RELIQUES OF ANCIENT POETRY, &c.. "I never neard the old song of Percie and Douglas, that I found not my heart moved more than with a trumpet; and yet 'it' is sung but by some blinde crowder, with no rougher voice, than rude style: which beeing so evill apparelled in the dust cobweb of that uncivill age, what would it work, trimmed in the gorgeous eloquence of Pindare!" SIR PHILIP SYDNEY'S DEFENCE OF POETRY. SERIES THE FIRST. BOOK I. 1. THE ANCIENT BALLAD OF CHEVY-CHASE. 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 anusement 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 Sheale† ; 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 • Spectator, No. 70, 74. + Subscribed, after the usual manner of our old poets, EXPLICETH [explicit] QUOтH RYCHARD SHEALD. One of the earliest productions of the Scottish press, now to be found. The title page was wanting in the copy here quoted; but it is supposed to have been printed in 1540. See Ames. the Huntis of Chevet, where the two following lines are also quoted: The Perssee and the Mongumrye mette*, 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 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 father§, 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 t on. 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 an slain, 1471. A 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 supe riority, 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 lines, 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 Northonibarlande, And a vowe to God mayd he, That he wolde hunte in the mountayns This begane on a Monday at morn The dryvars tho owe the woodes went Then the wyld thorowe the woodes went For to kyll thear dear. The begane in Chyviat the hyls above Be that it drewe to the oware off none The blewe a mort uppone the bent, He sayd, It was the Duglas promys At the laste a squyar of Northombelonde 15 20 ར 30 35 40 He was war ath the doughetie Doglas comynge: With him a mightè meany, Off Chyviat within dayes thre, In the mauger of doughtè 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 Doglas agayn, I wyll let that hontyng yf that I may. Then the Persè owt of Banborowe cam, With fifteen hondrith archares bold; The wear chosen out of shyars thre*. The wear borne a-long be the watter a Twyde, Yth bowndes of Tividale. 30 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 el 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 apt. & obtent. Vid. Bp. Nicolson's Leges Marchiarum, 1705, 8vo, pp. 27, 51. + This was the original title. See the ballad, Pt. 1. v. 106 Pt. 2, v. 165. A bolder barne was never born. 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 rames of Roger and Ralph, but none of the name of Richard, as appears from the genealogies in the Heralds office. + Fit, vid. Gloss. The Dogglas pertyd his ost in thre, Thrughe our Yngglishe archery The Yngglyshe men let thear bowys be, Bryght swordes on basnites lyght. Thorowe ryche male, and myne-ye-ple Many sterne the stroke downe streight: At last the Duglas and the Persè met, Thes worthè freckys for to fyght Tyll the bloode owte off their basnetes sprente, Holde the, Persè, sayd 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, I hight the hear this thinge, For the manfullyste man yet art thowe, That ever I conqueryd in filde fightyng. Nay 'then' sayd the lord Persè, To no man of a woman born. With that ther cam an arrowe hastely Thoroue lyvar and longs bathe The sharp arrowe ys gane, That never after in all his lyffe days, He spayke mo wordes but ane, That was t, Fyghte ye, my merry men, whyllys ye 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. This was the hontynge off the Cheviat; That tear begane this spurn : Old men that knowen the grownde well yenoughe, Jhesue Christ our balys bete, And to the blys us brynge! Thus was the hountynge of the Chevyat : 180 The style of this and the following ballad is uncommonly rugged and uncouth, owing to their being writ in the very coarsest and broadest northern dialect. The battle of Hombyll-down, or Humbledon, was fought Sept. 14, 1402 (anno 3 Hen. IV.), wherein the English, under the command of the E. of Nor thumberland, and his son Hotspur, gained a com plete victory over the Scots. The village of Hum bledon is one mile north-west from Wooler, in Nor thumberland. The battle was fought in the field below the village, near the present turnpike road, in a spot called ever since Red-Riggs.-Humbledon is in Glendale Ward, a district so named in this county, and mentioned above in ver. 163. II. THE BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE. THE only battle, wherein an Earl of Douglas was slain fighting with a Percy, was that of Otterbourn, which is the subject of this ballad. It is here related with the allowable partiality of an English poet, and much in the same manner as it is recorded in the English Chronicles. The Scottish writers have, with a partiality at least as excusable, related it no less in their own favour. Luckily we have a very circumstantial narrative of the whole affair from Froissart, a French historian, who appears to be unbiassed. Froissart's relation is prolix; I shall therefore give it, with a few corrections, as abridged by Carte, who has however had recourse to other authorities, and differs from Froissart in some things, which I shall note in the margin. In the twelfth year of Richard II., 1388, "The Scots taking advantage of the confusions of this nation, and falling with a party into the Westmarches, ravaged the country about Carlisle, and carried off three hundred prisoners. It was with a much greater force, headed by some of the principal nobility, that, in the beginning of August, they invaded Northumberland; and, having wasted part of the county of Durhamt, advanced to the gates of Newcastle; where, in a skirmish, they took a 'penon or colours belonging to Henry Lord Percy, surnamed Hotspur, son to the Earl of Northumberland. In their retreat home, they attacked a castle near Otterbourn and, in the evening of Aug. 9, (as the English writers say; or rather, according to Froissart, Aug. 15,) after an unsuccessful assault, were Frossart speaks of both parties (consisting in all of more than 40,000 men) as entering England at the same time; but the greater part by way of Carlisle. + And, according to the ballad, that part of Northumber land called Bamboroughshire; a large tract of land so named from the town and castle of Bamborough, forn.eily the residence of the Northumbrian Kings. This circumstance is omitted in the ballad. Hotspur and Douglas were two young warriors much of the same age. surprised in their camp, which was very strong, by both sides have given occasion to the event of the These last maintain that the English had the better of the Froissart says the English exceeded the Scots in number three to one, but that these had the advantage of the ground, and were also fresh from sleep, while the English were greatly fatigued with their previous march. t By Henry L. Percy, according to this ballad, and our old English historians, as Stow, Speed, &c. but borne down by numbers, if we may believe Froissart. Hotspur (after a very sharp conflict) was taken prisoner by John Lord Montgomery, whose eldest son, Sir Hugh, was slain in the same action with an arrow, according to Crawford's Peerage (and seems also to be alluded to in the foregoing ballad, but taken prisoner and exchanged for Hotspur, according to this ballad." Froissart (according to the Eng. Translation) says he had his account from two squires of England, and from a knight and squire of Scotland, soon after the battle. |