A web-based edition of early seventeenth-century political poetry from manuscript sources. It brings into the public domain over 350 poems, many of which have never before been published.
I9 Hope flattered thee though lawes did life convince
Notes. In its only known source, this poem follows “Who best did Calculate the life of man”.
“An other”
Hope flattered thee though lawes did life convince1
Yet thou might’st dy in favour of thy prince
His mercy & thy liberty2 at last
did sealle beleife, and make opinion fast
In truth, when time had puld thee out of jayle
5And newe hopes had sett againe newe saille
As many of this world as held free will
Thought thou wert safe, & had’st escapt thy ill
But nowe wee see, that thou wert bay’ld by fate
To live or dy, as thou could’st serve our state
10And then wert lost, when it was understood
Thou might’st doe harme, but could’st not doe more good.
Source. PRO SP 14/103/61x (fol. 99r)
Other known sources. Ralegh, Poems 192
I9
1 lawes did life convince: allusion to Ralegh’s sentence of death for treason in 1603. <back>
2 thy liberty: Ralegh’s release from the Tower in 1616. <back>
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