Classic Poem

Long : the proud Spamyareds had vanted to conquer vs,
threatning our Country w i th ffyer & sorde,
often p re paring their nauy most sumptuos,
w i th as great plenty as spaine cold afforde:
duba-dub, dub-a-dub! thus strikes their drummes.
tanta-ra, ra-ra! the Englishmen comes!

To the seas p re sentlye went our Lord Admirall,
w i th k nigh ts couragyous, & captaines ffull good;
The Erle of Essex, a p ro sperous generall,
w i th him p re pared to passe the salt ffloode.
dub a dub &c.

Att plimmouth speedilye, tooke they shipp valliantly
brauer shipps neuer weere seene vnder sayle,
w i th their ffayre colours spread, & streamers ore their hea[d].
now, bragging spanyards, take heede of yo u r tayle!
dub &c.

Vnto cales cuninglye came wee most speedylye,
where the K ing s nauye securely did ryde;
being vpon their backes, pearcing their butts of sackes,
ere any spanyards our coming descryde dub: &c.

Great was the crying, runing & rydinge,
w hi ch att that season was made in that place;
the beacons were ffyered, as need then required;
to hyde their great treasure they had litle space.

There you might see their shipps, how they were ffired ffast,
& how their men drowned themselues in the sea;
there might they here them crye, wayle & weepe piteouslye,
when they saw no shifft to scape thence away.

The great S ain t Phillipp, the pryde of the Spanyards,
was burnt to the bottom, & sunke in the sea.
but the S ain t A NDREW & eke the S ain t Mathew,
wee tooke in ffight manfullye, & brought them away.

The Erle of Essex most vallyant and hardy,
w i th horsemen & ffootmen marched toward the towne.
the spanyards w hi ch saw them, were greatly affrighted,
did fflye ffor their sauegard, & durst not come dow[ne.]

“Now,” q uo th the Noble Erle, “courage, my souldiers all!
ffight and be vallyant! they spoyle you shall haue,
& [be] well rewarded from they great to the small;
but looke tha t women & Children you saue.”

The spanyards att tha t sight though[t] in vaine twas to fight,
hunge vpp fflaggs of truce, yeelded the towne.
wee marcht in p re sentlye, decking the walls on hye
w i th our English coulours, w hi ch purchast renowne.

Entring the houses then of the most richest men,
ffor gold & treasure wee serched eche day:
in some places wee did ffind pyes bakeing in the oue[n],
meate att the ffire rosting, & ffolkes ffled away

ffull of rich merchandize euery shop wee did see,
damaskes, & sattins, & veluetts, ffull ffaire,
w hi ch souldiers mesured out by the lenght of their swo[rds.]
of all comodytyes eche one had a share.

Thus cales was taken, & our braue generall
marcht to the markett-place where hee did stand;
there many prisoners of good account were tooke,
many craued mercy, & mercy they found

When our braue generall saw they delayed time,
& wold not ransome their towne, as they said;
w i th their faire wainescotts, their presses & bedsteeds,
their ioyned stooles & tables, a ffire were made.
& when the towne burned all in a fflame,
w i th ta-ra, tan-ta-ra, away wee came!