For myself, as I will then only love my opinions, when your Majesty liketh them; so will I daily pray, that all opinions may be guided with as much faith, as I have zeal to your Majesty's service, and that they may be followed with infinite success.

BRIEFE AND TRVE DECLARATION

OF THE

SICKNESSE, LAST WORDES, AND DEATH

OF THE

KING OF SPAINE,

PHILIP, THE SECOND OF THAT NAME,

Who died in his Abbey of S. Laurence at Escuriall, seuen miles from Madrill, the Thirteenth of September, 1598.

Written from Madrill, in a Spanish Leter, and translated into English
according to the true Copie.

Printed at London, by Edm. Bollifant, 1599, Quarto, containing a Sheet and an half,

This is the King of Spain, whose cruelties in the Indies and the Netherlands have recorded him among the most bloody tyrants, and his continual attempts to poison, assassinate, or dethrone Queen Elisabeth, and to invade and conquer England, have rendered his name odious to every true Englishman: and whose universal character is a compound of pride, ambition, injustice, oppression, treachery, and bloodshed: for all which, by the short account following, you will perceive, that God called him to judgment; and, by the plague of Lice, declar ed his detestation of that sinful prince, before he departed this life. Yet, in this same account, it is remarkable, that he was arrived to that state of hypocritical insensibility, and delusion, that he thought all his barbarities, treachery, and treasons were doing God service, and that himself was ready to depart this life in the favour of God.

To satisfie my promise, and to giue answere to your letters, requiring my aduertisement of these present occurences, I pray you understand, that this yeere, 1598, the Royal Maiestie of our Lord, Don l'hilip the Third, being then but prince, was upon S. Iohn's day,

in the market place at Madrill, to beholde the bullbaytingst, and other pastymes which were there, at which sports the King his father (which is now in heauen) was not present by reason of the paine of the gout which sore troubled him. His Highnes, being returned from the foresaid place, discoursed vnto his father all that he had seene, whereupon his Maiestie answered: I am right glad to see thee so pleasant, for thou shalt neuer, so long as I liue, see me haue any case or comfort in this my painfull disease. And thereupon commaunded preparation to be made for his remouing to Escuriall. Doctor Marcado, one of his ordinarie phisitions, tolde him, he ought not to stirre, least the extremitie of his paine should increase. The King answered, seeing I must be carried thither, when I am dead, I had rather be carried thither being aliue. So that in the end, to satisfy his desire, his footmen took him vp vpon their shoulders, and spent sixe daies in going those seauen miles; where, after that he came, he was better for some fewe daies, though he was not able to stand, but was forced either to sit or to lie. But presently the goute reseasing him, accompanied with a feuer, made him far sicker than before; his phisitions shewed all the skil they could to giue him some ease, but the extremitie of paine so increased, that presently he entred into consideration of his soule, by shriuing or confessing himselfe, and receiuing the sacrament, at which instant he commaunded Garcin de Loyaza to be consecrated Archbishop of Toledo, which was performed by the Popes nuncio, with all the solemnities and rites accustomed. There happened also to this good King, vpon his right knee, a bile, so angrie and swellinge, that he could take no rest; his phisitions being amazed thereat, one Elias, a phisition of Toledo, by whose aduice and direction of others, one Vergara, a licentiate surgeon, hauing applied all fit meanes to ripen the sore, opened it, and let foorth all the bad matter therein contained; soone after the which, there arose fower other biles vpon his brest, which likewise were ripened, opened, and cleansed; this corrupt matter bred a great companie of lice, which were very hard to be killed, he remaining in this mean time so weake, that he was faine to be turned in sheetes, and lift vp with fower men, whilest two other made all things plaine, soft, and clean vnder him. Ten daies before he died, he fell into so great a traunce (lasting fiue howers) that it was easily perceiued, that his life and vital powers began to faile, which caused diuers lords in Madrill to prouide mourning garments. Being returned to himselfe, he said to the Archbishop and to those of the chamber there present: My friends and subiects, your sorrowes are of no force to recouer my health, for no humane remedie can profit me. The chiefe matter of your care ought to be to prouide, in time, all necessaries for my funerals; and, in the meane time I comnaunde you to call hither your prince, which shall be your future King, and fetch hither vnto me my coffin that I shall be laide in, and place here, vpon this little cupboord ‡, a dead man's skull crowned

⚫ al. Madrid.

+ Bull-feasts, which are a sport different from the English bull-baitings; in as much as these are performed by dogs; but the Spanish are the Recreation of men on horseback, who, attended with running footmen, to supply them with lances, attack a mad bull at full liberty, and never quit him till they have killed him.

al. Cabinet.

with my imperial crowne; all which was forthwith done. The prince and the infanta, his sister, being in presence, the King called for Iohn Ruyz de Valasco, putting him in minde of a cofer, which he had committed to his custodie, willing him to fetch it; the cofer was very little, yet, when it was brought, he caused it to be opened, and, taking foorth a pretious stone of an infinite value, caused it to be deliuered to his daughter, speaking thvs vnto hir: My daughter Izabella Eugenia Clara, receiue this iewell, brought vnto me by your mother, the which I bestowe vpon you for my last farewell. And then, turning him to the prince, said, are you contented with this that I giue unto your sister? Who answered, yea, sir, although you gaue her all that I haue. This answere lyking the king very wel, he willed them to looke in the cofer for another paper, and, giuing it to the Prince, he told him, that therein he should see the forme how to gouern his kingdome. Then they tooke out of the said cofer a whip with bloudie knots, which the King holding vp, said, this bloud is mine owne, and yet not mine but my fathers, who is in heauen, who made use of this kind of exercise; and therefore to make known the value of it, and the trueth of it, I thought good to reueale it vnto you. After this he commaunded a paper to be taken from vnder his pillow, which, being read by Iohn Ruyz, contained these wordes: We, Philip, by the grace of God, King of Castile and Lion, &c. hauing gouerned this realme forty yeeres in the seuenty-first yeere of mine age, giue over this kingdome vnto my God to whom it belongeth, and commend my soule into his blessed hands, to performe therewith whatsoeuer it shall please his diuine Maiestie. Commaunding that this my bodie, so soone as euer my soule shall be separated from the same, be embalmed; then apparelled with a royall robe, and so placed in this brazen shrine heere present, and that the howers + be kept, with all rites and ceremonies as the lawe requireth, and I commaund my funerall to be solemnised in this manner: before shall be borne the archbishops banner, then the crosse; the monkes and the clergie presentlie shall followe, all in mourning garments. The Adelantado + shall beare the royall standard, trailing it vpon the ground. The duke of Nayara shall carrie the crowne vnder a canopie. The marquesse of Aguillar shall carrie the sword. My body shall be borne by eight of my chiefest seruants, all in mourning weedes, with burning torches in their handes. The Archbishop shall follow the nobles, and our vniuersal heir shall follow on the one side all in dewle . When they come to the church, my body shall be placed in the herse there of purpose erected. All the praiers and deuotions ended, the prelate shall place me in the vault, my last habitation, which shall be giuen to me for euer. All this performed, your prince §, and third king of that name, shall go to S. Ierosmes¶ at Madrill, there to keep the holy ceremonies of the ninth daie yeerely, and my daughter, with my sister, her aunt, shall go to the gray nunnes barefoote. Then, speaking to the prince, he saide, besides all that which I haue heertofore spoken to you, I pray

al. A small box or trunk,
+ i, e. The office of the dead shall be performed.
Adelantado is the Admirall of the gallies.
i. e. Mourning.
Philip.
A convent of Jeronimite friars,

you have a great care and regard to your sister, because shee was my looking-glasse and the light of mine eies. Keepe the commonwealth in peace, placing there good gouernors to rewarde the good and punish the bad. Let the marquesse of Mondeiar be deliuered out of prison, on this condition that he come not to the court. Let the wife of Antonio Perez also be set at libertie, so that from hencefoorth shee liue in a monasterie, and let her daughters inherite the patrimonie which shee brought. Forgiue those which are prisoners for hunting, with all such as are condemned to die (the Kings pardon wanting) and so I giue my last farewell to my children, commending them to all peace and safetie. Then the Prince asked Don Christofer de Mora, for the royall key, commaunding him to deliuer it to him; who craued pardon of his Highnes, because it was the key of all trust and confidence, which hee could in no wise deliuer, without the leaue of his lord the King. Well, said the prince, it is ynough; and so went into his chamber, whilst Don Christofer, returning to the King, whome he found a little cheered, said vnto him, Sir, his Highness asked of me the royall key, which I haue denied him, as hauing no leave from your Maiestie. But the King told him he had done ill. Not long after he fell into another fit, wherevpon he called for the extreme vnction*, which was giuen vnto him by the Archbishop. Then he called for a crucifixe which had beene kept safely in a chest, which was the very same his father held betweene his hands, when he died, with the which he desired likewise to die. Hereupon his Highness returned to his father, at whose comming Don Christofer, vpon his knees, presented to him the royall key, which the prince received, and gaue it to the Marquesse of Denia; whereupon the King said to him, Remember I commende vnto you Don Christofer for the most faithfull seruant which I euer had, and so haue care of all the rest, which I commende vnto you. And so he took his leaue of him againe, imbracing him, at which instant his speech failed; and in this sort he continued two daies, and died vpon Sunday, the thirteenth of September, about three of the clocke in the morning. The body was buried vpon Munday the fourteenth of that moneth, about nine of the clocke in the morning, the Archbishop saying the masse. The new King came from Escuriall, the sixteenth of that instant, leauing his sister at the grey nunnes, and so went to S. Ierosmes, the court remaining in great mourning and lamentation, making preparation for the great funerall.

A sacrament of the Romish church; it is oil-olive consecrated by a bishop for the anointing, sach persons, of whose life there is no hope.

NASHE'S LENTEN STUFF,...

CONCERNING THE

DESCRIPTION AND FIRST PROCREATION AND INCREASE

OF THE

TOWN OF GREAT YARMOUTH,

IN NORFOLK :

WITH A NEW PLAY NEVER PLAYED BEFORE,

OF THE

PRAISE OF THE RED HERRING.

Fit of all Clerks of Noblemen's Kitchens to be read; and not unnecessary by all Serving-Men, who have short Board Wages,

to be remembered.

Famam peto per Undas.

London, printed for N. L. and C. B. and are to be sold at the West End of Paul's, 1599. Quarto, containing eighty-three Pages.

To his worthy, good patron, Lusty Humphrey, according as the townsmen, do christen him; Little Numps, as the nobility and courtiers do name him; and Honest Humphrey, as all his friends and acquaintance esteem him; King of the Tobeconists hic & ubique, and a singular Maccanas to the Pipe and Tabor (as his patient livery attendant can, witness) his bounden orator, T. N. most prostrately offers up this. tribute of ink and paper.

MOST

OST courteous, unlearned lover of poetry, and yet a poet thyself, of no less price than H. S. that, in honour of Maid-marrian, gives sweet marjoram for his empress, and puts the sow most saucily upon some great personage, whatever she be, bidding her (as it runs in the old song)

Go from my garden, go,

For there no flowers for thee do grow.

These be to notify to your diminutive excellence, and compendious greatness, what my zeal is towards you, that in no streighter bonds