He stepped owt at hys pavelyon dore,
To loke and it were lesse ;

Araye yow, lordyngs, one and all,

For here bygynnes no peysse.

The yerle of Mentaye,* thow arte my eme,
The fowarde I gyve to the:

100

The yerlle of Huntlay cawte and kene,

He schall wyth the be.

The lorde of Bowghan † in armure bryght

105

On the other hand he schall be: Lorde Jhonstone, and lorde Maxwell, They to schall be with me.

Swynton fayre fylde upon your pryde

To batell make yow bowen :

110

Syr Davy Scotte, Syr Walter Stewarde,
Syr Jhon of Agurstone.

A FYTTE.

THE Perssy came byfore hys oste,
Wych was ever a gentyll knyght,
Upon the Dowglas lowde can he crye,
I wyll holde that I have hyght:

*The Earl of Menteith.

+ The Lord Buchan.

For thow haste brente Northumberlonde,

And done me grete envye;

For thys trespasse thou hast me done,
The tone of us schall dye.

The Dowglas answerde hym agayne

With grete wurds up on 'hee,'

And sayd, I have twenty agaynst 'thy' one,*
Byholde and thow maiste see.

Wyth that the Percye wasgrevyd sore,

For sothe as I yow saye:

5

10

[He lyghted dowyn upon his fote,

15

And schoote his horsse clene away.

Every man sawe that he dyd soo,

That ryall was ever in rowght;

Every man schoote hys horsse him froo,
And lyght hym rowynde abowght.

Thus Syr Hary Percye toke the fylde,
For soth, as I yow saye:

Jesu Cryste in hevyn on hyght

Dyd helpe hym well that daye.

20

V. 4, I will hold to what I have V. 1, 13, Pearcy, al. MS. Ver. 11, the one. MS. Ver. 10, hye. MSS.

promised.

*He probably magnifies his strength, to induce him to surrender.

+ All that follows, included in brackets, was not in the first edition.

But

THE BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE.

nyne thowzand, ther was no moo;
The cronykle wyll not layne:
Forty thowsande Skottes and fowre
That day fowght them agayne.

But when the batell byganne to joyne,
In hast ther came a knyght,

'Then' letters fayre furth hath he tayne
And thus he sayd full ryght:

My lorde, your father he gretes yow well,

Wyth many a noble knyght;

He desyres yow to byde

That he may see thys fyght.

The Baron of Grastoke ys com owt of the west,
Wyth hym a noble companye;

All they loge at your fathers thys nyght,
And the Battel fayne wold they see.

For Jesu's love, sayd Syr Harye Percy,
That dyed for yow and me,
Wende to my lorde my Father agayne,
And saye thow saw me not with yee:

40

My trowth ys plyght to yonne Skottysh knyght, 45 It nedes me not to layne,

That I schulde byde hym upon thys bent,

And I have hys trowth agayne:

And if that I wende off thys grownde

For soth unfoughten awaye,

He wolde me call but a kowarde knyght

In hys londe another daye.

Yet had I lever to be rynde and rente,

By Mary that mykel maye;

50

Then ever my manhod schulde be reprovyd 55 Wyth a Skotte another daye.

Wherfore schote, archars, for my sake,

And let scharpe arowes flee:

Mynstrells, playe up for your waryson,

And well quyt it schall be.

60

Every man thynke on hys trewe love,

And marke hym to the Trenite :

For to God I make myne avowe

This day wyll I not fle.

The blodye Harte in the Dowglas armes,
Hys standerde stode on hye;

65

That every man myght full well knowe :
By syde stode Starres thre.

The whyte Lyon on the Ynglysh parte,

Forsoth as I yow sayne;

70

The Lucetts and the Cressawnts both:
The Skotts faught them agayne.*]

Uppon sent Andrewe lowde cane they crye,
And thrysse they schowte on hyght,

I tell yow in sertayne;

Men of armes byganne to joyne;

Many a dowghty man was ther slayne.

The Percy and the Dowglas mette,

That ether of other was fayne;

They schapped together, whyll that the swette,
With swords of fyne Collayne;

85

* The arms of Douglas are pretty accurately emblazoned in the former stanza, especially if the readings were, The crowned harte, and Above stode starres thre, it would be minutely exact at this day. As for the Percy family, one of their ancient badges or cognizances was a white lyon, statant; and the silver crescent continues to be used by them to this day: they also give three luces argent for one of their quarters.

ti.e. the English.