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:

35

40

My trowth ys plyght to yonne Skottysh knyght,

45

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,

50

He wolde me call but a kowarde knyght
In hys londe another daye.

The blodye Harte in the Dowglas armes,
Hys standerde stode on hye;

65

That every man myght full well knowe:
By syde stode Starres thre.

The whyte Lyon on the Ynglysh parte,

70

Forsoth as I yow sayne;

The Lucetts and the Cressawnts both:
The Skotts faught them agayne1.]

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

Sent George the bryght owr ladyes knyght,
To name they 2 were full fayne,

Owr Ynglysshe men they cryde on hyght,
And thrysse the schowtte agayne.

80

That ether of other was fayne;

They schapped together, whyll that the swette,
With swords of fyne Collayne;

Tyll the blood from ther bassonetts ranne,
As the roke doth in the rayne.

90

Yelde the to me, sayd the Dowglas,

Or ells thow schalt be slayne:

1 The arms of Douglas are pretty accurately emblazoned in the former stanza, especially if the readings were, The crowned harte, and Above stode starres thre, it would be minutely exact at this day. As for the Percy family, one of their ancient badges or cognizances was a white lyon, statant; and the silver crescent continues to be used by them to this day: they also give three luces argent for one of their quarters.

2 i. e. The English.

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 knyght3.

By my good faythe, sayd the noble Percy,

Now haste thou rede full ryght,

Yet wyll I never yelde me to the,

95

He smote the Dowglas at the swordes length,
That he felle to the growynde.

With many a grevous grone;

Ther the fowght the day, and all the nyght,
And many a dowghty man was 'slone.'

115

Ther was no freke, that ther wolde flye,

But styffly in stowre can stond,

Ychone hewyng on other whyll they myght drye,
Wyth many a bayllefull bronde.

V. 116, slayne. MSS.

8 Being all in armour, he could not know him.

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 Mentaye he was slayne,
Grysely groned uppon the growynd;
Syr Davy Scotte, Syr Walter Steward,
Syr 'John' of Agurstonne1.

Syr Charlles Morrey in that place

125

Ther was slayne upon the Ynglysshe syde,
For soth and sertenlye,

A gentell knyght, Sir John Fitz-hughe,

Yt was the more petye.

140

Ther was slayne uppon the Ynglyssh perte,
For soth as I yow saye;

145

V. 143, Covelle. MS. For the names

V. 124, i. e. he died that day.

in this page, see the remarks at the end of this ballad.

4 Our old minstrel repeats these names, as Homer and Virgil do those of their heroes:

fortemque Gyam, fortemque Cloanthum, &c. &c. Both the MSS. read here, "Sir James:" but see above, Pt. 1. ver. 112.

To bryng hys sowle to the blysse of heven,
For he was a gentyll knyght.

165

**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.

Pag. 12. ver. 112. Agerstone.] The family of Haggerston V. 153, one, i. e. on. V. 165, Percyes. Harl. MS.

5 Sc. captive.

6 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."