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The original text was published as an eight-page pamphlet. In the surviving copy, used as the basis for all facsimile reprints, the bottoms of the pages have been cropped. A total of three lines— shown as a row of asterisks— are entirely missing, and a further three have been reconstructed from their surviving portions. The html version of this e-text shows the reconstructions.

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A A Ioyfull medytacyon to all Englonde of the coronacyon of our moost naturall souerayne lorde kynge Henry the eyght.



The prologue

The prudent problems / & the noble werkes Of the gentyll poetes in olde antyquyte Vnto this day hath made famous clerkes For the poetes Wrote nothynge in vanyte But grounded them on good moralyte Encensynge out the fayre dulcet fume Our langage rude to exyle and consume

The ryght eloquent poete and monke of bery Made many fayre bookes / as it is probable From ydle derkenes / to lyght our emyspery Whose vertuous pastyme / was moche cA mumendable Presentynge his bookes / gretely prouffytable To your worthy predecessour the .v. kynge Henry whiche regystred is in the courte of memory

Amyddes the medowe of flora the quene Of the goddes elycon / is the sprynge or well And by it groweth / a fayre laurell grene Of whiche the poetes do ofte wryte and tell Besyde this olyue / I dyde neuer dwell To tast the water whiche is aromatyke For to cause me wryte with lusty rethoryke

Wherefore good souerayne / I beseche your hyghnes To pardon me whiche do rudely endyte As in this arte hauynge small intres But for to lerne is all myn appetyte In folowynge the monke whiche dyde nobly wryte Besechynge your hyghnes and grace debonayre For to accepte this rude and lytell quayre

A Explicit prologus.

O God alone in heuen werynge crowne In whose inspecte is euery regall se Both to enhaA(C)ce & for to cast adowne Suche is [the] power of tha" hygh magiste Neyther hardynes treasour nor dygnyte May withstande thy strength whiche is Ae(C) euery place So grete and myghty is thy dyuyne grace

Two tytles in one thou dydest well vnyfye Whan the rede rose toke the whyte in maryage Reygnynge togyder ryght hygh and noblye From whose vnyd tytyls and worthy lygnage Descended is by ryght excellent courage Kynge Henry the .viii. for to reygne doutles Vnyuersall his fame honour and larges

Whiche hathe spousyd a fayre floure of vertue Descended of kynges dame katheryn of Spayne * * * * * * * By grace and prudens the peace to attayne Wherfore Englonde thou nedes not complayne Syth thou hast crowned openly in syght This kynge and quene by good true loue and ryght

What sholde I shewe by perambulacyon All this grete tryumphe of whiche reporte Is made aboute nowe in euery nacyon Vnto all this realme to be Ioy and comforte Wherfore you lordes I humby you exhorte Spyrytuall and temporall with the comyns vnyfyde To gyue god the prayse which dothe grace prouyde

Englonde be gladde / the dewe of grace is spred The dewe of Ioy / the dewe holsome and soote Dystylled is nowe from the rose so red And of the whyte so spryngynge from the roote After our trouble to be refute and boote This ryall tree was planted as I knowe By god aboue the rancour to downe throwe

Who is the floure that dothe this grace dystyll But onely Henry the viii.kynge of his name With golden droppes all Englonde to fulfyll To shewe his larges his honour and his fame His dedes therto exemplefye the fame Wherefore nowe Englonde with hole deuocyon For this yonge kynge make dayly orayson

Our late souerayne his fader excellent I knowe ryght well some holde oppynyon That to auaryce he had entendement Gadrynge grete rychesse of this his regyon But they lytell knowe by theyr small reason For what hye entente he gadered doutles Vnto his grace suche innumerable ryches

For I thynke well and god had sente hym lyfe As they haue meruaylled moche of this gadrynge So it to them sholde haue ben affyrmatyfe To haue had grete wonder of his spendynge It may fortune he thought to haue mouynge Of mortall warre our fayth to stablysshe Agaynst the turkes theyr power to mynysshe

But syth that dethe by his course naturall Hathe hym arested / and wolde not delay Lyke wyse as he was so be we mortall How / where / or whan I cam nothynge say Therfore to god aboue let vs all pray For to graunt hym mercy whiche was our kynge Bryngynge his soule to Ioy euerlastinge

A fayre Englonde mystruste the ryght nought Regarde ryght well / his sonnes Iustyce Se how that they whyche inuencyons sought Delytynge them in the synne of auaryce To oppresse the comyns by grete preiudyce Dothe he not punysshe them accordynge to lawe Suche newe promocyons to dampne and withdrawe

[Sidenote: Saturne]

Fy on the saturne with thy mysty fume Replete with fraude treason and wyckednes To shewe thy beames thou darest not presume So cursed thou arte withouten stablenes Deuoyde of grace fulfylled with doblenes Thy power to Englonde was neuer amyable But alwayes euyll vntrue and varyable

[Sidenote: Iupyter.]

Now gentyll Iupyter the lodesterre of lyghte Thy stedfast beames so fayre and so clere Cast now abrede that we may haue a syght To gladde vs all whan that they do appere Sendynge downe trouthe from thy fulgent spere For to make our hertes mekely to enclyne To serue our souerayue whiche doth nowe domyne

[Sidenote: Mars]

O myghty Mars o god of the warre O flambynge honour of euery hardy herte Sende downe thy power truely from so ferre Us to encourage that we do not sterte But by hardynes that we may subuerte Our soueraynes enemyes to hym contraryous By bataylles fyrse ryghtfull and rygorous

[Sidenote: Phebus]

And thou fayre bright / and aureate phebus Encreace now lyght with loue and honoure Amonge the lordes so gay and gloryus With thy radyant beames so hye of fauoure Deuoydynge all trechery debate and rancoure Any yllumyne the mynde with lyberalyte Of our good souerayne with welth and vnyte

[Sidenote: Venus.]

And lady Venus with thy sone Cupyde Of euery lorde do nowe the herte enspyre With feruent loue that he do not slyde And of the comyns set the hertes on fyre To loue our souerayne with theyr hole desyre Folowynge his grace with dulcet armonye To the ryghtfull waye withouten Ieoperdye

[Sidenote: Mercury]

Also thou Mercury the god of eloquence The gentyll sterre of grace and vertue Thy beames of ryght peace and conscyence On our kynges counsayll downe send and renue The trouthe of Iustyce / that they may extue For to do wronge by the synne of couetyce That here before hathe done grete preiudyce

[Sidenote: Luna.]

An thou watery dyane of the se the goddes With thy broder eolus the god of the wynde Encourage the hertes by in warde hardynes Of . . . . . ynde And enmyes ryse that they be not behynde Them for to chace and the se to scoure By grace and fortune in many a stormy stoure

O god aboue / trononysed in heuen In whose wyll resteth euery thynge alone The skye / the erthe / with all the planettes seuen Without whose grace / comforte haue we none As thou arte thre enclusyd in one So saue our souerayne / from all maner wo And this his realme from mortall warre also

Holy chirche reioyce / with all your lybertees Withouten dA mumage / the kynge wyll ye encreace And be your shelde from all aduersytees No wronge shall be but he wyll it soone seace Knyttynge the knotte of fayth loue and peace Bytwene you and hym without dysturbaunce So for to endure by longe contynuaunce

Ryght myghty prynce our good souerayne lorde To god enclynynge be hardy and gladde Of you and your realme he wyll se concorde Though other nacyons be therfore full sadde Agaynst you murmurynge with theyr werkes badde Yet drede ye nothynge for god with his myght Wyll be alwaye redy to defende the ryght

Ryght noble / wyse / and excellent pryncesse Ryght benygne lady / lyberall and vertuous Dyscended lynyally of the lyne of noblenesse Fayre quene katheryne so swete adn precyous To our souerayne espoused with Ioy solacyous Almyghty god gyue grace to myltyplye From you your stoures to reyne ryght ryally

And lady Mary prynces ryght beauteous Indued with honour / vertue / and prudence Ryght meke / goodly / gentyll and gracyous Syster ryght dere vnto the excellence Of our good souerayne / surmountynge in sapyence Ryght fayre younge lady / the grete lorde aboue He graunte you grace / hygh fame / fortune / and loue

And all you lordes and laydes honourable And you noble knyghtes so hauntynge chyualry Unto our souerayne be meke and tendable Whiche wyll rewarde you well and nobly As to shewe his largesse vnyuersally Encouragynge your hertes that courage chyualrous In tyme of batayll for to be vyctoryous

And all ye offycers of euery degree Beware extorcyon, for and it be knowen No doute it is but ye shall punysshed be Take hede of them / the whiche be ouerthrowen Remembre well how fortune hathe blowen The promoters downe / and castynge them full lowe In folowynge them ye shall fall as I trowe

Englonde be true and loue well eche other Obey your souerayne / and god omnypotent Whiche is aboue / of all the worlde the rother Wyll sende you welth / from whome all good is sente He gyue vs grace to kepe his cA mumaundement And saue our souerayne / with his semely quene With all theyr bloode / without trouble and tene

A Amen.

A Excusacio auctoris

A Go lytell treatyse submyt the humbly To our souerayne lorde / to be in his presence Besechynge his grace to accepte the mekely And to pardon thy rudenes and neclygence * * * * * * * To compyle those maters whiche sholde pleasure be Unto his hyghnes and regall maieste

Now ye fayre laydes, wyse and vertuous I ryght humbly praye you for to condyscende To accepte my makynge nothynge facundious I wolde that fortune wolde connynge extende That myn endytynge I myght than amende To dyrecte my maters after your pleasaunce Whiche yet replete am with all ygnoraunce

A M E N

A Thus endeth this Ioyfull medytacyon made & compyled by Stephen hawes somtyme grome of [the] chambre of our late souerayne lorde kynge Henry [the] seuenth

A Enprynted at London in [the] fletestrete at [the] sygne of the sonne by wynkyn de worde.



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Errors and Irregularities:

Wherfore you lordes I humby you exhorte [error for humbly?] But onely Henry the viii.kynge of his name [spacing unchanged] How / where / or whan I cam nothynge say [aEurooecamaEuro: error for can?] The word aEurooecamaEuro could be read as aEurooecainaEuro with missing dot, but an unambiguous letter aEurooemaEuro with the same defect appears several other times on this page.

Reconstructed or missing lines:

Descended of kynges dame katheryn of Spayne For I thynke well and god had sente hym lyfe Of . . . . . ynde The first word can be reconstructed because the page was cut or bound at a slight angle; the line-ending is entirely invisible but deducible from the rhyme scheme, as are the endings of the other missing lines. Indued with honour / vertue / and prudence