"But I wist he would fail, verament,"

A great oath the Percy sware.

At last a squire of Northumberland
Looked at his hand full nigh;

He was ware of the doughty Douglas coming,
With him a mighty meynè;

Both with spear, bill, and brand ; 11

It was a mighty sight to see;

Hardier men, both of heart and hand,

Were not in Christianté.

They were twenty hundred spearmen good,

Withouten any fail;

They were born along by the water of Tweed,
In the bounds of Tivydale.

"Leave off brittling the deer," he said,

"To your bows look ye take good heed;
"For since ye were of your mothers born
"Had ye never so mickle need.”

The doughty Douglas on a steed
He rode all his men beforne;
His armour glittered as a glede ;
A bolder barne was never born.

13

"Tell me who ye are,” he says, "Or whose men that ye be;

12

"Who gave you leave to hunt in this clan

"In the spite of me?"

The first man that ever him answer made,

It was the good Lord Percy;

"We will not tell thee who we are,

"Nor whose men that we be;

"But we will hunt here in this chace, "In spite of thine and thee.

"The fattest harts in all Cheviot

“We have kill'd and cast11 to carry away."

66

'By my troth," said the doughty Douglas again,

"Therefore shall one of us die this day."

Then said the doughty Douglas

Unto the Lord Percy,

"To kill all these guiltless men,
"Alas it were great pitie!

"But, Percy, thou art a lord of land,
"And I am earl called in my countrie;
"Let all our men apart from us stand,
"And do the battle off thee and me."

"Now, curse on his crown," said the Lord Percy, "Whosoever thereto says nay!

"By my troth doughty Douglas," he says,
"Thou never shalt see that day.

"Neither in England, Scotland, nor France,
"Of woman born there is none,
66 But, on fortune be my chance,
"I dare meet him, one man for one."

"Then spake a squire of Northumberland,
"Richard Witherington was his name:

"It shall never be told in South England," he says, "To King Harry the fourth, for shame!

"I wot ye bin great lordès two,

"I am a poor squire of land;

"I'll ne'er see my captain fight on a field,

14 intend.

"And a looker-on to stand:

"But while I may my weapon wield
"I will fail not heart and hand."

That day, that day, that dreadful day!
The first fytte 15 here I find.

An ye

will hear more of the Hunting of Cheviot,

Yet more there is behind.

THE SECOND FYTTE.

The Englishmen had their bowès bent,

Their hearts were good enow;

The first (flight) of arrows, that they shot off,

Seven score spearmen they sloughe.

Yet bides Earl Douglas upon the bent

A captain good enow,

And that was soon seen, verament,

For he wrought (the English wo).

The Douglas parted his host in three,
Like a chieftain (full) of pride;
With sure spears of mighty tree
They came in on every side

Thorough our English archery,
And gave many a wound full wide;

16

Many a doughty they gar'd to die,
Which gain'd them no (small) pride.

The Englishmen let their bowès be,
And pull'd out brands that were bright;
It was a heavy sight to see

17

Bright swords on basnets17 light.

15 a portion of a song.

16 made.

17 small helmets.

Thorough rich mail and maniple
Stern they struck down straight;
Many a freke1 that was full free,
There under foot did light.

18

At last the Douglas and Percy met,
Like two captains of might and main ;
They swapt together till they both swat,
With swords of the fine Milan.

These worthy frekes for to fight
Thereto they were full fain,

Till the blood out of their basnets sprent
As ever did hail or rain.

"Hold thee, Percy!" said the Douglas,
"And i'faith I shall thee bring
"Where thou shalt have an earl's wages
"Of Jamie our Scottish king.

"Thou shalt have thy ransom free;

20

"I hight thee here this thing;

"For the manfullest man yet art thou,
"That ever I conquerèd in fighting."

"Nay," said the Lord Percy,
"I told it thee beforne,

“That I would never yielded be
"To no man of a woman born."

With that came an arrow hastily

Forth of a mighty wane;

21

And it hath stricken the Earl Douglas

In at the breast bane.

That never after in all his life-days
He spake more words but one:

That was, "Fight ye, my merry men, while ye may! * "For my life-days be done."

Then Percy leanèd on his brand,

And saw the Douglas die ;

He took the dead man by the hand,

And said, "Wo is me for thee!

"To have saved thy life, I would have given

66

My landès for years three;

"For a better man, of heart nor of hand,

"Was not in the north countrie."

Of all that saw a Scottish knight,

Sir Hugh the Montgomerie ;

He saw the Douglas to death was dight:
He spended a spear, a trusty tree;

22

He rode upon a courser
Through a hundred archery ;

He never stinted,. nor never blan

Till he came to good Lord Percy.

He set upon the Lord Percy
A dint that was full sore;

23

With a sure spear of a mighty tree
Clean through his body he bore,

On the other side that a man might see
A large cloth-yard and mair.

Two better captains in Christianté
Were not, than the two slain there.

An archer of Northumberland
Saw slain was the Lord Percy:

22 spanned, grasped.

23 stopped.