But, father, I will wend with you,

Unarm'd and naked will I bee;

And he that ftrikes against the crowne,
Ever an ill death may he dee.

Then rose that reverend gentleman,
And with him came a goodlye band
To join with the brave Earl Percy,

And all the flower o' Northumberland.

With them the noble Nevill came,

The earle of Weftmorland was hee:
At Wetherbye they mustred their host,
Thirteen thousand faire to fee.

Lord Weftmorland his ancyent raisde,
The Dun Bull he rays'd on hye,
Three Dogs with golden collars brave

Were there fett out moft royallye f.

90

95

100

Earl

+ Ver. 102. Dun Bull, &c.] The fupporters of the NEVILLES Earls of Westmoreland were Two Bulls Argent, ducally collar'd Gold, armed Or, &c. But I have not discovered the Device mentioned in the Ballad, among the Badges, &c. given by that Houfe. This however is certain, that among those of the NEVILLES Lords Abergavenny (who were of the fame family) is a DUN Cow with a Golden Collar: and the NEVILLES of Chyte in Yorkshire, (of the Westmorelan Branch) gave for their Creft in 1513, a Dog's (Grey-bound's) Head erafed.—So that it is not improbable but CHARLES NEVILLE, the unhappy Earl of Weftmoreland bere mentioned, might on this occafion give the above Device on his Banner. After all our old Minstrel's verjes bere may have undergone fome corruption; for in another Ballad in the fame folio MS. and apparently written by the fame hand, containing the Sequel of this Lord" Westmoreland's Hiftory, bis Banner is thus described, more conformable to is known Bearings:

"Sett me up my faire Dun Bull,

"With Gilden Hornes, hee beares foe hye."

Earl Percy there his ancyent spred,

The Halfe-Moone fhining all foe faire* :
The Nortons ancyent had the croffe,

And the five wounds our Lord did beare.

Then Sir George Bowes he ftraitwaye rose,
After them fome spoyle to make :
Thofe noble earles turn'd backe againe,
And aye they vowed that knight to take.

That baron he to his caftle fled,

To Barnard caftle then fled hee.

The uttermoft walles were eathe to win,
The earles have wonne them prefentlìe.

The uttermoft walles were lime and bricke;
But though they won them foon anone,
Long e'er they wan the innermost walles,
For they were cut in rocke of stone,
T 3

115

120

Then

Ver. 106. The Halfe-Moone, &c.] The SILVER CRESCENT is a well-known Creft or Badge of the Northumberland family. It was probably brought home from fome of the Cruzades against the Sarazens. In an ancient Pedigree in verfe, finely illuminated on a Roll of Vellum, and written in the reign of Henry VII. (in poffeffion of the family) we bave this fabulous account given of its original. The author begins with accounting for the name of Gernon or Algernon; often born by the Percies: who he fays were

....

Gernons fyrst named of Brutys bloude of Troy:

Which valliantly fyghtynge in the land of Persè [Perfia]
At pointe terrible ayance the mifcreants on nyght,
An hevynly myftery was fchewyd hym, old bookys reherfe;
In hys fcheld did fchyne a MONE veryfying her lyght,

Then newes unto leeve London came
In all the fpcede that ever may bee,
And word is brought to our royall queene
Cf the ryfing in the North countrìe.

Her grace fhe turned her round about,

And like a royall queene fhe fwore 1,

I will ordayne them fuch a breakfast,
As never was in the North before.

125

She caus'd thirty thousand men be rays'd,
With horfe and harneis faire to fee;
She caused thirty thousand men be raised,
To take the earles i'th' North countrie.

130

To vaynquys his enmys, and to deth them perfue;

And therfore the Persis [Percies] the Creffant doth renew.

In the dark ages no Family was deemed confiderable that did not derive its defcent from the Trojan Brutus; or that was not diftinguished ly prodigies and miracles.

This is quite in charakter : her majefty would sometimes fæcar at ber nobles, as well as box their ears.

Now spread thy ancyent, Westmorland,
Thy dun bull faine would we spye:
And thou, the Earl o' Northumberland,
Now rayse thy half moone up on hye.

But the dun bulle is fled and gone,

And the halfe moone vanished away :

The Earles, though they were brave and bold,
Against foe many could not ftay.

140

Thee, Norton, wi' thine eight good fonnes, 145
They doom'd to dye, alas! for ruth!

Thy reverend lockes thee could not fave,
Nor them their faire and blooming youthe.

Wi' them full many a gallant wight
They cruellye bereav'd of life:
And many a childe made fatherleffe,
And widowed many a tender wife.

150

IV.

NORTHUMBERLAND BETRAYED

BY DOUGLAS.

This ballad may be confidered as the Sequel of the pre- · ceding. After the unfortunate Earl of Northumberlana

T 4

bad

had feen himfelf frfaken of his followers, he endeavoured to withdraw into Scotland, but falling into the hands of the thievish borderers, was ftript and otherwife ill-treated by them. At length he reached the house of Hector of Harlaw, an Armstrong, with whom he hoped to lie concealed: for Hector had engaged his honour to be true to him, and was under great obligations to this unhappy nobleBut this faithlefs wretch betrayed his gueft for a fum of money to Murray the Regent of Scotland, who fent him to the caftle of Lough-leven, then belonging to William Douglas.All the writers of that time affure us that Hector, who was rich before, fell shortly after into poverty, and became so infamous, that TO TAKE HECTOR'S CLOAK, grew into a proverb to exprefs a man, who betrays his friend. See Camden, Carleton, Holingfbed, &c.

man.

Lord Northumberland continued in the castle of Loughleven, till the year 1572; when James Douglas Earl of Morton being elected Regent, he was given up to the Lord Hunfden at Berwick, and being carried to York, suffered death. As Morton's party depended on Elizabeth for pro-teion, an elegant Hiftorian thinks "it was fcarce poffible for them to refufe putting into her hands, a person who had taken up arms against her. But as a fum of money was paid on that account, and shared between Morton and his kinfman Douglas, the former of whom during his exile in England had been much indebted to Northumberland's friendhip, the abandoning this unhappy nobleman to inevitable deftruction, was deemed an ungrateful and mercenary act." Robertion's Hift.

So far hiftory coincides with this ballad, which was apparently written by fome northern bard, foon after the event. The interpofal of the WITCH-LADY (v. 53.) is probably his own invention: yet even this hath fome countenance from biftory; for about 25 years before, the Lady Jane Douglas, Lady Glamis, fifter of the earl of Angus, and nearly related to Douglas of Lough-leven, had fuffered death for the pretended crime of witchcraft; who, it is prefumed, is the lady alluded to in verje 133.

The