THE ENGLISH POLICY 



Should bene our subjects unto the King, 

 And hee bee Lord thereof for eny thing : 

 For great worship and for profite also 

 To defend his land fro every foo. 

 That worthy king I leve, Edgar by name, 

 And all the Chronike of his worthy fame : 

 Saffe onely this I may not passe away, 

 A worde of mighty strength till that I say, 

 That graunted him God such worship here, 

 For his merites, hee was without pere, 

 That sometime at his great festivitee 

 Kings, and Erles of many a countree, 

 And princes fele were there present, 

 And many Lords came thider by assent, 

 To his worship : but in a certaine day 

 Hee bad shippes to bee redie of aray : 

 For to visit Saint Johns Church hee list 

 Rowing unto the good holie Baptist, 

 Hee assigned to Erles, Lords, and knights 

 Many ships right goodly to sights : 

 And for himselfe and eight kings moo 

 Subject to him hee made kepe one of thoo, 

 A good shippe, and entrede into it 

 With eight kings, and downe did they sit; 

 And eche of them an ore tooke in hand, 

 At ore hales, as I understand, 

 And he himselfe at the shippe behinde 

 As steris man it became of kinde. 

 Such another rowing 1 dare well say, 

 Was not seene of Princes many a day. 

 Lo than how hee in waters got the price, 

 In lande, in see, that I may not suffice 

 To tell, O right, O magnanimitee, 

 That king Edgar had upon the see. 



A.D. 



c 1437- 



Dicit Chro- 

 nica &c. ut 

 non minus 

 quantam ei 

 etiam in hac 

 vita bonorum 

 operum merce- 

 dem dona- 

 vtrit : cum 

 aliquando ad 

 maximam ejus 

 festivitatem, 

 regesy comites, 

 multarumque 

 provinciarum 

 protectores 

 convenissent y 



141 



[An 



