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THE FIRST PART WHEN Flora with her fragrant flowers | |
Bedeckt the earth so trim and gaye, | |
And Neptune with his dainty showers | |
Came to present the month of Maye, | |
King Henry rode to take the air, | 5 |
Over the River Thames past he; | |
When eighty merchants of London came, | |
And down they knelt upon their knee. | |
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O ye are welcome, rich merchants, | |
Good saylors, welcome unto me: | 10 |
They swore by the rood, they were saylors good, | |
But rich merchants they could not be. | |
To France nor Flanders dare we pass, | |
Nor Bordeaux voyage dare we fare, | |
And all for a robber that lyes on the seas, | 15 |
Who robs us of our merchant ware. | |
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King Henry frowned, and turned him round, | |
And swore by the Lord that was mickle of might, | |
I thought he had not been in the world, | |
Durst have wrought England such unright. | 20 |
The merchants sighed and said, Alas! | |
And thus they did their answer frame; | |
He is a proud Scot that robs on the seas, | |
And Sir Andrew Barton is his name. | |
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The king looked over his left shoulder, | 25 |
And an angry look then lookèd he; | |
Have I never a lord in all my realm | |
Will fetch yond traitor unto me? | |
Yea, that dare I, Lord Charles Howard says; | |
Yea, that dare I with heart and hand; | 30 |
If it please your grace to give me leave, | |
Myself will be the only man. | |
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Thou art but young, the king replied, | |
Yond Scot hath numbered many a year: | |
Trust me, my liege, Ill make him quail, | 35 |
Or before my prince Ill never appear. | |
Then bowmen and gunners thou shalt have, | |
And chuse them over my realm so free; | |
Besides mariners and good sea-boys | |
To guide the great ship on the sea. | 40 |
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The first man that Lord Howard chose, | |
Was the ablest gunner in all the realm, | |
Though he was threescore years and ten; | |
Good Peter Simon was his name. | |
Peter, says he, I must to the sea | 45 |
To bring home a traitor live or dead; | |
Before all others I have chosen thee, | |
Of a hundred gunners to be the head. | |
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If you, my lord, have chosen me | |
Of a hundred gunners to be the head, | 50 |
Then hang me up on your mainmast tree, | |
If I miss my mark one shilling bread. 1 | |
My lord then chose a bowman rare, | |
Whose active hands had gainèd fame; | |
In Yorkshire was this gentleman born, | 55 |
And William Horseley was his name. | |
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Horseley, said he, I must with speed | |
Go seek a traitor on the sea, | |
And now of a hundred bowmen brave | |
To be the head I have chosen thee. | 60 |
If you, quoth he, have chosen me | |
Of a hundred bowmen to be the head, | |
On your mainmast Ill hangèd be, | |
If I miss twelvescore one penny bread. | |
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With pikes, and guns, and bowmen bold, | 65 |
This noble Howard is gone to the sea; | |
With a valiant heart and a pleasant cheer, | |
Out at Thamés mouth sailed he. | |
And days he scant had sailèd three, | |
Upon the journey he took in hand, | 70 |
But there he met with a noble ship, | |
And stoutly made it stay and stand. | |
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Thou must tell me, Lord Howard said, | |
Now who thou art, and whats thy name; | |
And show me where thy dwelling is, | 75 |
And whither bound, and whence thou came. | |
My name is Henry Hunt, quoth he, | |
With a heavy heart and a careful mind; | |
I and my ship do both belong | |
To the Newcastle that stands upon Tyne. | 80 |
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Hast thou not heard, now, Henry Hunt, | |
As thou hast sailed by day and by night, | |
Of a Scottish robber on the seas; | |
Men call him Sir Andrew Barton, knight? | |
Then ever he sighed, and said, Alas! | 85 |
With a grievèd mind and well-away, | |
But over-well I know that wight; | |
I was his prisoner yesterday. | |
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As I was sailing upon the sea, | |
A Bordeaux voyage for to fare, | 90 |
To his hachborde he claspèd me, | |
And robbed me of all my merchant ware. | |
And mickle debts, God wot, I owe, | |
And every man will have his own, | |
And I am now to London bound, | 95 |
Of our gracious king to beg a boon. | |
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Thou shalt not need, Lord Howard says; | |
Let me but once that robber see, | |
For every penny tane thee fro | |
It shall be doubled shillings three. | 100 |
Now God forfend, the merchant said, | |
That you should seek so far amiss! | |
God keep you out of that traitors hands! | |
Full little ye wot what a man he is. | |
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He is brass within, and steel without, | 105 |
With beams on his topcastle strong; | |
And eighteen pieces of ordinance | |
He carries on each side along. | |
And he hath a pinnace dearly dight, | |
St. Andrews cross, that is his guide; | 110 |
His pinnace beareth ninescore men, | |
And fifteen cannons on each side. | |
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Were ye twenty ships, and he but one, | |
I swear by kirk, and bower, and hall, | |
He would overcome them every one, | 115 |
If once his beams they do downfall. | |
This is cold comfort, said my lord, | |
To welcome a stranger thus to the sea: | |
Yet Ill bring him and his ship to the shore, | |
Or to Scotland he shall carry me. | 120 |
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Then a noble gunner you must have, | |
And he must aim well with his ee, | |
And sink his pinnace into the sea, | |
Or else he never overcome will be. | |
And if you chance his ship to board, | 125 |
This counsell I must give withal, | |
Let no man to his topcastle go | |
To strive to let his beams downfall. | |
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And seven pieces of ordinance, | |
I pray your honor lend to me, | 130 |
On each side of my ship along, | |
And I will lead you on the sea. | |
A glass Ill get, that may be seen, | |
Whether you sail by day or night, | |
And to-morrow, I swear, by nine of the clock, | 135 |
You shall meet with Sir Andrew Barton, knight. | |
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THE SECOND PART The merchant sette my lord a glass, | |
So well apparent in his sight, | |
And on the morrow, by nine of the clock, | |
He showed him Sir Andrew Barton, knight. | 140 |
His hacheborde it was hached with gold, | |
So dearly dight it dazzled the ee; | |
Now, by my faith, Lord Howard said, | |
This is a gallant sight to see. | |
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Take in your ancients, standards eke, | 145 |
To close that no man may them see; | |
And put me forth a white willow wand, | |
As merchants use to sail the sea. | |
But they stirred neither top nor mast; | |
Stoutly they passed Sir Andrew by; | 150 |
What English churls are yonder, he said, | |
That can so little curtesie? | |
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Now by the rood, three years and more | |
I have been admiral over the sea, | |
And never an English or Portugal, | 155 |
Without my leave can pass this way. | |
Then called he forth his stout pinnace; | |
Fetch back yon peddlers now to me: | |
I swear by the mass, yon English churls | |
Shall all hang at my mainmast tree. | 160 |
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With that the pinnace it shot off: | |
Full well Lord Howard might it ken; | |
For it stroke down my lords foremast, | |
And killed fourteen of his men. | |
Come hither, Simon, says my lord, | 165 |
Look that thy word be true, thou said: | |
For at the mainmast shalt thou hang, | |
If thou miss thy mark one shilling bread. | |
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Simon was old, but his heart was bold: | |
His ordinance he laid right low: | 170 |
He put in chain full nine yards long, | |
With other great shot less and moe, | |
And he let go his great guns shott; | |
So well he settled it with his ee, | |
The first sight that Sir Andrew saw, | 175 |
He saw his pinnace sunk in the sea. | |
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And when he saw his pinnace sunk, | |
Lord, how his heart with rage did swell! | |
Now, cut my ropes, it is time to be gone; | |
Ill fetch yon peddlers back mysell. | 180 |
When my lord saw Sir Andrew loose, | |
Within his heart he was full fain; | |
Now spread your ancients, strike up drums, | |
Sound all your trumpets out amain. | |
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Fight on, my men, Sir Andrew says, | 185 |
Weale, howsoever this gear will sway: | |
It is my lord admiral of England, | |
Is come to seek me on the sea. | |
Simon had a son who shot right well, | |
That did Sir Andrew mickle scare; | 190 |
In at his deck he gave a shot, | |
Killed threescore of his men of war. | |
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Then Henry Hunt, with vigor hot, | |
Came bravely on the other side; | |
Soon he drove down his foremast tree, | 195 |
And killed fourscore men beside. | |
Now, out alas! Sir Andrew cried, | |
What may a man now think or say? | |
Yonder merchant thief that pierceth me, | |
He was my prisoner yesterday. | 200 |
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Come hither to me, thou Gordon good, | |
That aye was ready at my call; | |
I will give thee three hundred pounds | |
If thou wilt let my beams downfall. | |
Lord Howard he then called in haste, | 205 |
Horsely, see thou be true in stead; | |
For thou shalt at the mainmast hang, | |
If thou miss twelvescore one penny bread. | |
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Then Gordon swarved the mainmast tree, | |
He swarvèd it with might and main; | 210 |
But Horsely with a bearing arrow | |
Stroke the Gordon through the brain; | |
And he fell unto the haches again, | |
And sore his deadly wound did bleed: | |
Then word went through Sir Andrews men, | 215 |
How that the Gordon he was dead. | |
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Come hither to me, James Hambilton, | |
Thou art my only sisters son; | |
If thou wilt let my beams downfall, | |
Six hundred nobles thou hast won. | 220 |
With that he swarved the mainmast tree, | |
He swarvèd it with nimble art; | |
But Horsely with a broad arrow | |
Pierced the Hambilton through the heart; | |
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And down he fell upon the deck, | 225 |
That with his blood did stream amain: | |
Then every Scot cried, Walaway! | |
Alas, a comely youth is slain! | |
All wo begone was Sir Andrew then, | |
With grief and rage his heart did swell; | 230 |
Go fetch me forth my armor of proof, | |
For I will to the topcastle mysell. | |
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Go fetch me forth my armor of proof, | |
That gilded is with gold so clear; | |
God be with my brother, John of Barton! | 235 |
Against the Portugalls he it ware. | |
And when he had on this armor of proof, | |
He was a gallant sight to see; | |
Ah! neer didst thou meet with living wight, | |
My dear brother, could cope with thee. | 240 |
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Come hither, Horsely, says my lord, | |
And look your shaft that it go right; | |
Shoot a good shot in time of need, | |
And for it thou shalt be made a knight. | |
Ill shoot my best, quoth Horsely then, | 245 |
Your honor shall see, with might and main; | |
But if I were hanged at your mainmast, | |
I have now left but arrows twain. | |
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Sir Andrew he did swarve the tree, | |
With right goodwill he swarved it then, | 250 |
Upon his breast did Horsely hitt, | |
But the arrow bounded back again. | |
Then Horsely spied a private place, | |
With a perfect eye, in a secret part; | |
Under the spole of his right arm | 255 |
He smote Sir Andrew to the heart. | |
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Fight on, my men, Sir Andrew says, | |
A little Im hurt, but yet not slain; | |
Ill but lie down and bleed awhile, | |
And then Ill rise and fight again. | 260 |
Fight on, my men, Sir Andrew says, | |
And never flinch before the foe; | |
And stand fast by St. Andrews cross, | |
Until you hear my whistle blow. | |
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They never heard his whistle blow, | 265 |
Which made their hearts wax sore adread: | |
Then Horsely said, Aboard, my lord, | |
For well I wot Sir Andrews dead. | |
They boarded then his noble ship, | |
They boarded it with might and main; | 270 |
Eighteen score Scots alive they found, | |
The rest were either maimed or slain. | |
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Lord Howard took a sword in hand, | |
And off he smote Sir Andrews head; | |
I must have left England many a day, | 275 |
If thou wert alive as thou art dead. | |
He caused his body to be cast | |
Over the hatchbord into the sea, | |
And about his middle three hundred crowns: | |
Wherever thou land, this will bury thee. | 280 |
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Thus from the wars Lord Howard came, | |
And back he sailèd oer the main; | |
With mickle joy and triumphing | |
Into Thames mouth he came again. | |
Lord Howard then a letter wrote, | 285 |
And sealed it with seal and ring: | |
Such a noble prize have I brought to your grace | |
As never did subject to a king. | |
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Sir Andrews ship I bring with me, | |
A braver ship was never none; | 290 |
Now hath your grace two ships of war, | |
Before in England was but one. | |
King Henrys grace with royal cheer | |
Welcomed the noble Howard home; | |
And where, said he, is this rover stout, | 295 |
That I myself may give the doom? | |
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The rover, he is safe, my liege, | |
Full many a fathom in the sea; | |
If he were alive as he is dead, | |
I must have left England many a day. | 300 |
And your grace may thank four men in the ship, | |
For the victory we have won; | |
These are William Horsely, Henry Hunt, | |
And Peter Simon, and his son. | |
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To Henry Hunt, the king then said, | 305 |
In lieu of what was from thee taen, | |
A noble a day now thou shalt have, | |
Sir Andrews jewels and his chain. | |
And Horsely thou shalt be a knight, | |
And lands and livings shalt have store; | 310 |
Howard shall be Earl Surry hight. | |
As Howards erst have been before. | |
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Now Peter Simon, thou art old, | |
I will maintain thee and thy son; | |
And the men shall have five hundred marks | 315 |
For the good service they have done. | |
Then in came the queen with ladies fair, | |
To see Sir Andrew Barton, knight; | |
They weened that he were brought on shore, | |
And thought to have seen a gallant sight. | 320 |
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But when they see his deadly face, | |
And eyes so hollow in his head, | |
I would give, quoth the king, a thousand marks, | |
This man were alive as he is dead. | |
Yet for the manful part he played, | 325 |
Which fought so well with heart and hand, | |
His men shall have twelvepence a day, | |
Till they come to my brother kings high land. | |