Rhymes of Northern Bards / Being a Curious Collection of Old and New Songs and Poems, Peculiar to the Counties of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, and Durham

THE HUNTING IN CHEVY CHASE.

This favourite old ballad is founded on the celebrated battle of Otterbourne, as there never was a Percy engaged with a Douglas, but at that time; though the Percy, who commanded at that battle, was not earl of Northumberland, yet he was heir to that title, though he did not live to enjoy it. Ben Johnson used to say, he had rather have been the author of this ballad than of all his works. Sir Philip Sydney says, (in his Discourse of Poetry) “I never heard the old song of Piercy and Douglas, that I found not my heart more moved than with a trumpet; and yet it is sung by some blind crouder, with no rougher voice than rude style; which being so evil apparelled in the dust and cobweb of that uncivil age, what would it work trimmed in the gorgeous eloquence of Pindar?” Addison eulogizes it highly in Nos. 70 and 74 of the Spectator. And in the second volume of Dryden’s Miscellanies, there may be found a translation of Chevy Chase into Latin Rhymes, by Henry Bold, of New College.

God prosper long our noble king,

Our lives and safeties all;

A woeful hunting once there did

In Chevy Chase befall.

To drive the deer with hound and horn,

Earl Percy took his way;

The child may rue that is unborn

The hunting of that day.

The stout earl of Northumberland

A vow to God did make,

His pleasure in the Scottish woods

Three summer’s days to take;

The chiefest harts in Chevy Chase

To kill and bear away:

These tidings to earl Douglas came,

In Scotland where he lay;

Who sent earl Percy present word,

He would prevent his sport:

The English earl, not fearing this,

Did to the woods resort,

With fifteen hundred bowmen bold;

All chosen men of might,

Who knew full well, in time of need,

To aim their shafts aright.

The gallant greyhounds swiftly ran,

To chase the fallow-deer;

On Monday they began to hunt,

When day-light did appear;

And, long before high-noon, they had

A hundred fat bucks slain;

Then, having din’d, the drovers went

To rouse them up again.

The bowmen muster’d on the hills,

Well able to endure;

Their backsides all, with special care,

That day were guarded sure.

The hounds ran swiftly through the woods,

The nimble deer to take,

And with their cries the hills and dales

An echo shrill did make.

Lord Percy to the quarry went,

To view the slaughter’d deer;

Quoth he, Earl Douglas promised,

This day to meet me here:

If that I thought he would not come,

No longer would I stay.

With that a brave young gentleman

Thus to the earl did say:

Lo! yonder doth earl Douglas come,

His men in armour bright;

Full twenty hundred Scottish spears

All marching in our sight;

All men of pleasant Tividale,

Fast by the river Tweed.

Then cease your sport, earl Percy said,

And take your bows with speed.

And now with me, my countrymen,

Your courage forth advance;

For never was there champion yet,

In Scotland or in France,

That ever did on horseback come,

But if mayhap it were,

I durst adventure, man for man,

With him to break a spear.

Earl Douglas, on a milk-white steed,

Most like a baron bold,

Rode foremost of the company,

Whose armour shone like gold.

Show me, said he, whose men you be,

That hunt so boldly here;

That, without my consent, do chase,

And kill my fallow deer.

The man that first did answer make,

Was noble Percy, he;

Who said, We list not to declare,

Nor show whose men we be:

Yet we will spend our dearest blood,

Thy chiefest hearts to slay.

Then Douglas swore a solemn oath,

And thus in rage did say:

Ere thus I will outbraved be,

One of us two shall die;

I know thee well, an earl thou art,

Lord Percy, so am I.

But trust me, Percy, pity it were,

And great offence to kill

Any of these our harmless men,

For they have done no ill.

Let thou and I the battle try,

And set our men aside.

Accurs’d be he, lord Percy said,

By whom this is deny’d.

Then stepp’d a gallant ’squire forth,

Witherington was his name,

Who said, I would not have it told

To Henry our king, for shame,

That e’er my captain fought on foot,

And I stood looking on:

You be two earls, said Witherington,

And I a squire alone:

I’ll do the best that do I may,

While I have strength to stand;

While I have pow’r to wield my sword,

I’ll fight with heart and hand.

Our English archers bent their bows,

Their hearts were good and true;

At the first flight of arrows sent,

Full three-score Scots they slew.

To drive the deer with hound and horn

Earl Douglas had the bent;

A captain mov’d with mickle pride,

The spears to shivers sent.

They clos’d full fast on every side,

No slackness there was found;

And many a gallant gentleman

Lay gasping on the ground.

O Christ! it was a grief to see,

And likewise for to hear

The cries of men lying in their gore,

And scatter’d here and there.

At last these two stout earls did meet,

Like captains of great might;

Like lions mov’d, they laid on load,

And made a cruel fight.

They fought until they both did sweat,

With swords of temper’d steel;

Until the blood, like drops of rain,

They trickling down did feel.

Yield thee, lord Percy, Douglas said,

In faith I will thee bring,

Where thou shall high advanced be,

By James our Scotish king:

Thy ransom I will freely give,

And thus report of thee,

Thou art the most courageous knight

That ever I did see.

No, Douglas, quoth earl Percy then,

Thy proffer I do scorn;

I will not yield to any Scot

That ever yet was born.

With that there came an arrow keen,

Out of an English bow,

Which struck earl Douglas to the heart,

A deep and deadly blow:

Who never spoke more words than these,

“Fight on my merry men all;

For why, my life is at an end,

Lord Percy sees my fall.”

Then leaving life, earl Percy took

The dead man by the hand,

And said, “Earl Douglas, for thy life

Would I had lost my land!

O Christ! my very heart doth bleed,

With sorrow for thy sake;

For sure a more renowned knight

Mischance did never take.”

A knight amongst the Scots there was,

Which saw earl Douglas die,

Who straight in wrath did vow revenge

Upon the earl Percy:

Sir Hugh Montgomery was he call’d;

Who with a spear most bright,

Well mounted on a gallant steed,

Ran fiercely through the fight;

And pass’d the English archers all,

Without all dread or fear;

And through earl Percy’s body then

He thrust his hateful spear:

With such a vehement force and might

He did his body gore,

The spear went through the other side

A large cloth-yard, and more.

So thus did both these nobles die,

Whose courage none could stain:

An English archer then perceiv’d

The noble earl was slain:

He had a bow bent in his hand,

Made of a trusty tree;

An arrow of a cloth-yard long

Up to the head drew he:

Against sir Hugh Montgomery,

So right the shaft he set,

The grey-goose-wing that was thereon

In his heart-blood was wet.

This fight did last from break of day

Till setting of the sun;

For when they rung the evening-bell

The battle scarce was done.

With the earl Percy there was slain

Sir John of Ogerton,

Sir Robert Radclyffe, and sir John,

Sir James that bold baron:

And, with sir George, and good sir James,

Both knights of good account,

Good sir Ralph Raby there was slain,

Whose prowess did surmount.

For Witherington needs must I wail,

As one in doleful dumps;

For when his legs were smitten off,

He fought upon his stumps.

And with earl Douglas there was slain

Sir Hugh Montgomery,

Sir Charles Currel, that from the field

One foot would never fly;

Sir Charles Murrel of Ratcliffe too,

His sister’s son was he;

Sir David Lamb, so well esteem’d,

Yet saved could not be.

And the lord Maxwell, in likewise,

Did with earl Douglas die:

Of twenty hundred Scottish spears

Scarce fifty-five did fly.

Of fifteen hundred Englishmen,

Went home but fifty-three:

The rest were slain in Chevy Chase,

Under the greenwood tree.

Next day did many widows come,

Their husbands to bewail;

They wash’d their wounds in brinish tears

But all would not prevail.

Their bodies, bath’d in purple blood,

They bore with them away;

They kiss’d them dead a thousand times,

When they were clad in clay.

This news was brought to Edinburgh,

Where Scotland’s king did reign,

That brave earl Douglas suddenly

Was with an arrow slain.

O heavy news! king James did say,

Scotland can witness be,

I have not any captain more

Of such account as he.

Like tidings to king Henry came,

Within as short a space,

That Percy of Northumberland

Was slain in Chevy Chase.

Now God be with him! said our king,

Sith ’twill no better be;

I trust I have within my realm

Five hundred as good as he.

Yet shall not Scot nor Scotland say,

But I will vengeance take;

And be revenged on them all,

For brave lord Percy’s sake.

This vow full well the king perform’d,

After, on Humble-down;

In one day fifty knights were slain,

With lords of great renown;

And of the rest, of small account,

Did many hundreds die.

Thus ended the hunting of Chevy Chase,

Made by the earl Percy.

God save the king, and bless the land

In plenty, joy, and peace;

And grant, henceforth, that foul debate

’Twixt noblemen may cease.

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