THE FIRST FIT.
The Perse out of Northumberland,
And a vow to God made he,
That he would hunt in the mountains
Of Cheviot within days three,
In the magger of doughtè Douglas,
And all that ever with him be.
The fattest harts in all Cheviot
He said he would kill, and carry them away:
"By my faith," said the doughty Douglas again,
"I will let that hunting if that I may."
Then the Perse out of Banborowe came,
With him a mighty meany;
With fifteen hundrith archers bold of blood and bone,
They were chosen out of shires three.
This began on a Monday at morn,
In Cheviot the hillys so he;
The child may rue that is un-born,
It was the more pity.
in the magger, in the maugre—i.e. in spite of. let, hinder. meany, company. so he, so high.
Then the wyld thorow the woodès went,
On every sydë shear;
Greyhounds thorow the grevis glent,
For to kill their deer.
Thus began in Cheviot the hills abone,
Early on a Monnyn day;
By that it drew to the hour of noon,
A hundrith fat harts dead there lay.
They blew a mort upon the bent,
They sembled on sydës shear;
byckarte, hurried, bent, plain. wyld,deer. shear, at once. grevis, groves, glent, glanced, sembled shear, assembled together. blew a mort, sounded a horn for the dead.
The drivers thorow the woodès went,
For to raise the deer;
Bowmen byckarte upon the bent
With their broad arrows clear.
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To the quarry then the Perse went,
To see the brittling of the deer.
He said, "It was the Douglas promise
This day to meet me here;
But I wist he would fail, verament:"
A great oath the Perse swear.
At the last a squire of Northumberland
Looked at his hand full nigh;
He was ware o* the doughty Douglas coming,
With him a mighty meany;
Both with spear, bille, and brand;
It was a mighty sight to see;
Hardier men, both of heart nor hand,
Were not in Christiantè.
There were twenty hundrith spear-men good,
Withowtè any fail;
They were born along by the water o' Twyde,
Ith' bounds of Tividale.
"Leave of the brittling of the deer," he said,
"And to your bows look ye take good heed;
For never sith ye were on your mothers born
Had ye never so mickle need."
brittling, cutting up. ware, aware. meany, company. bille, battle-axe. sith, since.
The doughty Douglas on a steed
He rode all his men beforne;
His armour glittered as did a glede;
A bolder bairn was never born.
"Tell me whose men ye are," he says,
"Or whose men that ye be:
Who gave you leave to hunt in this Cheviot chase,
In the spite of mine and me?"
The first man that ever him an answer made,
It was the good lord Perse:
"We will not tell thee whose men we are," he says,
"Nor whose men that we be;
But we will hunt here in this chase,
In the spite of thine and of thee.
"The fattest harts in all Cheviot
We have killed, and cast to carry them a-way:"
"Be my troth," said the doughty Douglas again,
"Therefore the one of us shall die this day."
Then said the doughty Douglas
Unto the lord Perse:
"To kill all these guiltless men,
Alas, it were great pity!
glede, burning gold. cast, intend.
"But, Perse, thou art a lord of land,
I am an Earl called within my contre -,
Let all our men upon a party stand,
And do the battle of thee and of me."
"Now Cristes corpse on his crown," said the lord Perse,
"Whosoever there-to says nay;
By my troth, doughty Douglas," he says,
"Thou shalt never see that day.
"Neither in England, Scotland, nor France,
Nor for no man of a woman born,
But, and fortune be my chance,
I dare meet him, one man for one."
Then bespake a squire of Northumberland,
Richard Wytharyngton was him name;
"It shall never be told in South-England," he says,
"To king Harry the fourth for shame.
"I wot you bin great lordes twa,
I am a poor squire of land;
I will never see my captain fight on a field,
And stand myself, and lookè on,
But while I may my weapon wield,
I will not [fail] both heart and hand."
That day, that day, that dreadfull day!
The first fit here I find;
And you will hear any more a' the hunting a' the Cheviot,
Yet is there more behind.
The English men had their bows yebent,
Their hearts were good enough;
The first of arrows that they shot off,
Seven score spear-men they slough.
Yet bides the Earl Douglas upon the bent,
A captain good enough,
And that was seenè verament,
For he wrought home both woe and wouche.
The Douglas parted his host in three,
Like a cheffe chieftan of pride,
With sure spears of mighty tree,
They come in on every side:
Through our English archery
Gave many a wound full wide;
Many a doughty they gard to die,
Which gained them no pride.
find, end. And, if. slough, slew. wouche, injury. tree, wood. gard, made.