Ballads of Scottish Tradition and Romance | Page 8

but seventi and thre;?Of twenti hondrith spear-men of Skotlonde,?but even five and fifti.
51.?But all wear slayne Cheviat within;?the hade no strengthe to stand on hy;?The chylde may rue that ys unborne,?it was the mor pitt?.
52.?Thear was slayne, withe the lord Pers?,?Sir Johan of Agerstone,?Ser Rogar, the hinde Hartly,?Ser Wyllyam, the bolde Hearone.
53.?Ser Jorg, the worth? Loumle,?a knyghte of great renowen,?Ser Raff, the ryche Rugbe,?with dyntes wear beaten dowene.
54.?For Wetharryngton my harte was wo,?that ever he slayne shulde be;?For when both his leggis wear hewyne in to,?yet he knyled and fought on hys kny.
55.?Ther was slayne, with the dougheti Duglas,?Ser Hewe the Monggombyrry,?Ser Davy Lwdale, that worth? was,?his sistar's son was he.
56.?Ser Charls a Murr? in that place,?that never a foot wolde fle;?Ser Hewe Maxwelle, a lorde he was,?with the Doglas dyd he dey.
57.?So on the morrowe the mayde them byears?off birch and hasell so gray;?Many wedous, with wepyng tears,?cam to fache ther makys away.
58.?Tivydale may carpe off care,?Northombarlond may mayk great mon,?For towe such captayns as slayne wear thear?on the March-parti shall never be non.
59.?Word ys commen to Eddenburrowe,?to Jamy the Skottishe kynge,?That dougheti Duglas, lyff-tenant of the Marches,?he lay slean Chyviot within.
60.?His handd?s dyd he weal and wryng,?he sayd, 'Alas, and woe ys me!?Such an othar captayn Skotland within,'?he seyd, 'ye-feth shuld never be.'
61.?Worde ys commyn to lovly Londone,?till the fourth Harry our kynge,?That lord Pers?, leyff-tenante of the Marchis,?he lay slayne Chyviat within.
62.?'God have merci on his solle,' sayde Kyng Harry,?'good lord, yf thy will it be!?I have a hondrith captayns in Ynglonde,' he sayd,?'as good as ever was he:?But, Pers?, and I brook my lyffe,?thy deth well quyte shall be.'
63.?As our noble kynge mayd his avowe,?lyke a noble prince of renowen,?For the deth of the lord Pers??he dyde the battell of Hombyll-down;
64.?Wher syx and thritt? Skottishe knyghtes?on a day wear beaten down:?Glendale glytteryde on ther armor bryght,?over castille, towar, and town.
65.?This was the hontynge off the Cheviat,?that tear begane this spurn;?Old men that knowen the grownde well yenoughe?call it the battell of Otterburn.
66.?At Otterburn begane this spurne?uppone a Monnynday;?Ther was the dought? Doglas slean,?the Pers? never went away.
67.?Ther was never a tym on the Marche-part?s?sen the Doglas and the Pers? met,?But yt ys mervele and the rede blude ronne not,?as the reane doys in the stret.
68.?Ihesue Crist our balys bete,?and to the blys vs brynge!?Thus was the hountynge of the Chivyat:?God send vs alle good endyng!
[Annotations:?1.5: 'magger' = maugre; _i.e._ in spite of.?2.4: 'let,' hinder.?3.2: 'meany,' band, company.?3.4: 'the' = they; so constantly, 'shyars thre'; the districts (still called shires) of Holy Island, Norham, and Bamborough. 5.3: 'byckarte,' _i.e._ bickered, attacked the deer.?6.1: 'wyld,' deer.?6.3: _i.e._ through the groves darted.?7.3: 'oware,' hour.?8.1: 'mort,' note of the bugle.?8.4: 'bryttlynge,' cutting up.?10.2: shaded his eyes with his hand.?12.2: 'feale,' fail.?12.4: 'yth,' in the.?13.2: 'bo?s,' bows.?14.3: 'glede,' glowing coal.?17.4: 'the ton,' one or other.?20.1: 'cors,' curse.?21.4: 'on,' one.?24.3: 'And,' If.?25.4: 'sloughe,' slew.?26.4: 'wouche,' evil.?29.4: 'basnites,' light helmets or skull-caps.?30.1: 'myneyeple,' = manople, a kind of long gauntlet.?30.3: 'freyke,' man. So 32.1, 47.1, etc.?31.4: 'myllan,' Milan steel. Cp. 'collayne,' _Battle of Otterburn_, 54.4?36.2: 'wane.' One arrow out of a large number.--Skeat.?38.3: Addison compared (Vergil, _Aen._ x. 823):--?'Ingemuit miserans graviter dextramque tetendit,' etc.?41.3: 'blane,' 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