The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts
1587

Previous | Next

¶On the first daie of Maie the king accompanied with manie lustie batchelers, Anno Reg. 3. [...] Hill in [...] 8. fol. xj. 1 [...]. on great and well doo|ing horsses rode to the wood to fetch Maie, where a man might haue séene manie a horsse raised on high with carrier, gallop, turne, and stop, meruellous to behold:The king and three other courtiers challengers. where he & three other, as sir Edward How|ard, Charles Brandon, and Edward Neuill, which were challengers with the king, shifted themselues into coats of gréene sattin garded with crimsin vel|uet. On the other part the earles of Essex, of Deuon|shire, the marquesse Dorset, & the lord Howard were all in crimsin satin, garded with a pounced gard of gréene veluet. And as they were returning on the hill, a ship met with them vnder saile: the maister hailed the king and that noble companie, and said that he was a mariner,A deuise of a ship vnder s [...]le and was come from many a strange port, and came thither to sée if anie déeds of armes were to be doone in the countrie, of the which he might make true report in other countries. An herald demanded the name of his ship; he answered she is called Fame, & is laden with good Renowme: then said the herald, If you will bring your ship into the baie of Hardinesse, you must double the point of Gentlenesse, and there you shall sée a companie that will meddle with your merchandize. Then said the king, Sithens Renowme is their merchandize, let vs buie it if we can. Then the ship shot a peale of guns, and sailed foorth before the kings companie, full of flags and banners, till it came to the tilt yard.

At after noone, the king and his thrée fellowes en|tered into the field, their bards and bases of crimsin and blue veluet, cut in quadrant cuts, embrodered full of pomegranats, and all the waiters in silke of the same colour. The other partie were in crimsin sattin and greene veluet. Then began the trumpets to sound, and the horsses to run, that manie a speare was burst, and manie a great stripe giuen: and for a truth the king excéeded in number of staues all other euerie daie of the three daies. Wherefore on the third daie,The king brake more staues than the rest and had the prise giuen him. the queene made a great banket to the king and all them that had iusted: and after the banket doone, she gaue the chiefe prise to the king, the second to the earle of Essex, the third to the earle of Deuonshire, and the fourth to the lord marquesse Dorset. Then the heralds cried; My lords, for your noble feats in armes, God send you the loue of your ladies that you most desire. The king euer desirous to serue Mars, began another iusts the fiftéenth daie of the said moneth. The king & his band were all in gréene silke, and the earle of Essex and his band in blue, gar|ded with gold, and all the speares were painted of the same colours. There was good running and manie a speare brust: but for all the sport euerie man feared least some ill chance might happen to the king, and faine would haue had him a looker on rather than a dooer, and spake thereof as much as they durst: but his courage was so noble that he would euer be at she one end.]

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 The lord Darcie and his compa|nie readie at Plimmouth.In this meane time, the lord Darcie and other ap|pointed to the viage against the Moores, made such diligence, that they and all their people were readie at Plimmouth by the middes of Maie, and there mu|stered their souldiers before the lord Brooke, and other the kings commissioners. The lord Darcie as cap|teine generall, ordeined for his prouost marshall Henrie Guilford esquier, a lustie yoong man, & wel-beloued of the king, for his manifold good seruice. On the mondaie in the Rogation wéeke, they de|parted out of Plimmouth hauen with foure ships roiall, and the wind was so fauourable to them, that the first daie of Iune, being the euen of the feast of Pentecost, he arriued at the port of Calis in south Spaine; and immediatlie by the aduise of his coun|cell, he dispatched messengers to the king, whom they found beside the citie of Ciuill where he then laie, and declared to him, how the lord Darcie by the king their maisters appointment, was come thither with six|téene hundred archers, and laie still at Calis to know his pleasure. The king of Castile answered them gentlie, that the lord Darcie and all other that were come from his louing sonne were welcome, and har|tilie thanked them of their paines, requiring the mes|sengers to returne to their capteine, and tell him that in all hast he would send certeine of his councell to him.

Previous | Next