6. Then the wyld1 thorowe the woodës went, on every sydë shear;2 Greahondës thorowe the grevis3 glent,4 for to kyll thear dear. 7. This begane in Chyviat the hyls abone,5 yerly on a Monnyn-day; Be that it drewe to the oware off none, a hondrith fat hartës ded ther lay. 8. The blewe a mort uppone the bent, the semblyde10 on sydis11 shear; To the quyrry then the Persë went, to se the bryttlynge12 off the deare. 9. He sayd, "It was the Duglas promys, this day to met me hear; But I wyste he wolde faylle, verament;" a great oth the Persë swear. "and to your boys14 lock ye tayk good hede; 21. "Nethar in Ynglonde, Skottlonde, nar For never sithe ye wear on your mothars borne had ye never so mickle nede." France, nor for no man of a woman born, But, and fortune be my chance, 1 deer. 2 several. by the time that. 3 groves. 7 hour of noon. 4 darted. 5 above. a blast of the horn 12 butchering. 13 in the. 14 bows. 15 coal of fire. 10 met. 11 hillsides. announcing the deer's death. 16 man. 17 one. 22. Then bespayke a squyar off Northom- 30. Thorowe ryche male and myneyeple, many sternes the strocke done streght; barlonde, Richard Wytharyngton was his nam: Many a freyke10 that was fulle fre, ther undar foot dyd lyght. 7 "It shall never be told in Sothe Ynglonde," he says, "to Kyng Herry the Fourth for 31. At last the Duglas and the Persë met, sham. 23. "I wat youe byn great lordës twaw, I am a poor squyar of lande: I wylle never se my captayne fyght on a fylde, and stande my selffe and loocke on, lyk to captayns of myght and of mayne; The swaptell togethar tylle the both swat, 12 with swordes that wear of fyn myllan. 13 But whylle I may my weppone welde, 32. Thes worthë freckys for to fyght, I wylle not [fayle] both hart and hande." 24. That day, that day, that dredfull day! the first fit1 here I fynde; And youe wyll here any mor a the 25. The Yngglyshe men hade ther bowys yebent, ther hartes wer good yenoughe; The first off arros that the shote off, seven skore spear-men the sloughe.2 26. Yet byddys the yerle Doglas uppon the bent, a captayne good yenoughe, And that was sene verament, for he wrought hom both woo and wouche.3. 27. The Dogglas partyd his ost in thre, lyk a cheffe cheften off pryde; With suar1 spears off myghttë tre, the cum in on every syde: 28. Thrughe our Yngglyshe archery gave many a wounde fulle wyde; many a doughetë the garde to dy, which ganyde them no pryde. 29. The Ynglyshe men let ther boys be, and pulde owt brandes that wer brighte; It was a hevy syght to se ther-to the wear fulle fayne, Tylle the bloode owte off thear basnetes sprente as ever dyd heal14 or ra[y]n. 33. "Yelde the, Persë," sayde the Doglas, "and i feth I shalle the brynge Wher thowe shalte have a yerls wagis of Jamy our Skottish kynge. 34. "Thou shalte have thy ransom fre, I hight15 the hear this thinge; For the manfullyste man yet art thowe that ever I conqueryd in filde 35. "Nay," sayd the lord Persë, 36. With that ther cam an arrowe hastely, forthe off a myghttë wane; 16 Hit hathe strekene the yerle Duglas in at the brest-bane. 37. Thorowe lyvar1" and longës bathe1 the sharpe arrowe ys gane, That never after in all his lyffe-days he spayke mo wordës but ane: That was, "Fyghte ye, my myrry men, whyllys ye may, for my lyff-days ben gan." 38. The Persë leanyde on his brande, and sawe the Duglas de; He tooke the dede mane by the hande, and sayd, "Wo ys me for the! 7 gauntlet. 8 stern men. • down. 1 division of the story, chapter. trusty. 2 slew. 3 harm. 11 smote. 12 sweated. 5 made. helmets. 15 bid. 16 number. 10 bold man. 13 Milan steel. 14 hail. 39. "To have savyde thy lyffe, I wolde 48. This battell begane in Chyviat an owar befor the none, And when even-songe bell was rang, the battell was nat half done. have partyde with my landes for years thre, For a better man, of hart nare of hande, was nat in all the north contrë." 49. The tocke on ethar hande10 be the lyght off the mone; Many hade no strenght for to stande, in Chyviat the hillys abon. 50. Of fifteen hondrith archars of Yng londe went away but seventi and thre; Of twenti hondrith spear-men of Skotlonde, but even five and fifti. 51. But all wear slayne Cheviat within; the hade no streng[th]e to stand on hy; The chylde may rue that ys unborne, it was the mor pittë. 52. Thear was slayne, withe the lord Sir Johan of Agerstone, Ser Wyllyam, the bolde Hearone. 53. Ser Jorg, the worthë Loumle, a knyghte of great renowen, Ser Raff, the ryche Rugbe, with dyntes wear beaten dowene. 54. For Wetharryngton my harte was wo, that ever he slayne shulde be; For when both his leggis wear hewyne in to,12 yet he knyled and fought on hys kny. 46. The dynt yt was both sad and sar, that he of Monggomberry sete; The swane-fethars that his arrowe bar 55. Ther was slayne, with the dougheti with his hart-blood the wear wete. Duglas, 47. Ther was never a freake wone foot wolde fle, Ser Hewe the Monggombyrry, Ser Davy Lwdale, that worthë was, his sistars son was he. but still in stours dyd stand, myghte dre, Heawyng on yche othar, whylle the 56. Ser Charls a Murrë in that place, with many a balfull brande. that never a foot wolde fle; Ser Hewe Maxwelle, a lorde he was, with the Doglas dyd he dey. 1 placed in rest. saw. 7 one. • stopped. 5 drew. 8 fight. a hesitated. 6 shot. • hold out. 10 The line is unintelligible. 11 courteous. 12 two. 57. So on the morrowe the mayde them 65. This was the hontynge off the Cheviat, byears off birch and hasell so g[r]ay; Many wedous, with wepyng tears, cam to fache ther makys1 away. 58. Tivydale may carpe2 off care, Northombarlond may mayk great mon, For towe such captayns as slayne wear thear, 6 that tear begane this spurn, Old men that knowen the grownde well yenoughe call it the battell of Otterburn. 66. At Otterburn begane this spurne on the March-parti3 shall never be 67. Ther was never a tym on the Marche partës sen the Doglas and the Persë met, But yt ys mervele and the rede blude ronne not, as the reane doys in the stret. 68. Jhesue Crist our balys bete! Thus was the hountynge of the Chiv- God sent us alle good endying! BONNIE GEORGE CAMPBELL Hie upon Hielands And low upon Tay And gallant rade he; But never cam he! Out cam his auld mither Greeting fu' sair, 10 And out cam his bonnie bride Rivin'11 her hair. And booted rade he; Toom12 hame cam the saddle, But never cam he! "My meadow lies green, And my corn is unshorn; And my babie's unborn." Saddled and bridled And booted rade he; Toom hame cam the saddle, bryght, over castille, towar, and town. 1 mates, husbands. ⚫ clench. But never cam he! This line is unintelligible. talk. the border-lands. • relieve. 5 enjoy. 11 tearing. 7 rain. 8 misfortunes. 12 empty. 10 weeping sorely. 5 10 15 20 SIR THOMAS MALORY (1400?-1470) PREFACE OF WILLIAM CAΧΤΟΝ of his the Fourth. The said noble gentlemen instantly required me to imprint the his- [50 tory of the said noble king and conqueror king Arthur, and of his knights, with the history of the Saint Greal, and of the death and ending of the said Arthur; affirming that I ought rather to imprint his acts and noble feats, than of Godfrey of Boloine, or any of the other eight, considering that he was a man born within this realm, and king and emperor of the same; and that there be in French divers and [60 many noble volumes of his acts, and also of his knights. To whom I answered, that divers men hold opinion that there was no such Arthur, and that all such books as been made of him be feigned and fables, because that some chronicles make of him no mention, nor remember him nothing, nor of his knights. Whereto they answered, and one in special said, that in him that should say or think that there [70 was never such a king called Arthur, might well be aretted great folly and blindness. For he said that there were many evidences of the contrary. First ye may see his sepulchre in the monastery of Glastingbury. And also in Polichronicon, in the fifth book the sixth chapter, and in the seventh book the twenty-third chapter, where his body was buried, and after found, and translated into the [80 said monastery. Ye shall see also in the history of Bochas in his book De Casu Principum part of his noble acts, and also of his fall. Also Galfridus in his British book recounteth his life; and in divers places of England many remembrances be yet of him and shall remain perpetually, and also of his knights. First in the abbey of Westminster, at Saint Edward's shrine, remaineth the print of his seal in red [90 wax closed in beryl, in which is written Patricius Arthurus, Britannie, Gallie, Germanie, Dacie, Imperator. Item in the castle of Dover ye may see Gawaine's skull and Cradok's mantle: at Winchester the Round Table: in other places Launcelot's sword and many other things. Then all these things considered, there can no man reasonably gainsay but that there was a king of this land named Arthur. [100 For in all places, Christian and heathen, After that I had accomplished and finished divers histories, as well of contemplation as of other historial and worldly acts of great conquerors and princes, and also certain books of ensamples and doctrine, many noble and divers gentlemen of this realm of England came and demanded me many and ofttimes, wherefore that I have not do made and imprint the noble history of the Saint Greal and of the [10 most renowned Christian king, first and chief of the three best Christian, and worthy, king Arthur, which ought most to be remembered among us Englishmen tofore all other Christian kings; for it is notoriously known through the universal world that there be nine worthy and the best that ever were, that is to wit three Paynims, three Jews, and three Christian men. As for the Paynims they were [20 tofore the Incarnation of Christ, which were named, the first Hector of Troy, of whom the history is come, both in ballad and in prose; the second Alexander the Great, and the third Julius Cæsar, Emperor of Rome, of whom the histories be well known and had. And as for the three Jews, which also were tofore the incarnation of our Lord, of whom the first was duke Joshua which brought the chil- [30 dren of Israel into the land of behest, the second David king of Jerusalem, and the third Judas Maccabæus. Of these three the Bible rehearseth all their noble histories and acts. And since the said incarnation have been three noble Christian men stalled and admitted through the universal world into the number of the nine best and worthy. Of whom was first the noble Arthur, whose noble acts I pur- [40 pose to write in this present book here following. The second was Charlemain, or Charles the Great, of whom the history is had in many places, both in French and in English. And the third and last was Godfrey of Boloine, of whose acts and life I made a book unto the excellent prince and king of noble memory, king Edward | he is reputed and taken for one of the |