Ludlow Castle

End of Lycidas.

a mask presented at ludlow castle sixteen thirty four on michaelmas night before the right honourable john earl of bridgewater by count brackley lord president of wales and one of his majesty's most honourable privy council ehu quid volui misero mihi florebus London, printed for Humphrey Robinson, at the sign of the three pigeons in Paul's churchyard, 1637.

To the Right Honourable John Lord Viscount Brackley, son and heir apparent to the Earl of Bridgewater, etc.

My Lord, this poem, which received its first occasion of birth from yourself and others of your noble family, and much honour from your own person in the performance— now returns again to make a final dedication of itself to you.

This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.

Recording by Thomas Copeland.

A mask presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634, etc.

The persons.

Yeah, and so when Mary is about nine years old, that's what they start doing, kind of like prepping her to officially become the heir.

So Mary is sent to Ludlow Castle, which is in Wales, the Welsh Marches, where the Prince of Wales traditionally is sent to, like, establish their own house- household.

And if you don't know, like, the Prince of Wales is what they call...

Or no, it could be the princess.

...

the Crown in England, modern-day UK or whatever.

Traditionally, they would send the Prince of Wales to Wales, to Ludlow Castle, to start getting their education on how to rule shit.

So they send her there, and so it's kind of like everyone's just waiting for him to officially announce her as the Princess of Wales, but he never does it.

Recording by Thomas Copeland.

A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle, Sixteen Thirty-Four, on Michaelmas Night, before the Right Honourable John Earl of Bridgewater, Viscount Brackley, Lord President of Wales, and one of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council.

Ehu quid volui, nisero mihi.

Floribus austrum perditus.

This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.

Recording by Thomas Copeland.

A mask presented at Ludlow Castle, sixteen thirty-four, etc.

The persons.

When Edward IV died, his eldest son was only 13, but the people willingly chose him to be king.

The young Prince of Wales, now Edward V, was living at Ludlow Castle with his uncle, Lord Rivers.

When the news of his father's death was brought to him, he at once set out for London, accompanied by his uncle and some gentlemen.

On the way, he was met by another uncle, Richard of Gloucester, who was a wicked, hard-hearted man.

But in 1461, the second of those, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, is killed in Wakefield alongside their father, Richard, Duke of York, at the age of 17.

And what we know is that Edward and Edmund, who are only just over a year apart in age, had been brought up together at Ludlow Castle.

So this is a, a template that Edward IV will repeat with his son, Edward V, as Prince of Wales, and we'll see, uh, Henry VII repeat it with Arthur as Prince of Wales, too.

This idea that you kinda go to Ludlow, have your own administrative base, treat Wales like a, a miniature kingdom to practice in.

Of course, the Lancaster line were much alarmed at the combination of the claims of their rivals.

King Henry V was at that period on the throne, and by the time that Richard Plantagenet was three years old, under pretense of protecting him from danger, he caused him to be shut up in a castle and kept a close prisoner there.

Time rolled on.

King Henry V died, and Henry VI succeeded him, richard plantagenet was still watched and guarded but at length by the time that richard was thirteen years old the power and influence of his branch of the royal family or rather those of the two branches from which combined he was descended were found to be increasing while that of the house of lancaster was declining After a time he was brought out from his imprisonment and restored to his rank and station.

Things went on in this way for two or three years, but the breach between the two great parties was all the time widening.

difficulties multiplied in number and increased in magnitude the country took sides armed forces were organized on one side and on the other and at length prince richard openly claimed the crown as his right this led to a long and violent discussion in parliament the result was that a majority was obtained to vote in favor of prince richard's right the parliament decreed however that the existing state of things should not be disturbed so long as henry continued to live but that at henry's death The crown should descend not to little Edward his son, the infant Prince of Wales, but to Prince Richard Plantagenet and his descendants forever.

Queen Margaret was at this time at a castle in Wales, where she had gone with the child, in order to keep him in a place of safety while these stormy discussions were pending.

When she heard that Parliament had passed a law setting aside the claims of her child, she declared that she would never submit to it.

End of Lycidas.

a mask presented at ludlow castle sixteen thirty four on michaelmas night before the right honourable john earl of bridgewater by count brackley lord president of wales and one of his majesty's most honourable privy council ehu quid volui misero mihi florebus london printed for humphrey robinson at the sign of the three pigeons in paul's churchyard sixteen thirty seven to the right honourable john lord viscount brackley son and heir apparent to the earl of bridgewater c my lord this poem which received its first occasion of birth from yourself and others of your noble family and much honour from your own person in the performance now returns again to make a final dedication of itself to you although not openly acknowledged by the author yet it is a legitimate offspring so lovely and so much desired that the often copying of it hath tired my pen to give my several friends satisfaction and brought me to a necessity of producing it to the public view and now to offer it up in all rightful devotion to those fair hopes and rare endowments of your much promising youth which give a full assurance to all that know you of a future excellence live sweet lord to be the honour of your name and received this as your own from the hands of him who hath by many favours been long obliged to your most honoured parents and as in this representation your attendant thyrsis so now in all real expression your faithful and most humble servant h laws note dedication to viscount drackley omitted in sixteen seventy three the copy of a letter written by sir henry wotton to the author upon the following poem from the college this thirteenth of april sixteen thirty eight sir it was a special favour when you lately bestowed upon me here the first taste of your acquaintance though no longer than to make me know that i wanted more time to value it and to enjoy it rightly And in truth, if I could then have imagined your farther stay in these parts, which I understood afterwards by Mr. H., I would have been bold in our vulgar phrase to mend my draft, for you left me with an extreme thirst, and to have begged your conversation again, jointly with your said learned friend, at a poor meal or two, that we might have banded together some good authors of the ancient time, among which I observed you to have been familiar.

since your going you have charged me with new obligations both for a very kind letter from you dated the sixth of this month and for a dainty piece of entertainment which came therewith wherein i should much commend the tragical part if the lyrical did not ravish me with a certain doric delicacy in your songs of odes whereunto i must plainly confess to have seen yet nothing parallel in our language but i must not omit to tell you that i now only owe you thanks for intimating unto me how modestly soever the true artificer for the work itself i have viewed some good while before with singular delight having received it from our common friend mr r in the very close of the late r s poems printed at oxford whereunto it was added as i now suppose that the accessory might help out the principal according to the art of stationers and to leave the reader con la boca dolce now sir concerning your travels wherein i may challenge a little more privilege of discourse with you i suppose you will not blanch paris in the way therefore i have been bold to trouble you with a few lines to mr m b whom you shall easily find attending the young lord s as his governor and you may surely receive from him good directions for the shaping of your farther journey into italy where he did reside by my choice some time for the king after mine own recess from venice i should think that your best line will be through the whole length of france to marseilles and thence by sea to genoa whence the passage into tuscany is as diurnal as a gravesend barge i hasten as you do to florence or siena the rather to tell you a short story from the interest you have given me in your safety at siena i was tabled in the house of one alberto an old roman courtier in dangerous times having been steward to the duca di pagliano who with all his family were strangled save this only man that escaped by foresight of the tempest with him i had often much chat of those affairs into which he took pleasure to look back from his native harbour and at my departure toward rome which had been the centre of his experience i had won confidence enough to beg his advice how i might carry myself securely there without offence of mine own conscience signor arrigo mio says he i pensieri stretti ed il viso sciolto i will go safely over the whole world of which delphian oracle for so i have found it your judgment doth need no commentary and therefore sir i will commit you with it to the best of all securities god's dear love remaining your friend as much at command as any of longer date henry woodman sir i have expressly sent this my foot-boy to prevent your departure without some acknowledgment from me of the receipt of your obliging letter having myself through some business i know not how neglected the ordinary conveyance In any part where I shall understand you fixed, I shall be glad and diligent to entertain you with home novelties, even for some fomentation of our friendship, too soon interrupted in the cradle.

Note.

This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.

Recording by Thomas Copeland.

A Mask presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634, etc.

The persons.