Thou shalt be drawen by dale and downe, 85 | But Robin he shott far better than hee, Now come with me thou wighty yeman, 105 To see how these yeomen together they fought And Robin thou soone shalt see: But first let us some pastime find Under the greenwood tree. Two howres of a summers day: Yett neither Robin Hood nor Sir Guy Them fettled to flye away. Robin was reachles on a roote, And stumbled at that tyde; And Guy was quicke and nimble with-all, And hitt him ore the left side. Ah, deare lady, sayd Robin Hood, 'thou I think it was never mans destinye 150 156 160 *The common epithet for a sword or other offensive weapon, in the old metrical romances, is brown. As" brown brand," or brown sword, brown bill," &c.; and sometimes even "bright brown sword." Chaucer applies the worl rustie in the same sense; thus he describes the reve:"And by his side he bare a rusty blade." Prol. ver. 620. And even thus the god Mars: "And in his hand he had a rousty sword." Test of Cressid. 188. Spenser has sometimes used the same epithet. See Warton's Observ. vol. ii. p. 62. It should seem, from this particularity, that our ancestors did not pique themselves upon keeping their weapons bright: perhaps they deemed it more honourable to carry them stained with the blood of their enemies. ** The title of Sir was not formerly pe * Come hyther, come hyther, thou good Sir culiar to Knights, it was given to Priests, Guy, and sometimes to very inferior personages. Dr. Johnson thinks this title was applied to such as had taken the degree of A. B. in the universities, who are still styled Domini, "Sirs," to distinguish them from Undergraduates, who have no prefix, and from Masters of Arts, who are styled Magistr “Masters.” IX. An Elegy on Henry Fourth Earl of Northumberland. metrice alloquitur. Ad dominum properato meum mea pagina THE subject of this poem which was writ- Poeta Skelton Laureatus libellum suum ten by Skelton, is the death of Henry Percy, fourth Earl of Northumberland, who fell a victim to the avarice of Henry VII. In 1489 the parliament had granted the king a subsidy for carrying on the war in Bretagne. This tax was found so heavy in the North that the whole country was in a flame. The E. of Northumberland, then lord lieutenant for Yorkshire, wrote to inform the king of the discontent, and praying an abatement. But nothing is so unrelenting as avarice: the king wrote back that not a penny should be abated. Qui Northumbrorum jura paterna gerit, This message being delivered by the earl SKELTON LAUREAT UPON THE DOLOUROUS DETHE with too little caution, the populace rose, and, supposing him to be the promoter of their calamity, broke into his house, and murdered him, with several of his attendants, who yet are charged by Skelton with being backward in their duty on this occasion. This melancholy event happened at the earl's seat at Cocklodge, near Thirske, in Yorkshire, April 28, 1489. See Lord Bacon, &c. If the reader does not find much poetical merit in this old poem (which yet is one of Skelton's best), he will see a striking picture of the state and magnificence kept up by our ancient nobility during the feudal times. This great earl is described here as having, among his menial servants, knights, squires, and even barons: see ver. 32, 183, &c., which, however different from modern manners, was formerly not unusual with our greater Barons, whose castles had all the splendour and offices of a royal court, before the laws against retainers abridged and limited the number of their attendants. John Skelton, who commonly styled himself Poet Laureat, died June 21, 1529. The following poem, which appears to have been written soon after the event, is printed from an ancient MS. copy preserved in the British Museum, being much more correct than that printed among Skelton's Poems, in bl. let. 12mo. 1568. It is addressed to Henry Percy, fifth Earl of Northumberland, and is prefaced, &c., in the following manner: The mother of Henry, first Earl of Northumberland, was Mary daughter to Henry Earl of Lancaster, whose father Edmond was second son of King Henry III.-The mother and wife of the second Earl of Northumberland were both lineal descendants of King Edward III.-The Percys also were lineally descended from the Emperor Charlemagne and the ancient Kings of Frauce, by his ancestor Josceline du Lovain (son of Godfrey Duke of beiress of that house in the reign of Hen. II., Vid. Camden Brabant), who took the name of Percy on marrying the Britan. Edmondson, &c. men He was your chyfteyne, your shelde, your chef defence, Redy to assyst you in every tyme of nede; What movyd you agayn hym to war or to fight? The grounde of his quarel was for his sove- 64 The welle concernyng of all the hole lande, Were no thes commones uncurteis karlis of Demaundyng soche dutyes as nedis most acord kynde To the right of his prince which shold not be withstand; For whos cause ye slew hym with your awne But had his nobill men done wel that day, But ther was fals packinge, or els I am begylde; 71 How-be-it the matter was evident and playne, For yf they had occupied ther spere and ther shelde, This noble man doutles had not be slayne. Bot men say they wer lynked with a double chayn, 75 In Englande and Fraunce, which gretly was And held with the commouns under a cloke, redouted; To whome grete astates obeyde and lowttede: A mayny of rude villayns made him for to blede:" Whiche kindeled the wyld fyre that made all this smoke. The commouns renyed ther taxes to pay Unkindly they slew him, that holp them With one voice importune, they playnly said oft at nede He was their bulwark, their paves, and their wall, Yet shamfully they slew hym; that shame mot them befal. nay: 80 They buskt them on a bushment themself in baile to bringe: Agayne the king's plesure to wrastle or to wringe, Bluntly as bestis withe boste and with cry They saide, they forsede not, nor carede not to dy. The noblenes of the northe this valiant lorde and knyght, 85 As man that was innocent of trechery or trayne, Presed forthe boldly to witstand the myght, And lyke marciall Hector, he fauht them agayne, Vigorously upon them with myght and with mayne, Trustinge in noble men that wer with hym there: 90 Bot all they fled from hym for falshode or fere. Barons, knights, squyers, one and alle, Togeder with servaunts of his famuly, Of whos [life] they counted not a flye; 95 hym ly Alas! his golde, his fee, his annuall rente He was envyronde aboute on every syde Withe his enemys, that were stark mad and wode; 100 Yet whils he stode he gave woundes wyde Alas for routhe! what thouche his mynde were goode, His corage manly, yet ther he shed his All left alone, alas! he fawte in vayne! Alas for pite! that Percy thus was spylt, 106 The famous erle of Northumberlande: Of knightly prowès the sworde pomel and hylt, The mighty lyoun* doutted by se and lande! O dolorous chaunce of fortuns fruward hande! 110 What man remembring how shamfully he was slayne, must 145 Yet sumwhat wright supprisid with hartly From bitter weepinge himself kan restrayne! His noble blode never disteynyd was, O cruell Mars, thou dedly god of war! O dolorous Teusday, dedicate to thy name, *Alluding to his crest and supporters. Doutted is contracted for redoubted. Trew to his prince for to defende his right, Doublenes hatinge, fals maters to compas, Treytory and treson he bannesht out of syght, 151 With trowth to medle was all his hole delyght, |