Classic Poem

[Part VI.]

  The Erle of Darbye he was there,
   & 20000 stoode him by;
  S i r John Savage, his sisters sone,
   he was his nephew of blood soe nye,
  he had 1500 ffighting men;
 there was no better in christentye

S i r william stanley, tha t noble K nigh t,
 10000 red Cotes had hee.
Sir Rice ap Thomas, he was there
 w i th a 1000 speres mightye of tree.

Erle Richmond came to the Erle of Darbye,
 & downe he kneeleth vpon his knee;
he sayd, “ffather stanley, I you pray,
 the vawward you will giue to me;

“for I come for my right;
 ffull ffaine waged wold I bee.”
“stand vp,” hee sayd, “my sonne deere,
 thou hast thy mothers blessing by mee;

“the vanward, sonne, I will thee giue;
 ffor why, by me thou wilt [ordered be],
S i r William Stanley, my brother deere,
 in tha t battell he shalbee;

S i r Iohn Sauage, tha t hath no peere,
 hee shall be a winge to thee;
S i r Rice ap Thomas shall breake the wray,
 ffor he will ffight & neu er fflee;
& I my selfe will houer on this hill,
  tha t ffaire battell ffor to see.”

K ing Richard [houed] on the mountaines,
 & was ware of the banner of the Lo rd stanley.
he said, “ffeitch hither the Lo rd strange to me
 ffor doubtlesse hee shall dye this day.”

“to the death, Lo rd , make thee bowne!
 ffor by Mary, tha t mild mayde,
thou shalt dye ffor thy vnckles sake!
 his name is william stanleye.”

“if I shold dye,” sayd the Lo rd Strange,
 “as god fforbidd itt soe shold bee!
alas ffor my Lady att home,
 itt shold be long ere shee mee see!

“but wee shall meete att domesday,
 when the great dome itt shalbee.”
he called a gentleman of Lancashire,
 his name was Latham trulye,

& [a] ring beside his ffingar be tooke,
 & cast itt to the gentleman,
& bade him “bring itt to Lancashire,
 to my Ladye tha t is att home;

“att her table shee may sitt;
 ere shee see her Lo rd , itt may be Longe.
I haue no ffoot to scutt or fflytt,
 I must be Martyred w i th tyrant stronge

“if itt ffortune my vnckle to lose the ffeild—
 as god defend itt shold soe bee!—
pray her to take my eldest sonne
 & exile him ou er the sea;

“he may come in another time;
 by ffeild, ffrrith, tower or towne,
wreake hee may his ffathers death
 vpon K ing Rich ard tha t weares the crowne.”

a K nigh t to the K ing did appeare,
 good S i r william Harrington;
saies, “lett him haue his liffe a while
 till wee haue the ffather, the vnckle, & the sonne.

“wee shall haue them soone on the ffeild,
 the ffather, the vnckle, the sonne, all 3;
then may you deeme them w i th yo u r mouth,
 what Kind of death tha t they shall dye.”

but a blocke on the ground was cast,
 thervpon the Lo rd s head was Layde;
an axe ouer his head can stand,
 & out of passyon itt was brayd

he saith, “there is no other boote
 but tha t the Lo rd needs must dye.”
Harrington heard itt, & was ffull woe
 when itt wold no better bee:

he saith, “our ray breaketh on euery syde;
 wee put our ffolke in ieopardye.”
then they tooke vp the Lo rd on liue;
 K ing Rich ard did him neuer see.

then he blew vp bewgles of brasse,
 the shott of guns were soe ffree
tha t [made] many wiues cry alas,
 & many children ffatherlesse.

Rice ap Thomas w i th the blacke gowne,
 shortlye he brake the ray:
w i th 30000 ffighting men
 the Lo rd Percy went his way.

the Duke of Norfolke would haue ffled;
 w i th 20000 in his companye
he went vp to a wind-mill,
 & stood vpon a hill soe hye,

there he mett S i r Iohn Savage, a valyant K nigh t;
 w i th him a worthy companye:
to the death the duke was dight,
 & his sonne, prisoner taken was hee.

then they Lo rd dakers began to fflee,
 soe did many others more
when k ing Rich ard tha t sight did see,
 [Then his heart was ffull w]oe:

“I pray you, my men, be not away,
 ffor like a man ffree will I dye!
ffor I had leuer dye this day,
 the[n] w i th the stanleys taken bee!”

a K nigh t to K ing Richard can say,
 good S i r william of harrington,
he saith, “wee are like all heere
 to the death soone to be done;—

“there may no man their strokes abyde,
 the stanleys dints they beene soe stronge;—
yee may come in another time;
 therfore methinke yee tarry too longe;

“yo u r horsse is ready att yo u r hand,
 another day you may yo u r worshipp win,
& to raigne w i th royaltye,
 & weare yo u r crowne & be our K ing .”

“giue me my battell axe in my hand,
 & sett my crowne on my head so hye!
ffor by him tha t made both sunn & moone,
 K ing of England this day I will dye!”

besides his head thé hewed the crowne,
 & dange on him as they were wood;
thé stroke his Basnett to his head
 vntill his braines came out w i th blood

thé carryed him naked vnto Leicester,
 & buckeled his haire vnder his chin.
Bessye mett him w i th merry cheere;
 these were they words shee sayd to him:

“how likest thou they slaying of my brethren twaine?”
 shee spake these words to him alowde:
“now are wee wroken vppon thee heere!
 welcome, gentle vnckle, home!”

great solace itt was to see,
 I tell you, m aster s, w i thout lett,
when they red rose of Mickle price
 & our B ESSYE were mett

a Bishopp them marryed w i th a ringe,
 they 2 bloods of hye renowne.
B ESSYE sayd, “now may wee sing,
 wee tow bloods are made all one.”

the Erle of Darbye he was there,
 & S i r william Stanley a man of might;
vpon their heads they sett the crowne
 in p re sence of many a worthy wight.

then came hee vnder a cloud,
  tha t sometime in England was ffull high;
the hart began to cast his head;
 after, noe man might itt see.

but god tha t is both bright & sheene,
 & borne was of [a] mayden ffree,
saue & keepe our comelye K ing
 & the poore cominaltye!