Excerpt from <title level="a">The Ballad of Bosworth Field Author Anonymous Editor Toby Malone Conversion and Remediation LEMDO Team

Released with LEMDO Classroom 0.3.5

 University of Victoria on the Linked Early Modern Drama Online Platform

Intellectual copyright in this edition is held by the editor, Toby Malone. The critical paratexts, including this Annotation, are licensed under a CC BY-NC_ND 4.0 license, which means that they are freely downloadable without permission under the following conditions: (1) credit must be given to the editor, QME, and LEMDO in any subsequent use of the files and/or data; (2) the content cannot be adapted or repurposed (except for quotations for the purposes of academic review and citation); and (3) commercial uses are not permitted without the knowledge and consent of QME, the editor, and LEMDO. This license allows for pedagogical use of the critical paratexts in the classroom.

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This file has been converted from IML, the SGML markup language of the Internet Shakespeare Editions platform. IML files do not indicate the copy or copytext transcribed. LEMDO acknowledges that we are not the main source of transcription, and that we do not know the witness transcribed in this transcription. As time permits, we will compare this transcription to an open-access digital surrogate and align the transcription that surrogate. If you have worked on ISE and/or may have an idea as to the source of this file, please contact lemdo@uvic.ca.

Prepared by Toby Malone for the Queen’s Men Editions.

 Created file.
Source

This modernized excerpt of The Ballad of Bosworth Field was prepared from Bishop Percy’s Folio Manuscript. Ballads and Romances (Hales and Furnivall 3.233–259). These selected stanzas offer a fuller statement on the references in the commentary notes of the play.

Then they countered together sad and sore; Archers they let sharp arrows flee, They shot guns both fell and far, Bows of yew bended did be, Springalds sped them speedily, Harquebusiers pellets throughly did thring; So many a banner began to swee That was on Richard’s party, their king. Then our archers let their shooting be, With joined weapons were growden full right, Brands rang on basenetts high, Battle-axes fast on helms did light. There died many a doughty knight, There underfoot can they thring; Thus they fought with main and might That was on Henry’s part, our king. Then to king Richard there came a knight, And said, "I hold it time for to flee; For yonder Stanley’s dints they be so wight, Against them no man may dree. "Here is thy horse at thy hand ready, Another day thou may thy worship win, And for to reign with royalty, To wear the crown, and be our king." He said, "Give me my battle-axe to my hand, Set the crown of England on my head so high! For by him that shope both sea and land, King of England this day I will die! "One foot will I never flee Whilst the breath is my breast within!" As he said, so did it be: If he lost his life, if he were king. Then they moved to a mountain on height; With a loud voice they cried: "King Henry!" The crown of gold that was bright, To the Lord Stanley delivered it be. Anon to King Henry delivered it he, The crown that was so delivered to him, And said, "Methink ye are best worthy To wear the crown and be our king."