Wyth many a noble knyght;

'My Lorde, your father he gretes yow well,

He desyres yow to byde

35

That he may see thys fyght.

"The Baron of Grastoke ys com owt of the west,

Wyth hym a noble companye;

All they loge at your fathers thys nyght,

And the battel fayne wold they see."

"For Jesu's love," sayd Syr Harye Percy, "That dyed for yow and me,

40

Wende to my lorde my father agayne,
And saye thow saw me not with yee.

"My trowth ys plyght to yonne Skottysh knyght,

45

It nedes me not to layne,

That I schulde byde hym upon thys bent,

And I have hys trowth agayne:

"And if that I wende off thys grownde,

For soth, unfoughten awaye,

50

He wolde me call but a kowarde knyght
In hys londe another daye.

"Yet had I lever to be rynde and rente,

By Mary, that mykel maye,

Then ever my manhod schulde be reprovyd
Wyth a Skotte another daye.

55

"Wherfore schote, archars, for my sake,

And let scharpe arowes flee;

Mynstrells, playe up for your waryson,

And well quyt it schall be.

60

"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;

65.

That every man myght full well knowe;
By syde stode starres thre.

The whyte lyon on the Ynglysh parte,
Forsoth, as I yow sayne,

The lucetts and the cressawnts both;
The Skotts faught them agayne.3]

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,

4

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.

The Percy and the Dowglas mette,

85

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;

90

"Yelde the to me," sayd the Dowglàs,
"Or ells thow 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." 5

3 The arms of Douglas are pretty accurately emblazoned in the former stanza, especially 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.

Being all in armour, he could not know him.

Whyll I may stonde and fyght."

"By my good faythe," sayd the noble Percy,

"Now haste thou rede full ryght; Yet wyll I never yelde me to the,

They swapped together, whyll that they swette,

100

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 stonders stode styll on eke syde,

With many a grevous grone;

Ther the fowght the day, and all the nyght,

115

And many a dowghty man was 'slone.'

Syr James a Dowglas ther was slayne,
That daye that he cowde dye.

The Yerlle of Mentayne he was slayne,
Grysely groned uppon the growynd;
Syr Davy Scotte, Syr Walter Steward,
Syr John' of Agurstonne."

V. 116, slayne. MSS.

V. 124, i. e. he died that day.

125

Our old minstrel repeats these names, as Homer and Virgil do those of their heroes:

-fortemque Gyan, fortemque Cloanthum, &c. &c. Both the MSS. read here, "Sir James: but see above, Pt. 1, ver. 112.

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.

130

Ther was slayne upon the Skottes syde,
For soth as I yow saye,

Of fowre and forty thowsande Scotts

135

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.

140

Syr James Harebotell ther was slayne,
For hym ther hartes were sore;

That the Percyes standerd bore.

The gentyll Lovelle' ther was slayne,

V. 143, Covelle. MS. the end of this ballad. 7 Sc. captive.

For the names in this page, see the remarks at

V. 153, one, i. e. on.

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.s

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.

V. 165, Percyes. Harl. MS.

165

8 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."

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.

Page 10, ver. 112. Agerstone.] The family of Haggerston of Haggerston, near Berwick, has been seated there for many centuries, and still remains. Thomas Haggerston was among the commissioners returned for Northumberland in 12 Hen. VI. 1433 (Fuller's Worthies, p. 310). The head of this family at present is Sir Thomas Haggerston, Bart., of Haggerston above mentioned.

N.B. The name is spelt Agerstone, as in the text, in Leland's Itinerary, vol. vii. p. 54.

Ver. 113. Hartly.] Hartly is a village near the sea, in the barony of Tinemouth, about seven miles from North-Shields. It 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. I., to the heir general, Emeline Heron, afterwards Baroness Darcy. 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 Ed. VI. &nd