"All men of pleasant Tivydale, Fast by the river Tweede :"

"O cease your sport," Erle Percy said, "And take your bowes with speede.

55

"Show me," sayd hee, "whose men you bee,

That hunt soe boldly heere,

70

Thy cheefest harts to slay;"

Then Douglas swore a solempne oathe,
And thus in rage did

say;

80

“Let thou and I the battell trye,

And set our men aside."

"Accurst bee he," Erle Percy sayd,

"By whome this is denyed."

Then stept a gallant squier forth,

Witherington was his name,

90

Who said, "I wold not have it told
To Henry our king for shame,

95.

"That ere my captaine fought on foote,
And I stood looking on:

You bee two erles," sayd Witherington,

"And I a squier alone.

100

"Ile doe the best that doe I may,

While I have power to stand;

While I have power to wceld my sword,
Ile fight with hart and hand.”"

5 The four stanzas here inclosed in brackets, which are borrowed chiefly from the ancient copy, are offered to the reader instead of the following lines, which occur in the Editor's fol. MS.

"To drive the deere with hound and horne,

Douglas bade on the bent;

Two captaines moved with mickle might
Their speres to shivers went."

Throughout the English archery
They dealt full many a wound;
But still our valiant Englishmen
All firmly kept their ground.

And throwing strait their bows away,
They grasp'd their swords so bright:
And now sharp blows, a heavy shower,
On shields and helmets light.]

120

At last these two stout erles did meet,
Like captaines of great might;

"Yeeld thee, Lord Percy," Douglas sayd;

"In faith I will thee bringe,

That ever I did see."

"Noe, Douglas," quoth Erle Percy then,

66

Thy proffer I doe scorne;

I will not yeelde to any Scott,

That ever yett was borne."

150

A knight amongst the Scotts there was,
Which saw Erle Douglas dye,

170

Who streight in wrath did vow revenge

Upon the Lord Percye;

Sir Hugh Mountgomerye was he call'd,
Who, with a spere most bright,
Well-mounted on a gallant steed,

Ran fiercely through the fight;

175

And past the English archers all,

Without all dread or feare,

And through Earl Percyes body then
He thrust his hatefull spere

180

With such a vehement force and might

He did his body gore,

The speare ran through the other side
A large cloth-yard, and more.

So thus did both these nobles dye,
Whose courage none could staine;

An English archer then perceiv'd
The noble erle was slaine.

185

The battel scarce was done.

With stout Erle Percy, there was slaine,
Sir John of Egerton,

7

200

Sir Robert Ratcliff, and Sir John,

Sir James, that bold Baròn.

And with Sir George and stout Sir James,
Both knights of good account,

205

Good Sir Ralph Rabby there was slaine,

Whose prowesse did surmount.

For Witherington needs must I wayle,
As one in doleful dumpes;8

210

6 Sc. the Curfew-bell, usually rung at eight o'clock; to which the moderniser apparently alludes, instead of the Evensong-bell, or bell for vespers of the original author, before the Reformation.-Vide suprà, p. 9,

v. 97.

7 For the surnames, see the Notes at the end of the ballad.

8 i. e. "I, as one in deep concern, must lament." The construction here has generally been misunderstood. The old MS. reads wofull dumpes.