ANONYMOUS

The fifteenth day of July, With glistering spear and shield, A famous fight in Flanders Was foughten in the field: The most conspicuous officers Were English captains three, But the bravest man in battel Was brave Lord Willoughby. The next was Captain Norris, A valiant man was he: The other, Captain Turner, From field would never flee. With fifteen hundred fighting men, Alas! there were no more, They fought with forty thousand then Upon the bloody shore. ‘Stand to it, noble pikemen, And look you round about: And shoot you right, you bowmen, And we will keep them out: You musket and cailìver men, Do you prove true to me, I’ll be the bravest man in fight,’ Says brave Lord Willoughby. And then the bloody enemy They fiercely did assail, And fought it out most valiantly Not doubting to prevail: The wounded men on both sides fell Most piteous for to see, Yet nothing could the courage quell Of brave Lord Willoughby. For seven hours to all men’s view This fight endurèd sore, Until our men so feeble grew That they could fight no more; And then upon dead horses Full savourly they eat, And drank the puddle water, They could no better get. When they had fed so freely, They kneelèd on the ground, And praisèd God devoutly For the favour they had found; And bearing up their colours, The fight they did renew, And cutting tow’rds the Spaniard, Five thousand more they slew. The sharp steel-pointed arrows And bullets thick did fly, Then did our valiant soldiers Charge on most furiously: Which made the Spaniards waver, They thought it best to flee: They feared the stout behaviour Of brave Lord Willoughby. Then quoth the Spanish general, ‘Come let us march away, I fear we shall be spoilèd all If that we longer stay: For yonder comes Lord Willoughby With courage fierce and fell, He will not give one inch of ground For all the devils in hell.’ And when the fearful enemy Was quickly put to flight, Our men pursued courageously To rout his forces quite; And at last they gave a shout Which echoed through the sky: ‘God and Saint George for England!’ The conquerors did cry. This news was brought to England With all the speed might be, And soon our gracious Queen was told Of this same victory. ‘O! this is brave Lord Willoughby My love that ever won: Of all the lords of honour ’Tis he great deeds hath done!’ To the soldiers that were maimèd, And wounded in the fray, The Queen allowed a pension Of eighteen pence a day, And from all costs and charges She quit and set them free; And this she did all for the sake Of brave Lord Willoughby. Then courage, noble Englishmen, And never be dismayed! If that we be but one to ten, We will not be afraid To fight with foreign enemies, And set our country free, And thus I end the bloody bout Of brave Lord Willoughby. Anonymous.

Attend you, and give ear awhile, And you shall understand Of a battle fought upon the seas By a ship of brave command. The fight it was so glorious Men’s hearts it did fulfil, And it made them cry, ‘To sea, to sea, With the Angel Gabriel!’ This lusty ship of Bristol, Sailed out adventurously Against the foes of England, Her strength with them to try; Well victualled, rigged, and manned she was, With good provision still, Which made them cry, ‘To sea, to sea, With the Angel Gabriel!’ The Captain, famous Netherway (That was his noble name); The Master—he was called John Mines— A mariner of fame: The Gunner, Thomas Watson, A man of perfect skill: With many another valiant heart In the Angel Gabriel. They waving up and down the seas Upon the ocean main, ‘It is not long ago,’ quoth they, ‘That England fought with Spain: O would the Spaniard we might meet Our stomachs to fulfil! We would play him fair a noble bout With our Angel Gabriel!’ They had no sooner spoken But straight appeared in sight Three lusty Spanish vessels Of warlike trim and might; With bloody resolution They thought our men to spill, And vowed that they would make a prize Of our Angel Gabriel. Our gallant ship had in her Full forty fighting men; With twenty piece of ordnance We played about them then, With powder, shot, and bullets Right well we worked our will, And hot and bloody grew the fight With our Angel Gabriel. Our Captain to our Master said, ‘Take courage, Master bold!’ Our Master to the seamen said, ‘Stand fast, my hearts of gold!’ Our Gunner unto all the rest, ‘Brave hearts, be valiant still! Fight on, fight on in the defence Of our Angel Gabriel!’ We gave them such a broadside It smote their mast asunder, And tore the bowsprit off their ship, Which made the Spaniards wonder, And causèd them in fear to cry, With voices loud and shrill, ‘Help, help, or sunken we shall be By the Angel Gabriel!’ So desperately they boarded us For all our valiant shot, Threescore of their best fighting men Upon our decks were got; And lo! at their first entrances Full thirty did we kill, And thus with speed we cleared the deck Of our Angel Gabriel. With that their three ships boarded us Again with might and main, But still our noble Englishmen Cried out ‘A fig for Spain!’ Though seven times they boarded us At last we showed our skill, And made them feel what men we were On the Angel Gabriel. Seven hours this fight continued: So many men lay dead, With Spanish blood for fathoms round The sea was coloured red. Five hundred of their fighting men We there outright did kill, And many more were hurt and maimed By our Angel Gabriel. Then seeing of these bloody spoils, The rest made haste away: For why, they said, it was no boot The longer there to stay. Then they fled into Calès, Where lie they must and will For fear lest they should meet again With our Angel Gabriel. We had within our English ship But only three men slain, And five men hurt, the which I hope Will soon be well again. At Bristol we were landed, And let us praise God still, That thus hath blest our lusty hearts And our Angel Gabriel. Anonymous.