The Honour of Bristol:
Shewing how the Angel Gabriel of Bristol Fought
with three Spanish Ships, who boarded us seven times, wherein we cleared our Decks , and killed five hundred of their men, and wounded many more, and made them flye into Cales, where we lost but three men, to the Honour of the Angel Gabriel of Bristol. To the Tune of, Our Noble King in his Progress.
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ATtend you and give ear a while,
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and you shall understand;
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Of a Battel fought upon the Seas,
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by a Ship of brave command:
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The fight it was so famous
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that all mens heart doth fill,
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And makes them cry to Sea
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with the Angel Gabriel.
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The lusty Ship of Bristol
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saild out adventurously:
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Against the foes of England,
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their strength with them to try:
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Well Victuald, Rigd, and Mand,
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and good provision still,
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Which makes men cry to Sea,
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with the Angel Gabriel.
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The Captain famous Netheway,
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so was he cald by Name:
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The Masters name John Mines,
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a man of noted fame:
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The Ganner Thomas Watson
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a man of perfect skill:
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With other valiant Hearts
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in the Angel Gabriel.
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They waving up and down the Seas,
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upon the Ocean Main;
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It is not long ago (quoth they)
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since England fought with Spain:
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Would we with them might meet,
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our minds for to fulfil:
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We would play a noble bout,
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with our Angel Gabriel.
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THey had no sooner spoken,
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but straight appeard in sight,
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Three lusty Spanish Vessels
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of warlike force and might:
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With bloody Resolution,
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they sought our men to spill:
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And vowd to make a prize
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of our Angel Gabriel.
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Then first came up their Admiral,
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themselves for to advance;
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In her she bore full forty eight
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pieces of Ordinance:
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The next that then came near us,
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was their Vice-Admiral,
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Which shot most furiously
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at our Angel Gabriel.
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Our gallant Ship had in her,
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full forty fighting men:
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With twenty pieces of Ordinance,
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we playd about them then:
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And with Powder, Shot, and Bullets,
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we did imploy them still:
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And thus began the fight
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with our Angel Gabriel.
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Our Captain to our Master said,
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take courage Master bold:
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The Master to the Seaman said,
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stand fast my hearts of gold:
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The Gunner unto all the rest,
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brave hearts be valiant still:
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Let us fight in the Defence
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of our Angel Gabriel.
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Then we gave them a Broad-side,
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which shot their Mast assunder:
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And tore the Bowspret of their Ship,
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which made the Spaniards wonder.
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And caused them for to cry
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with voices loud and shrill:
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Help, help, or else we sink,
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by the Angel Gabriel.
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Yet desperately they boarded us,
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for all our valiant Shot:
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Threescore of their best fighting men,
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upon our Decks were got.
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And then at their first entrance,
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full thirty we did kill:
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And thus we cleared the Decks,
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of the Angel Gabriel.
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With that their three ships boarded us
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again with might and main:
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But still our noble Englishmen,
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cryd out a fig for Spain:
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Though seven times they boarded us,
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at last we shewd our skill:
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And made them feel the force
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of the Angel Gabriel.
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Seven hours that fight continued,
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and many brave men lay dead,
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With purple gore, and Spanish blood,
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the Sea was coloured Red:
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Five hundred of their men,
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we there out-right did kill:
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And many more were maimd
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by the Angel Gabriel.
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They seeing of these bloody spoils,
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the rest made hast away,
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For why? they saw it was no boot,
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longer for to stay:
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Then they fled into Cales,
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and there they must lye still,
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For they never more will serve
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to meet our Gabriel.
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We had within our English Ship,
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but only three men slain:
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And five men hurt, the which I hope,
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will soon be well again:
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At Bristol we were landed,
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and let us praise God still,
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That thus hath blest our men,
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and our Angel Gabriel.
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Now let me not forget to speak,
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of the gift given by the owner
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Of the Angel Gabriel,
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that many years have known her:
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Two hundred pounds in coyn & plate,
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he gave with free good will,
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Unto them that bravely fought,
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in the Angel Gabriel.
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