'O, yee are welcome, rich merchants;
Good saylors, welcome unto mee.'

They swore by the rood, they were saylors good,
But rich merchants they cold not bee:
To France nor Flanders dare we pass:
Nor Bourdeaux voyage dare we fare;
And all for a rover that lyes on the seas,
Who robbs us of our merchant ware.'

King Henrye frownd, and turned him rounde,
And swore by the Lord, that was mickle of might,
'I thought he had not beene in the world,
Durst have wrought England such unright.'
The merchants sighed, and said, 'Alas!'
And thus they did their answer frame,
'He is a proud Scott, that robbs on the seas,
And Sir Andrewe Barton is his name.'

The king lookt over his left shouldèr,
And an angrye look then looked hee:
'Have I never a lorde in all my realme,
Will feitch yond traytor unto mee?'
Yea, that dare I;' lord Howard sayes;
'Yea, that dare I with heart and hand;
If it please your grace to give me leave,
Myselfe wil be the only man.'

Thou art but yong;' the kyng replyed:
Yond Scott hath numbred manye a yeare.'
Trust me, my liege, Ile make him quail,
Or before my prince I will never appeare.'
Then bowemen and gunners thou shalt have,
And chuse them over my realme so free;
Besides good mariners, and shipp-boyes,
To guide the great shipp on the sea.'

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.
'Feter,' sais hee, I must to the sea,

To bring home a traytor live or deal:
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.

'Horseley,' sayd he, I must with speede
Go seeke a traytor on the sea,
And now of a hundred bowemen brave
To be the head I have chosen thee.'
'If you,' quoth hee, have chosen mee
Of a hundred bowemen to be the head;
On your maine-màst Ile hanged bee,

If I miss twelvescore one penny bread.'

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

'As I was sayling uppon the sea, A Burdeaux voyage for to fare; To his hach-borde he clasped me,

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

He carries on each side along: And he hath a pinnace deerlye dight, St. Andrewes crosse, that is his guide; His pinnace beareth ninescore men, And fifteen canons on each side.

'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.' '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
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
Without my leave can passe this way.'
Then called he forth his stout pinnàce;

'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 shalt hang,

If thou misse thy marke one shilling bread.'

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