Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


BRAVE LORD WILLOUGHBY by ANONYMOUS

First Line: THE FIFTEENTH [DAY] OF JULY
Last Line: AND THUS I END THE BLOODY BOUT / OF BRAVE LORD WILLOUGHBY
Subject(s): COURAGE;WAR; VALOR;BRAVERY;

The fifteenth of July,
With glistening spear and shield,
A famous fight in Flanders
Was foughten in the field;
The most courageous officers
Were English captains three,
But the bravest man in battle
Was brave Lord Willoughby.

The next was Captain Morris,
A valiant man was he;
The other, Captain Turner,
From field would never flee.
With fifteen hundred fighting men—
Alas, there were no more,—
They fought with fourteen thousand men
Upon the bloody shore.

'Stand to it, noble pikemen,
And look you round about!
And shoot you right, you bowmen,
And we will keep them out!
You musquet and caliver men,
Do you prove true to me;
I'll be the foremost in the fight!'
Says brave Lord Willoughby.

And then the fearful enemy
Was quickly put to flight;
Our men pursued courageously
And caught their forces quite.
But at the last they gave a shout
Which echoed through the sky;
'God and Saint George for England!'
The conquerors did cry.

The news was brought to England,
With all the speed might be,
And soon our gracious Queen was told
Of this same victory.
'O this is brave Lord Willoughby,
My love that ever won;
Of all the lords of honour
'Tis he great deeds hath done.'

To the soldiers that were maiméd
And wounded in the fray,
The Queen allowed a pension
Of fifteenpence a day:
And from all costs and charges
She quit and set them free;
And this she did all for the sake
Of brave Lord Willoughby.

Then, courage! noble Englishmen,
And never be dismayed:
If that we be but one to ten
We will not be afraid
To fight with foreign enemies,
And set our nation free;
And thus I end the bloody bout
Of brave Lord Willoughby.



Home: PoetryExplorer.net