"For Jesus love," sayd Syr Harye Percy, "That dyed for yow and me, Wende to my lorde my father agayne, And saye thou saw me not with yee.
"My trowth ys plyght to yonne Skottysh knyght, 45 It nedes me not to layne, That I schulde byde hym upon thys bent, And I have hys trowth agayne.
"And if that I wende off thys grownde, For soth, unfoughten awaye, 50 He wolde me call but a kowarde knyght In hys londe another daye.
"Yet had I lever to be rynde and rente, By Mary, that mykel maye, Then ever my manhod schulde be reprovyd 55 Wyth a Skotte another daye.
"Wherefore schote, archars, for my sake, And let scharpe arowes flee; Mynstrells, play up for your waryson, And well quyt it schall be. 60
"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 fle."
The blodye harte in the Dowglas armes, 65 Hys standerde stode on hye; That every man myght full well knowe; By syde stode starres thre.
The whyte lyon on the Ynglysh parte, Forsoth, as I yow sayne, 70 The lucetts and the cressawnts both; The Skotts faught them agayne.
Uppon Sent Andrewe lowde cane they crye, And thrysse they schowte on hyght, And syne marked them one owr Ynglysshe men, 75 As I have tolde yow ryght.
Sent George the bryght, owr ladyes knyght, To name they were full fayne; Owr Ynglysshe men they cryde on hyght, And thrysse the schowtte agayne. 80
Wyth that, scharpe arowes bygan to flee, I tell yow in sertayne; Men of armes byganne to joyne, Many a dowghty man was ther slayne.
The Percy and the Dowglas mette, 85 That ether of other was fayne; They schapped together, whyll that the swette, With swords of fyne collayne;
Tyll the bloode from ther bassonnetts ranne, As the roke doth in the rayne; 90 "Yelde the to me," sayd the Dowglas, "Or ells thow schalt be slayne.
"For I see by thy bryght bassonet, Thow art sum man of myght; And so I do by thy burnysshed brande; 95 Thow art an yerle, or ells a knyght."[L96]
"By my good faythe," sayd the noble Percy, "Now haste thou rede full ryght; Yet wyll I never yelde me to the, Whyll I may stonde and fyght." 100
They swapped together, whyll that they swette, Wyth swordes scharpe and long; Ych on other so faste they beette, Tyll ther helmes cam in peyses dowyn.
