Gowden graith'd his horse before And siller shod behind, The horse zong Waters rade upon But than spake a wylie lord, Unto the queen said he, Rides in the company. I've sene lord, and I've sene laird, And knights of high degree; Mine eyne did never see. Out then spack the jealous king (And an angry man was he), O, if he had been twice as fair, Zou micht have excepted me. Zou're neither laird nor lord, she says, For a' that she could do or say, Bot for the words which she had said Aft I have ridden thro' Stirling town Aft have I ridden thro' Stirling town They hae taen to the heiding-hill,* They hae taen to the heiding-hill His lady fair to see. And for the words the Queen had spoke XIX.-MARY AMBREE. IN the year 1584, the Spaniards, under the command of Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, began to gain great advantages in Flanders and Brabant, by recovering many strongholds and cities from the Hollanders, as Ghent, Antwerp, Mechlin, etc. Some attempt made with the assistance of English volunteers to retrieve the former of those places probably gave occasion to this ballad. I can find no mention of our heroine in history, but the following rhymes rendered her famous among our poets. Ben Jonson often mentions her, and calls any remarkable virago by her name, and in the Fortunate Isles he quotes the words of the ballad itself: "Mary Ambree *i.e. heading (beheading) hill. The place of exccution was anciently an artificial hillock. It is likewise evident that she is the virago intended by Butler in Hudibras: "A bold virago, stout and tall As Joan of France or English Mall.” This ballad is printed from a black-letter copy in the Pepys Collection, improved from the Editor's folio MS. and by conjecture. The full title is: The valorous acts performed at Gaunt by the brave bonnie lass Mary Ambree, who in revenge of her lovers death did play her part most gallantly. The tune is "The blind beggar," etc. WHEN captaines couragious, whom death cold not daunte, Then tooke shee her sworde and her targett in hand, Did march to the siege of the citty of Bidding all such, as wold, bee of her band; They mustred their souldiers by two and by three, And the formost in battle was Mary Ambree. When brave Sir John Major* was slaine in her sight, Who was her true lover, her joy, and delight, Because he was slaine most treacherouslìe, Then vowd to revenge him Mary Ambree. She clothed herselfe from the top to the toe In buffe of the bravest, most secmelye to showe; A faire shirt of male † then slipped on shee; Was not this a brave bonny lass, Mary Ambree? A helmett of proofe shee strait did provide, A strong arminge sword shee girt by her side, On her hand a goodly faire gauntlett put shee; Was not this a brave bonny lass, Mary Ambree? So MS., sergeant-major in PC. † A peculiar kind of armour, composed of small rings of iron, and worn under the clothes. It is mentioned by Spencer, who speaks of the Irish gallowglass or foot-soldier as "armed in a long shirt of mayl."—View of the State of Ireland. Was not this a brave bonny lass, Mary Ambree? My soldiers, she saith, soe valiant and bold, Nowe followe your captaine, whom you doe beholde; Still formost in battel myselfe will I bee: Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree? Then cryed out her souldiers, and loude they did say, Soe well thou becomest this gallant array, Thy harte and thy weapons soe well do agree, There was none ever like Mary Ambree. Shee cheared her souldiers, that foughten for life, With ancyent and standard, with drum and with fife, With brave clanging trumpetts, that sounded so free; Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree? Before I will see the worst of you all To come into danger of death, or of thrall, This hand and this life I will venture so free: Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree? Shee led upp her souldiers in battaile Now saye, English captaine, what woldest array, thou give Gainst three times theyr number by breake To ransome thy selfe, which else must not But art thou a woman, as thou dost declare, Whose valor hath proved so undaunted in warre? If England doth yield such brave lasses as thee, Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Full well may they conquer, faire Mary Ambree? Her foes they besett her on everye side, As thinking close siege shee cold never abide; To beate down the walles they all did decree : But stoutlye deffyd them brave Mary Ambree. Then tooke shee her sword and her targett in hand, And mounting the walls all undaunted did stand, There daring their captaines to match any three: O what a brave captaine was Mary Ambree! Ambree. Then to her owne country shee backe did returne, Still holding the foes of faire England in scorne: Therfore English captaines of every degree Sing forth the brave valours of Mary XX.-BRAVE LORD WILLOUGHBY. PEREGRINE BERTIE, Lord Willoughby of Eresby, had, in the year 1586, distinguished himself at the siege of Zutphen, in the Low Countries. He was the year after made general of the English forces in the United Provinces, in the room of the Earl of Leicester, who was recalled. This gave him an opportunity for signalizing his courage and military skill in several actions against the Spaniards. One of these, greatly exaggerated by popular report, is probably the subject of this old ballad, which, on account of its flattering encomiums on English valour, hath always been a favourite with the people. Lord Willoughby died in 1601. Both Norris and Turner were famous among the military men of that age. The sharp steel-pointed arrows, Charge on most furiously; Then quoth the Spanish general, I fear we shall be spoiled all And then the fearful enemy Which ecchoed through the sky, God, and St. George for England! The conquerers did cry. This news was brought to England O this is brave lord Willoughbey, My love that ever won, Of all the lords of honour 'Tis he great deeds hath done. To the souldiers that were maimed, She quit and set them free: Then courage, noble Englishmen, If that we be but one to ten, XXI.--VICTORIOUS MEN OF EARTH THIS little moral sonnet hath such a pointed application to the heroes of the foregoing and following ballads, that I cannot help placing it here, though the date of its composition is of a much later period. It is extracted from Cupid and Death, a masque, by J. S. [James Shirley], presented March 26, 1653. London, printed 1653, 4to. VICTORIOUS men of earth, no more Proclaim how wide your empires are ; Though you binde in every shore, And your triumphs reach as far As night or day; Yet you proud monarchs must obey, And mingle with forgotten ashes, when Death calls yee to the croud of common men. Devouring famine, plague, and war, Each able to undo mankind, Death's servile emissaries are: Nor to these alone confin'd, More quaint and subtle wayes to kill; A smile or kiss, as he will use the art, Shall have the cunning skill to break a heart. |