He easely might him know the other folke among;
And bad him not to feare, but chuse him for the man.
No brake the day, but vp rose Athelstan;
And as the Vision show’d, he such a Palmer found,
With others of his sort, there sitting on the ground:
Where, for some poore repast they onely seem’d to stay,
Else ready to depart each one vpon his way:
When secretly the King revealed to the Knight
His comfortable dreames that lately passed night:
With mild and princely words bespeaking him; quoth hee,
Farre better you are knowne to heauen (it seemes) then mee
For this great Action fit: by whose most drad command
(Besore a world of men) it’s lay’d vpon your hand.
Then stout and valiant Knight, heere to my Court repaire,
Refresh you in my bathes, and mollifie your care
With comfortable wines and meats what you will aske:
And chuse my richest Armes to fit you for this taske.
The Palmer (gray with age) with countenance lowting lowe,
His head euen to the earth before the King doth bow,
Him softly answering thus; Drad Lord, it fits mee ill
(A wretched man) t’oppose high heauens eternall will:
Yet my most soueraigne Liege, no more of me esteeme
Then this poore habit showes, a Pilgrim as I seeme;
But yet I must confesse, haue seene in former dayes
The best Knights of the world, and seuffled in some frayes.
Those times are gone with me; and, beeing aged now,
Haue offred vp my Armes, to Heau’n and made my vow
Nere more to beare a Shield, nor my declining age
(Except some Palmers Tent, or homely Hermitage)
Shall euer enter roofe: but if, by Heauen and thee,
This Action be impos’d great English King on mee,
Send to the Danish Campe, their challenge to accept,
In some conuenient place proclaiming it be kept:
Where, by th’Almighties power, for England Ile appeare.
The King much pleas’d in mind, assumes his wonted cheere,
And to the Danish power his choicest Herault sent.
When, both through Campe and Court, this Combat quickly went.
Which suddainly divolg’d, whilst euery listning eare,
As thirsting after newes, desirous was to heare,
Who for the English side durst vnder-take the day;
The puissant Kings accord, that in the middle way
Betwixt the Tent and Towne, to eithers equall sight,
Within a goodly Mead, most fit for such a fight,
The Lists should be prepar’d for this materiall prize.
The day prefixt once com’n, both Dane and English rise,
And to th’appointed place th’vnnumbred people throng:
The weaker female sex, old men, and children young
Into the windowes get, and vp on stalls, to see
The man on whose braue hand their hope that day must bee.
In noting of it well, there might a man behold
More sundry formes of feare then thought imagine could.
One looks vpon his friend with sad and heauy cheere,
Who seemes in this distresse a part with him to beare:
Their passions doe expresse much pittie mixt with rage.
Whilst one his wiues laments is labouring to asswage,
His little infant neere, in childish gibbridge showes
What addeth to his griefe who sought to calme her woes.
One hauing climb’d some roofe, the concourse to discry,
From thence vpon the earth deiects his humble eye,
As since he thither came hee suddainly had found
Some danger them amongst which lurkt vpon the ground.
One stands with fixed eyes, as though he were agast:
Another sadly comes, as though his hopes were past.
This harkneth with his friend, as though with him to breake
Of some intended act. Whilst they together speake,
Another standeth neere to listen what they say,
Or what should be the end of this so doubtfull day.
One great and generall face the gathered people seeme:
So that the perfect’st sight beholding could not deeme
What lookes most sorrow show’d; their griefes so equall were.
Vpon the heads of two, whose cheekes were ioynd so neere
As if together growne, a third his chin doth rest:
Another lookes or’e his: and others, hardly prest,
Lookt vnder-neath their armes. Thus, whilst in crowds they throng
(Led by the King himselfe) the Champion comes along;
A man well strooke in yeeres, in homely Palmers gray,
And in his hand his staffe, his reuerent steps to stay,
Holding a comly pase: which at his passing by,
In euery censuring tongue, as euery serious eye,
Compassion mixt with feare, distrust and courage, bred.
Then Colebrond for the Danes came forth in irefull red;
Before him (from the Campe) an Ensigne first display’d
Amidst a guard of gleaues: then sumptuously array’d
Were twenty gallant youths, that to the warlike sound
Of Danish brazen Drums, with many a loftie bound,
Come with their Countries march, as they to Mars should dance.
Thus, forward to the fight, both Champions them advance:
And each without respect doth resolutely chuse
The weapon that he brought, nor doth his foes refuse.
The Dane prepares his Axe, that pond’rous was to feele,
Whose squares were layd with plates, and riuited with steele,
And armed downe along with pykes; whose hardned poynts
(Forc’t with the weapons weight) had power to teare the ioynts
Of Curas or of Mayle, or what-so-ere they tooke:
Which caus’d him at the Knight disdainfully to looke.
When our stout Palmer soone (vnknowne for valiant Guy)
The cord from his straight loynes doth presently vntie,
Puts off his Palmers weede vnto his trusse, which bore
The staines of ancient Armes, but show’d it had before
Beene costly cloth of Gold; and off his hood he threw:
Out of his Hermits staffe his two-hand sword hee drew
(The vnsuspected sheath which long to it had beene)
Which till that instant time the people had not seene;
A sword so often try’d. Then to himselfe, quoth hee,
Armes let me craue your ayde, to set my Country free:
And neuer shall my hart your help againe require,
But onely to my God to lift you vp in pray’r.
Here, Colebrond forward made, and soone the Christian Knight
Encounters him againe with equall power and spight:
Whereas, betwixt them two, might easely haue been seene
Such blowes, in publique throngs as vsed had they been,
Of many there the least might many men haue slaine:
Which none but they could strike, nor none but they sustaine;
The most relentlesse eye that had the power to awe,
And so great wonder bred in those the Fight that saw,
As verily they thought, that Nature vntill then
Had purposely reseru’d the vtmost power of men,
Where strength still answerd strength, on courage courage grew.
Looke how two Lyons fierce, both hungry, both pursue
One sweet and selfe-same prey, at one another flie,
And with their armed pawes ingrappled dreadfully,
The thunder of their rage, and boy strous struggling, make
The neighboring Forrests round affrightedly to quake:
Their sad
encounter, such. The mightie Colebroud stroke
A cruell blowe at Guy: which though hee finely broke,
Yet (with the weapons weight) his ancient hilt it split,
And (thereby lessened much) the Champion lightly hit
Vpon the reuerent brow: immediatly from whence
The blood dropt softly downe, as if the wound had sense
Of their much inward woe that it with griefe should see.
The Danes, a deadly blowe supposing it to bee,
Sent such an ecchoing shoute that rent the troubled ayre.
The English at the noise, wext all so wan with seare,
As though They lost the blood their aged Champion shed:
Yet were not these so pale, but th’other were as red;
As though the blood that fell, vpon their cheekes had staid.
Here Guy, his better spirits recalling to his ayde,
Came fresh vpon his foe; when mightie Colebrond makes
An other desperate stroke: which Guy of Warwick takes
Vndauntedly aloft; and followed with a blowe
Vpon his shorter ribs, that the excessiue flowe
Stream’d vp vnto his hilts: the wound so gap’t withall,
As though it meant to say, Behold your Champions fall
By this proud Palmers hand. Such claps againe and cryes
The ioyfull English gaue as cleft the very skies.
Which comming on along from these that were without,
When those within the Towne receiu’d this cheerfull shout,
They answer’d them with like; as those their ioy that knew.
Then with such eager blowes each other they pursue,
As euery offer made, should threaten imminent death;
Vntill, through heat and toyle both hardly drawing breath,
They desperatly doe close. Looke how two Boares, being set
Together side to side, their threatning tusks doe whet,
And with their gnashing teeth their angry foame doe bite,
Whilst still they shouldring seeke, each other where to smite:
Thus stood those irefull Knights; till flying back, at length
The Palmer, of the two the first recouering strength,
Vpon the left arme lent great Colebrond such a wound,
That whilst his weapons poynt fell wel-neere to the ground,
And slowly he it rais’d, the valiant Guy againe
Sent through his clouen scalpe his blade into his braine.
When downeward went his head, and vp his heeles he threw;
As wanting hands to bid his Countrimen Adieu.
The English part, which thought an end he would haue made,
And seeming as they much would in his praise haue said,
He bad them yet forbeare, whilst he pursu’d his fame
That to this passed King next in succession came;
That great and puissant Knight (in whose victorious dayes
Those knight-like deeds were done, no lesse deseruing praise)
Braue Edmond, Edwards sonne, that Stafford hauing tane,
With as succesfull speed won Darby from the Dane.
From Lester then againe, and Lincolne at the length,
Draue out the Dacian Powers by his resistlesse strength:
And this his England cleer’d beyond that raging Flood,
Which that proud King of Hunnes once christned with his blood.
By which, great Edmonds power apparantly was showne,
The Land from Hamber South recouering for his owne;
That Edgar after him so much disdain’d the Dane
Vnworthy of a warre that should disturbe his raigne,
As generally he seem’d regardlesse of their hate.
And studying euery way magnificence in State,
At Chester whilst he liu’d at more then kingly charge,
Eight tributary Kings there row’d him in his Barge:
His shores from Pirats sack the King that strongly kept:
A Neptune, whose proud sayles the British Ocean swept.
But after his decease, when his more hopefull sonne,
By cruell Stepdam’s hate, to death was lastly done,
To set his rightfull Crowne vpon a wrongfull head
(When by thy fatall curse, licentious Etheldred,
Through dissolutenes, sloth, and thy abhorred life,
As greeuous were thy sinnes, so were thy sorrowes rife)
The Dane, possessing all, the English forc’t to beare
A heauier yoke then first those Heathen slaueries were;
Subiected, bought, and sold, in that most wretched plight,
As euen their thraldome seem’d their neighbors to affright.
Yet could not all their plagues the English height abate:
But euen in their low’st Eb, and miserablest state,
Courageously themselues they into action put,
And in one night, the throats of all the Danish cut.
And when in their reuenge, the most insatiate Dane
Vnshipt them on our shores, vnder their puissant Swane:
And swolne with hate and ire, their huge vnweeldy force,
Came clustring like the Greeks out of the Woodden-horse:
And the Norfoleian Townes, the neet’st vnto the East,
With sacriledge and rape did terriblest infest;
Those Danes yet from the shores we with such violence draue,
That from our swords, their ships could them but hardly saue.
And to renew the warre, that yeere ensuing, when
With fit supplies for spoyle, they landed heere agen,
And all the Southerne shores from Kent to Cornwall spred,
With those disordred troupes by Alaffe hither led,
In seconding their Swane, which cry’d to them for ayde;
Their multitudes so much sad Ethelred dismay’d,
As from his Country forc’t the wretched King to flie.
An English yet there was, when England seem’d to lie
Vnder the heauiest yoke that euer kingdome bore,
Who washt his secret knife in Swane’s relentlesse gore,
Whilst (swelling in excesse) his lauish Cups he ply’d.
Such meanes t’redeeme themselues th’afflicted Nation try’d.
And when courageous Knute, th’late murther’d Swanus sonne,
Came in t’reuenge that act on his great father done,
He found so rare a spirit that heere against him rose,
As though ordain’d by Heauen his greatness to oppose:
Who with him foot to foot, and face to face durst stand.
When Knute, which heere alone affected the Command,
The Crowne vpon his head at faire South-hampton set:
And Edmond, loth to lose what Knute desir’d to get,
At London caus’d himselfe inaugurate to bee.
King Knute would conquer all, King Edmond would be free.
The kingdome is the Prize for which they both are prest:
And with their equall powers both meeting in the West,
The greene Dorsetian fields a deepe vermillion dy’d:
Where Gillingham gaue way to their great hostes (in pride)
Abundantly their blood that each on other spent.
But Edmond, on whose side that day the better went
(And with like fortune thought the remnant to suppresse
That Sarum then besieg’d, which was in great distresse)
With his victorious troupes to Salsbury retires:
When with fresh bleeding wounds, Knute, as with fresh desires,
Whose might though some-what maym’d, his mind yet vnsubdu’d,
His lately conquering Foe, courageously pursu’d:
And finding out a way, sent to his friends with speed,
Who him supply’d with ayde: and being helpt at need,
Tempts Edmond still to fight, still hoping for a day.
Towards Worstershire their Powers both well vpon their
way,
There, falling to the Field, in a continuall fight
Two dayes the angry hosts still parted were by Night:
Where twice the rising Sunne, and twice the setting, saw
Them with their equall wounds their wearied breath to draw.
Great London to surprize, then (next) Canutus makes:
And thitherward as fast King Edmond Ironside takes.
Whilst Knute set downe his siege before the Easterne gate,
King Edmond through the West, past in tryumphall state.
But this courageous King, that scorned, in his pride,
A Towne should be besieg’d wherein he did abide,
Into the fields againe the valiant Edmond goes.
Kanutus, yet that hopes to winne what he did lose,
Provokes him still to fight: and falling backe where they
Might field-roomth find at large, their Ensignes to display,
Together flewe againe; that Brentford, with the blood
Of Danes and English mixt, discoloured long time stood.
Yet Edmond, as before, went Victor still away.
When soone that valiant Knute, whom nothing could dismay,
Recall’d his scattered troupes, and into Essex hies,
Where (as ill fortune would) the Dane with fresh supplies
Was lately come a-land, to whom braue Ironside makes;
But Knute to him againe as soone fresh courage takes:
And Fortune (as her selfe) determining to showe
That shee could bring an Eb, on valiant Edmonds Flowe,
And easely cast him downe from off the top of Chance,
By turning of her wheele, Canutus doth advance.
Where shee beheld that Prince which she had fauor’d long
(Euen in her proud despight) his murther’d troupes among
With sweat and blood besmear’d (Dukes, Earles, and Bishops slaine,
In that most dreadfull day, when all went to the Dane)
Through worlds of dangers wade; and with his Sword and Shield,
Such wonders there to act as made her in the Field
Ashamed of her selfe, so braue a spirit as he
By her vnconstant hand should so much wronged be.
But, hauing lost the day, to Glocester hee drawes,
To raise a second power in his slaine souldiers cause.
When late-encourag’d Knute, whilst fortune yet doth last,
Who oft from Ironside fled, now followed him as fast.
Whilst thus in Ciuill Armes continually they toyle,
And what th’one striues to make, the other seeks to spoyle,
With threatning swords still drawne; and with obnoxious hands
Attending their reuenge, whilst either enemie stands,
Michael Drayton- Collected Poetical Works Page 96