Michael Drayton- Collected Poetical Works
Page 138
Though marching last (in the mayne Armies face)
Three golden Eagles in their Ensigne brought,
Vnder which oft braue Owen Guyneth fought.
[Note a: The Shiere breeding the best Horses of Wales.]
[Note b: As opening it selfe to the great North or Deucalidonian
Sea.]
[Note c: Expressing the abundance of Corn and grasse, in that
little Tract.]
79
The Seas amazed at the fearefull sight,
Of Armes, and Ensignes, that aboard were brought,
Of Streamers, Banners, Pennons, Ensignes pight,
Vpon each Pup and Prowe; and at the fraught,
So full of terror, that it hardly might
Into a naturall course againe be brought,
As the vaste Nauie which at Anchor rides,
Proudly presumes to shoulder out the Tides.
80: A Simile of the Nauy.
The Fleet then full, and floating on the Maine,
The numerous Masts, with their braue Topsailes spred,
When as the Winde a little doth them straine,
Seeme like a Forrest bearing her proud head
Against some rough flawe, that forerunns a raine;
So do they looke from euery loftie sted,
Which with the Surges tumbled too and fro,
Seeme (euen) to bend, as trees are seene to doe.
81: The braue solemnity at the departing of the Fleet.
From euery Ship when as the Ordnance rore,
Of their depart, that all might vnderstand,
When as the zealous people from the shore,
Againe with fires salute them from the Land,
For so was order left with them before,
To watch the Beacons, with a carefull hand,
Which being once fierd, the people more or lesse,
Should all to Church, and pray for their successe.
82: The Nauy Landing in the mouth of Seyne.
They shape their Course into the Month of Seyne,
That destin’d Flood those Nauies to receiue,
Before whose fraught her France had prostrate laine,
As now she must this, that shall neuer leaue,
Vntill the Engines that it doth containe,
Into the ayre her heightned walls shall heaue;
Whose stubborne Turrets had refus’d to bow,
To that braue Nation that shall shake them now.
83
Long Boates with Scouts are put to land before,
Vpon light Naggs the Countrey to discry,
(Whilst the braue Army setting is on shore,)
To view what strength the enemy had nie,
Pressing the bosome of large France so sore,
That her pale Genius, in affright doth flye
To all her Townes and warnes them to awake,
And for her safety vp their Armes to take.
84
At Paris, Roan, and Orleance, she calls,
And at their gates with gronings doth complaine:
Then cries she out, O get vp to your walls:
The English Armies are return’d againe,
Which in two Battailes gaue those fatall falls,
At Cressie, and at Poyteers, where lay slaine
Our conquered Fathers, which with very feare
Quake in their Graues to feele them landed here.
85
The King of France now hauing vnderstood,
Of Henries entrance, (but too well improu’d,)
He cleerly saw that deere must be the blood,
That it must cost, e’r he could be remou’d;
He sends to make his other Sea Townes good,
Neuer before so much it him behou’d;
In eu’ry one a Garison to lay,
Fearing fresh powers from England eu’ry day.
86: The braue encouragement of a couragious King.
To the high’st earth whilst awfull Henry gets,
From whence strong Harflew he might easl’est see,
With sprightly words, and thus their courage whets,
In yonder walls be Mynes of gold (quoth he)
He’s a poore Slaue, that thinkes of any debts;
Harflew shall pay for all, it ours shall be:
This ayre of France doth like me wondrous well,
Lets burne our Ships, for here we meane to dwell.
87: A charitable Proclamation made by the King.
But through his Hoast, he first of all proclaim’d
In paine of death, no English man should take
From the Religious, aged, or the maym’d,
Or women that could no resistance make:
To gaine his owne for that he onely aym’d;
Nor would haue such to suffer for his sake:
Which in the French (when they the same did heare)
Bred of this braue King, a religious feare.
88: The Kings mayne Standard (for the ponderousnes thereof,)
euer borne vpon a Carriage.
His Army rang’d, in order fitting warre,
Each with some greene thing doth his Murrian crowne,
With his mayne standard fixt vpon the Carre;
Comes the great King before th’intrenched Towne,
Whilst from the walls the people gazing are,
In all their sights he sets his Army downe;
Nor for their shot he careth not a pin,
But seekes where he his Battery may begin.
89: The King makes his approches on three parts.
And into three, his Army doth diuide,
His strong aproaches on three parts to make;
Himselfe on th’one, Clarence on th’other side,
To Yorke and Suffolke he the third doth take,
The Mines the Duke of Glocester doth guide;
Then caus’d his Ships the Riuer vp to Stake,
That none with Victuall should the Towne relieue
Should the Sword faile, with Famine them to grieue.
90: The King summons Harflew.
From his Pauillion where he sate in State,
Arm’d for the Siedge, and buckling on his Shield,
Braue Henry sends his Herault to the Gate,
By Trumpets sound, to summon them to yeeld,
And to accept his Mercy, ere to late,
Or else to say ere he forsooke the field,
Harflew should be but a meere heape of Stones,
Her buildings buried with her Owners bones.
91
France on this sudaine put into a fright,
With the sad newes of Harflew in distresse,
Whose inexpected, miserable plight,
She on the suddaine, knew not to redresse,
But vrg’d to doe the vtmost that she might,
The peoples feares and clamours to suppresse,
Raiseth a power with all the speede she could,
Somewhat thereby, to loose King Henries hold.
92: Charles de Alibert, and Iohn Bowcequalt.
The Marshall, and the Constable of France,
Leading those Forces levied for the turne,
By which they thought their Titles to aduance,
And of their Countrey endlesse praise to earne,
But it with them farre otherwise doth chance,
For when they saw the Villages to burne,
And high-towr’d Harflew round ingirt with fires,
They with their powers to Cawdebeck retire.
93: A Simile of the French powers.
Like as a Hinde when shee her Calfe doth see,
Lighted by chance into a Lions pawes,
From which should shee aduenture it to free,
Shee must her selfe fill his deuouring Iawes,
And yet her young one, still his prey must be,
(Shee so instructed is by Natures Lawes:)
With them so fares it, which must needs goe downe
If they would fight; and yet must loose t
he Towne:
94: A description of the siege of Harflewe, in the 19 following
Stanzaes.
Now doe they mount their Ordnance for the day,
Their scaling Ladders rearing to the walls,
Their battering Rammes against the gates they lay,
Their brazen slings send in the wilde-fire balls,
Baskets of twigs now carie stones and clay,
And to th’assault who furiously not falls;
The Spade and Pickax working are belowe,
Which then vnfelt, yet gaue the greatest blowe.
95
Rampiers of earth the painefull Pyoners raise
With the walls equall, close vpon the Dike,
To passe by which the Souldier that assayes,
On Planks thrust ouer, one him downe doth strike:
Him with a mall a second English payes,
A second French transpearc’d him with a Pyke:
That from the height of the embattel’d Towers,
Their mixed blood ranne downe the walls in showers.
96
A French man back into the Towne doth fall,
With a sheafe Arrow shot into the head;
An English man in scaling of the wall,
From the same place is by a stone struck dead;
Tumbling vpon them logs of wood, and all,
That any way for their defence might sted:
The hills at hand re-ecchoing with the din
Of shouts without, and fearefull shrickes within.
97: Crosbowe Arrowes.
When all at once the English men assaile,
The French within all valiantly defend,
And in a first assault, if any faile,
They by a second striue it to amend:
Out of the Towne come quarries thick as haile;
As thick againe their Shafts the English send:
The bellowing Canon from both sides doth rore,
With such a noyse as makes the Thunder pore.
98
Now vpon one side you should heare a cry,
And all that Quarter clowded with a smother;
The like from that against it by and by;
As though the one were eccho to the other,
The King and Clarence so their turnes can ply:
And valiant Gloster showes himselfe their brother;
Whose Mynes to the besieg’d more mischiefe doe,
Then with th’assaults aboue, the other two.
99
An olde man sitting by the fier side,
Decrepit with extreamity of Age,
Stilling his little Grand-childe when it cride,
Almost distracted with the Batteries rage:
Sometimes doth speake it faire, sometimes doth chide,
As thus he seekes its mourning to asswage,
By chance a Bullet doth the chimney hit,
Which falling in, doth kill both him and it.
100
Whilst the sad weeping Mother sits her downe,
To giue her little new-borne Babe the Pap:
A lucklesse quarry leueld at the Towne,
Kills the sweet Baby sleeping in her lap,
That with the fright shee falls into a swoone,
From which awak’d, and mad with the mishap;
As vp a Rampire shreeking she doth clim,
Comes a great Shot, and strikes her lim from lim.
101
Whilst a sort runne confusedly to quench,
Some Pallace burning, or some fired Street,
Call’d from where they were fighting in the Trench;
They in their way with Balls of Wilde-fire meet,
So plagued are the miserable French,
Not aboue head, but also vnder feet:
For the fierce English vowe the Towne to take,
Or of it soone a heape of stones to make.
102
Hot is the Siege the English comming on,
As men so long to be kept out that scorne,
Carelesse of wounds as they were made of stone;
As with their teeth the walls they would haue torne:
Into a Breach who quickly is not gone;
Is by the next behind him ouer-borne:
So that they found a place that gaue them way,
They neuer car’d what danger therein lay.
103
From eu’ry Quarter they their course must plye,
As’t pleas’d the King them to th’assault to call:
Now on the Duke of Yorke the charge doth lye:
To Kent and Cornwall then the turne doth fall:
Then Huntingdon vp to the walls they crye:
Then Suffolke, and then Excester; which all
In their meane Souldiers habits vs’d to goe,
Taking such part as those that own’d them doe.
104
The men of Harflew rough excursions make,
Vpon the English watchfull in their Tent,
Whose courages they to their cost awake,
With many a wound that often back them sent,
So proud a Sally that durst vndertake,
And in the Chase pell mell amongst them went,
For on the way such ground of them they win,
That some French are shut out, some English in.
105
Nor idely sit our Men at Armes the while,
Foure thousand Horse that eu’ry day goe out;
And of the Field are Masters many a mile,
By putting the Rebellious French to rout;
No Peasants them with promises beguile:
Another bus’nesse they were come about;
For him they take, his Ransome must redeeme,
Onely French Crownes, the English men esteeme.
106
Whilst English Henry lastly meanes to trye:
By three vast Mynes, the walls to ouerthrowe.
The French men their approches that espye,
By Countermynes doe meete with them belowe,
And as opposed in the Workes they lye:
Vp the Besieged the Besiegers blowe,
That stifled quite, with powder as with dust,
Longer to walls they found it vaine to trust.
107
Till Gaucourt then, and Tuttivile that were
The Townes Commanders, (with much perill) finde
The Resolution that the English beare;
As how their owne to yeelding were enclinde,
Summon to parly, off’ring frankly there;
If that ayde came not by a day assignde,
To giue the Towne vp, might their liues stand free:
As for their goods, at Henries will to be.
108
And hauing wonne their conduct to the King,
Those hardy Chiefes on whom the charge had layne:
Thither those well-fed Burgesses doe bring,
What they had off’red strongly to maintaine
In such a case, although a dang’rous thing,
Yet they so long vpon their knees remaine:
That fiue dayes respight from his Grant they haue,
Which was the most, they (for their liues) durst craue.
109
The time perfixed comming to expire,
And their reliefe ingloriously delay’d:
Nothing within their sight but sword, and fire;
And bloody Ensignes eu’ry where display’d:
The English still within themselues entire,
When all these things they seriously had way’d,
To Henries mercy found that they must trust,
For they perceiu’d their owne to be iniust.
110
The Ports are opened, weapons layd aside,
And from the walls th’Artillary displac’d:
The Armes of England are aduanc’d in pride:
The watch Tower, with Saint Georges Banner grac’d:
Liue Englands Henry, all the people cride:
; Into the Streetes their women runne in hast,
Bearing their little Children, for whose sake
They hop’d the King would the more mercy take.
111: The King of England entreth Harflew in triumph.
The gates thus widened with the breath of Warre;
Their ample entrance to the English gaue:
There was no dore that then had any barre;
For of their owne not any thing they haue:
When Henry comes on his Emperiall Carre:
To whom they kneele their liues alone to saue.
Strucken with wonder, when that face they sawe,
Wherein such mercy was, with so much awe.
112
And first themselues the English to secure,
Doubting what danger might be yet within;
The strongest Forts, and Citadell make sure,
To showe that they could keepe as well as win,
And though the spoyles them wondrously alure,
To fall to pillage e’r they will begin,
They shut each passage, by which any power
Might be brought on to hinder, but an hower.
113
That Conquering King which entring at the gate,
Borne by the presse as in the ayre he swamme:
Vpon the suddaine layes aside his state,
And of a Lyon is become a Lambe:
He is not now what he was but of late:
But on his bare feete to the Church he came:
By his example, as did all the presse,
To giue God thankes, for his first good successe.
114: King Henry offereth to decide his right by single
combat.
And sends his Herauld to King Charles to say,
That though he thus was setled on his shore,
Yet he his Armes was ready downe to lay,
His ancient right if so he would restore:
But if the same he wilfully denay,
To stop th’effusion of their Subiects gore;
He frankly off’reth in a single fight,
With the young Daulphine to decide his right.
115
Eight dayes at Harflew he doth stay to heare,
What answere back, his Herauld him would bring:
But when he found that he was ne’r the neere;
And that the Daulphine meaneth no such thing,
As to fight single; nor that any were
To deale for composition from the King:
He casts for Callice to make forth his way,
And takes such Townes, as in his Iourneyes lay.
116
But first his bus’nesse he doth so contriue,
To curbe the Townes-men, should they chance to stirre
Of Armes, and Office he doth them depriue,
And to their roomes the English doth preferre:
Out of the Ports all Vagrants he doth driue,
And therein sets his Vnckle Excester:
This done, to martch he bids the thundring Drummes,