and trust thee evermore, By trusting thee that I should die therefore? O wretch, and worse than wretch, what shall I say, But clepe and curse ’gainst thee and thine for ay!Forever. Hated be thou, disdained of every wight,Person, creature (OED wight, n. 1.a). And pointed at wherever that thou go: A traitorous wretch, unworthy of the light Be thou esteemed: and to increase thy woe, The sound be hateful of thy name also, And in this sort with shame and sharp reproach, Lead thou thy life, till greater grief approach. Dole and despair, let those be thy delight, Wrapped in woes that cannot be unfold. To wail the day, and weep the weary night With rainy eyneWeeping. and sighs cannot be told. And let no wight thy woe seek to withhold: But count thee worthy (wretch) of sorrow’s store, That suffering much, ought still to suffer more. Deserve thou death, yea be thou deemed to die A shameful death, to end thy shameful life: A sight longed for, joyful to every eye, When thou shalt be arraigned as a thief. Standing at bar, and pleading for thy life, With trembling tongue in dread and dolor’s rage, Lade with white locks,Greyed hair. and fourscore years of age. Yet shall not death deliver thee so soon Out of thy woes, so happy shalt not be, But to the eternal Jove this is my boon: That thou mayst live thine eldest son to see Reft of his wits, and in a foul boar’s sty To end his days, in rage and death distressed, A worthy tomb where one of thine should rest. Yet after this, yet pray I more, thou may Thy second son see drowned in a dyke,Small pond, pool (OED dyke, n.1 3). And in such sort to close his later day, As heard or seen erst hath not been the like. YstrangledDrowned. in a puddle, not half so deep As half a foot, that such hard loss of life, So cruelly chanced, may be the greater grief. And not yet shall thy hugyEnormous (OED hugy, adj.). sorrows cease, Jove shall not so withhold his wrath from thee, But that thy plagues may more and more increase. Thou shalt still live that thou thyself mayest see Thy dear daughter stricken with leprosy: That she, that erst was all thy whole delight, Thou now mayst loath to have her come in sight. And after that, let shame and sorrows grief Feed forth thy years continually in woe, That thou mayest live in death, and die in life, And in this sort fore-wailedLamented. and wearied so, At last thy ghost to part thy body fro. This pray I, Jove, and with this latter breath, Vengeance I ask upon my cruel death.