---

“Upon the English fleete sett forth. Anno. 1625”

There was a great fleete, all they that did see’t

As twas in the Downes1 a ridinge,

Will say Sir John Cooke2 shall sweare on a booke

It was a yeere a providinge.

And ten thousand foote,3 were added untoo’t

5

Which were at Plimouth traynd

By those that knewe little but to eate up your vittaile

And that was all they gaind.

This flete & this Army, which did meane no harme, I

Perswade my selfe to any.

10

Had like to have bin lost in the Spanish Coast

By a storme that is knowne to many.

At Cales4 wee putt in, where if you had bin,

You should have seene good sport.

The collyers5 that day, did all runne away,

15

And would not batter the fort.

Wee landed our men, & marcht too & agen

Three dayes & then came back

To our shipps againe, having gotten in Spaine,

Our bellys full of sacke.6

20

This service thus ended, wee homewards intended

To eate no more rotten beefe.7

Or as foule a matter, to drinke stincking water,

But the wind was in our teeth.

A Councell was call’d,8 by the heads that were bald,

25

Where it was thought most meete.

Because we must stay, & not goe away,

To waite for the Indian fleete.

For wee were told, they were laden with gold

And should greate riches finde

30

But hee that went thither, found naught but ill weather,

I feare there words were but winde.

Its such a condition, to have a commission

To bringe out so many men

And doe nothing more, but eate up your store,

35

And then goe whome agen

As never was knowne, if the Case were my owne,

And I had so much pelfe.9

I would giv’t away cleare, to bee ridd of the feare

or else goe hang my selfe.

40

Some say that Sir Thomas Loove,10 god keepe him from us

Did sett this project on foote.

Which if hee did, it may cost him his head,

And his great masters11 to boote.

Amongst them twill fall, but who shall have all

45

The weight on’t is not knowne

Lett it wither for mee, if that the proud tree

Bee not blasted or overblowne.

God blesse charles our Kinge, & every thinge

That hee warlickly takes in hande.

50

And in his next choyse hee shall have my voyce

For a wiser man to commande.12

Finis. ignoto.

---

Source. Beinecke MS Osborn b.197, p. 226

Oi6

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here O0. Introduction Oi1. The Parliament sitts Oi2. Oh honoured England Oi3. Our digby digd’e Oi4. The base on which Oi5. There was a man Oi6. There was a great fleete Oi7. There was a Munkye Oi8. Yee Spanyards Oi9. There was some policye Oi10. The Kinge and his wyfe Oi11. Why did the fond Oi12. Fower Cheyffe Justices Oi13. Justice of late hath Oi14. Ould Ned Cooke Oi15. Rex and Grex Oi16. Come heare, Lady Muses Oi17. There is a man Oii1. when the uncivill civill Oii2. It makes mee to muse Oii3. Great Buckinghame Oii4. In reading these Oii5. And wilt thou goe Oii6. Charles would yee Prevaile Oii7. Rejoice, brave English Oii8. Why was the varlett Oii9. One askte me Oii10. Oure crossrow’s turnd Oii11. The noblest brave Oii12. And art return’d againe Oii13. All you that will goe Oii14. As sick men feare Oiii1. O Admirall! Oiii2. The wisest King Oiii3. The warrlike King Oiii4. Excuse me Eliott Oiii5. Avaunt you giddie Oiii6. Here Dr Lambe Oiii7. If heav’n rejoyce Oiii8. For Lambe go ringe Oiii9. Heare lyes the Impostar Oiii10. Our state’s a Game Oiii11. When onely one doth Oiii12. Of Brittish Beasts Oiii13. To hunt the Doe Oiii14. The Parliament of late Oiii15. A thinge gott by candle

¹   the Downes: a common naval rendezvous off the English coast, east of Deal in Kent. <back>

²   Sir John Cooke: i.e. Sir John Coke, Commissioner of the Navy and Master of Requests, who was promoted to Secretary of State to Charles I in September 1625. <back>

³   ten thousand foote: the expeditionary force consisted of 10,000 foot soldiers and 5000 seamen. <back>

⁴   Cales: Cadiz. <back>

⁵   The collyers: the fleet included forty collier ships (coal ships), which failed to follow orders to bombard Cadiz during the assault of 22 October. <back>

⁶   Our bellys full of sacke: the English troops discovered several vats of wine (sack) that they then consumed with predictably disastrous effects on their military effectiveness. <back>

⁷   rotten beefe: the fleet was beset by supply shortages. <back>

⁸   A Councell was call’d: on 29 October a Council of War decided to try to intercept the Spanish treasure fleet from the Americas; however, the plan was foiled by bad weather. <back>

⁹   pelfe: goods, money. <back>

¹⁰   Sir Thomas Loove: Sir Thomas Love was a leading commander during the Cadiz voyage. In January 1626, Chamberlain reported that in contemporary post mortems on the Cadiz voyage, “Some lay the blame on the desseign or counsell, the souldiers on their generall Vicount Sitstill, [i.e. Edward Cecil] (as they now stile him) he on the sea men, but most on his Grace [i.e. Buckingham], and he on Sir Thomas Loue and so from post to piller” (2.628). <back>

¹¹   his great masters: the Duke of Buckingham’s. <back>

¹²   For a wiser man to commande: this last line could be read as an attack on either the Cadiz expedition commander, Viscount Wimbledon, or Wimbledon’s superior, the Lord Admiral Buckingham. <back>