Context:

Location: London?, London, England (TQ3079)
Year: Publ. about 1730
Time of Occurrence: [Not given]
Collective Name: [Not given]

Source:

[Anon.]
King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France
London, Aldermary Press?, c.1730

Cast:

Text:

{Verse 1}

[Narrator]

As out king lay musing on his bed,
He bethought himself upon a time
Of a tribute that was due from France,
Had not been paid for so long a time.
Fal, lal, etc.
{Verse 2}
He called for his lovely page,
His lovely page then called he,
Saying, You must go to the king of France,
To the king of France, sir, ride speedily.
{Verse 3}
O then went away this lovely page,
This lovely page then away went he;
And when he came to the king of France,
Low he fell down on his bended knee.

{Verse 4}

Page

'My master greets you, worthy sir:
Ten ton of gold that is due to he,
That you will send him his tribute home,
Or in French land you soon will him see.'

{Verse 5}

King of France

'Your master's young and of tender years,
Not fit to come into my degree,
And I will send him three tennis-balls,
That with them he may learn to play.'
{Verse 6}
O then returned this lovely page,
This lovely page then returned he,
And when he came to our gracious king,
Low he fell down on his bended knee.

{Verse 7}

King Henry

'What news, what news, my trusty page?
What is the news you have brought to me?'

Page

'I have brought such news from the King of France
That you and he will never agree.'
{Verse 8}
'He says you 're young and of tender years,
Not fit to come into his degree,
And he will send you three tennis-balls,
That with them you may learn to play.'

{Verse 9}

King Henry

'Recruit me Cheshire and Lancashire,
And Derby Hills that are so free;
No marryd man nor no widow's son;
For no widow's curse shall go with me.'

{Verse 10}

[Narrator]

They recruited Cheshire and Lancashire,
And Derby Hills that are so free;
No marryd man nor no widow's son;
Yet there was a jovial bold company.
{Verse 11}
O then we marched through into the French land,
With drums and trumpets so merrily;
And then bespoke the king of France,
'Lo, yonder comes proud King Henry.'

{Verse 12}

[Narrator]

The first shot that the Frenchmen gave,
They killed our Englishmen so free;
We killed ten thousand of the French,
And the rest of them they ran away.
{Verse 13}
And then we marched to Paris gates,
With drums and trumpets so merrily:
O then bespoke the King of France,
'The Lord have mercy on my men and me!'

{Verse 14}

King of France

'O I will send him his tribute home,
Ten ton of gold that is due to he,
And the finest flower that is in all France
To the Rose of England I will give free.'

Notes:

Included in the play from Truro, Cornwall (formerly assigned to Mylor).
Child Ballad No.164 - F.J.Child (1889) pp.320-326

File History:

1995-07-01 - Scanned & OCRed by Peter Millington
1998-05-09 - Roughly encoded by Peter Millington
2002-05-28 - Notes amended by Peter Millington
2021-01-15 - TEI-encoded by Peter Millington

Extras:

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