Then quoth the Spanish general,
'Come, let us march away,
I fear we shall be spoiled all

If here we longer stay;
For yonder comes lord Willoughbey
With courage fierce and fell,
He will not give one inch of way
For all the devils in hell.'

And then the fearful enemy
Was quickly put to flight,
Our men persued couragiously,

And caught their forces quite;
But at last they gave a shout,

Which ecchoed through the sky, 'God, and St. George for England!' The

conquerers did cry.

This news was brought to England
With all the speed might be,

And soon our gracious queen was told

Of this same victory.

'O! this is brave lord Willoughbey,

My love that ever won,

Of all the lords of honour

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'Tis he great deeds hath done.'

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To the souldiers that were maimed,

And wounded in the fray,
The queen allowed a pension
Of fifteen pence a day;
And from all costs and charges

She quit and set them free:
And this she did all for the sake

Of brave lord Willoughbèy.

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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 Mar. 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;

He hath at will

More quaint and subtle wayes to kill;

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10

A smile or kiss, as he will use the art,

15

Shall have the cunning skill to break a heart.

XXII.

THE WINNING OF CALES.

The subject of this ballad is the taking of the city of Cadiz, (called by our sailors corruptly Cales) on June 21, 1596, in a descent made on the coast of Spain, under the command of the Lord Howard, admiral, and the Earl of Essex, general.

The valour of Essex was not more distinguished on this occasion than his generosity the town was carried, sword in hand, but he stopt the slaughter as soon as possible, and treated his prisoners with the greatest humanity, and even affability and kindness. The English made a rich plunder in the city, but missed of a much richer, by the resolution which the Duke of Medina the Spanish admiral took, of setting fire to the ships, in order to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. It was computed, that the loss which the Spaniards sustained from this enterprize, amounted to twenty millions of ducats. See Hume's Hist.

The Earl of Essex knighted on this occasion not fewer than sixty persons, which gave rise to the following sarcasm:

A gentleman of Wales, a knight of Cales,
And a laird of the North country;
But a yeoman of Kent with his yearly rent
Will buy them out all three.'

The ballad is printed, with some corrections, from the Editor's folio MS. and seems to have been composed by some person, who was concerned in the expedition. Most of the circumstances related in it will be found supported by history.

LONG the proud Spaniards had vaunted to conquer us,
Threatning our country with fyer and sword;
Often preparing their navy most sumptuous
With as great plenty as Spain could afford.
Dub a dub, dub a dub, thus strike their
drums;

Tantara, tantara, the Englishman comes.

To the seas presentlye went our lord admiral,
With knights couragious and captains full good;
The brave Earl of Essex, a prosperous general,
With him prepared to pass the salt flood,

Dub a dub, &c.

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10

At Plymouth speedilye, took they ship valiantlye,
Braver ships never were seen under sayle,

With their fair colours spread, and streamers ore their head,

Now bragging Spaniards, take heed of your tayle. 15 Dub a dub, &c.

Unto Cales cunninglye, came we most speedilye,
Where the kinges navy securelye did ryde;
Being upon their backs, piercing their butts of
sacks,

Ere any Spaniards our coming descryde.

Dub a dub, &c.

20

Great was the crying, the running and ryding,
Which at that season was made in that place;
The beacons were fyred, as need then required;
To hyde their great treasure they had little space. 25
Dub a dub, &c.

There you might see their ships, how they were fyred fast,

And how their men drowned themselves in the

sea;

There might you hear them cry, wayle and weep piteously,

When they saw no shift to scape thence away. 30 Dub a dub, &c.

The great St. Phillip, the pryde of the Spaniards,
Was burnt to the bottom, and sunk in the sea;
But the St. Andrew, and eke the St. Matthew,
Wee took in fight manfullye and brought away. 35
Dub a dub, &c.

The Earl of Essex most valiant and hardye,

With horsemen and footmen march'd up to the town;

The Spanyards, which saw them, were greatly alarmed, Did fly for their savegard, and durst not come down. 40 Dub a dub, &c.

'Now,' quoth the noble Earl, 'courage my soldiers all,
Fight and be valiant, the spoil you shall have;
And be well rewarded all from the great to the small;
But looke that the women and children you save.' 45
Dub a dub, &c.

The Spaniards at that sight, thinking it vain to fight, Hung upp flags of truce and yielded the towne; Wee marched in presentlye, decking the walls on hye, With English colours which purchas'd renowne. 50 Dub a dub, &c.

Entering the houses then, of the most richest men,
For gold and treasure we searched eche day;
In some places wè did find pyes baking left behind,
Meate at fire rosting, and folkes run away.

Dub a dub, &c.

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Full of rich merchandize, every shop catch'd our eyes, Damasks and sattens and velvets full fayre; Which soldiers measur'd out by the length of their swords;

Of all commodities eche had a share.

Dub a dub, &c.

Thus Cales was taken, and our brave general

March'd to the market-place, where he did stand:

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