Читать книгу The Ancient English Poetry - Various Authors - Страница 28

212. Froissart speaks of both parties (consisting in all of more than 40,000 men) as entering England at the same time: but the greater part by way of Carlisle.

213. And, according to the ballad, that part of Northumberland called Bamboroughshire; a large tract of land so named from the town and castle of Bamborough; formerly the residence of the Northumbrian kings.

214. This circumstance is omitted in the ballad. Hotspur and Douglas were two young warriors much of the same age.

215. Froissart says the English exceeded the Scots in number three to one, but that these had the advantage of the ground, and were also fresh from sleep, while the English were greatly fatigued with their previous march.

216. By Henry L. Percy, according to this ballad, and our old English historians, as Stow, Speed, &c., but borne down by numbers, if we may believe Froissart.

217. Hotspur (after a very sharp conflict) was taken prisoner by John, Lord Montgomery, whose eldest son, Sir Hugh, was slain in the same action with an arrow, according to Crawford's Peerage (and seems also to be alluded to in the foregoing ballad, p. 31), but taken prisoner and exchanged for Hotspur, according to this ballad.

218. Froissart (according to the English translation) says he had his account from two squires of England, and from a knight and squire of Scotland, soon after the battle.

219. So in Langham's Letter concerning Queen Elizabeth's entertainment at Killingworth Castle, 1575, 12^o. p. 61. "Heer was no ho in devout drinkyng."

220. i.e. They scorn to take the advantage, or to keep them lingering in long captivity.

221. The notice of this MS. I must acknowledge with many other obligations, owing to the friendship of Thomas Tyrwhitt, Esq., late Clerk of the House of Commons.

222. Ver. 2. winn their heaye. Harl. MS. This is the Northumberland phrase to this day: by which they always express "getting in their hay."

223. [prepared.]

224. [earl.]

225. Robert Stuart, second son of K. Robert II.

226. i.e. "over Solway frith." This evidently refers to the other division of the Scottish army, which came in by way of Carlisle. Bowynd, or Bounde him; i.e. hied him.

227. They: sc. the Earl of Douglas and his party. The several stations here mentioned are well-known places in Northumberland. Ottercap-hill is in the parish of Kirk Whelpington, in Tynedale-ward. Rodeliffe (or as it is more usually pronounced Rodeley) Cragge is a noted cliff near Rodeley, a small village in the parish of Hartburn, in Morpeth-ward. It lies south-east of Ottercap, and has, within these few years, been distinguished by a small tower erected by Sir Walter Blacket, Bart., which in Armstrong's map of Northumberland is pompously called Rodely-castle. Green Leyton is another small village in the same parish of Hartburn, and is south-east of Rodeley. Both the original MSS. read here corruptly, Hoppertop and Lynton.

228. [stirring.]

229. V. 12. This line is corrupt in both the MSS., viz. "Many a styrande stage." Stags have been killed within the present century on some of the large wastes in Northumberland.

230. [burnt.]

231. [pillaged.]

232. [wrong.]

233. [ready.]

234. [man.]

235. [field.]

236. [advise.]

237. [stoutly.]

238. Marche-man, i.e. a scourer of the marches.

239. [aloud.]

240. [art.]

241. Ver. 39. Syne seems here to mean since.

242. [regrets.]

243. [injury.]

244. [the one.]

245. Otterbourn is near the old Watling Street road, in the parish of Elsdon. The Scots were encamped in a grassy plain near the river Read. The place where the Scots and English fought, is still called Battle Riggs.

246. [roe.]

247. Ver. 53. Roe-bucks were to be found upon the wastes not far from Hexham in the reign of Geo. I.—Whitfield, Esq., of Whitfield, is said to have destroyed the last of them.

248. [falcon and pheasant.]

249. [woods on high.]

250. V. 56. hye, MSS.

251. [come unto thee.]

252. [truth.]

253. [pitched.]

254. [booty.]

255. [then.]

256. [hovered.]

257. Ver. 77. upon the best bent. MS.

258. [spy.]

259. [aware.]

260. [spurred.]

261. [enthroned.]

262. [joy.]

263. [broad.]

264. [strong.]

265. [force.]

266. [peace.]

267. The Earl of Menteith.

268. [uncle.]

269. [van.]

270. [cautious.]

271. The Lord Buchan.

272. [ready.]

273. Ver. 1, 13. Pearcy, all MSS.

274. [promised or engaged.]

275. V. 4. I will hold to what I have promised.

276. Ver. 10. hye, MSS.

277. He probably magnifies his strength to induce him to surrender.

278. V. 11. the one, MS.

279. All that follows, included in brackets, was not in the first edition.

280. [let go.]

281. [royal.]

282. [rout.]

283. [deceive.]

284. [eye.]

285. [break my word.]

286. [rather.]

287. [flayed?]

288. [great maid.]

289. [reward.]

290. [commit himself to God by a sign.]

291. [say to you.]

292. The ancient arms of Douglas are pretty accurately emblazoned in the former stanza, and if the readings were, The crowned harte, and Above stode starres thre, it would be minutely exact at this day. As for the Percy family, one of their ancient badges of cognizances was a whyte lyon statant, and the silver crescent continues to be used by them to this day. They also give three luces argent for one of their quarters.

293. i.e. the English.

294. [swapped? i.e. smote.]

295. [Cologne steel.]

296. [helmets.]

297. [steam.]

298. [sword.]

299. Being all in armour he could not know him.

300. [guessed.]

301. [time.]

302. Ver. 116. slayne. MSS.

303. [man.]

304. [fight.]

305. [each one.]

306. [endure.]

307. V. 124, i.e. He died that day.

308. [dreadfully.]

309. Our old minstrel repeats these names, as Homer and Virgil do those of their heroes:

"——fortemque Gyam, fortemque Cloanthum," &c. &c.

Both the MSS. read here, "Sir James," but see above, Pt. I., ver. 112.

310. [truth.]

311. Ver. 143. Covelle. MS. For the names in this page, see the remarks at the end of this ballad.

312. V. 153. one, i.e. on.

313. [mates.]

314. [fetch.]

315. sc. captive.

316. In the Cotton MS. is the following note on ver. 164, in an ancient hand:—

"Syr Hewe Mongomery takyn prizonar, was delyvered for the restorynge of Perssy."

317. Ver. 165. Percyes.—Harl. MS.

318. [Sir Walter Scott suggests that the person here alluded to was one of the Rutherfords, barons of Edgerstane or Edgerston, who at this time were retainers of the house of Douglas, but in Chevy Chase Sir John of Agerstone was on Percy's side.]

319. [This is a misreading, as the person intended was a Lumley.]

320. Sir W. Scott supposes "Sir Raffe the ryche Rugbè" to be Sir Ralph Neville of Raby Castle, son of the first Earl of Westmoreland, and cousin-german to Hotspur. He is called Sir Ralph Raby in the modern version of the ballad.

321. More probably the Sir David Lambwell of the modern version.