"I tell thee, Jack, thou gav'st the king
So rare a present, that nothing
Could welcomer have been;
A hundred horse! beshrew my heart,
It was a brave heroic part,
The like will scarce be seen.
"For ev'ry horse shall have on's back
A man as valiant as Sir Jack,
Although not half so witty:
Yet I did hear the other day
Two tailors made seven run away
Good faith, the more's the pity."
The uniform adopted by Suckling for his troop consisted of a white doublet, and scarlet coat and breeches, with a scarlet feather in the bonnet. The men were vigorous, well mounted and armed, and these famous 100 horsemen were considered to be the finest sight in his majesty's army. Mr. W. C. Hazlitt points out that the earliest news of them appears to be in a letter of Jan. 29, 1638-9, from the Earl of Northumberland to Lord Conway, in which the writer speaks of Suckling having then engaged himself to raise the troop "within these three days." (Calendar of State Papers (Domestic,) 1638-9, p. 378.) The army was badly commanded, and no greater disgrace attached to Suckling's troop than to the rest.]
Sir John he got him an ambling nag,
To Scotland for to ride-a,
With a hundred horse more, all his own he swore,
To guard him on every side-a.
No Errant-knight ever went to fight 5
With halfe so gay a bravada,
Had you seen but his look, you'ld have sworn on a book,
Hee'ld have conquer'd a whole armada.
The ladies ran all to the windows to see
So gallant and warlike a sight-a, 10
And as he pass'd by, they said with a sigh,
Sir John, why will you go fight-a?
But he, like a cruel knight, spurr'd on;
His heart would not relent-a,
For, till he came there, what had he to fear? 15
Or why should he repent-a?