Ther was flayne with the dougheti Douglas' Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry, Tivydale may' carpe' off care, Northombarlond' may mayk grat mone, For towe such captayns, as flayne wear thear, Word ys commen to Edden-burrowe To Jamy the Skottishe kyng, 135 140 That dougheti Duglas, lyff-tenant of the Merches, 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, fee the Remarks at the end of the next Ballad. Such another captayn Skotland within, Worde ys commyn to lovly Londone That lord Perfè, leyff-tenante of the Merchis, God have merci on his foll, fayd kyng Harry, Good lord, yf thy will it be! 145 150 I have a hondrith captayns in Yynglonde, he fayd, As good as ever was hee: But Perfè, and I brook my lyffe, Thy deth well quyte fhall be. As our noble kyng made his a-vowe, For the deth of the lord Perfè, He dyd the battel of Hombyll-down: Wher fyx and thritte Skottish knyghtes On a day wear beaten down : Glendale glytteryde on ther armor bryght, Over caftill, towar, and town. 155 160 This was the hontynge off the Cheviat; 165 That tear begane this fpurn: Old V. 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 fpurne Ther was the dougghté Doglas flean, The Perfè never went away. Ther was never a tym on the march partes But 170 yt was marvele, and the rede blude ronne not, As the reane doys in the ftret. 176 Jhefue Crift our balys bete, And to the blys us brynge! Thus was the hountynge of the Chevyat: God fend us all good ending! 180 II. THE The ftyle of this and the following ballad is uncom monly rugged and uncouth, owing to their being writ in the very coarjeft and broadest 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 his fon Hotspur, gained a compleat victory over the Scots. The village of HUMBLETON is one mile north-weft 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 fubject of this ballad. It is here related with the allowable partiality of an English poet, and much in the fame manner as it is recorded in the English Chronicles. The Scottish writers have, with a partiality at least as excufeable, related it no less in their own favour. Luckily we have a very circumftantial narrative of the whole affair from Froiffart a French hiftorian, who appears to be unbiaffed. Froiffart's relation is prolix; I shall therefore give it as abridged by Carte, who has however had recourse to other authorities, and differs from Froiffart in fome things, which I fhall 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 weft-marches, ravaged the country about Carlisle, and carried off 300 prifoners. It was with a much greater force, headed by fome of the principal no"bility, that, in the beginning of Auguft*, they invaded "Northumberland: and having wafted part of the county of Durhamt, advanced to the gates of Newcastle; where, 6.6 6 in Froiffart fpeaks 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 Carlifle. And, according to the ballad, that part of Northumberland called Bamboroughshire; a large tract of land fo named from the town and caftle of Bamborough; formerly the refidence of the Northumbrian Kings. in a skirmish, they took a penon' or colours* belonging "to Henry lord Percy, furnamed Hotfpur, fon to the earl of "Northumberland. In their retreat home, they attacked the 66 caftle of Otterbourn: and in the evening of Aug. 9. (as "the English writers fay, or rather, according to Froifart, "Aug. 15.) after an unsuccessful afault were furprized in "their camp, which was very strong, by Henry, who at "the firft onfet put them into a good deal of confufion. But James earl of Douglas rallying his men, there enfued one of the beft-fought actions that happened in that age; both "armies fhewing the utmost bravery †: the earl Douglas bimfelf being flain on the Spot; the earl of Murrey martally wounded; and Hotspur ||, with his brother Ralph Percy, taken prisoners. These difafters on both fides have given occafion to the event of the engagement's being dif puted; Froiffart (who derives his relation from a Scotch "knight, two gentlemen of the fame country, and as many of Foix) affirming that the Scots remained mafters of the field; and the English writers infinuating the contrary. Thefe laft maintain that the English had the better of the "day: but night coming on, fome of the northern lords, coming with the bishop of Durham to their affiftance, kil 66 66 66 66 66 C 2 "led * This circumftance is omitted in the ballad. Hotspur and Douglas were two young warriors much of the fame age. Froilart Jays the English exceeded the Scots in number three to one, but that these had the advantage of the ground, and were also fresh from fecp, while the English were greatly fatigued with their previous march. By Henry L. Percy, according to this ballad, and our old English biftorians, as Stew, Speed, &c. but borne down by numbers, if we may believe Froiffart. Hotspur (after a very sharp conflict) was taken prifoner by John lord Montgomery, whose claeft fon Sir Hugh was flain in the fame action with an arrow, according to Crawfurd's Peerage (and feems alfo to be alluded to in the foregoing ballad, p. 13.) but taken prisoner and exchanged for Hotfpur, according to this ballad. Fraiart (according to the Eng. Tranflation) fays he had his aca count from two fquires of England, and from a knight and squire of Scot land, foon after the battle. |