night ca' ye me."

"The Otterbourne's a bonnie burn;
'Tis pleasant there to be;
But there is nought at Otterbourne,
To feed my men and me.

"The deer rins wild on hill and dale,
The birds fly wild from tree to tree;
But there is neither bread nor kail,
To fend[8] my men and me.

"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 ca' thee."

"Thither will I come," proud Percy said,
"By the might of our Ladye!"
"There will I bide thee," said the Douglass,
"My troth I plight to thee."

They lighted high on Otterbourne,
Upon the bent sae brown;
They lighted high on Otterbourne,
And threw their pallions down.

And he that had a bonnie boy,
Sent out his horse to grass;
And he that had not a bonnie boy,
His ain servant he was.

The Earl of Douglas having withdrawn his gallant troops to Otterburn, in
the parish of Elsdon, some thirty-two miles from Newcastle, and within
easy reach of the Scottish Border, was strongly urged to proceed towards
Carlisle, in order to join the main body of the army; but he thought it
best to stay there some three or four days at least, to "repell the
Percy's bragging." To keep his soldiers from wearying, he set them to take
some gentlemen's castles and houses that lay near, a work which was
carried out with the greatest alacrity and goodwill. They also
strengthened and fortified the camp where it was weak, and built huts of
trees and branches. Their baggage and servants they placed at the entrance
of a marsh, which lay near the Newcastle road; and driving their cattle
into the marsh land, where they were comparatively safe, they waited the
development of events.

Nor were they long kept in suspense. The English having discovered that
the Scottish army was comparatively small, resolved at once to risk an
encounter. Sir Henry Percy, when he heard that the Scottish army did not
consist of more than three thousand men, including all sorts, became
frantically excited, and cried out--"To horse! to horse! for by the faith
I owe to my God, and to my lord and father, I will seek to recover my
pennon, and to beat up their quarters this night." He set out at once,
accompanied by six hundred spears, of knights and squires, and upwards of
eight thousand infantry, which he said would be more than enough to fight
the Scots.

If Providence is always on the