36. He that had neither beene a kithe nor kin
Might have seene a full fayre sight,
To see how together these yeomen went,
With blades both browne and bright;

37. To have seene how these yeomen together fought

Two howers of a summer's day;
Itt was neither Guy nor Robin Hood
That ffettled' them to flye away.

38. Robin was reacheles on a roote,
And stumbled at that tyde,

And Guy was quicke and nimble with-all,
And hitt him ore the left side.

39. "Ah, deere Lady!" sayd Robin Hoode,
"Thou art both mother and may! 3

I thinke it was never mans destinye
To dye before his day."

40. Robin thought on Our Lady deere,

And soone leapt up againe,

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58. But he cold neither soe fast goe,

Nor away soe fast runn,

But Litle John, with an arrow broade,
Did cleave his heart in twinn.

6. "Now we have haryed all Bamborowe schyre,
All the welth in the world have wee;
I rede we ryde to Newe Castell,
So styll and stalworthlye."

7. Upon the morowe, when it was day,
The standerds schone fulle bryght;

To the Newe Castell they toke the waye,
And thether they cam fulle ryght.

8. Syr Henry Perssy laye at the New Castell,
I tell yow wythowtten drede; 7
He had byn a march-man all hys dayes,
And kepte Barwyke upon Twede.

9. To the Newe Castell when they cam,
The Skottes they cryde on hyght,

"Syr Hary Perssy, and thow byste within, Com to the fylde, and fyght.

10. "For we have brente Northomberlonde, Thy erytage good and ryght,

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And syne my logeyng I have take,
Wyth my brande dubbyd many a knyght."

11. Syr Harry Perssy cam to the walles, The Skottyssch oste for to se,

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And sayd, "And thow hast brente Northomberlond,

Full sore it rewyth me.

12. "Yf thou hast haryed all Bamborowe schyre, Thow hast done me grete envye;1

For the trespasse thow hast me done,
The tone of us schall dye."

13. "Where schall I byde the ?" sayd the Dowglas,
"Or where wylte thow com to me?"
"At Otterborne, in the hygh way,

Ther mast thow well logeed be.

14. "The roo3 full rekeles ther sche rinnes,
To make the game and glee;

The fawken and the fesaunt both,
Amonge the holtes on hye.

15. "Ther mast thow have thy welth at wyll, Well looged ther mast be;

Yt schall not be long or I com the tyll,"
Sayd Syr Harry Perssye.

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16. "Ther schall I byde the," sayd the Dowglas, "By the fayth of my bodye."

"Thether schall I com," sayd Syr Harry Perssy "My trowth I plyght to the."

17. A pype of wyne he gave them over the walles, For soth as I yow saye;

Ther he mayd the Dowglasse drynke,
And all hys ost that daye.

18. The Dowglas turnyd hym homewarde agayne, For soth withowghten naye;

He toke his logeyng at Oterborne,
Upon a Wedynsday.

19. And ther he pyght hys standerd dowyn,
Hys gettyng more and lesse,

And syne he warned hys men to goo
To chose ther geldynges gresse.

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33. Every man sawe that he dyd soo,
That ryall' was ever in rowght; 2
Every man schoote hys horsse hym froo,
And lyght hym rowynde abowght.

34. Thus Syr Hary Perssye toke the fylde, For soth as I yow saye;

Jhesu Cryste in hevyn on hyght

Dyd helpe hym well that daye.

35. But nyne thowzand, ther was no moo,
The cronykle wyll not layne;'
Forty thowsande of Skottes and fowre
That day fowght them agayne.

36. But when the batell byganne to joyne,
In hast ther cam a knyght;

The letters fayre furth hath he tayne,
And thus he sayd full ryght:

37. "My lorde your father he gretes yow well, Wyth many a noble knyght;

He desyres yow to byde

That he may see thys fyght.

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44. “Every man thynke on hys trewe-love,
And marke hym to the Trenite;
For to God I make myne avowe
Thys day wyll I not flee."

45. The blodye harte in the Dowglas armes, Hys standerde stood on hye,

That every man myght full well knowe;
By syde stode starrës thre.

46. The whyte lyon on the Ynglyssh perte,' For soth as I yow sayne,

The lucettes and the cressawntes both;
The Skottes faught them agayne.

47. Upon Sent Androwe lowde can they crye, And thrysse they schowte on hyght,3

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And syne merked them one owr Ynglysshe men,

As I have tolde yow ryght.

4 smote 8 discerned

& till

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every

4 man

5 battle • endure