Elizabeth I

prologue

Chorus

Oh, would the bard had lived to tell this tale,

in which he himself took part.

Not the tale of a slaughtered beast

mourned only by the glover’s son,

but of his queen and prince that ruled the realm

into which his will was born.

Gloriana was she called, by some

less regal names by others,

determined for the most part

by the religions of their mothers.

Her tale we tell, with your indulgence,

to speak for Bess in her pre-eminence.

Born not a son, a prince she became

and set her mark indelibly

on the age that bears her name.