An' then I minded our Sally sa pratty an' neät an' scät, Straät as a pole an' cleän as a flower fro' 'ead to feeät: An' then I minded the fust kiss I gied 'er by Thursby thurn; Theer wur a lark a-singin' 'is best of a Sunday at murn, Could n't see 'im, we 'eärd 'im a-mountin' oop 'igher an' 'igher, An' the.. 'e turn'd to the sun, an' 'e shined' like a sparkle o' fire. 'Does n't tha see 'im?' she axes, 'fur I can see 'im;' an' I Seeäd nobbut the smile o' the sun as danced in 'er pratty blue eye; 50 An' I says, I mun gie ha a kiss,' an' 'That caps owt,' says Sally, an' saw she begins to cry, But I puts it inter 'er 'ands an' I says to 'er, Sally,' says I, 'Stan' 'im theer i' the naäme o' the Lord an' the power ov 'is graace, Stan' 'im theer, fur I'll looök my hennemy straäit i' the faäce, Stan' 'im theer i' the winder, an' let ma loook at 'im then, 'E seeäms naw moor nor watter, an' 'e 's the divil's oär sen.' XIV An' I wur down i' tha mouth, could n't do naw work an' all, Nasty an' snaggy an' shaäky, an' poonch'd my 'and wi' the hawl, But she wur a power o' coomfut, an' sattled 'ersen o' my knee, An' coäxd an' coodled me oop till ageän I feel'd mysen free. 1 I'll uphold it. 2 That's beyond everything. 80 XV An' Sally she tell'd it about, an' foälk stood a-gawmin' in, As thaw it wur summat bewitch'd istead of a quart o' gin; An' some on 'em said it wur watter - an' I wur chousin' the wife, Fur I could n't 'owd 'ands off gin, wur it nobbut to saäve my life; An' blacksmith 'e strips me the thick ov 'is airm, an' 'e shaws it to me, Feëal thou this! thou can't graw this upo' watter!' says he. An' Doctor 'e calls o' Sunday an' just as candles was lit, 'Thou moant do it,' he says, 'tha mun break 'im off bit by bit.' 'Thou 'rt but a Methody-man,' says Parson, and laäys down 'is 'at, Au' 'e points to the bottle o' gin, but I respecks tha fur that;' 90 A BALLAD OF THE FLEET First published in The Nineteenth Century for March, 1878, with the title, 'Sir Richard Grenville, a Ballad of the Fleet;' afterwards included in the Ballads,' 1880, with the present title. According to Sir Walter Raleigh, who wrote a Report of the truth of the fight about the Iles of Açores this last Sommer,' the engagement began at 3 P. M. on the 31st of August, Old Style, or the 10th of September, New Style, in the year 1591. Gervase Markham, who commemorated the event in a poem entitled The Most Honorable Tragedie of Sir Richard Grinile, Knight' (1595), gives the main facts in his Argument,' or introduction, as follows: 6 'Sir Richard Grinuile, lying at anchor neere vnto Flores, one of the westerlie Ilands of the Azores, the last of August in the after noone, had intelligence by one Captayne Midleton of the aproch of the Spanish Armada, beeing in number fiftie three saile of great ships, and fifteene thousand men to man them. Sir Rich 1 A pudding made with the first milk of the cow after calving. ard, staying to recouer his men which were vpon the Iland, and disdayning to flie from his Countries enemy, not beeing able to recouer the winde, was instantlie inuironed with that hudge Nauie, betweene whom began a dreadfull fight, continuing the space of fifteene howers, in which conflict, Sir Richard sunck the great San Phillip of Spaine, the Ascention of Siuel, the Admirall of the Hulks, and two other great Armados; about midnight Sir Richard receiued a wound through the bodie, and as he was dressing, was shot againe into the head, and his Surgion slaine. Sir Richard mayntained the fight, till he had not one corne of powder left, nor one whole pike, nor fortie lyuing men; which seeing, hee would haue sunke his owne ship, but that was gaine-stood by the Maister thereof, who contrarie to his will came to composition with the Spanyards, and so saued those which were left aliue. Sir Richard dyed aboard the Admyrall of Spayne, about the fourth day after the battaile, and was mightlie bewaild of all men.' A Dutch writer, Jan Huygen van Linschoten, whose book was translated into English in 1598, gives the following account of Sir Richard's death: All the rest of the Captaines and Gentlemen went to visite hym, and to comfort him in his hard fortune, wondring at his courage, and stout hart, for that he shewed not any signe of faintnes nor changing of colour. But feeling the hower of death to approch, hee spake these wordes in Spanish and said: Heere die I, Richard Greenfield, with a ioyfull and quiet mind, for that I haue ended my life as a true soldier ought to do, yat hath fought for his countrey, Queene, religion, and honor, whereby my soule most ioyfull departeth out of this bodie, and shall alwaies leaue behinde it an euerlasting fame of a valiant and true soldier that hath done his dutie, as he was bound to doe. When he had finished these or such other like words, hee gaue vp the ghost, with great and stout courage, and no man could perceiue any true signe of heauinesse in him.' |