What thing doth please thee most ? "To gaze on beautye ftille." Whom dost thou thinke to be thy foe? "Difdayn of my good wille." "No, no, Defire both lives and dyes I cannot give a better relation of the fact, which is the fubject of the following ballad, than in an extract from a very elegant work lately offered to the public. See Mr. Guthrie's New Peerage, 4to. Vol. I. p. 22. VOL. II. M "The "The transaction which did the greatest honour to the earl of Surrey and his family at this time [A. D. 1511.] was their behaviour in the cafe of Barton, a Scotch fea officer. This gentleman's father having suffered by fea from the Por tuguefe, he had obtained letters of marque for his two fons to make reprisals upon the subjects of Portugal. It is extremely probable, that the court of Scotland granted thefe letters with no very boneft intention. The council board of England, at which the earl of Surrey held the chief place, was daily peftered with complaints from the failors and merchants, that Barton, who was called Sir Andrew Barton, under pretence of fearching for Portuguese goods, interrupted the English navigation. Henry's fituation at that time rendered bim back ward from breaking with Scotland, fo that their complaints were but coldly received. The earl of Surrey, however, could not fmother his indignation, but gallantly declared at the council board, that while he had an eftate that could furnish out a fhip, or a fun that was capable of commanding one, the narrow feas fhould not be infefted. "Sir Andrew Barton, who commanded the trvo Scotch fhips, had the reputation of being one of the ableft fea officers of his time. By his depredations, he had amaffed great wealth, and bis fhips were very richly laden. Heary, notwithstanding his fituation, could not refuse the generous offer made by the earl of Surrey. Two fhips were immediately fitted out, and put to fea with letters of marque, under his two fons, Sir Thomas † and Sir Edward Howard. After en countering a great deal of foul weather, Sir Thomas came up with the Lion, which was commanded by Sir Andrew Barton in perfon; and Sir Edward came up with the Union, Barton's other hip, [called by Hall, the bark of Scotland.] The engagement which enfued as extremely obftinate on both fides; but at last the fortune of the Howards prevailed. Sir Andrew was killed fighting bravely, and encouraging men *Afterwards created Duke of Norfolk. + Called by old historians lord Howard, afterwards created earl of Surrey in his father's life-time. men with his whistle, to hold out to the laft; and the two Scotch fhips with their crews, were carried into the river Thames, [Aug. 2, 1511.] "This exploit had the more merit, as the two English commanders were in a manner volunteers in the fervice, by their father's order. But it feems to have laid the foundation of Sir Edward's fortune; for on the 7th of April, 1512, the king conftituted him (according to Dugdale) admiral of England, Wales, Sc. "King James infifted' upon fatisfaction for the death of Barton, and capture of his fhip: tho' Henry had generously difmiffed 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 mea fure the caufe of the battle of Flodden, in which James IV. loft his life. IN the following ballad will be found perhaps fome few de viations from the truth of history: to attone for which it has probably recorded many leffer facts, which history hath not condefcended to relate. I take many of the little circumstances of the ftory to be real, because I find one of the most unlikely to be not very remote from the truth. In Pt. 2. v. 156. it is faid, that England had before" but two ships of war. Now the GREAT HARRY had been built but feven years before, wiz. in 1504: which "was properly speaking the firft hip 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. The following copy (which is given from the Editor's folia MS. and feems to have been written early in the reign of Elizabeth) will be found greatly fuperior to the vulgar ballad, which is evidently modernized and abridged from it. Some few deficiences are however supplied from a black-letter copy of the latter in the Pepys collection. THE FIRST PART. HEN Flora with her fragrant flowers And Neptune with his daintye fhowers King Henrye rode to take the ayre, "O yee are welcome rich merchants ; Good faylors, welcome unto me." They swore by the rood, they were faylors good, But rich merchants they colde not bee: "To France, nor Flanders dare we pass; Nor Bourdeaux voyage dare we fare ; And all for a rover, that lyes on the feas, Who robbs us of our merchant ware." 10 15 King Henrye frownd, and turned him rounde, And thus they did theire answer frame, *From the pr. copy. The The king lookt over his left fhouldèr, And an angrye looke then looked hee : "Have I never a lorde in all my realme, Will fetch yond traytor unto mee ?” Yea, that dare I; lord Howard fayes, Yea, that dare I with heart and hand; If it please your grace to give me leave, Myfelfe wil be the only man. 25 30 Thou art but yong; the king replyed : Yond Scott hath numbred manye a yeare. "Truft me, my liege, Ile make him quail, The first man, that lord Howard chofe, 35 40 |