carry the pennon out of Northumberland; Douglas challenged him to come
and take it from his tent door that night; but Percy was constrained
not to accept the challenge. The Scots then marched homewards, but
Douglas insisted on besieging Otterburn Castle; here he passed some
days on purpose to give Percy a chance of a fight; Percy's force
surprised the Scots; they were warned, as in the ballads, suddenly, by
a man who galloped up; the fight began; and so on.

Now Herd's version says nothing of Douglas at Newcastle; the whole
scene is at Otterburn. On the other hand, Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe's
MS. text DID bring Douglas to Newcastle. Of this Colonel Elliot says
nothing. The English version says NOTHING OF PERCY'S LOSS OF HIS
PENNON TO DOUGLAS (nor does Sharpe's), and gives the challenge and
tryst. Scott's version says nothing of Percy's pennon, but Douglas
takes Percy's SWORD and vows to carry it home. Percy's challenge, in
the English version, is accompanied by a gross absurdity. He bids
Douglas wait at Otterburn, where, pour tout potage to an army absurdly
stated at 40,000 men, Percy suggests venison and pheasants! In the
Scottish version Percy offers tryst at Otterburn. Douglas answers
that, though Otterburn has no supplies--nothing but deer and wild
birds--he will there tarry for Percy. This is chivalrous, and, in
Scott's version, Douglas understands war. In the English version Percy
does not. (To these facts I return, giving more details.) Colonel
Elliot supposes some one (Scott, I daresay) to have taken Percy's,--the
English version,--altered it to taste, concealed the alterations, as in
this part of the challenge, by inverting the speeches and writing new
stanzas of the fight at Otterburn, used a very little of Herd (which is
true), and inserted modern stanzas.

Now, first, as regards pilfering from the English version, that