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Such another captayn Skotland within,
He fayd, y-feth shuld never be.

Worde ys commyn to lovly Londone
Till the fourth Harry our kyng,
That lord Persè, leyff-tenante of the Merchis,
He lay flayne Chyviat within.

God have merci on his foll, sayd kyng Harry,
Good lord, yf thy will it be!

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I have a hondrith captayns in Yynglonde, he sayd,

As good as ever was hee :

But Persè, and I brook my lyffe,

Thy deth well quyte shall be.

As our noble kyng made his a-vowe,
Lyke a noble prince of renowen,
For the deth of the lord Perfè,
He dyd the battel of Hombyll-down:

Wher syx and thritte Skottish knyghtes
On a day wear beaten down :
Glendale glytteryde on ther armor bryght,
Over castill, towar, and town.

This was the hontynge off the Cheviat;
That tear begane this spurn:

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Old

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P. 146. ye feth. PC. V. 149. cheyff tennante. PC,

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 dougghté Doglas flean,
The Perse never went away.

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Ther was never a tym on the march partes
Sen the Doglas, and the Perse met,
But yt was marvele, and the rede blude ronne not,
As the reane doys in the stret.

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Jhefue Crift our balys bete,

And to the blys us brynge!

Thus was the hountynge of the Chevyat:
God send us all good ending!

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II. THE

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

The battle of Hombyll-down, or Humbleton, was fought Sept. 14. 1402. (anno 3. Hen. IV.) wherein the English, under the command of the E. of Northumberland, and bis Son Hotspur, gained a compleat victory over the Scots. The village of HUMBLETON is one mile north-west from Wooller in Northumberland: near it are two hills, which retain to this day evident marks of encampments.-Humbleton 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 flain 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 excuseable, 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 unbiaffed. Froissart's relation is prolix; I shall therefore give it 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 tak"ing advantage of the confufions of this nation, and falling " with a party into the west-marches, ravaged the country " about Carlisle, and carried off 300 prisoners. It was with

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a much greater force, headed by some of the principal no"bility, 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

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

† And, according to the ballad, that part of Northumberland called Bamboroughshire; a large tract of land so named from the town and caftle of Bamborough; formerly the refidence of the Northumbrian Kings.

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" in a skirmish, they took a penon' or colours * belonging to Henry lord Percy, furnamed Hotspur, fon to the earl of " Northumberland. In their retreat home, they attacked the castle of Otterbourn: and in the evening of Aug. 9. (as the English writers fay, or rather, according to Froissart, Aug. 15.) after an unsuccessful affault were furprized in " their camp, which was very strong, by Henry, who at the first onset put them into a good deal of confusion. But James earl of Douglas rallying his men, there ensued one of the best-fought actions that happened in that age; buth armies shewing the utmost braveryt: the earl Douglas himself being flain on the spot ; the earl of Murrey mortally wounded; and Hotspur \\, with his brother Ralph Percy, taken prisoners. These disasters on bath fides have given occafion to the event of the engagement's being difputed; Froiffart (who derives his relation from a Scotch " knight, two gentlemen of the same country, and as many

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of Foix+) affirming that the Scots remained masters of the field; and the English writers infinuating the contrary. These last maintain that the English had the better of the day: but night coming on, some of the northern lords, coming with the bishop of Durham to their afsistance, kil" led

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* This circumstance is omitted in the ballad. Hotspur and Douglas were two young warriors much of the fame age.

+ Froiffart Says the English exceeded the Scots in number three to one, but that these bad the advantage of the ground, and were also fresh from leep, while the English were greatly fatigued with their previous march.

† By Henry L. Percy, according to this ballad, and our old English biftorians, as Stow, Speed, cc. but borne down by numbers, if we may believe Froiffart.

Hotspur (after a very sharp conflict) was taken prisoner by John lord Montgomery, whose eldest son Sir Hugh was flain in the same action with an arrow, according to Crawfurd's Peerage (and seems also to be alluded to in the foregoing ballad, p. 13.) but taken prisoner and exchanged for Hotspur, according to this ballad.

+ Froiffart (according to the Eng. Translation) fays be bad bis ac count from two Squires of England, and from a kright and squire of Scot land, foon after the battle.

"led many of them by mistake, fuppofing them to be Scots;

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and the earl of Dunbar at the same time falling on an"other fide upon Hotspur, took him and his brother prisoners, and carried them off while both parties were fighting. It is at least certain, that immediately after this "battle the Scots engaged in it made the best of their way home: and the same party was taken by the other corps about Carlifle."

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Such is the account collected by Carte, in which he feems not to be free from partiality: for prejudice must own that Froissart's circumstantial account carries a great appearance of truth, and he gives the victory to the Scots. He however does justice to the courage of both parties; and represents theèr mutual generofity in such a light, that the present age might edify by the example." "The Englysshmen on the one partye, " and Scottes on the other party, are good men of warre, " for whan they mete, there is a hard fighte without Spa

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rynge. There is no hoo* betwene them as long as speares, "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 so in their dedes of armes, and are so joyfull, that fuche as "be taken, they shall be ranfomed or they go out of the feldet; "fo that shortely ECHE OF THEM IS SO CONTENTE

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WITH OTHER, THAT AT THEIR DEPARTYNGE, CURTOYSLY THEY WILL SAYE, GOD THANKE YOU. "But in fyghtynge one with another there is no playe, nor "Sparynge." Froiffart's Cronycle, (as translated 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 jonge made in R. 2. his tyme of the battele of “Otterburne, betweene Lord Henry Percye earle of North"omberlande and the earle Douglas of Scotlande, Anno 1388."

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* So in Langham's letter concerning 2. Elizabeth's entertainment at Killingworth Castle, 1575. 12°. p. 61. "Heer was no bo in derout drinkyng."

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

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