Ballads of Scottish Tradition and Romance | Page 9

lingered.

44.2: 'say,' saw.
45.2: _i.e._
till the point reached the wood of the bow.
47.3: 'whylle the myghte
dre' = while they might dree, as long as they could hold.
53.1:
'Loumle,' Lumley; previously printed Louele (= Lovel). 57.4: 'makys,'
mates, husbands.
58.4: 'March-parti,' the Border; so 'the Marches,'
59.3
60.1: 'weal,' clench(?).
63.4: The battle of Homildon Hill, near
Wooler, Northumberland, was fought in 1402. See 1 _King Henry IV._,
Act I. sc. i. 65.2: 'spurn' = kick(?): Child suggests the reading:--'That
ear [= e'er] began this spurn!' as a lament. But the whole meaning is

doubtful.
67.4: as the rain does.
68.1: 'our balys bete,' our
misfortunes relieve.]
THE BATTLE OF OTTERBURN
+The Text+ is given mainly from the Cotton MS., Cleopatra C. iv.
(_circa_ 1550). It was printed by Percy in the fourth edition of the
_Reliques_; in the first edition he gave it from Harleian MS. 293,
which text also is made use of here. A separate Scottish ballad was
popular at least as early as 1549, and arguments to prove that it was
derived from the English ballad are as inconclusive as those which seek
to prove the opposite.
+The Story.+--The battle of Otterburn was fought on Wednesday,
August 19, 1388. The whole story is given elaborately by Froissart, in
his usual lively style, but is far too long to be inserted here. It may,
however, be condensed as follows.
The great northern families of Neville and Percy being at variance
owing to the quarrels of Richard II. with his uncles, the Scots took the
advantage of preparing a raid into England. Earl Percy, hearing of this,
collected the Northumbrian powers; and, unable to withstand the force
of the Scots, determined to make a counter-raid on the east or west of
the border, according as the Scots should cross. The latter, hearing of
the plan through a spy, foiled it by dividing their army into two parts,
the main body under Archibald Douglas being directed to Carlisle.
Three or four hundred picked men-at-arms, with two thousand archers
and others, under James, Earl of Douglas, Earl of March and Dunbar,
and the Earl of Murray, were to aim at Newcastle, and burn and ravage
the bishopric of Durham. With the latter alone we are now concerned.
With his small army the Earl of Douglas passed rapidly through
Northumberland, crossed the Tyne near Brancepeth, wasted the country
as far as the gates of Durham, and returned to Newcastle as rapidly as
they had advanced. Several skirmishes took place at the barriers of the
town: and in one of these Sir Henry Percy (Hotspur) was personally
opposed to Douglas. After an obstinate struggle the Earl won the
pennon of the English leader, and boasted that he would carry it to

Scotland, and set it high on his castle of Dalkeith. 'That,' cried Hotspur,
'no Douglas shall ever do, and ere you leave Northumberland you shall
have small cause to boast.' 'Your pennon,' answered Douglas, 'shall this
night be placed before my tent; come and win it if you can.' But the
Scots were suffered to retreat without any hostile attempts on the part
of the English, and accordingly, after destroying the tower of Ponteland,
they came on the second day to the castle of Otterburn, situated in
Redesdale, about thirty-two miles from Newcastle. The rest may be
read in the ballad.
'Of all the battayles,' says Froissart, 'that I have made mention of here
before, in all thys hystorye, great or small, thys battayle was one of the
sorest, and best foughten, without cowards or faint hertes: for ther was
nother knyght nor squyre but that dyde hys devoyre, and fought hand to
hand.'
THE BATTLE OF OTTERBURN
1.
Yt fell abowght the Lamasse tyde,
Whan husbondes Wynnes ther
haye,
The dowghtye Dowglasse bowynd hym to ryde,
In Ynglond
to take a praye.
2.
The yerlle of Fyffe, wythowghten stryffe,
He bowynd hym over
Sulway;
The grete wolde ever to-gether ryde;
That raysse they may
rewe for aye.
3.
Over Hoppertope hyll they cam in,
And so down by Rodclyffe
crage;
Vpon Grene Lynton they lyghted dowyn,
Styrande many a
stage.
4.
And boldely brente Northomberlond,
And haryed many a towyn;

They dyd owr Ynglyssh men grete wrange,
To battell that were not
bowyn.
5.
Than spake a berne vpon the bent,
Of comforte that was not
colde,
And sayd, 'We have brente Northomberlond,
We have all
welth in holde.

6.
'Now we have haryed all Bamborowe schyre,
All the welth in the
world have wee;
I rede we ryde to Newe Castell,
So styll and
stalworthlye.'
7.
Vpon the morowe, when it was day,
The standerds schone full
bryght;
To the Newe Castell the toke the waye,
And thether they
cam full ryght.
8.
Syr Henry Perssy laye at the New Castell,
I tell yow wythowtten
drede;
He had byn a march-man all hys dayes,
And kepte Barwyke
upon Twede.
9.
To the Newe Castell when they cam,
The Skottes they cryde on
hyght,
'Syr Hary Perssy, and thow byste within,
Com to the