But this virtuous mayden despised them all: "Ile nere sell my honour for purple nor pall; A mayden of England, sir, never will bee The whore of a monarcke," quoth Mary Ambree. Then to her owne country shee backe did returne, 85 Still holding the foes of faire England in scorne; Therfore English captaines of every degree Sing forth the brave valours of Mary Ambree. 5. So P. C. Sir John Major in MS. BRAVE LORD WILLOUGHBEY. Percy's _Reliques_, ii. 235. "Peregrine Bertie, Lord Willoughby of Eresby, had, in the year 1586, distinguished himself at the siege of Zutphen, in the Low Countries. He was the year after made general of the English forces in the United Provinces, in room of the Earl of Leicester, who was recalled. This gave him an opportunity of signalizing his courage and military skill in several actions against the Spaniards. One of these, greatly exaggerated by popular report, is probably the subject of this old ballad, which, on account of its flattering encomiums on English valour, hath always been a favourite with the people. "Lord Willoughbie died in 1601.--Both Norris and Turner were famous among the military men of that age. "The subject of this ballad (which is printed from an old black-letter copy, with some conjectural emendations) may possibly receive illustration from what Chapman says in the dedication to his version of Homer's _Frogs and Mice_, concerning the brave and memorable retreat of Sir John Norris, with only 1000 men, through the whole Spanish army, under the Duke of Parma, for three miles together." PERCY. Lord Willoughby was son of that Duchess of Suffolk, whose extraordinary adventures, while in exile on the continent during the reign of Queen Mary, are the subject of an often-printed ballad called the _Duchess of Suffolk's Calamity_. See _Strange Histories_, Percy Society, iii. 17, and the Appendix to this volume. The fifteenth day of July, With glistering spear and shield, A famous fight in Flanders Was foughten in the field: The most couragious officers 5 Were English captains three; But the bravest man in battel Was brave Lord Willoughbèy. The next was Captain Norris, A valiant man was hee; 10 The other Captain Turner, From field would never flee. With fifteen hundred fighting men, Alas! there were no more, They fought with fourteen thousand then, 15 Upon the bloody shore. "Stand to it, noble pikemen, And look you round about: And shoot you right, you bow-men, And we will keep them out. 20 You musquet and calìver men, Do you prove true to me: I'le be the formost man in fight," Says brave Lord Willoughbèy.