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 Cheviatt. 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 Otterbourn‡, a very different event, but which aftertimes would easily confound with it. That battle might be owing to some such previous affront as this of Chevy-Chase, though it has escaped the notice of historians. Our poet has evidently jumbled the two subjects together: if indeed the lines§, in which this mistake is made, are not rather spurious, and the after-insertion of some person, who did not distinguish between the two

stories.

Hearne has printed this ballad without any division of stanzas, in long lines, as he found it in the old written copy: but it is usual to find the distinction of stanzas neglected in ancient MSS; where, to save room, two or three verses are frequently given in one line undivided. See flagrant instances in the Harleian Catalog. No. 2253. s. 29, 34, 61, 70, et passim.

THE FIRST FIT.

THE Persè owt of Northombarlande,
And a vowe to God mayd he,

That he wolde hunte in the mountayns

This begane on a Monday at morn
In Cheviat the hillys so he;
The chyld may rue that ys un-born,
It was the mor pitté.

The dryvars tho owe the woodes went
For to reas the dear;
Bomen bickarte uppone the bent

With ther browd aras cleare.

Then the wyld thorowe the woodes went
On every syde shear :
Grea-hondes thorowe the greves glent
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.

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 promys
This day to meet me hear;
But I wyste he wold faylle verament:
A gret oth the Persè swear.

At the laste a squyar of Northombelonde
Lokyde at his hand full ny,

He was war ath the doughetie Doglas comynge: With him a mightè meany,

Both with spear, 'byll,' and brande :

Yt was a myghti sight to se, Hardyar men both off hart nar hande

Were not in Christiantè.

The wear twenty hondrith spear-men good Withouten any fayle;

45

Off Chyviat within dayes thre,

The wear borne a-long be the watter a Twyde, Yth bowndes of Tividale.

50

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.

Then the Persè owt of Banborowe cam, With him a myghtye meany;

With fifteen hondrith archares bold;

The wear chosen out of shyars thre*.

V. 5. magger in Hearne's PC. [Printed Copy). V. 11, The the Perse, PC. V. 13, archardes bolde off blood and bune, PC.

Item....Concordatum est, quod....nullus unius partis el alterius ingrediatur terras, boschas, forrestas, warrenas, oca, dominia quæcunque alicujus partis alterius subditi, ausa venandi, piscandi, aucupandi, disportum aut solatium in eisdem, alia quæcunque de causa, absque licentia ejus ....ad quem...loca....pertinent, aut de deputatis suis prius apt. & obtent. Vid. Bp. Nicolson's Leges Marchiarum, 1705, 8vo, pp. 27, 51.

This was the original title. See the ballad, Pt. 1. v. 106 Pt. 2, v. 165.

A bolder barne was never born.

Tell me what' men ye ar, he says,
Or whos men that ye be :
Who gave youe leave to hunte in this
Chyviat chays in the spyt of me?

60

V. 19, throrowe, P.C V. 31, blwe a mot, PC. V. 42, myghtte, PC. passim. V. 43, brylly, PC. V. 48, withowte....feale, PC. V. 52, boys, PC. V. 54, ned. PC. V. 59. whos. PC.

By these "shyars thre" is probably meant three dis tricts 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 HolyIsland: Norehamshire, so called from the town and castle of Noreham (or Norham): and Bamboroughshire, the ward or hundred belonging to Bamborough-rastle and town.

V. 65, whoys, PC. V. 71, agay, PC. V. 81, sayd the the. PC. V. 88, on, i. e. one. V. 3, first, i. e. flight. V. 5, byddys, PC.

This is probably corrupted in the MS. 'for Rog Wid drington, who was at the head of the family in the reign of K. Edw. III. There were several successively of the rames of Roger and Ralph, but none of the name of Richard, as appears from the genealogies in the Heralds office. + Fit, vid Gloss.

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 'then' 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
Forthe off a mightie wane*,
Hit hathe strekene the yerle Duglas
In at the brest bane.

Thoroue lyvar and longs bathe

The sharp arrowe ys gane,

That never after in all his lyffe days,

He spayke mo wordes but ane,

45

50

50

That was t, Fyghte ye, my merry men, whyllys ye

may,

For my lyff days ben gan.

The Persè leanyde on his brande,
And sawe the Duglas de;

He tooke the dede man be the hande,
And sayd, Wo ys me for the!

3355

V. 17, boys, P. C. V. 18, briggt, PC. V. 21, thorowe, PC. V. 22, done, PC. V. 26, to, i. e. two. Ibid, and of, PC. V. 32, ran, PC. V. 33, helde, PC. V. 49, thorowe, PC.

Wane, i. e. ane, one, sc. man, an arrow came from a mighty one: from a mighty man.

+ This seems to have been a Gloss added.

That tear begane this spurn:

Old men that knowen the grownde well yenoughe, Call it the Battell of Otterburn.

Thus was the hountynge of the Chevyat : God send us all good ending!

180

The style of this and the following ballad is uncommonly rugged and uncouth, owing to their being writ in the very coarsest and broadest northern dialect.

The battle of Hombyll-down, or Humbledon, was fought Sept. 14, 1402 (anno 3 Hen. IV.), wherein the English, under the command of the E. of Northumberland, and his son Hotspur, gained a complete victory over the Scots. The village of Humbledon is one mile north-west from Wooler, in Northumberland. The battle was fought in the field below the village, near the present turnpike road, in a spot called ever since Red-Riggs.-Humbledon is in Glendale Ward, a district so named in this county, and mentioned above in ver. 163.

THE only battle, wherein an Earl of Douglas was slain fighting with a Percy, was that of Otterbourn, which is the subject of this ballad. It is here related with the allowable partiality of an English poet, and much in the same manner as it is recorded in the English Chronicles. The Scottish writers have, with a partiality at least as excusable, related it no less in their own favour. Luckily we have a very circumstantial narrative of the whole affair from Froissart, a French historian, who appears to be unbiassed. Froissart's relation is prolix; I shall therefore give it, with a few corrections, as abridged by Carte, who has however had recourse to other authorities, and differs from Froissart in some things, which I shall note in the margin.

In the twelfth year of Richard II., 1388, "The Scots taking advantage of the confusions of this nation, and falling with a party into the Westmarches, ravaged the country about Carlisle, and carried off three hundred prisoners. It was with a much greater force, headed by some of the principal nobility, that, in the beginning of August, they invaded Northumberland; and, having wasted part of the county of Durhamt, advanced to the gates of Newcastle; where, in a skirmish, they took a 'penon' or colours belonging to Henry Lord Percy, surnamed Hotspur, son to the Earl of Northumberland. In their retreat home, they attacked a castle near Otterbourn and, in the evening of Aug. 9, (as the English writers say; or rather, according to Froissart, Aug. 15,) after an unsuccessful assault, were

Frossart speaks of both parties (consisting in all of more than 40,000 men) as entering England at the same time; but the greater part by way of Carlisle.

And, according to the ballad, that part of Northumberland called Bamboroughshire; a large tract of land so named from the town and castle of Bamborough, formerly the residence of the Northumbrian Kings.

This circumstance is omitted in the ballad. Hotspur and Douglas were two young warriors much of the same age.

surprised in their camp, which was very strong, by Henry, who at the first onset put them into a good deal of confusion. But James, Earl of Douglas, rallying his men, there ensued one of the best-fought actions that happened in that age; both armies showing the utmost bravery*; the Earl Douglas himself being slain on the spott; the Earl of Murrey mortally wounded; and Hotspur, with his brother Ralph Percy, taken prisoners. These disasters on both sides have given occasion to the event of the engagement's being disputed; Froissart (who derives his relation from a Scotch knight, two gentlemen of the same country, and as many of Foix) affirming that the Scots remained masters of the field: and the English writers insinuating the contrary.

These

last maintain that the English had the better of the day but night coming on, some of the northern lords, coming with the Bishop of Durham to their assistance, killed many of them by mistake, supposing them to be Scots; and the Earl of Dunbar, at the same time falling on another side upon Hotspur, took him and his brother prisoners, and carried them off while both parties were fighting. It is at least certain, that immediately after this battle the Scots engaged in it made the best of their way home:

* Froissart says the English exceeded the Scots in number three to one, but that these had the advantage of the ground, and were also fresh from sleep, while the English were greatly fatigued with their previous march.

By Henry L. Percy, according to this ballad, and our old English historians, as Stow, Speed, &c. but borne down by numbers, if we may believe Froissart.

Hotspur (after a very sharp conflict) was taken prisoner by John Lord Montgomery, whose eldest son, Sir Hugh, was slain in the same action with an arrow, according to Crawford's Peerage (and seems also to be alluded to in the foregoing ballad, but taken prisoner and exchanged for Hotspur, according to this ballad."

§ Froissart (according to the Eng. Translation) says he had his account from two squires of England, and from a knight and squire of Scotland, soon after the battle.

and the same party was taken by the other corps about Carlisle."

Such is the account collected by Carte, in which he seems not to be free from partiality: for prejudice must own that Froissart's circumstantial account carries a great appearance of truth, and he gives the victory to the Scots. He however does justice to the courage of both parties; and represents their mutual generosity in such a light, that the present age might edify by the example. "The Englysshmen on the one partye, and Scottes on the other party, are good men of warre, for whan they mete, there is a hard fighte without sparynge. There is no hoo betwene them as long as speares, swordes, axes, or dager wyll endure; but lay on eche upon other and whan they be well beaten, and that the one party hath obtayned the victory, they than glorifye so in aeir dedes of armes, and are so joyfull, that suche as be taken, they shall be ransomed or they go out of the feldet; so that shortely eche of them is so contente with other, that at their departynge curtoysly they will saye, God thanke you. But in fyghtynge one with another there is no playe, nor sparynge." Froissart's Cronycle (as translated by Sir Johan Bourchier Lord Berners), cap. cxlij.

:

The following Ballad is (in this present edition) printed from an old MS. in the Cotton Library+ (Cleopatra, c. iv.) and contains many stanzas more than were in the former copy, which was transcribed from a MS. in the Harleian Collection [No. 293. fol. 52.] In the Cotton MS. this poem has no title, but in the Harleian copy it is thus inscribed, "A songe made in R. 2. his tyme of the battele of Otterburne, betweene Lord Henry Percye, Earle of Northomberlande, and the Earle Douglas of Scotlande, Anno 1388."- -But this title is erroneous, and added by some ignorant transcriber of after-times : for, 1. The battle was not fought by the Earl of Northumberland, who was absent, but by his son Sir Henry Percy, Knt. surnamed Hotspur, (in those imes they did not usually give the title of lord to an earl's eldest son.) 2. Although the battle was fought in Richard II.'s time, the song is evidently of later date, as appears from the poet's quoting the chronicles in Pt. II. ver. 26; and speaking of Percy in the last stanza as dead. It was however written in all likelihood as early as the foregoing song, if not earlier. This perhaps may be inferred from the minute circumstances with which the story is related, many of which are recorded in no chronicle, and were probably preserved in the memory of old people. It will be observed that the authors of these two poems have some lines in common; but which of them was the original proprietor must depend upon their priority; and this the sagacity of the reader must determine.

Yr felle abowght the Lamasse tyde,

When husbonds wynn ther haye,
The dowhtye Dowglass bowynd hym to ryde,
In Ynglond to take a praye:

V. 2, winn their heaye, Harl. MS. This is the Northumberland phrase to this day: by which they always express "getting in their hay."

So in Langham's letter concerning Q. Elizabeth's entertainment at Killingworth Castle, 1575, 12mo. p. 61. "Heer was no ho in devout drynkyng."

ti. e. They scorn to take the advantage, or to keep them lingering in long captivity.

The notice of this MS. I must acknowledge with many other obligations, owinh to the friendship of Thomas Tyrwhitt, Esq. late Clerk of the House of Commons.

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,
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;
He had byn a march-mang 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,
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.

Sir Harry Percy cam to the walles,
The Skottyssh oste for to se;
"And thow hast brente Northomberlond,
Full sore it rewyth me.

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

• Robert Stewart, second son of King Robert II. ti. e. "over Solway frith." This evidently refers to the other division of the Scottish army, which came in by way of Carlisle. Bowynd, or Bounde him: i. e. hied him. Vid. Gloss.

They 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 KirkWhelpington, 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 it lies south-east of Ottercap, and has, within these few years, been distinguished by a small tower erected by Sir Walter Blacket, Bart., which, in Armstrong's map of Northumberland, is poinpously called Rodeley-castle. Green Leyton is another small village in the same parish of Hartburn, and is south-east of Rodeley.--Both the original MSS. read here corruptly, Hoppertop and Lynton.

Marche-man. i. e. a scowrer of the marches.