OF

SIR PHILIP SYDNEY'S DEFENCE OF POETRY.

I.

THE fine heroic song of Chevy-Chase has ever been admired by competent judges. Those genuine strokes of nature and artless passion, which have endeared it to the most simple readers, have recommended it to the most refined; and it has equally been the anzusement of our childhood, and the favorite of our riper years.

Mr. Addison has given an excellent critique* on this very popular ballad, but is mistaken with regard to the antiquity of the common-received copy; for this, if one may judge from the style, cannot be older than the time of Elizabeth, and was probably written after the eulogium of Sir Philip Sydney: perhaps in consequence of it. I flatter myself, I have here recovered the genuine antique poem; the true original song, which appeared rude even in the time of Sir Philip, and caused him to lament that it was so evil apparelled in the rugged garb of antiquity.

This curiosity is printed, from an old manuscript, at the end of Hearne's preface to Gul. Newbrigiensis Hist. 1719, 8vo. vol i. To the MS. copy is subjoined the name of the author, Rychard Shealet; whom Hearne had so little judgement as to suppose to be the same with a R. Sheale, who was living in 1588. But whoever examines the gradation of language and idiom in the folowing volumes, will be convinced that this is the production of an earlier poet. It is indeed expressly mentioned among some very ancient songs in an old book intituled, The Complaint of Scotland, (fol. 42), under the title of

the Huntis of Chevet, where the two following lines are also quoted:

The Perssee and the Mongumrye mette*,
That day, that day, that gentil day †:

which, though not quite the same as they stand in the ballad, yet differ not more than might be owing to the author's quoting from memory. Indeed, whoever considers the style and orthography of this old poem will not be inclined to place place it lower than the time of Henry VI.: as on the other hand the mention of JAMES THE SCOTTISH KING,, with one or two anachronisms, forbids us to assign it an earlier date. King James I, who was prisoner in this kingdom at the death of his fatherý, did not wear the crown of Scotland till the second year of our Henry VI.||, but before the end of that long reign a third James had mounted the throne. A succession of two or three Jameses, and the long detention of one of them in England, would render the name familiar to the English, and dispose a poet in those rude times to give it to any Scottish king he happened to men

ton.

So much for the date of this old ballad: with regard to its subject, although it has no countenance from history, there is room to think it had originally some foundation in fact. It was one of the Laws of the Marches frequently renewed between the two nations, that neither party should hunt in the other's borders, without leave from the proprietors or their

• See Pt. 2. v. 25. See Pt. 1. v. 104. ↑ Pt. 2. v 36, 140, Who died Aug. 5, 1406, in the 7th. year of our Hen. IV. James I. was crowned May 22, 1424; murdered Feb. 21.

1406-7.

In 1430.-Hen. VI. was deposed 1461: restored and slain, 1471.

deputies. There had long been a rivalship between the two martial families of Percy and Douglas, which, heightened by the national quarrel, must have produced frequent challenges and str egles for superiority, petty invasions of their respective domains, and sharp contests for the point of honour; which would not always be recorded in history. Something of this kind, we may suppose, gave rise to the ancient ballad of the Hunting a' the Cheviatt. Percy Earl of Northumberland had vowed to hunt for three days in the Scottish border, without condescending to ask leave from Earl Douglas, who was either lord of the soil, or lord warden of the marches. Douglas would not fail to resent the insult, and endeavour to repel the intruders by force: this would naturally produce a sharp conflict between the two parties; something of which, it is probable, did really happen, though not attended with the tragical circumstances recorded in the ballad: for these are evidently borrowed from the Battle of Otterbourn‡, a very different event, but which aftertimes would easily confound with it. That battle might be owing to some such previous affront as this of Chevy-Chase, though it has escaped the notice of historians. Our poet has evidently jumbled the two subjects together: if indeed the liness, in which this mistake is made, are not rather spurious, and the after-insertion of some person, who did not distinguish between the two

stories.

Hearne has printed this ballad without any division of stanzas, in long lines, as he found it in the old written copy: but it is usual to find the distinction of stanzas neglected in ancient MSS; where, to save room, two or three verses are frequently given in one line undivided. See flagrant instances in the Harleian Catalog. No. 2253. s. 29, 34, 61, 70, et passim.

THE FIRST FIT|.

THE Persè owt of Northombarlande,
And a vowe to God mayd he,
That he wolde hunte in the mountayns

Off Chyviat within dayes thre,
In the mauger of doughte Dogles,
And all that ever with him be.

The fattiste hartes in all Cheviat

He sayd he wold kill, and cary them away: Be my feth, sayd the dougheti Ďoglas agayn, I wyll let that hontyng yf that I may.

Then the Persè owt of Banborowe cam,
With him a myghtye meany;
With fifteen hondrith archares bold;

This begane on a Monday at morn
In Cheviat the hillys so he;
The chyld may rue that ys un-born,
It was the mor pitté.

The dryvars tho owe the woodes went
For to reas the dear;
Bomen bickarte uppone the bent
With ther browd aras cleare.

Then the wyld thorowe the woodes went
On every syde shear:
Grea-hondes thorowe the greves glent
For to kyll thear dear.

The begane in Chyviat the hyls above
Yerly on a monnyn day;

Be that it drewe to the oware off none
A hondrith fat hartes ded ther lay.

The blewe a mort uppone the bent,
The semblyd on sydis shear;
To the quyrry then the Persè went
To se the bryttlynge off the deare.

He sayd, It was the Duglas promys
This day to meet me hear;
But I wyste he wold faylle verament.
A gret oth the Persè swear.

15

20

21

30

35

40

At the laste a squyar of Northombelonde
Lokyde at his hand full ny,
He was war ath the doughetie Doglas comynge:
With him a mightè meany,

Both with spear, 'byll,' and brande :
Yt was a myghti sight to se,
Hardyar men both off hart nar hande
Were not in Christiantè.

The wear twenty hondrith spear-men good
Withouten any fayle;

The wear borne a-long be the watter a Twyde,
Yth bowndes of Tividale.

45

50

The wear chosen out of shyars thre*.

V. 5. magger in Hearne's PC. (Printed Copy). V. 11, The the Perse, PC. V. 13, archardes bolde off blood and bone, PC.

* Item....Concordatum est, quod.... nullus unius partis vel alterius ingrediatur terras, boschas, forrestas, warrenas, oca, dominia quæcunque alicujus partis alterius subditi, causa venandi, piscandi, ancupandi, disportum aut solatium in eisdem, aliave quæcunque de cansa, absque licentia ejus ....ad quem...loca.... pertinent, aut de deputatis suis prius capt. & obtent. Vid. Bp. Nicolson's Leges Marchiarum, 1705, 8vo, pp. 27, 51.

+ This was the original title. See the ballad, Pt. 1. v. 106 PL. 2, v. 165.

See the next ballad. Vid. Pt. 2. v. 167.

Fit, see ver. 100.

Tyll the bloode owte off their basnetes sprente,

As ever dyd heal or rayne.

90

Of Jamy our Scottish kynge.

I will never se my captayne fyght on a fylde, 95

Nethar in Ynglonde, Skottlonde, nar France, 85

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 him nam;

It shall never be told in Sothe-Ynglonde, he says,

To kyng Herry the fourth for sham.

I wat youe byn great lordes twaw,

I am a poor squyar of lande;

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 fitt here I fynde.

And youe wyll here any mor athe hountyng athe

Yet ys ther mor behynde.

THE SECOND FIT.

Nay 'then' sayd the lord Persè,

I tolde it the beforne,

That I wolde never yeldyde be

To no man of a woman born.

100

[Chyviat,

V. 65, whoys, PC. V. 71, agay, PC. V. 81, sayd the the. PC. V. 88, on, i. e. one. V. 3, first, i. e. flight. V. 5, byddys, PC.

This is probably corrupted in the MS. for Rog Widdrington, who was at the head of the family in the reign of K. Edw. III. There were several successively of the names of Roger and Ralph, but none of the name of Richard, as appears from the genealogies in the Heralds office. + Fit, vid. Gloss.

V. 17, boys, P. C. V. 18, briggt, PC. V. 21, thorowe, PC. V. 22, done, PC. V. 26, to, i. e. two. Ibid, and of, PC. V. 32, ran, PC. V. 33, helde, PC. V. 49, thorowe,

PC.

• Wane, i. e. ane, one, sc. man, an arrow came from a mighty one: from a mighty man.

+ This seems to have been a Gloss added.

Ther was slayne with the dougheti Douglas
Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry,
Sir Davye Lwdale, that worthe was,
His sistars son was he:

Sir Charles a Murrè, in that place,
That never a foot wolde fle;
Sir Hewe Maxwell, a lorde he was,
With the Duglas dyd he dey.

So on the morrowe the mayde them byears
Off byrch, and hasell so 'gray';
Many wedous with wepyng tears*
Cam to fach ther makys a-way.

Tivydale may carpe off care,

Northombarlond may mayk grat mone,
For towe such captayns, as slayne wear thear,
On the march perti shall never be none.

Word ys commen to Edden burrowe,

To Jamy the Skottishe kyng,

That dougheti Duglas, lyff-tenant of the Merches,

130

135

140

He lay slean Chyviot with-in.

Went away but fifti and thre;

Of twenty hondrith spear-men of Skotlonde, 105 But even five and fifti:

That lord Persè, leyff-tennante of the Merchis,
He lay slayne Chyviat within.

God have merci on his soll, sayd kyng Harry,

Good lord, yf thy will it be!

I have a hondrith captayns in Ynglonde, he saya,

As good as ever was hee:

But Persè, and I brook my lyffe,

Thy deth well quyte shall be.

V. 115, Ioule, PC. V. 121, in to, i. e. in two. V. 122, kny, PC. V. 132, gay, PC. V. 136, mon, PC. V. 138, non, PC. V. 146, ye seth, PC. V. 140, cheyff tennante, PC.

For the names in this page, see the Remarks at the end of the next Ballad.

• A commen pleonasm, see the next poem, Fit 2d. v. 155. So Harding, in his Chronicle, chap. 140, fol. 148, describing the death of Richard I. says,

He shrove him then unto Abbots thre
With great sobbyng .. and wepyng teares.

So likewise Cavendish in his Life of Cardinal Wolsey, chap. 12, p. 31, 4to. "When the duke heard this, he replied with weeping teares," &c

150

155