Come, all ye valiant soldiers
That march to follow the drum,
Let us go meet with Captain Ward
When on the sea he come.
He is as big a rover
As ever you did hear,
Yeou hain't h'ard of such a rover
For many a hundred year.
There was three ships come sailing
From the Indies to the West,
Well loaded with silks and satins
And welwets of the best.
Who should they meet but Captain Ward,
It being a bad meeting,
He robbed them of all their wealth,
Bid them go tell the King.
["Go ye home, go ye home," says Captain Ward,
"And tell your King from me,
If he reign King of the countrie,
I will be King at Sea."]
Away went these three gallant ships,
Sailing down of the main,
Telling to the King the news
That Ward at sea would reign.
The King he did prepare a ship,
A ship of gallant fame,
She's called the gallant Rainbow--
Din't yeou niver hear her name?
She was as well purwided
As e'er a ship could be,
She had three hundred men on board
To bear her company.
Oh then the gallant Rainbow
Sailed where the rover laid;
"Where is the captain of your ship?"
The gallant Rainbow said.
"Here am I," says Captain Ward,
"My name I never deny;
But if you be the King's good ship,
You're welcome to pass by."
"Yes, I am one of the King's good ships,
That I am to your great grief,
Whilst here I understand you lay
Playing the rogue and thief."
"Oh! here am I," says Captain Ward;
"I value you not one pin;
If you are bright brass without,
I am true steel within."
At four o'clock o' the morning
They did begin to fight,
And so they did continue
Till nine or ten at night.
[Says Captain Ward unto his men,
"My boys, what shall we do?
We have not got one shot on board,
We shall get overthrow.]
"Fight you on, fight you on," says Captain Ward,
"Your sport will pleasure be,
And if you fight for a month or more
Your master I will be."
Oh! then the gallant Rainbow
Went raging down of the main,
Saying, "There lay proud Ward at sea,
And there he must remain."
"Captain Wake and Captain Drake,
And good Lord Henerie,
If I had one of them alive,
They'd bring proud Ward to me."
Appended was this editorial note: "The date of Captain Ward is
approximately established by Andrew Barker's 'Report of the two famous
Pirates, Captain Ward and Danseker' (Lond. 1609, 4to), and by Richard
Daburn's 'A Christian turn'd Turke, or the tragical Lives and Deaths of
the two famous Pyrates, Ward and Dansiker. As it hath beene publickly
acted' (Lond. 1612, 4to).