Newes from Flaunders.
A new Ballad of the great ouerthrow that the valliant Captaine Graue Maurice, Sir Frances Veere, and other of the Queene of Englands friends: gaue to the Archduke, and his Army of Spaniards, vpon
Sunday being the 22
of Iune last past, 1600.
To the tune of
lusty Gallant.
YOu that be desirous,
and therein take delight:
To h
[...]are of bloudie battailes,
and worthy warlike fight,
To Flaunders bend your ears a while
and you shall truely know,
How valliantly our Noble friends,
their foes did ouerthrow.
The Archduke of
Austria,
that bloudy Spanish Lord:
Like
Iudas hath conuerted,
his booke into a sword.
To plant by cursed Popery,
in Flaunders now againe:
to bring the Quéen of Englāds friends
in seruitude to Spaine.
But Noble Prince,
Graue Maurice,
his purpose to preuent:
Hath entred famous Flaunders,
to warlike battle bent:
With fiftéene thousand horse and foote,
prepared well to fight:
At
Phillipeena landed first,
the twelfe of Iune by night.
From thence a long to Oldenbirdge,
they marched on a maine:
And cut of all the best reliefe,
quite from the hoast of Spaine.
All the sconces and the Fortes,
that by the way they found,
Belonging to the Spanish power,
they raced to the ground.
And so to Newport marched,
with thundring lowde allarmes:
And there besiegde it brauely,
by force of warlike armes.
The Cannons plaide vp to the walles
the muskets shot amaine:
As though that
Mars himselfe were come
to fight or else be slaine.
By this he heard the Archduke,
was comming for to raise
His siedge, with full ten thousand,
resting neither night nor dayes.
Whereat the States Generall,
did choose a Regiment:
Of nimble Scotch and hardy Dutch,
their comming to preuent.
To Count Ernestus of Nassaw
committed them in charge:
About foure miles from Newport,
to fortifie a Bridge.
Who failed much therein, because
the Duke had past the same:
Before Ernestus Regiments,
all softly thether came.
The Scotch-men were all cut off,
and put to slaughter quite:
But yet the Dutchmen hapned,
to saue themselues by flight.
The which imboldned so the foe
that he went forward still:
Without all daunger of assault,
or fearing any ill.
Vpon the foure and twenty day,
they planted on a plaine:
Eight great Canons soundly chargde
a battle to maintaine.
Whereat the Princely Generall,
the siedge did soone forsake:
And marcht to méete the Archduke,
the better ground to take.
Sir Frances Véere directed him,
his squadrons to dispose:
How best for his aduantage,
should set vpon his foes.
Nine Noble English Gentlemen,
the first encounter gaue:
With as much honour and renowne,
as any Prince might haue.
But yet before this battell strong,
betwixt them were begun:
they stroue at least ful two houres long
for weather, winde and sunne.
At last Duke Alberts warlike drums
did thunder in the skies:
whereat Prince Maurice stird himself
and thus couragious cryes.
For Flaunders, and for England,
braue gallants must we fight:
In his defence and quarrell,
that is the God of might.
To armes I say then gallant lads,
let nothing vs dismay:
Against professed foes we fight,
and hope to win the day.
Which wordes did so imbolden,
them of the common sort▪
That euery one esteemde,
the battle for a sport.
Where though they saw an hundred slaine
by one great Cannon shot:
Yet none of them in feare thereof,
from thence would mooue a foote.
Full foure long houres continued,
this blacke and dreadfull fight:
That both sides well maintained,
with courage and great might.
The Cannons made such lanes of men
that soldiours wetshood stood:
As they discharg'd their Musket shot,
in pooles of purple blood.
The sunne with smoke was darkned,
the element likewise:
That like a dismall cole blacke night,
appeared all the skies.
Like mountaines dead men lay on heapes
most gréeuous to beholde:
By numbers great and infinite,
past reason to be tolde.
At last the fearfull enemy,
from field began to flye:
Whereat our English Captaines,
saint George saint George did cry,
The battle's won, the day is ours,
take courage by this chance:
And in the honour of this day,
our English Crosse aduance.
Then foure miles they pursued,
the Spaniards in their flight:
still slaughtering them by thousands,
and so returnde by night.
To Newport backe with warlike ioy
the siedge for to renew:
And driue the Spaniards from the towne
with balles of fiery hew.
In this same dreadfull battle,
the Spanish Duke had slaine:
Aboue fiue thousand at the least,
most heauy newes for Spaine.
One thousand more they prisoners took
withall three Spanish Lords:
Which were by force compeld to yéeld
them prisoners to our swordes.
The Duke himselfe as chaunced,
was hurt with Musket shot:
And in such sort as hardly he,
aliue to Brussels got.
His Cannons they were taken all,
his Treasure and his Plate:
Which be good prises, and estéemde,
well of the Flemish state.
A hundred fiftye Ensignes,
were taken on that day,
All which may be sufficient
the Spaniards to dismay.
And neuer more haue so bould harts,
in warre to lift their handes:
Against our noble English friendes,
now in the Netherlandes.
Of English, Scots and Dutchmen,
we had some store yslaine,
But few they were in number
to them that fought for Spaine
Few chosen captaines we had hurt,
but braue Lord Graye in fight
And bould sir Frances of Deueere,
that most renowned knight.
Who had bene slaine or smoothered
amongst the mained men,
Had not sir Robert Drewrie
most brauely playd the man,
Who from the thickest of the fight
bore him from thence away
A nobler deed then this was not
perform'd of all that daye.
Thus haue you hearde the seruice
of these our English friendes,
That stil with losse of life and limmes
the Flemish state defends.
God banish thence idolatrie,
that English men may say:
That stil we haue in spight of Spaine
some frendes beyond the sea.
Finis.
Captaines of the English slaine.
- 1 Captaine Yaxley.
- 2 Captaine Honywood
- 3 Captaine Duxbery.
- 4 Captaine Purton.
- 5 Captaine Tirrell.
- 6 Captaine Woodward.
Prisoners of the enemy taken.
- The Admirall of Arragon.
- Iasper Sapena.
- Lewis de Villar.
With many other Captaines.