'Durham ffeilde,' Percy Manuscript, p. 245; Hales and Furnivall,
II, 190.
| 1 |
Lordinges, listen, and hold you still;
Hearken to me a litle;
I shall you tell of the fairest battell
That euer in England beffell. |
| 2 |
For as it befell in Edward the Thirds dayes,
In England, where he ware the crowne,
Then all the cheefe chiualry of England
They busked and made them bowne. |
| 3 |
y chosen all the best archers
That in England might be found,
And all was to fight with the king of Ffrance,
Within a litle stounde. |
| 4 |
And when our king was ouer the water,
And on the salt sea gone,
Then tydings into Scotland came
That all England was gone. |
| 5 |
Bowes and arrowes they were all forth,
At home was not left a man
But shepards and millers both,
And priests with shauen crownes. |
| 6 |
Then the king of Scotts in a study stood,
As he was a man of great might;
He sware he wold hold his parlament in leeue London,
If he cold ryde there right. |
| 7 |
Then bespake a squier, of Scottland borne,
And sayd, My leege, apace,
Before you come to leeue London,
Full sore you'le rue that race. |
| 8 |
Ther beene bold yeomen in merry England,
Husbandmen stiffe and strong;
Sharpe swords they done weare,
Bearen bowes and arrowes longe. |
| 9 |
The King was angrye at that word;
A long sword out he drew,
And there befor his royall companye
His owne squier hee slew. |
| 10 |
Hard hansell had the Scottes that day,
That wrought them woe enoughe,
For then durst not a Scott speake a word
Ffor hanging att a boughe. |
| 11 |
'The Earle of Anguish, where art thou?
In my coate-armor thou shalt bee,
And thou shalt lead the forward
Thorrow the English countrye. |
| 12 |
'Take thee Yorke,' then sayd the King,
'In stead wheras it doth stand;
I'le make thy eldest sonne after thee
Heyre of all Northumberland. |
| 13 |
'The Earle of Vaughan, where be yee?
In my coate-armor thou shalt bee;
The high Peak and Darbyshire
I giue it thee to thy fee.' |
| 14 |
Then came in famous Douglas,
Saies, What shall my meede bee?
And I'le lead the vawward, lord,
Thorow the English countrye. |
| 15 |
'Take thee Worster,' sayd the King,
'Tuxburye, Killingworth, Burton vpon Trent;
Doe thou not say another day
But I haue giuen thee lands and rent. |
| 16 |
'Sir Richard of Edenborrow, where are yee?
A wise man in this warr!
I'le giue thee Bristow and the shire
The time that wee come there. |
| 17 |
'My lord Nevill, where beene yee?
You must in this warres bee;
I'le giue thee Shrewsburye,' saies the King,
'And Couentrye faire and free. |
| 18 |
'My lord of Hambleton, where art thou?
Thou art of my kin full nye;
I'le giue thee Lincolne and Lincolneshire,
And that's enouge for thee.' |
| 19 |
By then came in William Douglas,
As breeme as any bore;
He kneeled him downe vpon his knees,
In his hart he sighed sore. |
| 20 |
Saies, I haue serued you, my louelye leege,
This thirty winters and four,
And in the Marches betweene England and Scottland
I haue beene wounded and beaten sore. |
| 21 |
For all the good service that I haue done,
What shall my meed bee?
And I will lead the vanward
Thorrow the English countrye. |
| 22 |
'Aske on, Douglas,' said the king,
'And granted it shall bee:'
'Why then, I aske litle London,' saies William Douglas,
'Gotten giff that it bee.' |
| 23 |
The King was wrath, and rose away,
Saies, Nay, that cannot bee!
For that I will keepe for my cheefe chamber,
Gotten if it bee. |
| 24 |
But take thee North Wales and Weschaster,
The cuntrye all round about,
And rewarded thou shalt bee,
Of that take thou noe doubt. |
| 25 |
Fiue score knights he made on a day,
And dubbd them with his hands;
Rewarded them right worthilye
With the townes in merry England. |
| 26 |
And when the fresh knights they were made,
To battell the buske them bowne;
Iames Douglas went before,
And he thought to haue wonnen him shoone. |
| 27 |
But the were mett in a morning of May
With the comminaltye of litle England;
But there scaped neuer a man away,
Through the might of Christ s hand. |
| 28 |
But all onely Iames Douglas;
In Durham in the feild
An arrow stroke him in the thye;
Fast flinge[s he] towards the King. |
| 29 |
The King looked toward litle Durham,
Saies, All things is not well!
For Iames Dowglas beares an arrow in his thye,
The head of it is of steele. |
| 30 |
'How now Iames?' then said the King,
'How now, how may this bee?
And where beene all thy merrymen
That thou tooke hence with thee?' |
| 31 |
'But cease, my king,' saies Iames Douglas,
'Aliue is not left a man!'
'Now by my faith,' saies the king of Scottes,
'That gate was euill gone. |
| 32 |
'But I'le reuenge thy quarrell well,
And of that thou may be faine;
For one Scott will beate fiue Englishmen,
If the meeten them on the plaine.' |
| 33 |
'Now hold your tounge,' saies Iames Douglas,
'For in faith that is not soe;
For one English man is worth fiue Scotts,
When they meeten together thoe. |
| 34 |
'For they are as egar men to fight
As a faulcon vpon a pray;
Alas! if euer the winne the vanward,
There scapes noe man away.' |
| 35 |
'O peace thy talking,' said the King,
'They bee but English knaues,
But shepards and millers both,
And preists with their staues.' |
| 36 |
The King sent forth one of his heralds of armes
To vew the Englishmen:
'Be of good cheere,' the herald said,
'For against one wee bee ten.' |
| 37 |
'Who leades those ladds?' said the king of Scottes,
'Thou herald, tell thou mee:'
The herald said, The Bishopp of Durham
Is captaine of that companye. |
| 38 |
'For the Bishopp hath spred the King's banner,
And to battell he buskes him bowne:'
'I sweare by St. Andrewes bones,' saies the King,
'I'le rapp that preist on the crowne.' |
| 39 |
The King looked towards litle Durham,
And that hee well beheld,
That the Earle Percy was well armed,
With his battell-axe entred the feild. |
| 40 |
The King looket againe towards litle Durham,
Four ancyents there see hee;
There were to standards, six in a valley,
He cold not see them with his eye. |
| 41 |
My Lord of Yorke was one of them,
My Lord of Carlile was the other,
And my Lord Ffluwilliams,
The one came with the other. |
| 42 |
The Bishopp of Durham commanded his men,
And shortlye he them bade,
That neuer a man shold goe to the feild to fight
Till he had serued his God. |
| 43 |
Fiue hundred preists said masse that day
In Durham in the feild,
And afterwards, as I hard say,
They bare both speare and sheeld. |
| 44 |
The Bishopp of Durham orders himselfe to fight,
With his battell-axe in his hand;
He said, This day now I will fight
As long as I can stand! |
| 45 |
'And soe will I,' sayd my Lord of Carlile,
'In this faire morning gay;'
'And soe will I,' said my Lord Ffluwilliams,
'For Mary, that myld may.' |
| 46 |
Our English archers bent their bowes
Shortlye and anon;
They shott ouer the Scottish oast
And scantlye toucht a man. |
| 47 |
'Hold downe your hands,' sayd the Bishopp of Durham,
'My archers good and true:'
The second shoote that the shott,
Full sore the Scottes itt rue. |
| 48 |
The Bishopp of Durham spoke on hye,
That both partyes might heare:
'Be of good cheere, my merrymen all,
The Scotts flyen, and changen there cheere.' |
| 49 |
But as the saidden, soe the didden,
They fell on heap s hye;
Our Englishmen laid on with their bowes,
As fast as they might dree. |
| 50 |
The king of Scotts in a studye stood
Amongst his companye;
An arrow stoke him thorrow the nose,
And thorrow his armorye. |
| 51 |
The King went to a marsh-side
And light beside his steede;
He leaned him downe on his sword-hilts,
To let his nose bleede. |
| 52 |
There followed him a yeaman of merry England,
His name was Iohn of Coplande:
'Yeeld thee, traytor!' saies Coplande then,
'Thy liffe lyes in my hand.' |
| 53 |
'How shold I yeeld me,' sayes the King,
'And thou art noe gentleman?'
'Noe, by my troth,' sayes Copland there,
'I am but a poore yeaman. |
| 54 |
'What art thou better then I, Sir King?
Tell me if that thou can!
What art thou better then I, Sir King,
Now we be but man to man?' |
| 55 |
The King smote angerly at Copland then,
Angerly in that stonde;
And then Copland was a bold yeaman,
And bore the King to the ground. |
| 56 |
He sett the King upon a palfrey,
Himselfe upon a steede;
He tooke him by the bridle-rayne,
Towards London he can him lead. |
| 57 |
And when to London that he came,
The King from Ffrance was new come home,
And there unto the king of Scottes
He sayd these words anon. |
| 58 |
'How like you my shepards and my millers?
My priests with shaven crownes?'
'By my fayth, they are the sorest fighting men
That ever I mett on the ground. |
| 59 |
'There was never a yeaman 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.' |
| 60 |
But now the prince of merry England,
Worthilye under his sheelde,
Hath taken the king of Ffrance,
At Poytiers in the feelde. |
| 61 |
The prince did present his father with that food,
The louely king off Ffrance,
And forward of his iourney he is gone:
God send us all good chance! |
| 62 |
'You are welcome, brother!' sayd the king of Scotts, to the king of Ffrance,
'For I am come hither to soone;
Christ leeve that I had taken my way
Unto the court of Roome!' |
| 63 |
'And soe wold I,' said the king of Ffrance,
'When I came over the streame,
That I had taken my iourney
Unto Ierusalem!' |
| 64 |
Thus ends the battell of faire Durham,
In one morning of May,
The battell of Cressey, and the battle of Potyers,
All within one month s day. |
| 65 |
Then was welthe and welfare in mery England,
Solaces, game, and glee,
And every man loved other well,
And the King loved good yeomanrye. |
| 66 |
But God that made the grasse to growe,
And leaves on greenwoode tree,
Now save and keepe our noble king,
And maintaine good yeomanry! |
