35

45

“ My Lorde, your father he gretes yow well,

Wyth many a noble knyght; He desyres yow to byde

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, Wende to my lorde my father agayne,

And saye thow saw me not with yee.
“My trowth ys plyght to yonne Skottysh knyght,

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,
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.
“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.

The whyte lyon on the Ynglysh parte,

Forsoth, as I yow sayne,
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.

75

80

Sent George the bryght, owr ladyes knyght,

To name they 4 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,

That ether of other was fayne;
They schapped together, whyll that the swette,

With swords of fyne Collayne ;

90

Tyll the bloode from ther bassonetts ranne

As the roke doth in the rayne; “ 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

95 110

“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.”

100 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.
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;
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.'
Ther was no freke that ther wold flye,

But styffly in stowre can stond,
Ychone hewyng on other whyll they myght drye,
Wyth many a bayllefull bronde.

120 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 of Mentayne he was slayne,

125
Grysely groned uppon the growynd;
Syr Davy Scotte, Syr Walter Steward,

Syr. John’ of Agurstonne.

V. 116, slayne. MSS. V. 124, 1.e. he died that day. o 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.

130

135

140

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.
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 nyght and the day;
Ther the Dowglas lost hys lyfe,

And the Percy was lede awaye.?

145

150

155

160

V. 143, Covelle. MS. For the names in this page, see the remarks at the end of this ballad. V. 153, one, i. e. on.

. Sc. captive.

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.

165

V. 165, Percyes. Harl. MS. 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 Baroniæ 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 beirs 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. and