THE ENGLISH POLICY 



Gon and come, as men were wont of old 

 Of Scarborough unto the costes cold. 

 And nowe so fele shippes this yeere there ware, 

 That moch losse for unfreyght they bare : 

 Island might not make hem to bee fraught 

 Unto the Hawys : thus much harme they caught. 

 Then here I ende of the commoditees 

 For which neede is well to kepe the seas : 

 Este and Weste, South and North they bee. 

 And chiefly kepe the sharpe narrow see, 

 Betweene Dover and Caleis : and as thus 

 that foes passe none without good will of us : 

 And they abide our danger in the length, 

 What for our costis and Caleis in our strength. 



An exhortation for the sure keeping of Caleis. 



ANd for the love of God, and of his blisse 

 Cherish yee Caleis better then it is. 

 See well thereto, and heare the grete complaint 

 That true men tellen, that woll no lies paint, 

 And as yee know that writing commeth from thence : 

 Doe not to England for slought so great offence, 

 But that redressed it bee for any thing : 

 Leste a song of sorrow that wee sing. 

 For litle wenith the foole who so might chese 

 What harme it were good Caleis for to lese : 

 What wo it were for all this English ground. 

 Which wel conceived the Emperour Sigismound, 

 That of all joyes made it one of the moste, 

 That Caleis was subject unto English coste. 

 Him thought it was a jewel most of all, 

 And so the same in Latine did it call. 

 And if yee wol more of Caleis heare and knowe, 

 I cast to write within a litle scrowe, 

 Like as I have done before by and by 

 In other parteis of our policie. 

 Loke how hard it was at the first to get; 

 And by my counsell lightly doe not it let. 



i37 



A.D. 



c 1437- 



The old trade 

 of Scarborough 

 to Island and 

 the North. 



[I. 202.] 



The joy of 

 Sigismund the 

 Emperour that 

 Caleis was 

 English. 



