---

“To Charles now great, alone, King of glorious Brittaine. The bold-pious-Peticion, of free-bound-Felton”

Sir, I your servant, (who have sett you free,

Christs freeman am, your Prisoner though I bee)

Have one good boone1 to begg of our good King:

Not libertie, nor life, nor noe such thing:

But that you would Gods Mercie magnifie,

5

For that salvation hee hath wrought by mee.

For know (great Charles) how high thou honour’d art

To bee but King of Mee, of soe stout2 heart.

One Angell slew one night (none left alive)

Of hundred thousands fower-score and five.3

10

I, with one stroke, thy Kingdomes all, and thee,

With Millions (slaves) have sett at libertie.

When David had Goliah cast to ground,4

How full was Israels campe with joyfull sound?

Their cause was lesse: your Joy, let it be more,

15

Though I a thousand deaths should die therefore.

If I had lives to lose, or daies to end,

I would them all in such like service spend:

All deathes I would contemne, my lives all being,

My God to honour, my countrie free, and King.

20

I know what Phinees did; and Hebers wife,

And Ehud, Israells Judge, with Eglons life:5

And I did heare, and see, and know, too well,

What Evill was done our English Israell:

And I had warrant seal’d, and sent from heaven

25

My worke to doe: And soe the blow is given:

Heere I may suffer: Sing I shall doe there;

And now condemn’d; then quit6 I shall appeare.

And must I die? yet shall I live againe:

To dust I must; but I shall rise to Raigne.

30

My death is due to him who gave mee life:

And when I die, I pray may die all strife.

A happie life and death was graunted Mee,

To live for Peace, and die for Liberty.

---

Source. BL MS Sloane 826, fols. 195v-196r

Other known sources. Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 26, fol. 33r

Pii11

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here P0. Introduction Pi1. lett Charles & george Pi2. Sith number with thy Pi3. Thy numerous name Pi4. Anagram of George Pi5. A yere of wonder Pi6. The Shepheards struck Pi7. Thus Buck-in-game Pi8. England was sick Pi9. Lord, what are wee Pi10. Beehold this Obsequie Pi11. This little Grave Pi12. The pale horse Pi13. Here lies Leachery Pi14. Here lyes great George Pi15. Great Buckingham’s Pi16. Pride lies heere Pi17. Fortunes darling Pi18. Heere lies a gratious Pi19. Had our great duke Pi20. Great potent Duke Pi21. And art thou dead! Pi22. Pale death, with Iron Pi23. Great Gorge, and art Pi24. Thou that on topp Pi25. What once was said Pi26. If good mens graces Pi27. Great Duke, which art Pi28. At Portsmouth Duke Pi29. Make haste I pray Pi30. No sooner had the Pi31. Great Duke, Although Pi32. Away, away, great George Pi33. My honour, favour, life Pi34. I that my countrey Pi35. Mother / My humble Pi36. The Argument is cold Pi37. Ye gastly Spiritts Pii1. Anagram on John Felton Pii2. Anagram on John Felton Pii3. Felton, awake Pii4. The heavens approve Pii5. Some say the Duke Pii6. The Duke is dead Pii7. Why: is our Age Pii8. Immortall Man of glorie Pii9. I mmortal man of glory Pii10. Enjoy thy Bondage Pii11. Sir, I your servant Pii12. You auntient Lawes Pii13. Feare not brave Pii14. Sorrow and Joy Pii15. Heere uninterr’d Pii16. Here uninterd suspends Pii17. Wants hee a grave Pii18. Is Felton dead? Pii19. Here Lyes the bonnes Pii20. Awake, sad Brittaine Piii1. M alignant characters Piii2. Heere lyes the best Piii3. Dearling off Kings Piii4. You braveing spiritts Piii5. I did not flatter thee Piii6. Yee snarling Satyrs Piii7. Heere lyes thy Urne Piii8. Sooner I may some Piii9. Yet weere Bidentalls Piii10. Reader stand still Piii11. Our countrie Merry Piii12. Honor, worth, greatnes Piii13. What! shall I say now Piii14. Who ever lov’d man Piii15. When Poets use to Piii16. Might Teares Revive Piii17. Death come thy selfe Piii18. Hee that can reade Piii19. Nourishd with sighs Piii20. When in the brazen Piii21. Reader when these Piii22. Noe Poets triviall rage

¹   boone: favour. <back>

²   stout: brave. <back>

³   One Angell slew...fower-score and five: allusion to the destruction of the Assyrians: “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand” (2 Kings 19.35; cf. Isaiah 37.36). <back>

⁴   When David had Goliah...ground: reference to the boy David’s defeat of the Philistine giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17). <back>

⁵   I know what...with Eglons life: having been compared to David, Felton is paralleled with three further divinely sanctioned assassins of foreign or tyrannical foes: Phineas, who averted God’s wrath from the Israelites by slaying the Midianitish woman and the Israelite who had brought her (Numbers 25); Jael (or Yael), wife of Heber, who assassinated Sisera, commander of the tyrant Jabin’s army, by driving a nail into his skull (Judges 4.17-24); and Ehud, raised up by God to assassinate the Moabitish tyrant Eglon (Judges 3.12-30). <back>

⁶   quit: acquitted. <back>