Ballads of Scottish Tradition and Romance | Page 9

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 fylde, and fyght.
10.?'For we have brente Northomberlonde,?Thy erytage good and ryght,?And syne my logeyng I have take,?Wyth my brande dubbyd many a knyght.'
11.?Syr Harry Perssy cam to the walles,?The Skottyssch oste for to se,?And sayd, 'And thow hast brente Northomberlond,?Full sore it rewyth me.
12.?'Yf thou hast haryed all Bamborowe schyre,?Thow hast done me grete envye;?For the trespasse thow hast me done,?The tone of vs schall dye.'
13.?'Where schall I byde the?' sayd the Dowglas,?'Or where wylte thow com to me?'?'At Otterborne, in the hygh way,?Ther mast thow well logeed be.
14.?'The roo full rekeles ther sche rinnes,?To make the game and glee;?The fawken and the fesaunt both,?Amonge the holtes on hye.
15.?'Ther mast thow haue thy welth at wyll,?Well looged ther mast be;?Yt schall not be long or I com the tyll,'?Sayd Syr Harry Perssye.
16.?'Ther schall I byde the,' sayd the Dowglas,?'By the fayth of my bodye':?'Thether schall I com,' sayd Syr Harry Perssy,?'My trowth I plyght to the.'
17.?A pype of wyne he gaue them over the walles,?For soth as I yow saye;?Ther he mayd the Dowglasse drynke,?And all hys ost that daye.
18.?The Dowglas turnyd hym homewarde agayne,?For soth withowghten naye;?He toke his logeyng at Oterborne,?Vpon a Wedynsday.
19.?And ther he pyght hys standerd dowyn,?Hys gettyng more and lesse,?And syne he warned hys men to goo?To chose ther geldynges gresse.
20.?A Skottysshe knyght hoved vpon the bent,?A wache I dare well saye;?So was he ware on the noble Perssy?In the dawnyng of the daye.
21.?He prycked to hys pavyleon-dore,?As faste as he myght ronne;?'Awaken, Dowglas,' cryed the knyght,?'For hys love that syttes in trone.
22.?'Awaken, Dowglas,' cryed the knyght,?'For thow maste waken wyth wynne;?Yender haue I spyed the prowde Perssye,?And seven stondardes wyth hym.'
23.?'Nay by my trowth,' the