"In the year 1584, the Spaniards, under the command of Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, began to gain great advantages in Flanders and Brabant, by recovering many strongholds and cities from the Hollanders, as Ghent (called then by the English Gaunt), Antwerp, Mechlin, &c. See Stow's _Annals_, p. 711. Some attempt made with the assistance of English volunteers to retrieve the former of those places, probably gave occasion to this ballad. I can find no mention of our heroine in history, but the following rhymes rendered her famous among our poets. Ben Jonson often mentions her, and calls any remarkable virago by her name. See his _Epic[oe]ne_, first acted in 1609, Act 4, sc. 2: his _Tale of a Tub_, Act 4, sc. 4: and his masque entitled _The Fortunate Isles_, 1626, where he quotes the very words of the ballad, ---- MARY AMBREE, (Who marched so free To the siege of Gaunt, And death could not daunt, As the ballad doth vaunt) Were a braver wight, &c. She is also mentioned in Fletcher's _Scornful Lady_, Act 5, _sub finem_. "This ballad is printed from a black-letter copy in the Pepys Collection, improved from the Editor's folio MS., and by conjecture. The full title is, "_The valourous acts performed at Gaunt by the brave bonnie lass Mary Ambree, who, in revenge of her lovers death, did play her part most gallantly_". _The tune is_, The blind beggar, &c."--PERCY. When captaines couragious, whom death cold not daunte, Did march to the siege of the citty of Gaunt, They mustred their souldiers by two and by three, And the formost in battle was Mary Ambree. When [the] brave sergeant-major was slaine in her sight,[L5] 5 Who was her true lover, her joy, and delight, Because he was slaine most treacherouslìe, Then vowd to revenge him Mary Ambree. She clothed herselfe from the top to the toe, In buffe of the bravest, most seemelye to showe; 10 A faire shirt of male then slipped on shee: Was not this a brave bonny lass, Mary Ambree? A helmett of proofe shee strait did provide, A stronge arminge-sword shee girt by her side, On her hand a goodly faire gauntlett put shee: 15 Was not this a brave bonny lass, Mary Ambree? Then tooke shee her sworde and her targett in hand, Bidding all such, as wold, [to] bee of her band; To wayte on her person came thousand and three: Was not this a brave bonny lass, Mary Ambree? 20 "My soldiers," she saith, "soe valliant and bold, Nowe followe your captaine, whom you doe beholde; Still formost in battell myselfe will I bee:" Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree? Then cryed out her souldiers, and loude they did say, 25 "Soe well thou becomest this gallant array, Thy harte and thy weapons so well do agree, Noe mayden was ever like Mary Ambree."