The Book of Old English Ballads Part 14

But when the battle began to join, In haste there came a knight, Then letters fair forth hath he ta'en, And thus he said full right:

"My lord, your father he greets you well, With many a n.o.ble knight; He desires you to bide, That he may see this fight.

"The baron of Grastock is come out of the west, With him a n.o.ble company; All they lodge at your father's this night, And the battle fain would they see."

"For Jesu's love," said Sir Harry Percy, "That died for you and me, Wend to my lord, my father, again, And say thou saw me not with ee;

"My troth is plight to yon Scottish knight, It needs me not to layne, That I should bide him upon this bent, And I have his troth again;

"And if that I wend off this ground, For sooth unfoughten away, He would me call but a coward knight, In his land another day.

"Yet had I lever to be rynde and rent, By Mary that mykel may, Than ever my manhood should be reproved With a Scot another day.

"Wherefore shoot, archers, for my sake, And let sharp arrows flee; Minstrels, play up for your warison, And well quit it shall be.

"Every man think on his true love, And mark him to the Trinity; For to G.o.d I make mine a-vow This day will I not flee."

The b.l.o.o.d.y heart in the Douglas' arms, His standard stood on high, That every man might full well know; Beside stood starres three.

The white Li n on the English part, For sooth as I you sayne, The luces and the crescents both The Scots fought them again.

Upon Saint Andrew loud did they cry, And thrice they shout on hyght, And syne marked them on our Englishmen, As I have told you right.

Saint George the bright, our Lady's knight, To name they were full fain, Our Englishmen they cried on hyght, And thrice they shout again.

With that sharp arrows began to flee, I tell you in certain; Men of arms began to join; Many a doughty man was there slain.

The Percy and the Douglas met, That either of them was fain; They schapped together, while that they sweat, With swords of fine Collayne;

Till the blood from their basenets ran As the roke doth in the rain.

"Yield thee to me," said the Douglas, "Or else thou shalt be slain;

"For I see by thy bright basenet, Thou art some man of might; And so I do by thy burnished brand, Thou art an earl, or else a knight."

"By my good faith," said the n.o.ble Percy, "Now hast thou rede full right; Yet will I never yield me to thee, While I may stand and fight."

They swapped together, while that they sweat, With swordes sharp and long; Each on other so fast they beat, Till their helms came in pieces down.

The Percy was a man of strength, I tell you in this stound He smote the Douglas at the sword's length, That he felled him to the ground.

The sword was sharp, and sore did byte, I tell you in certain; To the heart he did him smite, Thus was the Douglas slain.

The standards stood still on each side; With many a grievous groan, There they fought the day, and all the night, And many a doughty man was slone.

There was no freyke that there would fly, But stiffly in stour did stand, Echone hewing on other while they might dry, With many a baleful brand.

There was slain upon the Scottes side, For sooth and certainly, Sir James of Douglas there was slain, That day that he did die.

The Earl of Menteith he was slain.

Grysely groaned upon the ground; Sir Davy Scot, Sir Walter Steward, Sir John of Agerstone.

Sir Charles Murray in that place, That never a foot would fly; Sir Hugh Maxwell, a lord he was, With the Douglas did he die.

There was slain upon the Scottes side, For sooth as I you say, Of four and forty thousand Scots, Went but eighteen away.

There was slain upon the English side, For sooth and certainly, A gentle knight, Sir John Fitzhugh, It was the more pity.

Sir James Harebotell there was slain, For him their hearts were sore The gentle Lovel there was slain, That the Percy's standard bore.

There was slain upon the English side, For sooth as I you say, Of nine thousand Englishmen, Five hundred came away;

The others were slayne in the field, Christ keep their souls from woe, Seeing there were so few friends Against so many a foe!

Then on the morn they made them biers Of birch and hazel gray; Many a widow with weeping tears Their makes they fetch away.

This fray began at Otterburn, Between the night and the day; There the Douglas lost his life, And the Percy was led away.

Then was there a Scottish prisoner ta'en, Sir Hugh Montgomery was his name, For sooth as I you say, He borrowed the Percy home again.

Now let us all for the Percy pray, To Jesu most of might, To bring his soul to the bliss of heaven, For he was a gentle knight.

The Lament of the Border Widow

My love he built me a bonny bower, And clad it a' wi' a lilye flower, A brawer bower ye ne'er did see, Than my true love he built for me.

There came a man, by middle day, He spied his sport and went away, And brought the king that very night, Who brake my bower, and slew my knight.

He slew my knight, to me so dear; He slew my knight, and poined his gear; My servants all for life did flee, And left me in extremitie.

I sewed his sheet, making my mane; I watched the corpse, myself alane; I watched his body, night and day; No living creature came that way.

I took his body on my back, And whiles I gaed, and whiles I sat, I digged a grave, and laid him in, And happed him with the sod so green.

But think na ye my heart was sair, When I laid the moul' on his yellow hair; Think na ye my heart was wae, When I turned about, away to gae?

Nae living man I'll love again, Since that my lovely knight is slain; W? ae lock of his yellow hair I'll chain my heart for evermair.

The Banks o' Yarrow