An Excellent Song on the Winning of Cales by the English
(Tune of, Dub a Dub; or, the Seaman’s Tantara rara.)
Long the proud Spaniards had vanted to conquer us,
Threatening our country with fire and sword;
Often preparing their navy most sumptuous,
With all the provision that Spain could afford.
Dub-a-dub, dub-a-dub, thus strike their drums;
Tan-ta-ra, ta-ra-ra, the Englishmen comes!
To the seas presently went our Lord Admirall,
With knights couragyous, and captaines full good;
The Earl of Essex, a prosperous Generall,
With him prepared to passe the salt floode.
Dub-a-dub, etc.
At Plymouth speedily took they shipp valiantly,
Braver shippes never were seen under sayle;
With their fayre colours spread, and streamers o’re their head
Now, bragging Spanyards, take heed of your tayle.
Dub-a-dub, etc.
Unto Cales, cunningly, came we most speedylye,
Where the King’s navy did secretelye ride,
Being upon their backe, piercing their butts of Sacke,
Ere that the Spanyards our coming descry’d.
Tan-ta-ra, ta-ra-ra, the Englishmen comes;
Bounce-a-bounce, bounce-a-bounce, off went the guns.
Great was the crying, running and ryding,
Which at that season was made in that place;
The Beacons were fyred, as need then required,
To hyde their great treasure they had little space.
‘Alas!’ they cryed, ‘Englishmen comes,’ etc.
There you might see the shipps, how they were fired fast,
And how the men drowned them selves in the sea:
There you may hear them cry, wail and weep piteously,
When as they saw no shift to escape thence away.
Dub-a-dub, etc.
The great Saint Philip, the pryde of the Spanyards,
Was burnt to the bottom, and sunke in the sea;
But the Saint Andrew, and eke the Saint Matthew
We took in fight manfully, and brought them away.
Dub-a-dub, etc.
The Earl of Essex, most valyant and hardy,
With horse-men and foot-men march’d towards the towne
The enemies which saw them, full greatly affrighted,
Did fly for their safe-guard, and durst not come downe.
Dub-a-dub, etc.
‘Now,’ quoth the noble Earl, ‘courage, my soldiers all!
Fight and be valiant, the spoyl you shall have;
And [be] well rewarded all, from the great to the small;
But looke that the women and children you save!’
Dub-a-dub, etc.
The Spaniards, at that sight, saw ’twas in vain to fight,
Hung up their flags of truce, yielding the town;
We march’d in presently, decking the walls on high
With our English colours, which purchas’d renown.
Dub-a-dub, etc.
Ent’ring the houses then, and of the richest men,
For gold and treasure we searched each day;
In some places we did find pye baking in the oven,
Meat at the fire roasting, and folkes fled away.
Dub-a-dub, etc.
Full of rich merchandize every shop we did see,
Damasks, and sattins, and velvets full fair;
Which soldiers measure out by the length of their swords,
Of all commodities each one hath a share.
Dub-a-dub, etc.
Thus Cales was taken, and our brave generall
March’d to the market-place, where he did stand;
There many prisoners of good account were took;
Many craved mercy, and mercy they found.
Dub-a-dub, etc.
When as our brave generall saw they delayed time,
And would not ransom their town, as they said,
With their faire wainscots, their presses and bedsteads,
Their joint-stooles and tables, a fyre we made;
And when the town burned all in a flame,
With tan-ta-ra, tan-ta-ra rara, from thence we came.
(By Thomas Deloney.)