ORIN, moft unhappie fwaine, COR Whither wilt thou drive thy flocke ? Little foode is on the plaine; Full of danger is the rocke: Wolfes and beares doe kepe the woodes ; Yet to fhun all plaine, and hill, How may then reliefe be found ? Such is hapless Corins fate : Since my waywarde love begunne, Equall doubts begett debate What to feeke, and what to fhunné. Spare to fpeke, and fpare to fpeed; Yet her fight augments my paine. What may then poor Corin doe? For to linger thus in woe Is the lover's harpest hell. 20 XXV. JANE XXV. JANE SHORE. Tho' fo many vulgar errors have prevailed concerning this celebrated courtezan, no character in history has been more perfectly handed down to us. We have her portrait drawn by two masterly pens; the one has delineated the features of her perfon, the other thofe of her character and story. Sir Thomas More drew from the life, and Drayton has copied an original picture of her. The reader will pardon the length of the quotations, as they serve to correct many popular mistakes relating to her catastrophe. The first is from Sir Thomas MORE's history of Rich. III. written in 1513, about thirty years after the death of Edw. IV. 66 "Now then by and by, as it wer for anger, not for co-vetife, the protector fent into the house of Shores wife (for "ber husband dwelled not with her) and spoiled her of al that ever she had, (above the value of 2 or 3 thousand marks) " and fent her body to prifon. And when he had a while laide "unto her, for the maner fake, that she went about to bewitch him, and that he was of counsel with the lord chamberlein "to deftroy him in conclufion when that no colour could faften upon these matters, then he layd heinously to her charge "the thing that herselfe couldnot deny, that al the world wift was true, and that natheles every man laughed at to here "it then fo fodainly so highly taken,—that she was naught "of her body. And for thys caufe (as a goodly continent 46 prince, clene and fautles of himself, fent oute of heaven into "this vicious world for the amendment of mens maners) he "caufed the bishop of London to put her to open penance, go"ing before the croffe in proceffion upon a fonday with a taper "in 66 .. "pace" " in her hand. In which he went in countenance and "demure fo womanly; and albeit fhe was out of al array fave her kyrtle only, yet went fhe fo fair and lovely, name"lye, while the wondering of the people cafte a comly rud in "ber chekes (of which he before had most miffe) that her great fhame wan her much praise among those that were more amorous of her body, then curious of her foule. And many good folke also, that hated her living, and glad wer to fe fin corrected, yet pittied thei more her penance then rejoiced therin, when thei confidred that the protector pro"cured it more of a corrupt intent, t then any virtuous affeccion. "This woman was born in. London, worshipfully frended, honeftly brought up, and very wel maryed, saving fome"what to foone; her husbande an honeft citizen, yonge, and goodly, and of good fubftance. But forafmuche as they were coupled ere he wer wel ripe, he not very fervently "loved, for whom she never longed. Which was happely "the thinge, that the more easily made her encline unto the king's appetite, when he required her. Howbeit the refpect of his royaltie, the hope of gay apparel, cafe, plefure, and "other wanton welth, was able foone to perje a foft tender "hearte. But when the king had abused her, añon her cr bufband (as he was an honest man, and one that could his good, not prefuming to touch a kinges concubine) left her "up up to him al together. When the king died, the lord "chamberlen [Haftings] toke ber*: which in the kinges daies, albeit he was fore enamoured upon her, yet he forbare" 66 “ber, *After the death of Haftings, fhe was kept by the marquis of Dorfet, fon to Edward IV's queen. In Rymer's Fadera is a proclamation of Richard's, dated at Leicester, Oct. 23. 1483. wherein a reward of 1000 marks in money, or 100 a year in land is offered for taking "Thomas late "marquis of Dorfet," who "not having the fear of God, nor the fal"vation of his own foul, before his eyes, bas damnably debauched and "defiled many maids, widows, and wives, and LIVED IN ACTUAL ADULTERY WITH THE WIFE OF SHORE." Buckingham was at that time in rebellion, but as Dorset was not with him, Richard could not accuse him of treason, and therefore made a handle of these pretended debaucheries to get him apprehended. Vide Rym, Fed. tom. xij. pag. 204. "her, either for reverence, or for a certain frendly faithful. «ness. 66 66 Proper fhe was, and faire: nothing in her body that you "wold have changed, but if you would have wished her fomewhat higher. Thus fay thei that knew her in her youthe. Albeit fome that NOW SEE HER (FOR YET SHE. "LIVETH) deme her never to have bene wel vilaged. Whofe jugement feemeth me somewhat like, as though men fhould geffe the bewty of one longe before departed, by her. fcalpe taken out of the charnel-houfe; for now is fhe old, "lene, withered, and dried up, nothing left but ryvilde fkin, and hard bone. And yet being even fuch, whose "wel advife her vifage, might gefse and devife which partes "bow filled, wold make it a faire face. 66 66 66 "Yet delited not men fo much in her bewty, as in her plea"fant behaviour. For a proper wit had jhe, and could both "rede wel and write; mery in company, redy and quick of aunfawer, neither mute nor ful of bable; fometime taunting " without displeasure, and not without difport. The king "would fay, That he had three concubines, which in three "divers properties diverfly excelled. One the merieft, an"other the wilieft, the thirde the bolieft harlot in his realme, as one whom no man could get out of the church lightly to any place, but it awer to his bed. The other two wer fomwhat greater perfonages, and natheles of their humilite " content to be nameles, and to forbere the praife of those properties; but the merieft was the Shoris wife, in whom the king therfore take Special pleasure. For many he had, "but her he loved, whofe favour, to fai the trouth (for finne it wer to belie the devil) he never abufed to any mans hurt, but to many a mans comfort and relief. Where "the king toke difpleasure, he would mitigate and appease "his mind: where men were out of favour, fhe wold bring "them in his grace: for many, that had highly offended, fhee obtained pardon: of great forfeitures fhe gate men remiffion: and finally in many weighty futes fhe ftode many men in gret ftede, either for none or very smal rewardes, 66 66 66 66 66 "" and " and thofe rather gay than rich: either for that he was " content with the dede felfe well done, or for that the de"lited to be fued unto, and to show what she was able to "do wyth the king, or for that wanton women and welthy "be not alway covetous. "I doubt not fome shal think this woman too fleight a thing to be written of, and fet amonge the remembraunces "of great matters which thei shal specially think, that happely fhal efteme her only by that thei NOW SEE HER. But me femeth the chaunce fo much the more worthy to be remembred, in how much she is NOW in the more beggerly condicion, unfrended and worne out of acquaintance, after good fubftance, after as grete favour with the prince, after as grete fute and feeking to with al theft, "that in thofe days had bufynes to fpede, as many other men were in their times, which be now famouse only by "the infamy of their il dedes. Her doinges were not much lefe, albeit thei be muche lese remembred because thei were not fo evil. For men ufe, if they have an evil turne, to write it in marble; and whofe doth us a good * tourne, we write it in dufte Which is not worst proved by her; for AT THIS DAYE fhee beggeth of many at this daye living, that at this day had begged, if fhee had not bene." See More's workes, folio, bl. let. 1557. pag. 56. 57. 66 86 -66 DRAYTON has written a poetical epiftle from this lady to her royal lover, in his notes on which he thus draws her portrait. "Her ftature was meane, her haire of a dark "yellow, her face round and full, her eye gray, delicate harmony being betwixt each part's proportion, and each proportion's 66 * These words of Sir Thomas More probably fuggefted to Shakespeare that proverbial reflection, in Hen. viij. Act. 4. fc. 11. "Men's evill manners live in brafs: their virtues "We write in water." Shakefp. in bis play of Rich. III. follows More's Hift. of that reign, ana therefore could not but fee this paffage, |