Upon the Great Ship

Old Paul's steeple, fare thee well,
Thy famous building He not tell,
Of that thy lofty little bell
Shall ring.
But I am in another vaine,
Now you shall heare a merry straine,
It is of Royal Soveraigne
I sing.

I meane the ship so lately built,
Without, within soe richly gilt;
O never man saw rapier hilt
Soe shine.
I think there's none since Noah's Flood
Was ever like to prove soe good ;
You never saw thing made of wood
Soe fine.

Edgar sitts horse, in glorious wise
As glorious artists could devise,
And under seven kings prostrate lyes.
I'me told
His horse with mettle soe abounds
That he shall shortly scowre the Downes,
And winne, He hold, a hundred pounds
Of gold.

To tell you of her bredth, her length,
Her height, her depth, her bulk, her strength,
Her anchor's weight too, and the length
Oth' cable,
Her guns, her tackle and the rest
Qua nunc proscribere longum est,
It might be counted for a ieast
Or fable ;

For there be very few will guesse
Her half a mile or little lesse,
Her lanthorne to feast forty messe
Unbidd,
Her mast for to be thrice as high
As Grantham steeple. If I lye
Ask them that saw her, pray, for I
Nere did.

To see how lasses flock each day,
And leave their maydenheads by th' way,
I doubt that some will shortly pay
Dearely ;
And most men wives will alsoe goe
[To 't] whe'r their hussbands will or noe
To meet a freind, I don't say soe,
Not I.

There's many more will see this sight;
Some call their wives, and they doe right,
But some with others to delight
Are bent.
Thus good and bad and midling some,
To see this ship, to Woolwich come,
This wonder of all Christendome
And Kent.

Kent was never conquered yet,
Kent was thought a place most fitt
To build this goodly arke in it,
Soe stronge.
Kent and men of Kent have showne
By sea, by land, that of their owne
Which other countries have not knowne
Soe long.

Yet a word or two in merriment
To cheer up some were discontent,
And thought theire mony had bin lent
In vaine;
But now the truth they plainely see,
They all in one consent agree
To double it if need shalbe
Againe.

She will be Neptune's greatest grace;
She vows our chiefest foes to chase,
And Triton with triforked mace
Doth sweare
Noe Remora there shall her stay,
Leviathan must give her way,
And all the divills that this day
Dwell there.

The syrens sitt and sweetly sing,
And hold it for a happy thing
That now they shall enioy the King
Oth' mayne,
And say it's a most Christian worke
To curb the Pope and scourge the Turke,
And ferret those that theeving lurke
Neer Spaine.

Our freinds are glad and mirth doe make,
Our foes are sad, their hearts doe quake,
Soe some doe laugh, and some doe shake
For woe,
And I amongst the rest make sport,
Singing to you in civill sort,
And if you have not thank'd me for't
Then doe.

God blesse King Charles with length of daies,
That doth deserve immortal praise,
In this and many thousand waies
Our guide.
God blesse the Queen and ship so tall,
God blesse the great, God blesse the small,
The blade that made this song and all
Beside.