That is minded to do mischief,

And as their stealing stands not out.

But yet we will not slander them all,
For there is of them good enough;
It is a sore consumed tree

That on it bears not one fresh bough.

Lord God is not this a pitiful case,

That men dare not drive their goods to t' fell, But limmer thieves drives them away,

That fears neither heaven nor hell.

Lord, send us peace into the realm,

That every man may live on his own!

I trust to God, if it be his will,

That Weardale-men may never be overthrown.

For great troubles they've had in hand,

With Borderers pricking hither and thither,

But the greatest fray that e'er they had,

Was with the men of Thirlwa' 'nd Willie-haver.

They gather'd together so royally,

The stoutest men and the best in gear;

And he that rade not on a horse,

I wat he rade on a weil-fed mear.

So in the morning, before they came out,
So well I wot they broke their fast;
In the [forenoon they came] unto a bye fell,
Where some of them did eat their last. 1

When they had eaten aye and done,

They say'd, some captains here needs must be: Then they choose'd forth Harry Corbyl,

And Symon Fell, and Martin Ridley.

Then o'er the moss, where as they came,
With many a brank and whew,
One of them could to another say,
"I think this day we are men enew.

1 This would be about eleven o'clock, the usual dinner hour in that period.

"For Weardale-men is a journey ta'en,
They are so far out o'er yon fell,

That some ofe them's with the two earls, 1
And others fast in Bernard-castell.

"There we shal get gear enough,

For there is nane but women at hame; The sorrowful fend that they can make, Is loudly cries as they were slain."

Then in at Rookhope-head they came,

And there they thought tul' a' had their prey,
But they were spy'd coming over the Dry-rig,
Soon upon Saint Nicholas' day.3

Then in at Rookhope-head they came,
They ran the forest but a mile;
They gather'd together in four hours
Six hundred sheep within a while.

And horses I trow they gat,
But either ane or twa,

And they gat them all but ane

That belanged to great Rowley.

That Rowley was the first man that did them spy,
With that he rais'd a mighty cry;

The cry it came down Rookhope-burn,
And spread through Weardale hasteyly.

1 The two Earls were Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, and Charles Nevil Earl of Westmoreland, who, on the 15th of November, 1569, at the head of his tenantry and others, took arms for the purpose of liberating Mary, Queen of Scots, and restoring the old religion. They beseiged Barnard Castle, which was, for eleven days, stoutly 'defended by Sir George Bowes, who, afterward, being appointed the Queen's marshall, hanged the poor constables and peasantry by dozens in a day, to the amount of 800. The Earl of Northumberland betrayed by the Scots, with whom he had taken refuge was beheaded at York, on the 22nd of August, 1572; and the Earl of Westmoreland, deprived of the ancient and noble patrimony of the Nevils, and reduced to beggary, escaped over sea, into Flanders, and died in misery and disgrace, being the last of his family. See two ballads on this subject, in Percy's Collection, (i. 271, 281,) and consider whether they be genuine.—RITSON.

2 This is still the phraseology of Westmoreland: a poorly man, a softly day, and the

like.

3 The 6th of December.

Then word came to the bailifs house

1

At the East-gate, where he did dwell; 2 He was walk'd out to the Smale-burns,

Which stands above the Hanging-well.

His wife was wae when she hear❜d tell,
So well she wist her husband wanted gear,
She gar'd saddle him his horse in haste,
And neither forgot sword, jack, 4 nor spear.

The bailif got wit before his gear came,
That such news was in the land,
He was sore troubled in his heart,

That on no earth that he could stand.

His brother was hurt three days before,
With limmer thieves that did him prick;
Nineteen bloody wounds lay him upon,
What ferly was't that he lay sick?

But yet the bailif shrinked nought,
But fast after them he did hye,

1 Now a straggling village so called; originally, it would seem, the gate-house, or ranger's lodge, at the east entrance of Stanhope park. At some distance from this place is West-gate, so called for a similar reason.-RITSON.

2 The mention of the bailiff's house at the East-gate is (were such a proof wanting) strongly indicative of the authenticity of the ballad. The family of Emerson of Eastgath, a fief, if I may so call it, held under the bishop, long exercised the office of bailiff of Wolsingham, the chief town and borough of Weardale, and of Forester, &c., under successive prelates; and the present bishop's gamekeeper and ranger within Weardale, may be said to claim his office by maternal descent, being Emerson Muschamp, (another ancient name,) and, though somewhat shorn of his beams, the lineal heir of the old bailiffs of Weardale. "Rob. Emerson Parcarius de Stanhopp. 13 Aug. 7 Rob. Nevill Epi. Cuthb. Emerson de Eastgat sub Forestar. Parci de Stanhopp. 1 Wolsey.-Lease of the East-gate to Mr. George Emerson for 30 years, 10l. p. ann. 4 Ed. · C. Bp. Tunstall.-Rob. Emerson de Eastgat. sede vacante p. depriv. Tunstall parcar. Dne Regine.-Geo. et Ric. Emerson Ballivi de Wolsingham. 12 Sept. 1616, sicut Geo. Rolli vel. Rollands Emerson olim tenuere."-SURTEES.

3 A place in the neighbourhood of East-gate, known at present, as well as the Dryrig, or Smale-burns; being the property of Mr. Robert Richardson, by inheritance, since before 1583.-RITSON.

4 A jacket, or short coat, plated or institched with small pieces of iron, and usually worn by the peasantry of the Border in their journeys from place to place, as well as in their occasional skirmishes with the moss-troopers, who were most probably equipped with the same sort of harness.-RITSON.

And so did all his neighbours near,
That went to bear him company.

But when the bailif was gathered,
And all his company,

They were number'd to never a man

But forty under fifty.

The thieves was number'd a hundred men,

I wat they were not of the worst ;

That could be choos'd out of Thirlwa' 'nd Willie-haver, "I trow they were the very first."

But all that was in Rookhope-head,
And all that was i' Nuketon-cleugh,
Where Weardale-men o'ertook the thieves,
And there they gave them fighting eneugh.

So sore they made them fain to flee,
As many was a' out of hand,

And, for tul have been at home again,

They would have been in iron bands.

And for the space of long seven years
As sore they mighten a' had their lives,
But there was never one of them

That ever thought to have seen their wives.

About the time the fray began,

I trow it lasted but an hour,

Til many a man lay weaponless,

And was sore wounded in that stour.

Also before that hour was done,
Four of the thieves were slain,
Besides all those that wounded were,
And eleven prisoners there was ta'en.

George Carrick, and his brother Edie,

Them two, I wot they were both slain;

Harry Corbyl, and Lennie Carrick,

Bore them company in their pain.

1 The reciter, from his advanced age, could not recollect the original line thus imper fectly supplied.-RITSON.

One of our Weardale-men was slain,
Rowland Emerson his name hight;
I trust to God his soul is well,

Because he fought unto the right.

But thus they say'd, "We'll not depart
While we have one :-Speed back again!"-
And when they came amongst the dead men,
There they found George Carrick slain.

And when they found George Carrick slain,
I wot it went well near their heart;
Lord, let them never make a better end,
That comes to play them sicken a part.

I trust to God, no more they shal,
Except it be one for a great chance;

For God wil punish all those

With a great heavy pestilence.

Thir limmer thieves, they have good hearts,
They never think to be o'erthrown;

Three banners against Weardale-men they bare,
As if the world had been all their own.

Thir Weardale-men they have good hearts,
They are as stif as any tree!

For, if they'd every one been slain,
Never a foot back man would flee.

And such a storm amongst them fell,
As I think you never heard the like;
For he that bears his head so high,
He oft-times falls into the dyke.

And now I do entreat you all,
As many as are present here,
To pray for singer of this song,

For he sings to make blithe your cheer.