The Battaile of Agincourt Part 4

Next these, Newcastle furnisheth the Fleet With nine good Hoyes of necessary vse; The Danish Pyrats, valiantly that beet, Offring to Sack them as they sayl'd for Sluce: Six Hulks from Hull at Humbers mouth them meet, Which had them oft accompanied to Pruce.

Fiue more from Yarmouth falling them among, That had for Fishing beene prepared long.

[Stanza 54]

The Cowe of Harwich, neuer put to flight, For Hides, and Furres, late to Muscouia bound, Of the same Port, another nam'd the Spight, That in her comming lately through the Sound, After a two-dayes-still-continued fight, Had made three Flemings runne themselues a ground; With three neat Flee-boats which with them doe take, Six Ships of Sandwich vp the Fleet to make.

[Stanza 55: _Aydes to the King by the n.o.bility._]

Nine Ships for the n.o.bility there went, Of able men, the enterprize to ayde, Which to the King most liberally they lent, At their owne charge, and bountifully payde, Northumberland, and Westmerland in sent Fourescore at Armes a peece, themselues and layde At six score Archers each, as Suffolke showes, Twenty tall men at Armes, with forty Bowes.

[Stanza 56]

Warwick and Stafford leauied at no lesse Then n.o.ble Suffolke, nor doe offer more Of men at Armes, and Archers which they presse, Of their owne Tenants, Arm'd with their owne store: Their forwardnesse fore-showes their good successe In such a Warre, as had not beene before: And other Barrons vnder Earles that were, Yet dar'd with them an equall charge to beare.

[Stanza 57]

Darcy and Camois, zealous for the King, Louell, Fitzwater, Willoughby, and Rosse, Berckley, Powis, Burrell, fast together cling; Seymer, and Saint Iohn for the bus'nesse closse, Each twenty Horse, and forty foote doe bring More, to nine hundred mounting in the grosse In those nine Ships, and fitly them bestow'd, Which with the other fall into the Road.

[Stanza 58]

From Holland, Zeland, and from Flanders wonne By weekely pay, threescore twelue Bottoms came, From fifty vpward, to fiue hundred Tunne; For eu'ry vse a Marriner could name, Whose glittering Flags against the Radient Sunne, Show'd as the Sea had all beene of a flame; For Skiffes, Crayes, Scallops, and the like, why these From eu'ry small Creeke, cou'red all the Seas.

[Stanza 59]

The man whose way from London hap'd to lye, By those he met might guesse the generall force, Daily encountred as he pa.s.sed by, Now with a Troupe of Foote, and then of Horse, To whom the people still themselues apply, Bringing them victuals as in mere remorce: And still the acclamation of the presse, Saint George for England, to your good successe.

[Stanza 60]

There might a man haue seene in eu'ry Streete, The Father bidding farewell to his Sonne: Small Children kneeling at their Fathers feete: The Wife with her deare Husband ne'r had done: Brother, his Brother, with adieu to greete: One Friend to take leaue of another runne: The Mayden with her best belou'd to part, Gaue him her hand, who tooke away her heart.

[Stanza 61]

The n.o.bler Youth the common ranke aboue, On their coruetting Coursers mounted faire, One ware his Mistris Garter, one her Gloue; And he a lock of his deare Ladies haire; And he her Colours, whom he most did loue; There was not one but did some Fauour weare: And each one tooke it, on his happy speede, To make it famous by some Knightly deede.

[Stanza 62]

The cloudes of dust, that from the wayes arose, Which in their martch, the trampling Troupes doe reare: When as the Sunne their thicknesse doth oppose In his descending, shining wondrous cleare, To the beholder farre off standing showes Like some besieged Towne, that were on fire: As though fore-telling e'r they should returne, That many a Citie yet secure must burne.

[Stanza 63]

The well-rig'd Nauie falne into the Road, For this short Cut with victuall fully stor'd, The King impatient of their long aboad, Commands his Army instantly aboard, Casting to haue each Company bestow'd, As then the time conuenience could afford; The Ships appointed wherein they should goe, And Boats prepar'd for waftage to and fro.

[Stanza 64]

To be imbarqu'd when euery Band comes downe, Each in their order as they mustred were, Or by the difference of their [a]Armings knowne, Or by their Colours; for in Ensignes there, Some wore the Armes of their most ancient Towne, Others againe their owne Diuises beare, There was not any, but that more or lesse, Something had got, that something should expresse.

[Note a: _A Blazon of the Ensignes of the seuerall Shires, in 14 Stanzas following._]

[Stanza 65]

First, in the [b]Kentish Stremer was a Wood, Out of whose top an arme that held a Sword, As their right Embleme; and to make it good, They aboue other onely had a Word, Which was; Vnconquer'd; as that freest had stood.

[c]Suss.e.x the next that was to come Aboard Bore a Blacke Lyon Rampant, sore that bled, With a Field-Arrow darted through the head.

[Note b: _Expressing their freedom, as still retaining their ancient liberties, by surprising the Conqueror like a mouing Wood._]

[Note c: _An expressi of King Harolds death, slaine with an Arrow in the head, at the Battaile of Hastings, fighting against the Conqueror._]

[Stanza 66]

The men of [d]Surrey, Cheeky Blew and gold, (Which for braue Warren their first Earle they wore, In many a Field that honour'd was of olde:) And Hamshere next in the same Colours bore, Three Lions Pa.s.sant, th' Armes of Beuis bould, Who through the World so famous was of yore; A siluer[e] Tower, Dorsets Red Banner beares; The Cornishmen two Wrestlers had for theirs.

[Note d: _The first famous Earle of that Countrey._]

[Note e: _Expressing the pleasantnesse of the scituation of that County, lying vpon the French sea._]

[Stanza 67]

The [f]Deuonshire Band, a Beacon set on fire, Sommerset [g]a Virgine bathing in a Spring, Their Cities Armes, the men of Glostershire, In Gold three [h]Bloudy Cheuernells doe bring; Wiltshire a Crowned[a] Piramed; As nigher Then any other to martch to the King; Barkshire a [b]Stag, vnder an Oake that stood, Oxford a White Bull wading in a Flood.

[Note f: _As lying the fittest to expell or forwarne Inuasion._]

[Note g: _Expressing the delicacy of the Bath, their chiefe Citty._]

[Note h: _The Armes of the ancient Family of Clare Earle of Gloster borne by the City._]

[Note a: _Stonidge being the first wonder of England, standing in Wiltshire._]

[Note b: _An old Embleme of Berech, or Berkshire._]

[Stanza 68]

The mustred men for [c]Buckingham, are gone Vnder the Swan, the Armes of that olde Towne, The Londoners, and Middles.e.x as one, Are by the Red Crosse, and the Dagger knowne; The Men of [d]Ess.e.x ouermatch'd by none, Vnder Queene h.e.l.lens Image Martching downe; [e]Suffolke a Sunne halfe risen from the brack, [f]Norfolke a Triton on a Dolphines backe.

[Note c: _A Badge of the ancient family of the Staffords Dukes of that place._]

[Note d: _Queene Helen Founder of the Crosse, wife to Constantine, and Daughter to King Coell, builder of Colchester in Ess.e.x._]

[Note e: _Suffolke the most Easterly of the English shieres._]

[Note f: _For the braue prospect to the Germaine Ocean._]

[Stanza 69]

The Souldiers sent from [g]Cambridgshire, a Bay Vpon a Mountaine watred with a shower: Hartford[h] two Harts that in a Riuer play; Bedfords an Eagle pearcht vpon a Tower, And [i]Huntington a People proud as they, Not giuing place to any for their power, A youthfull Hunter, with a Chaplet Crown'd, In a pyde Lyam leading forth his Hound.

[Note g: _Hauing relation to that famous Vniuersitie their Shiere Towne._]

[Note h: _The Armes of the Towne somewhat alluding to the name._]