I cannot give a better relation of the fact, which is the subject of the following ballad, than in an extract from the late Mr. Guthrie's Peerage; which was begun upon a very elegant plan, but never finished. Vol. I. 4to. p. 22.

The

"The transactions which did the greatest honour to the Earl of Surrey and his family at this time [A. D. 1511.] was their behaviour in the case of Barton, a Scotch sea-officer. This gentleman's father having suffered by sea from the Portugese, he had obtained letters of marque for his two sons to make reprisals upon the subjects of Portugal. It is extremely probable, that the court of Scotland granted these letters with no very honest intention. council board of England, at which the Earl of Surrey held the chief place, was daily pestered with complaints from the sailors and merchants, that Barton, who was called Sir Andrew Barton, under pretence of searching for Portugese goods, interrupted the English navigation. Henry's situation at that time rendered him backward from breaking with Scotland, so that their complaints were but coldly received. The Earl of Surrey, however, could not smother his indignation, but gallantly declared at the council board, that while he had an estate that could furnish out a ship, or a son that was capable of commanding one, the narrow seas should not be infested.

"Sir Andrew Barton, who commanded the two Scotch ships, had the reputation of being one of the ablest sea officers of his time. By his depredations, he had amassed great wealth, and his ships were very richly laden. Henry, notwithstanding his situation, could not refuse the generous offer made by the Earl of Surrey. Two ships were immediately fitted out, and put to sea with letters of marque, under his two sons, Sir Thomast and Sir Edward Howard. After encountering a great deal of foul weather, Sir Thomas came up with the Lion, which was commanded by Sir Andrew Barton in person; and Sir Edward came up with the Union, Barton's other ship, [called by Hall, the Bark of Scotland.] The engagement which ensued was extremely obstinate on both sides; but at last the fortune of the Howards prevailed. Sir Andrew was killed fighting bravely, and encouraging bis men with his whistle, to hold out to the last; and the two Scotch ships with their crews, were carried into the River Thames. [Aug. 2, 1511.]

Thomas Howard, afterwards created Duke of Norfolk. + Called by old historians Lord Howard, afterwards created Earl of Surrey in his father's life time. He was father of the poetical Earl of Surrey.

"This exploit had the more merit, as the two English commanders were in a manner volunteers in the service, by their father's order. But it seems to have laid the foundation of Sir Edward's fortune; for, on the 7th of April 1512, the king constituted him (according to Dugdale) admiral of England, Wales, &c.

"King James insisted' upon satisfaction for the death of Barton, and capture of his ship: though' Henry had generously dismissed the crews, and even agreed that the parties accused might appear in his courts of admiralty by their attornies, to vindicate themselves." This affair was in a great measure the cause of the battle of Flodden, in which James IV. lost his life.

In the following ballad will be found perhaps some few deviations from the truth of history: to atone for which it has probably recorded many lesser facts, which history hath not condescended to relate. 1 take many of the little circumstances of the story to be real, because I find one of the most unlikely to be not very remote from the truth. In Part 2, v. 156, it is said, that England had before "but two ships of war. Now the "Great Harry" had been built only seven years before, viz. in 1504: which "was properly speaking the first ship in the English navy. Before this period, when the prince wanted a fleet, he had no other expedient but hiring ships from the merchants." Hume.

This Ballad, which appears to have been written in the reign of Elizabeth, has received great improvements from the Editor's folio MS. wherein was an ancient copy, which though very incorrect, seemed in many respects superior to the common ballad ; the latter being evidently modernized and abridged from it. The following text is however in some places amended and improved by the latter (chiefly from a black-letter copy in the Pepys collection), as also by conjecture.

The first man, that Lord Howard chose,
Was the ablest gunner in all the realm,
Thoughe he was threescore yeeres and ten;
Good Peter Simon was his name.
Peter, sais hee, I must to the sea,

To bring home a traytor live or dead:
Before all others I have chosen thee;
Of a hundred gunners to be the head.

If you, my lord, have chosen mee

Of a hundred gunners to be the head, Then hang me up on your maine-mast tree, If I misse my marke one shilling bread *. My lord then chose a boweman rare, "Whose active hands had gained fame + In Yorkshire was this gentleman borne,

And William Horseley was his name ‡.

25

With pikes and gunnes, and bowemen bold,
This noble Howard is gone to the sea;
With a valyant heart and a pleasant cheare,
Out at Thames mouth sayled he.
And days he scant had sayled three,

Upon the voyage,' he tooke in hand,
But there he mett with a noble shipp,
And stoutely made itt stay and stand.
Thou must tell me, Lord Howard said,
Now who thou art, and what's thy name;
And shewe me where thy dwelling is:

And whither bound, and whence thou came.
My name is Henry Hunt, quoth hee
With a heavye heart, and a carefull mind;
I and my shipp doe both belong

To the Newcastle, that stands upon Tyne. Hast thou not heard, nowe, Henrye Hunt, As thou hast sayled by daye and by night, Of a Scottish rover on the seas;

Men call him Sir Andrew Barton, knight? Then ever he sighed, and sayd alas!

30

With a grieved mind, and well away! But over-well I knowe that wight,

35

40

45

And robd me of all my merchant ware: And mickle debts, God wot, I owe,

And every man will have his owne ;
And I am nowe to London bounde,
Of our gracious king to beg a boone.

That shall not need, Lord Howard sais; Lett me but once that robber see,

For every penny tane thee froe

It shall be doubled shillings three, Nowe God forefend, the merchant said, That you shold seek soe far amisse ! God keepe you out of that traitors hands! Full litle ye wott what a man hee is.

Hee is brasse within, and steele without, With beames on his topcastle stronge;

And eighteen pieces of ordinance

50

He carries on each side along :

And he hath a pinnace deerlye dight,

St. Andrewes crosse that is his guide;

110

Ver. 15, 83, robber, MS. V. 29, Lord Charles Howard, MS.

An old English word for breadth.

† Pr. copy. Mr. Lambe, in his Notes to the Poem on the Battle of Flodden Field, contends, that this expert bowman's name was not Horseley, but Hustler, of a family long seated near Stockton, in Cleveland, Yorkshire. Vid. p. 5.

Were ye twentye shippes, and he but one;
I sweare by kirke, and bower, and hall;
He wold overcome them everye one,
If once his beames they doe downe fall*.

115

Ver. 70, Journey, MS. V. 91, The MS. has here Archborde, but in Part II. ver. 5, Hachebord.

It should seem from hence, that before our marine artillery was brought to its present perfection, some naval commanders had recourse to instruments or machines, similar in use, though perhaps unlike in construction, to the heavy Dolphins made of lead or iron used by the ancient Greeks; which they suspended from beams or yards fastened to the mast, and which they precipitately let fall on the enemies' ships, in order to sink them, by beating holes through the bottoms of their undecked Triremes, or otherwise damaging them. These are mentioned by Thucydides, lib. 7, p. 256, Ed. 1564, folio, and are more fully explained in Scheffer de Militia Navali, lib. 2, cap. 5, p. 136, Ed. 1653, 4to. N.B. It every where in the MS. seems to be written Beanes.

This is cold comfort, sais my lord,

To wellcome a stranger thus to the sea: Yet Ile bring him and his shipp to shore, Or to Scottland hee shall carrye mee.

Then a noble gunner you must have,
And he must aim well with his ee,
And sinke his pinnace into the sea,

Or else hee never orecome will bee:
And if you chance his shipp to borde,
This counsel I must give withall,
Let no man to his topcastle goe

To strive to let his beams downe fall.

And seven pieces of ordinance,

I pray your honour lend to mee,

On each side of my shipp along,

And I will lead you on the sea.
A glasse Ile sett, that may be seene,
Whether you sayle by day or night,

And to-morrowe, I sweare, by nine of the clocke 135 You shall meet with Sir Andrewe Barton knight.

THE SECOND PART.

THE merchant sett my lorde a glasse

Soe well apparent in his sight,

And on the morrowe, by nine of the clocke.

He shewed him Sir Andrewe Barton knight.

His hachebord it was 'gilt' with gold,
Soe deerlye dight it dazzled the ee:
Nowe by my faith, Lord Howarde sais,
This is a gallant sight to see.

Take in your ancyents, standards eke,

So close that no man may them see;
And put me forth a white willowe wand,
As merchants use to sayle the sea.
But they stirred neither top, nor mast
Stoutly they past Sir Andrew by.
What English churles are yonder, he sayd,
That can soe litle curtesye?

Now by the roode, three yeares and more I have beene admirall over the sea;

And never an English nor Portingall

Killed threescore of his men of warre.

Then Henrye Hunt with rigour hott

Came bravely on the other side, Soone he drove downe his fore-mast tree, And killed fourscore men beside. Nowe, out alas! Sir Andrewe cryed,

39

50

55

60

What may a man now thinke, or say? Yonder merchant theefe, that pierceth mee, He was my prisoner yesterday.

Without my leave can passe this way. Then called he forth his stout pinnace; "Fetch backe yond pedlars nowe to mee: I sweare by the masse, yon English churles Shall all hang att my maine-mast tree."

With that the pinnace itt shott off,

Full well Lord Howard might it ken; For itt stroke down my lord's fore mast, And killed fourteen of his men.

Come hither, Simon, sayes my lord,

Looke that thy word be true, thou said; For at my maine-mast thou shall hang,

30

If thou misse thy marke one shilling bread. Simon was old, but his heart itt was bold. His ordinance he laid right lowe; He put in chaine full nine yardes long, With other great shott lesse, and moe; And he lette goe his great gunnes shott: Soe well be settled itt with his ee, The first sight that Sir Andrew sawe, He see his pinnace sunke in the sea.

35

That with his blood did streame amaine : Then every Scott cryed, Well-away! Alas a comelye youth is slaine!

All woe begone was Sir Andrew then,

With griefe and rage his heart did swell: "Go fetch me forth my armour of proofe, For I will to the topcastle mysell."

90

35

90

95

Ver. 5,hached with gold.' MS. V. 35, i. e. discharged chain-shot.

i. e. did not salute

Ver. 67, 84, pounds, MS. V. 75, bearinge, sc. that carries well, &c. But see Gloss.

And when he had on this armour of proofe,
He was a gallant sight to see:
Ah! nere didst thou meet with living wight,
My deere brother, could cope with thee."

Come hither Horseley, sayes my lord,

And looke your shaft that itt goe right, Shoot a good shoote in time of need,

And for it thou shalt be made a knight.

Ile shoot my best, quoth Horseley then,

105

Your honour shall see, with might and maine ;110 But if I were hanged at your maine-mast,

I have now left but arrowes twaine.

Sir Andrew he did swarve the tree,

With right good will he swarved then : Upon his breast did Horsley hitt,

But the arrow bounded back agen. Then Horseley spyed a privye place

With a perfect eye in a secrette part; Under the spole of his right arme

He smote Sir Andrew to the heart.

Fight on, my men, Sir Andrew sayes, A little Ime hurt, but yett not slaine; Ile but lye downe and bleede a while, And then Ile rise and fight againe. "Fight on, my men, Sir Andrew sayes, And never flinche before the foe; And stand fast by St. Andrewes crosse Untill you heare my whistle blowe."

They never heard his whistle blow,

115

120

125

Which made their bearts waxe sore adread: 130 Then Horseley sayd, Aboard, my lord, For well I wott Sir Andrew's dead. They boarded then his noble shipp, They boarded it with might and maine; Eighteen score Scots alive they found,

The rest were either maimed or slaine.

Lord Howard tooke a sword in hand,

135

And off he smote Sir Andrewes head, "I must have left England many a daye, If thou wert alive as thou art dead."

140

He caused his body to be cast

Over the hatchbord into the sea,

And about his middle three hundred crownes: "Wherever thou land this will bury thee.”

I wold give, quoth the king, a thousand markes, This man were alive as hee is dead :

Yett for the manfull part hee playd,

Which fought soe well with heart and hand, 190 His men shall have twelvepence a day,

With mickle joy and triumphing
Into Thames mouth he came againe.

Till they come to my brother kings high land.

that it entirely refers to a private story. A young lady of the name of Bothwell, or rather Boswell having been, together with her child, deserted by her husband or lover, composed these affecting lines herself; which here are given from a copy in the Editor's folio MS. corrected by another in Allan Ramsay's Miscellany.

BALOW, my babe, lye still and sleipe!
It grieves me sair to see thee weipe:
If thoust be silent, Ise be glad,
Thy maining maks my heart ful sad.
Balow, my boy, thy mothers joy,
Thy father breides me great annoy.

Balow, my babe, ly stil and sleipe,
It grieves me sair to see thee weepe.

Whan he began to court my luve,
And with his sugred wordes* to muve,
His faynings fals, and flattering cheire
To me that time did not appeire:
But now I see, most cruell hee
Cares neither for my babe nor mee.

10

Balow, &c.

15

The catastrophe of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, the unfortunate husband of Mary Queen of Scots, is the subject of this ballad. It is here related in that partial imperfect manner, in which such an event would naturally strike the subjects of another kingdom; of which he was a native. Henry appears to have been a vain capricious worthless young man, of weak understanding, and dissolute morals. But the beauty of his person, and the inexperience of his youth, would dispose mankind to treat him with an indulgence, which the cruelty of his murder would afterwards convert into the most tender pity and regret and then imagination would not fail to adorn his memory with all those virtues he ought to have possessed. This will account for the extravagant elogium bestowed upon him in the first stanza,

&c.

Henry Lord Darnley was eldest son of the Earl of Lennox, by the Lady Margaret Douglas, niece of Henry VIII. and daughter of Margaret Queen of Scotland by the Earl of Angus, whom that princess married after the death of James IV.-Darnley, who

• When sugar was first imported into Europe, it was a very great dainty; and therefore the epithet sugred is used by all our old writers metaphorically to express extreme and delicate sweetness. (See above, No. XI. v. 10.) Sugar at present is cheap and common; and therefore suggests now a coarse and vulgar idea.

had been born and educated in England, was but in his 21st year, when he was murdered, Feb. 9, 1567-8. This crime was perpetrated by the Earl of Bothwell, not out of respect to the memory of Riccio, but in order to pave the way for his own marriage with the queen.

This ballad, (printed, with a few corrections, from the Editor's folio MS.) seems to have been written soon after Mary's escape into England in 1568, see v. 65. It will be remembered at v. 5, that this princess was Queen Dowager of France, having been first married to Francis II. who died Dec. 4, 1560.

WOE worth, woe worth thee, false Scotlande!
For thou hast ever wrought by sleight;
The worthyest prince that ever was borne,
You hanged under a cloud by night