36. He that had neither beene a kithe nor kin
Might have seene a full fayre sight,
To see how together these yeomen went,
With blades both browne and bright;

37. To have seene how these yeomen together fought

Two howers of a summer's day;
Itt was neither Guy nor Robin Hood
That ffettled them to flye away.

38. Robin was reacheles2 on a roote,

And stumbled at that tyde,

And Guy was quicke and nimble with-all,
And hitt him ore the left side.

39. "Ah, deere Lady!" sayd Robin Hoode,
"Thou art both mother and may!3
I thinke it was never mans destinye
To dye before his day."

40. Robin thought on Our Lady deere,

And soone leapt up againe,

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And thus he came with an awkwarde stroke;
Good Sir Guy hee has slayne.

41. He tooke Sir Guys head by the hayre,
And sticked itt on his bowes end:
"Thou hast beene traytor all thy liffe,
Which thing must have an ende."

42. Robin pulled forth an Irish kniffe,

And nicked Sir Guy in the fface,
That hee was never on a woman borne
Cold tell who Sir Guye was.

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53. But Robin hee hyed him towards Litle John,

Hee thought hee wold loose him belive; 2 The sheriffe and all his companye

Fast after him did drive.

54. "Stand abacke! stand abacke!" sayd Robin; "Why draw you mee soe neere? Itt was never the use in our countrye Ones shrift another shold heere."

55. But Robin pulled forth an Irysh kniffe,
And losed John hand and ffoote,
And gave him Sir Guyes bow in his hand,
And bade it be his boote.3

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56. But John tooke Guyes bow in his hand (His arrowes were rawstye by the roote); The sherriffe saw Litle John draw a bow And ffettle him to shoote.

57. Towards his house in Nottingham He ffled full fast away,

And soe did all his companye,
Not one behind did stay.

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58. But he cold neither soe fast goe,

Nor away soe fast runn,

But Litle John, with an arrow broade,
Did cleave his heart in twinn.

THE BATTLE OF OTTERBURN

11. Syr Harry Perssy cam to the walles, The Skottyssch oste for to se,

And sayd,

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"And thow hast brente Northom

berlond,

Full sore it rewyth me.

12. "Yf thou hast haryed all Bamborowe schyre, Thow hast done me grete envye; 1

For the trespasse thow hast me done,
The tone of us schall dye."

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13. "Where schall I byde the ?" sayd the Dowglas, "Or where wylte thow com to me?" "At Otterborne, in the hygh way, Ther mast thow well logeed be.

14. "The roo3 full rekeles ther sche rinnes,
To make the game and glee;

The fawken and the fesaunt both,
Amonge the holtes on hye.

15. "Ther mast thow have thy welth at wyll,
Well looged ther mast be;

Yt schall not be long or I com the tyll,"
Sayd Syr Harry Perssye.

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16. "Ther schall I byde the," sayd the Dowglas, "By the fayth of my bodye."

"Thether schall I com," sayd Syr Harry Perssy "My trowth I plyght to the."

17. A pype of wyne he gave them over the walles, For soth as I yow saye;

Ther he mayd the Dowglasse drynke,
And all hys ost that daye.

18. The Dowglas turnyd hym homewarde agayne, For soth withowghten naye;

He toke his logeyng at Oterborne,
Upon a Wedynsday.

19. And ther he pyght hys standerd dowyn,
Hys gettyng more and lesse,

And syne he warned hys men to goo
To chose ther geldynges gresse.

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3 raid

8 since

* arousing 9 lodging

& burned

1

1 hostility 6 tarried

2 the one 7 field

33. Every man sawe that he dyd soo,
That ryall' was ever in rowght; 2
Every man schoote hys horsse hym froo,
And lyght hym rowynde abowght.

34. Thus Syr Hary Perssye toke the fylde,
For soth as I yow saye;

Jhesu Cryste in hevyn on hyght

Dyd helpe hym well that daye.

35. But nyne thowzand, ther was no moo,
The cronykle wyll not layne;3
Forty thowsande of Skottes and fowre
That day fowght them agayne.

36. But when the batell byganne to joyne,
In hast ther cam a knyght;

The letters fayre furth hath he tayne,
And thus he sayd full ryght:

37. "My lorde your father he gretes yow well, Wyth many a noble knyght;

He desyres yow to byde

That he may see thys fyght.

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140

false

9 did

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company powerful maid 7 reward

44. "Every man thynke on hys trewe-love,
And marke hym to the Trenite;
For to God I make myne avowe
Thys day wyll I not flee."

45. The blodye harte in the Dowglas armes, Hys standerde stood on hye,

That every man myght full well knowe;
By syde stode starrës thre.

46. The whyte lyon on the Ynglyssh perte,'
For soth as I yow sayne,

The lucettes 2 and the cressawntes both;
The Skottes faught them agayne.

47. Upon Sent Androwe lowde can they crye, And thrysse they schowte on hyght,3

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55. The Perssy was a man of strenghth, I tell yow in thys stounde; '

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7

2

60. The yerlle of Mentaye he was slayne,
Grysely groned upon the growynd;
Syr Davy Skotte, Syr Water Stewarde,
Syr Jhon of Agurstoune.

61. Syr Charllës Morrey in that place,
That never a fote wold flee;
Syr Hewe Maxwell, a lord he was,
Wyth the Dowglas dyd he dye.

62. Ther was slayne upon the Skottes syde,
For soth as I yow saye,

Of fowre and forty thowsande Scottes
Went but eyghtene awaye.

63. Ther was slayne upon the Ynglysshe syde, For soth and sertenlye,

A gentell knyght, Syr Jhon Fechewe,
Yt was the more pety.

64. Syr James Hardbotell ther was slayne, For hym ther hartes were sore;

The gentyll Lovell ther was slayne,
That the Perssys standerd bore.

65. Ther was slayne upon the Ynglyssh perte, For soth as I yow saye,

Of nyne thowsand Ynglyssh men
Fvye hondert cam awaye.

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1 part 2 pike (fish) 3 aloud 6 Cologne steel smoke? distaff?

4 smote 8 discerned

⚫ till