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  • Title: Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (Quarto)
  • Editors: Christopher Hicklin, Christopher Matusiak

    • Copyright Queen's Men Editions. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: Robert Greene
    Editors: Christopher Hicklin, Christopher Matusiak
    Peer Reviewed

    Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (Quarto)

    Enter Henry the third, the emperour, the king of Castile, Elinor
    445his daughter, Iaques Vandermast a Germaine.
    Henrie. Great men of Europe, monarks of the West,
    Ringd with the wals of old Oceanus,
    Whose loftie surges like the battelments,
    That compast high built Babell in with towers,
    450Welcome my lords, welcome braue westerne kings,
    To Englands shore, whose promontorie cleeues,
    Shewes Albion is another little world,
    Welcome sayes English Henrie to you all,
    Chiefly vnto the louely Eleanour,
    455Who darde for Edwards sake cut through the seas,
    And venture as Agenors damsell through the deepe,
    To get the loue of Henries wanton sonne.
    Castile. Englands rich Monarch braue Plantagenet,
    The Pyren mounts swelling aboue the clouds,
    460That ward the welthie Castile in with walles,
    Could not detaine the beautious Eleanour,
    But hearing of the fame of Edwards youth,
    She darde to brooke Neptunus haughtie pride,
    And bide the brunt of froward Eolus,
    465Then may faire England welcome her the more.
    Elinor. After that English Henrie by his lords,
    Had sent prince Edwards louely counterfeit,
    A present to the Castile Elinor,
    The comly pourtrait of so braue a man,
    470The vertuous fame discoursed of his deeds,
    Edwards couragious resolution,
    Done at the holy land fore Damas walles,
    Led both mine eye and thought in equall links,
    To like so of the English Monarchs sonne,
    475That I attempted perrils for his sake.
    Emperour. Where is the Prince, my lord?
    Henrie. He posted down, not long since from the court,
    To Suffolke side, to merrie Fremingham,
    To sport himselfe amongst my fallow deere,
    480From thence by packets sent to Hampton house,
    We heare the Prince is ridden with his lords,
    To Oxford, in the Academie there,
    To heare dispute amongst the learned men,
    But we will send foorth letters for my sonne,
    485To will him come from Oxford to the court.
    Empe. Nay rather Henrie let vs as we be,
    Ride for to visite Oxford with our traine,
    Faine would I see your Vniuersities,
    And what learned men your Academie yields,
    490From Haspurg haue I brought a learned clarke,
    To hold dispute with English Orators.
    This doctor surnamde Iaques Vandermast,
    A Germaine borne, past into Padua,
    To Florence, and to faire Bolonia,
    495To Paris, Rheims, and stately Orleans,
    And talking there with men of art, put downe
    The chiefest of them all in Aphorismes,
    In Magicke, and the Mathematicke rules,
    Now let vs Henrie trie him in your schooles.
    500Henrie. He shal my lord, this motion likes me wel,
    Weele progresse straight to Oxford with our trains,
    And see what men our Academie bringes.
    And woonder Vandermast welcome to me
    In Oxford shalt thou find a iollie frier,
    505Cald Frier Bacon, Englands only flower
    Set him but Non-plus in his magicke spels,
    And make him yeeld in Mathematicke rules,
    And for thy glorie I will bind thy browes,
    Not with a poets garland made of Baies,
    510But with a coronet of choicest gold,
    Whilst then we fit to Oxford with our troupes,
    Lets in and banquet in our English court. Exit.
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