RELIQUES OF ANCIENT POETRY, ETC. SERIES THE FIRST. Book E. THE ANCIENT BALLAD OF CHEVY-CHASE. "THE song of Chevy Chase is the favourite ballad of the common people of England; and Ben Jonson used to say that he had rather have been the author of it than of all his works." The remark is Addison's, but his commentary, in the "Spectator," refers to a later composition, which the famous panegyric of Sidney had probably inspired. Bishop Percy believed that he had recovered the genuine Poem, the song of "Percy and Douglas," as it was sung by the blind "crowder." He printed the ballad "from an old MS. at the end of Hearne's Preface to G. Newbrigiensis Hist., 1719, 8vo., vol. i.:" the name of the transcriber, or author, being Richard Sheale, a minstrel in the service of Edward Earl of Derby, who died 1574. The style and the orthography place this ballad not later than the time of Henry VI.; while the mention of James, the Scottish king, forbids us to assign to it an earlier date. King James 1., who was prisoner in this country at the death of his father, did not wear the crown of Scotland till the second year of our Henry VI., but before the end of that long reign, a third James had mounted the throne. A succession of two or three James's, and the long detention of one of them in England, would render the name familiar to the English, and dispose a poet, in those rude times, to give it to any Scottish monarch whom he might happen to mention. The Ballad, without being historical, may have had some foundation in fact. The law of the Marches interdicted either nation from hunting on the borders of the other, without leave from the proprietors, or their deputies. The long rivalry between the martial families of Percy and Douglas must have burst into many sharp feuds and little incursions not recorded in history; and the old ballad of the " Hunting a' the Cheviat," which was the original title, may have sprung out of such a quarrel. Percy, Earl of Northumberland, had vowed to hunt for three days in the Scottish border, without condescending to ask leave B from Earl Douglas, Lord Warden of the Marches. Douglas could not fail to resent the insult, and endeavour to repel the intruder by force. A fierce conflict probably ensued, though not attended by the tragical circumstances recorded in the ballad; for these are evidently borrowed from the "Battle of Otterbourne," which might be owing to some such previous affront as this of Chevy Chase. The two subjects are here jumbled together, if, indeed, the passage be not the insertion of a later pen. Most of the names in the following Ballad, and in that of "Otterbourne," belonged to distinguished families in the North. Sir Walter Scott supposes Agerstone, or Haggerston, to have been one of the Rutherfords, Barons of Edgerston, a warlike family long settled on the Scottish border, and then retainers of the house of Douglas. The "hinde Hartly" probably took his name from Hartley, a village on the coast, near Tynemouth. The "bold Hearone" belonged to a brave race having their abode in the old seat of Haddeston. "Worthé Lovele" is conjectured, by Scott, to have been Sir John de Lavall, of De Lavall Castle, and Sheriff in the 34th year of Henry VIII.; and he identifies the "ryche Rugbé" with Ralph Neville, of Raby Castle, son of the first Earl of Westmoreland, and cousin-german to Hotspur. "Sir Davye Liddale" represents the Liddells of Ravensworth Castle. "Chevy Chase," notwithstanding its length, appears to have been often sung in the seventeenth century. Bishop Corbet sang it in his youth; and Mr. Chappell ("On Popular Music "), quotes a husband numbering among the good qualities of his wife, "her curious voice wherewith she used to sing Chevy Chase.'" THE FIRST FIT. THE Persè owt of Northombarlande, The fattiste hartes in all Cheviat He sayd he wold kill, and cary them away: Then the Persè owt of Banborowe cam, 1 Owt-out. 3 Let-hinder. 2 Mauger-spite of 5 Shyars-shires; meaning, probably, 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 HolyIsland: Norehamshire, so called from the town and castle of Noreham (or Norham) and Bamboroughshire, the ward or hundred belonging to Bam borough-castle and town." : This begane on a monday at morn In Cheviat the hillys so he;1 The chyld may rue that It was the mor pitté. ys un-born, The dryvars thorowe the woodes went Bomen3 bickarte uppone the bent Then the wylds thorowe the woodes went Grea-hondes thorowe the greves glent The begane in Chyviat the hyls above Be that it drewe to the oware10 off none The blewe a mort" uppone the bent, He sayd, It was the Duglas promys At the laste a squyar of Northombelonde He was war athis the doughetie Doglas comynge: Both with spear, 'byll,"19 and brande: 1 He-high. 2 Reas-rouse. 3 Bomen, &c.--bowmen skirmished кроп the rough grass. Aras-arrow's. 7 Grea-hondes, &c.-greyhounds through the bushes. Yerly-early. 9 Monynday-Monday. 10 Oware, &c.-hour of noon. A mort-the name of the notes blown at the death of the stag. 12 The-they. 14 Quyrry-quarry, slaughtered game. 16 Verament truly. 13 Sydis shear-on all sides. 17 Lokyde-looked is Bryttlynge-cutting up. 19 Byll-battle-are; brande-sword. 20 Eart, &c.-heart nor hand. The wear twenty hondrith spear-men good The wear borne a-long be the watter a Twyde, Leave off the brytlyng of the dear, he sayde, The dougheti Dogglas on a stede Tell me 'what' men ye ar, he says, Who gave youe leave to hunte in this The first manes that ever him an answear mayd, We wyll not tell the what' men we ar, he says, But we wyll hount hear in this chays In the spyte of thyne, and of the. The fattiste hartes in all Chyviat We have kyld, and cast to carry them a-way. 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: But, Perse, thowe art a lord of lande, Nowe Criste's cors' on his crowne, sayd the lord Persè, Be my troth, doughtè Doglas, he says, 1 Yth-in the. Chays-chase. 7 Yerle-Earl. 2 Sithe-since. 3 Glede-red hot coal. 5 Mane-man. Ton of us, &c.-the one of us shall die. Nethar in Ynglonde, Skottlonde,1 nar France, I dar met him on man for on. Then bespayke a squyar off Northombarlonde, It shall never be told in Sothe-Ynglonde, he says, I wat youe byn great lordes twaw,3 I wyll never se my captayne fyght on a fylde, That day, that day, that dredfull day : And youe wyll here any mor athe hountyng athe THE SECOND FIT. [Chyviat, THE Yngglishe men hade ther bowys yebent, The first of arros that the shote off, Seven skore spear-men the sloughe.5 Yet bydys the yerle Doglas uppon the bent, And that was sene? verament, For he wrought hom both woo and wouche.s The Dogglas pertyd his ost in thre, Thrughe our Yngglishe archery 1 Skottlonde-Scotland. 2 This is probably corrupted in the MS. for Rog. Widdrington, who was at the head of the family in the reign of K. Edw. III. There were several successively of the names of Roger and Ralph, but none of the name of Richard, as appears from the genealogies in the Herald's office. 3 Twaw-two. * Welde-wield. 5 Sloughe-slew. 7 Sene, &c.-seen truly. Bydys-abides. Wouche-mischief. 9 Pertyd, &c.-parted his host. 10 Suar-sure. 11 Myghtte-mighty. 12 The cum-they come. 13 Many a doughty man they made to die. 14 Ganyde- gained. |