IV. Northumberland Betrayed by Douglas. ...............................................................
This ballad may be considered as the sequel of the preceding. After the
unfortunate Earl of Northumberland had seen himself forsaken of his followers, he
endeavoured to withdraw into Scotland, but falling into the hands of the thievish
borderers, was stript and otherwise ill-treated by them. At length he reached the house
of Hector of Harlow, an Armstrong, with whom he hoped to lie concealed: for Hector
had engaged his honour to be true to him, and was under great obligations to this
unhappy nobleman. But this faithless wretch betrayed his guest for a sum of money to
Murray the Regent of Scotland, who sent him to the castle of Loughleven, then
belonging to William Douglas. All the writers of that time assure us, that Hector, who
was rich before, fell shortly after into poverty, and became so infamous, thatto take
Hector's cloak, grew into a proverb to express a man who betrays his friend. See
Camden, Carleton, Holingshed, &c.
Lord Northumberland continued in the castle of Loughleven till the year 1572;
when James Douglas Earl of Morton being elected Regent, he was given up to the
Lord Hunsden at Berwick, and being carried to York suffered death. As Morton's
party depended upon Elizabeth for protection, an elegant historian thinks "it was
scarce possible for them to refuse putting into her hands a person who had taken up
arms against her. But as a sum of money was paid on that account, and shared
between Morton and his kinsman Douglas, the former of whom, during his exile in
England, had been much indebted to Northumberland's friendship, the abandoning
this unhappy nobleman to inevitable destruction, was deemed an ungrateful and
mercenary act."-- Robertson's Hist.
So far history coincides with this ballad, which was apparently written by
some Northern bard soon after the event. The interposal of thewitch-lady(v. 53.) is
probably his own invention: yet, even this hath some countenance from history; for,
about 25 years before, the Lady Jane Douglas, Lady Glamis, sister of the Earl of
Angus, and nearly related to Douglas of Loughleven, had suffered death for the
pretended crime of witchcraft; who, it is presumed, is the witch-lady alluded to in
verse 133.
The following is selected (like the former) from two copies, which contained
great variations; one of them in the Editor's folio manuscript. In the other copy some
of the stanzas at the beginning of this ballad are nearly the same with what in that
manuscript are made to begin another ballad on the escape of the Earl of
Westmoreland, who got safe into Flanders, and is feigned in the ballad to have
undergone a great variety of adventures.
"How long shall fortune faile me nowe,
And harrowe me with feare and dread?
How long shall I in bale abide,
In misery my life to lead?
"To fall from my bliss, alas the while
It was my sore and heavye lott:
And I must leave my native land,
And I must live a man forgot.
"One gentle Armstrong I doe ken,
A Scot, he is much bound to mee: