The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts
1587

Previous | Next

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The French nauie laie betwixt Sluise and Blanc|bergh, Polydor. Ia. Meir. so that when the king of England approched, either part descried other, & therewith prepared them to battell. The king of England staied, till the sunne which at the first was in his face, came somewhat westward, and so had it vpon his backe, that it should not hinder the sight of his people, and so therewith did set vpon his enimies with great manhood, who likewise verie stoutlie incountered him,The king of England set|teth vpon his enimies. by reason whereof insued a sore and deadlie fight betwixt them. The nauies on both sides were diuided into three bat|tels. On the English part, the earles of Glocester, Northampton and Huntington,Additions to Triuet. who was admerall of the fléet that belonged to the cinque ports, and the lord Robert Morley admerall of the northerne nauie had the guiding of the fore ward, bearing themselues right valiantlie, so that at length the Englishmen hauing the aduantage, not onlie of the sunne, but al|so of the wind and tide, so fortunatlie, that the French fléet was driuen into the streights of the hauen, in such wise that neither the souldiers nor mariners could helpe themselues, in somuch that both heauen, sea, and wind, seemed all to haue conspired against the Frenchmen. And herewith manie ships of Flan|ders ioining themselues with the English fleet,The victo [...] of the English [...]men at the battell of Sluise. in the end the Frenchmen were vanquished, slaine and ta|ken, their ships being also either taken, bowged, or broken.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 When night was come vpon them, there were thirtie French ships,Additions to Triuet & Merimuth. that yet had not entred the bat|tell, the which sought by couert of the night to haue stolne awaie, and one of them being a mightie great vessell, called the Iames of Déepe,The Iames of Déepe. would haue taken awaie with hir a ship of Sandwich that belonged to the prior of Canturburie: but by the helpe of the earle of Huntington, after they had fought all the night till the next morning, the Englishmen at length pre|uailed, and taking that great huge ship of Déepe, found in hir aboue foure hundred dead bodies. To conclude, verie few of the French ships escaped, ex|cept some of their smaller vessels, and certeine gal|lies with their admerall Barbenoir,Barbenoir. Gaguin. Auesburie. Tho. Walsi. Adam Meri|muth. who in the begin|ning of the battell got foorth of the hauen, aduising the other capteins to doo the like, thereby to auoid the danger which they wilfullie imbraced. There died in this battell fought (as some write) on midsummer daie, in the yeare aforesaid, of Frenchmen to the number of 30000, of Englishmen about 4000, Froissard. Ia. Meir. R. Southw. The number slaine. Rich. South. or (as other haue that liued in those daies) not past 400, a|mongst whom there were foure knights of great no|bilitie, as sir Thomas Monhermere, sir Thomas La|timer, sir Iohn Boteler, and sir Thomas Poinings.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 It is said also, that the king himselfe was hurt in the thigh. The two English ships that had béene ta|ken the yéere before, the Edward and the Christopher, were recouered at this time, amongst other of the French ships that were taken there. ¶ Sir Peter Bahuchet was hanged vpon a crosse pole fastened to a mast of one of the ships. Through the wilfulnesse of this man, the Frenchmen receiued this losse (as the French chronicles report) bicause he kept the nauie so long within the hauen, till they were so inclosed by the Englishmen, that a great number of the French|men could neuer come to strike stroke, nor to vse the shot of their artillerie, but to the hurt of their fellows. Howsoeuer it was, the Englishmen got a famous victorie, to the great comfort of themselues, and dis|comfort of their aduersaries. ¶ The king of Eng|land, after he had thus vanquished his enimies, re|mained on the sea by the space of three daies, and then comming on land, went to Gant, where he was re|ceiued of the queene with great ioy and gladnesse.

Previous | Next