story, in Percy's Reliques, of the slaying of Douglas by Percy, "is, so
far as I know, supported neither by history nor by tradition." {53c}
If unfamiliar with the English chroniclers (in Latin) of the end of the
fourteenth century, Colonel Elliot could find them cited by Professor
Child. Knyghton, Walsingham, and the continuator of Higden (Malverne),
all assert that Percy killed Douglas with his own hand. {54a} The
English ballad of Otterburne (in MS. of about 1550) gives this version
of Douglas's death. It is erroneous. Froissart, a contemporary, had
accounts of the battle from combatants, both English and Scottish.
Douglas, fighting in the front of the van, on a moonlight night, was
slain by three lance-wounds received in the mellay. The English knew
not whom they had slain.

The interesting point is that, while the Scottish ballads give either
the English version of Percy's death (in Minstrelsy, 1806) or another
account mentioned by Hume of Godscroft (circ. 1610), that he was slain
by one of his own men, the Scottish versions are ALL deeply affected in
an important point by Froissart's contemporary narrative, which has not
affected the English versions. The point is that the death of Douglas
was by his order concealed from both parties.

When both the English version in Percy's Reliques (from a MS. of about
1550), and Scott's version of 1806, mention a "challenge to battle"
between Percy and Douglas, Colonel Elliot calls this incident "probably
purely fanciful and imaginary," and suspects Scott's version of being
made up and altered from the English text. But the challenge which
resulted in the battle of Otterburn is not fanciful and imaginary!

It is mentioned by Froissart. Douglas, he says, took Percy's pennon in
an encounter under Newcastle. Percy vowed that Douglas would never