The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts
1577

Previous | Next

Compare 1587 edition: 1 At length after much reaſoning to and fro,A queſtion pro+poned to an Engliſh He|ralde by king Edwarde the third. he propounded this queſtion to the king of Heralds, that as then ſtood by, cõmaunding him to declare which were the three moſt worthie and valiant captains that he had knowne in all his dayes.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 The Herald aduiſing with himſelf of this mat|ter, ſtayed a ſpace, in which meane while all the cõpanie were quiet, longing to heare his anſwere therein, both for that they knew his ſkil was ſuch as was able beſt to giue ſentence in ſuch a mat|ter, and againe, for that many of them thought he woulde haue numbred ſome of thoſe that were there preſent, amongeſt thoſe three. But the He|rald did not onely know all the noble men within the realme of England, but alſo al ſuch ſtrangers as had in any wiſe excelled in martiall prowes, hauing all their actes and valiant doings in freſh memorie, and therevpon boldly vttered his mind as followeth:

Compare 1587 edition: 1 The firſt,The Heraldes anſwere to the queſtion. moſt worthie and valiant chieftain (ſayd he) that hath liued in theſe our dayes, was Henrie the Emperor, for he ſubdued three kings and three realmes, and mainteyned his imperiall eſtate with proſperous felicitie to his liues ende.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 The ſecond, was ſix Eiles of Argentine, who in three ſundry battails againſt the Saraſins got the victorie, and ſlue two of their principall Cap|taynes with his owne handes.

Compare 1587 edition: 1 The thirde (if vnder your graces correction I may prayſe the enimie) I muſt iudge to be Ro|bert Bruce king of Scotlande: whome the He|rald had no ſooner named,The Heralde is ſcorned. but all thoſe that were preſente with ſkornefull laughter began to ieaſt at the Heraldes preſumption, for that he durſt ſo malapertly in the kings preſence honour the eni|mie with ſo high prayſe.

Previous | Next