---

“A Song”

It makes mee to muse to heare of the Newes

That Men doe report of the Duke,

Let us bee content with the money thats spent1

Hee’l put all our Foes to rebuke.

Hee’l cool France and Spaine, and quiet the Maine,

5

The Dunkerks2 passage hee’l stopp:

To stay all commotion hee’l plough up the Ocean,

God send him a good harvest cropp.

Nay at a word, like Edward the third,3

Hee’l make the proud French to tremble,

10

Like Henry the fift4 hee’l make them to shift

And runne with their limbes soe nimble.

Nay at his owne cost, hee, all that is lost

Will restore to the crowne againe,

Then Callis will hee take, with Normandie,

15

And all the rest of Aquitaine.5

Nay’t may bee his chance but to conquer all France,

Where Henry the sixt was crowned:6

Then what other Man like our Buckingham

Shall through the world bee renowned.

20

Then hee casts his accounts to the Apinine Mounts,7

And the Alps for to take his way,

Where the Emperor for feare, when hee sees him there

Will deliver him Bohemia.8

Nay many Men hope hee’l subdue the Pope

25

And discover that Man of sinne,

The isles in the way, in the midland Sea9

For certaine hee will take in.

And then hee will meet with the West Indie Fleet,10

And of them hee will take fast hold,

30

And bring them away for England a pray,

And choke us with silver and gold.

---

Source. BL MS Sloane 826, fols. 166v-167v

Other known sources. Bodleian MS Malone 23, p. 104

Oii2

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 money thats spent: allusion to the great fiscal burdens placed on the English by the necessities of military mobilization. <back>

²   The Dunkerks: the Dunkirk pirates, a serious threat to English shipping in this period. <back>

³   Edward the third: King Edward III (reigned 1327-1377) led the English in the first phases of the Hundred Years’ War with France. <back>

⁴   Henry the fift: Henry V defeated the French at Agincourt in 1415. <back>

⁵   Callis...Aquitaine: territories in France once under the control of the kings of England. <back>

⁶   Henry the sixt was crowned: King Henry VI, son of Henry V, was crowned King of France in Paris in 1431. <back>

⁷   Apinine Mounts: the Apennine Mountains of Italy. <back>

⁸   the Emperor...Will deliver him Bohemia: the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II was King of Bohemia. In 1618-1620, Bohemian Protestant rebels had toppled Ferdinand and offered the throne to Frederick V, Elector Palatine, and brother-in-law of Charles I. Imperial forces drove Frederick from Bohemia late in 1620. <back>

⁹   midland Sea: Mediterranean Sea. <back>

¹⁰   the West Indie Fleet: the treasure ships bringing to Spain silver and gold mined in the Spanish American possessions. <back>