He found a war with France must be the way
To dash this bill, elfe threat'ning their decay.

Whilst vacant minds fat in their breasts at ease,
And the remembrance of their conquefts past,
Upon their fancies doth fo ftrongly feize,
As in their teeth their cowardice it caft,
Rehearfing to them thofe victorious days,
The deeds of which beyond their name fhould
laft;

That after-ages reading what was theirs,
Shall hardly think thole men had any heirs.

And to this point premeditating well,
A fpeech (which chanc'd the very pin to cleave)
Aim'd, whatfoever the fuccefs befell,
'That it no room should for a fecond leave,
More of this title then in hand to tell,
If fo his fkill him did not much deceive;

And 'gainst the King in public should appear,
Thus frames his fpeech to the affembly there.

"(ƒ) Pardon by boldness, my liege fovereign "Lord,

"Nor your dread prefence let my fpeech offend; "Your mild attention favourably afford, "Which fuch clear vigour to my fpirit fhall « lend,

"That it fhall fet an edge upon your fword, "To my demand and make you to attend,

"Afking you, why men train'd to arms you "keep,

"Your right in France yet fuff'ring ftill to Деер..

"Can fuch a prince be in an inland pent, "And poorly thus fhut up within a fea? "When as your right includes that vaft extent, "To th' either Alps your empire forth to lay. "Can he be English-born, and is not bent "To follow you? Appoint you but the way, "We'll wade if we want fhips, the waves or « climb,

"In one hand hold our fwords, with th' other "fwim.

What time controuls your brave great-grand"fire's claim

"To th' realm of France, from Philip nam'd the

"fair,

"Which to king Edward by his mother came, "Queen Ifabel, that Philip's only heir, "Which this fhort intermiflion doth not maim? "But if it did, as he, fo yours repair;

"That where his right in blood prevailed not, "In fpight of hell, yet by his fword he got.

"What set that conqueror, by their Salique laws, "Thofe poor decrees their parliaments could "make?

"He enter'd on the juftnefs of his cause,

(f) The Archbishop of Canterbury's feech in this and the ten following ftanzas.

The French and Scots. To France then first, fay I.

"First, firft to France," then all the commons cry.

And inftantly an embaffy is fent

To Charles of France, to will him to restore
Thofe territories, of whofe large extent
The English kings were owners of before;
Which if he did not, and incontinent,
The king would set those English on his shore,
That in defpight of him, and all his might,
Should leave their lives there, or redeem his
right.

Firft Normandy in his demand he makes,
With Aquitain, a duchy no lefs great ;
Anjou and Mayne, with Gafcoyne, which he
takes

Clearly his own, as any English seat.
With these proud France he first of all awakes,
For their delivery giving power to treat :

For well he knew, if Charles should these reftore,

No King of France was ever left fo poor.

The king and dauphin, to his proud demand,
That he might fee they no fuch matter meant,
As a thing fitter for his youthful hand,
A ton of Paris tennis-balls him fent,
Better himself to make him understand,
Deriding his ridiculous intent :

And that was all the answer he could get ; Which more the king doth to this conqueft whet.

That anfwering the ambaffador, quoth he,

That every one doth with himself forecast,

What might fall out this enterprise to let,
As what again might give it wings of hafte;
And for they knew the French did still abet
The Scot against us, which we us'd to taste,
It queftion'd was, if it were fit or no,
To conquer them e'er we to France should go.

Which Ralph then Earl of Westmorland propos'd:
Quoth he, with Scotland let us first begin,
By which we are upon the North inclos'd,
And lockt with us one continent within;
Then firft let Scotland be by us difpos'd,
And with more eafe ye fpacious France may win;
Elfe of ourselves, e'er we our fhips can clear,
To land in France, they will invade us here.

Not fo, brave Nevill, (a) Exeter replies,
For that of one two labours were to make;
For Scotland wholly upon France relies;
Firft conquer France, and Scotland ye may take;
'Tis the French pay, the Scot to them that ties;
That ftopt, afunder quickly ye fhall fhake

(4) The Duke of Exeter, the king's own uncle.

give,

And thus affure him and his fon from me,
I'll fend him balls and rackets, if I live,
That they fuch fuch racket fhall in Paris fee,
When over line with bandies I fhall drive,
As that before the fet be fully done,
France may (perhaps) into the hazard run.

So little doth luxurious France forefee,
By her disdain what the upon her drew,
(In her moft bravery feeming then to be)
The punishment that shortly should enfue:
Which fo incens'd the English king, that he
For full revenge into that fury grew,

That thofe three horrors, famine, fword, and fire,

Could not fuffice to fatisfy his ire.

In all men's mouths now was no word but war,
As though no thing had any other name;
And folk would afk of them arriv'd from far,
What forces were preparing whence they came?
'Gainft any bus'nefs 'twas a lawful bar,
To fay for France they were; and 'twas a fhame
For any man to take in hand to do
Aught, but fomething that did belong thereto.

But first feven fhips from Rochester are fent,
The narrow feas of all the French to fweep:
All men of war with fcripts of mart that went,
And had command the coast of France to keep,
The coming of a navy to prevent,
And view what ftrength was in the bay of Diepe;
And if they found it like to come abroad,
To do their best to fire it in the road.

The (a) Bonaventure, George, and the Expence,
Three as tall fhips as e'er did cable tew;
The Henry Royal, at her parting thence,
Like the huge (b) ruck from Gillingham that
flew :

The Antilope, the Elephant, Defence,
Bottoms as good as ever fpread a clue:

All having charge, their voyage having been,
Before Southampton to take foldiers in.

Twelve merchants fhips, of mighty burthen all,
New off the stocks, that had been rigg'd for Stoad,
Riding in Thames by Limehoufe and Blackwall,
That ready were their merchandise to load,
Straitly commanded by the admiral,
At the fame port to fettle their abode;

And each of thefe a pinnace at command,
To put her fraught conveniently to land.

Eight goodly fhips fo Bristol ready made,
Which to the king they bountifully lent,
With Spanish wines which they for ballaft lade,
In happy fpeed of his brave voyage meant,
Hoping his conquest should enlarge their trade,
And therewithall a rich and fpacious tent:

And as this fleet the Severn feas doth ftem,
Five more from Padstow came along with
them.

Nine fhips for the nobility there went,
Of able men, the enterprife to aid,
Which to the king moft liberally they lent,
At their own charge, and bountifully paid.
Northumberland and Weftmorland in fent
Fourfcore at arms apiece, themselves and laid
At fixfcore archers each, as Suffolk fhews,
Twenty tall men at arms, with forty bows.

Warwick and Stafford levied at no lefs
Than noble Suffolk, nor do offer more
Of men at arms, and archers which they prefs,
Of their own tenants, arm'd with their own
flore:

Their forwardnefs fore fhews their good fuccefs
In fuch a war as had not been before:

And other barons, under earls that were,
Yet dar'd with them an equal charge to bear,

Darcy and Camois, zealous for the king; Lovell, Fitzwater, Willoughby and Rofs, Berckley, Powis, Burrel, faft together cling; Seymour and St. John, for the bus'nefs close, Each twenty horfe, and forty foot do bring More, to nine hundred mounting in the grofs, In thofe nine fhips, and fitly them beflow'd, Which with the other fall into the road.

From Holland, Zeland, and from Flanders won
By weekly pay, threefcore twelve bottoms came,
From fifty upward to five hundred ton,
For ev'ry ufe a mariner could name,

Pruffia.

rear;

When as the fun their thickness doth oppose
In his defcending, fhining wondrous clear,
To the beholder far off ftanding, fhews
Like fome befieged town that were on fire:
As though foretelling, e'er they fhould return,
That many a city, yet fecure, must burn.

'The well-rigg'd navy fall'n into the road,
For this short cut with victual fully ftor'd,
The king impatient of their long abode,
Commands his army instantly aboard,
Cafting to have each company bestow'd,
As then the time convenience could afford;
The ships appointed wherein they should
And boats prepar'd for waftage to and fro.

go,

To be imbark'd when every band comes down,
Each in their order as they mufter'd were,
Or by the difference of their armings known,
Or by their colours; for in enfigns there,
Some wore the arms of their most antient town,
Others again their own devices bear:

There was not any, but that more or less, Something had got, that fomething fhould exprefs.

First in the Kentish ftreamer was a wood,
Out of whofe top an arm that held a fword,
As their right emblem; and to make it good,
They above other only had a word,
Which was, unconquer'd, as that freeft had
ftood.

Suffex, the next that was to come aboard,

Bore a (d) black lion rampant, fore tha bled, With a field-arrow darted through the head.

The men of Surry, checky blue and gold,
Which for brave Warren their first earl they

wore,

In many a field that honour'd was of old.
And Hampshire next, in the fame colours bore
Three lions paffant, th' arms of Bevis bold,
Who through the world fo famous was of yore.
A filver tower, Dorfet's red banner bears:
The Cornish-men two wrestlers had for theirs.
The Devonshire band, a beacon fet on fire;
Somerset, a virgin bathing in a fpring:
Their city's arms the men of Glo'ftershire,
In gold three bloody chevernels, do bring.
Wiltshire a crowned pyramid, as nigher
Than any other to march to the King;

Berkshire a stag, under an oak that stood;
Oxford, a white bull wading in a flood.

The mufter'd men for Buckingham, are gone
Under the fwan, the arms of that old town;
The Londoners and Middlesex as one,
Are by the red crofs and the dagger known.
The men of Effex, over-match'd by none,
Under quean Helen's (e) image marching down.
Suffolk, a fun half rifen from the brake;
Norfolk, a triton on a dolphin's back.

The foldiers fent from Cambridgeshire, a bay
Upon a mountain, water'd with a shower;
Hartford, two harts that in a river play;
Bedford's, an eagle perch'd upon a tower;
And Huntington, a people proud as they,
Nor giving place to any for their power,

A youthful hunter with a chaplet crown'd,
In a py'd lyam leading forth his hound.

Northampton with a castle feated high,
Supported by two lions, thither came;
The men of Rutland, to them marching nigh,
In their rich enfign bear an ermin ram;
And Lei'ftershire, that on their strength rely,
A bull and mastiff (ƒ) fighting for the game."

Lincoln a (g) fhip most neatly that was limn'd,
In all her fails with flags and pennants trimm'd.

(d) An expreffion of king Harold's death, flain with an arrow in the head at the battle of Haltings, fighting againit the Conqueror.

(e) Queen Helen, foundrefs of the crofs, wife to Constantine, and daughter to king Coell, builder of Colchefter in Effex.

(f) A fport more ufed anciently in that fhire than in any other.

(g) For the length it hath upon the German ocean.