5.31045Here, till our navy of a thousand sail

5.41046Have made a breakfast to our foe by sea,

5.51047Let us encamp to wait their happy speed.

5.61048Lorraine, what readiness is Edward in?

5.71049How hast thou heard that he provided is

5.81050Of martial furniture for this exploit?

To lay aside unnecessary soothing,

5.101052And not to spend the time in circumstance,

5.111053'Tis bruited for a certainty, my lord,

5.121054That he's exceeding strongly fortified;

5.131055His subjects flock as willingly to war

5.141056As if unto a triumph they were led.

England was wont to harbor malcontents,

5.161058Bloodthirsty and seditious Catilines,

5.171059Spendthrifts, and such as gape for nothing else

5.181060But changing and alteration of the state.

5.191061And is it possible 1062 that they are now

5.20So loyal in themselves?

All but the Scot, who solemnly protests,

5.221064As heretofore I have informed his grace,

5.231065Never to sheathe his sword or take a truce.

Ah, that's the anch'rage of some better hope.

5.251067But, on the other side, to think what friends

5.261068King Edward hath retained in Netherland

5.271069Among those ever-bibbing epicures --

5.281070Those frothy Dutchmen puffed with double beer,

5.291071That drink and swill in every place they come --

5.301072Doth not a little aggravate mine ire;

5.311073Besides we hear the emperor conjoins

5.321074And stalls him in his own authority.

5.331075But all the mightier that their number is,

5.341076The greater glory reaps the victory.

5.351077Some friends have we beside domestic power:

5.361078The stern Polonian, and the warlike Dane,

5.371079The King of Bohemia, and of Sicily

5.381080Are all become confederates with us,

5.391081And, as I think, are marching hither apace.

5.411082But soft, I hear the music of their drums,

5.421083By which I guess that their approach is near.

5.451088King John of France, as league and neighborhood

5.461089Requires when friends are any way distressed,

5.471090I come to aid thee with my country's force.

And from great Moscow, fearful to the Turk,

5.491092And lofty Poland, nurse of hardy men,

5.501093I bring these servitors to fight for thee,

5.511094Who willingly will venture in thy cause.

Welcome Bohemian King, and welcome all.

5.531096This your great kindness I will not forget;

5.541097Besides your plentiful rewards in crowns

5.551098That from our treasury ye shall receive,

5.561099There comes a hare-brained nation decked in pride,

5.571100The spoil of whom will be a treble gain.

5.581101And now my hope is full, my joy complete.

5.591102At sea we are as puissant as the force

5.601103Of Agamemnon in the haven of Troy;

5.611104By land, with Xerxes we compare of strength,

5.621105Whose soldiers drank up rivers in their thirst.

5.631106Then Bayard-like, blind, overweening Ned,

5.641107To reach at our imperial diadem

5.651108Is either to be swallowed of the waves

5.661109Or hacked a-pieces when thou com'st ashore.

Near to the coast I have descried, my lord,

5.691112As I was busy in my watchful charge,

5.701113The proud armada of King Edward's ships,

5.711114Which, at the first far off when I did ken,

5.721115Seemed as it were a grove of withered pines.

5.731116But, drawing near, their glorious bright aspect,

5.741117Their streaming ensigns wrought of colored silk,

5.751118Like to a meadow full of sundry flowers

5.761119Adorns the naked bosom of the earth;

5.771120Majestical the order of their course,

5.781121Figuring the hornèd circle of the moon;

5.791122And on the top gallant of the admiral,

5.801123And likewise all the handmaids of his train,

5.811124The arms of England and of France unite

5.821125Are quartered equally by herald's art.

5.831126Thus titely carried with a merry gale,

5.841127They plough the ocean hitherward amain.

Dare he already crop the fleur-de-lis?

5.861129I hope the honey being gathered thence,

5.871130He with the spider afterward approached,

5.881131Shall suck forth deadly venom from the leaves.

5.891132But where's our navy? How are they prepared

5.901133To wing themselves against this flight of ravens?

They, having knowledge brought them by the scouts,

5.921135Did break from anchor straight and, puffed with rage

5.931136No otherwise than were their sails with wind,

5.941137Made forth, as when the empty eagle flies

5.951138To satisfy his hungry griping maw.

There's for thy news, return unto thy bark;

5.971140And if thou scape the bloody stroke of war

5.981141And do survive the conflict, come again,

5.991142And let us hear the manner of the fight.

5.1011143Mean space, my lords, 'tis best we be dispersed

5.1021144To several places lest they chance to land.

5.1031145First you, my lord, with your Bohemian troops

5.1041146Shall pitch your battles on the lower hand;

5.1051147My eldest son, the Duke of Normandy,

5.1061148Together with this aid of Muscovites,

5.1071149Shall climb the higher ground another way;

5.1081150Here in the middle coast betwixt you both,

5.1091151Philip, my youngest boy, and I will lodge.

5.1101152So, lords, begone, and look unto your charge;

5.1111153You stand for France, an empire fair and large.

5.1131154Now tell me, Philip, what is thy conceit

5.1141155Touching the challenge that the English make?

I say, my lord, claim Edward what he can,

5.1161157And bring he ne'er so plain a pedigree,

5.1171158'Tis you are in possession of the crown,

5.1181159And that's the surest point of all the law.

5.1191160But were it not, yet ere he should prevail,

5.1201161I'll make a conduit of my dearest blood

5.1211162Or chase those straggling upstarts home again.

Well said, young Philip. Call for bread and wine,

5.1231164That we may cheer our stomachs with repast

5.1241165To look our foes more sternly in the face.

5.1261166Now is begun the heavy day at sea.

5.1271167Fight, Frenchmen, fight; be like the field of bears

5.1281168When they defend their younglings in their caves.

5.1291169Steer, angry Nemesis, the happy helm

5.1301170That with the sulphur battles of your rage

5.1311171The English fleet may be dispersed and sunk.

O father, how this echoing cannon shot,

5.1341173Like sweet harmony, digests my cates.

Now, boy, thou hearst what thund'ring terror 'tis

5.1361175To buckle for a kingdom's sovereignty.

5.1371176The earth with giddy trembling when it shakes,

5.1381177Or when the exhalations of the air

5.1391178Breaks in extremity of lightning flash,

5.1401179Affrights not more than kings when they dispose

5.1411180To show the rancor of their high-swoll'n hearts.

5.1431181Retreat is sounded; one side hath the worse.

5.1441182Oh, if it be the French, sweet Fortune turn,

5.1451183And in thy turning change the froward winds,

5.1461184That with advantage of a favoring sky

5.1471185Our men may vanquish and th'other fly.

5.1491187My heart misgives -- say, mirror of pale death,

5.1501188To whom belongs the honor of this day?

5.1511189Relate, I pray thee, if thy breath will serve,

5.1521190The sad discourse of this discomfiture.

I will, my lord.

5.1541192My gracious sovereign, France hath ta'en the foil,

5.1551193And boasting Edward triumphs with success.

5.1561194These iron-hearted navies,

5.1571195When last I was reporter to your grace,

5.1581196Both full of angry spleen, of hope and fear,

5.1591197Hasting to meet each other in the face,

5.1601198At last conjoined, and by their admiral,

5.1611199Our admiral encountered many shot.

5.1621200By this, the other, that beheld these twain

5.1631201Give earnest penny of a further wrack,

5.1641202Like fiery dragons took their haughty flight,

5.1651203And, likewise meeting, from their smoky wombs

5.1661204Sent many grim ambassadors of death.

5.1671205Then 'gan the day to turn to gloomy night,

5.1681206And darkness did as well enclose the quick

5.1691207As those that were but newly reft of life.

5.1701208No leisure served for friends to bid farewell,

5.1711209And if it had, the hideous noise was such

5.1721210As each to other seemèd deaf and dumb;

5.1731211Purple the sea, whose channel filled as fast

5.1741212With streaming gore that from the maimèd fell,

5.1751213As did her gushing moisture break into

5.1761214The crannied cleftures of the through-shot planks.

5.1771215Here flew a head dissevered from the trunk,

5.1781216There mangled arms and legs were tossed aloft,

5.1791217As when a whirlwind takes the summer dust

5.1801218And scatters it in middle of the air.

5.1811219Then might ye see the reeling vessels split,

5.1821220And tottering sink into the ruthless flood

5.1831221Until their lofty tops were seen no more.

5.1841222All shifts were tried both for defence and hurt,

5.1851223And now the effect of valor and of force,

5.1861224Of resolution and of cowardice,

5.1871225Were lively pictured; how the one for fame,

5.1881226The other by compulsion laid about.

5.1891227Much did the Nompareille, that brave ship,

5.1901228So did the black snake of Boulogne, than which

5.1911229A bonnier vessel never yet spread sail.

5.1921230But all in vain: both sun, the wind and tide

5.1931231Revolted all unto our foemen's side,

5.1941232That we perforce were fain to give them way,

5.1951233And they are landed. Thus my tale is done:

5.1961234We have untimely lost, and they have won.

Then rests there nothing but with present speed

5.1981236To join our several forces all in one

5.1991237And bid them battle ere they range too far.

5.2001238Come, gentle Philip, let us hence depart,

5.2011239This soldier's words have pierced thy father's heart.