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The fine beroic fong of CHEVY-CHASE has ever been admired by competent judges. Thofe genuine ftrokes of nature and artless paffion, which have endeared it to the most fimple readers, have recommended it to the most refined; and it has equally been the amusement of our childhood, and the favourite of our riper years. VOL. I.

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Mr.

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Mr. Addifon has given an excellent critique* on this very popular ballad, but is mistaken with regard to the antiquity of the common received copy; for this, if one may judge from the ftyle, cannot be older than the time of Elizabeth, and was probably written after the elogium of Sir Philip Sidney : perhaps in confequence of it. I flatter myself, I have here recovered the genuine antique poem: the true original fong, which appeared rude even in the time of Sir Philip, and caufed him to lament, that it was fo evil-apparelled in the rugged garb of antiquity.

This curiofity is printed, from an old manuscript, at the end of Hearne's preface to Gul. Newbrigienfis Hift. 1719. 8vo. vol. I. To the MS. Copy is fubjoined the name of the author, RYCHARD SHEALES: whom Hearne had fo little judgment as to fuppofe to be the fame with a R. Sheale, who was living in 1588. But whoever examines the gradation of language and idiom in the following volumes, will be convinced that this is the production of an earlier poet. It is indeed expressly mentioned among fome very ancient fongs in an old book intituled, The Complaint of Scotlandt, (fol. 42.) under the title of the HUNTIS OF CHEVET, where the two following lines are alfo quoted;

The Perffee and the Mongumrye mette ‡.

That day, that day, that gentil day ||:

Which, tho' not quite the fame as they ftand in the ballad, yet differ not more than might be owing to the author's quoting from memory. Indeed whoever confiders the ftyle and orthography of this old poem will not be inclined to place it lower than the time of Henry VI: as on the other hand the mention of James the Scottish king, with one or two Anachronifms, forbid us to align it an earlier date. King. James I. who was prifoner in this kingdom at the death of

*Spectator, No 70. 74.

his

& Subfcribed. after the ufual manner of our old poets, expliceth [explicit] quoth Bpchard Sheale.

One of the earliest productions of the Scottish prefs, now to be found. The title-page was wanting in the copy bere quoted; but it is fuppofed to have been printed in 1540. See Ames.

See Pt. 2. v. 25. || See Pt. 1. v. 104. Pt. 2. v.

36. 140.

bis father*, did not wear the crown of Scotland till the fecond year of our Henry VI, but before the end of that long reign a third James had mounted the thronet. A fucceffion of two or three Jameses, and the long detention of one of them in England, would render the name familiar to the English, and difpofe a poet in those rude time to give it' to any Scottish king be happened to mention.

So much for the date of this old ballad: with regard to its fubject, altho' it has no countenance from history, there is room to think it had originally fome foundation in fact. It vas one of the Laws of the Marches frequently renewed between the two nations, that neither party should hunt in the other's borders, without leave from the proprietors or their deputies. There had long been a rivalship between the two martial families of Percy and Douglas, which heightened by the national quarrel, must have produced frequent challenges and ftruggles for fuperiority, petty invafions of their respective domains, and sharp coniefts for the point of honour ; which would not always be recorded in hiftory. Something of this kind we may fuppofe gave rise to the ancient ballad of the HUNTING A' THE CHEVIAT↓. Percy earl of Northumberland had vowed to hunt for three days in the Scottish border without condescending to afk leave from earl Douglas, who was either lord of the foil, or lord warden of the marches. Douglas would not fail to refent the infult, and endeavour to repel the intruders by force: this would natu

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*Who died Aug. 5. 1406, in the 7th year of our Hen. IV. James I. was crowned May 22. 1424. murdered Feb. 21. 1436-7. In 1460.---Hen. VI. was depofed 1461: restored and flain 1471. Item... Concordatum eft, quod, NULLUS unius partis vel alterius ingrediatur terras, bofchas, forreftas, warrenas, loca, dominia quæcunque alicujus partis alterius fubditi, caufa venandi, pifcandi, aucupandi, difportum aut folatium in eifdem, aliave quacunque de caufa, ABSQUE LICENTIA ejus ... ad quem . . . loca

pertinent, aut de deputatis fuis prius capt. & obtent. Vid. Bp. Nicholson's Leges Marchiarum. 1705. 8vo. pag. 27. 51.

2.

4 This was the original title. See the ballad, Pt. 1. v. 106. Pt. 165.

rally produce a sharp conflict between the two parties: fomething of which, it is probable, did really happen, tho' not attended with the tragical circumftances recorded in the bal lad: for these are evidently borrowed from the BATTLE OF OTTERBOURN*, a very different event, but which aftertimes would easily confound with it. That battle might be owing to fome fuch previous affront as this of CHEVY CHASE, though it has efcaped the notice of hiftorians. Our poet has evidently jumbled the two events together: if indeed the lines in which this mistake is made, are not rather spurious, and the after-infertion of Jome perfon, who did not diftinguish between the two ftories.

Hearne has printed this ballad without any divifion of ftanzas, in long lines, as he found it in the old written copy: but it is ufual to find the diftinction of ftanzas neglected in ancient MSS; where, to fave room, two or three verfes are frequently given in one line undivided. See flagrant inftances in the Harleian Catalog. No. 2253. f. 29. 34. 61. 70. & paffim.

TH

THE FIRST T PART.

HE Perfé owt of Northombarlande,
And a vowe to God mayd he,

That he wolde hunte in the mountayns
Off Chyviat within dayes thre,

In the mauger of doughtè Dogles,

And all that ever with him be.

The fattifte hartes in all Cheviat

He fayd he wold kill, and cary them away:
Be my feth, fayd the dougheti Doglas agayn,
I wyll let that hontyng yf that I may.

5

10

Then

See the next ballad.

Vid. Pt. 2. v. 167.

V. 5. magger in Hearne's PC. [Printed Copy.]

"Then the Perfé owt of Banborowe cam,
With him a myghtye meany;
With fifteen hondrith archares bold;
The wear chofen out of fhyars thre*.

This begane on a monday at morn

In Cheviat the hillys fo he;
The chyld may rue that ys un-born,

It was the mor pitté.

The dryvars thorowe the woodes went

For to reas the dear;

Bomen bickarte uppone the bent

With ther browd aras cleare.

Then the wyld thorowe the woodes went
On every fyde fhear;

Grea-hondes thorowe the greves glent

For to kyll thear dear.

15

20

25

The begane in Chyviat the hyls above

Yerly on a monnyn day;

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Ver. 11. The the Perfé. PC. V. 13. archardes bolle off blood and bone. PC. V. 19. throrowe. PC.

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*By thefe fhyars thre" is probably meant three diftri&ts in Northumberland, which fill go by the name of hires, and are all in the neighbourhood of Cheviot. Thefe are Ifland-fhire, being the district fo named from Holy-Island: Norehamfhire, fo called from the torun and caftle of Norcham (or Norham); and Bamboroughshire, the ward or bundred belonging to Bamborough-castle and town.

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