This ballad was especially interesting to me. Upon first reading, I was already fascinated with it due to the double rhyming scheme. Every line rhymes with every other line, with some minor exceptions, which may be due to different ways of pronunciations. This creates such an exciting read, especially out loud, and it allows the ballad to flow more in a songesque way, which makes sense, seeing as Askew sang this while in captivity. As I did more research on Anne Askew and the conditions of her imprisonment, the words held far more profound meaning. While I encourage others to look up the history for themselves, the general sense of it was that Anne Askew was a devout Protestant who married a devout Catholic. Her husband later kicked her out, and she traveled to London, where she continued to preach Protestantism. Her husband later had her arrested, from which she was held in the Tower of London and tortured. She was repeatedly asked who else followed the Protestant ways and tried to convert her, but she did not give up any names nor switch her ideology. She was eventually burned at the stake, though she stuck to her beliefs even as she was chained. Certain lines ring strong in the ballad, acknowledging her dedication to her beliefs. For instance, in line 4, “and faith shall be my shield,” which displays both determination and irony, as faith is also the sword of her captors for which she is being slain. Line 2, “appointed to the field,” invokes a sense of purpose, as if she was placed on this earth to preach Protestantism, and she intends to do that. Also, passage 7…

“More enemies now I have
Than hairs upon my head
Let them not me deprave,
But fight thou in my stead.”

…is also interesting, as while her enemies were numerous, that being the crown and Catholics, I also think this applies to men. On the Wikipedia page, it was said that both her husband and brothers were against her expressing her religious beliefs. In this sense, men have oppressed her; they are also her enemies. I also like how she acknowledges that history may vilify her, though she believes that the truth will come out and those followers will fight her enemies in place of her. This also cements her determination and dedication to the cause, as it is implied that Askew knows about her impending death.