And when that death through everye limbe Had fhowde its greatest fpite, 185 Her chiefest foes did plaine confeffe Shee was a glorious wight. Her body then they did entomb, When life was fled away, At Godftowe, neare to Oxford towne, As may be feene this day. 190 VIII. QUEEN ELEANOR's CONFESSION. "Eleanor, the daughter and heiress of William duke of Guienne, and count of Poitou, had been married fixteen years to Louis VII. king of France, and had attended him in a croifade, which that monarch commanded against the infidels; but having loft the affections of her husband, and even fallen under Jome fufpicions of gallantry with a handfome Saracen, Louis, more delicate than politic, procured a divorce from her, and restored her thoje rich provinces, which by her marriage he had annexed to the crown of France. The young count of Anjou, afterwards Henry II. king of England, tho' at that time but in his nineteenth year, neither discouraged by the disparity of age, nor by the reports of Eleanor's gallantry, made fuch fuccessful courtship to that princess, that he married her fix weeks after her divorce, and got poffeffion of all her dominions as a dowery. A marriage thus founded upon intereft was not likely to be very happy: it bappened happened accordingly. Eleanor, who had difgufted her first bufband by her gallantries, was no less offenfive to her fecond by her jealoufy: thus carrying to extremity, in the different parts of her life, every circumstance of female weakness. She had feveral fons by Henry, whom fee Spirited up to rebel against him; and endeavouring to escape to them difguifed in man's apparel in 1173, fhe was difcovered and thrown into a confinement, which feems to have continued till the death of her husband in 1189. She however furvived him many years: dying in 1204, in the fixth year of the reign of her youngest jon, John." See Hume's Hift. 4to. Vol. 1. p. 260. 307. Speed, Stow, Sc. It is needlefs to obferve, that the following ballad (given from an old printed copy) is altogether fabulous; whatever gallantries Eleanor encouraged in the time of her first bufband, none are imputed to her in that of her fecond. Q UEENE Elianor was a ficke woman. The king calld downe his nobles all, queene, A boone, a boone; quoth earl marshall, And fell on his bended knee; Ile pawne my landes, the king then cryd, No harme thereof fhall fall. Do thou put on a fryars coat, And we will to queen Elianor goe Like fryar and his brother. Thus both attired then they goe: When they came to Whitehall, The bells did ring, and the quirifters fing, When that they came before the queene A boone, a boone, our gracious queene, Are you two fryars of France, the fayd, As I fuppofe you bee? 30 But if you are two Englishe fryars, You shall hang on the gallowes tree. We are two fryars of France, they fayd, As you suppose we bee, We have not been at any maffe Sith we came from the fea. 35 The The first vile thing that ever I did I will to you unfolde; Earl marshall had my maidenhed, Thats a vile finne, then fayd the king; May God forgive it thee! Amen, amen, quoth earl marshall; 40 With a heavye heart fpake hee. The next vile thing that ever I did, .45 I made a boxe of poyson strong, To poifon king Henrye. Thats a vile finne, then fayd the king, May God forgive it thee! 50 Amen, amen, quoth earl marshall; And I wish it fo may bee. The next vile thing that ever I did, To you I will discover; I poyfoned fair Rofamonde, All in fair Woodstocke bower. Thats a vile finne, then fayd the king; May God forgive it thee! Amen, amen, quoth earl marfhall; 55 And I wish it fo may bee. 60 Do Do you fee yonders little boye,, A toffing of the balle ? That is earl marfhalls eldeft fonne, And I love him the best of all. Do you fee yonders little boye, A catching of the balle? That is king Henryes youngest fonne, His head is fafhyond like a bull; His nofe is like a boare. 65 70 No matter for that, king Henrye cryd, I love him the better therfore. The king pulled off his fryars coate, She fhrieked, and cryd, and wrung her hands, 75 The king lookt over his left shoulder, Earl marshall, he fayd, but for my oathe, So V. 63, 67. She means that the eldest of these two was by the ear! marshall, the youngest by the king. IX. THE |