Every man thynke on hys trewe love,
And marke hym to the Trenite :
For to God I make myne avowe
Thys day wyll I not fle.

The blodye Harte in the Dowglas armes,
Hys standerde stode on hye;
That every man myght full well knowe:
By syde stode Starres thre:

The whyte Lyon on the Ynglysh parte,
Forsoth as I yow sayne;

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

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.

Sent George the bryght owr ladyes knyght,
To name they were full fayne,
Owr Ynglysshe men they cryde on hyght,
And thrysse the schowtte agayne.

* The ancient arms of Douglas are pretty accurately emblazoned in the former stanza, and 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 lion" 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.

+ i. e. the English.

Wyth that scharpe arowes bygan to flee,
I tell yow in sertayne;

Men of armes byganne to joyne;

Many a dowghty man was ther slayne.

The Percy and the Dowglas mette,

That ether of other was fayne;

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

Tyll the bloode from their bassonetts ranne,

As the roke doth in the rayne. Yelde the to me, sayd the Dowglàs,

Or ells thow schalt be slayne:

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 knyght *.

By my good faythe, sayd the noble Percy,
Now haste thou rede full ryght,
Yet wyll I never yelde me to the,
Whyll I may stonde and fyght.

They swapped together, whyll that they swette, Wyth swordes scharpe and long;

Ych on other so faste they beette,

Tyll ther helmes cam in peyses dowyn.

* Being all in armour he could not know him.

VOL. I.

The Percy was a man of strenghth,
I tell yow in thys stounde,

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

The sworde was scharpe and sore can byte,
I tell yow in sertayne;

To the harte, he cowde hym smyte,
Thus was the Dowglas slayne.

The stonderds stode styll on eke syde,
With many a grevous grone;
Ther the fowght the day, and all the nyght,
And many a dowghty man was 'slone *.'

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.

Ther was slayne upon the Skottes syde,
For soth and sertenly,

Syr James a Dowglas ther was slayne,
That daye that he cowde dyet.

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

* "Slayne." MSS.

+ i. e. he died that day.

+ Our old Minstrel repeats these names, as Homer and

Virgil do those of their heroes:

Syr Charlles Morrey in that place,
That never a fote wold flye;
Sir Hughe Maxwell, a lorde he was,
With the Dowglas dyd he dye.

Ther was slayne upon the Skottes syde,
For soth as I yow saye,
Of fowre and forty thowsande Scotts
Went but eyghtene awaye.

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

A gentell knyght, Sir John Fitz-hughe,
Yt was the more petye.

Syr James Harbotell ther was slayne,
For hym ther hartes were sore,
The gentyll Lovelle*' ther was slayne,
That the Percyes standerd bore.

Ther was slayne uppon the Ynglyssh perte,
For soth as I yow saye;
Of nyne thowsand Ynglyssh men
Fyve hondert cam awaye:

The other were slayne in the fylde,
Cryste kepe their sowles from wo,

....fortemque Gyam, fortemque Cloanthum, &c. &c.

Both the MSS. read here, "Sir James;" but see above, Part I. ver. 112.

* " Covelle." MS. For the names in this page, see the Remarks at the end of this ballad.

Seyng ther was so fewe fryndes
Agaynst so many a foo.

Then one* the morne they mayd them beeres
Of byrch, and haysell graye;
Many a wydowe with wepyng teyres

Ther makes they fette awaye.

Thys fraye bygan at Otterborne,
Bytwene the nyghte and the day:
Ther the Dowglas lost hys lyfe,

And the Percy was lede awayet.

Then was ther a Scottyshe prisoner tayne,
Syr Hughe Mongomery was hys name,
For soth as I yow saye,

He borowed the Percy home agayne †.

Now let us all for the Percy§ praye

To Jesu most of myght,

To bryng hys sowle to the blysse of heven,

For he was a gentyll knyght.

* i. e. on.

+ Sc. captive.

4

+ 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."

§"Percyes." Harl. MS.