Reliques of Ancient English Poetry consisting of Old Heroic Ballads, Songs, and other Pieces of our earlier Poets, (Chiefly of the Lyric kind.) Together with some few of later Date |
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![]() | Reliques of Ancient English Poetry | ![]() |
I
THE ANCIENT BALLAD OF CHEVY-CHASE.
The fine heroic song of Chevy-Chase has ever been admired by competent judges. Those genuine strokes of nature and artless passion, which have endeared it to the most simple readers, have recommended it to the most refined; and it has equally been the amusement of our childhood, and the favourite of our riper years.
Mr. Addison has given an excellent critique on this very popular ballad, but is mistaken with regard to the antiquity of the common received copy; for this, if one may judge from the style, cannot be older than the time of Elizabeth, and was probably written after the elogium of Sir Philip Sidney: perhaps in consequence of it. I flatter myself, I have here recovered the genuine antique poem: the true original song, which appeared rude even in the time of Sir Philip, and caused him to lament, that it was so evil-apparelled in the rugged garb of antiquity.
This curiosity is printed; from an old manuscript, at the end of Hearne's preface to Gul. Newbrigiensis Hist. 1719. 8 vo. vol. 1. To the MS. Copy is subjoined the name of the author, Rychard Sheale : whom Hearne had so little judgment as to suppose to be the same with a R. Sheale, who was living in 1588. But whoever examines the gradation of language and idiom in the following volumes, will be convinced that this is the production of an earlier poet. It is indeed expressly mentioned among some very ancient songs in an old book intituled, The Complaint of Scotland , (fol. 42.) under the title of the Huntis of Chevet, where the two following lines are also quoted;
The Perssee and the Mongumrye mette .That day, that day, that gentil day :
Which, tho' not quite the same as they stand in the ballad, yet differ not more than might be owing to the author's quoting from memory. Indeed whoever considers the style and orthography of this old poem will not be inclined to place it lower than the time of Henry VI: as on the other hand the mention of Iames the Scottish king , with one or two Anachronisms, forbid us to assign it an earlier date. King James I. who was prisoner in this kingdom at the death of
So much for the date of this old ballad: with regard to its subject, altho' it has no countenance from history, there is room to think it had originally some foundation in fact. It was one of the Laws of the Marches frequently renewed between the two nations, that neither party should hunt in the other's borders, without leave from the proprietors or their deputies . There had long been a rivalship between the two martial families of Percy and Douglas, which heightened by the national quarrel, must have produced frequent challenges and struggles for superiority, petty invasions of their respective domains, and sharp contests for the point of honour; which would not always be recorded in history. Something of this kind we may suppose gave rise to the ancient ballad of the Hunting a' the Cheviat . Percy earl of Northumberland had vowed to hunt for three days in the Scottish border without condescending to ask leave from earl Douglas, who was either lord of the soil, or lord warden of the marches. Douglas would not fail to resent the insult, and endeavour to repel the intruders by force: this would naturally
Hearne has printed this ballad without any division of stanzas, in long lines, as he found it in the old written copy: but it is usual to find the distinction of stanzas neglected in ancient MSS; where, to save room, two or three verses are frequently given in one line undivided. See flagrant instances in the Harleian Catalog. No. 2253. s. 29. 34. 61. 70. & passim.
The First Part.
And a vowe to God mayd he,
That he wolde hunte in the mountayns
Off Chyviat within dayes thre,
In the mauger of doughtè Dogles,
And all that ever with him be.
He sayd he wold kill, and cary them away:
Be my feth, sayd the dougheti Doglas agayn,
I wyll let that hontyng yf that I may.
With him a myghtye meany;
With fifteen hondrith archares bold;
The wear chosen out of shyars thre
In Cheviat the hillys so he;
The chyld may rue that ys un-born,
It was the mor pitté.
For to reas the dear;
Bomen bickarte uppone the bent
With ther browd aras cleare.
On every syde shear;
Grea-hondes thorowe the greves glent
For to kyll thear dear.
Yerly on a monnyn day;
A hondrith fat hartes ded ther lay.
The semblyd on sydis shear;
To the quyrry then the Persè went
To se the bryttlynge off the deare.
This day to meet me hear;
But I wyste he wold faylle verament:
A gret oth the Persè swear.
Lokyde at his hand full ny,
He was war ath the doughetie Doglas comynge;
With him a myghtè meany,
Yt was a myghti sight to se.
Hardyar men both off hart nar hande
Wear not in Christiantè.
Withouten any fayle;
The wear borne a-long be the watter a Twyde,
Yth bowndes of Tividale.
And to your bowys tayk good heed;
For never sithe ye wear on your mothars borne
Had ye never so mickle need.
He rode his men beforne;
His armor glytteryde as dyd a glede;
A bolder barne was never born.
Or whos men that ye be:
Who gave youe leave to hunte in this
Chyviat chays in the spyt of me?
Yt was the good lord Persè:
We wyll not tell the ‘what’ men we ar, he says,
Nor whos men that we be;
But we wyll hount hear in this chays
In the spyte of thyne, and of the.
We have kyld, and cast to carry them a-way.
Be my troth, sayd the doughtè Dogglas agayn,
Ther-for the ton of us shall de this day.
Unto the lord Persè:
To kyll all thes giltles men,
A-las! it wear great pittè.
I am a yerle callyd within my contre;
Let all our men uppone a parti stande;
And do the battell off the and of me.
Who-soever ther-to says nay.
Be my troth, doughtè Doglas, he says,
Thow shalt never se that day;
Nor for no man of a woman born,
But and fortune be my chance,
I dar met him on man for on.
Ric. Wytharynton was his nam;
It shall never be told in Sothe-Ynglonde, he says,
To kyng Herry the fourth for sham.
I am a poor squyar of lande;
And stande my-selffe, and looke on,
But whyll I may my weppone welde
I wyll not ‘fayl’ both harte and hande.
The first fit here I fynde.
And you wyll here any mor athe hontyng athe Chyviat
Yet ys ther mor behynde.
The Second Part.
Ther hartes were good yenoughe;
The first of arros that the shote off,
Seven skore spear-men the sloughe.
A captayne good yenoughe,
And that was sene verament,
For he wrought hom both woo and wouche.
Lyk a cheffe cheften off pryde,
The cum in on every syde.
Gave many a wounde full wyde;
Many a doughete the garde to dy,
Which ganyde them no pryde.
And pulde owt brandes that wer bright;
It was a hevy syght to se
Bryght swordes on basnites lyght.
Many sterne the stroke downe streght:
Many a freyke, that was full free,
Ther undar foot dyd lyght.
Lyk to captayns of myght and mayne;
The swapte togethar tyll the both swat
With swordes, that wear of fyn myllàn.
Ther-to the wear full fayne,
Tyll the bloode owte off thear basnetes sprente,
As ever dyd heal or rayne.
And i' feth I shall the brynge
Wher thowe shalte have a yerls wagis
Of Jamy our Scottish kynge.
I hight the hear this thinge,
For the manfullyste man yet art thowe,
That ever I conqueryd in filde fightyng.
I tolde it the beforne,
That I wolde never yeldyde be
To no man of a woman born.
Forthe off a mightie wane ,
Hit hathe strekene the yerle Duglas
In at the brest bane.
The sharp arrowe ys gane,
That never after in all his lyffe days
He spayke mo wordes but ane,
That was, Fyghte ye, my merry men, whyllys ye may,
For my lyff days ben gan.
And sawe the Duglas de;
He tooke the dede man be the hande,
And sayd, Wo ys me for the!
My landes for years thre,
For a better man of hart, nare of hande
Was not in all the north countrè.
Was callyd Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry,
He sawe the Duglas to the deth was dyght;
He spendyd a spear a trusti tre:
Throughe a hondrith archery;
He never styntyde, nar never blane
Tyll he came to the good lord Persè.
A dynte, that was full soare;
With a suar spear of a myghtè tre
Clean thorow the body he the Persè bore,
A large cloth yard and mare:
Towe bettar captayns wear nat in Cristiantè,
Then that day slain wear thare.
Say slean was the lord Persè,
He bar a bende-bow in his hande,
Was made off trusti tre:
To th'hard stele halyde he;
A dynt, that was both sad and soar,
He sat on Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry.
That he of Mongon-byrry sete;
The swane-fethars, that his arrowe bar,
With his hart blood the wear wete .
But still in stour dyd stand,
Heawyng on yche othar, whyll the myght dre,
With many a bal-ful brande.
An owar befor the none,
And when even-song bell was rang
The battell was nat half done.
Be the lyght off the mone;
In Chyviat the hyllys abone.
Went away but fifti and thre;
Of twenty hondrith spear-men of Skotlonde,
But even five and fifti:
The hade no strengthe to stand on he:
The chylde may rue that ys un-borne,
It was the mor pittè.
Sir John of Agerstone
The family of Haggerston of Haggerston, near Berwick, has been seated there for many centuries, and still remains. Thomas Haggerston was among the commissioners returned for Northumberland in 12 Hen. 6. 1433. (Fuller's Worthies, p. 310.) The head of this family at present is Sir Thomas Haggerston, Bart. of Haggerston abovementioned.
Sir Roger the hinde Hartly ,
Sir Wyllyam the bolde Hearone
This family was one of the most ancient in Northumberland: they were once Lords of Ford Castle, and also of the Barony of Heron in this county; their principal seat being at Chip-Chose near Hexham. Thus, Johannes Hearon, miles, is among those who signed a treaty with the Scots in 1449. Hen. 6. (See Nicholson's Laws of the Borders, p. 34. see also p. 330. 331. 332. 333. 335.)—Two Herons are among the commissioners in Fuller. p. 310.—Johan Heronn was sheriff of Northumberland in 35 of Edw. 3. (Fuller. p. 311.) Also in 7° of Richard 2. (p. 312.) and others afterwards. The descendant of this family, Sir Thomas Heron, Bart. is at present an officer in the army.
A knyght of great renowen,
Sir Raff the ryche Rugbè
The anceint family of Rokeby in Yorkshire, seems to be here intended. In Thoresby's Ducat. Leod. p. 253: fol. is a genealogy of this house, by which it appears that the head of the family about the time when this ballad was written, was Sir Ralph Rokeby, Knt. Ralph being a common name of the Rokebys.
With dyntes wear beaten dowene.
That ever he slayne shulde be;
For when both his leggis wear hewyne in to,
He knyled and fought on hys kne.
Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry ,
Sir Davye Lwdale , that worthè was,
His sistars son was he:
That never a foot wolde fle;
Sir Hewe Maxwell, a lorde he was,
With the Duglas dyd he dey.
Off byrch, and hasell so ‘gray’;
Many wedous with wepyng tears,
Cam to fach ther makys a-way.
Northombarlond may mayk grat mone,
For towe such captayns, as slayne wear thear,
On the march perti shall never be none.
To Jamy the Skottishe kyng,
That dougheti Duglas, lyff-tenant of the Merches,
He lay slean Chyviot with-in.
He sayd, Alas, and woe ys me!
He sayd, y-feth shuld never be.
Till the fourth Harry our kyng,
That lord Persè, leyff-tenante of the Merchis,
He lay slayne Chyviat within.
Good lord, yf thy will it be!
I have a hondrith captayns in Yynglonde, he sayd,
As good as ever was hee:
But Persè, and I brook my lyffe,
Thy deth well quyte shall be.
Lyke a noble prince of renowen,
For the deth of the lord Persè,
He dyd the battel of Hombyll-down:
On a day wear beaten down:
Glendale glytteryde on ther armor bryght,
Over castill, towar, and town.
That tear begane this spurn:
Call it the Battell of Otterburn.
Uppon a monnyn day:
Ther was the dougghté Doglas slean,
The Persè never went away.
Sen the Doglas, and the Persè met,
But yt was marvele, and the rede blude ronne not,
As the reane doys in the stret.
And to the blys us brynge!
Thus was the hountynge of the Chevyat:
God send us all good ending!
The style of this and the following ballad is uncommonly rugged and uncouth, owing to their being writ in the very coarsest and broadest northern Dialect.
The battle of Hombyll-down, or Humbleton, was fought Sept. 14. 1402. (anno 3. Hen. IV.) wherein the English, under the command of the E. of Northumberland, and his son Hotspur, gained a compleat victory over the Scots. The village of Humbleton is one mile north-west from Wooller in Northumberland: near it are two hills, which retain to this day evident marks of encampments.—Humbleton is in Glendale ward, a district so named in this county, and mentioned above in ver. 163.
One of the earliest productions of the Scottish press, now to be found. The title-page was wanting in the copy here quoted; but it is supposed to have been printed in 1540.
Item. . . Concordatum est, quod, . . . nullus unius partis vel alterius ingrediatur terras, boschas, forrestas, warrenas, loca, dominia quæcunque alicujus partis alterius subditi, causa venandi, piscandi, aucupandi, disportum aut solatium in eisdem, aliave quacunque de causa, absque licentia ejus . . . . ad quem . . . loca . . . . . . pertinent, aut de deputatis suis prius capt. & obtent.
By these “shyars thre” is probably meant three districts in Northumberland, which still go by the name of shires, and are all in the neighbourhood of Cheviot. These are Island-shire, being the district so named from Holy-Island: Norehamshire, so called from the town and castle of Norcham (or Norham); and Bamboroughshire, the ward or hundred belonging to Bamborough-castle and town.
![]() | Reliques of Ancient English Poetry | ![]() |