| |
| GOD prosper long our noble king, | |
| Our lives and safeties all; | |
| A woful hunting once there did | |
| In Chevy-Chace befall. | |
| |
| To drive the deer with hound and horn, | 5 |
| Erle Piercy 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, | 10 |
| His pleasure in the Scottish woods | |
| Three summer’s days to take; | |
| |
| The chiefest harts in Chevy-Chace | |
| To kill and bear away: | |
| The tidings to Earl Douglas came, | 15 |
| In Scotland where he lay. | |
| |
| Who sent Earl Piercy present word, | |
| He would prevent his sport; | |
| The English earl, not fearing this, | |
| Did to the woods resort, | 20 |
| |
| With fifteen hundred bow-men bold, | |
| All chosen men of might, | |
| Who knew full well in time of need | |
| To aim their shafts aright. | |
| |
| The gallant greyhounds swiftly ran, | 25 |
| To chase the fallow deer; | |
| On Monday they began to hunt, | |
| When day-light did appear. | |
| |
| And long before high noon they had | |
| An hundred fat bucks slain; | 30 |
| Then having din’d, the drovers went | |
| To rouze them up again. | |
| |
| The bow-men muster’d on the hills, | |
| Well able to endure; | |
| Their backsides all, with special care, | 35 |
| That day were guarded sure. | |
| |
| The hounds ran swiftly thro’ the woods, | |
| The nimble deer to take, | |
| And with their cries the hills and dales | |
| An echo shrill did make. | 40 |
| |
| Lord Piercy to the quarry went, | |
| To view the tender deere; | |
| Quoth he, “Earl Douglas promised | |
| This day to meet me heer. | |
| |
| “If that I thought he would not come, | 45 |
| 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; | 50 |
| Full twenty hundred Scottish spears, | |
| All marching in our sight. | |
| |
| “All men of pleasant Tividale, | |
| Fast by the river Tweed.” | |
| “Then cease your sport,” Erle Piercy said, | 55 |
| “And take your bows with speed. | |
| |
| “And now with me, my countrymen, | |
| Your courage forth advance; | |
| For there was never champion yet | |
| In Scotland or in France, | 60 |
| |
| “That ever did on horseback come, | |
| But, if my hap it were, | |
| I durst encounter man for man, | |
| With him to break a spear.” | |
| |
| Earl Douglas on his milk-white steed, | 65 |
| Most like a baron bold, | |
| Rode foremost of the company, | |
| Whose armour shone like gold. | |
| |
| “Show me,” he said, “whose men you be, | |
| That hunt so boldly here, | 70 |
| That, without my consent, do chase | |
| And kill my fallow-deer.” | |
| |
| The man that first did answer make | |
| Was noble Piercy he; | |
| Who said, “We list not to declare, | 75 |
| Nor show whose men we be. | |
| |
| “Yet we will spend our dearest blood, | |
| Thy chiefest hart to slay.” | |
| Then Douglas swore a solemn oath, | |
| And thus in rage did say: | 80 |
| |
| “Ere thus I will out-braved be, | |
| One of us two shall dye: | |
| I know thee well, an earl thou art; | |
| Lord Piercy, so am I. | |
| |
| “But trust me, Piercy, pity it were, | 85 |
| And great offence, to kill | |
| Any of these our harmless men, | |
| For they have done no ill. | |
| |
| “Let thou and I the battel try, | |
| And set our men aside: | 90 |
| “Accurs’d be he,” Lord Piercy said, | |
| “By whom this is deny’d.” | |
| |
| Then stept a gallant squire forth | |
| (Witherington was his name), | |
| Who said, “I would not have it told | 95 |
| To Henry our king for shame, | |
| |
| “That ere my captaine fought on foot, | |
| And I stood looking on: | |
| “You be two earls,” said Witherington, | |
| “And I a squire alone. | 100 |
| |
| “I ’ll do the best that do I may, | |
| While I have power to stand; | |
| While I have power to wield my sword, | |
| I ’ll fight with heart and hand.” | |
| |
| Our English archers bent their bows, | 105 |
| Their hearts were good and true; | |
| At the first flight of arrows sent, | |
| Full threescore Scots they slew. | |
| |
| To drive the deer with hound and horn, | |
| Earl Douglas had the bent; | 110 |
| A captain mov’d with mickle pride | |
| The spears to shivers sent. | |
| |
| They clos’d full fast on every side, | |
| No slacknes there was found; | |
| And many a gallant gentleman | 115 |
| 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. | 120 |
| |
| At last these two stout earls did meet, | |
| Like captains of great might; | |
| Like lions wood they laid on load, | |
| And made a cruel fight. | |
| |
| They fought until they both did sweat, | 125 |
| With swords of temper’d steel; | |
| Until the blood, like drops of ruin, | |
| They trickling down did feel. | |
| |
| “Yield thee, Lord Piercy,” Douglas said; | |
| “In faith I will thee bring, | 130 |
| Where thou shalt high advanced be | |
| By James, our Scottish king. | |
| |
| “Thy ransom I will freely give, | |
| And thus report of thee, | |
| Thou art the most couragious knight | 135 |
| That ever I did see.” | |
| |
| “No, Douglas,” quoth Earl Piercy then, | |
| “Thy proffer I do scorn; | |
| I will not yield to any Scot | |
| That ever yet was born.” | 140 |
| |
| 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, | 145 |
| “Fight on, my merry men all; | |
| For why, my life is at an end, | |
| Lord Piercy sees my fall.” | |
| |
| Then leaving life, Earl Piercy took | |
| The dead man by the hand; | 150 |
| 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 | 155 |
| Mischance did never take.” | |
| |
| A knight amongst the Scots there was, | |
| Which saw Earl Douglas dye, | |
| Who straight in wrath did vow revenge | |
| Upon the Earl Piercy. | 160 |
| |
| Sir Hugh Montgomery was he call’d, | |
| Who, with a spear most bright, | |
| Well-mounted on a gallant steed, | |
| Ran fiercely thro’ the fight; | |
| |
| And pass’d the English archers all, | 165 |
| Without all dread or fear, | |
| And through Earl Piercy’s body then | |
| He thrust his hateful spear. | |
| |
| With such a veh’ment force and might | |
| He did his body gore, | 170 |
| The spear ran through the other side | |
| A large cloth-yard, and more. | |
| |
| So thus did both these nobles dye, | |
| Whose courage none could stain; | |
| An English archer then perceiv’d | 175 |
| 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. | 180 |
| |
| Against Sir Hugh Montgomery | |
| So right his shaft he set, | |
| The gray goose-wing that was thereon | |
| In his heart’s blood was wet. | |
| |
| This fight did last from break of day | 185 |
| Till setting of the sun; | |
| For when they rung the evening-bell, | |
| The battel scarce was done. | |
| |
| With the Earl Piercy, there was slain | |
| Sir John of Ogerton, | 190 |
| Sir Robert Ratcliff, and Sir John, | |
| Sir James, that bold baron. | |
| |
| And with Sir George and good Sir James, | |
| Both knights of good account, | |
| Good Sir Ralph Rabby there was slain, | 195 |
| 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. | 200 |
| |
| 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 Ratcliff, too, | 205 |
| His sister’s son was he; | |
| Sir David Lamb, so well esteem’d, | |
| Yet saved could not bee. | |
| |
| And the Lord Maxwell in like wise | |
| Did with Earl Douglas dye; | 210 |
| 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-Chace, | 215 |
| Under the green-wood tree. | |
| |
| Next day did many widows come, | |
| Their husbands to bewail; | |
| They wash’d their wounds in brinish tears, | |
| But all would not prevail. | 220 |
| |
| 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, | 225 |
| 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, | 230 |
| I have not any captain more | |
| Of such account as he.” | |
| |
| Like tidings to King Henry came, | |
| Within as short a space, | |
| That Piercy of Northumberland | 235 |
| Was slaine in Chevy-Chace. | |
| |
| “Now God be with him,” said our king, | |
| “Sith ’t will no better be; | |
| I trust I have within my realm | |
| Five hundred as good as he. | 240 |
| |
| “Yet shall not Scot nor Scotland say, | |
| But I will vengeance take, | |
| And be revenged on them all, | |
| For brave Earl Piercy’s sake.” | |
| |
| This vow full well the king perform’d | 245 |
| After, on Humbledown; | |
| In one day, fifty knights were slain, | |
| With lords of great renown. | |
| |
| And of the rest, of small account, | |
| Did many thousands dye: | 250 |
| Thus endeth the hunting of Chevy-Chace, | |
| Made by the Earl Piercy. | |
| |
| God save the king, and bless the land | |
| In plenty, joy, and peace; | |
| And grant henceforth, that foul debate | 255 |
| ’Twixt noblemen may cease! | |
| |
