23 Then he call'd on his little foot-page,
And said "Run speedily,

And fetch my ain dear sister's son,
Sir Hugh Montgomery.

24 "My nephew good," the Douglas said,
"What recks the death of ane!
Last night I dream'd a dreary dream,
And I ken the day's thy ain.

25 "My wound is deep; I fain would sleep;
Take thou the vanguard of the three,
And hide me by the bracken bush
That grows on yonder lily lea.

26 "O bury me by the bracken bush,
Beneath the blooming briar,

Let never living mortal ken

That ere a kindly Scot lies here."

27 He lifted up that noble lord,
Wi' the saut tear in his ee;
He hid him in the bracken bush,

That his merry-men might not see.

28 The moon was clear, the day drew near, The spears in flinders flew,

But mony a gallant Englishman
Ere day the Scotsmen slew.

29 The Gordons good, in English blood
They steep'd their hose and shoon;
The Lindsays flew like fire about,
Till all the fray was done.

30 The Percy and Montgomery met,
That either of other were fain;

They swapped swords, and they twa swat,
And aye the blood ran down between.

31 "Now yield thee, yield thee, Percy," he said,
"Or else I vow I'll lay thee low!"

"To whom must I yield,” quoth Earl Percy,
"Now that I see it must be so?"

32 "Thou shalt not yield to lord nor loon,
Nor yet shalt thou yield to me;
But yield thee to the bracken bush
That grows upon yon lily lea.”

33 "I will not yield to a bracken bush,
Nor yet will I yield to a briar;
But I would yield to Earl Douglas,

Or Sir Hugh the Montgomery, if he were here."

34 As soon as he knew it was Montgomery,
He struck his sword's point in the ground;
The Montgomery was a courteous knight,
And quickly took him by the hand.

35 This deed was done at the Otterburn,
About the breaking of the day;

Earl Douglas was buried at the bracken bush
And the Percy led captive away.

THE HUNTING OF THE CHEVIOT

I THE Percy out of Northumberland,
And avow to God made he

That he wold hunt in the mountains
Of Cheviot within days three,

In the maugre of the doughty Douglas,
And all that ever with him be.

2 The fattest harts in all Cheviot

He said he would kill, and carry them away: "By my faith," said the doughty Douglas again, "I will let that hunting if that I may."

3 Then the Percy out of Bamborough cam, With him a mighty meinie,

With fifteen hundrith archers bold of blood and bone;
They were chosen out of shires three.

4 This began on a Monday at morn,
In Cheviot the hillès so hie;
The child may rue that is unborn,
It is the more pitie.

5 The drivers thorough the woodès went,
For to raise the deer;

Bowmen bickered upon the bent

With their broad arrows clear.

6 Then the wild thorough the woodès went,
On every side shere;

Greyhounds thorough the grevès glent,
For to kill their deer.

7 This began in Cheviot the hills aboon,
Yerly on a Monen-day;

By that it drew to the hour of noon,
A hundrith fat harts dead there lay.

8 They blew a mort upon the bent,
They 'sembled on sidès shere;
To the querry then the Percy went,
To see the brittling of the deer.

9 He said, "It was the Douglas' promise
This day to meet me here;
But I wist he wold fail, verament;"
A great oath the Percy sware.

10 At the last a squire of Northumberland
Looked at his hand full nie;

He was ware o' the doughty Douglas coming,
With him a mighty meinie.

II Both with spear, bill, and brand,

It was a mighty sight to see;

Hardier men, both of heart nor hand,
Were not in Christiantie.

12 They were twenty hundrith spear-men good,
Without any fail;

They were born along by the water o' Tweed,
I' th' boundès of Tividale.

13 "Leave off the brittling of the deer,” he said, "And to your bowès look ye take good heed; For never sith ye were on your mothers born Had ye never so mickle need.”

15 “Tell me whose men ye are," he says,

“Or whose men that ye be:

Who gave you leave to hunt in this Cheviot chase, In the spite of mine and of me.”

16. The first man that ever him an answer made,

It was the good lord Percy:

“We will not tell thee whose men we are,” he says, "Nor whose men that we be;

But we will hunt here in this chase,
In the spite of thine and of thee.

17 "The fattest harts in all Cheviot

We have killed, and cast to carry them away:" "By my troth," said the doughty Douglas again,

"Therefore the tone of us shall die this day.”

18 Then said the doughty Douglas Unto the lord Percy:

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

19 "But, Percy, thou art a lord of land,
I am a yerl called within my countrie;

Let all our men upon a party stand,

And do the battle of thee and of me."

20 "Now Christ's curse on his crown," said the lord Percy, "Whosoever thereto says nay!

By my troth, doughty Douglas,” he says,

21 "Neither in England, Scotland, nor France,
Nor for no man of a woman born,
But, and fortune be my chance,

I dare meet him, one man for one."

22 Then bespake 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.

23 "I wat you been great lordès twa,
I am a poor squire of land;

I will never see my captain fight on a field,
And stand myself and look on,
But while I may my weapon wield,

I will not fail, both heart and hand.”