Memorable Song on the unhappie Hunting in Chevie-Chase, between Earle Piercie of England, and Earle Dowglas of Scotland.
To the Tune of,
Flying Fame.
God prosper long our Noble King,
our lives and safeties all,
A waful Hunting once there did
in
Chevie-Chase befall:
To dr
[...]ve the Deer with hound and horn,
Earle
Piercy tooke his way,
The child may rue that is unborn
the hunting on that day.
The stout Earle of
Northumberland,
[...] vow t
[...]
[...]od did make,
His pleasure in the
Scottish woods,
three Summers dayes to take:
The chiefest Harts in
Chevie-Chase,
to kill and beare away,
These tydings to Earl
Dowglas came
in
Scotland where he lay.
Who sent Earle
Piercy persent word,
he would prevent his sport,
The
English Earle not fearing this,
did to the woods resort,
With fifteene hundred Bow-men bold,
[...]ll chosen men of might,
Who knew full well in time of war,
to aime their Shafts aright.
T
[...]e gallant Grey-hound swiftly ran,
[...] chase the Fallow Deere,
[...] Monday they began to hunt
[...] d
[...]y l
[...]g
[...]
[...]id appear.
[...]d long before high-noone they had
[...]n h
[...]dred f
[...]t Bucks slaine▪
[...] having din'd▪ the Drovers went
[...]owze them up againe.
[...]
[...]ow-men mustred on the Hills,
[...]ll able to endure,
[...]ir back sides all with speciall care
[...] day were guarded sure:
[...] Hounds ran swiftly through the woods
[...]e nimble Deere to take
with their cryes the hils and dales
[...]
[...]cho shrill did make.
[...]
[...]erc
[...] to the Quarry went,
[...]
[...]iew the tender Dare,
[...]oth he, Earle
Dow
[...]l
[...]s promised
[...]
[...]ay to meet me here
[...] if I thought he would not come,
[...]
[...]o
[...]ger would I stay
[...]
[...]at a brave young Gentleman
[...]
[...]o the Earl did say:
[...]
[...]der doth Earl
Dowglas come,
[...]
[...]en in Armour bright,
[...]
[...]nty hundred
Scotish Spears
[...]
[...]g in our sight;
[...]
[...]n of
Tevidale▪
[...]
[...]iuer
Tweed,
Then cease your sport Earl
Piercy said,
and take your Bowes with speed.
And now with me my Countrey-men
your courage forth advance
For never was there, Champion yet
in
Scotland or in
France
That ever did on horse-back come,
but if my hap it were,
I durst incounter man for man,
with him to breake a Speare.
Earl
Dowglas on a Milk white Stèed,
most like a Baron bold,
Rode foremost of the company,
whose Armour shone like gold:
Shew me (said he) whose me ye be,
that hunt so boldly here,
That without my consent doe chase,
and kill my Fallow Deere;
The man that first did answer make,
was Noble
Piercy he,
Who said, we list not to declare,
nor shew whose men we be:
Yet we will sp
[...]nd our dearest blood,
thy chefest Harts to slay,
Then
Dowglas swore a solemn oath,
and thus in rage did say:
Ere thus I will out-braved be,
one of us
[...]wo
[...]l dye,
I know thee well,
[...] th
[...] art,
Lord
Piercy, so am I;
But trust me
Piercy pittie it were,
and great offence to kill
Any of these our harmless men,
for they have done no ill.
Let thou and I the
[...]attell try,
and let our men abide:
Accurst be he Lord
Piercy said,
by whom it is deny'd:
Then stept a gallant Squire forth,
Wi
[...]heringon was his name,
Who said I would not have it told
to
Henry our King for shame,
That ere my Captains fought on foot,
and I stood looking on,
You two be Earls quoth
Witherington
and I a Squire alone:
Ile doe the best that doe I may,
while I have power to stand,
While I have power to weild my sword
Ile fight with heart and hand.
Our
English Archer
[...] bent their bows,
their hearts wars good and true,
At the first flight of Arrowes sent,
full four score
[...]cots they slew,
To drive the Deer with hound and horn,
Dowgals bad on the bent,
A Captaine mov'd with mickle pride,
the Speares to shivers went.
They clo
[...]d full fast on every side,
no slacknesse there was found,
And many a gallant Gentleman
lay gasping on the ground:
O Christ, it was a griefe to see,
and likewise for to heare
The cryes of men lying in their gore,
and scattered here and there.
At last these two stout Earles did méet,
like Captaines of great might,
Like Lyns mov'd they laid on load,
and made a cruell fight;
T
[...]ey fought untill they both did sweat
with swords of tempered steele,
Vntll the blood like drops of rain,
they trickling downe did fèele.
Yeeld thee Lord
Piercy, Dowglas said,
in faith I will thee bring,
Where thou shalt high advanced be
by
James our Scottish King;
Thy ramson will I freely give,
and thus report of thee,
Thou art the most couragious Knight
as ever I did see.
No
Dow
[...]s
[...]th Earle
Piercy then
thy proffers I doe
[...]
I will not yeeld to any
Scot
that ever yet was borne:
With tha
[...] there came an Arrow keen,
ou
[...] of an
England Bow,
And st
[...]uck Earl
Dowglas to the heart,
a deep end deadly blow.
Who never spak more words then these
fight on my merry man all,
For why my life is at an end,
Earle
[...]
Piercy sées my fall:
Then leaving life, Earle
Piercy took,
the dead man by the hand,
And said Earle
Dowglas for thy life
would I had lost my Land.
O Christ my very heart doth bleed,
with sorrow for thy sake,
For sure a more redoubted Knight
mischance did never take.
A Knight among the
Scots there was
which said Earle
Dowglas dye,
Who strait in wrath did vow reveng
upon the Earle
Piercy.
The Second Part,
to the same Tune.
SIr
Hugh Montgomery was he cal'd,
who with a Speare full bright,
Well mounted on a gallant Stèed,
ran fiercely through the fight.
And past the
English Archers all,
wi
[...]ut all dread or feare
And through Earle
Pierc
[...] body then
he thrust his hatefull Speare,
With such a vehement force and might
his body he did gore,
The staffe came through the other side
a large cloth-yard and more:
Thus did both these stout Nobles dye,
whoes courage none could staine,
An
English Archer then perceiv'd
the Noble Earle was slaine:
He had
[...]ood Bow in his hand,
made of a trustie Tree,
An Arrow of a cloth-yard long
unto the head drew he:
Against Sir
Hugh Montgomery,
so right his shaft he set
The Grey-goose wing that was thereon
in his heart blood was wet.
The fight did last from break of day,
till setting of the Sun,
For when they rung the Evening bell
the battle scarce was done.
With stout Earl
Piercy there was slain
Sir
John of
Ogerton,
Sir
Robert Ratcliffe and Sir
John,
Sir
James that bold Baron.
And with Sir
George & good sir
James,
both Knights of good account,
Good Sir
Ralph Rabby there was slain,
W
[...]ose prowesse did surmount:
For
Witherington needs must I wa
[...]le,
as one in dolefull dumps,
For when his legs were smitten off,
he fought upon his stumps.
And with Earl
Dowglas there was slain
Sir
Hugh Montgomery,
Sir
Charles Morrell, that from the field
one foot would never flye:
Sir
Charles Morrell of
Harcliffe too,
his Sisters son was he
Sir
David Lamb, so well esteem'd,
but sav'd he could not be,
And the Lord
Markwell in like case,
did with Earle
Dowglas dye
Of twenty hundred
Scottish Speares,
scarce fiftie five did flye:
Of fifteene hundred
Englishmen,
went home but fiftie three,
The rest were slain in
Chevie-Chase,
under the green-wood Trée.
Next day did many widowes come,
their husband to bewaile,
They washt their wounds with brinish tears,
but all cou
[...]d not prevaile:
Their bodies bath'd in purple blood,
they b
[...]re with them away,
They kist them dead a thousand times,
ere they were clad in clay.
This news was brought to
Edenburg,
where
[...]cotlands King did raigne
that brave Earle
Dowglas suddenly
was with an Arrow slaine:
O heavie news King
James did say,
Scotland can witnesse be,
I have not any Captaine more,
of such account as be.
Like tydings to King
Henry came,
within as s
[...]ort a space,
That
Piercy of Northumberland
was slaine in
Chevie-Chase:
Now God be with him, said our King,
since 'twill no better be
I trust I have within my Realme
side hundred as good as he.
Yet shall not
Scots nor
Scotland say,
but I will vengeance take,
And be
[...]ev
[...]nged on them all
for brave
E
[...]rl
[...] Piercie'
[...] sake:
This vow theKing did well performe,
after on
H
[...]mb
[...]e Downe
In one day fiftie Knights were slaine,
with Lords of high renowne.
And of the rest of small account,
did many hundred dye,
Thus ended the Hun
[...]ing in
Chevie-Chase
made by the Lord
Piercy.
God save the King and blesse this Land
with Pleasure Ioy and Peace,
and grant henceforth that
[...]ll debate
'twixt Noblemen may cease.
FINIS.
London, Printed for E. Wright dwelling in Gilt-spurstreet