That e'er my captain fought on foot, You two be earls," said Witherington, "And I a squire alone: I'll do the best that do I may, While I have power to stand: His host he parted had in three, Throughout the English archery They closed full fast on every side, In truth! it was a grief to see How each one chose his spear, And how the blood out of their breasts At last these two stout earls did mect. They fought until they both did sweat, "In faith I will thee bring Where thou shalt high advanced be By James, our Scottish king: Thy ransom I will freely give, Thou art the most courageous knight No, Douglas," saith Earl Percy then. 66 Thy proffer I do scorn; I will not yield to any Scot That ever yet was born." With that there came an arrow keen Out of an English bow, Which struck Earl Douglas to the heart, A deep and deadly blow; Who never spake more words than these"Fight on, my merry men all; For why my life is at an end; Lord Percy sees my fall." Then leaving life, Earl Percy took In truth! my very heart doth bleed A knight amongst the Scots there was, Who straight in wrath did vow revenge Sir Hugh Mountgomery was he called Ran fiercely through the fight; And past the English archers all, And through Earl Percy's body then With such vehement force and might The staff ran through the other side THE following Ballad probably refers to the fate of the Scottish nobles on their return from Norway after having, in 1281, conveyed Margaret, daughter of Alexander III., to her nuptials with King Eric of Norway. It is supposed to have been written in the fifteenth century, author unknown. THE BALLAD OF SIR PATRICK SPENS. THE King sits in Dunfermline toun, "O whaur shall I get a skeely skipper, Then up and spake an eldern knight, The King has written a braid letter. "To Noroway, to Noroway, The first line that Sir Patrick read, The next line that Sir Patrick read, "O wha is this has done this deed, To send us out at this time o' the year They hoisted their sails on a Monday morn Wi' a' the haste they may; And they hae landed in Norway Upon the Wodensday. "Make haste, make haste, my merry men all. Our ship shall sail the morn," Now ever, alack, my master dear, I fear a deadly storm. I saw the new moon late yestreen, They hadna sailed a league, a league, A league, but barely three, When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud And gurly grew the sea. The ropes they brak, and the top-masts lap, It was sic a deadly storm; And the waves came o'er the broken ship, O laith, laith were our guid Scots lords O lang, lang may the ladies sit, Wi' their fans into their hand, Or e'er they see Sir Patrick Spens Come sailing to the land. O lang, lang may their ladies sit, Wi' their gowd kaims in their hair, A' waiting for their ain dear lords, For them they'll see nae mair Half owre, half owre to Aberdour, And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spens, Born 1465. William Dunbar. Died about 1525. DUNBAR, one of the greatest of the elder Scottish poets, was educated in St Andrews, where he took his degree. He became a friar of the Franciscan order, and being a favourite with James IV., he was employed on various important missions. He was one of those sent to London to bring to Scotland the Princess Margaret, daughter of Henry VII., the bride of the Scottish king, and he wrote on the marriage the beautiful poem, "The Thrissil and the Rose." For many years after, he seems to have lived at court in intimate communication with James. Besides "The Thistle and Rose" he also wrote "The Golden Terge," "The Dance," &c. His poems embrace a wide range of subjects-descriptive, allegorical, satirical, comic, and moral Ellis and Sir Walter Scott pronounce him to be "the greatest poet Scotland had produced," but his poems have never been popular. He is supposed to have died at the age of sixty. ASSEMBLAGE OF THE BEASTS AND FLOWERS. From "The Thrissil and the Rose." WITH that this lady soberly did smile, And said: Uprise, and do thy observance; For to describe the Rose of most pleasance. All present were in twinkling of an ee, Baith beast, and bird, and flower, before the queen; And first the lion, greatest of degree, Was called there, and he most fair to sene, With a full hardy countenance and keen, Before dame Nature came, and did incline, eye |