The doubt of future foes exiles my present joy,
             And wit me warns to shun such snares as threaten mine annoy.
             For falsehood now doth flow, and subject faith doth ebb,
             Which would not be, if reason ruled or wisdom weaved the web.
             But clouds of toys untried do cloak aspiring minds,
             Which turn to rain of late repent, by course of changed winds.
             The top of hope supposed, the root of ruth will be,
             And fruitless all their graffed guiles, as shortly ye shall see.
             The dazzled eyes with pride, which great ambition blinds,
             Shall be unsealed by worthy wights whose foresight falsehood finds.
             The daughter of debate, that eke discord doth sow
             Shall reap no gain where former rule hath taught still peace to grow.
             No foreign banished wight shall anchor in this port,
             Our realm it brooks no stranger's force, let them elsewhere resort.
             Our rusty sword with rest, shall first his edge employ
             To poll their tops that seek such change and gape for joy.
             Written in 1568 by one of England's most outstanding rulers, "The Doubt of Future Foes" captures a time of distress for Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth Jenkins, one of the great Queen's biographers, stated that "Elizabeth was not poetical, but she shared that extraordinary gift of expression that was general among the English of the time, and once or twice she wrote some remarkable verse" (Jenkens, Elizabeth the Great, 1958). In this particular "remarkable verse," Elizabeth composed sixteen lines describing the troubled state of England and prophesied the fate of her enemies.
             Elizabeth uses alliteration in several lines, such as "wisdom weaved the web" and "foresight falsehood finds," which reflects her well-educated and cultured background. However, the poem appears to be mainly a product of Elizabeth's struggles with ad
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