Ballads of Scottish Tradition and Romance | Page 7

begane in Chyviat the hyls abone,
yerly on a Monnyn-day;

Be that it drewe to the oware off none,
a hondrith fat hartës ded
ther lay.
8.
The blewe a mort vppone the bent,
the semblyde on sydis shear;

To the quyrry then the Persë went,
to se the bryttlynge off the
deare.
9.
He sayd, 'It was the Duglas promys
this day to met me hear;


But I wyste he wolde faylle, verament;'
a great oth the Persë swear.
10.
At the laste a squyar off Northomberlonde
lokyde at his hand
full ny;
He was war a the doughetie Doglas commynge,
with him a
myghttë meany.
11.
Both with spear, bylle, and brande,
yt was a myghtti sight to se;

Hardyar men, both off hart nor hande,
wear not in Cristiantë.
12.
The wear twenti hondrith spear-men good,
withoute any feale;

The wear borne along be the watter a Twyde,
yth bowndës of
Tividale.
13.
'Leave of the brytlyng of the dear,' he sayd,
'and to your boÿs
lock ye tayk good hede;
For never sithe ye wear on your mothars
borne
had ye never so mickle nede.'
14.
The dougheti Dogglas on a stede,
he rode alle his men beforne;

His armor glytteryde as dyd a glede;
a boldar barne was never
born.
15.
'Tell me whos men ye ar,' he says,
'or whos men that ye be:

Who gave youe leave to hunte in this Chyviat chays,
in the spyt of
myn and of me.'
16.
The first mane that ever him an answear mayd,
yt was the good
lord Persë:
'We wyll not tell the whoys men we ar,' he says,
'nor
whos men that we be;
But we wyll hounte hear in this chays,
in the
spyt of thyne and of the.
17.
'The fattiste hartës in all Chyviat
we have kyld, and cast to carry
them away:'
'Be my troth,' sayd the doughetë Dogglas agayn,

'therfor the ton of us shall de this day.'
18.
Then sayd the doughtë Doglas
unto the lord Persë:
'To kyll
alle thes giltles men,
alas, it wear great pittë!

19.
'But, Persë, thowe art a lord of lande,
I am a yerle callyd within
my contrë;
Let all our men vppone a parti stande,
and do the battell
off the and of me.'
20.
'Nowe Cristes cors on his crowne,' sayd the lord Persë,

'who-so-ever ther-to says nay!
Be my troth, doughttë Doglas,' he says,

'thow shalt never se that day.
21.
'Nethar in Ynglonde, Skottlonde, nar France,
nor for no man of
a woman born,
But, and fortune be my chance,
I dar met him, on
man for on.'
22.
Then bespayke a squyar off Northombarlonde,
Richard
Wytharyngton was his nam:
'It shall never be told in
Sothe-Ynglonde,' he says,
'to Kyng Herry the Fourth for sham.
23.
'I wat youe byn great lordës twaw,
I am a poor squyar of lande:

I wylle never se my captayne fyght on a fylde,
and stande my selffe
and loocke on,
But whylle I may my weppone welde,
I wylle not
fayle both hart and hande.'
24.
That day, that day, that dredfull day!
the first fit here I fynde;

And youe wyll here any mor a the hountyng a the Chyviat,
yet ys ther
mor behynde.
... ... ...
25.
The Yngglyshe men hade ther bowys yebent,
ther hartes wer
good yenoughe;
The first off arros that the shote off,
seven skore
spear-men the sloughe.
26.
Yet byddys the yerle Doglas vppon the bent,
a captayne good
yenoughe,
And that was sene verament,
for he wrought hom both
woo and wouche.
27.
The Dogglas partyd his ost in thre,
lyk a cheffe cheften off

pryde;
With suar spears off myghttë tre,
the cum in on every syde:
28.
Thrughe our Yngglyshe archery
gave many a wounde fulle
wyde;
Many a doughetë the garde to dy,
which ganyde them no
pryde.
29.
The Ynglyshe men let ther boÿs be,
and pulde owt brandes that
wer brighte;
It was a hevy syght to se
bryght swordes on basnites
lyght.
30.
Thorowe ryche male and myneyeple,
many sterne the strocke
done streght;
Many a freyke that was fulle fre,
ther undar foot dyd
lyght.
31.
At last the Duglas and the Persë met,
lyk to captayns of myght
and of mayne;
The swapte togethar tylle the both swat
with swordes
that wear of fyn myllan.
32.
Thes worthë freckys for to fyght,
ther-to the wear fulle fayne,

Tylle the bloode owte off thear basnetes sprente,
as ever dyd heal or
rayn.
33.
'Yelde the, Persë,' sayde the Doglas,
'and i feth I shalle the
brynge
Wher thowe shalte have a yerls wagis
of Jamy our Skottish
kynge.
34.
'Thou shalte have thy ransom fre,
I hight the hear this thinge;

For the manfullyste man yet art thowe
that ever I conqueryd in filde
fighttynge.'
35.
'Nay,' sayd the lord Persë,
'I tolde it the beforne,
That I wolde
never yeldyde be
to no man of a woman born.'
36.
With that ther cam an arrowe hastely,
forthe off a myghttë wane;

Hit hathe strekene the yerle Duglas
in at the brest-bane.

37.
Thorowe lyvar and longës bathe
the sharpe arrowe ys gane,

That never after in all his lyffe-days
he spayke mo wordës but ane:

That was, 'Fyghte ye, my myrry men, whyllys ye may,
for my
lyff-days ben gan.'
38.
The Persë leanyde on his brande,
and sawe the Duglas de;
He
tooke the dede mane by the hande,
and sayd, 'Wo ys me for the!
39.
'To have savyde thy lyffe, I wolde have partyde with
my