For every great gun that there was, In his mouth he had a stone. The Captain of Harflete soon anon Unto our King he sent hastily To know what his will was to be done, For to come thither with such a meiny? "Deliver me the town!" the King said. "Nay!" said the Captain, "by God and St DENIS!" "Then shall I win it," said our King, "By the grace of GOD and his goodness, Some hard tennis balls I have hither brought Of marble and iren made full round. I swear, by JESU that me dear bought, They shall beat the walls to the ground." Then said the great gun, "Hold fellows, we go to game!" Thanked be MARY and JESU her son, They did the Frenchmen much shame. "Fifteen afore," said "London" then; Her balls full fair she gan outthrow. "Thirty" said the second gun, "I will win and I may." There as the wall was most sure, They bare it down without nay. The "King's Daughter" said "Hearken this play! Hearken Maidens now this tide! Five and forty we have, it is no nay." They beat down the walls on every side. The Normands said, "Let us not abide! But go we in haste, by one assent! Wheresoever the gunstones do glide, Our houses in Harfleet are all to rent: The Englishmen our bulwarks have brent." And women cried, "Alas that ever they were born!" The Frenchmen said, "Now be we shent! By us now the town is forlorn [_utterly lost_]: It is best now therefore That we beseech this English King of grace, For to assail us no more; Lest he destroy us in this place. Then will we bid the Dolphin make him ready, Or else this town delivered must be." [Sidenote: 10th September 1415.] [Sidenote: _It should be_ Sir LIONEL BRAQUEMONT.] [Sidenote: 22nd September 1415.] Messengers went forth by and bye, And to our King came they: The Lord CORGRAUNT certainly, For he was Captain of the place, And GELAM BOWSER with him did hie, With other Lords more and less. And when they to our King come where, Full lowly set them on their knee: "Hail, comely King!" gan they say "CHRIST save thee from adversity! Of truce we will beseech thee Until that it be Sunday noon: And if we may not recovered be, We will deliver the town." Then said our King full soon, "I grant you grace in this tide [_time_]; One of you shall forth anon, And the remnant shall with me abide!" Their Captain took his next way, And to Rouen fast gan he ride. The Dolphin he had thought there to find But he was gone; he durst not abide.