Looke that your brydle be wight,' my lord,
And your horse goe swift as shipp att sea:
Looke that your spurres be bright and sharpe,
That you may pricke her while she'll away.
What needeth this, Douglas, he sayth;

What needest thou to flyte' with mee?
For I was counted a horseman good

Before that ever I mett with thee.

A false Hector hath my horse,

Who dealt with mee so treacherouslìe:
A false Armstrong hath my spurres,
And all the geere belongs to mee.

When they had sayled other fifty mile,
Other fifty mile upon the sea;
They landed low by Berwicke side,

A deputed 'laird' landed Lord Percye.
Then he at Yorke was doomde to dye,
It was, alas! a sorrowful sight:
Thus they betrayed that noble earle,
Who ever was a gallant wight.

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225

Ver. 224. Fol. MS. reads land, and has not the following stanza. 2 contend.]

1 strong.

HE following version of the Betrayal of Northumberland is from the Folio MS. (ed. Hales and Furnivall, vol. ii. p. 218.)

Now list and lithe you gentlemen,

and Ist tell you the veretye,

how they haue delt with a banished man,
driuen out of his countrye.

when as hee came on Scottish ground
as woe and wonder be them amonge,
ffull much was there traitorye

the wrought the Erle of Northumberland.

when they were att the supper sett,
beffore many goodly gentlemen
thé ffell a fflouting and mocking both,
and said to the Erle of Northumberland,

"What makes you be soe sad, my Lord,
and in your mind soe sorrowffullye?
in the North of Scotland to-morrow theres a shooting,
and thither thoust goe, my Lord Percye.

"the buttes are sett, and the shooting is made,
and there is like to be great royaltye,
and I am sworne into my bill

thither to bring my Lord Pearcy."

"le giue thee my land, Douglas," he sayes,
"and be the faith in my bodye,
if that thou wilt ryde to the worlds end,
Ile ryde in thy companye."

and then bespake the good Ladye,—
Marry a Douglas was her name,--
"you shall byde here, good English Lord;
my brother is a traiterous man;

"he is a traitor stout and stronge,
as Ist tell you the veretye,

for he hath tane liuerance of the Erle,
and into England he will liuor thee."

"Now hold thy tounge, thou goodlye Ladye,
and let all this talking bee;

ffor all the gold thats in Loug Leuen,
william wold not Liuor mee!

"it wold breake truce betweene England & Scottland,
and friends againe they wold neuer bee
if he shold liuor a bani[s]ht Erle

was driuen out of his owne countrye."

"hold your tounge, my Lord," shee sayes, "there is much ffalsehood them amonge; when you are dead, then they are done,

soone they will part them friends againe. "if you will giue me any trust, my Lord, Ile tell you how you best may bee; youst lett my brother ryde his wayes,

and tell those English Lords trulye "how that you cannot with them ryde because you are in an Ile of the sea, then, ere my Brother come againe,

to Edenborrow castle Ile carry thee, "Ile liuor you vnto the Lord Hume,

and you know a trew Scothe Lord is hee, for he hath lost both Land and goods in ayding of your good bodye."

"Marry! I am woe! woman," he sayes,
66 that any
freind fares worse for mee;
for where one saith 'it is a true tale,'
then two will say it is a Lye.

"when I was att home in my [realme]
amonge my tennants all trulye,
in my time of losse, wherin my need stoode,
they came to ayd me honestlye;

"therfore I left many a child ffatherlese, and many a widdow to looke wanne ; and therfore blame nothing, Ladye,

but the woeffull warres which I began."

"If
you will giue me noe trust, my Lord,
nor noe credence you will give mee,
and youle come hither to my right hand,
indeed, my Lord, Ile lett you see."

saies, "I neuer loued noe witchcraft,

nor neuer dealt with treacherye, but euermore held the hye way;

alas! that may be seene by mee!"

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"if you will not come your selfe, my Lord,
youle lett your chamberlaine
goe with
mee,
three words that I may to him speake,
and soone he shall come againe to thee."

when James Swynard came that Lady before,
shee let him see thorrow the weme of her ring
how many there was of English lords

to wayte there for his Master and him.

"but who beene yonder, my good Ladye,

that walkes soe royallye on yonder greene?" "yonder is Lord Hunsden, Jamye," she saye; "alas! heele doe you both tree and teene !"

"and who beene yonder, thou gay Ladye,
that walkes soe royallye him beside ?"
"yond is Sir William Drurye, Jamy," shee sayd,
"and a keene Captain hee is, and tryde."

"how many miles is itt, thou good Ladye,

betwixt yond English Lord and mee?" "marry thrise fifty mile, Jamy," shee sayd, "and euen to seale and by the sea :

"I neuer was on English ground,

nor neuer see itt with mine eye, but as my witt and wisedome serues,

and as [the] booke it telleth mee.

66

'my mother, shee was a witch woman,
and part of itt shee learned mee;
shee wold let me see out of Lough Leuen
what they dyd in London cytye."

"but who is yond, thou good Layde,

that comes yonder with an Osterne fface ?”
"yonds Sir John fforster, Jamye," shee sayd;
"methinks thou sholdest better know him then I."
"Euen soe I doe, my goodlye Ladye,

and euer alas, soe woe am I!"

he pulled his hatt ouer his eyes,

and, lord, he wept soe tenderlye! he is gone to his Master againe,

and euen to tell him the veretye.

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"Now hast thou beene with Marry, Jamy," he sayd,
"Euen as thy tounge will tell to mee;
but if thou trust in any womans words,
thou must refraine good companye.”

66

"It is noe words, my Lord," he sayes,
yonder the men shee letts mee see,
how many English Lords there is
is wayting there for you and mee;

"yonder I see the Lord Hunsden,

and hee and you is of the third degree; a greater enemye, indeed, my Lord, in England none haue yee,"

"and I haue beene in Lough Leven the most part of these yeeres three: yett had I neuer noe out-rake,

nor good games that I cold see;

"and I am thus bidden to yonder shooting by William Douglas all trulye;

therfore speake neuer a word out of thy mouth That thou thinkes will hinder mee.'

""

then he writhe the gold ring of his ffingar
and gaue itt to that Ladye gay;
sayes, "that was a Legacye left vnto mee
in Harley woods where I cold bee."

"then ffarewell hart, and farewell hand,
and ffarwell all good companye !
that woman shall neuer beare a sonne

shall know soe much of your privitye.”

"now hold thy tounge, Ladye," hee sayde,
"and make not all this dole for mee,
for I may well drinke, but Ist neuer eate,
till againe in Lough Leuen I bee."

he tooke his boate att the Lough Leuen
for to sayle now ouer the sea,
and he hath cast vpp a siluer wand,

saies "fare thou well, my good Ladye!"
the Ladye looked ouer her left sholder;
in a dead swoone there fell shee.

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#48

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