O'er all that gallant Citizen was fam'd
For virtuous hardihood praeminent
Blanchard. He, gathering his compatriots round,
With his own courage kindling every breast,610
Had bade them vow before Almighty God
Never to yield them to the usurping foe[1]
While yet their arms could lift the spear; while yet
Life was to think of every pledge that man
Most values. To the God of Hosts we vow'd;615
And we had baffled the besieging power,
But our cold-hearted Foeman drew around
His strong entrenchments. From the watch-tower's top
In vain with fearful hearts along the Seine
We strain'd the eye, and every distant wave620
That in the sun-beam glitter'd, fondly thought
- ↑ Line 612 The Frenchmen indeed preferring fame before worldlie riches, and despising pleasure (the enemy to warlike prowesse) sware ech to other never to render or deliver the citie, while they might either hold sword in hand or speare in rest. Holinshed. 566.
capteins and manfull soldiers, and as for people, they had more than inough: for as it is written by some that had good cause to know the truth, and no occasion to erre from the same, there were in the citie at the time of the siege 210,000 persons. Dailie were issues made out of the citie at diverse gates, sometime to the losse of the one partie and sometimes of the other, as chances of warre in such adventures happen. Holinshed. 566.
