The Battaile of Agincourt Part 18

Page 59, l. 9 [Stz. 183]. "_At the full Moone looke how th'vnweldy Tide_" _etc._ --These lines are clearly a reminiscence of Shakespeare's--

"Let the brow o'erwhelm it As fearfully as doth a galled rock O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean."

_Henry V._, prologue to act iii.

Page 62, l. 21 [Stz. 196]. "_Dampeir._" --Chatillon, Admiral of France, was also Lord of Dampierre. It must be by inadvertence that Sir Harris Nicolas (p. 121) speaks of Cliquet de Brabant, whom Drayton calls Cluet, as Admiral.

Page 63, l. 6 [Stz. 198]. "_Could._" --Must have been p.r.o.nounced cold, as it was sometimes written. See also p. 83, l. 26.

Page 63, l. 16 [Stz. 199]. "_Cantels._" --Corners (Germ. Kant); hence = morsels, though Shakespeare speaks of "a monstrous cantle."

Page 66, ll. 11, 12 [Stz. 211]. "_Bespeaking them with honourable words Themselues their prisoners freely and confesse._" --One of Drayton's awkward inversions. The anonymous ecclesiastic says that some of the French n.o.bles surrendered themselves more than ten times, and were slain after all.

Page 72, l. 15 [Stz. 235]. "_In comes the King his Brothers life to saue._" --"The Duke of Gloucester, the King's brother, was sore wounded about the hippes, and borne down to the ground, so that he fel backwards, with his feete towards his enemies, whom the King bestridde, and like a brother valiantly rescued him from his enimies, and so saving his life, caused him to be conveyed out of the fight into a place of more safetie" (Holinshed).

Page 72, ll. 25, 26 [Stz. 237]. "_Vpon the King Alanzon prest so sore, That with a stroke,_" _etc._ --There seems no contemporary authority for the single combat between Henry and Alencon of which Shakespeare has made such ingenious use in his management of the incident of Henry's glove. According to one account, Alencon struck at the King somewhat unfairly as he was stooping to aid his brother, and smote off a piece of his crown. According to another authority, the blow was given by one of a band of eighteen knights who had sworn to strike the diadem from Henry's head, or perish in the attempt, as they all did.

Page 82, l. 28 [Stz. 277]. "_Nock._" --Notch.

Page 83, l. 16 [Stz. 279]. "_Tue._" --Must be p.r.o.nounced as a dissyllable; but the French cry was more probably _tuez_.

Page 85, l. 28 [Stz. 289]. "_Base._" --Run as at prisoners' base.

Murray's "Dictionary" cites one example of the use of the word in this sense, which is from Warner's "Albion's England," a poem read and admired by Drayton.

Page 87, l. 27 [Stz. 297]. "_Cluna.s.se._" --A misprint for _Clama.s.se_.

Page 87, l. 27. "_Dorpe_" = thorpe, a word revived by Tennyson in "The Brook."

Page 88, ll. 17, 18 [Stz. 300]. "_And in his rage he instantly commands, That euery English should his prisoner kill._"--

"I was not angry since I came to France Until this instant."

_Henry V._, act iv., sc. 7.

Page 92, l. 15 [Stz. 315]. "_And so tow'rds Callice brauely marching on._" --This is certainly a flat conclusion. It is surprising that Drayton made no use of the appearance of the herald Montjoy on the field, with confession of defeat and appeal for--

"Charitable licence, That we may wander o'er this b.l.o.o.d.y field To book our dead, and then to bury them."

_Henry V._, act iv., sc. 7.

TO MY FRINDS THE CAMBER-BRITANS AND THEYR HARP.

It has already been observed in the Introduction that this grand lyric gave the model for Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade." This latter poem appears along with "Maud," and another piece in the same slender volume contains unequivocal proof of the Laureate's acquaintance with Drayton. In the powerful poem ent.i.tled "Will" occur the lines--

"Sown in a wrinkle of the _monstrous_ hill, The city sparkles like a grain of salt."

In a pa.s.sage of Song IX. of the "Polyolbion," excerpted by Mr. Bullen, Drayton says--

"The mightie Giant-heape so less and lesser still Appeareth to the eye, untill the _monstrous_ hill At length shewes like a cloud; and further being cast, Is out of kenning quite."

The ident.i.ty of epithet might possibly be accidental, but the resemblance extends to the entire pa.s.sage.

A singularly beautiful stanza from Drayton's "Barons' Warres," also in Mr. Bullen's selection, must have been unconsciously present to Sh.e.l.ley's mind when he wrote in "The Witch of Atlas"--

"While on her hearth lay blazing many a piece Of sandal wood, rare gems, and cinnamon.

Men scarcely know how beautiful fire is; Each flame of it is as a precious stone Dissolved in ever-moving light, and this Belongs to each and all who gaze thereon."

Drayton writes:

"The Fire of precious Wood, the Light Perfume Which left a sweetnesse on each thing it shone, As every thing did to it selfe a.s.sume The Sent from them and made the same their owne So that the painted Flowres within the Roome Were sweet, as if they naturally had growne; The Light gave Colours, which upon them fell, And to the Colours the Perfume gave smell."

A still stronger proof of the extent to which Sh.e.l.ley had unconsciously imbibed the spirit of Drayton is afforded by a comparison of the n.o.ble speech of Fame in "The tragicall legend of Robert Duke of Normandie"

(Bullen, pp. 25, 27) with Sh.e.l.ley's still finer "Hymn of Apollo." There is hardly any instance of direct verbal resemblance; but the metre, the strain of sentiment, the oratorical pose, the mental and moral att.i.tude of the two poems are so much alike as to justify the a.s.sertion that the younger owes its form and much of its spirit to the older.

The following is the Roxburghe version of the ballad of the Dauphin's present of tennis-b.a.l.l.s, mentioned at p. 106:--

KING HENRY V. HIS CONQUEST OF FRANCE, In Revenge for the Affront Offered by the French King; In Sending Him (Instead of the Tribute) A Ton of Tennis-b.a.l.l.s.

As our King lay musing on his bed, He bethought himself upon a time, Of a tribute that was due from France, Had not been paid for so long a time.

Fal, lal, etc.

He called for his lovely page, His lovely page then called he; Saying, You must go to the King of France, To the King of France, sir, ride speedily.

O then went away this lovely page, This lovely page then away went he; Low he came to the King of France, And then fell down on his bended knee.

My master greets you, worthy sir, Ten ton of Gold that is due to he, That you will send his tribute home, Or in French land you soon him will see.

Fal, lal, etc.

Your master's young and of tender years, Not fit to come into my degree, And I will send him three Tennis-b.a.l.l.s That with them he may learn to play.

O then returned this lovely page, This lovely page then returned he, And when he came to our gracious King, Low he fell down on his bended knee.

[A line cut off.]

What is the news you have brought to me?

I have brought such news from the King of France That he and you will ne'er agree.

He says, You're young and of tender years, Not fit to come to his degree; And he will send you three Tennis-b.a.l.l.s That with them you may learn to play.

Recruit me Cheshire and Lancashire, And Derby Hills that are so free; No marry'd man, or widow's son, For no widow's curse shall go with me.

They recruited Cheshire and Lancashire, And Derby Hills that are so free; No marry'd man, nor no widow's son, Yet there was a jovial bold company.

O then we march'd into the French land With drums and trumpets so merrily; And then bespoke the King of France, Lo yonder comes proud King Henry.