Again, though Gods have giv'n thee all the world as thine;
That's parted from the world, thou get'st no land of mine.
And since likewise of Gods we came, a nation free,
We owe no tribute, aid, or pledge, to Rome or thee.

Retract thy will, or wage thy war, as likes thee best,
We are to fight, and rather, than to friendship press'd;
To save our country from the force of foreign strife,
Each Briton here is well content to venture life.
We fear not of the end, or dangers thou dost tell;
But use thy pleasure, if thou may'st; thus fare thou well.

CASSIBELLANE.

When Cæsar had receiv'd his answer so,

It vex'd him much; he fully straight decreed
To wage us war, and work us, Britons, woe:

Therefore he hasted hitherward with speed;
We Britons here prepar'd ourselves, with heed,
To meet the Romans, all in warlike wise,
With all the force and speed we might devise.

We Britous then far deem'd it meeter much,

To meet him first at th' entry on this land, Than for to give an entry here to such,

Might, with our victuals, here ourselves withstand.

"Tis better for thy enemy to aband,

Quite from thy borders, to a stranger soil,

Than he, at home, thee and thy country spoil.

Wherefore we met him, at his entry in,

And pitch'd our camps directly in his way:

We minded sure to lose, or else to win

The praise, before we pass'd from thence away.
So when that both the armies were in ray,

And trumpet's blast on every side was blown,
Our minds to either each were quickly known.

We joined battle, fiercely both we fought;

The Romans to enlarge their empire's fame, And we, with all the force and might we mought, To save our country, and to keep our name.

(O worthy Britons, learn to do the same) We broke the rays of all the Roman host, And made the mighty Cæsar leave his boast.

Yet he, the worthiest captain ever was,

Brought all in ray, and fought again a-new; His skilful soldiers he could bring to pass

At once, for why his trainings all they knew.

No sooner I his noble corps did view,
But in I broke amongst the captain's band,
And there I fought with Cæsar hand to hand.

O God, thou might'st have given a Briton grace,
T' have slain the Roman Cæsar noble then;
Which sought his blood the Britons to deface,
And bring, in bondage, valiant worthy men:
He never should have gone to Rome again,
To fight with Pompey, or his peers to slay,
Or else to bring his country in decay.

It joy'd my heart to strike on Cæsar's crest,
OCæsar, that there had been none but we;
I often made my sword to try thy breast,

But Lady Fortune did not look on me.
I able was, methought, with Cæsars three
To try the case: I made thy heart to quake,
When on thy crest with mighty strokes I strake.

The strokes, thou struck'st me, hurt me not at all,
For why, thy strength was nothing in respect;
But thou hadst bath'd thy sword in poison all,
Which did my wound not deadly else infect.
Yet was I, or I parted thence bewreck'd,
I got thy sword from thee, for all thy fame,
And made thee fly, for fear to eat the same.

For, when thy sword was in my target fast,
I made thee fly, and quickly leave thy hold;
Thou never wast, in all thy life, so gast,

Nor durst again be ever half so bold.

I made a number of Roman hearts full cold. Fight, fight, you noble Britons, now, quoth I, We never all will unrevenged die,

What, Cæsar, though thy praise and mine be odd?
Perhaps the stories scarce remember me :
Though poets all of thee do make a God,

Such simple fools in making Gods they be.
Yet, if I might my case have try'd with thee,
Thou never hadst return'd to Rome again,
Nor, of thy faithful friends, been beastly slain.

A number Britons, might'st thou there have seen,
Death-wounded fight, and spoil their spiteful foes:
Myself, maim'd, slew and mangled more I ween,
When I was hurt, than twenty more of those.
I made the Roman hearts to take their hose:

In all the camp no Roman scarce I spy'd,
Durst half a combate 'gainst a Briton 'bide.

At length I met a nobleman, they call'd
Him Labienus, one of Cæsar's friends,
A tribune erst, had many Britons thrall'd:
Was one of Cæsar's legates, forth he sends.
Well met (quoth I) I mind to make thee mends,
For all thy friendship to our country crew:
And so with Cæsar's sword his friend I slew:

What need I name you every Briton here,

As first the King, the nobles all beside,
Full stout and worthy wights, in war that were,
As ever erst the stately Romans try'd;

We fought so long they durst no longer 'bide.
Proud Cæsar he, for all his brags and boast,
Flew back to ships, with half his scatter'd host.

If he had been a God, as Sots him nam'd,
He could not of us Britons taken foil;
The monarch Cæsar might have been asham'd,
From such an island, with his ships recoil,
Or else to fly, and leave behind the spoil:
But life is sweet, he thought it better fly,
Than hide amongst us Britons, for to die.

I had his sword, was named Croceamors,
With which he gave me in the head a stroke,
The venom of the which had such a force,
It able was to pierce the heart of oak,
No med'cines might the poison out revoke:
Wherefore, though scarce he pierced had the skin,
In fifteen days my brains it rankled in.

And then too soon (alas! therefore) I dy'd;
I would to God he had return'd again,
So that I might but once the dastard spy'd:
Before he went, I had the serpent slain.
He play'd the coward cut-throat all too plain:
A beastly serpent's heart that beast detects,
Which, e're he fight, his sword with bane infects.

Well then, my death brought Cæsar no renown,
For both I got, thereby, eternal fame,
And eke his sword, to strike his friends adown;
I slew therewith his Labiene by name:
With prince against my country's foes I came,
Was wounded, yet did never faint, nor yield,
Till Cæsar with his soldiers fled the field.

Who would not venture life in such a case?

Who would not fight at countries whole request?
Who would not, meeting Cæsar in the place,

Fight for life, prince, and country with the best?
The greatest courage is by facts express'd:
Then for thy prince with fortitude, as I,
And realm's behoof, is praise to live or die.

Now write my life, when thou hast leisure, and
Will all thy countrymen to learn by me,
Both for their prince, and for their native land,
As valiant, bold, and fearless for to be.
A pattern plain of fortitude they see:
To which directly if themselves they frame,
They shall preserve their country, faith, and fame.

THE

NINE WORTHIES OF LONDON:

Explaining the honourable Exercise of Armes, the Vertues of the Valiant, and the memorable Attempts of magnanimous Minds; pleasant for Gentlemen, not vnseemely for Magistrates, and most profitable for Prentiscs. Compiled by Richard Johnson.

Imprinted at London, by Thomas Orwin, for Humfrey Lownes, and are to be sold at his Shop at the West Doore of Paules. 1592. In Black Letter. Quarto, containing forty-eight Pages.

To the Right Honourable Sir William Webbe, Knight, Lord Maior of the famous Citie of London, Richard Iohnson wisheth health, with increase of honour.

BEING not altogether (Right Honorable) vnacquainted with the fame of this wel gouerned citie, the heade of our English florishing common wealth, I thought nothing, considering it somewhat touched my dutie, could be more acceptable to your honour, then such principles as first grounded the same, as well by domesticall policie of peace, as forraine excellence in resolution of warre. This caused me to collect, from our London gardens, such especiall flowers, that

sauoured as well in the wrath of winter, as in the pride of sommer, keeping one equiuolence at all kinde of seasons: Flowers of chiualrie, Right Honorable, I meane, some that haue sucked honie from the bee, sweetnesse from warre, and were possessed in that high place of prudence, wherof your lordship now partaketh. Other some that haue beene more inferiour members, and yet haue giuen especial ayde to the head, beene buckler to the best, and therby reached to the aspiring toppe of armes: If your lordship shall but like of it, proceeding from the barren braine of a poore apprentice, that dare not promise moulhils, much lesse mountaincs, I shall thinke this by-exercise, which I vndertooke to expell idlenesse, a worke of worth, whosoeuer the gentle cauld kind, that are vrgently inkindled, shall with ostentation inucigh. These, Right Honorable, the Nine Worthies of London, now vnable to defend themselues, seeke their protection vnder your gracious fauour; and the authour pricked on by fame to be patronaged for his willing labour; whereof not misdoubting, I humbly commit your honour to the defence of heauen, and the guider of all iust equalitie.

Your Lordships, in all humble dutie to be commaunded,

RICHARD IOHNSON.

To the Gentlemen Readers, as well Prentices as others.

ALL is not gold, Gentlemen, that glisters, nor all drosse that makes but a darke shew; so should copper some time be currant, and pearles of no price. Æsope, for all his crutchback, had a quick wit. Cleanthes, though in the night he caried the watertankard, yet in the day would dispute with philosophers. A meane man may look vpon a King, and a wren build her nest by an egle. In the games of Olympus any man might trie his strength; and, when Apelles liued, others were not forbid to paint. So, Gentlemen, though now a dayes many great poets flourish, from whose eloquent workes you take both pleasure and profite: yet, I trust, inferiours, whose pens dare not comparewith Apollos, shall not be contemned, or put to silence. Euery weede hath his vertue, and studious trauaile, though without skill, may manifest good will. Vouchsafe then intertainment to this new come guest; his simple truth shewes he is without deceyte, and his plaine speech proucs he flatters not. He can not boast of art, nor claime the priuiledge of scholasticall cunning; what he sayth is not curious, being without any great præmeditation, or practise, more then his necessarie affaires would permit. If his vnpollished discourses may merit the least motion of your good liking, let the enuious fret, and the captious malice melt themselues. Neither the obiection of mechanicall, by such as are themselues diabolicall, whose vicious basenesse in a selfe conceyte, presuming aboue the best, is in deede but the dregges and refuse of the worst, nor the reproch of prouerbiall