---

“Upon the Duke of Buck. his goeing to Ree”

And wilt thou goe, great Duke, and leave us heere

Lamenting thee and eke thy Pupill deare

Great Charles? Alas! who shall his Scepter sway,

And Kingdome rule now thou art gone away?

Are there noe Whores in Court to stay thee? Must

5

Thy hate to France and Spaine exceed thy Lust?

Hast thou no Neece to marry? Cannot an Inne

Or bawdyhouse afford thee any kinne

To cuckold Lords withall?1 Hast not a Foe

To poison heere at home?2 And wilt thou goe

10

And thinke the Kingdome plagu’ed sufficiently?

Most gracelesse Duke, wee thanke thy charitie,

Wishing the Fleet such speed, as thou but lost,

Though wee bee conquer’d, wee have quitted cost.

---

Source. BL MS Sloane 826, fol. 161r

Other known sources. Bodleian MS Douce f.5, fol. 21v; Bodleian MS Eng. Poet. c.50, fol. 13v; Bodleian MS Malone 23 , p. 105; Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet 26, fol. 80v; Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet 160, fol. 198r; BL Add. MS 10309, fol. 42r; BL MS Sloane 1792, fol. 5r; Houghton MS Eng. 1278, item 14; Huntington MS HM 742, fol. 1v; Rosenbach MS 239/27, p. 57

Oii5

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   Hast thou no Neece...cuckold Lords withall: allusion to Buckingham’s notoriously aggressive pursuit of socially and politically advantageous marriages for his close (and distant) kindred. <back>

²   Hast not a Foe...at home: George Eglisham, a former physician to James I and to James, the Marquis Hamilton, published a tract in 1626 accusing Buckingham of poisoning the King, Hamilton and several other nobles who had crossed his intentions at court. <back>