But Robin pulled forth an Irysh knife,
And losed John hand and foote,

And gave him Sir Guys bow into his hand,
And bade it be his boote.

Then John he took Guys bow in his hand,

225

His boltes and arrowes eche one:

When the sheriffe saw Little John bend his bow,

**The title of Sir was not formerly peculiar to knights, it was given to priests, and sometimes to very inferior personages.

Dr. Johnson thinks this title was applied to such as had taken the degree of A.B. in the universities, who are still styled Domini, "Sirs," to distinguish them from Under-graduates, who have no prefix, and from Masters of Arts, who are styled Magistrį, "Masters."

IX.

An Elegy on Henry, Fourth Earl of Northumberland.1 The subject of this poem, which was written by Skelton, is the death of HENRY PERCY, fourth Earl of Northumberland, who fell a victim to the avarice of Henry VII. In 1489, the parliament had granted the king a subsidy, for carrying on the war in Bretagne. This tax was found so heavy in the North, that the whole country was in a flame. The Earl of Northumberland, then lord-lieutenant for Yorkshire, wrote to inform the king of the discontent, and praying an abatement. But nothing is so unrelenting as avarice: the king wrote back, that not a penny should be abated. This message being delivered by the earl

1 Percy's text has been carefully revised by collation with the reading of the Elegy as given by the Rev. Alexander Dyce.-Editor.

VOL. I.

F

with too little caution, the populace rose, and supposing him to be the promoter of their calamity, broke into his house, and murdered him, with several of his attendants; who yet are charged by Skelton with being backward in their duty on this occasion. This melancholy event happened at the earl's seat at Cocklodge, near Thirske, in Yorkshire, April 28, 1489. See Lord Bacon, &c.

If the reader does not find much poetical merit in this old poem, (which yet is one of Skelton's best,) he will see a striking picture of the state and magnificence kept up by our ancient nobility during the feudal times. This great earl is described here as having among his menial servants, knights, squires, and even barons: see v. 32, 183, &c.; which, however different from modern manners, was formerly not unusual with our greater barons, whose castles had all the splendour and offices of a royal court, before the laws against Retainers abridged and limited the number of their attendants.

John Skelton, who commonly styled himself Poet-Laureat, died June 21, 1529. The following poem, which appears to have been written soon after the event, is printed from an ancient MS. copy, preserved in the British Museum, being much more correct than that printed among Skelton's Poems, in bl. let. 12mo, 1568. It is addressed to Henry Percy, fifth Earl of Northumberland, and is prefaced, &c., in the following manner :

Poeta Skelton Laureatus libellum suum metrice alloquitur.

Ad dominum properato meum mea pagina Percy,
Qui Northumbrorum jura paterna gerit.
Ad nutum celebris tu porna repone leonis,
Quæque suo patri tristia justa cano.
Ast ubi perlegit, dubiam sub mente volutet
Fortunam, cuncta quæ male fida rotat.
Qui leo sit felix, et Nestoris occupet annos;
Ad libitum cujus ipse paratus ero.

SKELTON LAUREAT UPON THE DOLOURUS DETHE AND MUCHE

LAMENTABLE CHAUNCE OF THE MOST HONORABLE

I WAYLE,

OF NORTHUMBERLANDE.

I wepe, I sobbe, I sigh ful sore
The dedely fate, the dolefulle desteny
Of hym that is gone, alas! without restore,
Of the bloud royall descending nobelly;
Whose lordshyp doutles was slayne lamentably
Thorow treson, ageyn him compassed and wrought,
Trew to his prince in word, in dede, and thought.

ERLE

5

2 The mother of Henry, first Earl of Northumberland, was Mary, daughter to Henry, Earl of Lancaster, whose father Edmond was second son of King Henry III. The mother and wife of the second Earl of

Of hevenly poems, O Clyo, calde by name
In the colege of Musis goddes hystoriall,
Adres thé to me, whiche am both halt and lame
In elect uteraunce to make memoryall!

To thé for souccour, to thé for helpe I call,
Mine homely rudnes and dryghnes to expell
With the freshe waters of Elyconys well.
Of noble actes aunciently enrolde

Of famous pryncis and lordes of astate,
By thy report ar wont to be extold,

Regestringe trewly every formare date;
Of thy bountie after the usuall rate

10

15

Kyndell in me suche plenty of thy noblès,

20

Thes sorrowfulle dites that I may shew expres.

In sesons past, who hathe h[ea]rde or sene
Of formar writyng by any presidente
That vilane hastarddis in their furious tene,
Fulfylled with malice of froward entente,
Confetered togeder of commonn concente
Falsly to slee theyr moste singuler good lord?
It may be regestrede of shamefull recorde.

25

So noble a man, so valiaunt lord and knyght,

Fulfilled with honor, as all the world doth ken;

20

At his commaundement which had both day and nyght
Knyghtes and squyers, at every season when
He calde upon them, as meniall houshold men ;
Were not these commons uncurteis karlis of kind

To slo their owne lord? God was not in their mynd.

35

And were not they to blame, I say also,

That were aboute him, his owne servants of trust,

To suffre him slayn of his mortall fo?

Fled away from hym, let hym ly in the dust; They bode not till the reckenyng were discust; What shuld I flatter? what shuld I glose or paint? Fy, fy for shame, their hartes were to faint.

40

Northumberland were both lineal descendants of King Edward III. The Percys also were lineally descended from the Emperor Charlemagne and the ancient kings of France, by their ancestor Josceline de Lovaine (son of

In England and Fraunce which gretly was redouted,
Of whom both Flaunders and Scotland stode in drede,
To whome great estates obeyed and lowted,

A mayny of rude villayns made hym for to blede;
Unkyndly they slew him; that holp them oft at nede:
He was their bulwark, their paves, and their wall,

45

Yet shamfully they slew hym; that shame mot them befal!

I say, ye comoners, why wer ye so stark mad?
What frantyk frensy fyll in your brayne?

50

Where was your wit and reson ye should have had ?
What wilful foly made yow to ryse agayne
Your naturall lord? alas, I cannot fayne:

Ye armyd you with will, and left your wit behynd;
Well may you be called comones most unkynd.

55

He was your chefteyne, your shelde, your chef defence,
Redy to assyst you in every time of nede;
Your worshyp depended of his excellence;
Alas, ye mad men, to far ye did excede;

60

Your hap was unhappy, to ill was your spede: What moved you againe him to war or to fyght? What alyde you to sle your lord again all ryght?

The ground of his quarel was for his soverain lord,
The well concerning of all the hole lande,

65

Demandyng suche duties as nedes most acord

To the ryght of his prince, which shold not be withstand; For whose cause ye slew him with your owne hand:

But had his noble men done wel that day,

Ye had not been able to have sayd him nay.

70

But ther was fals packing, or els I am begylde;
How-be-it the mater was evydent and playne,

For if they had occupied their spere and their shilde,
This noble man doutles had not bene slayne.

But men say they wer lynked with a double chaine, And held with the comones under a cloke,

75

Which kindeled the wild fyr that made all this smoke.

Godfrey Duke of Brabant), who took the name of PERCY on marrying the heiress of that house in the reign of Hen. II. Vide Camden's Britan. Edmonson, &c.

The commons renyed ther taxes to pay,

Of them demaunded and asked by the kynge;

With one voice importune they playnly sayd nay;

80

They buskt them on a bushment themselfe in baile to bring,

Againe the kyngs plesure to wrestle or to wring; Bluntly as bestis with boste and with crye

They sayd they forsed not, nor carede not to dy.

The noblenes of the north, this valiant lord and knight,
As man that was innocent of trechery or traine,
Presed forth boldly to withstand the myght,

And, lyke marciall Hector, he faught them agayne,
Vygorously upon them with might and with maine,
Trustyng in noble men that were with him there;
Bot al they fled from hym for falshode or fere.
Barones, knyghtes, squiers, one and all,

Together with servauntes of his famuly,
Turned their backis, and let their master fal,
Of whos [life] they counted not a flye;
Take up whose wold, for ther they let him ly.
Alas, his gold, his fee, his annual rent
Upon suche a sort was ille bestowd and spent!

He was environd aboute on every syde

With his enemyes, that wer starke mad and wode; Yet while he stode he gave them woundes wyde;

Allas for ruth! what thoughe his mynd wer gode,
His corage manly, yet ther he shed his blode :

Al left alone, alas, he foughte in vayne!
For cruelly among them ther he was slayne.

105

Alas for pite! that Percy thus was spylt,
The famous Erle of Northumberland;

Of knyghtly prowes the sword, pomel, and hylt,
The myghty lyon 3 doutted by se and lande;
O dolorus chaunce of Fortunes froward hande!
What man, remembryng howe shamfully he was slaine,
From bitter weping himself can restrain?

110

Alluding to his crest and supporters. Doutted is contracted for re

doubted.