The sworde was scharpe, and sore can byte,

I tell yow in sertayne;

To the harte he cowde hym smyte,

Thus was the Dowglas slayne.

The stonderds stode styll on eke syde,
With many a grevous grone;

Ther the fowght the day, and all the nyght,

And many a dowghty man was slayne.

Ther was no freke that ther wolde flye,
But styffly in stowre can stond,

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115

Ychone hewyng on other whyll they myght drye,

Wyth many a bayllefull bronde.

Ther was slayne upon the Skottes syde,

For soth and sertenly,

Syr James a Dowglas ther was slayne,
That daye that he cowde dye.

The yerle of Mentaye he was slayne,

Grysely groned uppon the growynd; Syr Davy Scotte, Syr Walter Steward, Syr John of Agurstonne.

Syr Charlles Morrey in that place,

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125

That never a fote wold flye;

130

128. Both the MSS. read here Sir James, but see above,

Pt. I. ver. 112.—P.

Sir Hughe Maxwelle, a lorde he was,
With the Dowglas dyd he dye.

Ther was slayne upon the Skottes syde,
For soth as I yow saye,

Of fowre and forty thowsande Scotts
Went but eyghtene awaye.

Ther was slayne upon the Ynglysshe syde,
For soth and sertenlye,

A gentell knyght, Sir John Fitz-hughe,

Yt was the more petye.

Syr James Harebotell ther was slayne,
For hym ther hartes were sore;
The gentyll Lovelle ther was slayne,
That the Percyes standerd bore.

Ther was slayne uppon the Ynglyssh perte,

For soth as I yow saye,

Of nyne thowsand Ynglyssh men

Fyve hondert cam awaye.

The other were slayne in the fylde;
Cryste kepe their sowles from wo!
Seying ther was so few fryndes
Agaynst so many a foo.

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140

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150

Then one the morne they mayd them beeres

Of byrch, and haysell graye;

Many a wydowe with wepyng teyres

Ther makes they fette awaye.

Thys fraye bygan at Otterborne,
Bytwene the nyghte and the day:

Ther the Dowglas lost hys lyfe,

And the Percy was lede awaye.

Then was ther a Scottyshe prisoner tayne,
Syr Hughe Mongomery was hys name;
For soth as I yow saye,

He borowed the Percy home agayne.

Now let us all for the Percy praye

To Jesu most of myght,

To bryng hys sowle to the blysse of heven,
For he was a gentyll knyght.

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160

165

162. Supposed to be son of Lord John Montgomery, who took Hotspur prisoner. In The Hunting of the Cheviot this Sir Hugh is said to have been slain with an arrow.

THE BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE.

FROM Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, i. 354. In the Complaynt of Scotland (1548), "The Persec and the Mongumrye met," (v. 117 of this piece,) occurs as the title, or rather the catchword, of one of the popular songs of the time.

Ir fell about the Lammas tide,

When the muir-men win their hay, The doughty Douglas bound him to ride Into England, to drive a prey.

He chose the Gordons and the Græmes,
With them the Lindesays, light and gay;
But the Jardines wald not with him ride,
And they rue it to this day.

And he has burn'd the dales of Tyne,
And part of Bambroughshire;

6.

"Light

10

" is the appropriated designation of the Lindsays, as gay" is that of the Gordons.

7. The Jardines were a clan of hardy West-Border men. Their chief was Jardine of Applegirth. Their refusal to

ride with Douglas was, probably, the result of one of those perpetual feuds, which usually rent to pieces a Scottish army.-S.

And three good towers on Reidswire fells,

He left them all on fire.

And he march'd up to Newcastle,

And rode it round about; "O wha's the lord of this castle,

Or wha's the lady o't?"

But up spake proud Lord Percy then,

And O but he spake hie!

"I am the lord of this castle, My wife's the lady gay."

"If thou'rt the lord of this castle,

Sae weel it pleases me!
For, ere I cross the Border fells,

The tane of us shall die."

He took a lang spear in his hand,
Shod with the metal free,

And for to meet the Douglas there,

He rode right furiouslie.

But O how pale his lady look'd,

Frae aff the castle wa',

When down before the Scottish spear
She saw proud Percy fa'.

"Had we twa been upon the

green,

And never an eye to see,

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