---

There is a man, a Plauge uppon him

who hathe taen many thinges uppon him

Papistes, Protestants, curse and banne him

the Devill his Father scarse can stand him

They Lower House they did thunder itt

5

the upper house they did grumble itt,

his necke from his shoulders they could not sunder itt,

which made the people much to wonder itt:1

Indeade he was but a younger brother

the fourth Sonne to the knight his father

10

A Chambermayde he had to his mother,2

and this from his cuntryefoulkes wee gather

he came to the courte and grewe Cupp bearer,3

unto the Kinge he still grew nearer,

In his eye he semed a Pearle

15

sate downe a viscount, and rose upp an Earle4

Indeade he had a verie faire face

wich was the cause he came in grace

Fairely he could tripe a Gallyard5

and plaise6 the ladies with his stalliard,7

20

when warres did plauge the palsgraves land8

this man in favour great did stand

goode Kinge James he ruled so

iff he said yea, none durst saye no.

thus I learne my sounge to singe

25

off the tale off the begger and the kinge,

and I wishe when death undoes him

he maye rest in the Devills bosome.

---

Source. CCRO MS CR 63/2/19, fol. 58r

Other known sources. NLS Advocates MS 33.1.7, vol. 24, fol. 78r

Oi17

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here O0. Introduction Oi1. The Parliament sitts Oi2. Oh honoured England Oi3. Our digby digd’e Oi4. The base on which Oi5. There was a man Oi6. There was a great fleete Oi7. There was a Munkye Oi8. Yee Spanyards Oi9. There was some policye Oi10. The Kinge and his wyfe Oi11. Why did the fond Oi12. Fower Cheyffe Justices Oi13. Justice of late hath Oi14. Ould Ned Cooke Oi15. Rex and Grex Oi16. Come heare, Lady Muses Oi17. There is a man Oii1. when the uncivill civill Oii2. It makes mee to muse Oii3. Great Buckinghame Oii4. In reading these Oii5. And wilt thou goe Oii6. Charles would yee Prevaile Oii7. Rejoice, brave English Oii8. Why was the varlett Oii9. One askte me Oii10. Oure crossrow’s turnd Oii11. The noblest brave Oii12. And art return’d againe Oii13. All you that will goe Oii14. As sick men feare Oiii1. O Admirall! Oiii2. The wisest King Oiii3. The warrlike King Oiii4. Excuse me Eliott Oiii5. Avaunt you giddie Oiii6. Here Dr Lambe Oiii7. If heav’n rejoyce Oiii8. For Lambe go ringe Oiii9. Heare lyes the Impostar Oiii10. Our state’s a Game Oiii11. When onely one doth Oiii12. Of Brittish Beasts Oiii13. To hunt the Doe Oiii14. The Parliament of late Oiii15. A thinge gott by candle

¹   They Lower House...much to wonder itt: allusion to the attempted impeachment of Buckingham by the 1626 Parliament. <back>

²   Indeade he was...to his mother: slurs on Buckingham’s obscure social origins were common. He was the fourth son of Sir George Villiers of Brooksby, Leicestershire. His mother, Mary Beaumont, was Sir George’s second wife. They met when Mary was, in Roger Lockyer’s words, “serving as companion and waiting-woman to her richer relatives” (Lockyer 5). <back>

³   Cupp bearer: Buckingham’s first court office was as a Cupbearer to King James I. <back>

⁴   sate downe a viscount, and rose upp an Earle: Buckingham was made Viscount Villiers in August 1616 and Earl of Buckingham in January 1617. <back>

⁵   Gallyard: galliard; a type of dance. <back>

⁶   plaise: i.e. please. <back>

⁷   stalliard: obscure; the NLS Advocates MS version has “talliard”, which is equally obscure. Presumably the word had some bawdy meaning. <back>

⁸   when warres did plauge the palsgraves land: allusion to the invasion and occupation of the Lower and Upper Palatinate in 1620-21 by Spanish and Bavarian forces. The Palsgrave was Frederick V, Elector Palatine, and son-in-law of James I. <back>