69. My lord Howard took a sword in his hand, And smote off Sir Andrew’s head; The Scots stood by did weep and mourn, But never a word durst speak or say. 70. He caused his body to be taken down, And over the hatch-board cast into the sea, And about his middle three hundred crowns: ‘Wheresoever thou lands, it will bury thee.’ 71. With his head they sailed into England again, With right good will and force and main, And the day before New Year’s Even Into Thames’ mouth they came again. 72. My lord Howard wrote to King Henry’s grace, With all the news he could him bring: ‘Such a New Year’s gift I have brought to your Grace As never did subject to any king. 73. ‘For merchandise and manhood, The like is not to be found: The sight of these would do you good, For you have not the like in your English ground.’ 74. But when he heard tell that they were come, Full royally he welcomed them home; Sir Andrew’s ship was the king’s New Year’s gift; A braver ship you never saw none. 75. Now hath our king Sir Andrew’s ship, Beset with pearls and precious stones; Now hath England two ships of war-- Two ships of war, before but one. 76. ‘Who holp to this?’ says King Henry, ‘That I may reward him for his pain.’ ‘Harry Hunt, and Peter Simon, William Horsley, and I the same.’ 77. ‘Harry Hunt shall have his whistle and chain, And all his jewels, whatsoever they be, And other rich gifts that I will not name, For his good service he hath done me. 78. ‘Horsley, right thou’st be a knight, Lands and livings thou shalt have store; Howard shall be Earl of Nottingham, And so was never Howard before. 79. ‘Now Peter Simon, thou art old; I will maintain thee and thy son; Thou shalt have five hundred pound all in gold For the good service that thou hast done.’ 80. Then King Henry shifted his room. In came the Queen and ladies bright; Other errands had they none But to see Sir Andrew Barton, knight. 81. But when they see his deadly face, His eyes were hollow in his head; ‘I would give a hundred pound,’ says King Henry, ‘The man were alive as he is dead! 82. ‘Yet for the manful part that he hath played, Both here and beyond the sea, His men shall have half a crown a day To bring them to my brother, King Jamie.’ [Annotations: 13.4, 16.4: ‘bread,’ breadth. 23.3: ‘arch-board,’ stern (?) Cp. 29.2 and ‘hatch-board,’ 70.2. 28.1: ‘dearly dight,’ handsomely fitted out. 29.2: Cp. 23.3 and note. 47.2: _i.e._ ‘wit [ye], howsoever this affair may turn out.’ 53.1: ‘swarved,’ swarmed, climbed. 53.3: ‘bearing arrow’: perhaps a light arrow for long-distance shooting, but see 56.3; and cf. _Adam Bell_, 150.3. 63.3: ‘spole,’ spauld, shoulder. 64.3: ‘jack,’ coat of mail. 66.4: ‘Till’ may mean ‘while.’] HENRY MARTYN