{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/eng/child/ch159.htm","path":"neu/eng/child/ch159.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch159.htm","text":"Sacred Texts\u00a0\n Legends & Sagas\u00a0\n England\u00a0\n Index\u00a0\n Previous\u00a0\n Next\u00a0\n \n \n \n 159A: Durham Field\n \n \n 159A.1 LORDINGES, listen, and hold you still;\n Hearken to me a litle;\n I shall you tell of the fairest battell\n That\teuer in England beffell.\n 159A.2 For as it befell in Edward the Thirds dayes,\n In England, where he ware the crowne,\n Then all the cheefe chiualry of England\n They busked and made them bowne.\n 159A.3 y chosen all the best archers\n That\tin England might be found,\n And all was to fight with the king of Ffrance,\n Within a litle stounde.\n 159A.4 And when our king was ouer the water,\n And on the salt sea gone,\n Then tydings into Scotland came\n That\tall England was gone.\n 159A.5 Bowes and arrowes they were all forth,\n At home was not left a man\n But shepards and millers both,\n And priests with shauen crownes.\n 159A.6 Then the king of Scotts in a study stood,\n As he was a man of great might;\n He sware he wold hold his parlament in leeue London,\n If he cold ryde there right.\n 159A.7 Then bespake a squier, of Scottland borne,\n And sayd, My leege, apace,\n Before you come to leeue London,\n Full sore you\u2019le rue that race.\n 159A.8 Ther beene bold yeomen in merry England,\n Husbandmen stiffe and strong;\n Sharpe swords they done weare,\n Bearen bowes and arrowes longe.\n 159A.9 The King was angrye at that word;\n A long sword out he drew,\n And there befor his royall companye\n His owne squier hee slew.\n 159A.10 Hard hansell had the Scottes that day,\n That\twrought them woe enoughe,\n For then durst not a Scott speake a word\n Ffor hanging att a boughe.\n 159A.11 \u2018The Earle of Anguish, where art thou?\n In my coate-armor thou shalt bee,\n And thou shalt lead the forward\n Thorrow the English countrye.\n 159A.12 \u2018Take thee Yorke,\u2019 then sayd the King,\n \u2018In stead wheras it doth stand;\n I\u2019le make thy eldest sonne after thee\n Heyre of all Northumberland.\n 159A.13 \u2018The Earle of Vaughan, where be yee?\n In my coate-armor thou shalt bee;\n The high Peak and Darbyshire\n I giue it thee to thy fee.\u2019\n 159A.14 Then came in famous Douglas,\n Saies, What shall my meede bee?\n And I\u2019le lead the vawward, lord,\n Thorow the English countrye.\n 159A.15 \u2018Take thee Worster,\u2019 sayd the King,\n \u2018Tuxburye, Killingworth, Burton vpon Trent;\n Doe thou not say another day\n But I haue giuen thee lands and rent.\n 159A.16 \u2018Sir Richard of Edenborrow, where are yee?\n A wise man in this warr!\n I\u2019le giue thee Bristow and the shire\n The time that wee come there.\n 159A.17 \u2018My lord Nevill, where beene yee?\n You must in this warres bee;\n I\u2019le giue thee Shrewsburye,\u2019 saies the King,\n \u2018And Couentrye faire and free.\n 159A.18 \u2018My lord of Hambleton, where art thou?\n Thou art of my kin full nye;\n I\u2019le giue thee Lincolne and Lincolneshire,\n And that\u2019s enouge for thee.\u2019\n 159A.19 By then came in William Douglas,\n As breeme as any bore;\n He kneeled him downe vpon his knees,\n In his hart he sighed sore.\n 159A.20 Saies, I haue serued you, my louelye leege,\n This thirty winters and four,\n And in the Marches betweene England and Scottland\n I haue beene wounded and beaten sore.\n 159A.21 For all the good service that I haue done,\n What shall my meed bee?\n And I will lead the vanward\n Thorrow the English countrye.\n 159A.22 \u2018Aske on, Douglas,\u2019 said the king,\n \u2018And granted it shall bee:\u2019\n \u2018Why then, I aske litle London,\u2019 saies William Douglas,\n \u2018Gotten giff that it bee.\u2019\n 159A.23 The King was wrath, and rose away,\n Saies, Nay, that cannot bee!\n For that I will keepe for my cheefe chamber,\n Gotten if it bee.\n 159A.24 But take thee North Wales and Weschaster,\n The cuntrye all round about,\n And rewarded thou shalt bee,\n Of that take thou noe doubt.\n 159A.25 Fiue score knights he made on a day,\n And dubbd them with his hands;\n Rewarded them right worthilye\n With the townes in merry England.\n 159A.26 And when the fresh knights they were made,\n To battell the buske them bowne;\n Iames Douglas went before,\n And he thought to haue wonnen him shoone.\n 159A.27 But the were mett in a morning of May\n With the comminaltye of litle England;\n But there scaped neuer a man away,\n Through the might of Christ s hand.\n 159A.28 But all onely Iames Douglas;\n In Durham in the feild\n An arrow stroke him in the thye;\n Fast flinge[s he] towards the King.\n 159A.29 The King looked toward litle Durham,\n Saies, All things is not well!\n For Iames Dowglas beares an arrow in his thye,\n The head of it is of steele.\n 159A.30 \u2018How now Iames?\u2019 then said the King,\n \u2018How now, how may this bee?\n And where beene all thy merrymen\n That thou tooke hence with thee?\u2019\n 159A.31 \u2018But cease, my king,\u2019 saies Iames Douglas,\n \u2018Aliue is not left a man!\u2019\n \u2018Now by my faith,\u2019 saies the king of Scottes,\n \u2018That gate was euill gone.\n 159A.32 \u2018But I\u2019le reuenge thy quarrell well,\n And of that thou may be faine;\n For one Scott will beate fiue Englishmen,\n If the meeten them on the plaine.\u2019\n 159A.33 \u2018Now hold your tounge,\u2019 saies Iames Douglas,\n \u2018For in faith that is not soe;\n For one English man is worth fiue Scotts,\n When they meeten together thoe.\n 159A.34 \u2018For they are as egar men to fight\n As a faulcon vpon a pray;\n Alas! if euer the winne the vanward,\n There scapes noe man away.\u2019\n 159A.35 \u2018O peace thy talking,\u2019 said the King,\n \u2018They bee but English knaues,\n But shepards and millers both,\n And preists with their staues.\u2019\n 159A.36 The King sent forth one of his heralds of armes\n To vew the Englishmen:\n \u2018Be of good cheere,\u2019 the herald said,\n \u2018For against one wee bee ten.\u2019\n 159A.37 \u2018Who leades those ladds?\u2019 said the king of Scottes,\n \u2018Thou herald, tell thou mee:\u2019\n The herald said, The Bishopp of Durham\n Is captaine of that companye.\n 159A.38 \u2018For the Bishopp hath spred the King\u2019s banner,\n And to battell he buskes him bowne:\u2019\n \u2018I sweare by St. Andrewes bones,\u2019 saies the King,\n \u2018I\u2019le rapp that preist on the crowne.\u2019\n 159A.39 The King looked towards litle Durham,\n And that hee well beheld,\n That\tthe Earle Percy was well armed,\n With his battell-axe entred the feild.\n 159A.40 The King looket againe towards litle Durham,\n Four ancyents there see hee;\n There were to standards, six in a valley,\n He cold not see them with his eye.\n 159A.41 My Lord of Yorke was one of them,\n My Lord of Carlile was the other,\n And my Lord Ffluwilliams,\n The one came with the other.\n 159A.42 The Bishopp of Durham commanded his men,\n And shortlye he them bade,\n That\tneuer a man shold goe to the feild to fight\n Till he had serued his God.\n 159A.43 Fiue hundred preists said masse that day\n In Durham in the feild,\n And afterwards, as I hard say,\n They bare both speare and sheeld.\n 159A.44 The Bishopp of Durham orders himselfe to fight,\n With his battell-axe in his hand;\n He said, This day now I will fight\n As long as I can stand!\n 159A.45 \u2018And soe will I,\u2019 sayd my Lord of Carlile,\n \u2018In this faire morning gay;\u2019\n \u2018And soe will I,\u2019 said my Lord Ffluwilliams,\n \u2018For Mary, that myld may.\u2019\n 159A.46 Our English archers bent their bowes\n Shortlye and anon;\n They shott ouer the Scottish oast\n And scantlye toucht a man.\n 159A.47 \u2018Hold downe your hands,\u2019 sayd the Bishopp of Durham,\n \u2018My archers good and true:\u2019\n The second shoote that the shott,\n Full sore the Scottes itt rue.\n 159A.48 The Bishopp of Durham spoke on hye,\n That\tboth partyes might heare:\n \u2018Be of good cheere, my merrymen all,\n The Scotts flyen, and changen there cheere.\u2019\n 159A.49 But as the saidden, soe the didden,\n They fell on heap s hye;\n Our Englishmen laid on with their bowes,\n As fast as they might dree.\n 159A.50 The king of Scotts in a studye stood\n Amongst his companye;\n An arrow stoke him thorrow the nose,\n And thorrow his armorye.\n 159A.51 The King went to a marsh-side\n And light beside his steede;\n He leaned him downe on his sword-hilts,\n To let his nose bleede.\n 159A.52 There followed him a yeaman of merry England,\n His name was Iohn of Coplande:\n \u2018Yeeld thee, traytor!\u2019 saies Coplande then,\n \u2018Thy liffe lyes in my hand.\u2019\n 159A.53 \u2018How shold I yeeld me,\u2019 sayes the King,\n \u2018And thou art noe gentleman?\u2019\n \u2018Noe, by my troth,\u2019 sayes Copland there,\n \u2018I am but a poore yeaman.\n 159A.54 \u2018What art thou better then I, Sir King?\n Tell me if that thou can!\n What art thou better then I, Sir King,\n Now we be but man to man?\u2019\n 159A.55 The King smote angerly at Copland then,\n Angerly in that stonde;\n And then Copland was a bold yeaman,\n And bore the King to the ground.\n 159A.56 He sett the King upon a palfrey,\n Himselfe upon a steede;\n He tooke him by the bridle-rayne,\n Towards London he can him lead.\n 159A.57 And when to London that he came,\n The King from Ffrance was new come home,\n And there unto the king of Scottes\n He sayd these words anon.\n 159A.58 \u2018How like you my shepards and my millers?\n My priests with shaven crownes?\u2019\n \u2018By my fayth, they are the sorest fighting men\n That\tever I mett on the ground.\n 159A.59 \u2018There was never a yeaman in merry England\n But he was worth a Scottish knight:\u2019\n \u2018I, by my troth,\u2019 said King Edward, and laughe,\n \u2018For you fought all against the right.\u2019\n 159A.60 But now the prince of merry England,\n Worthilye under his sheelde,\n Hath taken the king of Ffrance,\n At Poytiers in the feelde.\n 159A.61 The prince did present his father with that food,\n The louely king off Ffrance,\n And forward of his iourney he is gone:\n God send us all good chance!\n 159A.62 \u2018You are welcome, brother!\u2019 sayd the king of Scotts, to the king of Ffrance,\n \u2018For I am come hither to soone;\n Christ leeve that I had taken my way\n Unto the court of Roome!\u2019\n 159A.63 \u2018And soe wold I,\u2019 said the king of Ffrance,\n \u2018When I came over the streame,\n That\tI had taken my iourney\n Unto Ierusalem!\u2019\n 159A.64 Thus ends the battell of faire Durham,\n In one morning of May,\n The battell of Cressey, and the battle of Potyers,\n All within one month s day.\n 159A.65 Then was welthe and welfare in mery England,\n Solaces, game, and glee,\n And every man loved other well,\n And the King loved good yeomanrye.\n 159A.66 But God that made the grasse to growe,\n And leaves on greenwoode tree,\n Now save and keepe our noble king,\n And maintaine good yeomanry!\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Next: 160. The Knight of Liddesdale","title":"The Child Ballads: 159. Durham Field","type":"page"}