All this is, no doubt, as foolish as it is fictitious, but the ballad-maker’s independence, in fact unconsciousness, of history and common sense, beginning with the title, in which young Essex is made Queen Elizabeth’s champion, is amusing and not unpleasing. The ballad belongs undoubtedly to the eighteenth century, when High Germany had become familiar to the humble English. =B.= The traditional copy begins with a prologue of half a dozen stanzas in the form of a colloquy between Billy, who is to be of the expedition, and Nelly, his sweetheart. This prologue must be derived from some other ballad or song. Nelly reminds her lover of the fate of old Benbow, who lost at least one of his legs in a fight with a French fleet in 1702, and died of the consequences, and of that of “proud Shawfield, that honoured knight,” under which name is disguised Sir Cloudesley Shovell, “who came with his navy to the Spanish shore” in 1705, and whose ship went on the rocks off the Scilly Isles (‘Salem’), and sank with all on board, some eight hundred men, in 1707. We then make connection with the broadside. A =a.= Douce Ballads, III, fol. 80 b. =b.= Roxburghe, III, 416, in Ebsworth’s Roxburghe Ballads, VI, 405. 1 Come, sound up your trumpets and beat up your drums, And let’s go to sea with a valiant good cheer, In search of a mighty vast navy of ships, The like has not been for these fifty long year. Raderer two, tandaro te, Raderer, tandorer, tan do re. 2 The queen she provided a navy of ships, With sweet flying streamers, so glorious to see, Rich top and top-gallants, captains and lieutenants, Some forty, some fifty, brass-pieces and three. 3 They had not saild past a week on the seas, Not passing a week and days two or three, But they were aware of the proud emperor, Both him and all his proud company. 4 When he beheld our powerful fleet, Sailing along in their glory and pride, He was amazed at their valour and fame, Then to his warlike command[er]s he cry’d. 5 These were the words of the old emperor: Pray who is this that is sailing to me? If he be king that weareth a crown, Yet I am a better man than he. 6 ‘It is not a king, nor lord of a crown, Which now to the seas with his navy is come, But the young Earl of Essex, the Queen’s lieutenant, Who fears no foes in Christendom.’ 7 ‘Oh! is that lord then come to the seas? Let us tack about and be steering away; I have heard so much of his father before That I will not fight with young Essex today.’ 8 O then bespoke the emperor’s son, As they were tacking and steering away, ‘Give me, royal father, this navy of s[h]ips, And I will go fight with Essex today.’