Come you hither, my nine good sonnes,
Gallant men I trowe you bee:

How many of you, my children deare,
Will stand by that good erle and mee?

Eight of them did answer make,

Eight of them spake hastilie,

O father, till the daye we dye

We'll stand by that good erle and thee.

65

70

Gramercy now, my children deare,

You showe yourselves right bold and brave;

And whethersoe'er I live or dye,

75

A fathers blessing you shal have.

But what sayst thou, O Francis Norton,
Thou art mine eldest sonn and heire:
Somewhat lyes brooding in thy breast;

Whatever it bee, to mee declare.

Father, you are an aged man,

Your head is white, your bearde is gray;

It were a shame at these your yeares

For you to ryse in such a fray.

Now fye upon thee, coward Francis,

Thou never learnedst this of mee:

When thou wert yong and tender of age,
Why did I make soe much of thee?

80

85

But, father, I will wend with you,

Unarm'd and naked will I bee;

And he that strikes against the crowne,
Ever an ill death may he dee.

Then rose that reverend gentleman,

And with him came a goodlye band

To join with the brave Erle Percy,

And all the flower o' Northumberland.

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95

With them the noble Nevill came,

The erle of Westmorland was hee:

At Wetherbye they mustred their host,
Thirteen thousand faire to see.

100

Lord Westmorland his ancyent raisde,

The Dun Bull he rays'd on hye,
And three Dogs with golden collars,

Were there sett out most royallye.*

* Ver. 102, Dun Bull, &c.] The supporters of the Nevilles, Earls of Westmoreland were two bulls argent, ducally collar'd gold, armed or, &c. But I have not discovered the device mentioned in the ballad among the badges, &c., given by that house. This however is certain, that among those of the Nevilles Lords Abergavenny (who were of the same family) is a dun cow with a golden collar and the Nevilles of Chyte in Yorkshire (of the Westmoreland branch) gave for their crest in 1513, a dog's (greyhound's) head, erased. So that it is not improbable but Charles Neville, the unhappy Earl of Westmoreland here mentioned, might on this occasion give the above device on his banner. After all, our old minstrel's verses here may have undergone some corruption; for, in another ballad in the same folio MS. and apparently written by the same hand, containing the Sequel of

105

Erle Percy there his ancyent spred,

The Half-Moone shining all soe faire: *
The Nortons ancyent had the crosse,

And the five wounds our Lord did beare.

Then Sir George Bowes he straitwaye rose,
After them some spoyle to make :
Those noble erles turn'd backe againe,
And aye they vowed that knight to take.

That baron he to his castle fled,

To Barnard castle then fled hee.

110

this Lord Westmoreland's history, his banner is thus described, more conformable to his known bearings:

zens.

"Sette me up my faire Dun Bull,

Wi' th' Gilden Hornes, hee beares soe hye."

* Ver. 106, The Half-Moone, &c.] The silver crescent is a wellknown crest or badge of the Northumberland family. It was probably brought home from some of the Crusades against the SaraIn an ancient Pedigree in verse, finely illuminated on a roll of vellum, and written in the reign of Henry VII. (in possession of the family,) we have this fabulous account given of its original. The author begins with accounting for the name of Gernon or Algernon, often borne by the Percies: who, he says, were

....

Gernons fyrst named of Brutys bloude of Troy : Which valliantly fyghtynge in the land of Persè (Persia) At pointe terrible ayance the miscreants on nyght,

An hevynly mystery was schewyd hym, old bookys reherse; In hys scheld did schyne a MONE veryfying her lyght, Which to all the ooste yave a perfytte syght,

To vaynquys his enmys, and to deth them persue;

And therefore the Persès (Percies) the Cressant doth renew.

In the dark ages, no family was deemed considerable that did not derive its descent from the Trojan Brutus; or that was not distinguished by prodigies and miracles.

The uttermost walles were eathe to win,
The earles have won them presentlìe.

The uttermost walles were lime and bricke;
But though they won them soon anone,
Long e'er they wan the innermost walles,
For they were cut in rocke of stone.

Then newes unto leeve London came

In all the speede that ever might bee,
And word is brought to our royall queene
Of the rysing in the North countrie.

Her grace she turned her round about,

And like a royall queene shee swore,*

115

120

125

I will ordayne them such a breakfast,

As never was in the North before.

Shee caus'd thirty thousand men be rays'd
With horse and harneis faire to see;
She caused thirty thousand men be raised,
To take the earles i' th' North countrìe.

130

Wi' them the false Erle Warwick went,

Th' erle Sussex and the lord Hunsdèn;

Untill they to Yorke castle came

135

I wiss, they never stint ne blan.

*This is quite in character: her majesty would sometimes

swear at her nobles, as well as box their ears.

Now spred thy ancyent, Westmorland,
Thy dun bull faine would we spye:
And thou, the Erle o' Northumberland,
Now rayse thy half moone up on hye.

But the dun bulle is fled and gone,

And the halfe moone vanished away:
The Erles, though they were brave and bold,
Against soe many could not stay.

Thee, Norton, wi' thine eight good sonnes,
They doom'd to dye, alas! for ruth!
Thy reverend lockes thee could not save,
Nor them their faire and blooming youthe.

Wi' them full many a gallant wight
They cruellye bereav'd of life:
And many a childe made fatherlesse,
And widowed many a tender wife.

140

145

150

IV.

Northumberland betrayed by Douglas.

This ballad may be considered as the sequel of the preceding. After the unfortunate Earl of Northumberland had seen himself forsaken of his followers, he endeavoured to withdraw into Scotland, but falling into the hands of