That with the cries they make
The very earth did shake;
Trumpet to trumpet spake,
Thunder to thunder.

Well it thine age became,
O noble Erpingham! 1
Which did the signal aim
To our hid forces;

When, from a meadow by,
Like a storm suddenly,

The English archery

Struck the French horses,

With Spanish yew 2 so strong,
Arrows a cloth-yard long,
That like to serpents stung,

Piercing the weather; 3
None from his fellow starts,
But playing manly parts,
And like true English hearts,
Stuck close together.

When down their bows they threw,
And forth their bilbows 4 drew,.

And on the French they flew,
Not one was tardy:

1 Erpingham: Sir Thomas Erpingham was the marshal of the army. He tossed up his baton, shouting, "Now strike!" and the battle began. 2 Yew the best bows were made of yew-tree wood.

3 Weather: the withers or shoulders of a horse.

4 Bilbow: a kind of sword, so called, it is said, because the best of these weapons were made in Bilboa, Spain.

Arms were from shoulders sent;
Scalps to the teeth were rent;
Down the French peasants went;
Our men were hardy.1

This while our noble king,
His broadsword brandishing,
Down the French host did ding,2
As to o'erwhelm it;

And many a deep wound lent,
His arms with blood besprent,3
And many a cruel dent
Bruised his helmet.

Glo'ster, that duke so good,
Next of the royal blood,
For famous England stood,
With his brave brother
Clarence,5 in steel so bright,
Though but a maiden knight,
Yet in that furious fight
Scarce such another.

Warwick in blood did wade;

Oxford the foe invade,

And cruel slaughter made,

Still as they ran up.

1 Hardy: brave, daring.

2 Ding: strike.

Besprent: bespattered.

4 Glo'ster: the Duke of Gloucester; a younger brother of King Henry.

5 Clarence: the Duke of Clarence; King Henry's eldest brother.

6 Maiden knight: one who had not had experience in battle.

7 Warwick (pronounced Warʼick): the Earl of Warwick.

8 Oxford: the Earl of Oxford.

4 Willoughby: Lord Willoughby, a distinguished military commander.

5 Bare them: bore themselves, conducted themselves.

6 Doughtily: valiantly.

7 Ferrers; Fanhope: neither of these names can be found in Tyler's Memoirs of Henry V.

8 Saint Crispin's day: October 25. See Shakspeare's "Henry V.," Act IV. Scene 3.

9 Fill a pen: fill the pages of history; employ the historian's pen.

THE BONNETS OF BONNIE DUNDEE.1

To the Lords of Convention 2 'twas Claverhouse who

spoke,

"Ere the king's crown3 shall fall, there are crowns to be broke;

So let each cavalier who loves honor and me
Come follow the bonnets of bonnie Dundee ! " 5

Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can;
Come saddle your horses, and call up your men ;
Come open the Westport and let us gang free,

6

And it's room for the bonnets 8 of bonnie Dundee !

1 Bonnie Dundee: John Graham of Claverhouse-hence generally called Claverhouse-was created Viscount of Dundee in 1688 by James II. In the previous reign Claverhouse had persecuted the Covenanters of Scotland with remorseless vigor (see note 1, p. 82).

After the revolution in England, when William of Orange (William III.) had landed, and the cowardly James II. had fled from London, Claverhouse entered Edinburgh with a body of troops. His intention was to raise a force in Scotland, drive out William, and reinstate James; finding, however, that the feeling in Edinburgh was strongly against him, he suddenly left that city. He was killed in the battle of Killiecrankie (1689), fighting in behalf of the lost cause of the unworthy King James. Claverhouse was a man of wonderful dash and courage, but one who in the name of loyalty perpetrated such horrible cruelties that he fully earned the name the country people gave him of "Bloody Claver'se."

2 Lords of Convention: the Scottish Parliament assembled in Edinburgh March, 1689. They later declared that James II. had forfeited the crown, and finally declared William (William III.) and Mary king and queen. 8 King's crown: the crown of James II. 4 Crowns: heads.

5 Dundee: Claverhouse, Viscount of Dundee.

6 Westport: the western gate of the city of Edinburgh; it was then a walled town. 8 Bonnets: Scotch caps.

7 Gang: go.

Dundee he is mounted, he rides up the street,

The bells are rung backward,1 the drums they are beat; But the provost, douce 2 man, said, "Just e'en3 let

him be,

6

The gude toun is well quit 5 of that deil of Dundee !"

As he rode doun the sanctified bends of the Bow,
Ilk carline 10 was flyting 11 and shaking her pow; 12

But the young plants of grace 13 they looked cowthie 14 and slee,1

15

Thinking, Luck to thy bonnet, thou bonnie Dundee !

With sour-featured whigs 16 the Grass-Market 17 was thranged,18

As if half the west had set tryst 19 to be hanged;

There was spite in each look, there was fear in each ee,20 As they watched for the bonnets of bonnie Dundee.

1 Rung backward: to give the alarm.
2 Douce: sedate, grave. 3 E'en: even.
5 Quit: rid.

6 Deil: devil.

4 Gude toun: good town. 7 Doun: down.

8 Sanctified bends: because in a hall in Bow street the Scottish Church formerly held its annual assembly.

9 Bow: or the West Bow; the name of a street in Edinburgh. It got its name from a bend in the city wall. 10 Ilk carline: every old woman.

11 Flyting: scolding, brawling.

12 Pow: head.

18 Young plants of grace: the Scottish maidens.

14 Cowthie: kindly, lovingly.

15 Slee: sly.

16 Whigs: those who favored William III. Scott was a strong tory, or conservative, and hence the expression "sour-featured" applied to the whigs, though, as many if not most of them were Covenanters and very austere, they may have justified the use of the phrase by their looks.

17 Grass-Market: a famous square in Edinburgh where executions formerly took place. 18 Thranged: thronged. the covenanting whigs were espe"To set tryst" is to make an 20 Ee: eye.

19 Half the west had set tryst cially strong in certain parts of the appointment.

West.