And then we thought on vengeance, and, all along our van,1 "Remember St. Bartholomew," 2 was passed from man to man. But out spake gentle Henry, "No Frenchman is my foe: Down, down with every foreigner, but let your brethren go." Oh! was there ever such a knight, in friendship or in war, As our Sovereign Lord, King Henry, the soldier of Navarre? Right well fought all the Frenchmen who fought for France to-day; 3 And many a lordly banner God gave them for a prey. But we of the religion 3 have borne us best in fight; And the good Lord of Rosny hath ta'en the cornet 5 white. Our own true Maximilian 6 the cornet white hath ta'en, The cornet white with crosses black, the flag of false Lorraine. Up with it high; unfurl it wide; that all the host may know How God hath humbled the proud house which wrought his church such woe. 1 Van: front of an army. 2 St. Bartholomew: see note 8, p. 60. 8 The religion: the Huguenot faith. 4 Rosny: the Duke of Sully, Baron of Rosny, an eminent French statesman. He was a firm Protestant; but for the sake of ending the civil war, he urged Henry of Navarre to join the Catholic Church. 5 Cornet: the flag or standard of a troop of cavalry. • Maximilian: the Christian name of Sully, Duke of Rosny. Then on the ground, while trumpets sound their loudest point of war, Fling the red shreds, a footcloth neat for Henry of Navarre. Ho! maidens of Vienna;1 ho! matrons of Lucerne ; 2 Weep, weep, and rend your hair for those who never shall return. Ho! Philip, send, for charity, thy Mexican pistoles,1 That Antwerp monks may sing a mass for 5 thy poor spearmen's souls. Ho! gallant nobles of the League, look that your arms be bright; Ho! burghers of Saint Geneviève, keep watch and ward to-night. 8 For our God hath crushed the tyrant, our God hath raised the slave, And mocked the counsel of the wise, and the valor of the brave. Then glory to his holy name, from whom all glories are ; And glory to our Sovereign Lord, King Henry of Navarre. LORD MACAULAY. 1 Vienna: alluding to the Austrian allies of the defeated Duke of Mayenne. 2 Lucerne Lucerne, Switzerland, also furnished troops to fight for Mayenne. 3 Philip: Philip II. of Spain; he was an ally of the Duke of Mayenne. 4 Pistoles: gold coins. 5 Mass: here, a Roman Catholic service sung for the repose of the souls of the dead. 6 Burghers: citizens. 7 Saint Geneviève (Zhen-ve-av'): the patron saint of Paris; here used as a name for the city itself. 8 Watch and ward: watching and guarding night and day. NASEBY.1 OH! wherefore come ye forth in triumph from the north,2 With your hands, and your feet, and your raiment all red? And wherefore doth your rout 3 send forth a joyous shout? And whence be the grapes of the wine-press that ye tread? Oh! evil was the root, and bitter was the fruit, And crimson was the juice of the vintage that we trod; For we trampled on the throng of the haughty and the strong, 1 Naseby: the battle of Naseby was fought near the village of that name in Northamptonshire, Central England, in 1645. It was one of the decisive battles of the great civil war between Parliament or the English people and King Charles I. and his supporters. The Parliamentary forces were led by Cromwell, Fairfax, and Ireton; the king's army, by Prince Rupert and Sir Marmaduke Langdale. Charles did not engage in the battle, but took his position on a hill commanding a distant view of the field. The contest resulted in the total defeat of the king. It was the last great battle fought by the Royalists. In less than a year Charles fled to the Scots, who gave him up a prisoner to his enemies, by whom he was tried and executed in 1649. 2 The north: Northamptonshire; a shire north of London. 8 Rout: concourse, multitude. 4 Wine-press: an allusion to Rev. xiv. 18-20. Who sate in the high places and slew the saints of God.1 It was about the noon of a glorious day of June, That we saw their banners dance and their cuirasses 2 shine, And the man of blood was there, with his long essenced hair, And Astley, and Sir Marmaduke, and Rupert 7 of the Rhine. Like a servant of the Lord, with his bible and his sword, The general rode along us to form us for the fight; When a murmuring sound broke out, and swelled into a shout Among the godless horsemen upon the tyrant's right.8 1 The saints of God: a title arrogated to themselves by the Puritan party, most of whom had by this time separated wholly from the Church of England and were bitterly hostile to it. The poem represents an account of the battle by one of this class, and is full of the intense feeling which so often blinded each party to the merit possessed by the opposite side. 2 Cuirasses: the cuirass is a piece of armor covering the body from the neck to the girdle. $ Man of blood: a scriptural quotation from 2 Sam. xvi. 7. It was applied by the Puritans as a term of opprobrium to Charles I., because he made war against Parliament. + Long hair: the Royalists, or Cavaliers, wore their hair in long curls. The Puritans considered this fashion a sinful vanity, and cut their hair off short; as this showed the shape of the head, the Cavaliers nicknamed them "Round Heaas." 5 Astley: Lord Astley. He commanded the foot-soldiers of the Royalist army at Naseby. 6 Marmaduke: see note 1, p. 65. Rupert: his father was a prince on the Rhine. 8 Right: the right wing of Charles's army under the command of Prince Rupert, nephew of the king. He was a man of impetuous courage, but lacking in judgment. And hark! like the roar of the billows on the shore, For Charles, king of England, and Rupert of the The furious German comes, with his clarions and his drums, 6 His bravoes of Alsatia 5 and pages of Whitehall;7 They are bursting on our flanks! Grasp your pikes! Close your ranks! For Rupert never comes, but to conquer or to fall. Our left is borne before them like stubble on the blast. O Lord, put forth thy might! O Lord, defend the right! Stand back to back, in God's name! and fight it to the last! 8 Stout Skippen hath a wound — the centre hath given ground. 1 The Cause: the Royal Cause. 2 Rupert of the Rhine: historians speak of the "terror of Rupert's name." 3 Clarions: the clarion is a trumpet having a peculiarly shrill sound, and hence used for giving signals. 4 Bravoes: ruffians. 5 Alsatia: then one of the lowest quarters of London. It was frequented by fugitive debtors and desperate criminals. 6 Pages: royal attendants. 7 Whitehall: the royal palace of Whitehall, London. 8 Skippen: Philip Skippen, or Skippon, major-general of the Parliament. ary forces. |
