288

THE YOUNG EARL OF ESSEX’S VICTORY OVER THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY

A.‘Queen Elizabeth’s Champion, or, Great Britain’s Glory,’ etc.a.Douce Ballads, III, fol. 80 b.b.Roxburghe, III, 416, in Ebsworth’s Roxburghe Ballads, VI, 405.B.‘Earl of Essex’, Kinloch MSS, I, 113.

A.‘Queen Elizabeth’s Champion, or, Great Britain’s Glory,’ etc.a.Douce Ballads, III, fol. 80 b.b.Roxburghe, III, 416, in Ebsworth’s Roxburghe Ballads, VI, 405.

B.‘Earl of Essex’, Kinloch MSS, I, 113.

Ais printed also in Evans’s Old Ballads, 1777, II, 110, with slight variations from both Douce and Roxburghe.

No printer’s name is given in either copy ofA. From the use of a peculiar ornament between the columns ina(and perhaps inb), such as occurs in ballads printed at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, by John White, the broadside may plausibly be attributed to him. White died in 1769.

A.Queen Elizabeth fits out a powerful fleet to go in search of a vast navy under command of the emperor of Germany. The fleets sight each other after a week or ten days. The emperor, amazed at the splendid show made by the English, asks his officers who this can be that is sailing toward him, and is told that it is the young Earl (third earl) of Essex, the queen’s lieutenant. The emperor has heard enough of the father to make him fear a fight with the son, and proposes to tack and sail away; but the son asks his father to put the ships into his hands and let him fight with Essex. The emperor consents with a warning; if the young Essex shall prove like his father, farewell to their honor. Young Essex takes the emperor’s son prisoner; the emperor offers as a ransom three keys of gold, one of which shall be the key of High Germany. Essex cares not for the three keys; the emperor’s son must go to England and be exhibited to the queen. The emperor declares that, if it must be so, his fifty good ships shall go as well for company.

All this is, no doubt, as foolish as it is fictitious, but the ballad-maker’s independence, in fact unconsciousness, of history and common sense, beginning with the title, in which young Essex is made Queen Elizabeth’s champion, is amusing and not unpleasing. The ballad belongs undoubtedly to the eighteenth century, when High Germany had become familiar to the humble English.

B.The traditional copy begins with a prologue of half a dozen stanzas in the form of a colloquy between Billy, who is to be of the expedition, and Nelly, his sweetheart. This prologue must be derived from some otherballad or song. Nelly reminds her lover of the fate of old Benbow, who lost at least one of his legs in a fight with a French fleet in 1702, and died of the consequences, and of that of “proud Shawfield, that honoured knight,” under which name is disguised Sir Cloudesley Shovell, “who came with his navy to the Spanish shore” in 1705, and whose ship went on the rocks off the Scilly Isles (‘Salem’), and sank with all on board, some eight hundred men, in 1707. We then make connection with the broadside.

a.Douce Ballads, III, fol. 80 b.b.Roxburghe, III, 416, in Ebsworth’s Roxburghe Ballads, VI, 405.

1Come, sound up your trumpets and beat up your drums,And let’s go to sea with a valiant good cheer,In search of a mighty vast navy of ships,The like has not been for these fifty long year.Raderer two, tandaro te,Raderer, tandorer, tan do re.2The queen she provided a navy of ships,With sweet flying streamers, so glorious to see,Rich top and top-gallants, captains and lieutenants,Some forty, some fifty, brass-pieces and three.3They had not saild past a week on the seas,Not passing a week and days two or three,But they were aware of the proud emperor,Both him and all his proud company.4When he beheld our powerful fleet,Sailing along in their glory and pride,He was amazed at their valour and fame,Then to his warlike command[er]s he cry’d.5These were the words of the old emperor:Pray who is this that is sailing to me?If he be king that weareth a crown,Yet I am a better man than he.6‘It is not a king, nor lord of a crown,Which now to the seas with his navy is come,But the young Earl of Essex, the Queen’s lieutenant,Who fears no foes in Christendom.’7‘Oh! is that lord then come to the seas?Let us tack about and be steering away;I have heard so much of his father beforeThat I will not fight with young Essex today.’8O then bespoke the emperor’s son,As they were tacking and steering away,‘Give me, royal father, this navy of s[h]ips,And I will go fight with Essex today.’9‘Take them with all my heart, loving son,Most of them are of a capital size;But should he do as his father has done,Farewel thine honour and mine likewise.’10With cannons hot and thundering shot,These two gallants fought on the main,And as it was young Essex’s lot,The emperor’s son by him was taen.11‘Give me my son,’ the emperor cry’d,‘Who you this day have taken from me,And I’ll give to the[e] three keys of gold,The one shall be of High Germany.’12‘I care not for thy three keys of gold,Which thou hast profferd to set him free,But thy son he shall to England sail,And go before the queen with me.’13‘Then have I fifty good ships of the best,As good as ever were sent to the sea,And eer my son into England sail,They shall go all for good company.’14They had not fought this famous battle,They had not fought it hours three,But some lost legs, and some lost arms,And some lay tumbling in the sea.15Essex he got this battle likewise,Tho’t was the hotest that ever was seen;Home he returnd with a wonderful prize,And brought the emperor’s son to the queen.16O then bespoke the prentices all,Living in London, both proper and tall,In a kind letter, sent straight to the queen,For Essex’s sake they would fight all.

Come, sound up your trumpets and beat up your drums,

And let’s go to sea with a valiant good cheer,

In search of a mighty vast navy of ships,

The like has not been for these fifty long year.

Raderer two, tandaro te,

Raderer, tandorer, tan do re.

2The queen she provided a navy of ships,With sweet flying streamers, so glorious to see,Rich top and top-gallants, captains and lieutenants,Some forty, some fifty, brass-pieces and three.

The queen she provided a navy of ships,

With sweet flying streamers, so glorious to see,

Rich top and top-gallants, captains and lieutenants,

Some forty, some fifty, brass-pieces and three.

3They had not saild past a week on the seas,Not passing a week and days two or three,But they were aware of the proud emperor,Both him and all his proud company.

They had not saild past a week on the seas,

Not passing a week and days two or three,

But they were aware of the proud emperor,

Both him and all his proud company.

4When he beheld our powerful fleet,Sailing along in their glory and pride,He was amazed at their valour and fame,Then to his warlike command[er]s he cry’d.

When he beheld our powerful fleet,

Sailing along in their glory and pride,

He was amazed at their valour and fame,

Then to his warlike command[er]s he cry’d.

5These were the words of the old emperor:Pray who is this that is sailing to me?If he be king that weareth a crown,Yet I am a better man than he.

These were the words of the old emperor:

Pray who is this that is sailing to me?

If he be king that weareth a crown,

Yet I am a better man than he.

6‘It is not a king, nor lord of a crown,Which now to the seas with his navy is come,But the young Earl of Essex, the Queen’s lieutenant,Who fears no foes in Christendom.’

‘It is not a king, nor lord of a crown,

Which now to the seas with his navy is come,

But the young Earl of Essex, the Queen’s lieutenant,

Who fears no foes in Christendom.’

7‘Oh! is that lord then come to the seas?Let us tack about and be steering away;I have heard so much of his father beforeThat I will not fight with young Essex today.’

‘Oh! is that lord then come to the seas?

Let us tack about and be steering away;

I have heard so much of his father before

That I will not fight with young Essex today.’

8O then bespoke the emperor’s son,As they were tacking and steering away,‘Give me, royal father, this navy of s[h]ips,And I will go fight with Essex today.’

O then bespoke the emperor’s son,

As they were tacking and steering away,

‘Give me, royal father, this navy of s[h]ips,

And I will go fight with Essex today.’

9‘Take them with all my heart, loving son,Most of them are of a capital size;But should he do as his father has done,Farewel thine honour and mine likewise.’

‘Take them with all my heart, loving son,

Most of them are of a capital size;

But should he do as his father has done,

Farewel thine honour and mine likewise.’

10With cannons hot and thundering shot,These two gallants fought on the main,And as it was young Essex’s lot,The emperor’s son by him was taen.

With cannons hot and thundering shot,

These two gallants fought on the main,

And as it was young Essex’s lot,

The emperor’s son by him was taen.

11‘Give me my son,’ the emperor cry’d,‘Who you this day have taken from me,And I’ll give to the[e] three keys of gold,The one shall be of High Germany.’

‘Give me my son,’ the emperor cry’d,

‘Who you this day have taken from me,

And I’ll give to the[e] three keys of gold,

The one shall be of High Germany.’

12‘I care not for thy three keys of gold,Which thou hast profferd to set him free,But thy son he shall to England sail,And go before the queen with me.’

‘I care not for thy three keys of gold,

Which thou hast profferd to set him free,

But thy son he shall to England sail,

And go before the queen with me.’

13‘Then have I fifty good ships of the best,As good as ever were sent to the sea,And eer my son into England sail,They shall go all for good company.’

‘Then have I fifty good ships of the best,

As good as ever were sent to the sea,

And eer my son into England sail,

They shall go all for good company.’

14They had not fought this famous battle,They had not fought it hours three,But some lost legs, and some lost arms,And some lay tumbling in the sea.

They had not fought this famous battle,

They had not fought it hours three,

But some lost legs, and some lost arms,

And some lay tumbling in the sea.

15Essex he got this battle likewise,Tho’t was the hotest that ever was seen;Home he returnd with a wonderful prize,And brought the emperor’s son to the queen.

Essex he got this battle likewise,

Tho’t was the hotest that ever was seen;

Home he returnd with a wonderful prize,

And brought the emperor’s son to the queen.

16O then bespoke the prentices all,Living in London, both proper and tall,In a kind letter, sent straight to the queen,For Essex’s sake they would fight all.

O then bespoke the prentices all,

Living in London, both proper and tall,

In a kind letter, sent straight to the queen,

For Essex’s sake they would fight all.

Kinloch MSS, I, 113. From Mary Barr, June, 1827.

1‘’Tis, old England, old England, I bid thee adieu,The drums and the trumpets command me frae shore;And you lusty fellows, both valiant and true,Will you venture with me where loud cannons roar?’2‘O Billy, O Billy, talk not of the seas,But stay at home with me on the shore;I’ll do my endeavour thy fancy to please,And there’s others to go where loud cannons roar.’3‘O Nelly, O Nelly, I must to the seas,For there is no gold to be had upon shore;There’s honour, and gold, and riches likewise,To the man that doth die where loud cannons roar.’4‘Remember the winds, love, remember the waves,Remember the dangers that are upon seas;Remember there is neither coffin nor graveTo the man that doth die where loud cannons roar.’5‘Remember old Benbow, and think on his blows;Remember the dangers he felt upon seas;He lost both his legs by one shot of his foes;He lost his sweet life, yet his honour’s the more.’6‘Remember proud Shawfield, that honoured knight,Who came with his navy to the Spanish shore;At the rock of Salem his life took a flight,And with him there died some hundreds more.’7‘Our queen she has builded a navy of ships,And they are arrayed all right gloriously;With top and top-gallant, with captain, lieutenant,Some fifty, some sixty, brass pieces and three.’8‘Well, since you’ll go, may my blessing advance,And carry you safely from Flanders to Spain;And when you’ve conquered that tyrant in France,Then my blessing return you to old England again.’9They had not sailed one hour upon sea,Not one hour passing days two or three,Till up came the bold emperour,The bold emperour of High Germanie.10‘O who is this?’ the bold emperour cries,‘Who is this that comes sailing to me?I’m sure he’s a knight, or a king of crown,Or I’m sure I am a far better fellow than he.’11‘I am neither a knight, nor a king of a crown,But here, with my navy, on board I am come;For I am Lord Essex, the Queen’s lieutenant,Who never feard foe in all Christendom.’12Out and spoke the bold emperour’s son,All as they were mounting and hyeing away;‘O father, lend me your navy of ships,And I’ll go fight with Lord Essex today.’13‘O son, I’ll lend thee my navy of ships,And they are all of a capable size;But if he be as good as his old father was,Adieu to your honour, and mine likewise.’14O they have fought on at a terrible rate,Until it drew nigh to the cool of the day,And as it fell in young Essex’s lot,The bold emperour’s son he’s taen prisoner away.15‘O give me my son,’ the bold emperour cried,‘O give me my son thou hast taken from me,And you shall have three keys of gold,And one of them opens High Germanie.’16‘What value I thy three keys of gold,Or any proud offer thou canst give to me?For up to old England thy son he must go,And stand before our queen’s high majesty.’17‘’T is I have fifteen ships of the best,And other fifteen distant on sea;Since up to old England my son he must go,Then we’ll all go together for good companie.’

‘’Tis, old England, old England, I bid thee adieu,

The drums and the trumpets command me frae shore;

And you lusty fellows, both valiant and true,

Will you venture with me where loud cannons roar?’

2‘O Billy, O Billy, talk not of the seas,But stay at home with me on the shore;I’ll do my endeavour thy fancy to please,And there’s others to go where loud cannons roar.’

‘O Billy, O Billy, talk not of the seas,

But stay at home with me on the shore;

I’ll do my endeavour thy fancy to please,

And there’s others to go where loud cannons roar.’

3‘O Nelly, O Nelly, I must to the seas,For there is no gold to be had upon shore;There’s honour, and gold, and riches likewise,To the man that doth die where loud cannons roar.’

‘O Nelly, O Nelly, I must to the seas,

For there is no gold to be had upon shore;

There’s honour, and gold, and riches likewise,

To the man that doth die where loud cannons roar.’

4‘Remember the winds, love, remember the waves,Remember the dangers that are upon seas;Remember there is neither coffin nor graveTo the man that doth die where loud cannons roar.’

‘Remember the winds, love, remember the waves,

Remember the dangers that are upon seas;

Remember there is neither coffin nor grave

To the man that doth die where loud cannons roar.’

5‘Remember old Benbow, and think on his blows;Remember the dangers he felt upon seas;He lost both his legs by one shot of his foes;He lost his sweet life, yet his honour’s the more.’

‘Remember old Benbow, and think on his blows;

Remember the dangers he felt upon seas;

He lost both his legs by one shot of his foes;

He lost his sweet life, yet his honour’s the more.’

6‘Remember proud Shawfield, that honoured knight,Who came with his navy to the Spanish shore;At the rock of Salem his life took a flight,And with him there died some hundreds more.’

‘Remember proud Shawfield, that honoured knight,

Who came with his navy to the Spanish shore;

At the rock of Salem his life took a flight,

And with him there died some hundreds more.’

7‘Our queen she has builded a navy of ships,And they are arrayed all right gloriously;With top and top-gallant, with captain, lieutenant,Some fifty, some sixty, brass pieces and three.’

‘Our queen she has builded a navy of ships,

And they are arrayed all right gloriously;

With top and top-gallant, with captain, lieutenant,

Some fifty, some sixty, brass pieces and three.’

8‘Well, since you’ll go, may my blessing advance,And carry you safely from Flanders to Spain;And when you’ve conquered that tyrant in France,Then my blessing return you to old England again.’

‘Well, since you’ll go, may my blessing advance,

And carry you safely from Flanders to Spain;

And when you’ve conquered that tyrant in France,

Then my blessing return you to old England again.’

9They had not sailed one hour upon sea,Not one hour passing days two or three,Till up came the bold emperour,The bold emperour of High Germanie.

They had not sailed one hour upon sea,

Not one hour passing days two or three,

Till up came the bold emperour,

The bold emperour of High Germanie.

10‘O who is this?’ the bold emperour cries,‘Who is this that comes sailing to me?I’m sure he’s a knight, or a king of crown,Or I’m sure I am a far better fellow than he.’

‘O who is this?’ the bold emperour cries,

‘Who is this that comes sailing to me?

I’m sure he’s a knight, or a king of crown,

Or I’m sure I am a far better fellow than he.’

11‘I am neither a knight, nor a king of a crown,But here, with my navy, on board I am come;For I am Lord Essex, the Queen’s lieutenant,Who never feard foe in all Christendom.’

‘I am neither a knight, nor a king of a crown,

But here, with my navy, on board I am come;

For I am Lord Essex, the Queen’s lieutenant,

Who never feard foe in all Christendom.’

12Out and spoke the bold emperour’s son,All as they were mounting and hyeing away;‘O father, lend me your navy of ships,And I’ll go fight with Lord Essex today.’

Out and spoke the bold emperour’s son,

All as they were mounting and hyeing away;

‘O father, lend me your navy of ships,

And I’ll go fight with Lord Essex today.’

13‘O son, I’ll lend thee my navy of ships,And they are all of a capable size;But if he be as good as his old father was,Adieu to your honour, and mine likewise.’

‘O son, I’ll lend thee my navy of ships,

And they are all of a capable size;

But if he be as good as his old father was,

Adieu to your honour, and mine likewise.’

14O they have fought on at a terrible rate,Until it drew nigh to the cool of the day,And as it fell in young Essex’s lot,The bold emperour’s son he’s taen prisoner away.

O they have fought on at a terrible rate,

Until it drew nigh to the cool of the day,

And as it fell in young Essex’s lot,

The bold emperour’s son he’s taen prisoner away.

15‘O give me my son,’ the bold emperour cried,‘O give me my son thou hast taken from me,And you shall have three keys of gold,And one of them opens High Germanie.’

‘O give me my son,’ the bold emperour cried,

‘O give me my son thou hast taken from me,

And you shall have three keys of gold,

And one of them opens High Germanie.’

16‘What value I thy three keys of gold,Or any proud offer thou canst give to me?For up to old England thy son he must go,And stand before our queen’s high majesty.’

‘What value I thy three keys of gold,

Or any proud offer thou canst give to me?

For up to old England thy son he must go,

And stand before our queen’s high majesty.’

17‘’T is I have fifteen ships of the best,And other fifteen distant on sea;Since up to old England my son he must go,Then we’ll all go together for good companie.’

‘’T is I have fifteen ships of the best,

And other fifteen distant on sea;

Since up to old England my son he must go,

Then we’ll all go together for good companie.’

a.Queen Elizabeth’s Champion, or, Great Britain’s Glory, Being a victory obtained by the young Earl of Essex over the old emperor of Germany by a fight at sea in which he took the emperor’s son and brought him a prisoner to Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth’s Champion, or, Great Britain’s Glory, Being a victory obtained by the young Earl of Essex over the old emperor of Germany by a fight at sea in which he took the emperor’s son and brought him a prisoner to Queen Elizabeth.

b.omitsBeingafterGloryandabeforeprisoner.

omitsBeingafterGloryandabeforeprisoner.

a.Burdenran do rein second line after stanza1. tandatoin first line after stanza2. Rederer,after7. Raderer twoforRadererin second line after9.14. years.81. Oh.

Burdenran do rein second line after stanza1. tandatoin first line after stanza2. Rederer,after7. Raderer twoforRadererin second line after9.

14. years.

81. Oh.

b.12. gallant good.14. for this.44. commanders.52. Praying.53. be a.142. hours but.

12. gallant good.

14. for this.

44. commanders.

52. Praying.

53. be a.

142. hours but.

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