I'll have the truth o' your right hand, The Queen she gave it me."

"I wish I had drank o' the water, sister,
When I did drink your wine!
Now I maun wed a carle's daughter,
And dree this shame and pyne."

"Maybe I am a carle's daughter,
And maybe I am nane ;

But when we met in the greenwood,
Why let you me not alane ?”

"Now will ye wear the short claithing,
Or will ye wear the syde? *
Or will ye walk to your wedding,
Or will ye to it ride?"

"I will not wear the short claithing,
But I will wear the syde ;
I will not walk to my wedding,
But I will to it ride."

When he was set upon the horse,

The lassie him behin';

It's cauld and eerie were the words,
They twa had them between.

And he has gi'en to her the ring,
A waeful man was he;

And he has mounted at the kirk-door,
Rade aff wi' his ladie.

And there was never word but ane,
In a' that companie ;

"O ill it sets a beggar's brat,

At a gude knight's back to be!"

"Then by there cam' a beggar wife;
The ladie flang her a crown ;
"Tell a' your niebours when ye gae hame,
Earl Richard's your gude-son."

"O haud your tongue, ye beggar's brat, My heart will break in three!"

And sae did mine on yon bonny hillside,
When ye wadna let me be."

And when they came to Marykirk,
The nettles grew on the dyke;

Gin

my

auld carline mother were here," she says,

"Sae weel she wad you pyke!

"Sae weel she wad you pyke," she says,

"She wad you pyke and pu',

She wad boil you weel, and butter you weel,
And sup till she were fu"."

"O hauld your tongue, ye beggar's brat,
My heart will break in three!"

"And sae did mine on yon bonnie hillside, When ye wadna let me be."

And when they cam' to the water o' Tyne,
The mills they a' were ganging free ;

"Gude luck, ye mills o' Tyne water,
I wish ye aye gude luck," says she.

*Son-in-law.

"Weel may ye clap, weel may ye gang,
And better be your luck ;

For I wot my minnie ne'er gaed by you,
But she has filled her pock."

He's drawn his hat out ower his face,
And meikle shame thought he;
She's drawn her cap out ower her locks,
And a light laugh gied she.

Sae they hae come to Earl Richard's house,
And were at dinner set;

Then out and spak' the bonnie bride,
And she spak' never blate.

"Gae, tak' awa the china plates,
Gae, tak' them far frae me ;
And bring to me a wooden dish,
It's that I'm best used wi'.

"And tak' awa thae siller spoons,
The like I ne'er did see ;
And bring to me the horn cutties,
They're gude eneugh for me."

When they were dined, and served well,
And a' men boun' to rest,

Earl Richard and his bonnie bride,

In ae chamber were placed.

"O haud away the linen sheets,
They are o' Hollands fine ;
And bring to me the linsey clouts,
That lang I hae lain in."

66

"O haud your tongue you beggar's brat!

My heart will break in three !" "And sae did mine on yon bonnie hillside, When ye wadna let me be.

"Lay a pock o' meal beneath my head,
Anither beneath my feet,

And ye may keep your Holland sheets
And soundly will I sleep."

"Haud far awa', ye carline's brat,
Haud far awa' frae me!
It doesna suit a beggar's brat,
My bed-fellow to be."

"It's maybe I'm a carline's get,
It's maybe I am nane ;

But when we met in the greenwood,
Why let you me not alane ?”

It's up then spak' the Billy Blin',
From the corner where he lay ;
"What gars you twa keep havering on,
Sae lang or it be day?”

"Let a body rest," said the Billy Blin',
"The ane may serve the other;
The Earl o' Stockford's ae daughter,
And the Queen o' Scotland's brother."

"O fair fa' you, ye Billy Blin',

And weel aye may ye be !

For I've sought her lang, and I hae her now, And my ain dear wife is she!"

THE BARRING OF THE DOOR.

THIS ballad was recovered by Herd, and is inserted in his collection. It appears to be of considerable antiquity, and is unquestionably very humorous.

T fell about the Martinmas time,

IT

And a gay time it was then ;

When our gudewife gat puddings to make,

And she's boiled them in the pan.

The wind sae cauld blew south and north,
And blew intil the floor;

Quoth our gudeman to our gudewife,

66 Get up and bar the door."

"My hand is in my hussyskep,

Gudeman, as ye may see,

An it shouldna be barr'd this hundred year,
It's no be barr'd for me!"

They made a paction 'tween them twa,
They made it firm and sure;

That wha should speak the foremost word
Should rise and bar the door.

Then by there came twa gentlemen
At twelve o'clock at night,