172
MUSSELBURGH FIELD
MUSSELBURGH FIELD
[_]
‘Musleboorrowe ffeild,’ Percy MS., p. 54; Hales and Furnivall, I, 123.
1
On the tenth day of December,
And the fourth yeere of King Edwards raigne,
Att Musleboorrowe, as I remember,
Two goodly hosts there mett on a plaine.
2
All that night they camped there,
Soe did the Scotts, both stout and stubborne;
But “wellaway,” it was their song,
For wee haue taken them in their owne turne.
3
Over night they carded for our English mens coates;
They fished before their netts were spunn;
A white for sixpence, a red for two groates;
Now wisdome wold haue stayed till they had been woone.
4
Wee feared not but that they wold fight,
Yett itt was turned vnto their owne paine;
Thoe against one of vs that they were eight,
Yett with their owne weapons wee did them beat.
5
On the twelfth day in the morne
The made a face as the wold fight,
But many a proud Scott there was downe borne,
And many a ranke coward was put to flight.
6
But when they heard our great gunnes cracke,
Then was their harts turned into their hose;
They cast down their weapons, and turned their backes,
They ran soe fast that the fell on their nose.
7
The Lord Huntley, wee had him there;
With him hee brought ten thousand men,
Yett, God bee thanked, wee made them such a banquett
That none of them returned againe.
8
Wee chased them to D[alkeith][OMITTED]
