Sir John he got him an ambling nag,
To Scotland for to ride-a,
With a hundred horse more, all his own he swore,
To guard him on every side-a.
No errant-knight ever went to fight
With halfe so gay a bravado,
Had you seen but his look, you’ld have sworn on a book,
Hee’ld have conquer’d a whole armado.
The ladies ran all to the windows to see
So gallant and warlike a sight-a,
And as he pass’d, they said with a sigh,
“Sir John, why will you go fight-a?”
But he, like a cruel knight, spurr’d on,
His heart would not relent-a,
For, till he came there, what had he to fear,
Or why should he repent-a?
The king (God bless him)! had singular hopes
Of him and all his troop-a:
The borderers they, as they met him on the way,
For joy did hollow and whoop-a.
None lik’d him so well as his own colonell,
Who took him for John de Wert-a;
But when there were shows of gunning and blows,
My gallant was nothing so pert-a.
For when the Scots army came within sight,
And all prepared to fight-a,
He ran to his tent; they ask’d what he meant
He swore he must needs goe sh**** te-a.
The colonell sent for him back agen,
To quarter him in the van-a,
But Sir John did swear, he would not come there
To be kill’d the very first man-a.
To cure his fear, he was sent to the reare,
Some ten miles back, and more-a;
Where Sir John did play at trip and away,
And ne’er saw the enemy more-a.
[supplemental; supposed to be by Mennis]
But now there is peace, he’s return’d to increase
His money, which lately he spent-a;
But his lost honour must lye still in the dust;
At Barwick away it went-a.
(John Mennis)
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Based on Topics: War & Peace Poems, Sense & Perception Poems, Kings & Queens Poems, Fear Poems, Money & Wealth Poems, Books Poems, Enemy PoemsBased on Keywords: ambling, reare, spurr, bravado, man-a, gunning, more-a, ride-a, borderers, supplemental, side-a