Classic Poem

The court is kept att leeue London,
And euermore shall be itt;
The K ing sent for a bold embassador,
And S i r Hugh Spencer tha t he hight.

" Come hither, Spencer," saith our kinge,
" And come thou hither vnto mee;
I must make thee an embassadour
Betweene the k ing of Ffrance and mee.

" Thou must comend me to the k ing of Ffrance,
And tell him thus and now ffrom mee,
I wold know whether there shold be peace in his land,
Or open warr kept still must bee.

" Thou 'st haue thy shipp at thy comande,
Thou 'st neither want for gold nor ffee;
Thou 'st haue a hundred armed men,
All att thy bidding ffor to bee."

The wind itt serued, and they sayled,
And towards Ffrance thus they be gone;
The wind did bring them safe to shore,
And safelye landed euerye one.

The Ffrenchman lay on the castle-wall,
The English souldiers to behold:
" You are welcome, traitors, out of England;
The heads of you are bought and sold."

W i th tha t spake proud Spencer:
My leege, soe itt may not bee;
I am sent an embassador
Ffrom our English king to yee.

The k ing of England greetes you well,
And hath sent this word by mee;
He wold know whether there shold be peace in yo u r land,
Or open warres kept still must bee.

" Comend me to the English kinge,
And tell this now ffrom mee;
There shall neuer peace be kept in my land
While open warres kept there may bee."

W i th tha t came downe the queene of Ffrance,
And an angry woman then was shee;
Saies, Itt had beene as ffitt now for a k ing
To be in his chamber w i th his ladye,
Then to be pleading w i th traitors out of England,
Kneeling low vppon their knee.

But then bespake him proud Spencer,
For noe man else durst speake but hee:
You haue not wiped yo u r mouth, madam,
Since I heard you tell a lye.

" O hold thy tounge, Spencer!" shee said,
" I doe not come to plead with thee;
Darest thou ryde a course of warr
W i th a knight tha t I shall put to thee?"

" But eu er alacke!" then Spencer sayd,
" I thinke I haue deserued Gods cursse;
Ffor I haue not any armour heere,
Nor yett I haue noe insting-horsse."

" Thy shankes," q uo th shee, " beneath the knee
Are verry small aboue the shinne
Ffor to doe any such hon oura blle deeds
As the Englishmen say thou has done.

" Thy shankes beene small aboue thy shoone,
And soe the beene aboue thy knee:
Thou art to slender euery way
Any good inster ffor to bee."

" But euer alacke," said Spencer then,
" For one steed of the English countrye!"
W i th tha t bespake and one Ffrench knight,
This day thou 'st haue the choyce of three.

The first steed he ffeiched out,
I-wis he was milke-white;
The ffirst ffoot Spencer in stirropp sett,
His backe did from his belly tyte.

The second steed tha t he ffeitcht out,
I-wis tha t hee was verry browne;
The second ffoot Spencer in stirropp sett,
Tha t horsse and man and all ffell downe.

The third steed tha t hee ffeitched out,
I-wis tha t he was verry blacke;
The third ffoote Spencer into the stirropp sett,
He leaped on to the geldings backe.

" But eu er alacke," said Spencer then,
" For one good steed of the English countrye!
Goe ffeitch me hither my old hacneye,
Tha t I brought w i th me hither beyond the sea."

But when his hackney there was brought,
Spencer a merry man there was hee;
Saies, W i th the grace of God and St George of England,
The ffeild this day shall goe w i th mee.

" I haue not fforgotten," Spencer sayd,
" Since there was ffeild foughten att Walsingam,
When the horsse did heare the trumpetts sound,
He did beare ore both horsse and man."

The day was sett, and togetther they mett,
W i th great mirth and melodye,
W i th minstrells playing, and trumpetts soundinge,
W i th drumes striking lond and hye.

The ffirst race that Spencer run,
I-wis hee run itt wonderous sore;
He [hitt] the knight vpon his brest,
But his speare itt burst, and wold touch noe more.

" But euer alacke," said Spencer then,
" For one staffe of the English countrye!
W i thout you 'le bind me three together,"
Q uo th hee, " they 'le be to weake ffor mee."

W i th tha t bespake him the Ffrench knight,
Sayes, Bind him together the whole thirtye,
For I haue more strenght in my to hands
Then is in all Spencers bodye.

" But proue att p ar ting," Spencer sayes,
" Ffrench knight, here I tell itt thee;
For I will lay thee five to four
The bigger man I proue to bee."

But the day was sett, and together they mett,
W i th great mirth and melodye,
W i th minstrells playing, and trumpetts soundinge,
W i th drummes strikeing loud and hye.

The second race tha t Spencer run,
I-wis hee ridd itt in much pride,
And he hitt the knight vpon the brest,
And draue him ore his horsse beside.

But he run thorrow the Ffrench campe;
Such a race was neue r run beffore;
He killed of K ing Charles his men
Att hand of thirteen or fourteen score.

But he came backe againe to the K[ing],
And kneeled him downe vpon his knee;
Saies, A knight I haue slaine, and a steed I haue woone,
The best tha t is in this countrye.

" But nay, by my faith," then said the K ing ,
" Spencer, soe itt shall not bee;
I 'le haue tha t traitors head of thine,
To enter plea att my iollye."

But Spencer looket him once about,
He had true bretheren left but four;
He killed ther of the K ing s gard
About twelve or thirteen score.

" But hold thy hands," the K ing doth say,
" Spencer, now I doe pray thee;
And I will goe into litle England,
Vnto tha t craell kinge w i th thee."

" Nay, by my ffaith," Spencer sayd,
" My leege, for soe itt shall not bee;
For an you sett ffoot on English ground,
You shall be hanged vpon a tree."

" Why then, comend [me] to tha t Englishe kinge,
And tell him thus now ffrom mee,
Tha t there shall neu er be open warres kept in my land
Whilest peace kept tha t there may bee."

The court is kept att leeue London,
And euermore shall be itt;
The K ing sent for a bold embassador,
And S i r Hugh Spencer tha t he hight.

" Come hither, Spencer," saith our kinge,
" And come thou hither vnto mee;
I must make thee an embassadour
Betweene the k ing of Ffrance and mee.

" Thou must comend me to the k ing of Ffrance,
And tell him thus and now ffrom mee,
I wold know whether there shold be peace in his land,
Or open warr kept still must bee.

" Thou 'st haue thy shipp at thy comande,
Thou 'st neither want for gold nor ffee;
Thou 'st haue a hundred armed men,
All att thy bidding ffor to bee."

The wind itt serued, and they sayled,
And towards Ffrance thus they be gone;
The wind did bring them safe to shore,
And safelye landed euerye one.

The Ffrenchmen lay on the castle-wall,
The English souldiers to behold:
" You are welcome, traitors, out of England;
The heads of you are bought and sold."

W i th tha t spake proud Spencer:
My leege, soe itt may not bee;
I am sent an embassador
Ffrom our English king to yee.

The k ing of England greetes you well,
And hath sent this word by mee;
He wold know whether there shold be peace in yo u r land,
Or open warres kept still must bee.

" Comend me to the English kinge,
And tell this now ffrom mee;
There shall neuer peace be kept in my land
While open warres kept there may bee."

W i th tha t came downe the queene of Ffrance,
And an angry woman then was shee;
Saies, Itt had beene as ffitt now for a k ing
To be in his chamber w i th his ladye,
Then to be pleading w i th traitors out of England,
Kneeling low vppon their knee.

But then bespake him proud Spencer,
For noe man else durst speake but hee:
You haue not wiped yo u r mouth, madam,
Since I heard you tell a lye.

" O hold thy tounge, Spencer!" shee said,
" I doe not come to plead with thee;
Darest thou ryde a course of warr
W i th a knight tha t I shall put to thee?"

" But eu er alacke!" then Spencer sayd,
" I thinke I haue deserued Gods cursse;
Ffor I haue not any armour heere,
Nor yett I haue noe iusting-horsse."

" Thy shankes," q uo th shee, " beneath the knee
Are verry small aboue the shinne
Ffor to doe any such hon oura blle deeds
As the Englishmen say thou has done.

" Thy shankes beene small aboue thy shoone,
And soe the beene aboue thy knee;
Thou art to slender euery way
Any good iuster ffor to bee."

" But euer alacke," said Spencer then,
" For one steed of the English countrye!"
W i th tha t bespake and one Ffrench knight,
This day thou 'st haue the choyce of three.

The first steed he ffeiched out,
I-wis he was milke-white;
The ffirst ffoot Spencer in stirropp sett,
His backe did from his belly tyte.

The second steed tha t he ffeitcht out,
I-wis tha t hee was verry browne;
The second ffoot Spencer in stirropp settt,
Tha t horsse and man and all ffell downe.

The third steed tha t hee ffeitched out,
I-wis tha t he was verry blacke;
The third ffoote Spencer into the stirropp sett,
He leaped on to the geldings backe.

" But eu er alacke," said Spencer then,
" For one good steed of the English countrye!
Goe ffeitch me hither my old hacneye,
Tha t I brought w i th me hither beyond the sea."

But when his hackney there was brought,
Spencer a merry man there was hee;
Saies, W i th the grace of God and St George of England,
The ffeild this day shall goe w i th mee.

" I haue not fforgotten," Spencer sayd,
" Since there was ffeild foughten att Walsingam,
When the horsse did heare the trumpetts sound,
He did beare ore both horsse and man."

The day was sett, and together they mett,
W i th great mirth and melodye,
W i th minstrells playing, and trumpetts soundinge,
W i th drumes striking loud and hye.

The ffirst race that Spencer run,
I-wis hee run itt wonderous sore;
He [hitt] the knight vpon his brest,
But his speare itt burst, and wold touch noe more.

" But euer alacke," said Spencer then,
" For one staffe of the English countrye!
W i thout you 'le bind me three together,"
Q uo th hee, " they 'le be to weake ffor mee."

W i th tha t bespake him the Ffrench knight,
Sayes, Bind him together the whole thirtye,
For I haue more strenght in my to hands
Then is in all Spencers bodye.

" But proue att p ar ting," Spencer sayes,
" Ffrench knight, here I tell itt thee;
For I will lay thee five to four
The bigger man I proue to bee."

But the day was sett, and together they mett,
W i th great mirth and melodye,
W i th minstrells playing, and trumpetts soundinge,
W i th drummes strikeing loud and hye.

The second race tha t Spencer run,
I-wis hee ridd itt in much pride,
And he hitt the knight vpon the brest,
And draue him ore his horsse beside.

But he run thorrow the Ffrench campe;
Such a race was neu er run beffore;
He killed of K ing Charles his men
Att hand of thirteen or fourteen score.

But he came backe againe to the K[ing],
And kneeled him downe vpon his knee;
Saies, A knight I haue slaine, and a steed I haue woone,
The best tha t is in this countrye.

" But nay, by my faith," then said the K ing ,
" Spencer, soe itt shall not bee;
I 'le haue tha t traitors head of thine,
To enter plea att my iollye."

But Spencer looket him once about,
He had true bretheren left but four;
He killed ther of the K ing s gard
About twelve or thirteen score.

" But hold thy hands," the K ing doth say,
" Spencer, now I doe pray thee;
And I will goe into litle England,
Vnto tha t cruell kinge w i th thee."

" Nay, by my ffaith," Spencer sayd,
" My leege, for soe itt shall not bee;
For an you sett ffoot on English ground,
You shall be hanged vpon a tree."

" Why then, comend [me] to tha t Englishe kinge,
And tell him thus now ffrom mee,
Tha t there shall neu er be open warres kept in my land
Whilest peace kept tha t there may bee."