ere met in a morning of May
With the communalty of little England;
But there scaped never a man away,
Through the might of Christes hand.

28.
But all only James Douglas;
In Durham in the field
An arrow struck him in the thigh;
Fast flings he towards the King.

29.
The King looked toward little Durham,
Says 'All things is not well!
For James Douglas bears an arrow in his thigh,
The head of it is of steel.

30.
'How now, James?' then said the King,
'How now, how may this be?
And where been all thy merry men
That thou took hence with thee?'

31.
'But cease, my King,' says James Douglas,
'Alive is not left a man!'
'Now by my faith,' says the King of the Scots,
'That gate was evil gone.

32.
'But I'll revenge thy quarrel well,
And of that thou may be fain;
For one Scot will beat five Englishmen,
If they meeten them on the plain,'

33.
'Now hold your tongue,' says James Douglas,
'For in faith that is not so;
For one Englishman is worth five Scots,
When they meeten together tho.

34.
'For they are as eager men to fight
As a falcon upon a prey;
Alas! if ever they win the vanward,
There scapes no man away.'

35.
'O peace thy talking,' said the King,
'They be but English knaves,
But shepherds and millers both,
And priests with their staves.'

36.
The King sent forth one of his heralds of armes
To view the Englishmen.
'Be of good cheer,' the herald said,
'For against one we be ten.'

37.
'Who leads those lads,' said the King of Scots,
'Thou herald, tell thou me.'
The herald said 'The Bishop of Durham
Is captain of that company.

38.
'For the Bishop hath spread the King's banner,
And to battle he busks him boun.'
'I swear by St. Andrew's bones,' says the King,
'I'll rap that priest on the crown.'

39.
The King looked towards little Durham,
And that he well beheld,
That the Earl Percy was well armed,
With his battle-axe entered the field.

40.
The King looked again towards little Durham,
Four ancients there see he;
There were two standards, six in a valley,
He could not see them with his eye.

41.
My lord of York was one of them,
My lord of Carlisle was the other,
And my lord Fluwilliams,
The one came with the other.

42.
The Bishop of Durham commanded his men,
And sho