an This Bellad, which appears to hav Veen written sarly in the Rsign of Eliza. beth, if not before, has received great improvements from the Editors Joho Ms. Who hire in was consei, copy, which the very incorrect, seemed -vulgar The Patter husbrior to the milyar balled. The latter thing evidently in odernized & bridged from it. The following Jext is however in many places and inded & im proved by the latter schiefly from a as also reatly Mark occasionally by conjehere. ANCIENT POEMS. 181 men with his whistle, to hold out to the laft; and the two "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. 66 King James' infifted' upon fatisfaction for the death of Barton, and capture of his ship: tho' Henry had generously difmiffed the crews, and even agreed that the parties accufed might appear in his courts of admiralty by their attornies, to vindicate themselves." This affair was in a great meafure the caufe of the battle of Flodden, in which James IV. loft his life. IN the following ballad will be found perhaps fome ferv deviations from the truth of history: to atone for which it has probably recorded many leffer facts, which history hath not condefcended to relate. I take many of the little circumftances of the story 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 for seven years before, viz. in 1504: which "was properly speaking the first ship in the English navy. Before this period, "when the prince wanted a fleet, he had no other expedient "but hiring fhips from the merchants." Hume. The following copy (which is given from the Editor's folio MS. and feems to have been written early in the reign of Elizabeth, if not before,) will be found greatly Aperior the vigar ballad, which is evidently modernized and abridged from me for deficiencies are bou ever supplied from a black-letter copy of the latter in the Pepys collection. ✓ It is however in only / ན་པར་ black letter copy in the de W THE FIRST PART. 7HEN Flora with her fragrant flowers Over the river of Thames paft hee; "O yet are welcome, rich merchants ; They fwore by the rood, they were faylors good, King Henrye frownd, and turned him rounde, Durft have wrought England fuch unright." 20 And thus they did their anfwer frame, He is a proud Scott, that robbs on the feas, And Sir Andrewe Barton is his name. From the pr. copy. The improved by the latter (chin from a catter (chiefly hechos) Mark Letter Copy ni the Depyn Colection) ni the as also occasionally by conjatuors. Thou art but yong; the king replyed: Or before my prince I will never appeare.” The first man, that lord Howard chofe, Peter, fayd he, I must to the fea, To bring home a traytor live or dead: Before all others I have chofen thee; Of a hundred gunners to be head. ^ 35 40 45 The If N 4 N4 A Ver. 29. Lord Charles Howard. Ms. |