He sett the King upon a Palfrey,

himselfe upon a steede,

he tooke him by the bridle rayne, towards London he gan him Lead.

& when to London that he came,

the King from ffrance was new come home, & there unto the King of Scottes,

he sayd these words anon.

"how like you my shepards & my millers, my priests with shaven crownes ? "

"by my fayth, they are the sorest fighting men that ever I mett on the ground;

"there was never a yeoman in merry England but he was worth a Scottish knight !"

"I, by my troth," said King Edward, and laughe, "for you fought all against the right."

but now the Prince of merry England
worthilye under his Sheelde
hath taken the King of ffrance

at Poytiers in the ffeelde.

the Prince did present his father with that feod,

the lovely King off ffrance,

& fforward of his Journey he is gone :

god send us all good chance!

Thus ends the battell of ffaire Durham

in one morning of may,

the battell of Cressey, & the battle of Potyers,

All within one monthes day.

then was welthe and welfare in mery England,
Solaces, game, & glee,

& every man loved other well,

& the King loved good yeomanrye.

but God that made the grasse to growe,
& leaves on greenwoode tree,
now save & keepe our noble King,
& maintaine good yeomanrye !

Old Ballad.

X.

THE ANCIENT BALLAD OF CHEVYCHASE.

THE Percy out of Northumberland,

And a vow to God made he,

That he would hunt in the mountains

Of Cheviat within days three,

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

The fattest harts in all Cheviat

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."

Then the Percy out of Bamborough came,
With him a mighty meany;

With fifteen hundred archers bold;

They were chosen out of shires three.

This began on a Monday at noon
In Cheviat the hills so he;
The child may rue that is unborn,
It was the more pity.

The drivers thorough the woodes went

For to rouse the deer;

Bowmen bickarte upon the bent

With their broad arrows clear.

They began in Cheviat the hills above.
Early on a Monynday:

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

They blew a mort upon the bent,
They 'sembled on sides sheer ;
To the quarry then the Percy went,
To see the brittling of the deer.

He said, "It was the Douglas' promise

This day to meet me here;

But I wist he would fail verament :

A great oath the Percy sware.

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

He was ware o' the doughty Douglas coming:
With him a mighty meany.

Both with spear, bill, and brand:

It was a mighty sight to see.

Hardier men both of heart nor hand

Were not in Christianity

They were twenty hundred spearmen good,
Withouten any fail:

They were born along by the water of Tweed
I' th' bounds of Tividale.

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

The doughty Douglas on a steed.
He rode at his men beforne;

His armour glittered as did a glede,
A bolder bairn was never born.

"Tell me what men ye are," he says,

"Or whose men that ye

be:

Who gave you leave to hunt in this

Cheviat chase in the spite of me?"

The first man that ever him an answer made,

It was the good lord Percy :

"We will not tell thee what 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.

"The fattest hårts in all Cheviat

We have kill'd, and cast to carry them away." "By my troth," said the doughty Douglas again, "Therefor the one of us shall die this day."

Then said the doughty Douglas

Unto the lord Percy :

"To kill all these guiltless men,

Alas! it were great pity.

But, Percy, thou art a lord of land,

I am an Earl called within my country;

Let all our men upon a party stand;

And do the battle of thee and of me."

"Now Christ's curse on his crown," said the lord

Percy,

"Whosoever thereto says nay;