Chapter 37

CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE BATTLE OF OTTERBOURNE. It fell about a Lamass-tide,
When husbands wynn their hay,
The doughty Douglas bound him to ride
In England to take a pray. ANOTHER famous battle in the border-warfare between England and
Scotland was fought at Otterbourne. This is a town in
Northumberland, and here, as in Chevy Chase, the Douglas and the Percy
matched their strength. Earl Douglas was killed in the fight, and
Sir Henry Percy, called Hotspur, was taken prisoner. The story as it
is told here is from the works of that most entertaining and
long-winded historian of chivalry, Sir John Froissart.
We begin in medias res with a Scotch foray, in which the Douglas,
with the earl of March and Dunbar and the earl of Moray, has
penetrated as far into England as the city of Durham and is now
returning to Scotland.
The three Scots lords, having completed the object of their
expedition into Durham, lay before Newcastle three days, where there
was an almost continual skirmish. The sons of the earl of
Northumberland, from their great courage, were always the first at the
barriers, where many valiant deeds were done with lances hand to hand.
The earl of Douglas had a long conflict with Sir Henry Percy, and in
it, by gallantry of arms, won his pennon, to the great vexation of Sir
Henry and the other English. The earl of Douglas said, "I will carry
this token of your prowess with me to Scotland, and place it on the
tower of my castle at Dalkeith, that it may be seen from afar." "By
Heaven, Earl of Douglas," replied Sir Henry, "you shall not even
bear it out of Northumberland: be assured you shall never have this
pennon to brag of." "You must come then," answered Earl Douglas, "this
night and seek for it. I will fix your pennon before my tent, and
shall see if you will venture to take it away."
As it was now late the skirmish ended, and each party retired to
their quarters to disarm and comfort themselves. They had plenty of
everything, particularly flesh meat. The Scots kept up a very strict
watch, concluding from the words of Sir Henry Percy they should have
their quarters beaten up this night; they were disappointed, for Sir
Henry Percy was advised to defer it.
On the morrow the Scots dislodged from before Newcastle; and, taking
the road to their own country, they came to a town and castle called
Ponclau, of which Sir Raymond de Laval, a very valiant knight of
Northumberland, was the lord. They halted there about four o'clock
in the morning, as they learned the knight to be within it, and made
preparations for the assault. This was done with such courage that the
place was won, and the knight made prisoner. After they had burnt
the town and castle, they marched away for Otterbourne, which was