I homeward came unto our contrey peace

& finde a Spanish faction to increase.

for great king James, would not have us complaine

that he intendes to match the Prince with Spaine1

Thus Buckingham, & Arundell2 combyne

355

and manie others to the secte incline.

The kinge Earl Marshall Arundell doth make3

and welcomes all who doe him not mistake.

Thus Gundomar4 doth boast himselfe what he hath done

and how the Lordes unto his side are wonne.

360

Thus doe the papists moste presumptuous growe

not doubtinge of Religions overthrowe.

But that the kinge doth love his god indeede

and will by noe meanes such suspicion breede

Thus doe the Cuntries all amased stande,

365

& hearts are fearefull made throughout the lande

Thus manie foule enormities creepe in

and men without impunitie doe sinne.

For under couler of the kinges displeasure

noe man dares talke of things above their measure.5

370

Yet when the Prince perceiv’de this discontente

he cheeres them upp with name of parliamente,6

wich giveth warmth unto their frozen joyntes

as if, our God the remedie appointes.

For soberlie doe men express their minde

375

against the Spanish match, in manie a kinde.7

one of incestuous mariages doth write

& would gainesay the Pope to his despite.

Another preacheth against the unequall yoake

with Infidell. another strikes a stroocke

380

at Spanish crueltie, from that true tale

wherein a Friar could noe whit prevaile

with a poore Indian; who deneyd to goe

to heaven, if Spaniards thither went alsoe.

Another would not bee to England debter

385

but to the marquesse writes a prettie letter.8

Another (to mocke Gondymar) doth crye

to reade, & hearken to Vox Populi.9

Another makes, some thinke with English boaste

a book the call Sir Walter Rawleighs ghoste.10

390

Another: yea, a many others saye

o fearefull tymes, that ere wee sawe this daie

But all is done for to resolve this doubt

that Fortunes wheele is quickly turn’de aboute.

Yet God be thanked, nobly at the laste

395

the kinge remembers what is done & paste

And he doth call a Parliament11 indeede,

at wich, a many storme, & many bleede.

For Monoples are rent in sunder quite,12

and Francis Mitchell is noe more a knight13

400

K1viii

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here K0. Introduction K1i. Some would complaine K1ii. K1iii. K1iv. K1v. K1vi. K1vii. K1viii. K1ix. K1x. K2. Bridewell I come

¹   he intendes...Spaine: reference to the planned Spanish match (see Section N). <back>

²   Arundell: Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel. <back>

³   The kinge...make: Arundel was appointed Earl-Marshal of England in 1621. <back>

⁴   Gundomar: Count of Gondomar, the Spanish ambassador, widely feared for his influence at court at the time of the Spanish match negotiations. <back>

⁵   under couler...measure: allusion to two royal proclamations “against excesse of Lavish and Licentious Speech of matters of State”, issued in 1620 and 1621 (Stuart Royal Proclamations 1.495-6, 1.519-21). <back>

⁶   he cheeres...parliamente: the much-anticipated parliament of 1621, discussed in the poem’s following stanza, was the first since the Addled Parliament of 1614. <back>

⁷   For soberlie...kinde: although not all of the three individuals referred to in the following lines are traceable, they are clearly among the numerous preachers and polemicists who risked imprisonment by speaking out against the Spanish Match c.1620-22. <back>

⁸   Another...letter: reference to Thomas Alured’s letter of advice to Buckingham, that circulated widely as a manuscript separate in the early 1620s, and was printed in 1642 as The coppie of a letter written to the Duke of Buckingham concerning the match with Spaine. <back>

⁹   Another...Vox Populi: reference to Thomas Scott’s pamphlet Vox populi, or Newes from Spayne (1620). <back>

¹⁰   Another...ghoste: reference to “Vox Spiritus or Sir Walter Rawleighs Ghost”, an anti-Spanish tract written by Thomas Gainsford which was circulating in manuscript from 1621. <back>

¹¹   Parliament: the 1621 Parliament. <back>

¹²   For Monoples...quite: attacks on monopolies and patents dominated the 1621 parliament (see Section M). <back>

¹³   Francis Mitchell...knight: Sir Francis Michell, appointed in 1618 to a commission intended to uphold a patent on gold and silver thread, became a target of the 1621 parliament on account of his perceived harshness and corruption. In 1621 he was tried in the House of Lords and was subsequently degraded from knighthood. <back>