THE HEROIC HISTORY OF Guy Earl of Warwick. Written by HUMPHREY CROUCH.  
LONDON, Printed for Edward Brewster, and are to be sold by john Williamson at the Sun and Bible on London-Bridg. 1673.   

THE Heroic History OF Guy Earl of Warwick.  

OF Noble Guy, I here will speak,  
A Champion bold and stout,  
Who evermore would help the weak,  
And beat the strongest out;  
Distressed Ladies, help would he  
And Captives bound in Chains,  
And wronged Knights from Tyrants free,  
True love was all his gains;  
And all was for fair Phelice sake,  
He ventured life and limb;  
Who made the stoutest Champion quake  
That durst encounter him.  
The Earl of Warwick's Daughter height,  
Was Phelice tall and trim;  
The Flower of England for delight;  
Too high of Birth for him.  
For he was but, as I may say,  
Her father's Steward's son;  
Yet Venus Laws he must obey,  
When Guy had honour won.  
Why then, quoth she, go forth brave Youth,  
And make thyself more known;  
And when my father hears the truth,  
Take Phelice for thine own.  
Win honour by thy Martial hand,  
And by a warlike life;  
When this I come to understand,  
Take Phelice for thy wife.  
Phelice I ask no more; said he,  
Call Guy a Coward-Swain,  
If he refuse to fight for thee  
Thy love for to obtain.  
O woe to him that counts it good,  
That doth procure his care;  
Who wins a wife with loss of blood,  
Doth buy his bargain dear.  
Yet whilst he hath a drop to bleed,  
Guy will not idle lie;  
Performing many a worthy deed,  
And Acts of Chivalry.  
In France he proved himself a man,  
Unhorsed them one by one;  
He there cast down both horse and man,  
And fame and honour won;  
He then to England comes amain;  
To see his hearts-delight;  
But Phelice sends him forth again,  
Since he so well could fight;  
To fight for her he would not grudge,  
Whom he esteemed dear;  
Because he loved her so much,  
No danger did he fear.  
No danger may he fear that strives  
To win a Lady's Love;  
And howsoe'er the business thrives  
Obedient he must prove.  
He takes his leave once more, and goes,  
Her pleasure to fulfil:  
He longs to be a dealing blows  
To win more honour still:  
And through a Forest as he rides,  
He meets a mighty Giant,  
Two yards at every step he strides,  
Far stronger than a Lion;  
Friend, quoth the Giant, hast thou heard  
Of one, they call him Guy,  
Who all the power of France hath feared  
With acts of Chivalry?  
And what of him, Sir Guy then said?  
Perhaps I am the man;  
Of Giants he was ne'er afraid,  
Do all the best they can.  
Oh! quoth the Giant, art thou he  
With whom I long to fight?  
Thy honour doth belong to me,  
I claim it as my right.  
Then pulled a tree up by the roots,  
And heaved it up on high;  
In Iron Coat, and Brazen Boots,  
He marched towards Guy.  
Quoth Guy, thou art a simple Clown,  
I'll quickly make thee mine:  
I'll pull thy lofty courage down,  
My honour still shall shine.  
With that he hit him a strong blow,  
From a well-guided hand,  
And cut off mighty Rumbo's toe,  
That he could hardly stand  
Then Rumbo heaved his Tree on high,  
Thinking his bones to break,  
And struck at Guy most furiously,  
Which made the ground to shake.  
Before he heaved his Tree again,  
Guy hit him on the head,  
Thinking the Giant had been slain,  
He falling down for dead.  
Hold, hold, (quoth he) I'll be thy slave,  
So thou wilt save my life.  
Quoth Guy, such mercy thou shalt have,  
To end this dreadful strife.  
He made him swear he would be true,  
And serve him as his Boy,  
His Enemies for to subdue,  
And all his Foes destroy.  
He swore he would, and then did rise,  
To lend Sir Guy his aid;  
Whose▪ ugly looks, and saucer-eyes  
Might make a man afraid.  
They walked over Mountains high,  
Through Valleys wide and long,  
The Giant Rumbo▪ with Sir Guy,  
And none could do them wrong.  
At length they heard a mighty cry,  
Which scared the Giant so;  
What cry is that, (quoth he) Sir Guy?  
No farther will I go.  
Rumbo (quoth Guy) ●ush, do not faint;  
I'll go what ere betid;  
No fortune surely can he want  
That hath courage on his side.  
Close underneath a hill he found  
A Lion with a Dragon met,  
But Rumbo fell down in a swound,  
And in a cold moist sweat.  
Brave sport, (quoth Guy) fight on, quoth he,  
And when you make an end,  
Unto the weakest I will be  
A true and trusty friend.  
At length the Lion turned aside.  
As if he would be gone;  
Nay then (quoth Guy) have at your hide,  
Dragon, I'll lay it on.  
With that he draws his massy blade,  
Unto the Dragon goes,  
Like one that was no whit afraid,  
But deals him manly blows.  
Valiant Guy bestirs his hands,  
The Dragon back did shrink,  
The Giant Rumbo quaking stands,  
And knew not what to think.  
Guy gets the Victory at last,  
Which made great Rumbo glad;  
He was full glad the fight was past,  
For he before was sad.  
The dreadful Lion Guy did greet,  
When he to him did go,  
And thankfully did lick his feet,  
Because he killed his foe  
He follow▪ d him by his Horse side  
It was his chief desire;  
Till he no longer could abide,  
Hunger forced him to retire.  
Rumbo (quoth Guy) I see thou art  
A Coward at the last,  
Thou hast great strength, but little heart,  
I know by what is past.  
Master (quoth Rumbo) shall I speak,  
And yet I now am loath:  
Compared to me you are but weak,  
Yet heart enough for both.  
But you shall see my valour shown  
Before that it be long;  
I will not see you overthrown  
Or suffer any wrong.   
Phelice hearing Guy was at Lincoln, went to him, and being overjoyed that she had found him, clipped him in her arms, and said, Why, how now, Love, have you forgot to love? what, seek a dragon ere you come to me? Phelice, said Guy, the King himself complained of a most dreadful Dragon in Northumberland, that annoyed all the Country, killing men, women, and children, and he which will not obey his Sovereign's command, especially in a thing of so high concernment, is both a coward and an ill affected member to the Commonwealth, Phelice I am thine, I bought thee with this price of blood. Dear Love, said Phelice, thou shalt never bleed more for me. So both agreed, they went to their royal father's house, Earl Roband, who entertained him most nobly, and after a few days they were married together with great joy, banqueting, and hearts-delight. The noble Earl Roband in the space of three weeks died, and left the Earldom to his son Guy, who was after made Earl of Warwick, he enjoyed his Earldom but a small time. And now growing in years bethinks himself, and oft would say. How many men have I made lifeless for the love of a woman, and spent my time in war and blood, and not one tear shed for my sins; for Beauty have I run through the world in a Sea of blood; good God forgive me for it. Vain world, farewell, I go to mortify a sinful man; and now I mean to take my journey, like a Pilgrim, to the holy Land, to see the place where my Saviour died for my sins, and the sins of the whole world. Phelice finding him discontented, begins to question him how he came into those melancholy fits; if I (quoth she) be the cause of it, I am not only sorry, but will endeavour to mend what is in me amiss. No, dear Love (quoth Guy) nothing but my sins, my numberless sins, that is the cause of all my grief and sorrow. Ah Phelice, said he, for thy love I have made many a man bleed, and now, dear Love, do intent to take my journey to the Holy Land, and live and die a Pilgrim: Here, take this Ring, and keep it as a pledge of my love to thee, and give me thine; and if ever I come again to England, I will send thee this Ring, that thou mayst come and close up my dying eyes: Phelice, farewell, weep not, I now must go, thy heart is full of love, mine full of wo. So with abundance of tears betwixt them, he takes his journey, only with a staff in his hand, to the holy Land, and she as a pensive widow, remains at home, giving alms at her door to all Pilgrims for his sake, enquiring of them evermore, if they could tell her any news of him; but he not making himself known to any of them in all his travels, they could relate nothing of him to her. Many times when he returned from the holy Land, he hath received alms from her own hands; and she not knowing of him, he hath departed with tears in his eyes to his Cave, where he lived and died, as you shall understand hereafter.  
Now Guy takes his journey towards the holy Land, passing through deserts and unfrequented places, full of danger; meeteth at last with a woeful Wight, that unto sorrow was no stranger: An aged man having fifteen sons in bondage under the cruel Tyrant, or a barbarous Giant, called Amarant, who retained them in his strong Castle, with many Knights, Gentlemen, and Ladies, besides. Guy questioning where, the old man directs him to the Castle. Lend me thy sword, quoth Guy, I'll lend my manhood all thy sons to free. So away he goes, and lays upon the gates, as one that says, He must and will come in. The Giant was never so roused before, for no such knocking at, his gates had been: so he takes his Club and Keys, and cometh forth; Sirrah (quoth the Giant) what business hast thou here? art thou come to feast the Crows about these walls, because thou hast molested me in this manner, with this Club will I beat out thy brains and dress thy flesh for the Crows to feed upon. You are very quarrelsome, Giant, quoth Guy, and dangerous at the Club it seems you be: I have been better armed, though now I go thin; but do thy worst, here's a Weapon that must do me right. So draws his sword, salutes him with the same about his shoulders, head, and sides, in such manner, that the Giant did not like the sport; but heaving his Club aloft in the air, said, now villain will I crush thee. But Guy was nimble to avoid the same, so on the ground he spent his stroke in vain. At length Amarant the Giant grew thirsty and faint for want of drink, and asked leave of Guy to quench his thirst at the River. Guy gives him leave; then to work they fall again. At length Guy grew thirsty, and crayed leave to drink; but the churlish Giant said, it was a madman's part to relieve his enemy. Well, said Guy, since thou art so hardhearted in that wherein I used thee so kindly, thou shalt understand that it doth but whet my anger the more against thee, and so shorten thy life sooner, I now disdain to drink. Bold Tyrant, take a taste of my good will, for now I b●gin my bloody bout, it is not that same Club will bear you out; with that he hit him on the head such a powerful stroke, that brought him with a vengeance down; then Guy set foot upon the Monster's breast, and hewed off his head, and takes his Keys, and's enters the Castle, where a most woeful spectacle he beheld, tender Ladies in dark Dungeons fed with the flesh of their own husbands; them he released, and set at liberty; unbinds many Knights and Gentlemen, who for many years had been kept in bondage by this bloody Tyrant; at length he came to an Iron gate, which he unlocks, where he found the old man's sons, being fifteen in number, who looked like the Picture of death; some of them he found hanged up by the middle, some by the thumbs, some hanged up by the heels, with their heads downward; these he took down with great care, and delivered them to the old man their father, who with great joy and thankfulness would have kissed Guy's feet: but Guy took him up in his arms, delivered the keys to him, made him Master of the Castle, and so departed. Many a weary step traveled he ere he came to the holy land, whilst his beloved wife spent her days in great sorrow, often wishing herself with him, to be partner with him in all his sufferings. Many years continued he in the holy land, insomuch that all his friends thought him to be dead. At length desiring to see his own native Country, where he intended to lay his bones, he took his journey homewards. No sooner was he arrived on the English shore, but he found his Country in great distress, the King of Denmark with a mighty Army was landed, threatening to destroy all with fire and sword; the King of Denmark had a mighty Giant to his Campion, so terrible to behold, that the English were afraid of his very looks, slinging his Gauntlet down with such pride and contempt, that worthy Guy could ill endure to hear said, The English were a cowardly Nation, that never a man durst answer him. Guy could contain himself no longer, but goes to the King, and tells him, that he will accept of the challenge, and desired his Majesty not to despair, for he would quickly make an end of Colbron that mighty Giant. The King said unto him, Honest Palmer go, and God bless thee in this mighty work thou hast undertaken, and grant thee victory over thine enemy. Amen, quoth Guy, and so goes from Winchester's North-gate, to Hidemead, where he found this Monster of men, treading each step two yards of ground. Art thou the man, quoth Colbron, on whom the King hath ventured England's Crown, whereas all his Lords and Nobles I defy, and scorn to fight with such a slave as thee. Giant, quoth Guy, manhood should never rail, a Soldiers Weapon best can tell his mind. Thus I begin, and therefore look about thee, if thou be beaten the Danes will flout thee. Then began a sharp and bloody fight between them, so that the people knew not what to think, at length Colbron through loss of blood began to faint, and say to Guy, Yield thee brave Englishman, and fight no longer. Villain, quoth Guy, I scorn thy cowardly fear, the King hath ventured England on my head; with that he lent him such a powerful blow, that brought the Giant with a vengeance down. Great joy was there among the English.  
But Guy passed away unknown to his Cave; within a while after he fell sick, and sent his Ring to his Wife, the Countess of Warwick, by a poor Palmer; who came and closed up his dying eyes, herself living but fifteen days after.  
FINIS.   

Books newly Printed for Edward Brewster, at the Crane in St. Paul's Church yard, 1673.  

Mr. Ball's Catechism, large and small.  
The Famous History of Guy Earl of Warwick.  
The delectable History of Reynard the Fox, both parts.  
The Book of Graces.  
The Gardiner's Labyrinth.  
The History of the Friar and the ●oy, both parts.  
Robin Hood and Little john.  
The Doctrine of the Bible. 120  
A Useful Table of Expenses.  
Moses revived: A Treatise proving, That it is not lawful▪ (and therefore sinful) for any man or woman to eat blood, viz. the life-blood of any Creature. 80  
Natural and Artificial Conclusions. 80  
Rogers Righteous man's Evidence for Heaven. 120  
Christian Advice to young and old, rich & poor; which may serve as a Directory at hand ready to direct all persons almost in every condition, under 27 general useful heads; by Tho. Mocket.  
Mr. Tho Ford's Sinner condemned of himself.  
Scripture self evidence. 120  
The last Will and Testament of Basil Valentine, Monk of the Order of St Bennet, etc.  
A Prospect of Divine Providence. by T. C. 80  
The Apostolical History, containing the Acts, Labours, Travels, Sermons, Discourses, Miracles, Successes and Sufferings of the Holy Apostles from Christ's Ascension, to the destruction of jerusalem by Titus. Fol.