Holde the, Perse, 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' fayd the lord Perfè,
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,

35

40

45

50

That was, Fyghte ye, my merry men, whyllys ye

may,

For my lyff days ben gan.

The

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

* Wane. i. e. ane, one, fc. man. an arrow came from a mighty one : from a mighty man.

The Perse leanyde on his brande,

55

And fawe the Duglas de;

He tooke the dede man be the hande,

And fayd, Wo ys me for the!

To have favyde thy lyffe I wold 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 fawe the Duglas to the deth was dyght; He spendyd a spear a trusti tre :

He rod uppon a corsiare

Throughe a hondrith archery;
He never styntyde, nar never blane
Tyll he came to the good lord Perfè.

He fet uppone the lord Perse

A dynte, that was full foare; With a fuar 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 flain wear thare.

* V. 74. ber. PC. V. 78. ther. PC.

60

65

70

75

An

An archar off Northomberlonde

Say flean was the lord Perfè, He bar a bende-bow in his hande, Was made off trusti tre :

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

80

A dynt, that was both fad and foar,

85

He fat on Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry.

The dynt yt was both fad and 'foar,'
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-fong bell was rang
The battell was nat half done.

The tooke'on' on ethar hand
Be the lyght off the mone;

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95

100

Many

Many hade no strenght for to stande,
In Chyviat the hyllys abone.

Of fifteen hondrith archars of Ynglonde
Went away but fifti and thre;
Of twenty hondrith spear-men of Skotlonde,
But even five and fifti:

But all wear flayne Cheviat within :

The hade no strengthe to stand on he:

The chylde may rue that ysun-borne,
It was the mor pittè.

Thear was flayne with the lord Persè
Sir John of Agerstone,

Sir Roger the hinde Hartly,

Sir Wyllyam the bolde Hearone.

Sir Jorg the worthè Lovele

A knyght of great renowen,

Sir Raff the ryche Rugbè

With dyntes wear beaten dowene.

For Wetharryngton my harte was wo,

That ever he slayne shulde be;
For when both his leggis wear hewyne in to,
He knyled and fought on hys kne.

105

110

115

120

Ther

V. 102. abou. PC. V. 108. ftrenge.... hy. PC. V. 115. lóule. PC. V. 121, in to, i. e, in two, V. 122. Yet he...kny. FC.

Ther was flayne with the dougheti Douglas
Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry,

Sir Davye Lwdale, that worthè was,
His filtars fon 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 fo 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 flayne wear thear, On the march perti shall never be none.

140

Word ys commen to Edden-burrowe
To Jamy the Skottishe kyng,
Thát dougheti Duglas, lyff-tenant of the Merches,
He lay flean Chyviot with-in.

His handdes dyd he weal and wryng,
He fayd, Alas, and woe ys me!

V. 132. gay. PC. V. 136. mon. PC. V. 138. non. PC.

:

Such

For the Names in this and the foregoing page, see the Remarks at the