.Fallen.

8

O whan the porter came up the stair,
He's fa'n low down upon his knee:
"Won' up, won up, ye proud porter,
An what makes a' this courtesy?"

"O I'e been porter at your gates
This mair nor seven years an three,
But there is a lady at them now
The like of whom I never did see.

For on every finger she has a ring,
An on the mid-finger she has three,
An there's as meikle goud aboon her brow
As woud buy an earldome o lan to me."

Then up it started Young Bicham,
An sware so loud by Our Lady,
"It can be nane but Shusy Pye,

That has come oer the sea to me."

O quickly ran he down the stair,

10

O fifteen steps he has made but three;
He's tane his bonny love in his arms,
An a wot" he kissed her tenderly.

She's lookit oer her left shoulder

To hide the tears stood in her ee;

"Now fare thee well, Young Bicham," she says, "I'll strive to think nae mair on thee."

"Take back your daughter, madam,” he says,
"An a double dowry I'll gi her wi;

For I maun

14

marry my first true love, That's done and suffered so much for me."

• Get.

10 Taken. 11 I know. 12 Have. 13 Gave.

14 Must.

He's take his bonny love by the han,

And led her to yon fountain stane;
He's changd her name frae Shusy Pye,
An he's cald her his bonny love, Lady Jane.

20

GET UP AND BAR THE DOOR

Ir fell about the Martinmas time,
And a gay time it was then,

When our good wife got puddings to make,
And she's boild them in the pan.

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

Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,

"My hand is in my hussyfskap,'

Goodman, as ye may see;

An it shoud nae be barrd this hundred year,
It's no be barrd for me."

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

That the first word whaeer shoud speak,
Shoud rise and bar the door.

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

And they could neither see house nor hall,
Nor coal nor candle-light.

"Now whether is this a rich man's house,

Or whether is it a poor?”

But neer a word wad ane o them speak,

For barring of the door.

And first they ate the white puddings,

And then they ate the black;

1 Go. ⚫ Housewifery.

Tho muckle thought the goodwife to hersel
Yet neer a word she spake.

Then said the one unto the other,
"Here, man, tak ye my knife;
Do ye tak aff the auld man's beard,
And I'll kiss the goodwife."

"But there's nae water in the house,
And what shall we do than?"
"What ails thee at the pudding-broo,
That boils into the pan?"

O up then started our goodman,
An angry man was he:

"Will ye kiss my wife before my een,

And scad me wi pudding-bree?"

Then up

and started our goodwife,

Gied three skips on the floor:

"Goodman, you've spoken the foremost word, Get up and bar the door."

21

THE BATTLE OF OTTERBURN

IT fell about the Lammus time,
When the muir-men won1 their hay,
That the doughty Earl Douglas went
Into England to catch a prey.

He chose the Gordons and the Graemes,
With the Lindsays light and gay;
But the Jardines wadna wi him ride,
And they rued it to this day.

And he has burnt the dales o Tine
And part of Almonshire.

And three good towers on Roxburgh fells
He left them all on fire.

$ Water in which the puddings were boiled.

• Scald.

1 Dry, make.

Then he marched up to Newcastle,
And rode it round about:

"O whae's the lord of this castle,
Or whae's the lady o't?"

But up spake proud Lord Piercy then, And O but he spake hie!"

"I am the lord of this castle, And my wife's the lady gaye."

"If you are lord of this castle,
Sae weel it pleases me;

For ere I cross the borden again
The ane of us shall die."

He took a lang speir in his hand,
Was made of the metal free,
And for to meet the Douglas then
He rode most furiously.

But O how pale his lady lookd,

Frae off the castle wa,

When down before the Scottish spear

She saw brave Piercy fa!

How pale and wan his lady lookd,
Frae off the castle hieght,
When she beheld her Piercy yield
To Doughty Douglas' might!

"Had we twa been upon the green, And never an eye to see,

I should have had ye flesh and fell; But your sword shall gae wi me."

"But gae' you up to Otterburn, And there wait dayes three,

And if I come not ere three days' end A fause lord ca ye me."

66 The Otterburn's a bonny burn,

'Tis pleasant there to be, But there is naught at Otterburn To feed my men and me.

66

"The deer rins wild owr hill and dale,
The birds fly wild frae tree to tree,
And there is neither bread nor kale'
To fend my men and me.

"But I will stay at Otterburn,

Where you shall welcome be;
And if ye come not at three days' end
A coward I'll ca thee."

"Then gae your ways to Otterburn,
And there wait dayes three;

And if I come not ere three days' end
A coward ye's ca me.”

But up then spak a little page,
Before the peep of the dawn;

"O waken ye, waken ye, my good lord,
For Piercy's hard at hand!

"Ye lie, ye lie, ye loud liar,
Sae loud I hear ye lie!
The Piercy hadna men yestreen
To dight" my men and me.

Broth.

10

Support. Grassy field. 8 Pavilions.
10 Last night. 11 Dress; attack.

• Own.