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 8] Then sayd the doughtè Doglas
Unto the lord Persè:

To kyll all thes giltles men,
A-las! it wear great pittè.

But, Persè, tho we art a lord of lande,
I am a yerle callyd within my contre;
Let all our men uppone a parti stande;
And do the battell off the and of me.

Nowe Cristes cors on his crowne, sayd the lord Persè,
Who-soever ther-to says nay.

70

75

80

Be my troth, doughtè Doglas, he says,
Thow shalt never se that day.

Nethar in Ynglonde, Skottlonde, nar France,
Nor for no man of a woman born,

But and fortune be my chance,

I dar met him on man for on.

Then bespayke a squyar off Northombarlonde,
Ric. Wytharynton was his nam;

It shall never be told in Sothe-Ynglonde, he says,
To kyng Herry the fourth for sham.

I wat youe byn great lordes twa,

I am a poor squyar of lande;

85

90

[I wyll 9] I wyll never se my captayne fyght on a fylde, 95 And stande my-selffe, and looke on,

But whyll I may my weppone welde
I wyll not 'fayl' both harte and hande.

That day, that day, that dredfull day:

The first FIT here I fynde.

100

And you wyll here any mor athe hontyng athe Chyviat
Yet ys ther mor behynd.

V. 71. agay. MS. V. 81. sayd the the. MS. one. V. 93. twaw. MS. V. 106 (7. 101). youe...

V. 88. on. i. e. hountyng. MS.

5

10

THE SECOND PART.

THE Yngglishe men hade ther bowys yebent,
Ther hartes were good yenoughe;

The first of arros that the shote off,
Seven skore spear-men the sloughe.

Yet bydys the yerle Doglas uppon the bent,
A captayne good yenoughe,

And that was sene verament,

For he wrought hom both woo and wouche.

The Dogglas pertyd his ost in thre,

Lyk a cheffe cheften off pryde,

[With 10] With suar speares off myghttè tre
The cum in on every syde.

Thrughe our Yngglyshe archery
Gave many a wounde full wyde;

15 Many a doughete the garde to dy,
Which ganyde them no pryde.

20

25

30

The Ynglyshe men let thear bowys be,

And pulde owt brandes that wer bright,

It was a hevy syght to se

Bryght swordes on basnites lyght.
Thorowe ryche male, and myne-ye-ple
Many sterne the stroke downe streght.
Many a freyke, that was full fre,
Ther undar foot dyd lyght.

At last the Duglas and the Persè met,
Lyk to captayns of myght and mayne;
The swapte togethar tyll the both swat
With swordes, that wear of fyn myllàn.
Thes worthè freckys for to fyght
Ther-to the wear full fayne,

Tyll the bloode owte off thear basnetes sprente,
As ever dyd heal or rayne.

V. 17. boys. MS.
V. 22. done. MS. 35
V. 32. ran. MS.

[Holde 11] Holde the, Persè, said the Doglas,
And i' feth I shall the brynge
Wher thowe shalte have a yerls wagis
Of Jamy our Scottish kynge.

Thoue shalte have thy ransom fre,

5

I hight the hear this thinge,

For the manfullyste man yet art thowe,
That ever I conqueryd in filde fightyng.

40

Nay 'then' sayd the lord Persè,

I tolde it the beforne,
That I wolde never yeldyde be

To no man of a woman born.

With that ther cam an arrowe hastely
Forthe off a mightie wane,

Hit hathe strekene the yerle Duglas
In at the brest bane.

Thoroue lyvar and longs bathe

The sharp arrowe ys gane,

That never after in all his lyffe days
He spayke mo wordes but ane,

45

50

That was, Fyghte ye, my myrry men, whyllys ye may,
For my lyff days ben gan.

[The 12] The Persè leanyde on his brande,

And sawe the Duglas de;

55

He tooke the dede man be the hande,

And sayd, Wo ys me for the!

To have savyde thy lyffe I wolde have pertyd with

My landes for years thre,

For a better man of hart, nare of hande

Was not in all the north countrè.

Off all that se a Skottishe knyght,

Was callyd Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry,
He sawe the Duglas to the deth was dyght;
He spendyd a spear a trusti tre:

He rod uppon a corsiare

Throughe a hondrith archery,

60

65

V. 33. helde. MS. V. 36. Scottish. MS. V. 49. throroue MS.

70

75

80

85

90

95

He never styntyde, nar never blane

Tyll he cam to the good lord Persè.
He set uppone the lord Persè

A dynte, that was full soare;

With a suar spear of a myghtè tre

Clean thorow the body he the Persè bore,
Athe tothar syde, that a man myght se,

A large cloth yard and mare:

Towe bettar captayns wear nat in Cristiantè,
Then that day slain wear thare.

[An 13] An archar off Northomberlonde
Say slean was the lord Persè,

100

He bar a bende-bow in his hande,
Was made off trusti tre:

An arow, that a cloth yarde was lang,
To th' harde stele halyde he;

A dynt, that was both sad and soar,
He sat on Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry.

The dynt yt was both sad and 'soar',
That he of Mongon-byrry sete;

The swane-fethars, that his arrowe bar,
With his hart blood the wear wete.

Ther was never a freake wone foot wolde fle,
But still in stour dyd stand,

Heawyng on yche othar, whyll the myght dre,
With many a bal-ful brande.

This battell begane in Chyviat

An owar befor the none,

And when even-song bell was rang

The battell was nat half done.

The tooke 'on' on ethar hand

Be the lyght off the mone;

[Many 14] Many hade no strenght for to stande, In Chyviat the hillys abone.

V. 74. ber. MS. V. 78. ther. MS. V. 80. Say, i. e. Sawe. 35 MS. (Ms. zu tilgen, corr.)

fallen). V. 84. haylde. MS.

(V. 84. bei th' der Apostroph abgeV.87. sar. MS. V. 102. abou. MS.

Of fifteen hondrith archars of Ynglonde
Went away but fifti and thre;

Of twenty hondrith spear-men of Skotlonde,
But even five and fifti:

105

5

But all wear slayne Cheviat within:

The hade no strengthe to stand on he:
The chylde may rue that ys un-borne,

It was the mor pittè.

110

That ever he slayne shulde be;

120

For when both his leggis wear hewyne in to,

20

He knyled and fought on hys kne.

[Ther 15] Ther was slayne with the dougheti Duglas

Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry,

Sir Davye Lwdale, that worthè was,
His sistars son was he:

125

Tivydale may carpe off care,

Northombarlond may mayk grat mone,

135

V. 121.

...

kny. MS.

V. 132.

35 V. 108. strenge. hy. MS. V. 115. lōule. MS. in to, i. e. in two. V. 122. Yet he

*

gay. MS.

V. 136. mon. MS.

[Vgl. hiezu ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS in Vol. III. p. 333 f.]