English history, exciting stuff the lot,
All about mysterious executions and dastardly royal plots,

One of the most despicable,
Was in the reign of James I,

Twas' a plot by a group of Catholics,
To show Parliament their worst,

Now Ol’ Guy Fawkes was to light the fuse,
Under England house of power,
But before he got his matches out;
He was caught that very hour,

Poor Guy was taken and tortured,
With thumbscrews and the rack,
Which made him confess his wicked deed,
And crippled his poor back.

Now every year we celebrate,
His effigy burning on a pyre,
With sparklers and fireworks,
And sausages by the fire.

Another famous English plot,
Was in the reign of Charles II
A rotten crook called Captain Blood,
Who was crafty and no fool,
Hatched a dastardly and nasty plan;
To steal all the crown jewels.

Instead of being hung and drawn or sentenced;
to time in prison,
Ol’ Charles the Second he was amused;
By Captain Blood’s derision,

So this thief he was not punished,
Not held accountable when he was caught,
The Rotten evil fellow was received in Royal court!

Now every child must have heard the tale,
Of Hastings; 1066, when all the Normans came,
And put the Saxons in a fix,
William the Conqueror; He came and stole the crown,
Harold the Saxon King got an arrow in his eye;
As he was hunted down,

Now William ruled fairly, but poaching he did hate,
The punishment was to lose an arm or leg,
Which left one good for nothing then;
Except to starve or beg,

But with only one execution; that happened in his reign,
The English they accepted him,
They thought he was a gain.

Another mystery in history are the plays of old Shakespeare,
Did he really write them, as we all were taught to hear?
William the Bard, could he possibly have fallen low,
And stolen all the writings of the real author: Christopher Marlow?

Some Experts think this maybe so,
That Will Shakes work was really by Marlow,
Marlow was killed at 23;
So Shakespeare could have nicked his work you see,
He could have been there by the bed; when Marlow was stabbed in his poor head.

History has been amiss;
In not properly investigating this,
So some say no; but most hold dear,
And say the work was by Shakespeare.

The final plot we look at today;
Is about a man called Perkin,
Who looked like Richard Duke of York,
For kingship he was work-in’;

But Richard was the boy prince who had been murdered on the sly;
And Silly Perkin Warbeck was caught out in his lie.
Henry VII tried Perkin; when his plan was being led;
And Perkin he was taken to the block; where he lost his head.

This is the end now of my historic rhyme;
I hope you have learned something;
About English royal plots;
There’s only been space for a few of them,
But there are really lots!