Finally, Whitney tells the story of Hero, a woman
who, unlike the other women cited in the poem, mea-
sured her man before she trusted him. Though she
knew Leander loved her, Hero tested him by making
him swim across the sea to her each night. In this way,
he proved himself trustworthy. He also eventually
drowned. Hero mourned him, but in spite of this tragic
ending, Whitney suggests that it is better to “try before
ye trust” (l. 87). There are few men like Leander, she
claims, and she cautions women to be like a fi sh that
carefully tests food in case it conceals a hook. By citing
examples from Ovid’s poems, Whitney provides the
young women who are her audience with the same
sort of information that men were given by Ovid.
While men were taught how to seduce women, Whit-
ney instructs women how to avoid deceitful men.
See also HERO AND LEANDER.
FURTHER READING
Bell, Ilona. “Women in the Lyric Dialogue of Courtship:
Whitney’s Admonition to al yong Gentilwomen and Donne’s
‘The Legacie.’ ” In Representing Women in Renaissance Eng-
land, edited by Claude J. Summers and Ted-Larry Peb-
worth, 76–92. Columbia: University of Missouri Press,
1997.
Donna C. Woodford
“AGI NCOU RT C A RO L , T H E” ANONYMOUS
(1415) “The Agincourt Carol,” written after Henry
V’s triumphal return from France, celebrates the king’s
victories at Harfl eur and Agincourt during the HUN-
DRED YEARS’ WAR. The events are altered from historical
truth so that the triumphal aspects of the campaign
may recount the king’s rightful claim to French lands.
The BURDEN, “Deo gracias anglia / redde pro victo-
ria,” (Give thanks to God, England, for victory) occurs
twice, once at the beginning and then after stanza 1,
where it is labeled Chorus. The burden, having the
quality of a doxology, is recalled at the end of each
stanza with the words Deo gracias, a phrase that simu-
lataneously recalls two events: the actual battle and the
welcoming ceremonies upon Henry’s return, where the
words Deo gracias were placed on a victory banner.
Critical attention has focused on the religious aspects
of this CAROL. For instance, the repetition of the phrase
Yahweh of Hosts is his name is part of the hymnic struc-
ture of judgment, reminiscent of a pledge to God. The
same emphasis can be seen in the CAROL’s REFRAIN,
where England, as a nation, is being called on to affi rm
God’s power and chosen minister, and to give God
credit for the victory, which is reinforced with the verb
redde (return). The doxology, the controlling structure
of the poem, contrasts with the nationalistic impulses
observable in the words of warlike savagery, strength,
and compassionate justice.
The Carol’s STANZAs recall the 1415 campaign itself.
Stanza 1 provides a general introduction; stanza 2,
the siege at Harfl eur; stanzas 3 and 4, the battle of
Agincourt; stanza 5, the return to London; and stanza
6, generalized thanksgiving for victory. Stanza 3 in
the Bodleian Library’s manuscript is placed after
stanza 6, thus emphasizing the defeat of the French at
Agincourt. Placing the elimination of French pride at
Agincourt as the last words to be sung or heard would
have particular memorial appeal as it would linger in
the minds of all as the most signifi cant aspect of the
campaign.
The fi rst stanza serves as an introduction and sum-
mation of the 1415 campaign. Normandy was particu-
larly important to Henry V (reigned 1413–22). Since
the time of William the Conqueror, Normandy had
been regarded as an important link to the Norman
control of England, and now, with the balance of
power reversed, it was England that was claiming the
right to Norman soil. The carol writer is particularly
keen to portray Henry’s campaign as being one of CHIV-
ALRY and righteousness (l. 2); the king’s position was
moderate, and accounts show that he was particularly
concerned with reining in the potentially abusive activ-
ities of his soldiers.
With the second stanza, the carol recounts the expe-
rience at Harfl eur, especially the siege. Harfl eur was
important because of its location at the mouth of the
Seine River, making it a key point of entry in Henry’s
original plan of attack on Paris. In celebrating the vic-
tory, no mention is made of the heavy losses that
altered Henry’s campaign strategy; instead, the strength
of the attack became the focus of the recounting of the
event, and its recording both in CHRONICLE and in song
is raised to the legendary.“AGI NCOU RT C A ROL , T H E” 3