"But wae betide that silly auld carle!

An ill death shall he dee:

For the highest tree on Merriemass
Shall be his morning's fee."

Now Johnie's gude bend-bow is broke,
And his gude grey dogs are [lone].
And his body lies dead in Durisdeer,
And his hunting it is done.

THE LOCHMABEN HARPER.

O heard ye na o' a silly blind harper,
How lang he lived in Lochmaben town;
And how he would gang to fair England,

To steal the Lord Warden's Wanton Brown?

But first he gaed to his gudewife,

Wi' a' the haste that he could thole:

"This wark," quoth he,- -"will ne'er gae weel

Without a mare that has a foal."

Quoth she-" Thou hast a good grey mare
That can lance owre baith low and hie;

Gae set thee on the grey mare's back
And leave the foal at hame wi' me!"

So he is up to England gane,

And even as fast as he can dree; And when he came to Carlisle yett,

O who was there but the Warden he.

"Come to my hall, thou silly blind harper! And of thy harping let me hear!"

"O by my sooth," quoth the silly blind harper,— "I'd rather hae stabling for my mare."

The Warden look'd over his left shoulder, And said unto his stable-groom—

"Gae take the silly blind harper's mare,

And tie her beside my Wanton Brown!"

Then aye he harped and aye he carped
Till a' the lordlings footed the floor;
But and the music was sae sweet,

They have forgatten the stable-door.

And aye he harped and aye he carped
Till a' the nobles were fast asleep;
Then quickly he took aff his shoon
And saftly down the stair did creep.

Syne to the stable door he hied

Wi' tread as light as light could be ; And when he open'd it and gaed in, There he found thirty steeds and three.

He took a colt-halter frae his hose,
And o' his purpose he didna fail;
He slipp'd it over the Wanton's nose,
And tied it to his grey mare's tail.

He turn'd them loose at the castle yett,
Owre moss and muir and [hill and] dale;

And she ne'er let the Wanton bait,

But held him ganging at her tail.

The mare she was right swift o' foot,
She didna fail to find the way,
For she was at Lochmaben yett
A lang three hours before the day.

When she came to the harper's door,

There she gi'ed mony a nicher and sneer; "Rise!" quoth the wife," thou lazy lass! Let in thy master and his mare!"

Then up she rose, put on her claes, And looked through at the look-hole ; "O by my sooth," then quoth the lass,—

"Our mare has gotten a braw brown foal."

"Come haud thy tongue, thou silly wench!
The moon's but glancing in your ee;
I'll wad my haill fee 'gainst a groat
He's bigger than e'er our foal will be."

Now all this while in merry Carlisle
The harper harped to hie and law;
And the fiend dought they but listen him to
Until that day began to daw'.

But on the morn at fair day-light,

When they had ended a' their cheer, Behold the Wanton Brown was gane

And eke the poor blind harper's mare.

"Alas! alas!" quoth the cunning auld harper,"And ever alas that I came here!

In Scotland I've lost a braw colt-foal,

In England they've stolen my gude grey mare."

"Come cease thy alassing, thou silly blind harper! And again of thy harpings let us hear!

And weel paid shall thy colt-foal be,

And thou shalt hae a far better mare."

Then aye he harped and aye he carped;

Sae sweet were the harpings he let them hear, He was paid for the foal he had never lost, And three times owre for the gude grey mare.

1

KINMONT WILLIE.

O hae ye na heard o' the fause Salkeld?

O hae ye na heard o' the keen Lord Scroope?
How they hae ta’en bauld Kinmont Willie,
On Hairibee to hang him up.

Had Willie had but twenty men,

But twenty men as stout as he,

Fause Salkeld had never the Kinmont ta'en,
Wi' eight score in his company.

They bound his legs beneath the steed,
They tied his hands behind his back,
They guarded him fivesome on each side,
And they brought him owre the Liddell rack.

They led him owre the Liddell rack,

And also through the Carlisle sands,
They brought him to Carlisle Castle,
To be at my Lord Scroope's commands.

My

hands are tied, but my tongue is free,— And wha will dare this deed avow,

Or answer by the Border law,

Or answer to the bauld Buccleuch ?"

"Now haud thy tongue, thou rank reiver !
There's never a Scot shall set ye free;
Before ye shall cross my castle yett
I trow ye shall take fareweel o' me."

"Fear na ye that, my lord!" quoth Willie,—

66

By the faith o' my body, Lord Scroope!" he said,—

"I never yet lodged in a hostelry

But I paid my lawing before I gaed."

Now word has gane to the bauld Keeper, In Branksome Ha' where that he lay, That they hae ta'en the Kinmont Willie Between the hours o' night and day.

He has ta'en the table wi' his hand,

He gart the red wine spring on hie; "Now Christ's curse on my head," he said, "But avengèd of Lord Scroope I'll be.

"O is my basnet a widow's curch?

Or my lance a wand o' the willow tree? Or my arm a lady's lily hand

That an English lord should lightly me?

"And have they ta'en him, Kinmont Willie, Against the truce of Border tide

And forgotten that the bauld Buccleuch
Is Keeper here on the Scottish side?

"And have they ta'en him, Kinmont Willie, Withouten either dread or fear,

And forgotten that the bauld Buccleuch
Can back a steed or shake a spear?

"O were there war between the lands,
As weel I wot that there is nane,
I would slight Carlisle Castle hie
Though it were builded o' marble stane !

"I would set that castle in a low,

And slocken it wi' English blood : There's never a man in Cumberland Should ken where Carlisle Castle stood!

"But since nae war's between the lands,

And there is peace, and peace should be, I'll neither harm English lad nor lass, And yet the Kinmont freed shall be !"