This was the hontynge off the Cheviat;
That tear begane this spurn:

Old men that knowen the grownde well yenoughe,
Call it the Battell of Otterburn.

At Otterburn began this spurne

Uppon a monnyn day:

Ther was the dougghtè Doglas slean,

The Persè never went away

Ther was never a tym on the march partes

Sen 54 the Doglas and the Persè met,

But yt was marvele, and the redde blude ronne not,
As the reane doys in the stret.

Jhesue Christ our balys bete,

And to the blys us brynge!

Thus was the hountynge of the Chevyat:

God send us all good ending!

51 Enjoy.

62 Paid.

63 Thirty.

54 Since.

33. The more modern Ballad of Chevy Chase.

This form of the Ballad was probably written not much later than the time of Queen Elizabeth. It is the one criticised by Addison in the 'Spectator,' Nos. 70 and 74.

God prosper long our noble king,

Our lives and safetyes all;

A woefull hunting once there did
In Chevy-Chace befall;

To drive the deere with hound and horne,

Erle Percy took his way;

The child may rue that is unborne,

The hunting of that day.

The stout Erle of Northumberland
A vow to God did make,

His pleasure in the Scottish woods
Three summers days to take;

The cheefest harts in Chevy-Chace
To kill and beare away.

These tydings to Erle Douglas came,
In Scottland where he lay:

Who sent Erle Percy present word,
He wold prevent his sport.

The English Erle, not fearing that,
Did to the woods resort

With fifteen hundred bow-men bold;
All chosen men of might,

Who knew full well in time of neede
To ayme their shafts arright.

The gallant greyhounds swiftly ran,
To chase the fallow deere :
On munday they began to hunt
Ere day-light did appeare;

And long before high noone they had
An hundred fat buckes slaine;
Then having dined, the drovyers went
To rouze the deare againe.

The bow-men mustered on the hills,

Well able to endure;

Theire backsides all, with speciall care,

That day were guarded sure.

The hounds ran swiftly through the woods,
The nimble deere to take,

That with their cryes the hills and dales
An eccho shrill did make.

Lord Percy to the quarry went,
To view the slaughter'd deere:
Quoth he, "Erle Douglas promised
This day to meet me heere:

But if I thought he wold not come,

Noe longer wold I stay."

With that, a brave younge gentleman
Thus to the Erle did say:

"Loe, yonder doth Erle Douglas come,
His men in armour bright;
Full twenty hundred Scottish speres
All marching in our sight;

All men of pleasant Tivydale,
Fast by the river Tweede :

"O, cease your sports," Erle Percy said,
“And take your bowes with speede:

And now with me, my countrymen,
Your courage forth advance;
For there was never champion yett,
In Scotland or in France,

That ever did on horsebacke come,
But if my hap it were,

I durst encounter man for man,
With him to break a spere."

Erle Douglas on his milke-white steede,

Most like a baron bold,

Rode formost of his company,

Whose armour shone like gold.

"Show me," sayd hee, "whose men you bee, That hunt soe boldly heere,

That, without my consent, doe chase

And kill my fallow-deere."

The first man that did answer make,
Was noble Percy hee;

Who sayd, "Wee list not to declare,
Nor shew whose men wee bee:

Yet wee will spend our deerest blood,
Thy cheefest harts to slay."

Then Douglas swore a solempne oathe,
And thus in rage did say,

"Ere thus I will out-braved bee,
One of us two shall dye:

I know thee well, an erle thou art;
Lord Percy, soe am I.

1 The four stanzas here inclosed in Brackets, which are borrowed chiefly from the ancient Copy, are offered to the Reader instead of the following lines, which occur in the Editor's folio MS. :

To drive the deere with hound and horne,

Douglas bade on the bent;

Two captaines moved with mickle might,
Their speres to shivers went.