Transcriber's Notes
Archaic, dialect and inconsistent spellings and hyphenation have been retained as in the original. Minor corrections to format and punctuation together with regularisation of poetry line numbering have been made without comment. Any other changes to the text have been listed at the [end of the book].
Notes with reference to ballad line numbers are presented at the end of each ballad and the presence of a note is indicated by links in the text.
ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH BALLADS.
EDITED BY
FRANCIS JAMES CHILD.
VOLUME VII.
BOSTON:
LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY.
M.DCCC.LX.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by Little, Brown and Company, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE:
STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY
H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME SEVENTH.
BOOK VII.
CONTINUED.
THE BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE.
In the twelfth year of Richard II. (1388,) the Scots assembled an extensive army, with the intention of invading England on a grand scale, in revenge for a previous incursion made by that sovereign. But information having been received that the Northumbrians were gathering in considerable force for a counter-invasion, it was thought prudent not to attempt to carry out the original enterprise. While, therefore, the main body of the army, commanded by the Earl of Fife, the Scottish king's second son, ravaged the western borders of England, a detachment of three or four thousand chosen men, under the Earl of Douglas, penetrated by a swift march into the Bishopric of Durham, and laid waste the country with fire and sword. Returning in triumph from this inroad, Douglas passed insultingly before the gates of Newcastle, where Sir Harry Percy lay in garrison. This fiery warrior, though he could not venture to cope with forces far superior to his own, sallied out to break a lance with his hereditary foe. In a skirmish before the town he lost his spear and pennon, which Douglas swore he would plant as a trophy on the highest tower of his castle, unless it should be that very night retaken by the owner. Hotspur was deterred from
accepting this challenge immediately, by the apprehension that Douglas would be able to effect a union with the main body of the Scottish army before he could be overtaken, but when he learned, the second day, that the Earl was retreating with ostentatious slowness, he hastily got together a company of eight or ten thousand men, and set forth in pursuit.
The English forces, under the command of Hotspur and his brother, Sir Ralph Percy, came up with the Scots at Otterbourne, a small village about thirty miles from Newcastle, on the evening of the 15th of August. Their numbers were more than double the Scots, but they were fatigued with a long march. Percy fell at once on the camp of Douglas, and a desperate action ensued. The victory seemed to be inclining to the English, when the Scottish leader, as the last means of reanimating his followers, rushed on the advancing enemy with heroic daring, and cleared a way with his battle-axe into the middle of their ranks. All but alone and unsupported, Douglas was overpowered by numbers, and sunk beneath three mortal wounds. The Scots, encouraged by the furious charge of their chieftain, and ignorant of his fate, renewed the struggle with vigor. Ralph Percy was made prisoner by the Earl Mareschal, and soon after Hotspur himself by Lord Montgomery. Many other Englishmen of rank had the same fate. After a long fight, maintained with extraordinary bravery on both sides, the English retired and left the Scots masters of the field. (See Sir W. Scott's History of Scotland, i. 225.)
The ballad which follows, printed from the fourth or revised edition of Percy's Reliques (vol. i. p. 21), was derived from a manuscript in the Cotton library
(Cleopatra, c. iv. fol. 64), thought to be written about the middle of the sixteenth century. In the earlier editions, a less perfect copy, from the Harleian collection, had been used. Hume of Godscroft, speaking of the songs made on the battle of Otterbourne, says, "the Scots song made of Otterbourne telleth the time—about Lammas; and also the occasion—to take preys out of England; also the dividing armies betwixt the Earls of Fife and Douglas, and their several journeys, almost as in the authentic history," and proceeds to quote the first stanza of the present ballad. Again, it is said that at Lammas, when the Scotch husbandmen are busy at getting in their hay, the season has been over for a month in most parts of England. From these circumstances, and the occurrence of certain Scottish words, the first part of The Battle of Otterbourne has been regarded as a Scottish composition, retouched by an English hand.
A somewhat mutilated version of this ballad was published in Herd's Scottish Songs. This, though defective, well deserves . Sir Walter Scott inserted in the Minstrelsy another edition made up by him from two copies obtained from the recitation of old persons residing in Ettrick Forest, and it is [here subjoined] to Percy's version.
Genealogical notices of the personages mentioned in this and the following ballad will be found in Percy's Reliques and in Scott's Minstrelsy.
Yt felle abowght the Lamasse tyde,
Whan husbonds wynn ther haye,
The dowghtye Dowglasse bowynd hym to ryde,
In Ynglond to take a praye.
The yerlle of Fyffe, withowghten stryffe,5
He bowynd hym [over Sulway:]
The grete wolde ever together ryde;
That race they may rue for aye.
[Over Ottercap hyll they came in,]
And so dowyn by Rodelyffe cragge,10
Upon Grene Leyton they lyghted dowyn,
[Styrande many a stagge;]
And boldely brent Northomberlonde,
And haryed many a towyn;
They dyd owr Ynglyssh men grete wrange,15
To battell that were not bowyn.
Than spake a berne upon the bent,
Of comforte that was not colde,
And sayd, "We have brent Northomberlond,
We have all welth in holde.20
"Now we have haryed all Bamboroweshyre,
All the welth in the worlde have wee;
I rede we ryde to Newe Castell,
So styll and stalwurthlye."
Uppon the morowe, when it was daye,25
The standards schone fulle bryght;
To the Newe Castelle the toke the waye,
And thether they cam fulle ryght.
Sir Henry Percy laye at the Newe Castelle,
I telle yow withowtten drede;30
He had byn a march-man all hys dayes,
And kepte Barwyke upon Twede.
To the Newe Castell when they cam,
The Skottes they cryde on hyght,
"Syr Harye Percy, and thow byste within,35
Com to the fylde, and fyght:
"For we have brente Northomberlonde,
Thy eritage good and ryght;
And syne my logeyng I have take,
With my brande dubbyd many a knyght."40
Sir Harry Percy cam to the walles,
The Skottyssh oste for to se;
"And thow hast brente Northomberlond,
Full sore it rewyth me.
"Yf thou hast haryed all Bambarowe shyre,45
Thow hast done me grete envye;
For the trespasse thow hast me done,
The tone of us schall dye."
"Where schall I byde the?" sayd the Dowglas,
"Or where wylte thow come to me?"50
"At Otterborne in the hygh way,
Ther maist thow well logeed be.
"The roo full rekeles ther sche rinnes,
To make the game and glee;
The fawkon and the fesaunt both,55
Amonge the holtes on hye.
"Ther maist thow have thy welth at wyll,
"Well looged ther maist be;
Yt schall not be long or I com the tyll,"
Sayd Syr Harry Percye.60
"Ther schall I byde the," sayd the Dowglas,
"By the fayth of my bodye:"
"Thether schall I com," sayd Syr Harry Percy
"My trowth I plyght to the."
A pype of wyne he gave them over the walles,65
For soth, as I yow saye;
Ther he mayd the Douglas drynke,
And all hys oste that daye.
The Dowglas turnyd hym homewarde agayne,
For soth withowghten naye;70
He tooke his logeyng at Oterborne
Uppon a Wedynsday.
And there he pyght hys standerd dowyn,
Hys gettyng more and lesse,
And syne he warned hys men to goo75
To chose ther geldyngs gresse.
A Skottysshe knyght hoved upon [the bent,]
A wache I dare well saye;
So was he ware on the noble Percy
In the dawnynge of the daye.80
He prycked to his pavyleon dore,
As faste as he myght ronne;
"Awaken, Dowglas," cryed the knyght,
"For hys love, that syttes yn trone.
"Awaken, Dowglas," cryed the knyght,85
"For thow maiste waken wyth wynne;
Yender have I spyed the prowde Percy,
And seven standardes wyth hym."
"Nay by my trowth," the Douglas sayed,
"It ys but a fayned taylle;90
He durste not loke on my bred banner,
For all Ynglonde so haylle.
"Was I not yesterdaye at the Newe Castell,
That stonds so fayre on Tyne?
For all the men the Percy hade,95
He cowde not garre me ones to dyne."
He stepped owt at hys pavelyon dore,
To loke and it were lesse;
"Araye yow, lordyngs, one and all,
For here bygynnes no peysse.100
"[The yerle of Mentayne], thow art my eme,
The forwarde I gyve to the:
[The yerlle of Huntlay] cawte and kene,
He schall wyth the be.
"[The lorde of Bowghan], in armure bryght,105
On the other hand he schall be;
Lord Jhonstone and Lorde Maxwell,
They to schall be wyth me.
"Swynton, fayre fylde upon your pryde!
To batell make yow bowen,110
Syr Davy Scotte, Syr Walter Stewarde,
Syr Jhon of Agurstone!"
[6]. i. e. over Solway frith. This evidently refers to the other division of the Scottish army, which came in by way of Carlisle.—Percy.
[9-11]. sc. the Earl of Douglas and his party.—The several stations here mentioned are well-known places in Northumberland. Ottercap-hill is in the parish of Kirk-Whelpington, in Tynedale-ward. Rodeliffe—(or, as it is more usually pronounced, Rodeley—) Cragge is a noted cliff near Rodeley, a small village in the parish of Hartburn, in Morpeth-ward. Green Leyton is another small village in the same parish of Hartburn, and is southeast of Rodeley. Both the original MSS. read here, corruptly, Hoppertop and Lynton.—P.
[12]. Many a styrande stage, in both MSS. Motherwell would retain this reading, because stagge signifies in Scotland a young stallion, and by supplying "off" the line would make sense. It was one of the Border laws, he remarks, that the Scottish array of battle should be on foot ([see v. 15 of the Second Part]). Horses were used but for a retreat or pursuit.
[77]. the best bent, MS.
[101]. The Earl of Menteith. At the time of the battle the earldom of Menteith was possessed by Robert Earl of Fife, who was in command of the main body of the army, and consequently not with Douglas.
[103]. The reference is to Sir John Gordon. The use of this designation shows, says Percy, that the ballad was not composed before 1449. In that year the title of Earl of Huntly was first conferred on Alexander Seaton, who married the grand-daughter of the Gordon of Otterbourne.
[105]. The Earl of Buchan, fourth son of King Robert II.
A FYTTE.
[THE SECOND PART.]
The Perssy came byfore hys oste,
Wych was ever a gentyll knyght;
Upon the Dowglas lowde can he crye,
"I wyll holde that I have hyght.
"For thow haste brente Northumberlonde,5
And done me grete envye;
For thys trespasse thou hast me done,
The tone of us schall dye."
The Dowglas answerde hym agayne
With grete wurds up on hye,10
And sayd, "I have twenty agaynst the one,
Byholde, and thow maiste see."
Wyth that the Percye was grevyd sore,
For sothe as I yow saye;
[He lyghted dowyn upon his fote,]15
And schoote his horsse clene away.
Every man sawe that he dyd soo,
That ryall was ever in rowght;
Every man schoote hys horsse him froo,
And lyght hym rowynde abowght.20
Thus Syr Hary Percye toke the fylde,
For soth, as I yow saye;
Jesu Cryste in hevyn on hyght
Dyd helpe hym well that daye.
But nyne thowzand, ther was no moo,25
The cronykle wyll not layne;
Forty thowsande Skottes and fowre
That day fowght them agayne.
But when the batell byganne to joyne,
In hast ther came a knyght;30
'Then' letters fayre furth hath he tayne,
And thus he sayd full ryght:
"My lorde, your father he gretes yow well,
Wyth many a noble knyght;
He desyres yow to byde35
That he may see thys fyght.
"The Baron of Grastoke ys com owt of the west,
With him a noble companye;
All they loge at your fathers thys nyght,
And the battell fayne wold they see.40
"For Jesus love," sayd Syr Harye Percy,
"That dyed for yow and me,
Wende to my lorde my father agayne,
And saye thou saw me not with yee.
"My trowth ys plyght to yonne Skottysh knyght,45
It nedes me not to layne,
That I schulde byde hym upon thys bent,
And I have hys trowth agayne.
"And if that I wende off thys grownde,
For soth, unfoughten awaye,50
He wolde me call but a kowarde knyght
In hys londe another daye.
"Yet had I lever to be rynde and rente,
By Mary, that mykel maye,
Then ever my manhod schulde be reprovyd55
Wyth a Skotte another daye.
"Wherefore schote, archars, for my sake,
And let scharpe arowes flee;
Mynstrells, play up for your waryson,
And well quyt it schall be.60
"Every man thynke on hys trewe love,
And marke hym to the Trenite;
For to God I make myne avowe
Thys day wyll I not fle."
The blodye harte in the Dowglas armes,65
Hys standerde stode on hye;
That every man myght full well knowe;
By syde stode starres thre.
The whyte lyon on the Ynglysh parte,
Forsoth, as I yow sayne,70
The lucetts and the cressawnts both;
The Skotts faught them agayne.
Uppon Sent Andrewe lowde cane they crye,
And thrysse they schowte on hyght,
And syne marked them one owr Ynglysshe men,75
As I have tolde yow ryght.
Sent George the bryght, owr ladyes knyght,
To name they were full fayne;
Owr Ynglysshe men they cryde on hyght,
And thrysse the schowtte agayne.80
Wyth that, scharpe arowes bygan to flee,
I tell yow in sertayne;
Men of armes byganne to joyne,
Many a dowghty man was ther slayne.
The Percy and the Dowglas mette,85
That ether of other was fayne;
They schapped together, whyll that the swette,
With swords of fyne collayne;
Tyll the bloode from ther bassonnetts ranne,
As the roke doth in the rayne;90
"Yelde the to me," sayd the Dowglas,
"Or ells thow schalt be slayne.
"For I see by thy bryght bassonet,
Thow art sum man of myght;
And so I do by thy burnysshed brande;95
"[Thow art an yerle, or ells a knyght.]
"By my good faythe," sayd the noble Percy,
"Now haste thou rede full ryght;
Yet wyll I never yelde me to the,
Whyll I may stonde and fyght."100
They swapped together, whyll that they swette,
Wyth swordes scharpe and long;
Ych on other so faste they beette,
Tyll ther helmes cam in peyses dowyn.
The Percy was a man of strenghth,105
I tell yow in thys stounde;
He smote the Dowglas at the swordes length,
That he felle to the growynde.
The sworde was scharpe, and sore can byte,
I tell yow in sertayne;110
To the harte he cowde hym smyte,
Thus was the Dowglas slayne.
The stonderds stode styll on eke syde,
With many a grevous grone;
Ther the fowght the day, and all the nyght,115
And many a dowghty man was slayne.
Ther was no freke that ther wolde flye,
But styffly in stowre can stond,
Ychone hewyng on other whyll they myght drye,
Wyth many a bayllefull bronde.120
Ther was slayne upon the Skottes syde,
For soth and sertenly,
Syr James a Dowglas ther was slayne,
That daye that he cowde dye.
The yerle of Mentaye he was slayne,125
Grysely groned uppon the growynd;
Syr Davy Scotte, Syr Walter Steward,
[Syr John of Agurstonne.]
Syr Charlles Morrey in that place,
That never a fote wold flye;130
Sir Hughe Maxwelle, a lorde he was,
With the Dowglas dyd he dye.
Ther was slayne upon the Skottes syde,
For soth as I yow saye,
Of fowre and forty thowsande Scotts135
Went but eyghtene awaye.
Ther was slayne upon the Ynglysshe syde,
For soth and sertenlye,
A gentell knyght, Sir John Fitz-hughe,
Yt was the more petye.140
Syr James Harebotell ther was slayne,
For hym ther hartes were sore;
The gentyll [Lovelle] ther was slayne,
That the Percyes standerd bore.
Ther was slayne uppon the Ynglyssh perte,145
For soth as I yow saye,
Of nyne thowsand Ynglyssh men
Fyve hondert cam awaye.
The other were slayne in the fylde;
Cryste kepe their sowles from wo!150
Seying ther was so few fryndes
Agaynst so many a foo.
Then one the morne they mayd them beeres
Of byrch, and haysell graye;
Many a wydowe with wepyng teyres155
Ther makes they fette awaye.
Thys fraye bygan at Otterborne,
Bytwene the nyghte and the day:
Ther the Dowglas lost hys lyfe,
And the Percy was lede awaye.160
Then was ther a Scottyshe prisoner tayne,
[Syr Hughe Mongomery] was hys name;
For soth as I yow saye,
He borowed the Percy home agayne.
Now let us all for the Percy praye165
To Jesu most of myght,
To bryng hys sowle to the blysse of heven,
For he was a gentyll knyght.
[96]. Being all in armour he could not know him.—P.
[128]. Both the MSS. read here Sir James, but see above, [Pt. I. ver. 112].—P.
[143]. Covelle, MS.
[162]. Supposed to be son of Lord John Montgomery, who took Hotspur prisoner. In The Hunting of the Cheviot this Sir Hugh is said to have been slain with an arrow.
THE BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE.
From Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, i. 354. In the Complaynt of Scotland (1548), "The Persee and the Mongumrye met," ([v. 117 of this piece],) occurs as the title, or rather the catchword, of one of the popular songs of the time.
It fell about the Lammas tide,
When the muir-men win their hay,
The doughty Douglas bound him to ride
Into England, to drive a prey.
He chose the Gordons and the Græmes,5
With them the Lindesays, [light and gay;]
But the [Jardines] wald not with him ride,
And they rue it to this day.
And he has burn'd the dales of Tyne,
And part of Bambroughshire;10
And three good towers on Reidswire fells,
He left them all on fire.
And he march'd up to Newcastle,
And rode it round about;
"O wha's the lord of this castle,15
Or wha's the lady o't?"
But up spake proud Lord Percy then,
And O but he spake hie!
"I am the lord of this castle,
My wife's the lady gay."20
"If thou'rt the lord of this castle,
Sae weel it pleases me!
For, ere I cross the Border fells,
The tane of us shall die."
He took a lang spear in his hand,25
Shod with the metal free,
And for to meet the Douglas there,
He rode right furiouslie.
But O how pale his lady look'd,
Frae aff the castle wa',30
When down before the Scottish spear
She saw proud Percy fa'.
"Had we twa been upon the green,
And never an eye to see,
[I wad hae had you, flesh and fell;]35
But your sword sall gae wi' me."
"But gae ye up to Otterbourne,
And wait there dayis three;
And if I come not ere three dayis end,
A fause knight ca' ye me."40
"The Otterbourne's a bonnie burn;
'Tis pleasant there to be;
But there is nought at Otterbourne,
To feed my men and me.
"The deer rins wild on hill and dale,45
The birds fly wild from tree to tree;
But there is neither bread nor kale,
To fend my men and me.
"Yet I will stay at Otterbourne,
Where you shall welcome be;50
And if ye come not at three dayis end,
A fause lord I'll ca' thee."
"Thither will I come," proud Percy said,
"By the might of Our Ladye!"
"There will I bide thee," said the Douglas,55
"My troth I plight to thee."
They lighted high on Otterbourne,
Upon the bent sae brown;
They lighted high on Otterbourne,
And threw their pallions down.60
And he that had a bonnie boy,
Sent out his horse to grass;
And he that had not a bonnie boy,
His ain servant he was.
But up then spake a little page,65
Before the peep of dawn—
"O waken ye, waken ye, my good lord,
For Percy's hard at hand."
"Ye lie, ye lie, ye liar loud!
Sae loud I hear ye lie:70
For Percy had not men yestreen
To dight my men and me.
"But I have dream'd a dreary dream,
Beyond the Isle of Sky;
I saw a dead man win a fight,75
And I think that man was I."
He belted on his guid braid sword,
And to the field he ran;
But he forgot the helmet good,
That should have kept his brain.80
When Percy wi' the Douglas met,
I wat he was fu' fain;
They swakked their swords, till sair they swat,
And the blood ran down like rain.
But Percy with his good broad sword,85
That could so sharply wound,
Has wounded Douglas on the brow,
Till he fell to the ground.
Then he call'd on his little foot-page,
And said—"Run speedilie,90
And fetch my ain dear sister's son,
Sir Hugh Montgomery.
"My nephew good," the Douglas said,
"What recks the death of ane!
Last night I dream'd a dreary dream,95
And I ken the day's thy ain.
"My wound is deep; I fain would sleep;
Take thou the vanguard of the three,
And hide me by the braken bush,
That grows on yonder lilye lee.100
"O bury me by the braken bush,
Beneath the blooming brier,
Let never living mortal ken
That ere a kindly Scot lies here."
He lifted up that noble lord,105
Wi' the saut tear in his ee;
He hid him in the braken bush,
That his merrie-men might not see.
The moon was clear, the day drew near,
The spears in flinders flew,110
But mony a gallant Englishman
Ere day the Scotsmen slew.
The Gordons good, in English blood
They steep'd their hose and shoon;
The Lindsays flew like fire about,115
Till all the fray was done.
The Percy and Montgomery met,
That either of other were fain;
They swapped swords, and they twa swat,
And aye the blood ran down between.120
"Now yield thee, yield thee, Percy," he said,
"Or else I vow I'll lay thee low!"
"To whom must I yield," quoth Earl Percy,
"Now that I see it must be so?"
"Thou shalt not yield to lord nor loun,125
Nor yet shalt thou yield to me;
But yield thee to the braken bush,
That grows upon yon lilye lee."
"I will not yield to a braken bush,
Nor yet will I yield to a brier;130
But I would yield to Earl Douglas,
Or Sir Hugh the Montgomery, if he were here."
As soon as he knew it was Montgomery,
He struck his sword's point in the gronde;
The Montgomery was a courteous knight,135
And quickly took him by the honde.
This deed was done at the Otterbourne,
About the breaking of the day;
Earl Douglas was buried at the braken bush,
[And the Percy led captive away.]140
[6]. "Light" is the appropriated designation of the Lindsays, as "gay" is that of the Gordons.
[7]. The Jardines were a clan of hardy West-Border men. Their chief was Jardine of Applegirth. Their refusal to ride with Douglas was, probably, the result of one of those perpetual feuds, which usually rent to pieces a Scottish army.—S.
[35]. Douglas insinuates that Percy was rescued by his soldiers.—S.
[140]. Douglas was really buried in Melrose Abbey, where his tomb is still to be seen.
THE HUNTING OF THE CHEVIOT.
In the Battle of Otterbourne the story is told with all the usual accuracy of tradition, and the usual fairness of partizans. Not so with the following ballad, which is founded on the same event. "That which is commonly sung of the Hunting of Cheviot," says Hume of Godscroft truly, "seemeth indeed poetical, and a
mere fiction, perhaps to stir up virtue; yet a fiction whereof there is no mention either in the Scottish or English chronicle." When this ballad arose we do not know, but we may suppose that a considerable time would elapse before a minstrel would venture to treat an historical event with so much freedom.
We must, however, allow some force to these remarks of Percy: "With regard to the subject of this ballad, although it has no countenance from history, there is room to think it had originally some foundation in fact. It was one of the laws of the Marches, frequently renewed between the nations, that neither party should hunt in the other's borders, without leave from the proprietors or their deputies. There had long been a rivalship between the two martial families of Percy and Douglas, which, heightened by the national quarrel, must have produced frequent challenges and struggles for superiority, petty invasions of their respective domains, and sharp contests for the point of honour; which would not always be recorded in history. Something of this kind, we may suppose, gave rise to the ancient ballad of the Hunting a' the Cheviat. Percy Earl of Northumberland had vowed to hunt for three days in the Scottish border, without condescending to ask leave from Earl Douglas, who was either lord of the soil, or lord warden of the Marches. Douglas would not fail to resent the insult, and endeavour to repel the intruders by force: this would naturally produce a sharp conflict between the two parties; something of which, it is probable, did really happen, though not attended with the tragical circumstances recorded in the ballad: for these are evidently borrowed from the Battle of Otter
bourn, a very different event, but which aftertimes would easily confound with it."[1]
The ballad as here printed is of the same age as the preceding. It is extracted from Hearne's Preface to the History of Guilielmus Neubrigensis, p. lxxxii. Hearne derived his copy from a manuscript in the Ashmolean collection at Oxford, and printed the text in long lines, which, according to custom, are now broken up into two.
The manuscript copy is subscribed at the end "Expliceth quoth Rychard Sheale." Richard Sheale (it has been shown by a writer in the British Bibliographer, vol. iv. p. 97-105) was a minstrel by profession, and several other pieces in the same MS. have a like signature with this. On this ground it has been very strangely concluded that Sheale was not, as Percy and Ritson supposed, the transcriber, but the actual author of this noble ballad. The glaring objection of the antiquity of the language has
been met, first, by the supposition that the author belonged to the north of England, and afterwards, when it appeared that Sheale lived at Tamworth, about a hundred miles from London, by the allegation that the language of a person in humble life in Warwickshire or Staffordshire would be very far behind the current speech of the metropolis. It happens, however, that the language of the ballad is very much older than the other compositions of Sheale, as a moment's inspection will show. Besides, Sheale's poetical abilities were manifestly of the lowest order, and although he styles himself "minstrel," we have no reason to think that he ever composed ballads. He speaks of his memory being at one time so decayed that he "could neither sing nor talk." Being a mere ballad-singer and story-teller, he would naturally be dependent on that faculty. The fact is very obvious, that Richard Sheale was a mere reciter of songs and tales; at any rate, that all we have to thank him for in the matter of Chevy Chase is for committing to paper the only old copy that has come down to our times.[2]
The Hunting of the Cheviot is mentioned in the Complaynt of Scotland with other, very ancient, ballads. It was consequently popular in Scotland in 1548, ten years before the time that we know Sheale to have written anything. The mention of James the Scottish King forbids us to assign this piece an earlier date than the reign of Henry VI.
It has been customary to understand Sidney's
saying of the "old song of Percy and Douglas"—that it moved his heart more than a trumpet—exclusively of Chevy Chase. There is no question which ballad would stand higher in the estimation of the gentle knight, but the terms by which the war-song he admired is described are of course equally applicable to The Battle of Otterbourne. By the way we may remark that if we do understand Sidney to have meant Chevy Chase, then, whatever opinion writers of our day may have of its antiquity, and however probable it may seem to them that Chevy Chase was written by a contemporary of Sir Philip, it appeared to the author of the Defence of Poetry to be "evil apparelled in the dust and cobweb of an uncivil age"!
[1] The Editor of the Reliques afterwards met with the following passage in Collins's Peerage, which he thought might throw some light on the question of the origin of the ballad.
"In this ... year, 1436, according to Hector Boethius, was fought the battle of Pepperden, not far from the Cheviot Hills, between the Earl of Northumberland [IId Earl, son of Hotspur], and Earl William Douglas, of Angus, with a small army of about four thousand men each, in which the latter had the advantage. As this seems to have been a private conflict between these two great Chieftains of the Borders, rather than a national war, it has been thought to have given rise to the celebrated old ballad of Chevy-Chase; which to render it more pathetic and interesting, has been heightened with tragical incidents wholly fictitious."
[2] We regret that even Dr. Rimbault has hastily sanctioned this ascription of Chevy-Chase to the "sely" minstrel of Tamworth.
THE FIRST FIT.
The Persè owt off Northombarlande,
And a vowe to God mayd he,
That he wold hunte in the mountayns
Off Chyviat within days thre,
In the [mauger] of doughtè Dogles,5
And all that ever with him be.
The fattiste hartes in all Cheviat
He sayd he wold kill, and cary them away:
"Be my feth," sayd the dougheti Doglas agayn,
"I wyll let that hontyng yf that I may."10
[Then the] Persè owt of Banborowe cam,
With him a myghtee meany;
With fifteen hondrith [archares] bold off blood and bone,
The wear chosen owt of [shyars thre].
This begane on a Monday at morn,15
In Cheviat the hillys so he;
The chyld may rue that ys un-born,
It was the mor pittè.
The dryvars throrowe the woodès went,
For to reas the dear;20
Bomen byckarte uppone the bent
With ther browd aras cleare.
Then the wyld thorowe the woodès went,
On every sydè shear;
Grea-hondes thorowe the grevis glent,25
For to kyll thear dear.
The begane in Chyviat the hyls above,
Yerly on a Monnyn day;
Be that it drewe to the oware off none,
A hondrith fat hartes ded ther lay.30
The [blewe a mort] uppone the bent,
The semblyd on sydis shear;
To the quyrry then the Persè went,
To se the bryttlynge off the deare.
He sayd, "It was the Duglas promys35
This day to met me hear;
But I wyste he wold faylle, verament:"
A great oth the Persè swear.
At the laste a squyar of Northombelonde
Lokyde at his hand full ny;40
He was war [a' the] doughetie Doglas comynge,
With him a myghttè meany;
Both with spear, [byll], and brande;
Yt was a myghti sight to se;
Hardyar men, both off hart nar hande,45
Wear not in Christiantè.
The wear twenty hondrith spear-men good,
Withowtè any feale;
The wear borne along be the watter a Twyde,
"Leave of the brytlyng of the dear," he sayde,
"And to your [bowys] lock ye tayk good heed;
For never sithe ye wear on your mothars borne
Had ye never so mickle ned."
The dougheti Dogglas on a stede55
He rode att his men beforne;
His armor glytteryde as dyd a glede;
A bolder barne was never born.
"Tell me whos men ye ar," he says,
"Or whos men that ye be:60
Who gave youe leave to hunte in this Chyviat chays,
In the spyt of me?"
The first mane that ever him an answear mayd,
Yt was the good lord Persè:
"We wyll not tell the whoys men we ar," he says,65
"Nor whos men that we be;
But we wyll hount hear in this chays,
In the spyt of thyne and of the.
"The fattiste hartes in all Chyviat
We have kyld, and cast to carry them a-way:"70
"Be my troth," sayd the doughtè Dogglas [agayn],
"Ther-for the ton of us shall de this day."
Then sayd the doughtè Doglas
Unto the lord Persè:
"To kyll all thes giltles men,75
Alas, it wear great pittè!
"But, Persè, thowe art a lord of lande,
I am a yerle callyd within my contrè;
Let all our men uppone a parti stande,
And do the battell off the and of me."80
"Nowe Cristes cors on his crowne," [sayd the] lord Persè,
"Whosoever ther-to says nay;
Be my troth, doughttè Doglas," he says,
"Thow shalt never se that day.
"Nethar in Ynglonde, Skottlonde, nar France,85
Nor for no man of a woman born,
But, and fortune be my chance,
I dar met him, on man for on."
Then bespayke a squyar off Northombarlonde,
Richard Wytharyngton was him nam;90
"It shall never be told in Sothe-Ynglonde," he says,
"To kyng Herry the fourth for sham.
"I wat youe byn great lordes twaw,
I am a poor squyar of lande;
I wyll never se my captayne fyght on a fylde,95
And stande myselffe, and loocke on,
But whyll I may my weppone welde,
I wyll not [fayl] both hart and hande."
[That day, that day, that dredfull day!]
The first fit here I fynde;100
And youe wyll here any mor a' the hountyng a' the Chyviat,
Yet ys ther mor behynd.
[5]. magger.
[11]. The the.
[13]. archardes.
[14]. By these shyars thre is probably meant three districts in Northumberland, which still go by the name of shires, and are all in the neighbourhood of Cheviot. These are Islandshire, being the district so named from Holy-Island: Norehamshire, so called from the town and castle of Noreham (or Norham): and Bamboroughshire, the ward or hundred belonging to Bamborough-castle and town.—Percy.
[31]. blwe a mot.
[41]. ath the.
[43]. brylly.
[52]. boys.
[71]. agay.
[81]. sayd the the.
[99]. "That day, that day, that gentil day," is cited in The Complaynt of Scotland, (ii. 101,) not, we imagine, as the title of a ballad (any more than "The Persee and the Mongumrye met," ante, p. 19,) but as a line by which the song containing it might be recalled.
THE SECOND FIT.
[The Yngglyshe men hade ther bowys yebent,]
Ther hartes were good yenoughe;
The first off arros that the shote off,
Seven skore spear-men the sloughe.
Yet byddys the yerle Doglas uppon the bent,5
A captayne good yenoughe,
And that was sene verament,
For he wrought hom both woo and wouche.
The Dogglas pertyd his ost or thre,
Lyk a cheffe cheften off pryde,10
With suar spears off myghttè tre,
The cum in on every syde:
Thrughe our Yngglyshe archery
Gave many a wounde full wyde;
Many a doughete the garde to dy,15
Which ganyde them no pryde.
The Ynglyshe men let thear [bowys] be,
And pulde owt brandes that wer [bright;]
It was a hevy syght to se
Bryght swordes on basnites lyght.20
Throrowe ryche male and myneyeple,
Many sterne the stroke [downe] streght;
Many a freyke that was full fre,
Ther undar foot dyd lyght.
At last the Duglas and the Persè met,25
[Lyk to captayns of myght and of mayne;]
The swapte togethar tyll the both swat,
With swordes that wear of fyn myllàn.
Thes worthè freckys for to fyght,
Ther-to the wear full fayne,30
Tyll the bloode owte off thear basnetes sprente,
As ever dyd heal or [rayne].
"[Holde] the, Persè," sayde the Doglas,
"And i' feth I shall the brynge
Wher thowe shalte have a yerls wagis35
Of Jamy our [Scottish] kynge.
"Thoue shalte have thy ransom fre,
I hight the hear this thinge,
For the manfullyste man yet art thowe,
That ever I conqueryd in filde fightyng."40
"Nay," sayd the lord Persè,
"I tolde it the beforne,
That I wolde never yeldyde be
To no man of a woman born."
With that ther cam [an arrowe] hastely,45
Forthe off a myghttè wane;
Hit hathe strekene the yerle Duglas
In at the brest bane.
Throroue lyvar and longs, bathe
The sharp arrowe ys gane,50
That never after in all his lyffe-days,
He spayke mo wordes but ane:
That was, "Fyghte ye, my myrry men, whyllys ye may,
For my lyff-days ben gan."
The Persè leanyde on his brande,55
And sawe the Duglas de;
He tooke the dede mane be the hande,
And sayd, "Wo ys me for the!
"To have savyde thy lyffe, I wolde have pertyde with
My landes for years thre,60
For a better man, of hart nare of hande,
Was not in all the north contrè."
Off all that se a Skottishe knyght,
Was callyd Sir Hewe the Monggonbyrry;
He sawe the Duglas to the deth was dyght,65
He spendyd a spear, a trusti tre:—
He rod uppon a corsiare
Throughe a hondrith archery:
He never stynttyde, nar never blane,
Tyll he cam to the good lord Persè.70
He set uppone the lord Persè
A dynte that was full soare;
With a suar spear of a myghttè tre
Clean thorow the body he the Persè ber,
A' the tothar syde that a man myght se75
A large cloth yard and mare:
Towe bettar captayns wear nat in Cristiantè,
Then that day slain wear ther.
An archar off Northomberlonde
Say slean was the lord Persè;80
He bar a bende-bowe in his hand,
Was made off trusti tre.
[An arow], that a cloth yarde was lang,
To th' harde stele haylde he;
A dynt that was both sad and soar,85
He sat on Sir Hewe the Monggonbyrry.
The dynt yt was both sad and [soar],
That he [on] Monggonberry sete;
The swane-fethars, that his arrowe bar,
With his hart-blood the wear wete.90
Ther was never a freak wone foot wolde fle,
But still in stour dyd stand,
Heawyng on yche othar, whyll the myght dre,
With many a balfull brande.
This battell begane in Chyviat95
[An owar] befor the none,
And when even-song bell was rang,
The battell was nat half done.
[The tooke on ethar hand]
Be the lyght off the mone;100
Many hade no strength for to stande,
In Chyviat the hillys [aboun].
Of fifteen hondrith archars of Ynglonde
Went away but fifti and thre;
Of twenty hondrith spear-men of Skotlonde,105
But even five and fifti:
But all wear slayne Cheviat within;
The hade no strenge to stand on hy;
The chylde may rue that ys unborne,
It was the mor pittè.110
Thear was slayne withe the lord Persè,
Sir John of Agerstone,
Sir Rogar, the hinde Hartly,
Sir Wyllyam, the bolde Hearone.
Sir Jorg, the worthè [Lovele],115
A knyght of great renowen,
Sir Raff, the ryche Rugbè,
With dyntes wear beaten dowene.
For Wetharryngton my harte was wo,
That ever he slayne shulde be;120
For when both his leggis wear hewyne in to,
Yet he knyled and fought on hys kny.
Ther was slayne with the dougheti Duglas,
Sir Hewe the Monggonbyrry,
Sir Davy [Lwdale], that worthè was,125
His sistars son was he:
His Charls a Murrè in that place,
That never a foot wolde fle;
Sir Hewe Maxwell, a lorde he was,
With the Doglas dyd he dey.130
So on the morrowe the mayde them byears
Off birch and hasell so [gray];
Many wedous with wepyng tears
Cam to fach ther makys away.
Tivydale may carpe off care,135
Northombarlond may mayk grat mon,
For towe such captayns as slayne wear thear,
On the March-perti shall never be non.
Word ys commen to Eddenburrowe,
To Jamy the Skottishe kyng,140
That dougheti Duglas, lyff-tenant of the Merches,
He lay slean Chyviot with-in.
His handdes dyd he weal and wryng,
He sayd, "Alas, and woe ys me!"
Such an othar captayn Skotland within,145
He sayd, ye-feth shuld never be.
Worde ys commyn to lovly Londone,
Till the fourth Harry our kyng,
That lord Persè, [leyff]-tenante of the Merchis,
He lay slayne Chyviat within.150
"God have merci on his soll," sayd kyng Harry,
"Good lord, yf thy will it be!
I have a hondrith captayns in Ynglonde," he sayd,
"As good as ever was he:
But Persè, and I brook my lyffe,155
Thy deth well quyte shall be."
As our noble kyng mayd his a-vowe,
Lyke a noble prince of renowen,
For the deth of the lord Persè
He dyde the battell of Hombyll-down:160
Wher syx and thritté Skottishe knyghtes
On a day wear beaten down:
[Glendale] glytteryde on ther armor bryght,
Over castill, towar, and town.
This was the Hontynge off the Cheviat;165
That tear begane this spurn:
Old men that knowen the grownde well yenoughe,
Call it the Battell of Otterburn.
At Otterburn began this spurne
Uppon a [Monnyn] day:170
Ther was the dougghtè Doglas slean,
The Persè never went away.
Ther was never a tym on the March-partes
Sen the Doglas and the Persè met,
But yt was marvele, and the rede blude ronne not,175
As the reane doys in the stret.
Jhesue Christ our ballys bete,
And to the blys us brynge!
Thus was the Hountynge of the Chivyat:
God send us all good endyng!180
[1-4]. It is well known that the ancient English weapon was the long-bow, and that this nation excelled all others in archery, while the Scottish warriors chiefly depended on the use of the spear. This characteristic difference never escapes our ancient bard.—Percy.
[17]. boys.
[18]. briggt.
[22]. done.
[26]. to, i. e. tow.
[32]. ran.
[33]. helde.
[36]. Scottih.
[45]. a narrowe. So again in v. [83], and a nowar in v. [96]. This transference of final n to the succeeding word is of common occurrence in old poetry.
[87]. sar.
[88]. of.
[99]. a word has dropped out.
[102]. abou.
[115]. lo[=u]le.
[125]. Lwdale, i. e. Liddel.
[132]. gay.
[149]. cheyff.
[163]. Glendale is one of the seven wards of Northumberland. In this district the village of Homildown is situated, about a mile from Wooler. On the 14th of September, 1402, a battle was fought at this place between the Percys and Archibald, Earl of Douglas, in which the Scots were totally routed, and Douglas taken prisoner.