Their vpper deckes, all trim’d and garnisht out With sterne designes for bloodie warre at hand, With crimson fights were armed all about, And on the hatche many a goodly band Deckt in braue armes, together thicke did stand, Whose plume-deckt heads themselues aloft did show, And seem’d to dance, with windes wau’d to and fro. 168. With glittering shields their bosomes they did bar, Each one well brandishing his fatall blade, And from their bright habiliments of war, Such blazing shine, as in the gloomie shade, We often see by Phœbus beames displaid, A splendor vp into the aire did throw, And glittered on the glistning waues below. 169. Their top sailes, sprit sailes, and their misens all, Their crooked sternes, and tackle euery where Adorned were with pennons tragicall, Which in their silken reds did pictur’d beare The sad ostents of death and dismall feare, Who while their keeles through seas did cut their way, In wanton wauing with the winde did play. 170. The clangor of shrill trumpes triumphant sound And clattering horror of their clashing armes, Vpon the bordering shores did so redound, That euen the deepe of their intended harmes On England’s coasts did sound out thicke alarmes, Which strooke a terror to the heart of him Who then did border about Neptune’s brim. 171. So great a fleet, since that same god so old, Grim-bearded Neptune bore the sea-gods name, The golden eye of heau’n did nere behold, Nor Agamemnon’s thousand ships, that came To sacke proud Troy, and all her towers enflame, Nor that Eoan monarche’s fleet, that scar’d The sonnes of Tyre, with this might be compar’d 172. But while this mightie fleet did proudly boast Her matchlesse might on Neptune’s high command, Braue _Parma_, lord of all th’Iberian host, Both of the horse and foot, that came by land, Did troope them vp vpon the Belgicke strand, To whom th’assistants of the Castile king, Their seuerall troopes of men did daily bring. 173. Beneath the bird of Ioue the prince of ayre, Which th’house of Austria in their ensignes bore, The proud Burgundian marcht in armour faire, Th’Italian, Germaine, Dutch, and many more Of other lands and language, who before Had often been renown’d in many a fight, For their high valour, and approued might. 174.