A joyful song of the royal receiving of the Queens most
excellent Majesty into her highness’ camp at Tilsbury in Essex: on Thursday and
Friday the eighth and ninth of August. 1588 To the tune of Triumph and joy.
Good English
men, whose valiant hearts,
With courage
great and manly parts,
Doe mind to
daunt the overthwarts
Of any foe
to England,
Attend a
while, and you shall hear
What love
and kindness doth appear
From the
princely mind of our love dear
Elizabeth
Queen of England.
To cheer her
soldiers one and all,
Of honour
great or title small,
And by what
name you will them call:
Elizabeth
Queen of England.
The time
being dangerous now, ye know,
That foreign
enemies to and fro
For to
invade us make a show.
And our good
Queen of England,
Her Majesty
by grave advise.
Considering
how the danger lies.
By all good
means she can devise
For the
safety of all England,
Hath pointed
men of honour right.
With all the
speed they could or might,
A camp of
men there should be pight
On Tilsbury
hill in England.
Her grace
being given to understand
The mighty
power of this her land.
And the
willing hearts thereon she fand[1]
From every
shire in England;
The mighty
troupes have shewed the same,
That day by
day to London came.
From shires
and towns too long to name,
To serve the
Queen of England.
Her grace,
to glad their hearts again,
In princely
person took the pain
To honour
the troupes and martial train
In Tilsbury
camp in England.
On Thursday
the eight of August last
Her Majesty
by water past,
When storms
of wind did blow so fast,
Would fear
some folk in England ;
And at her
fort she went on land.
That near to
Tilsbury (strong) doth stand.
Where all
things furnished there she fand
For the safe
defense of England.
The great
shot then did rage and roar,
Replied by a
fort on the other shore.
Whose
poudred[2]
pellets, what would ye have more,
Would fear
any foe in England.
Her highness
then to the camp did go,
The order
there to see and know,
Which her
Lord General did dutifully show
In Tilsbury
camp in England:
And every
captain to her came.
And every
officer of fame.
To show
their duty and their name
To their
sovereign Queen of England.
Of tents and
cabins thousands three.
Some built
with boughs and many a tree,
And many of
canvass she might see
In Tilsbury
camp in England.
Each captain
had his colours brave
Set over his
tent in winds to wave;
With them
their officers there they have
To serve the
Queen of England.
The other
lodgings had their sign
For soldiers
where to sup and dine,
And for to
sleep with orders fine
In Tilsbury
camp in England:
And vittaling[3]
booths there plenty were,
Where they
sold meat, bread, cheese and beer:
One should
have been hang’d for selling too dear
In Tilsbury
camp in England.
To tell the
joy of all and some
When that
her Majesty was come,
Such playing
on fifes and many a drum
To welcome
the Queen of England :
Displaying
of ensigns very brave,
Such
throwing of hats, what would ye have ?
Such cries
of joy, God keep and save
Our noble
Queen of England!
And then to
bid her grace good night,
Great ordinance
shot with pellets pight,
Fourteen
fair pieces of great might
To tease the foes of England.
Her Majesty
went then away
To the
Court, where that her highness lay,
And came
again on the next day
To Tilsbury
camp in England.
The captains
yearly did prepare
To have
their battle set out faire,
Against her
highness coming there,
To Tilsbury
camp in England ;
And long
before her highness came
Each point
was ordered so in frame,
Which served
to set forth the fame
Of a royal
camp in England.
The gallant
horsemen mounted brave,
With stomachs
stout that courage have,
Whose
countenance stern might well deprave
In fight the
foe of England ;
The arm’d
men, bowmen, and the shot
Of muskets
and cavilers hot.
None of
these wanted, well I wot.
In Tilsbury
camp in England.
Fifty
ensigns spread there were.
Of several
colours fine and fair.
Of drums and
fifes great numbers there.
In Tilsbury
camp in England.
The battle
plac'd in order due,
A mighty
host, I tell you true;
A famous
sight it was to view
That royal
camp in England.
The host
thus set in battle ray,[4]
In braver
sort then I can say.
For want of
knowledge to display
So goodly a
camp in England.
How the main
battle and the wings,
The
vauntgarde[5],
rearward and such things,
The horsemen
whose sharp launces stings
In fight the
foe of England.
The noble
men and men of fame,
In duty
bound did show the same,
To wait when
that her highness came
Our sovereign
Queen of England:
And she,
being come into the field,
A martial
staff my lord did yield
Unto her highness,
being our shield
And marshall
chief of England.
Then rode
she along the camp to see
To every
captains orderly.
Amid the
ranks so royally,
The marshall
chief of England.
What
princely words her grace declared,
What
gracious thanks in every ward
To every
soldier, none she spared
That served
any where for England.
With
princely promise none should lack
Meat or
drink or cloth for back,
Gold and
silver should not slack
To her martial
men of England.
Then might
she see the hats to fly,
And every
soldier shouted high
For our good
Queen we'll fight or dye
On any foe
to England.
And many a
captain kissed her hand
As she past
forth through every band,
And left her
train far off to stand
From her martial
men of England.
Two hours
she spent among them there.
Her princely
pleasure to declare,
Where many a
one did say and swear
To live and
die for England;
And would
not ask one penny pay.
To charge
her highness any way,
But of their
own would find a stay
To serve her
grace for England.
To my lords
pavilion then she went,
A sumptuous
fair and famous tent.
Where dinner
time her highness spent
With martial
men of England.
In the
evening, when the tide was come.
Her highness
thanked them all and some :
With
trumpets shrill and sound of drum
Returned the
Queen of England,
To the
blockhouse where she took barge;
There divers
captains had their charge.
Then shot
the cannons off at large
To honour
the Queen of England.
And thus her
highness went away,
For whose
long life all England pray,
King Henry’s
daughter and our stay,
Elizabeth
Queen of England.
What subject
would not spend his life
And all he
hath to stay the strife
Of foreign
foe that seeks so rife
To invade
this realm of England.
Therefore,
dear country men, I say,
With hart to
God let us all pray
To bless our armies night and day.
That serve
our Queen for England.
[1] fand]
Found. I keep the old spelling in order to keep the old pronunciation and the
rhyme.
[2] Poudred] Powdered. Used as we might use “peppered with shot”.
[3]
vittaling booths] food stands.
[4]
ray] array
[5]
vauntgarde] avant-garde, advance-guard
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