Ballads of Scottish Tradition and Romance. Various

      49.

      The tocke … on ethar hande

      be the lyght off the mone;

      Many hade no strenght for to stande,

      in Chyviat the hillys abon.

      50.

      Of fifteen hondrith archars of Ynglonde

      went away but seventi and thre;

      Of twenti hondrith spear-men of Skotlonde,

      but even five and fifti.

      51.

      But all wear slayne Cheviat within;

      the hade no strengthe to stand on hy;

      The chylde may rue that ys unborne,

      it was the mor pittë.

      52.

      Thear was slayne, withe the lord Persë,

      Sir Johan of Agerstone,

      Ser Rogar, the hinde Hartly,

      Ser Wyllyam, the bolde Hearone.

      53.

      53.¹ ‘Loumle,’ Lumley; previously printed Louele (= Lovel).

      Ser Jorg, the worthë Loumle,

      a knyghte of great renowen,

      Ser Raff, the ryche Rugbe,

      with dyntes wear beaten dowene.

      54.

      For Wetharryngton my harte was wo,

      that ever he slayne shulde be;

      For when both his leggis wear hewyne in to,

      yet he knyled and fought on hys kny.

      55.

      Ther was slayne, with the dougheti Duglas,

      Ser Hewe the Monggombyrry,

      Ser Davy Lwdale, that worthë was,

      his sistar’s son was he.

      56.

      Ser Charls a Murrë in that place,

      that never a foot wolde fle;

      Ser Hewe Maxwelle, a lorde he was,

      with the Doglas dyd he dey.

      57.

      57.⁴ ‘makys,’ mates, husbands.

      So on the morrowe the mayde them byears

      off birch and hasell so gray;

      Many wedous, with wepyng tears,

      cam to fache ther makys away.

      58.

      58.⁴ ‘March-parti,’ the Border; so ‘the Marches,’ 59.³

      Tivydale may carpe off care,

      Northombarlond may mayk great mon,

      For towe such captayns as slayne wear thear

      on the March-parti shall never be non.

      59.

      Word ys commen to Eddenburrowe,

      to Jamy the Skottishe kynge,

      That dougheti Duglas, lyff-tenant of the Marches,

      he lay slean Chyviot within.

      60.

      60.¹ ‘weal,’ clench(?).

      His handdës dyd he weal and wryng,

      he sayd, ‘Alas, and woe ys me!

      Such an othar captayn Skotland within,’

      he seyd, ‘ye-feth shuld never be.’

      61.

      Worde ys commyn to lovly Londone,

      till the fourth Harry our kynge,

      That lord Persë, leyff-tenante of the Marchis,

      he lay slayne Chyviat within.

      62.

      ‘God have merci on his solle,’ sayde 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, Persë, and I brook my lyffe,

      thy deth well quyte shall be.’

      63.

      63.⁴ The battle of Homildon Hill, near Wooler, Northumberland, was fought in 1402. See 1 King Henry IV., Act I. sc. i.

      As our noble kynge mayd his avowe,

      lyke a noble prince of renowen,

      For the deth of the lord Persë

      he dyde the battell of Hombyll-down;

      64.

      Wher syx and thrittë Skottishe knyghtes

      on a day wear beaten down:

      Glendale glytteryde on ther armor bryght,

      over castille, towar, and town.

      65.

      65.² ‘spurn’ = kick(?): Child suggests the reading:—‘That ear [= e’er] began this spurn!’ as a lament. But the whole meaning is doubtful.

      This was the hontynge off the Cheviat,

      that tear begane this spurn;

      Old men that knowen the grownde well yenoughe

      call it the battell of Otterburn.

      66.

      At Otterburn begane this spurne

      uppone a Monnynday;

      Ther was the doughtë Doglas slean,

      the Persë never went away.

      67.

      67.⁴ as the rain does.

      Ther was never a tym on the Marche-partës

      sen the Doglas and the Persë met,

      But yt ys mervele and the rede blude ronne not,

      as the reane doys in the stret.

      68.

      68.¹ ‘our balys bete,’ our misfortunes relieve.

      Ihesue Crist our balys bete,

      and to the blys vs brynge!

      Thus was the hountynge of the Chivyat:

      God send vs alle good endyng!

      

      THE BATTLE OF OTTERBURN

      The Text is given mainly from the Cotton MS., Cleopatra C. iv. (circa 1550). It was printed by Percy in the fourth edition of the Reliques; in the first edition he gave it from Harleian MS. 293, which text also is made use of here. A separate Scottish ballad was popular at least as early as 1549, and arguments to prove that it was derived from the English ballad are as inconclusive as those which seek to prove the opposite.

      The Story.—The battle of Otterburn was fought on Wednesday, August 19, 1388. The whole story is given elaborately by Froissart, in his usual lively style, but is far too long to be inserted here. It may, however,