Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

Such anothar captayn Skotland within,
He fayd, y-feth fhuld never be.

Worde ys commyn to lovly Londone
Till the fourth Harry our kyng,

That lord Perfè, leyff-tenante of the Merchis,

He lay flayne Chyviat within.

God have merci on his foll, fayd kyng Harry,

Good lord, yf thy will it be !

141

150

I have a hondrith captayns in Ynglonde, he fayd,' As good as ever was he:

155

But Perfè, and I brook my lyffe,

Thy deth well quyte fhall be.

As our noble kyng made his a-vowe,
Lyke a noble prince of renowen,

For the deth of the lord Perfè,

He dyde the battel of Hombyll-down :

Wher fyx and thritte Skottish knyghtes

On a day wear beaten down :

Glendale glytteryde on ther armor bryght,

Over caftill, towar, and town.

160

This was the hontynge off the Cheviat ;

165

That tear begane this spurn:

Old

V. 146. ye feth, MS. V. 149, cheyff tennante. MS

Old men that knowen the grownde well yenoughe,

Call it the Battell of Otterburn.

At Otterburn began this spurne

Uppon a monnyn day :

Ther was the dougghtè Doglas flean,

The Perfè never went away.

Ther was never å tym on the march partes
Sen the Doglas, and the Perfè met,

179

But yt was marvele, and the rede blude ronne not,
As the reane doys in the stret.

Jhefue Crift our balys bete,

And to the blys us brynge!

Thus was the hountynge of the Chevyat:

God fend us all good endyng!

180

The ftile of this and the following ballad is uncommonly rugged and uncouth, owing to their being writ in the very coarfeft and broadeft northern Dialect.

Moft of the fur-names in these two poems, as well as in the modern fong of Chevy Chase, will be found either in the lifts belonging to the northern counties in Fuller's Worthies, or Jubfcribed to treaties preferved in Nicholson's Laws of the Borders. See alfe Crawfurd's Peerage.

The battle of Hombyll-down, or Homeldon, was fought Sep. 14. 1402. (anno 3. Hen. IV.) wherein the English, under the command of the E. of Northumberland, and his fore Hotspur, gained a compleat victory over the Scots.

VOL. III.

C

THE

II.

THE BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE.

The only battle, wherein an Earl of Douglas was flair fighting with a Percy, was that of Otterbourn, which is the fubject of this ballad. It is here related with the allowable partiality of an English poet, and much in the fame manner as it is recorded in the English Chronicles. The Scottish writers have, with a partiality at least as excufeable, related it no less in their own favour. Luckily we have a very circumftantial narrative of the whole affair from Froilart a French hiftorian, who appears to be unbiassed. Froiffart's relation is prolix; I shall therefore give it as abridged by Carte, who has however had recourfe to other authorities, and differs from Froissart in some things, which I fhall note in the margin.

In the twelfth year of Richard II. 1388, "The Scots tak"ing advantage of the confufions of this nation, and falling with a party into the weft-marches, ravaged the country about Carlisle and carried off 300 prifoners. It was with "a much greater force, headed by fome of the principal no"bility, that in the beginning of Auguft, they invaded

Northumberland: and baving wafted part of the county ❝ of Durham †, advanced to the gates of Newcastle; where

« in

Froiffart speaks of both parties (confifting in all of more than 40,000 men) as entering England at the fame time: but the greater part by way of Carlife.

+ And, according to the ballad, that part of Northumberland called Bamborough-ward (or shire): a large tract of land so named from the town and caftle of Bamburgh.

66

66

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

«in a skirmish, they took a penon or' colours* belonging to Henry lord Percy, furnamed Hotfpur, fon to the Earl of North“umberland. In their retreat home, they attacked the caftle " of Otterbourn: and in the evening of Aug. 9. (as the English writers fay, or rather, according to Froiffart, Aug. 15.) after an unsuccessful affault were furprized in "their camp, which was very firong, by Henry, who at "the first onfet put them into a good deal of confufion. But James earl of Douglas, rallying his men, there enfued one of the best-fought actions that happened in that age; both "armies fhewing the utmost bravery †: the earl Douglas himself being flain on the Spot ; the earl of Murrey mor"tally wounded; and Hotspur ||, with his brother Ralph Percy, taken prisoners. Thefe difafters on both fides have “given oocafion to the event of the engagement's being dif"puted; Froiffart (who derives his relation from a Scotch knight, two gentlemen of the fame country, and as many of Foix ) affirming that the Scots remained masters of the field; and the English writers infinuating the contrary. Thefe laft maintain that the English had the better of the "day:

66

[ocr errors]

66

86

66

66

*This circumftance is omitted in the ballad. Lord Percy and E. Douglas were two young warriors much of the fame age.

Froiffart fays the English exceeded the Scots in number three to one, but that thefe had the advantage of the ground, and were alfo fresh from fleep, while the English were greatly fatigued with their previous march.

By Henry L. Percy according to this ballad, and our old Englifb hiftorians, as Stow, Speed, &c. but borne down by numbers, if we may belive Froiffart.

Henry Lord Percy (after a very sharp conflict) was taken prifoner by John lord Montgomery, whofe eldest fon Sir Hugh was Jain in the fame action with an arrow, according to Crawfurd's Peerage (and feems alfo to be alluded to in the foregoing ballad, p. 13.) but taken prisoner and exchanged for Lord Percy according to this ballad.

Froilart (according to the Eng. Tranflation) fays he had hi account from two fquires of England, and from a knight an d fquire of Scotland, foon after the battle.

VOL. III.

C 2

66

[ocr errors]

"day but night coming on, Some of the northern lords, coming with the bishop of Durham to their affiftance, killed many of them by miflake, fuppofing them to be Scots; and "the earl of Dunbar at the fame time falling on another fide upon Hotspur, took him and his brother prisoners, and car"ried them off while both parties were fighiing. It is at "leaft certain, that immediately after this battle, the Scots engaged in it made the best of their way home: and the fame party was taken by the other corps about Carlisle.

[ocr errors]

He however

Such is the account collected by Carte, in which he seems not to be free from partiality; for prejudice muft orvn that Froiffart's circumftantial account carries a great appearance of truth, and he gives the victory to the Scots. does juftice to the courage of both parties; and reprefents their mutual generofity in fuch a light, that the prefent age might edify by the example. "The Englysfomen on the one party, "and Scottes on the other party, are good men of warre, for "whan they mete there is a hard fighte without fparynge. "There is no boo* byt-wene them as long as fpeares, fwordes,

axes, or dagers wyll endure, but lay on eche upon other: "and whan they be well beaten, and that the one party hath "obtayned the victory, they than glorifye fo in their dedes of "armes, and are fo joyfull, that Juche as be taken, they shall "be raunfomed or they go out of the felde † ; so that shortely

66 ECHE OF THEM IS SO CONTENTE WITH OTHER, 66 THAT AT THEIR DEPARTYNGE, CURTOYSLY THEY

[ocr errors]

66 WILL SAYE, GOD THANKE YOU. But in fyghtynge one with another there is no playe, nor Sparynge." FroifJart's Cronycle (as tranflated by Sir Johan Bourchier Lord Berners) Cap. cxlij.

The following ballad is printed from a manuscript copy in the Harleian Collection [No. 293. fol. 52.] where it is intitled, "A fonge made in R. 2. bis tyme of the battele of " Otter

*So in Langham's letter concerning 2. Elizabeth's entertainment at Killingworth Castle, 1575. 12o. p. 61.

bo in devrut drinkyng.”

"Heer was no

†i. e. They fearn to take the advantage, or to keep them lingering in long captivity.

« AnteriorContinuar »