English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII — John Shaqi
English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII
General
English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII
Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts
Ther was never a tym on the March-partes
Sen the Doglas and the Persè met,
But yt was marvele, and the rede blude ronne not, 175
As the reane doys in the stret.
Jhesue Christ our ballys bete,
And to the blys us brynge!
Thus was the Hountynge of the Chivyat:
God send us all good endyng! 180
1-4. It is well known that the ancient English weapon was the
long-bow, and that this nation excelled all others in archery, while
the Scottish warriors chiefly depended on the use of the spear. This
characteristic difference never escapes our ancient bard.--PERCY.
17. boys.
18. briggt.
22. done.
26. to, i. e. tow.
32. ran.
33. helde.
36. Scottih.
45. a narrowe. So again in v. 83, and a nowar in v. 96. This
transference of final n to the succeeding word is of common occurrence
in old poetry.
87. sar.
88. of.
99. a word has dropped out.
102. abou.
115. lo[=u]le.
125. Lwdale, i. e. Liddel.
132. gay.
149. cheyff.
163. Glendale is one of the seven wards of Northumberland. In this
district the village of Homildown is situated, about a mile from
Wooler. On the 14th of September, 1402, a battle was fought at this
place between the Percys and Archibald, Earl of Douglas, in which the
Scots were totally routed, and Douglas taken prisoner.
170. Nonnyn.
CHEVY-CHACE.
The text of this later ballad of _Chevy-Chace_ is given as it appears
in _Old Ballads_ (1723), vol. i. p. 111, and in Durfey's _Pills to
Purge Melancholy_, vol. iv. p. 289, and differs very slightly from
that of the _Reliques_ (i. 265), where the ballad was printed from the
folio MS., compared with two other black-letter copies.
The age of this version of the story is not known, but it is certainly
not later, says Dr. Rimbault, than the reign of Charles the Second.
Addison's papers in the _Spectator_ (Nos. 70 and 74) evince so true a
perception of the merits of this ballad, shorn as it is of the most
striking beauties of the grand original, that we cannot but deeply
regret his never having seen the ancient and genuine copy, which was
published by Hearne only a few days after Addison died. Well might the
Spectator dissent from the judgment of Sidney, if _this_ were the rude
and ill-apparelled song of a barbarous age.
God prosper long our noble king,
Our lives and safeties all;
A woful hunting once there did
In Chevy-Chace befall.
To drive the deer with hound and horn, 5
Erle Piercy took his way;
The child may rue that is unborn,
The hunting of that day.
The stout Earl of Northumberland
A vow to God did make, 10
His pleasure in the Scottish woods
Three summer's days to take;
The chiefest harts in Chevy-Chace
To kill and bear away:
The tidings to Earl Douglas came, 15
In Scotland where he lay.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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