Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 2, Part 1 — Key Ideas to Explore

Life, death, landes, goods,[104] and all by vs was deemed: Whereby with easy paine great gayne wee did in fet,[105] And euery thing was fishe, that came vnto our net.

At sessions and at sises,[106] wee bare the stroake and sway, In patentes and commission, of _quorum_ alwaye chiefe:[107] So that to whether syde soeuer wee did way, Were it by right or wrong, it past, without repriefe: The true man wee let hang[108] somewhiles to saue a thiefe, Of gold, and of siluer, our handes were neuer empty, Offices, fermes, and fees, fell to vs in great plenty.

But what thing may suffice vnto the greedy man? The more hee hath in hold, the more hee doth desire: Happy and twise happy is hee, that wisely can Content himselfe with that, which reason doth require, And moyleth for no more then for his needefull hire: But greedines of minde doth seldome keepe[109] the syse, To whom enough and more doth neuer well suffice.[110]

For like as dropsy pacients drinke and still bee dry, Whose vnstaunchst thirst no liquor can alay, And drinke they nere so much, yet thirst they by and by:[111] So catchers and snatchers[112] toile both night and day, Not needy, but greedy, still prolling[113] for their pray: O endlesse thirste of gold, corrupter of all lawes, What mischiefe is on moulde whereof thou art not cause?

Thou madest vs forget the fayth of our profession,[114] When sergeants wee were sworne to serue the common lawe, Which was, that in no point wee should make digression[115] From approued principles, in sentence nor in sawe: But wee vnhappy wightes[116] without all dread and awe Of the judge eternall, for worlde’s vaine promotion, More to man then God did beare our whole deuotion.[117]

The lawes wee did interprete[118] and statutes of the land, Not truely by the texte, but newly by a glose: And wordes that were most playne, when they by vs were skand, Wee tourned by construction to[119] a _Welshman’s_ hose, Whereby many a one[120] both life and land did lose: Yet this wee made our meane to mount aloft on mules: And seruing times and turnes peruerted lawes and rules.[121]

Thus climing and contending alway to the toppe, From hie vnto higher, and then to bee most hye, The honny dewe of fortune so fast on vs did droppe, That of king _Richarde’s_ counsayle wee came to bee most nye:[122] Whose fauour to attayne wee[123] were full fine and slye: Alway to his profite[124] where any thing[125] might sounde, That way (all were it wrong) the lawes[126] wee did expounde.

So working lawe like waxe, the subiect was not sure Of life, land,[127] nor goodes but at the prince’s will, Which caused his kingdome the shorter time to dure: For clayming power absolute both to saue and spill, The prince thereby presumed his people for to pill, And set his lustes for lawe, and will had reason’s place, No more but hang and drawe, there was no better grace.

Thus the king outleaping the limits of his lawe, Not raigning but raging, as youth[128] did him entice, Wise and worthy persons from court did dayly drawe, Sage counsayle set at naught, proude vaunters were in price, And roysters bare the rule, which wasted all in vice: Of ryot and excesse, grewe scarsity and lacke, Of lacking came taxing, and so went welth to wracke.[129]

The barons[130] of the land not bearing this abuse, Conspiring with the commons assembled by assent, And seeing neyther reason,[131] nor treaty, could induce The king in any thing his rigour to relent, Maugre[132] his might they[133] calde a parliament: Franke and free for all men without checke[134] to debate As well for weale publique, as for the prince’s state.

In this[135] high assembly, great thinges were proponed Touching the prince’s state, his regalty[136] and crowne, By reason that the king[137] (which much was to be moned) Without regarde at all, of honour or renowne, Misledde by ill aduice, had tournde all vpside downe, For surety of whose state, them thought it did behoue His counsaylours corrupt by reason[138] to remoue:[139]

Among whome, _Robert Veer_[140] calde duke of _Irelande_, With _Mighell Delapole of Suffolke_ newe made earle, Of _Yorke_ also the archbishop, dispacht were out of hande,[141] With _Brembre_ of _London_ a full vncurteous churle:[142] Some learned in the lawe in exile they did hurle: But I poore[144] _Tresilian_ (because I was the chiefe) Was dampned to the gallowes most vily as[145] a thiefe.