Northumberland Yesterday And To Day - Jean F. Terry (i want to read a book TXT) 📗

In The Duel Percy Was Unhorsed, And Douglas Captured

His Pennon And His Gauntlet Gloves, Embroidered With The Percy Lion In

Pearls. This Trophy Douglas Vowed He Would Carry Off To Scotland With

Him, And Set It In The Topmost Tower Of His Castle Of Dalkeith, That It

Might Be Seen From Afar. "By Heaven! That You Never Shall," Replied

Percy; "You Shall Not Carry It Out Of Northumberland." "Come And Take

It, Then," Was Douglas' Answer; And Hotspur Would Have Attempted Its

Recovery There And Then, But He Was Restrained By His Knights. Douglas,

However, Said He Would Give Percy A Chance To Recover It, And Agreed To

Await Him At Otterburn.

 

  "Yet I Will Stay At Otterbourne,

  Where You Shall Welcome Be;

  And If Ye Come Not At Three Dayis End,

  A Fause Lord I'll Call Thee"

 

Next Day The Scots Left Newcastle And Marched Northward. They Took Sir

Aymer De Athol's Castle Of Ponte-Land, And The Good Knight Sir Aymer

Himself, And Went On Their Way, Harrying And Burning As They Went. At

Otterburn They Halted, And Rested All Night, Making Huts For Themselves

Of Boughs And Branches. The Spot They Had Chosen Was A Strong One, On

The Site Of A Former British Camp; And Not Only Was It Surrounded By

Trees, But Was Near Marshy Ground As Well. Next Day They Attempted To

Take Otterburn Tower, But Without Success.

 

Meanwhile Word Was Brought To Hotspur That The Scots Would Spend The

Night At Otterburn; And He, Without Waiting For Walter De Skirlaw,

Bishop Of Durham, Who Was Expected That Evening With A Strong Force, At

Once Set Off With 600 Spearmen, And A Force On Foot Which Is Variously

Given As Anything From 800 To 8,000. They Covered The Thirty-Odd Miles

By The Time Evening Fell: And As The Scots Were At Supper In Their

Little Huts, They Were Startled By A Tumult Amongst Their Grooms And

Camp-Followers, And Cries Of "A Percy! A Percy!" And The Englishmen Were

Among Them. The Scottish Leaders Had Placed Their Camp-Followers And

Servants At The Outermost; Part Of Their Encampment, Facing The

Newcastle Road; And Hotspur's Force, Ignorant Of This, Mistook It For

The Main Camp. While They Were Thus Engaged, The Scottish Knights Were

Enabled To Make A Detour Around The Scene Of The First Attack, And Take

The English In The Rear. With Loud Shouts Of "Douglas! Douglas!" They

Fell Upon Them, And A Fierce Hand-To-Hand Struggle Began. The Moon Rose

Clear And Bright, And The Quiet Evening Air Was Filled With The Din Of

Battle, The Ring Of Steel On Steel, The Crash Of Axe On Armour, The

Groans Of The Wounded, And The Battle-Cries Of The Combatants On Each

Side. Sir Ralph Percy, Pressing Too Rashly Forward, Was Captured By A

Newly-Made Scottish Knight, Sir John Maxwell. The Battle Was Turning In

Favour Of Hotspur, When Douglas Sent His Silken Banner To The Front And

With Renewed Shouts Of "Douglas!" The Scots Pressed Forward And Overbore

Their Foes. According To Froissart, There Was Not A Man There, Knight,

Squire, Or Groom, Who Played The Coward. "This Bataylle Was One Of The

Sorest And Best Foughten Without Cowards Or Faynte Hearts; For There Was

Neither Knight Nor I Squire But That Did His Devoyre And Foughte Hande

To Hande." Great Deeds Were Done, And The Fame Of None Amongst Them Is

Greater Than That Of The Gallant Widdrington;

 

  "For Witherington My Heart Is Woe,

  That Ever He Slaine Sholde Be!

  For When His Legs Were Hewn In Two

  He Knelt And Fought On His Knee"

 

Douglas Rushed Into The Thickest Of The Fray, And Hotspur Tried To Find

Him, But In The Dim Light That Was Difficult, Especially As Douglas

Had, In His Haste, Come To The Fight Without Helmet Or Breastplate.

Presently He Was Borne To The Ground By Three English Spears; And As He

Lay Guarded By His Faithful Chaplain, Sir John And Sir Walter Sinclair,

With Sir James Lindsay, Came Upon Him. "How Fare You, Cousin?" Asked Sir

John. "But Poorly, I Thank God," Answered Douglas; "For Few Of My

Ancestors Died In Bed Or Chamber. I Count Myself Dead, For My Heart

Beats Slow. Think Now To Avenge Me. Raise My Banner And Shout 'Douglas!'

And Let Neither My Friends Nor My Foes Know Of My State, Lest The One

Rejoice And The Other Be Discomforted." His Dying Commands Were Obeyed;

And While His Battle-Cry Was Raised Anew, His Dead Body Was Laid By A

"Bracken Bush," And The Fact Of His Death Concealed From Friend And Foe

Alike. The Furious Onslaught Of The Scots Now Carried All Before Them;

And Hotspur Fell A Captive To The Sword Of Sir Hugh Montgomery, A Nephew

Of Douglas, After A Fierce Hand-To-Hand Encounter. The Two Chief English

Leaders Being Captured, The Day, Or Rather The Night, Was With The

Scots, In Fulfilment Of An Old Prophesy That "A Dead Douglas Should Win

A Field."

 

  "This Deed Was Done At Otterbourne

  At The Breaking Of The Day;

  Earl Douglas Was Buried At The Braken Bush,

  And The Percy Led Captive Away."

 

 

When The Fray Was Over, The Two Sides Treated Their Captives With

Knightly Courtesy, Many Being Allowed To Go To Their Homes Until They

Recovered From Their Wounds, On Giving Their Word Of Honour To Send The

Amount Of Their Ransom, Or Themselves Return To Their Captors.

 

The Bishop Of Durham, Immediately After Having Had Some Refreshment At

Newcastle, Had Set Out To Join The Percies; But As He And His Men

Neared Otterburn, They Met So Many Fugitives Who Gave Them Anything But

Reassuring Accounts Of The Fortunes Of Their Friends, That Half Of His

Force Melted Away, And The Bishop Had Perforce To Return To Newcastle;

It Was Scarcely To Be Expected, Indeed, That Everyone Should Have That

Thirst For Hard Blows Which Distinguished The Knights And Their

Immediate Followers. The Bishop, However, Made One Capture--Sir James

Lindsay, Who Had Ridden So Far In Pursuit Of Sir Matthew Redman That He

Found Himself Amongst The Force Advancing Under The Leadership Of The

Warlike Prelate.

 

When The Scots Retired From Their Camp, They Took The Body Of Douglas

From The "Bracken Bush" Where It Lay, And Carried It Away For Burial In

Melrose Abbey; And Hotspur, As The Price Of His Ransom, Built A Castle

For Sir Hugh Montgomery.

 

After This There Was Peace On The Borders For The Next Ten Years Or So,

When The Game Began Again As Merrily As Ever. When Sir Thomas Gray Was

Absent From His Castle Of Wark-On-Tweed, Attending Parliament, The Scots

Came Down Upon It And Carried Off His Children And Servants. Sir Robert

Umfraville Met And Checked Another Company That Were Harrying

Coquetdale. In The Year 1400, Henry Bolingbroke Himself Led An Army To

Edinburgh; But A Guerilla Band Of Scots, Avoiding His Line Of March,

Stole Behind Him And Ravaged Bamburghshire.

 

Two Years After This, A Party Of Scots Under The Next Douglas Rode Into

Northumberland, Coming Nearly As Far South As Newcastle. Hotspur Set Off

From Bamburgh, Of Which Castle He Was Constable At The Time, To

Intercept Them. He Awaited Them On The Banks Of The Glen, Near Wooler;

And The Archers Of His Force Went Out For Forage Meanwhile. When The

Scots Arrived, They Found Themselves In The Presence Of An Enemy Whom

They Had Imagined To Be Behind Them, And They Immediately Occupied

Homildon Hill. The Archers, Returning, Saw The Scottish Force On The

Hill, And Began The Attack Forthwith, Letting Fly Their Arrows Upon The

Foe With Deadly Precision. Flight After Flight Fell Upon The Scots, Who

Were Completely Bewildered, And Seemed Incapable Of Action. A Scottish

Knight, Sir John Swinton, Implored The Leaders To Charge, Passionately

Exclaiming, "What Madness Has Seized You, My Brave Countrymen, That You

Stand Here Like Deer To Be Shot Down? Follow Me, Those Who Will! We Will

Either Gain The Victory, Or Die Like Men Of Courage."

 

On Hearing These Brave Words, Adam De Gordon, Swinton's Deadly Foe, Felt

His Hatred Turn To Admiration, And Kneeling Before Swinton, Begged That

He Might Receive The Honour Of Knighthood From So Valiant A Hand. The

Two Gallant Knights Then Charged The Enemy, Followed By A Number Of The

Scots; But The Showers Of Arrows Forced Them To Retreat Towards The

River, And Thither Also Moved The Whole Scottish Force, Followed Still

By That Grim And Deadly Hail From The English Bows. Hotspur Would Now

Have Charged, But The Earl Of March, His Former Antagonist, Now His

Friend, Restrained His Impetuous Leader, And Persuaded Him To Let The

Archers Continue Their Effective Work.

 

The Event Proved His Wisdom; The Scots Were Utterly Routed By The

Archers Alone. The Unfortunate Archibald Douglas Added Another To His

Long List Of Reverses; He Was Taken Prisoner, Sorely Wounded, As Was

Also Sir Hugh Montgomery, And Over Four-Score Others Of Importance. It

Was In Connection With These Prisoners, Whom Hotspur Refused To Deliver

Up To Bolingbroke, That The Quarrel Took Place Which Eventually Led

Northumberland And His Son Hotspur Openly To Throw Off Their Allegiance

To Henry Bolingbroke And Join In The Rebellion Of Owen Glendower. Not

Only Did Hotspur Refuse To Give Up Douglas And The Others To King Henry,

But He Wished Henry To Ransom His Brother-In-Law Mortimer.

 

  _K. Henry_. But Sirrah, Henceforth

  Let Me Not Hear You Speak Of Mortimer.

  Send Me Your Prisoners With The Speediest Means,

  Or You Shall Hear In Such A Kind From Me

  As Will Displease You.--My Lord Northumberland,

  We Licence Your Departure With Your Son.--

  Send Us Your Prisoners, Or You'll Hear Of It.

 

(_Exeunt_ K. Henry, Blunt, _And Train_)

 

  _Hotspur_. And If The Devil Come And Roar For Them

  I Will Not Send Them:--I Will After, Straight,

  And Tell Him So.

 

       *       *       *       *       *

 

  _Worcester_. These Same Noble Scots

  That Are Your Prisoners--

 

  _Hotspur_. I'll Keep Them All;

  By Heaven, He Shall Not Have A Scot Of Them;

  No, If A Scot Would Save His Soul, He Shall Not;

  I'll Keep Them, By This Hand.

 

  _Worcester_. You Start Away,

  And Lend No Ear Unto My Purposes.

  Those Prisoners You Shall Keep.--

 

  _Hotspur_. Nay, I Will, That's Flat:--

  He Said He Would Not Ransom Mortimer;

  Forbade My Tongue To Speak Of Mortimer;

  But I Will Find Him When He Lies Asleep,

  And In His Ear I'll Holla "Mortimer!"

  Nay, I'll Have A Starling Shall Be Taught To Speak

  Nothing But "Mortimer," And Give It Him

  To Keep His Anger Still In Motion.

 

  _The First Part Of_ King Henry Iv., _Act I., Scene 3_.

 

 

The Fight At Homildon Hill Took Place On A Monday In August, 1402, And

The Memory Of It Is Kept Alive By The Name Of The "Monday Clough" Near

Wooler, Where The Archers Commenced The Fight.

 

More Than A Hundred Years After This, The Last, And In Many Respects The

Greatest, Battle Ever Fought On Northumbrian Soil Took Place At Flodden.

King James Iv. Of Scotland Had Several Grievances Against England, Which

Had Rankled In His Mind For Some Time; He Had Not Yet Received The Full

Amount Of The Dowry Which Had Been Promised With His Wife, Margaret

Tudor, Sister Of Henry Viii., Although They Had Been Married For Many

Years; A Scottish Noble, Sir Robert Ker, Had Been Killed In

Northumberland, And The Slayer Could Not Be Found To Be Brought To

Justice--He Was Outlawed, But That Seemed To King James Very

Insufficient; A Border Raid On A Large Scale, Led By Lord Hume, Had Met

With Disastrous Defeat On Milfield Plain At The Hands Of Sir William

Bulmer; And Andrew Barton, A Notable Sea-Captain, Whom James Was Looking

Forward To Seeing As One Of The Best Leaders Of His New Navy, Had Been

Killed In A Sea-Fight By Thomas Howard, Lord Admiral Of England. Added

To All This, France Had Appealed To Him To Invade England In Order To

Force Henry Viii. To Abandon His French War; The English Monarch Was

Just Then Conducting The Siege Of Terouenne, And The Queen Of France

Sent A Romantic Appeal To James (Together With A Large Sum Of Money)

Begging Him To March "Three Feet On To English Ground" For Her Sake.

 

No Time Could Have Been More Favourable In James' Eyes For The

Enterprise; And In A Very Short Space Of Time He Had An Army Of 100,000

Men Collected, And Marched From Edinburgh To The Tweed, Which He Crossed

Near Coldstream. He Laid Siege To Norham, And Captured It After A Week's

Investment; And Thereafter Wark, Ford, Etal, Duddo And Chillingham Fell

Before Him. He Took Up His Quarters At Ford Castle, And On Marching

Later To Meet Surrey, Left It Almost In Ruins.

 

Surrey Meantime Had Gathered A Large Force From The Northern Counties,

Much To James' Surprise, For He Had Taken It For Granted That Nearly

Every English Fighting Man