Wherfore schote, archars, for my sake,
And let scharpe arowes flee :
Mynstrells, playe up for your waryson,
And well quyt it schall be.

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,
Hys standerde stode on hye;

That every man myght full well knowe :
By syde stode Starres thre.

60

65

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,
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.

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.

75

80

*The ancient arms of Douglas are pretty accurately emblazoned in the former stanza, and if the readings were "The crowned harte," and Above stode starres thre," it would be minutely exact at this day.As for the Percy family, one of their ancient badges or cognizances was a White Lyon statant; and the Silver Crescent continues to be used by them to this day: they also give three Luces Argent for one of their quarters.

i.e. The English.

The Percy and the Dowglas mette,

That ether of other was fayne;

They schapped together, whyll that the swette,
With swords of fyne Collayne;

Tyll the bloode from ther bassonetts ranne,
As the roke doth in the rayne.

"Yelde the to me," sayd the Dowglàs,
"Or ells thou schalt be slayne:

For I see, by thy bryght bassonet,
Thow arte sum man of myght;

And so I do by thy burnysshed brande,
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."

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.

85

90

95

100

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,
And many a dowghty man was 'slone.'

V. 116, slayne. MSS.

* Being all in armour he could not know him.

115

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.

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 yerlle Mentaye of he was slayne,
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;
Sir Hughe Maxwell, 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 Scotts
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.

Syr James Harebotell ther was slayne,
For hym ther hartes were sore,
The gentyll 'Lovelle' ther was slayne,
That the Percyes standerd bore.

120

25

125

* Our old Minstrel repeats these names, as Homer and Virgil do those of their Heroes:

-fortemque Gyam, fortemque Cloanthum, &c. &c. Both the MSS. read here," Sir James," but see above, Pt. i. ver. 112.

V. 124. i. e. He died that day.

V. 143. Covelle. MS.-For the names in this page, see the Remarks at the end of this Ballad.

VOL. I.

C

Ther was slayne uppon the Ynglyssh perte,
For soth as I yow saye;

Of nyne thowsand Ynglyssh men
Fyve hondert cam awaye:

The other were slayne in the fylde,
Cryste kepe ther sowles from wo,
Seyng ther was so fewe fryndes
Agaynst so many a foo.

Then one the morne they mayd them beeres
Of byrch, and haysell graye;

Many a wydowe with wepyng teyres

Ther makes they fette awaye.

Thys fraye bygan at Otterborne,
Bytwene the nyhgte and the day:
Ther the Dowglas lost hys lyfe,
And the Percy was lede awaye.

*

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 praye

To Jesu most of myght,

To bryng hys sowle to the blysse of heven,

For he was a gentyll knyght.

145

150

155

160

165

Most of the names in the two preceding ballads are found to have belonged to families of distinction in the North, as may be made appear from authentic records. Thus in

THE ANCIENT BALLAD OF CHEVY CHASE.

Pag. 11. Ver. 112. Agerstone.] The family of Haggerston of Haggerston, near Berwick, has been seated there for many cen

* sc. captive.

In the Cotton MS. is the following Note on ver. 164, in an ancient hand.

"Syr Hewe Mongomery takyn prizonar, was delyvered for the restorynge of Perssy."

V. 153. "one," i. e. “ on.” V. 165. Percyes. Harl. MS.

turies, and still remains. Thomas Haggerston was among the commissioners returned for Northumberland in 12 Hen. 6, 1433. (Fuller's Worthies, p. 310.) The head of this family at present is Sir Thomas Haggerston, Bart. of Haggerston abovementioned. N.B. The name is spelt Agerstone, as in the text, in Leland's Itinerary, Vol. vii. p. 54.

It

Ver. 113. Hartly.] Hartley is a village near the sea in the barony of Tinemouth, about 7 m. from North-Shields. probably gave name to a family of note at that time.

Ver. 114. Hearone.] This family, one of the most ancient, was long of great consideration, in Northumberland. Haddeston, the Caput Baronia of Heron, was their ancient Residence. It descended 25 Edw. 1. to the Heir General Emiline Heron, afterwards Baroness Darey.-Ford, &c. and Bockenfield (in com. eodem) went at the same time to Roger Heron the Heir Male; whose descendants were summoned to Parliament: Sir William Heron of Ford Castle being summoned 44 Edw. III.-Ford Castle hath descended by Heirs General to the family of Delaval (mentioned in the next article.)-Robert Heron, Esq. who died at Newark in 1753, (Father of the Right Hon. Sir Richard Heron, Bart.) was Heir Male of the Herons of Bockenfield, a younger branch of this family.-Sir Thomas Heron Middleton, Bart. is Heir Male of the Herons of Chip. Chase another branch of the Herons of Ford Castle.

Ver. 115. Lovele.] Joh. de Lavale, miles, was sheriff of Northumberland 34 Hen. VII.-Joh. de Lavele, mil. in the 1 Edw. VI. and afterwards. (Fuller. 313. In Nicholson this name is spelt Da Lovel, p. 304. This seems to be the ancient family of Delaval of Seaton Delaval, in Northumberland, whose Ancestor was one of the 25 Barons appointed to be Guardians of Magna Charta.

Ver. 117. Rugbè.] The ancient family of Rokeby, in Yorkshire, seems to be here intended. In Thoresby's Ducat. Leod. p. 253, fol. is a genealogy of this house, by which it appears that the head of the family, about the time when this ballad was written, was Sir Ralph Rokeby, Knt. Ralph being a common name of the Rokebys.

Ver. 119. Wetharryngton.] Rog. de Widrington was sheriff of Northumberland in 36 of Edw. III. (Fuller, p 311.)-Joh. de Widrington in 11 of Hen. IV. and many others of the same name afterwards.See also Nicholson, p. 331.-Of this family was the late Lord Witherington.

Ver. 124. Mongon-byrry.] Sir Hugh Montgomery was son of John Lord Montgomery, the lineal ancestor of the present Earl of Eglington.

Ver. 125. Lwdale.] The ancient family of the Liddels were originally from Scotland, where they were Lords of Liddel Castle, and of the Barony of Buff. (Vid. Collins's Peerage.) The head of this family is the present Lord Ravensworth, of Ravensworth Castle, in the county of Durham.