So right his shaft he set,
The grey goose-wing that was thereon
In his heart's blood was wet.
This fight did last from break of day 185
Till setting of the sun;
For when they rung the evening-bell,[L187]
The battel scarce was done.
With the Earl Piercy, there was slain
Sir John of Ogerton, 190
Sir Robert Ratcliff, and Sir John,
Sir James, that bold baron.
And with Sir George and good Sir James,
Both knights of good account,
Good Sir Ralph Rabby there was slain, 195
Whose prowess did surmount.
For Witherington needs must I wail,
As one in doleful dumps;[L198]
For when his legs were smitten off,
He fought upon his stumps. 200
And with Earl Douglas, there was slain
Sir Hugh Montgomery,
Sir Charles Currel, that from the field
One foot would never fly.
Sir Charles Murrel, of Ratcliff, too, 205
His sister's son was he;
Sir David Lamb, so well esteem'd,
Yet saved could not bee.
And the Lord Maxwell in like wise
Did with Earl Douglas dye; 210
Of twenty hundred Scottish spears
Scarce fifty-five did fly.
Of fifteen hundred Englishmen,
Went home but fifty-three;
The rest were slain in Chevy-Chace, 215
Under the green-wood tree.
Next day did many widows come,
Their husbands to bewail;
They wash'd their wounds in brinish tears,
But all would not prevail.[L220] 220
Their bodies, bath'd in purple blood,
They bore with them away:
They kiss'd them dead a thousand times,
When they were clad in clay.
This news was brought to Edinburgh, 225
Where Scotland's king did reign,
That brave Earl Douglas suddenly
Was with an arrow slain.
"O heavy news," King James did say;
"Scotland can witness be, 230
I have not any captain more
Of such account as he."
Like tidings to King Henry came,
Within as short a space,
That Piercy of Northumberland 235
Was slaine in Chevy-Chace.
"Now God be with him," said our king,
"Sith 't will no better be;
I trust I have within my realm
Five hundred as good as he. 240
"Yet shall not Scot nor Scotland say,
But I will vengeance take,
And be revenged on them all,
For brave Earl Piercy's sake."
This vow full well the king perform'd, 245
After, on Humbledown;
In one day, fifty knights were slain,
With lords of great renown.
And of the rest, of small account,
Did many thousands dye: 250
Thus endeth the hunting of Chevy-Chace,
Made by the Earl Piercy.
God save the king, and bless the land
In plenty, joy, and peace;
And grant henceforth, that foul debate 255
'Twixt noblemen may cease!
62. since.--O. B.
123. Percy has _lions wood_.
137. To.
187. Sc. the Curfew bell, usually rung at eight o'clock; to which the
modernizer apparently alludes, instead of the "Evensong bell," or bell
for vespers of the original author, before the Reformation.--PERCY.
198. "I, as one in deep concern, must lament." The construction here
has generally been misunderstood.--P.
This phrase may help us to determine the date of the authorship of the
ballad. "Doleful dumps" suggested nothing ludicrous to a writer of the
age of Elizabeth, but not long after became burlesque. The observation
is Percy's.
220. They.--O. B.
SIR ANDREW BARTON.
From Percy's _Reliques_, ii. 193.
"The transactions which did the greatest honour to the Earl of Surrey
and his family at this time [A. D. 1511], was their behaviour in the
case of Barton, a Scotch sea-officer. This gentleman's father having
suffered by sea from the Portuguese, he had obtained letters of marque
for his two sons to make reprisals upon the subjects of Portugal. It
is extremely probable, that the court of Scotland granted these
letters with no very honest intention. The council-board of England,
at which the Earl of Surrey held the chief place, was daily pestered
with complaints from the sailors and merchants, that Barton, who was
called Sir Andrew Barton, under pretence of searching for Portuguese
goods, interrupted the English navigation. Henry's situation at that
time rendered him backward from breaking with Scotland, so that their
complaints were but coldly received. The Earl of Surrey, however,
could not smother his indignation, but gallantly declared at the
council-board, that while he had an estate that could furnish out a
ship, or a son that was capable of commanding one, the narrow seas
should not be infested.
"Sir Andrew Barton, who commanded the two Scotch ships, had the
reputation of being one of the ablest sea officers of his time. By his
depredations, he had amassed great wealth, and his ships were very
richly laden. Henry, notwithstanding his situation, could not refuse
the generous offer made by the Earl of Surrey. Two ships were
immediately fitted out, and put to sea with letters of marque, under
his two sons, Sir Thomas and Sir Edward Howard. After encountering a
great deal of foul weather, Sir Thomas came up with the Lion, which
was commanded by Sir Andrew Barton in person; and Sir Edward came up
with the Union, Barton's other ship [called by Hall, the Bark of
Scotland]. The engagement which ensued was extremely obstinate on both
sides; but at last the fortune of the Howards prevailed. Sir Andrew
was killed, fighting bravely, and encouraging his men with his
whistle, to hold out to the last; and the two Scotch ships, with their
crews, were carried into the River Thames [Aug. 2, 1511]." (Guthrie's
_Peerage_, as quoted by Percy.)
An old copy in the precious Manuscript furnished the foundation for
Percy's edition of this noble ballad. The editor states that the text
of the original was so incorrect as to require emendations from
black-letter copies and from conjecture. These emendations, where they
are noted, we have for the most part disregarded. We would fain
believe that nothing except a defect in the manuscript could have
reconciled the Bishop to adopting the four lines with which the ballad
now begins.
The common, or black-letter copies, are somewhat abridged as well as
modernized. One of these is given in the Appendix.
THE FIRST PART.
When Flora with her fragrant flowers[L1]
Bedeckt the earth so trim and gaye,
And Neptune with his daintye showers
Came to present the monthe of Maye,
King Henrye rode to take the ayre, 5
Over the river of Thames past hee;
When eighty merchants of London came,
And downe they knelt upon their knee.
"O yee are welcome, rich merchànts,
Good saylors, welcome unto mee:" 10
They swore by the rood, they were saylors good,
But rich merchànts they cold not bee.
"To France nor Flanders dare we pass,
Nor Bordeaux voyage dare we fare;
And all for a robber that lyes on the seas, 15
Who robbs us of our merchant ware."
King Henrye frownd, and turned him rounde,
And swore by the Lord that was mickle of might,
"I thought he had not beene in the world,
Durst have wrought England such unright." 20
The merchants sighed, and said, "Alas!"
And thus they did their answer frame;
"He is a proud Scott, that robbs on the seas,
And Sir Andrewe Barton is his name."
The king lookt over his left shoulder, 25
And an angrye look then looked hee;
"Have I never a lorde in all my realme,
Will feitch yond traytor unto mee?"
"Yea, that dare I," Lord Charles Howard sayes;
"Yea, that dare I, with heart and hand; 30
If it please your grace to give me leave,
Myselfe will be the only man."
"Thou art but yong," the kyng replyed,
"Yond Scott hath numbred manye a yeare:"
"Trust me, my liege, Ile make him quail, 35
Or before my prince I will never appeare."
"Then bowemen and gunners thou shalt have,
And chuse them over my realme so free;
Besides good mariners, and shipp-boyes,
To guide the great shipp on the sea." 40
The first man that Lord Howard chose,
Was the ablest gunner in all the realm,
Thoughe he was threescore yeeres and ten;
Good Peter Simon was his name.
"Peter," sais hee, "I must to the sea, 45
To bring home a traytor live or dead;
Before all others I have chosen thee,
Of a hundred gunners to be the head."
"If you, my lord, have chosen mee
Of a hundred gunners to be the head, 50
Then hang me up on your maine-mast tree,
If I misse my marke one shilling bread."
My lord then chose a boweman rare,
Whose active hands had gained fame;[L54]
In Yorkshire was this gentleman borne, 55
And William Horseley was his name.
"Horsley," sayd he, "I must with speede
Go seeke a traytor on the sea,
And now of a hundred bowemen brave
To be the head I have chosen thee." 60
"If you," quoth hee, "have chosen mee
Of a hundred bowemen to be the head,
On your main-mast Ile hanged bee,
If I miss twelvescore one penny bread."
With pikes, and gunnes, and bowemen bold, 65
This noble Howard is gone to the sea;
With a valyant heart and a pleasant cheare,
Out at Thames mouth sayled he.
And days he scant had sayled three,
Upon the journey he tooke in hand, 70
But there he mett with a noble shipp,
And stoutely made itt stay and stand.
"Thou must tell me," Lord Howard said,
"Now who thou art, and what's thy name;
And shewe me where thy dwelling is, 75
And whither bound, and whence thou came."
"My name is Henry Hunt," quoth hee,
With a heavye heart, and a carefull mind;
"I and my shipp doe both belong
To the Newcastle that stands upon Tyne." 80
"Hast thou not heard, nowe, Henrye Hunt,
As thou hast sayled by daye and by night,
Of a Scottish robber on the seas;
Men call him Sir Andrew Barton, knight?"
Then ever he sighed, and sayd "Alas!" 85
With a grieved mind, and well-away,
"But over-well I knowe that wight;
I was his prisoner yesterday.
"As I was sayling uppon the sea,
A Burdeaux voyage for to fare, 90
To his hach-borde he clasped me,[L91]
And robd me of all my merchant ware.
And mickle debts, God wot, I owe,
And every man will have his owne,
And I am nowe to London bounde, 95
Of our gracious king to beg a boone."
"That shall not need," Lord Howard sais;
"Lett me but once that robber see,
For every penny tane thee froe
It shall be doubled shillings three." 100
"Nowe Gode forefend," the merchant said,
"That you shold seek soe far amisse!
God keepe you out of that traitors hands!
Full litle ye wott what a man hee is.
"Hee is brasse within, and steele without, 105
With beames on his topcastle stronge;
And eighteen pieces of ordinance
He carries on each side along.
And he hath a pinnace deerlye dight,
St. Andrewes crosse, that is his guide; 110
His pinnace beareth ninescore men,
And fifteen canons on each side.
"Were ye twentye shippes, and he but one,
I sweare by kirke, and bower, and hall,
He wold overcome them everye one,[L115] 115
If once his beames they doe downe fall."
"This is cold comfort," sais my lord,
"To wellcome a stranger thus to the sea:
Yet Ile bring him and his shipp to shore,
Or to Scotland hee shall carrye mee." 120
"Then a noble gunner you must have,
And he must aim well with his ee,
And sinke his pinnace into the sea,
Or else hee never orecome will bee.
And if you chance his shipp to borde, 125
This counsel I must give withall,
Let no man to his topcastle goe
To strive to let his beams downe fall.
"And seven pieces of ordinance,
I pray your honour lend to mee, 130
On each side of my shipp along,
And I will lead you on the sea.
A glasse Ile sett, that may be seene,
Whether you sayle by day or night;
And to-morrowe, I sweare, by nine of the clocke,
You shall meet with Sir Andrewe Barton, knight." 135
1-4. from the printed copy.
54. from the printed copy.
91. The MS. has here archborde, but in Part II. v. 5, hachebord.
115. It should seem from hence, that before our marine artillery was
brought to its present perfection, some naval commanders had recourse
to instruments or machines, similar in use, though perhaps unlike in
construction, to the heavy Dolphins made of lead or iron used by the
ancient Greeks; which they suspended from beams or yards fastened to
the mast, and which they precipitately let fall on the enemies' ships,
in order to sink them, by beating holes through the bottoms of their
undecked triremes, or otherwise damaging them.--PERCY.
THE SECOND PART.
The merchant sett my lorde a glasse,
Soe well apparent in his sight,
And on the morrowe, by nine of the clocke,
He shewed him Sir Andrewe Barton, knight.
His hachebord it was hached with gold, 5
Soe deerlye dight it dazzled the ee;
"Nowe by my faith," Lord Howarde sais,
"This is a gallant sight to see.
"Take in your ancyents, standards eke,
So close that no man may them see; 10
And put me forth a white willowe wand,
As merchants use to sayle the sea."
But they stirred neither top nor mast;[L13]
Stoutly they past Sir Andrew by;
"What English churles are yonder," he sayd, 15
"That can soe litle curtesye?
"Now by the roode, three yeares and more
I have been admirall over the sea,
And never an English nor Portingall
Without my leave can passe this way." 20
Then called he forth his stout pinnàce;
"Fetch backe yond pedlars nowe to mee:
I sweare by the masse, yon English churles
Shall all hang att my maine-mast tree."
With that the pinnace itt shott off; 25
Full well Lord Howard might it ken;
For itt stroke down my lord's fore-mast,
And killed fourteen of his men.
"Come hither, Simon," sayes my lord,
"Looke that thy word be true, thou said; 30
For at my main-mast thou shalt hang,
If thou misse thy marke one shilling bread."
Simon was old, but his heart itt was bold;
His ordinance he laid right lowe,
He put in chaine full nine yardes long, 35
With other great shott, lesse and moe,
And he lette goe his great gunnes shott;
Soe well he settled itt with his ee,
The first sight that Sir Andrew sawe,
He see his pinnace sunke in the sea. 40
And when he saw his pinnace sunke,
Lord, how his heart with rage did swell!
"Nowe cutt my ropes, itt is time to be gon;
Ile fetch yond pedlars backe mysell."
When my lord sawe Sir Andrewe loose, 45
Within his heart hee was full faine;
"Nowe spread your ancyents, strike up drummes,
Sound all your trumpetts out amaine."
"Fight on, my men," Sir Andrewe sais,
"Weale, howsoever this geere will sway; 50
Itt is my lord admirall of Englànd,
Is come to seeke mee on the sea."
Simon had a sonne, who shott right well,
That did Sir Andrewe mickle scare;
In att his decke he gave a shott, 55
Killed threescore of his men of warre.
Then Henrye Hunt, with rigour hott,
Came bravely on the other side;
Soone he drove downe his fore-mast tree,
And killed fourscore men beside. 60
"Nowe, out alas!" Sir Andrewe cryed,
"What may a man now thinke or say?
Yonder merchant theefe, that pierceth mee,
He was my prisoner yesterday.
"Come hither to me, thou Gordon good, 65
That aye wast readye att my call;
I will give thee three hundred pounds,
If thou wilt let my beames downe fall."
Lord Howard hee then calld in haste,
"Horselye, see thou be true in stead; 70
For thou shalt at the maine-mast hang,
If thou misse twelvescore one penny bread."
Then Gordon swarved the maine-mast tree,
He swarved it with might and maine;
But Horseley with a bearing arrowe, 75
Stroke the Gordon through the braine;
And he fell unto the haches again,
And sore his deadlye wounde did bleede:
Then word went through Sir Andrews men,
How that the Gordon hee was dead. 80
"Come hither to mee, James Hambilton,
Thou art my only sisters sonne;
If thou wilt let my beames downe fall,
Six hundred nobles thou hast wonne."[L84]
With that he swarved the main-mast tree, 85
He swarved it with nimble art;
But Horseley with a broad arrowe
Pierced the Hambilton thorough the heart.
And downe he fell upon the deck,
That with his blood did streame amaine: 90
Then every Scott cryed, "Well-away!
Alas a comelye youth is slaine!"
All woe begone was Sir Andrew then,
With griefe and rage his heart did swell;
"Go fetch me forth my armour of proofe, 95
For I will to the topcastle mysell.
"Goe fetch me forth my armour of proofe,
That gilded is with gold soe cleare;
God be with my brother John of Barton!
Against the Portingalls hee it ware. 100
And when he had on this armour of proofe,
He was a gallant sight to see;
Ah! nere didst thou meet with living wight,
My deere brothèr, could cope with thee."
"Come hither, Horseley," sayes my lord, 105
"And looke your shaft that itt goe right;
Shoot a good shoote in time of need,
And for it thou shalt be made a knight."
"Ile shoot my best," quoth Horseley then, 109
"Your honour shall see, with might and maine;
But if I were hanged at your maine-mast,
I have now left but arrowes twaine."
Sir Andrew he did swarve the tree,
With right good will he swarved then,
Upon his breast did Horseley hitt, 115
But the arrow bounded back agen.
Then Horseley spyed a privye place,
With a perfect eye, in a secrette part;
Under the spole of his right arme
He smote Sir Andrew to the heart. 120
"Fight on, my men," Sir Andrew sayes,[L121]
"A little Ime hurt, but yett not slaine;
Ile but lye downe and bleede a while,
And then Ile rise and fight againe.
Fight on, my men," Sir Andrew sayes, 125
"And never flinche before the foe;
And stand fast by St. Andrewes crosse,
Untill you heare my whistle blowe."
They never heard his whistle blow,
Which made their hearts waxe sore adread: 130
Then Horseley sayd, "Aboard, my lord,
For well I wott Sir Andrew's dead."
They boarded then his noble shipp,
They boarded it with might and maine;
Eighteen score Scots alive they found, 135
The rest were either maimed or slaine.
Lord Howard tooke a sword in hand,
And off he smote Sir Andrewes head;
"I must have left England many a daye,
If thou wert alive as thou art dead." 140
He caused his body to be cast
Over the hatchbord into the sea,
And about his middle three hundred crownes:
"Wherever thou land, this will bury thee."
Thus from the warres Lord Howard came, 145
And backe he sayled ore the maine;
With mickle joy and triumphìng
Into Thames mouth he came againe.
Lord Howard then a letter wrote,
And sealed it with seale and ring; 150
"Such a noble prize have I brought to your grace
As never did subject to a king.
"Sir Andrewes shipp I bring with mee,
A braver shipp was never none;
Nowe hath your grace two shipps of warr, 155
Before in England was but one."[L156]
King Henryes grace with royall cheere
Welcomed the noble Howard home;
"And where," said he, "is this rover stout,
That I myselfe may give the doome?" 160
"The rover, he is safe, my leige,
Full many a fadom in the sea;
If he were alive as he is dead,
I must have left England many a day.
And your grace may thank four men i' the ship 165
For the victory wee have wonne;
These are William Horseley, Henry Hunt,
And Peter Simon, and his sonne."
"To Henry Hunt," the king then sayd,
"In lieu of what was from thee tane, 170
A noble a day now thou shalt have,
Sir Andrewes jewels and his chayne.
And Horseley thou shalt be a knight,
And lands and livings shalt have store;
Howard shall be Erle Surrye hight,[L175] 175
As Howards erst have beene before.
"Nowe, Peter Simon, thou art old,
I will maintaine thee and thy sonne;
And the men shall have five hundred markes
For the good service they have done." 180
Then in came the queene with ladyes fair,
To see Sir Andrewe Barton, knight;
They weend that hee were brought on shore,
And thought to have seen a gallant sight.
But when they see his deadlye face, 185
And eyes soe hollow in his head,
"I wold give," quoth the king, "a thousand markes,
This man were alive as hee is dead.
Yett for the manfull part hee playd,
Which fought soe well with heart and hand, 190
His men shall have twelvepence a day,
Till they come to my brother kings high land."
13. i.e. did not salute.
84. pounds. MS.
121-4. This stanza occurs also in _Johnie Armstrang_, vol. vi. p. 44.
156. That is the Great Harry, built in 1504, at an expense of fourteen
thousand pounds. "She was," says Hume, "properly speaking, the first
ship in the English navy. Before this period, when the prince wanted a
fleet, he had no other expedient than hiring or pressing ships from
the merchants."
175-6. ... Erle of Nottingham, And soe was never, &c. MS.
FLODDEN FIELD.
From Ritson's _Ancient Songs_, ii. 70.
"The battle of Flodden, in Northumberland, was fought the 9th of
September, 1513, being the fifth year of King Henry the Eighth (who,
with a great army, was then before Terouen in France), between Thomas
Howard, Earl of Surrey, commander-in-chief of the English forces, and
James the Fourth, King of Scots, with an inferior army of 15,000 men,
who were entirely routed with great slaughter, their heroic sovereign
being left dead upon the field.
"The following ballad may possibly be as ancient as any thing we have
on the subject. It is given from _The most pleasant and delectible
history of John Winchcomb, otherwise called Jack of Newberry_, written
by Thomas Deloney, who thus speaks of it: 'In disgrace of the Scots,
and in remembrance of the famous atchieved victory, the commons of
England made this song, which to this day is not forgotten of many.'"
This ballad is very evidently not the work of Deloney, but derived by
him from tradition.
There is a piece called _Flodden Field_ in Herd's _Scottish Songs_, i.
86. It is made up of certain ridiculous anonymous verses, and of the
stanzas written by Miss Jane Elliot and by Mrs. Cockburn to the old
air _The Flowers of the Forest_,--"I've heard them lilting," and "I've
seen the smiling." The first and last lines of the first stanza of
Miss Elliot's verses are from an ancient and now forgotten song.
"I've heard them lilting at the ewes milking
.........
.........
The flowers of the forest are a' wede away."
A lady repeated to Sir Walter Scott another fragment of the original
ballad.
"I ride single on my saddle,
For the flowers of the forest are a' wede away."
_Minstrelsy_, iii. 333.
King Jamie hath made a vow,
Keep it well if he may!
That he will be at lovely London
Upon Saint James his day.
"Upon Saint James his day at noon, 5
At fair London will I be,
And all the lords in merry Scotland,
They shall dine there with me."
Then bespake good Queen Margaret,
The tears fell from her eye: 10
"Leave off these wars, most noble king,
Keep your fidelity.
"The water runs swift and wondrous deep
From bottom unto the brim;
My brother Henry hath men good enough, 15
England is hard to win."
"Away," quoth he, "with this silly fool!
In prison fast let her lye:
For she is come of the English blood,
And for these words she shall die." 20
With that bespake Lord Thomas Howard,
The Queens chamberlain that day;
"If that you put Queen Margaret to death,
Scotland shall rue it alway."
Then in a rage King Jamie did say, 25
"Away with this foolish mome!
He shall be hang'd, and the other burn'd,
So soon as I come home."
At Flodden-field the Scots came in,
Which made our Englishmen fain; 30
At Bramstone-green this battel was seen,
There was King Jamie slain.
Then presently the Scots did fly,
Their cannons they left behind;
Their ensigns gay were won all away, 35
Our souldiers did beat them blind.
To tell you plain, twelve thousand were slain
That to the fight did stand,
And many a prisoner took that day,
The best in all Scotland. 40
That day made many a fatherless child,[L41]
And many a widow poor,
And many a Scottish gay lady
Sate weeping in her bower.[L44]
Jack with a fether was lapt all in lether, 45
His boastings were all in vain;
He had such a chance with [a] new morrice-dance,
He never went home again.
41-44. This stanza is the sixth in Deloney's copy, and is there clearly
misplaced.
44. sweeping.
QUEEN JEANIE.
Jane Seymour, queen of Henry VIII., died shortly after giving birth to
Prince Edward (Oct. 1537). There was a report that the Cæsarian
operation had been necessary to effect the delivery, and on this story
the present ballad is founded.
There is a woful ditty on this subject in _The Crown Garland of Golden
Roses_, Percy Society, vol. vi. p. 29 (or _Collection of Old Ballads_,
ii. 115). The following piece is popular throughout Scotland. It is
taken from Kinloch's _Ancient Scottish Ballads_, p. 116. A fragment
had been previously published in Jamieson's _Popular Ballads_, i. 182.
We have added another, but imperfect, version from a recent
publication.
Queen Jeanie, Queen Jeanie, travel'd six weeks and more,
Till women and midwives had quite gi'en her o'er;
"O if ye were women as women should be,
Ye would send for a doctor, a doctor to me!"
The doctor was called for and set by her bedside, 5
"What aileth thee, my ladie, thine eyes seem so red?"
"O doctor, O doctor, will ye do this for me,
To rip up my two sides, and save my babie?"
"Queen Jeanie, Queen Jeanie, that's the thing I'll ne'er do,
To rip up your two sides to save your babie:" 10
Queen Jeanie, Queen Jeanie, travel'd six weeks and more,
Till midwives and doctors had quite gi'en her o'er.