...Twenty thousand maidens upon destrers,[London: Early English Text Society, 1952]
That conne on felde wel shake a spere
And stronge kniyttes out of her sadles...
Armure to bere, and barrys like a sworde,[Knythode and Bataile: A XVth Century Verse Paraphrase of Flavius Vegetius Renatus' Treatise "De Re Militari" (London: Early English Text Society, 1935), p.44.]
To bere on with the foyn, and not to shere,
And smyte thorgh a plank other a boorde,
And myghtily to shake and caste a spere,
And loke grym, a Ml. men to fere,
And course a myghti hors with spere & shelde,
And daily so ho is flour of the feelde.
(part 3, stanza 32)
Queint) strange Bellona; the goddesse of battaile, that is Pallas, which may therefore wel be called queint for that (as Lucian saith) when Iupiter her father was in traueile of her, he caused his sonne Vulcane with his axe to hew his head. Out of which leaped forth lustely a valian damsell armed at all poyntes, whom seeing Vulcane so faire & comely, lightly leaping to her, proferred her some cortesie, which the Lady disdeigning, shaked her speare at him, and threatned his saucinesse.Therefore such strauungenesse is well applyed to her.
(sig. L3v) [The Shepheardes Calender (1579; facsimile rpt. by Scholar's Facsimiles & Reprints (Delmar NY, 1979.)
Thou god, thy custome is, to shake triumphant hie thy speares,[The Aeneid of Thomas Phaer and Thomas Twyne: A critical edition introducing Renaissance metrical typography, edited by Steven Lally. (New York: Garland, 1987), pp. 157, 259, 293, 294.]
Thy cheife delite is daunse, thou comely keepest thy holy heares.
(book 7, lines 409-10)On totherside Messapus sharpe, and Latines fierce to fight,
And Coras with his brother, and Camillas winge so bright
Standforth against them in the field, and launces fast do make
Within their restes, & pointes of trembling speares fast charged shake,
Their foes abode, and noise of steedes them sore on fier do set.
(book 11, lines 625-29)Aeneas forcing forth a mighty speare in hand doth shake
Of sturdy timber framde, and with great courage thus he spake.
(book 12, lines 952-953)Whilst thus he doubtes, Aeneas forth his speare doth shake in sight,
And vauntadge watcheth with his eie, and strait with all his might,
Afar he flings it forth.
(book 12, lines 986-988)
How valiauntly the warlike race of mightie Brute did beare,[In The valiant actes And victorious Battailes of the English nation. (London: Robert Walde-grave, 1585)]
Themselves in blouddy campes of Mars, how they the trembling speare
With courage shooke, and troupes of foes by force in fight did foyle,
Full fiften hundred yeares agoe, when Caesar first this soyle
With Romish army did assault.
(sig. A1r)...The quivering speare to shake,
At Tilt, and Torney eke, th'appoint for foure and xx dayes,
Which number just of Britaine Peers, as challengers forthwayes
To externe nations Legats send, such tydings for to blase.
(sig.D2r)
Five hundred thousand footmen threat'ning shot,[In Doctor Faustus and Other Plays, edited by David Bevington and Eric Rasmussen. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995), p. 43.]
Shaking their swords, their spears, and iron bills,
Environing their standard round, that stood
As bristle-pointed as a thorny wood.
(4.1.24-27)
Yet gold all is not, that doth golden seeme,[The Faerie Queene, edited by Thomas P. Roche, Jr. (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978)]
Ne all good knights, that shake well speare and shield:
(2.8.14.5-6)Great shame and sorrow of that fall he tooke;
For never yet, sith warlike armes he bore,
And shiuering speare in bloudie field first shooke,
He found himself dishonored so sore.
(3.1.7.1-4)Large were his limbes, and terrible his looke,
And in his clownish hand a sharp bore speare he shooke.
(3.1.17.8-9)
Thus long (I say) sat Sydney and beheld[In The Life and Minor Works of George Peele, edited by David H. Horne. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1952), p. 240.]
The shivers flie of many a shaken speare,
When mounted on a Courser trapt in white,
And thoroughly wel appointed he and his;
Pure sparkes of Vertue kindling Honors fire,
He thought he might, and for he might, he would
Reach at this glorie, faire befall him still:
(lines 227-30)
Now brave John Balliol Lord of Gallaway,[Malone Society Reprints, 1911]
And king of Scots shine with thy goulden head,
Shake thy speres in honour of his name,
Under whose roialtie thou wearst the same.
(lines 759-62)
When Mars return'd from warre,[Partenophil and Parthenophe: A Critical Edition, edited by Victor A. Doyno. (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1971), p. 112]
Shaking his speare a farre
Cupid beheld:
At him in iest Mars shak'd his speare,
Which Cupid with his darte did barre
Which millions quelled:
Then Mars desierd his darte to beare,
But soone the waight his force did marre.
(Ode 15, lines 9-16)
With that they gan their shiuering speares to shake,[The Second Part of the Faerie Queene (London: William Ponsonby, 1596; facsimile reprint by Scholar Press, 1976), pp. 25, 40]
And deadly points at eithers breast to bend,
Forgetfull each to haue bene euer others frend.
(4.2.14.7-9)Where fast infixed, whilest he fought by flight
It forth to wrest, the staffe a sunder brake,
And left the head behind: with which despight
He all enrag'd, his shiuering speare did shake,
And charging him afresh thus felly him bespake.
(4.3.10.5-9)
Anselmo della Ripa, countie vile,[Orlando Inamorato: Done into English Heroical Verse by R.T., Gentleman (London: Valentine Simms, 1598)]
Thinkes (in him selfe) revengement for to take,
For his friends shame, by some deceitfull guile,
Which was assoone as Astolf forth did make,
To anyone (on sudden) he the while
Unawares would set on him: Rinard doth shake
His speare first gainst him, Anselm comes behind,
And Astolff on his feet to set doth minde.
(sig.G3r)
What strength resist? What sleight her wrath can shonne?[Godfrey of Bulloigne, or the Recoverie of Jerusalem, done into English Heroicall Verse, by Edward Fairefax, Gent.. (London: I. Jaggard and M. Lownes, 1600), pp. 34, 41, 83]
Goe shake thy speare, and draw thy flaming blade,
And trie if hunger so be weaker made.
(book 2, stanza 74, lines 6-8)The tender children, and the fathers old,
The aged matrons, and the virgin chast,
That durst not shake the speare, nor target hold,
Themselves devoutly in their temples plast,
The rest, of members strong and courage bold;
On hardie brestes their harness dond in haste,
Some to the walles, some to the gates them dight,
The king mean-while directs them all aright.
(book 3, stanza 11)These hands were made to shake sharp speares & swords,
Not to be tide in gives and twisted cords.
(book 5, stanza 42)
And have they een taen him Kinmont Willie,[In The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, edited by Francis James Child. (New York: Dover, 1965), vol. III, p.473.]
Withouten either dread or fear,
And forgotten that the bauld Bacleuch
Can back a steed, or shake a spear?
(stanza 12)
And shaking in his hand an Oaken Speare[Troia Britanica: or, Great Britaines Troy, p. 122]
Headed with Brasse: he thus bold Perseus greets:
Behold, th'avenger of my nuptial Pheere,
Whom thou wouldst force: The Pallace Courts & streets
Glister in armes, and canst thou hope to beare
Andromeda from hence, him Cepheus meets,
And as he was about his Speare to cast
At warlike Perseus, Thus replyes at last.
(canto 6, stanza 32)
No human power can their force withstand;[In Humours heav'n on earth. (London: A. Islip, 1609)]
They laugh to scorn the shaking of the Speare:
Come Cressida my Cresset light,[Histrio-mastix, or the Player Whip't. (London: Thomas Thorp, 1610; facsimile reprint by Tudor Facsimile Texts, 1912)]
Thy face doth shine both day and night,
Behold, behold, thy garter blue,
Thy knight his valiant elboe weares,
That When he shakes his furious Speare,
The foe in shivering fearefull sort,
May lay him down in death to snort.
(sig.C4r)
She ended, and the heav'nly Hierarchies,[In Giles and Phineas Fletcher: Poetical Works, edited by Frederick S. Boas. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1908), pp. 28, 51]
Burning in zeale, thickly imbranded weare:
Like to an armie, that allarum cries,
And every one shakes his ydraded speare,
And the Almighties selfe, ans he would teare
The earth, and her firme basis quite in sunder,
Flam'd all in just revenge, and mightie thunder,
Heav'n stole it selfe from earth by clouds that moisterd under.
("Christs Victorie in Heaven", stanza 40)What should I here depeint her lillie hand,
Her veines of violets, her ermine brest,
Which thear in orient colours living stand,
Or how her gowne with silken leaves is drest;
Or how her watchmen, arm'd with boughie crest,
A wall of prim hid in his bushes bears,
Shaking at every winde their leavie spears,
While she supinely sleeps, ne to be waked fears?
("Christs Victorie on Earth", stanza 44)
Darts daunt Him not, more then they Stubble were:[In Du Bartas His Divine Weekes and Workes. (London: Humphrey Lownes, 1621), p. 948]
He laugheth at the shaking of a Speare:
Sharp ragged Stones, Keen-poynted Sherds and Shels,
He resteth on, amid his muddy Cels.
(book 4)
Cast off these loose vailes and thy armour take,[Publii. Ovidii Nasonis De Arte Amandi: or, The Art of Love (c. 1625), p 29]
And in thy hand the speare of Pelias shake.
The youths each others bloods With high-rais'd shoots inflame: who keepe their stands:[Ovid's Metamorphosis Englished, Mythologized, and Represented in Figures. (Oxford: John Lichfield, 1632), p. 273]
And shake their broad-tipt speares with threatening hands.
(book 8)
...the close-rankt Pikes advance[In The Two Famous Pitcht Battels of Lypsich, and Lutzen. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1634)]
With steadie arm, and fearlesse countenance,
Shaking their pointed spears,...