Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 1).djvu/496

 With King Henry the Fift, Prince of Honour Here much glory, as him thought, he found, A mightie land which had take in hand To werre in France, and make mortalitie, And euer well kept round about the sea.

"And to the king thus hee sayd: My Brother, (When hee perceiued two Townes Caleis and Douer) Of all your Townes to chuse of one and other, To keepe the sea and soone to come ouer To werre outwards and your regne to recouer: Keepe these two Townes sure, and your Majestee As your tweyne eyne: so keepe the narrowe sea.

"For if this sea be kept in time of werre, Who can heere passe without danger and woe? Who may escape, who may mischiefe differre? What Marchandie may forby bee agoe? For needs hem must take trewes every foe: Flanders and Spain and othere, trust to mee, Or ellis hindred all for this Narrow sea.

"Therefore I cast mee by a little writing To shewe at eye this conclusion, For conscience and for mine acquiting Against God and ageyne abusion, And cowardise, and to our enemies confusion. For things our Noble sheweth to me,, , and , and  of the ."

In the first chapter of his poem the author gives a very lucid account of the course of the commerce then carried on between England, Spain, and Flanders. No mention is made of France, as England was then engaged in hostilities with that country; but from Spain English merchants imported figs, raisins, wine, dates, licorice, oil, grains, white pastile soap, wax, iron, wool, wadmolle, goat fell, saffron, and quicksilver; and, from Flanders, fine cloth of Ypres and of Courtray were carried in Spanish ships homewards, with fustians and also linen cloth. These cargoes requiring necessarily to pass between Calais and Dover going and coming, Spain and