The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts
1587

Previous | Next

Compare 1577 edition: 1 But here I cannot but lament the negligence vsed in that season: for there is not one English writer to be found extant, that hath written anie thing effectuallie of the exploits atchiued in that iornie;Negligence of English|men for not putting their valiant doo|ings in wri|ting. so as we are driuen to borrow of the aduersa|ries that haue written thereof, wanting other helps of our owne nation to furnish our booke héerin accor|ding to our wished purpose. But neuerthelesse, to giue occasion to those that yet liue, and can best doo it, to set forth hereafter a more perfect discourse ther|of, I haue thought it not amisse to recite in part what I haue read and learned of such things as then were accounted worthie of relation, and now like to be buried in the dimme booke of obliuion, vnlesse some fauourer of notable euents chancing in the as|siegement of those two townes, Bullongne and Muttrell, will put to his helping hand to report the same to posteritie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Among other stratagems, one I remember,A stratagem of the lord Mountioie. de|uised and put in practise by the lord Mountioie, as thus. The enimies had espied a place of aduantage without the towne, where vnder fauour of the shot of certeine peeces of great artillerie lodged vpon some platforms or bulworks within the towne, they might lie without the walles betwixt the English|mens trenches and the towne ditches, and there co|uer themselues within a litle trench or counterscarpe made for the purpose, and out of the same be readie with their harquebusses to shoot at the Englishmen, so soone as anie of them should once shew his head out of the trenches, to the great danger of them that warded in the same.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 The lord Mountioie perceiuing this, deuised with himselfe how to rouse the enimies out of that lurking place, and withall came to the duke of Nor|folke, and desired licence to put the deuise (which he had alreadie forecast in his mind) in practise. But the duke being not willing that he should put him|selfe in such danger, was loth to grant thereto, but rather persuaded with him not to attempt it: for (said he) my lord, yée may doo the king better seruice than so to hazard your life, and cast your selfe awaie, EEBO page image 966 as it is verie like you should, in aduenturing vpon such a desperat peece of seruice, and therfore I would not wish you to meddle therewith, for we shall o|therwise prouide for the matter well inough. But the lord Mountioie still persisted in his sute verie earnestlie, declaring that he doubted not (by Gods helpe) but to atchiue his purpose to his good conten|tation without anie great danger, if that were exe|cuted which he tooke to be necessarie for the accom|plishment of his deuise: and that was to haue cer|teine peeces of the great ordinance shot off that waie forth,A politike feat atchiued by the lord Mountioie. at what time the wind stood méet to car|rie the smoke full vpon the place where the French|men laie. At length vpon his earnest sute, the duke gaue him licence to trie what he could doo, comman|ding the great ordinance to be laid and charged rea|die to shoot off as he should appoint it. Herewith the lord Mountioie taking with him fouretéene of his owne soldiors (of the which number one of them for|sooke to go through with him when it came to the point) immediatlie vpon the shooting off of the artil|lerie, & that all the ground about was couered ouer with smoke, he came to the place where those French|men laie vnder couert of their trench, and so displa|ced them, that they had no liking eftsoones to lodge so neere vnto such vnfriendlie neighbors.

Previous | Next