The First Couple. {THE EARL OF CUMBERLAND.
Mighty in arms, mounted on puissant horse,
Knight of the crown, in rich embroidery,
And costly fair caparison charg'd with crowns,
O'ershadow'd with a wither'd running vine,
As who would say, my spring of youth is past;
In corselet gilt of curious workmanship,
Sir Henry Lee, redoubted man at arms,
Leads in the troops: whom worthy Cumberland,
Thrice-noble earl, accoutred as became
So great a warrior and so good a knight,
Encounter'd first, y-clad in coat of steel,
And plumes and pendants all as white as swan,
And spear in rest, right ready to perform
What 'long'd unto the honour of the place.
Together went these champions, horse and man,
Thundering along the tilt; that at the shock
The hollow gyring vault of heaven resounds.
Six courses spent, and spears in shivers split,
(THE LORD STrange,
MASTER THOMAS GERRARD. The Earl of Derby's valiant son and heir,
Brave Ferdinand lord Strange, strangely embark'd
Under Jove's kingly bird the golden eagle,
Stanley's old crest and honourable badge,
As veering 'fore the wind in costly ship,
And armour white and watchet buckled fast,
Presents himself; his horses and his men
Suited in satin to their master's colours,
Well near twice twenty squires that went him by.
And having by his trounchman* pardon crav'd,
Vailing his eagle tot his sovereign's eyes,
As who should say, stoop, eagle, to this sun,
Dismounts him from his pageant, and attonce§
Taking his choice of lusty stirring horse,
Cover'd with sumptuous rich caparisons,
He mounts him bravely for his friendly foe;
And at the head he aims, and in his aim
Happily thrives, and breaks his azure staves.
Whom gentle Gerrard, all in white and green,
Colours belike best serving his conceit,
Lustily meets, mounted in seat of steel,
With flourishing plume and fair¶ caparison;
And then at every shock the shivers fly,
That recommend their honours to the sky.
THE LORD COMPTON,
MASTER HENRY NOWELL.
Next, in the virgin's colours, as before
Ran Cumberland, comes lovely Compton in ;
His courser trapt in white, and plumes and staves
Of snowy hue, and squires in fair array,
Waiting their lord's good fortune in the field;
His armour glittering like the moon's bright rays,
* trounchman] Can scarcely be a misprint for " truchman," or trouchman," i. e. interpreter.-Qy. is it put for "truncheon
+ Vailing his eagle to] Ox. MS. " Vailed his eagle in."
#should] Ox. MS. “would."
§attonce] See note * vol. i. p.
Whom] Ox. MS. "When."
Or that clear silver path, the milk-white way,
That in Olympus leads to Jove's high court.
Him noble-minded Nowell pricks to meet,
All arm'd in sables, with rich bandalier,
That bauldrick-wise he ware, set with fair stones :
And pearls of Inde, that like a silver bend wri
Shew'd on his varnish'd corselet black as jet;
And beauteous plumes and bases suitable; bup-
And on his stirrup waits a trusty train
Of servants clad in purple liveries :
And to't they go, this lord and lusty knight,
To do their royal mistress honour's right."
The Fourth Couple. {SIR EDWARD DENNY
When, mounted on his fierce and foaming steed, ... In riches and in colours like his peers,
With ivory plumes, in silver shining arms,
His men in crimson dight and staves in red,
Comes in Lord Burke, a fair young Ireland lord,
Bent chiefly to the† exercise of arms:
And bounding in his princely mistress' eye,‡
*Him noble-minded Nowell, &c.] Ox. MS.
Him noble-minded Nowell pricks to meet,
Brave Nowell fam'd for courtship and for arms,
All in black armour with rich bandalier."
+ chiefly to the] Ox. MS. " to the princely.”
and bounding, &c.] Ox. MS.
"And bounding in his royal mistress' eye,
(Askances thus, I come to honour thee)
Chargeth," &c.
Chargeth his staff, when trumpet calls*
At noble Denny's head, brave man at arms,
That furiously with flaming sword in hand,op a cit
(As if the god of war had sent him down, brotễ
Or, if you will, to shew his burning zeal bidỈ
And forwardness in service of her person, ↑ «if
To whom those martial deeds were consecrate,)"de
Speeds to the tilt amain, rich as the rest;
Himself, his horse, his pages, all in green,
Green velvet, fairly garnish'd horse and man.
The Fifth Couple. {THE EARL OF ESSEX,
MASTER FULK GREVILLE.
Then proudly shocks amid the martial throng
Of lusty lanciers, all in sable || sad,
Drawn on with coal-black steeds of dusky hue,
In stately chariot full of deep device,
Where gloomy Time sat whipping on the team,`
Just back to back with this great champion,
Young Essex, that thrice honourable earl;
Y-clad in mighty arms of mourner's hue, §
And plume as black as is the raven's wing,
That from his armour borrow'd such a light,
As boughs of yew receive ¶ from shady stream.
His staves were such, or of such hue at least,
trumpet calls] Ox. MS. "trumpets call."
+ her person] Ox. MS. " the day," omitting the next line. amain] Ox. MS. "apace."
sable] Ox. MS. "
Shue] Ox. MS. “
As are those banner staves that mourners bear;
And all his company in funeral black,*
As if he mourn'd to think of him he miss'd,
Sweet Sidney, fairest shepherd of our green,
Well-letter'd warrior, whose successor he
In love and arms had ever vow'd to be:
In love and arms 0 may he so succeed,
As his deserts, as his desires would speed!
With this great lord must gallant Greville run,
Fair man at arms, the Muses' favourite,
Lover of learning and of chivalry,
Sage in his saws, sound judge of poesy,
That lightly mounted makes to him amain,
In armour gilt and bases full of cost:
Together go these friends as enemies;
As when a lion in a thicket pent,
Spying the boar all bent to combat him,
Makes through the shrubs and thunders as he
(SIR CHARLES BLOUNT,
MASTER THOMAS VAVASOR. And then, as blithe as bird of morning's light, Inflam'd with honour, glistering as the sun, What time he mounts the sweating lion's back, Beset with glorious sun-shine of his train, Bearing the sun upon his armed breast, That like a precious shining† carbuncle, Or Phoebus' eye, in heaven itself reflects ;
*funeral black] Ox. MS. "black beheest," Qy."behearst." t shining] Ox. MS. "sparkling."
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