Stout Warwickshire, her ancient badge the bear;
Wor'fter, a pear-tree laden with the fruit;
A golden fleece and Hereford doth wear;
Stafford, a (b) hermit in his homely fuit;
Shropshire, a falcon tow'ring in the air:
And for the fhire whofe surface seems most brute,
Darby, an eagle fitting on a root,

A fwathed infant holding in her foot.

Old Nottingham, an archer clad in green,
Under a tree with his drawn bow that stood,
Which in a chequer'd flag far off was seen;
It was the picture of old Robin Hood;
And Lancashire, not as the least I ween,

Three () crowns imperial, which supported

were

With three arm'd arms, in their proud enfign

bear.

The men of Brecknock brought a warlike tent,
Upon whofe top there fat a watchful cock;
Radnor (m), a mountain of a high afcent,
Thereon a fhepherd keeping of his flock;
As (n) Cardigan, the next to them that went,
Came with a mermaid fitting on a rock;

And Merioneth bears (as these had done)
Three dancing goats against the rifing fun.

blood:

Cheshire, a banner very square and broad,
Wherein a man upon a lion rode.

A flaming lance, the Yorkshire-men for them;
As thofe for Durham, near again at hand,
A mitre crowned with a diadem;
An armed man, the men of Cumberland;
So Westmorland, link'd with it in one stem,
A fhip that wrack'd lay fir'd upon the fand:
Northumberland with thefe com'n as a bro-
ther,

Two lions fighting, tearing one another.

Thus as themselves the Englishmen had fhew'd
Under the enfign of each fev'ral shire,

The native Welch, who no lefs honour ow'd
To their own king, nor yet lefs valiant were,
In one ftrong reg'ment had themfelves beftow'd,
And of the reft refumed had the rear;

To their own quarter marching as the reft,
As neatly arm'd, and bravely as the best.

Pembroke, a boat (i) wherein a lady stood,
Rowing herself within a quiet bay;
Those men of South Wales of the () mixed

blood,

Had of the Welch the leading of the way. Caermarthen in her colours bore a rood, Whereon an old man lean'd himself to stay, At a ftar pointing; which of great renown, Was fkilful Merlin, namer of that town.

Glamorgan-men, a caftle great and high,
From which, out of the battlement above,
A flame shot up itself into the sky:

The men of Monmouth (for the ancient love
To that dear country, neighbouring them fo
nigh)

Next after them in equipage that move,

(b) Many hermits formerly lived there, it being all forelty.

(i) Milford haven in Pembrokeshire, one of the braveft harbours in the world, therefore not unaptly fo expreffed.

) Partly Dutch, partly English, partly Welch,

Denbigh, a Neptune with his three-fork'd mace;
Flintshire, a work-maid in her fummers weed,
With fheaf and fickle. With a warlike pace
Thofe of Caernarvon (not the least in speed,
Tho' marching last in the main army's face)
Three golden eagles in their enfign brought,
Under which oft brave Owen Guyneth fought.

The feas, amazed at the fearful fight
Of arms and enfigns that aboard were brought,
Of streamers, banners, pennons, enfigns pight
Upon each poop and prow; and at the fraught
So full of terror, that it hardly might
Into a natural course again be brought,

As the vast navy which at anchor rides,
Proudly prefumes to fhoulder out the tides.

The fleet then full, and floating on the main, The numerous mafts with their brave topfails spread,

When as the wind a little doth them ftrain,
Seem like a forest bearing her proud head
Against fame rough flaw, that fore-runs a rain:
So do they look from every lofty sted,

Which with the furges tumbled to and fro,
Seem even to bend, as trees are feen to do.

From every fhip when as the ordnance roar,
Of their depart that all might understand;
When as the zealous people from the shore
Again with fires falute them from the land;
For fo was order left with them before,
To watch the beacons with a careful hand,
Which being once fir'd, the people more
lefs

Should all to church, and pray for their fuccefs.

They fhape their courfe into the mouth of Sein, That deftin'd flood those navies to receive; Before whofe fraught her France had proftrate lain,

(To express the king's birth-place and principali. ties.

(m) The middle of Wales, abounding with sheep on its mountains.

(n) Expreffing the maritime fituation of that thire.

The king of France now having understood
Of Henry's entrance (but too well improv'd)
He clearly faw that dear muft be the blood
That it must coft, e'er he could be remov'd:
He fends to make his other fea-towns good,
(Never before fo much it him behov'd)

In every one a garrifon to lay,
Fearing fresh pow'rs from England every day.

To the high'ft earth whilft awful Henry gets, From whence ftrong Harfleur he might eafi'ft fee,

With fprightly words and thus their courage whets:

"In yonder walls he mines of gold, quoth he; "He's a poor flave that thinks of any debts; "Harfleur fhall pay for all, it ours shall be.

"This air of France doth like me wond'rous

"well;

"Let's burn our fhips, for here we mean to "dwell."

But through his hoft he first of all proclaim'd,
In pain of death, no Englishman should take
From the religious, aged, or the maim'd,
Or women, that could no refiftance make:
To gain his own for that he only aim'd,
Nor would have fuch to fuffer for his fake:
Which in the French, when they the fame did
hear,

Bred of this brave king a religious fear.

His army rang'd in order fitting war,

Each with fome green thing doth his murrian

crown,

With his main standard fixt upon the (0) car, Comes the great king before th' intrenched town,

Whilft from the walls the people gazing are,
In all their fights he fets his army down;

And for their fhot he careth not a pin,
But feeks where he his battery may begin.

And into three his army doth divide,
His strong approaches on three parts to make;
Himfelf on th' one, Clarence on th' other fide;
To York and Suffolk he the third doth take;
The mines the Duke of Gloceiter doth guide:
Then caus'd his fhips the river up to stake,

That none with victual fhould the town relieve,

Should the fword fail, with famine them to grieve.

From his pavilion, where he fat in state
Arm'd for the fiege, and buckling on his field,
Brave Henry fends his herald to the gate,
By trumpet's found to fummon them to yield,
And to accept his mercy, ere too late;
Or elfe to fay, ere he forfook the field,

Harfleur hould be but a mere heap of ftones,
Her buildings buried with her owners bones.

France on this fudden put into a fright
With the fad news of Harfleur in diftrefs,
Whofe unexpected miferable plight
She on the fudden knew not to redrefs;
But urg'd to do the utmost that fhe might,
The peoples fears and clamours to fupprefs,

Raiseth a power with all the speed the could,
Somewhat thereby to loose king Henry's hold.
The Marshal and the conftable of France,
Leading thofe forces levied for the turn,
By which they thought their titles to advance,
And of their country endlefs praise to earn ;
But it with them far otherwife doth chance?
For when they faw the villages to burn,

And high-tower'd Harfleur round ingirt with fire,

They with their pow'rs to Cawdebeck re'tire.

Like as a hind, when the her calf doth fee
Lighted by chance into a lion's paws,
From which fhould the adventure it to free,
She must herself fill his devouring jaws,
And yet her young one still his prey must be,
(She fo inftructed is by nature's laws :)

With them fo fares it, which must needs go down

If they would fight, and yet must lose the

town.

(0) The king's main ftandard (for the ponderoufaefs thereof ever born upon a carriage.

That with the fright the falls into a fwoon; From which awak'd, and mad with the mishap, As up a rampier fhricking the doth climb, Comes a great fhot, and ftrikes her limb from limb.

Whilst a fort run confusedly to quench
Some palace burning, or fome fired street.
Call'd from where they were fighting in the trench,
They in their way with balls of wild-fire meet,
So plagued are the miferable French,
Not above head, but alfo under feet;

For the fierce English vow the town to take,
Or of it foon a heap of ftones to make.

Hot is the fiege, the English coming on
As men fo long to be kept out that scorn,
Careless of wounds, as they were made of ftone,
As with their teeth the walls they would have torn:
Into a breach who quickly is not gone,

Is by the next behind him overborn ;

So that they found a place that gave them way, They never car'd what danger therein lay.

From ev'ry quarter they their course must ply,
As't pleas'd the King them to th' affault to call:
Now on the Duke of York the charge doth ly;
To Kent and Cornwall then the turn doth fall;
Then Huntingdon up to the walls they cry;
Then Suffolk, and then Exeter; which all
In their mean foldiers habits us'd to go,
Taking fuch part as those that own'd them do.

The men of Harfleur rough excursions make
Upon the English, watchful in their tent,
Whofe courages they to their coft awake,
With many a wound, that often back them fent,
So proud a fally that durft undertake,
And in the chafe peil-mell amongst them went;
For on the way fuch ground of them they win
That fome French are shut out, fome English in

Nor idly fit our men at armes the while,
Four thoufand horse that ev'ry day go out,
And of the field are masters many a mile,
By putting the rebellious French to rout;
No peasants them with promifes beguile,
Another bus'nefs they were come about;

For him they take, his ranfom muft redeem,
Only French crowns the Englishmen efteem.

Whilft English Henry laftly means to try
By three vaft mines the walls to overthrow,
The Frenchmen, their approaches that efpy,
By countermines do meet with them below;
And as oppofed in the works they ly,
Up the belieged the befiegers blow,

That ftifled quite with powder, as with duft,
Longer to walls they found it vain to trust.

Till Gaucourt then and Tuttiville, that were The town's commanders, with much peril find The refolution that the English bear,

As how their own to yielding were inclin'd,
Summon to parley; off'ring frankly there,
If that aid came not by a day affign'd,

To give the town up, might their lives ftand free;

As for their goods, at Henry's will to be.

And having won their conduct to the King,
Thofe hardy chiefs on whom the charge had lain,
Thither thofe well-fed burgeffes do bring,
What they had offer'd ftrongly to maintain
In fuch a cafe, although a dang'rous thing;
Yet they fo long upon their knees remain,
That five days refpite from his grant they have
Which was the most they for their lives durft

crave.

The time prefixed coming to expire,
And their relief ingloriously delay'd;
Nothing within their fight but sword and fire,
And bloody enfigns ev'ry where disaply'd;
The English ftill within themselves entire ;
When all these things they ferioufly had weigh'd
To Henry's mercy found that they must trust,
For they perceiv'd their own to be unjust.

The ports are open'd, weapons laid aside,
And from the walls th' artillery difplac'd;
The arms of England are advanc'd in pride,
The watch-tow'r with faint George's banner
grac'd:

“ Live England's Henry," all the people cry'd; Into the streets their women ran in hafte

Bearing their little children for whose fake They hop'd the King would the more mercy take.

The gates thus widen'd with the breath of war,
Their ample entrance to the English gave;
There was no door that then had any bar,
For of their own not any thing they have:
When Henry comes on his imperial car,
To whom they kneel, their lives alone to fave;
Strucken with wonder when that face they faw,
Wherein such mercy was, with fo much awe.

And firft themselves the English to secure,
Doubting what danger might be yet within,
The strongest forts and citadel make fure,
To fhew that they could kepe as well as win;
And though the spoils them wond'rously allure,
To fall to pillage ere they will begin,

They fhut each paffage, by which any pow'r
Might be brought on to hinder but an hour

That conqu'ring King, which entring at the gate,

Born by the press as in the air he swam,
Upon the fudden lays afide his state,

And of a lion is become a lamb;

He is not now what he was but of late,

But on his bare leet to the church he came,
By his example as did all the press,

To give God thanks for his firft good fuccefs

And fends his herald to King Charles to say,
That though he was thus fettled on his shore,
Yet he his arms was ready down to lay,
His ancient right if fo he would restore:
But if the fame he wilfully denay,
To ftop th' effufion of their fubjects gore,
He frankly off'reth in a fingle fight
With the young Dauphin to decide his right.

Eight days at Harfleur he doth stay, to hear
What answer back his herald him would bring:
But when he found that he was ne'er the near,
And that the Dauphin meaneth no fuch thing
As to fight fingle, nor that any were
To deal for compofition from the King;

He cafts for Calais to make forth his way,
And take fuch towns as in his journies lay.

But first his bus'nefs he doth fo contrive
To curb the townfmen, should they chance to stir
Of arms and office he doth them deprive,
And to their rooms the English doth prefer:
Out of the ports all vagrants he doth drive,
And therein fets his uncle Exeter :

This done, to march he bids the thundr'ing drums,

Tofcourge proud France, when now her Con.

queror comes.

The King and Dauphin having understood,
How on his way this haughty Henry was
Over the Soame, which is a dangerous flood,
Pluckt down the bridges which might give lim
And ev'ry thing, if fit for human food,
[pafs;
Caus'd to be forag'd, to a wond'rous mass;
And more than this, his journies to foreflow,
He scarce one day unskirmish'd with doth go.

But on his march, in midft of all his foes,
He like a lion keeps them all at bay;
And when they seem him strictly to enclose,
Yet through the thick'ft he hews him out a way;
Nor the proud Dauphin dare him to oppose,
Though off'ring oft his army to forelay;

Nor all the power the envious French can make,
Force him one foot his path but to forfake.

And each day as his army doth remove,
Marching along upon Soame's marshy fide,
His men at arms on their tall horfes prove
To find fome fhallow, over where to ride:
But all in vain, against the stream they strove,
Till by the help of a laborious guide

A ford was found to fet his army o'er,
Which never had discover'd been before.

The news divulg'd that he had waded Soame,
And fafe to fhore his carriages had brought,
Into the Dauphin's botom ftruck fo home,
And on the weakness of King Charles fo wrought,
That like the troubled fea when it doth foam,
As in a rage to beat the rocks to nought;

So do they storm, and curfe on curfe they heap,
'Gainft those which should the paffages have kept.

And at that time both refident in Roan,
Thither for this affembling all the Peers,
Whofe counfels now muft underprop their throne
Against the foe, which not a man but fears;
Yet in a moment confident are grown,
When with fresh hopes each one his fellow cheers,
That ere the English to their Calais got,
Some for this fpoil fhould pay a bloody fhot.

Therefore they both in folemn council fat,
With Berry and with Bretagne their allies;
Now fpeak they of this course, and then of that,
As to enfnare him how they might devise;
Something they fain would do, but know not
what.

At length the Duke Alanzon up doth rife,

And craving filence of the King and Lords, Against the English brake into these words.

"Had this unbridled youth an army led, "That any way were worthy of your fear, "Against our nation that durft turn the head, "Such as the former English forces were, "This care of yours your country then might «ftead:

"To tell you then who longer can forbear,

* That into question you our valour bring, "To call a council for fo poor a thing

"A rout of tatter'd rascals, starved fo,
"As forced through extremity of need
"To rake for fcraps on dunghills as they go,
"And on the berries of the fhrubs to feed;
"Befides, with fluxes are enfeebled fo,
"And other foul diseases that they breed,

"That they their arms difabled are to fway, "But in their march do leave them on the way.

"And to our people but a handful are, "Scarce thirty thousand when to land they came, "Of which to England daily fome repair, "Many from Harfleur carry'd fick and lame, "Fitter for fpitels and the furgeons care, "That with their fwords on us to win them fame: "Unfhod and without flockings are the best, "And thofe by winter miferably oppreft.

"To let them die upon their march abroad, "And fowls npon their carcafes to feed, "The heaps of them upon the common road "A great infection likely were to breed; "For our own fafetics fee them then bestow'd, "And do for them this charitable deed,

"Under our swords together let them fall, "And, on that day they die, be buried all."

This bold invective forc'd against the foe,
Although it most of the affembly feis'd,

Yet those which better did the English know,
Were but a little with his fpeeches pleas'd;
And that the Duke of Berry meant to fhew:
Which when the murmur fomewhat was appeas'd,
After a while their lift'ning filence breaks,
And thus in answer of Alanzon speaks.

"I like our forces their first courfe fhould hold,
"To fkirmish with them upon every stay,
"But fight by no means with them, though they
"would,

"Except they find them foraging for prey;
"So ftill you have them fhut up in a fold,
"And till to Calais keep them in their way;
"So Fabius wearied Hanibal, fo we
"May English Henry, pleased if you be.

"And of the English rid your country clean,
"If on their backs but Calais walls they win,
"Whose frontier towns you eas'ly may maintain,
"With a strong army ftill to keep them in ;
"Then let our fhips make good the mouth of
"Sein,

"And at your pleasure Harfleur you may win, "Ere with fupplies again they can invade,

Spent in the voyage lately hither made.

"That day at Poitiers, in that bloody field, "The fudden turn in that great battle then "Shall ever teach me, whilst I arms can wield, "Never to truft to multitudes of men; "'Twas the first day that e'er I wore a fhield, "Oh let me never fee the like agen!

"Where their Black Edward fuch a battle won, "As to behold it might amaze the fun.

"There did I fee our conquer'd fathers fall "Before the English, on that fatal ground, "When as to ours their number was but fmall, "And with brave fpirits France ne'er did more "abound:

"Yet oft that battle into mind I call, "Whereas of ours, one man feem'd all one wound. "I inftance this, yet humbly here fubmit Myfelf to fight, if you fhall think it fit."

64

The Marshal and the Constable about
To fecond what this fager Duke had faid,
The youthful Lords into a cry brake out