tains many more stanzas than that in the text; and the knight's farewell speech runs into an edifying lecture on his sister's vanity of dress e. g.

"My body's buried in Dumfermline,

And far beyont the sea,

But day nor night nae rest could get
All for the pride o' thee:

"When ye are in the gude kirk set,
The gowd pins in your hair,

Ye tak mair delight in your feckless dress

Than ye do in the morning prayer," &c.-ED.]

THE

ORIGINAL BALLAD

OF

THE BROOM OF COWDENKNOWS.

The beautiful air of Cowdenknows is well known and popular. In Ettrick Forest the following words are uniformly adapted to the tune, and seem to be the original ballad. An edition of this pastoral tale, differing considerably from the present copy, was published by Mr HERD, in 1772. Cowdenknows is situated upon the Leader, about four miles from Melrose, and is now the property of Dr HOME.

O THE broom, and the bonny bonny broom,
And the broom of the Cowdenknows!

And aye sae sweet as the lassie sang,
I' the bought, milking the ewes.

The hills were high on ilka side,

An' the bought i' the lirk1 o' the hill, And aye, as she sang, her voice it rang, Out o'er the head o' yon hill.

1 Lirk-Hollow.

There was a troop o' gentlemen

Came riding merrilie by,

And one of them has rode out o' the way, To the bought to the bonny may.

"Weel may ye save an' see, bonny lass, An' weel may ye save an' see.""An' sae wi' you, ye weel-bred knight, And what's your will wi' me?".

"The night is misty and mirk, fair may, And I have ridden astray,

And will you be so kind, fair may,
As come out and point my way ?".

"Ride out, ride out, ye ramp rider!
Your steed's baith stout and strang;
For out of the bought I dare na come,
For fear 'at ye do me wrang.".

"O winna ye pity me, bonny lass,
O winna ye pity me?

An' winna ye pity my poor steed,
Stands trembling at yon tree ?”—

"I wadna pity your poor steed,
Though it were tied to a thorn;

For if ye wad gain my love the night,
Ye wad slight me ere the morn.

"For I ken you by your weel-busket hat,
And your merrie twinkling ee,

That ye're the Laird o' the Oakland hills,
An' ye may weel seem for to be."-

"But I am not the Laird o' the Oakland hills,

Ye're far mista'en o' me;

But I'm ane o' the men about his house,
An' right aft in his companie."-

He's ta'en her by the middle jimp,
And by the grass-green sleeve;
He's lifted her over the fauld-dyke,
And speer'd at her sma' leave.

O he's ta'en out a purse o' gowd,
And streek'd her yellow hair,
"Now, take ye that, my bonny may,
Of me till you hear mair.”-

O he's leapt on his berry-brown steed,
An' soon he's o'erta'en his men ;

And ane and a' cried out to him,
“O master, ye've tarry'd lang!"-

"O I hae been east, and I hae been west, An' I hae been far o'er the knowes, But the bonniest lass that ever I saw

Is i' the bought, milking the ewes.”—

She set the cog1 upon her head,

An' she's gane singing hame

"O where hae ye been, my ae daughter? Ye hae na been your lane.”—

"O naebody was wi' me, father,
O naebody has been wi' me;
The night is misty and mirk, father,
Yee may gang to the door and see.

"But wae be to your ewe-herd, father, And an ill deed may he die;

2

He bug the bought at the back o' the knowe, And a tod3 has frighted me.

"There came a tod to the bought door,

The like I never saw;

And ere he had ta'en the lamb he did,
I had lourd he had ta'en them a'."-

O whan fifteen weeks was come and gane,
Fifteen weeks and three,

That lassie began to look thin and pale,
An' to long for his merry-twinkling ee.

It fell on a day, on a het simmer day,
She was ca'ing out her father's kye,

1 Cog-Milking-pail.— Bug-Built.-3 Tod-Fox. 4 Lourd-Liefer.