Page:Excellent old ballad describing the woeful hunting and famous battle on Chevy-Chace.pdf/2

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CHEVY-CHACE.


God proſper long our noble king,
our lives and ſafeties all,
A woeful hunting once there did
In Chevy-Chace befal.
To drive the deer with hound and horn,
Earl Piercy took his way,
The child may rue that is unborn,
the hunting of that day.
The Earl of Northumberland,
a vow to God did make.
His pleaſure in the Scottiſh woods,
three ſummers days to take,
The chiefeſt harts in Chevy-chace,
to kill and bear away;
The tidings to Earl Douglas came,
in Scotland where he lay,
Who sent Earl Piercy preſent word,
he would prevent his ſport:
The Engliſh earl not fearing this,
did to the woods reſort.
With fifteen hundred bowmen bold,
all choſen men of might,
Who knew full well in time of need
to aim their ſhafts aright,
The greyhounds they full ſwiftly ran,
to chace the fallow deer:
On Monday they began to hunt,
when daylight did appear.
And long before high noon they had,
a hundred fat bucks ſlain;
They having din'd the rover's went,