15. ‘Horsley,’ says he, ‘I must sail to the sea, To seek out an enemy; God be my speed! Before all others I have chosen thee; Of a hundred bowmen thou’st be my head.’
16. ‘My lord,’ says he, ‘if you have chosen me Of a hundred bowmen to be the head, Hang me at your main-mast tree If I miss my mark past twelve pence bread.’
17. With pikes, and guns, and bowmen bold, This noble Howard is gone to the sea On the day before mid-summer even, And out at Thames’ mouth sailed they.
18. They had not sailed days three Upon their journey they took in hand, But there they met with a noble ship, And stoutly made it both stay and stand.
19. ‘Thou must tell me thy name,’ says Charles, my lord Howard, ‘Or who thou art, or from whence thou came, Yea, and where thy dwelling is, To whom and where thy ship does belong.’
20. ‘My name,’ says he, ‘is Harry Hunt, With a pure heart and a penitent mind; I and my ship they do belong Unto the New-castle that stands upon Tyne.’
21. ‘Now thou must tell me, Harry Hunt, As thou hast sailed by day and by night, Hast thou not heard of a stout robber? Men call him Sir Andrew Barton, knight.’
22. But ever he sighed and said, ‘Alas! Full well, my lord, I know that wight; He robbed me of my merchant’s-ware, And I was his prisoner but yesternight.
23. ‘As I was sailing upon the sea, And Bordeaux voyage as I did fare, He clasped me to his arch-board, And robbed me of all my merchant’s-ware.
24. ‘And I am a man both poor and bare, And every man will have his own of me, And I am bound towards London to fare, To complain to my prince Henry.’
25. ‘That shall not need,’ says my lord Howard; ‘If thou canst let me this robber see, For every penny he hath taken thee fro, Thou shalt be rewarded a shilling,’ quoth he.
26. ‘Now God forfend,’ says Henry Hunt, ‘My lord, you should work so far amiss: God keep you out of that traitor’s hands! For you wot full little what a man he is.
27. ‘He is brass within, and steel without, And beams he bears in his top-castle strong; His ship hath ordnance clean round about; Besides, my lord, he is very well manned.
28. ‘He hath a pinnace is dearly dight, Saint Andrew’s cross, that is his guide; His pinnace bears nine score men and more, Besides fifteen cannons on every side.