fomething of which, it is probable, did really happen, tho' not attended with the tragical circumftances recorded in the ballad: for thefe are evidently borrowed from the BATTLE OF OTTERBOUN, 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-CHACE, though it has efcaped the notice of hiftorians. Our poet has evidently jumbled the two events together: if indeed the lines (12) in which this mistake is made, are not rather Spurious, and the after-insertion of some perfon, who did not diftinguish between the two ftories.

Hearne bas 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 Catalogue, No. 2253. S. 29, 34, 61, 70, & passim.

The fattifte hartes in all Cheviat

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

Then the Perfé owt of Banborowe cam,
With him a myghtee meany;

With fifteen hondrith archares bold;
The wear chofen out of fhyars thre.

Ver. 11. The Persè. MS.
Ver. 19. throrowe. MS.
S4

archardes bolde off blood and bone. MS.

Ver. 13.

Then

The wear twenty hondrith fpear-men good,
Withouten any fayle;

The wear borne a-long be the watter a Twyde,
Yth bowndes of Tividale.

50

Leave off the brytlyng of the dear, he fayde,
And to your bowys tayk good heed;

For never fithe ye wear on your mothars borne
Had ye never fo mickle need..

The dougheti Dogglas on a stede
He rode his men beforne;

His armor glytteryde as dyd a glede ;

A boider barne was never born.

55

V. 31. blwe a mot. MS. V. 42. mvghtte. MS, pasim. V. 43. brylly. MS. V. 48. withowte ... feale, MS, 7. 52. boys lock ye tayk. MS. V. 54. ned. MS. V. 56. att his. MS.

Tel

Tel me

what' men ye ar, he fays,

Or whos men that ye be;

Who gave youe leave to hunte in this
Chyviat chays in the spyt of me?

The first mane that ever him an anfwear mayd,
Yt was the good lord Persè:

бо

We wyll not tell the what' men we ar, he says, 65

Nor whos men that we be;

But we wyll hount hear in this chays

In the fpyte of thyne, and of the.

The fattifte hartes in all Chyviat

We have kyld, and caft to carry them a-way.

Be my troth, fayd the doughtè Dogglas agayn,
Ther-for the ton of us fhall de this day.

70

75

80

Nowe Crifte cors on his crowne, fayd the lord Persè,
Who-foever there-to fays nay.

Be my troth, doughtè Doglas, he says,

Thow fhalt never fe that day.

Nethar in Ynglonde, Skottlande, nar France, 85
Nor for no man of a woman born,

But and fortune be my chance,

I dar met him on man for on.

Then befpayke a fquyar of Northombarlonde,
Ric. Wytharynton was his nam;

It shall never be told in Sothe-Ynglonde, he fays,

To kyng Herry the fourth for fham.

I wat youe byn great lordes twa,

I am a poor fquyar of lande;

V. 59. whos. MS. V. 64, whoys. MS. V. 71. agay. MS. V. §1. fayd the MS. V. 88. i. e. one. V. 93. twaw. MS.

I wyll never fee my captayne fyght on a fylde, 95
And ftande my-felffe, and look on,

But whyll I may my weppone welde,

I wyll not fayl both harte and hande,

That day, that day, that dreadful day:

The first FIT here I fynde,

100

And you will here any mor athe hontyng athe Chyvyat
Yet ys ther mor behynd.

T

THE SECOND PART.

HE Ynglißhe men hade their bowys yebent,
Ther hartes were good yenoughe;

The first of arros that the fhote off,

Seven kore fpear-men the floughe,

V. 101. you...hountyng. MS.

10

15

20

V. 3. i. e. flight. V. 5. byddys. MS. V, 27, boys. MS, V. 18. briggt. MS, V, 21, throrowe, MS. V, 22. done. MS,

At

Thoroue lyvar and longs bathe

The sharp arrowe ys gane,

That never after in all his lyffe days

He fpake no words but ane,

45

50

That was, Fyght ye, my merry men, whyllys ye may,

For my lyff days ben gan.

The Persè leanyde on his brande,

And faw the Duglas de;

He tooke the dede man by the hande,

And fyde, Wo ys me for the!

To have favyde thy lyffe I wolde have pertyd with

My landes for years thre,

For a better man of hart, nare of hande

Was not in all the north countrè.

55

бо

V. 26. to, i, e. two. Ibid. and of. MS. V. 32. ran, MS, V. 33. helde. MS.

V, 36, Scottish. MS. V. 49. throroue, MS,

Off