1. Fair stood the wind for FranceWhen we our sails advance,Nor now to prove our chanceLonger will tarry;But, putting to the main,At Kaux, the mouth of Seine,With all his martial train,Landed King Harry.2. And taking many a fort,Furnish'd in warlike sort,March'd toward AgincourtIn happy hour;Skirmishing day by dayWith those that stop'd the way,Where the French gen'ral layWith all his power.3. Which in his height of pride,King Henry to deride,His ransom to provideTo the king sending;Which he neglects the while,As from a nation vile,Yet with an angry smile,Their fall portending.4. And turning to his men,Quoth our brave Henry then,Though they be one to ten,Be not amazed.Yet, have we well begun,Battles so bravely wonHave ever to the sunBy fame been raised.5. And for myself, quoth he,This my full rest shall be,England ne'er mourn for me,Nor more esteem me.Victor I will remain,Or on this earth lie slain,Never shall she sustainLoss to redeem me.6. Poictiers and Cressy tell,When most their pride did swell,Under our swords they fell,No less our skill is,Than when our grandsire great,Claiming the regal seat,By many a warlike feat,Lop'd the French lilies.7. The Duke of York so dreadThe eager vanward led;With the main Henry spedAmongst his henchmen.Excester had the rear,A braver man not there;O Lord, how hot they wereOn the false Frenchmen!8. They now to fight are gone,Armor on armor shone,Drum now to drum did groan,To hear was wonder;That with the cries they make,The very earth did shake,Trumpet to trumpet spake,Thunder to thunder.9. Well it thine age became,O noble Erpingham,Which did the signal aimTo our hid forces;When from a meadow by,Like a storm suddenly,The English archeryStruck the French horses.10. With Spanish yew so strong,Arrows a cloth-yard long,That like to serpents stung,Piercing the weather;None from his fellow starts,But playing manly parts,And, like true English hearts,Stuck close together.11. When down their bows they threwAnd forth their bilbows drew,And on the French they flew;Not one was tardy.Arms from their shoulders sent,Scalps to the teeth were rent,Down the French peasants went,Our men were hardy.12. This while our noble king,His broadsword brandishing,Down the French host did ding,As to o'erwhelm it;And many a deep wound lent,His arms with blood besprent,And many a cruel dentBruisèd his helmet.13. Glo'ster, that duke so good,Next of the royal blood,For famous English stood,With his brave brother,Clarence, in steel so bright,Though but a maiden knight,Yet in that furious fightScarce such another.14. Warwick in blood did wade,Oxford the foe invade,And cruel slaughter made,Still as they ran up;Suffolk his axe did ply,Beaumont and Willoughby;Bore them right doughtily,Ferrers and Fanhope.15. Upon Saint Crispin's dayFought was this noble fray,Which fame did not delayTo England to carry.O when shall EnglishmenWith such acts fill a pen,Or England breed againSuch a King Harry?
1. Fair stood the wind for FranceWhen we our sails advance,Nor now to prove our chanceLonger will tarry;But, putting to the main,At Kaux, the mouth of Seine,With all his martial train,Landed King Harry.
2. And taking many a fort,Furnish'd in warlike sort,March'd toward AgincourtIn happy hour;Skirmishing day by dayWith those that stop'd the way,Where the French gen'ral layWith all his power.
3. Which in his height of pride,King Henry to deride,His ransom to provideTo the king sending;Which he neglects the while,As from a nation vile,Yet with an angry smile,Their fall portending.
4. And turning to his men,Quoth our brave Henry then,Though they be one to ten,Be not amazed.Yet, have we well begun,Battles so bravely wonHave ever to the sunBy fame been raised.
5. And for myself, quoth he,This my full rest shall be,England ne'er mourn for me,Nor more esteem me.Victor I will remain,Or on this earth lie slain,Never shall she sustainLoss to redeem me.
6. Poictiers and Cressy tell,When most their pride did swell,Under our swords they fell,No less our skill is,Than when our grandsire great,Claiming the regal seat,By many a warlike feat,Lop'd the French lilies.
7. The Duke of York so dreadThe eager vanward led;With the main Henry spedAmongst his henchmen.Excester had the rear,A braver man not there;O Lord, how hot they wereOn the false Frenchmen!
8. They now to fight are gone,Armor on armor shone,Drum now to drum did groan,To hear was wonder;That with the cries they make,The very earth did shake,Trumpet to trumpet spake,Thunder to thunder.
9. Well it thine age became,O noble Erpingham,Which did the signal aimTo our hid forces;When from a meadow by,Like a storm suddenly,The English archeryStruck the French horses.
10. With Spanish yew so strong,Arrows a cloth-yard long,That like to serpents stung,Piercing the weather;None from his fellow starts,But playing manly parts,And, like true English hearts,Stuck close together.
11. When down their bows they threwAnd forth their bilbows drew,And on the French they flew;Not one was tardy.Arms from their shoulders sent,Scalps to the teeth were rent,Down the French peasants went,Our men were hardy.
12. This while our noble king,His broadsword brandishing,Down the French host did ding,As to o'erwhelm it;And many a deep wound lent,His arms with blood besprent,And many a cruel dentBruisèd his helmet.
13. Glo'ster, that duke so good,Next of the royal blood,For famous English stood,With his brave brother,Clarence, in steel so bright,Though but a maiden knight,Yet in that furious fightScarce such another.
14. Warwick in blood did wade,Oxford the foe invade,And cruel slaughter made,Still as they ran up;Suffolk his axe did ply,Beaumont and Willoughby;Bore them right doughtily,Ferrers and Fanhope.
15. Upon Saint Crispin's dayFought was this noble fray,Which fame did not delayTo England to carry.O when shall EnglishmenWith such acts fill a pen,Or England breed againSuch a King Harry?
Michael Drayton.
Transcriber's NotePunctuation errors have been corrected.Footnotes have been moved to the end of the respective story.Hyphenation of "housetops" and "house-tops" left as printed.Pg51Corrected spelling of "breastplace" to "breastplate" in "... upon Orlando's breastplace that his sword ..."Pg137Corrected spelling of "acccess" to "access" in "... might have acccess to them"Pg148Corrected spelling of "forescore" to "fourscore" in "... on the left, and forescore on the ..."Pg176Corrected spelling of "Treves" to "Trèves" in "... Roman road from Treves as far as the ..."