KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT.

An ancient story I'll tell you anon

Of a notable prince that was called King John :
And he ruled England with main and with might,
For he did great wrong and maintain'd little right.

And I'll tell you a story, a story so merry,
Concerning the Abbot of Canterbury :
How for his housekeeping and high renown
They rode post for him to fair London town.

An hundred men, the King did hear say,
The Abbot kept in his house every day;
And fifty gold chains, without any doubt,
In velvet coats waited the Abbot about.

"How now, father Abbot! I hear it of thee,
Thou keepest a far better house than me :
And for thy housekeeping and high renown,
I fear thou work'st treason against my crown."

“My Liege!” quoth the Abbot,—“ I would it were known I never spend nothing but what is my own;

And I trust that your Grace will do me no dere
For spending of my own true-gotten gear."

"Yes! yes! father Abbot! thy fault it is high;
And now for the same thou needest must die :
For, except thou canst answer me questions three,
Thy head shall be smitten from thy body.

"And first," quoth the King,-" when I'm in this stead, With my crown of gold so fair on my head

Among all my liege-men so noble of birth,

Thou must tell me to one penny what I am worth;

66 Secondly, tell me, without any doubt,

How soon I may ride the whole world about;
And at the third question thou must not shrink,-
But tell me here truly what I do think!"

"O these are hard questions for my shallow wit!
Nor I can not answer your Grace as yet;
But if you will give me but three weeks' space,
I'll do my endeavour to answer your Grace."

"Now three weeks' space to thee will I give,
And that is the longest thou hast to live :
For, if thou dost not answer my questions three,
Thy lands and thy livings are forfeit to me."

;

Away rode the Abbot all sad at that word,
And he rode to Cambridge and Oxenford ;
But never a doctor there was so wise
That could with his learning an answer devise.

Then home rode the Abbot of comfort so cold,
And he met his shepherd a-going to fold;

"How now, my lord Abbot! you are welcome home,— What news do you bring us from good King John?"

"Sad news, sad news, shepherd! I must give :
That I have but three days more to live;
For, if I do not answer him questions three,
My head will be smitten from my body.

"The first is to tell him, there in that stead,
With his crown of gold so fair on his head,
Among all his liege-men so noble of birth,
To within one penny of what he is worth;

"The second, to tell him, without any doubt,

How soon he may ride this whole world about;
And at the third question I must not shrink,
But tell him there truly what he does think."

"Now cheer up, sir Abbot! did you never hear yet,
That a fool he may learn a wise man wit?
Lend me horse, serving men, and your apparel,
And I'll ride to London to answer your quarrel.

66 Nay, frown not! it hath been told to me,
I am like your lordship as ever may be ;
And if you will but lend me your gown,

There is none shall know us at fair London town."

"Now horses and serving men thou shalt have,
With sumptuous array most gallant and brave,
With crozier and mitre and rochet and cope,
Fit to appear 'fore our Father the Pope!"

"Now welcome, sir Abbot!" the King he did say,"'Tis well thou art come back to keep thy day: For and if thou canst answer my questions three, Thy life and thy living both saved shall be!

“And first, when thou seèst me here in this stead,
With my crown of gold so fair on my head,
Among all my liege-men so noble of birth,
Tell me to one penny what I am worth!

"For thirty pence our Saviour was sold
Among the false Jews, as I have been told;
And twenty and nine is the worth of thee:
For I think thou art one penny worser than he."

The King he laugh'd, and swore by St. Bittel"I did not think I had been worth so little.

Now secondly, tell me, without any doubt,
How soon I may ride this whole world about!"

"You must rise with the sun and ride with the same Until the next morning he rises again :

And then your Grace need not make any doubt
But in twenty-four hours you'll ride it about."

The King he laugh'd, and he swore by St. Jone— "I did not think it could be gone so soon.

Now from the third question thou must not shrink,
But tell me here truly what I do think."

"Yea! that shall I do, and make your Grace merry :
You think I'm the Abbot of Canterbury ;

But I'm his poor shepherd, as plain you may see,
That am come to beg pardon for him and for me.”

The King he laugh'd, and swore by the Mass— "I'll make thee lord Abbot this day in his place!" "Now nay! my Liege! be not in such speed: For, alack! I neither can write nor read."

"Four nobles a week, then, I will give thee
For this merry jest thou hast shown unto me;
And tell the old Abbot when thou comèst home
Thou hast brought him a pardon from good King John!"

THE HEIR OF LINNE.

Of all the lords in fair Scotland

A song I will begin

Amongst them all there dwelt a lord

Which was the unthrifty Heir of Linne.

His father and mother were dead him from:
So [he] was the head of all his kin.
To the cards and dice that he did run
He did neither cease nor blin;

To drink the wine that was so clear,
With every man he would make merry.
And then bespake him John o' the Scales:
Unto the Heir of Linne said he :

Says "How dost thou? Lord of Linne!

Doest either want gold or fee? Wilt thou not sell thy lands so broad

To such a good fellow as me?"

"For [gold that] I [do need]," he said,-
My land, take it unto thee!"
"I draw you to record, my lords all!"

With that he cast him a God's penny.

He told him the gold upon the board,
It wanted never a bare penny :
"That gold is thine, the land is mine;
The Heir of Linne [so] I will be.”

"Here's gold enough," saith the Heir of Linne,— "Both for me and my company,"

He drank the wine that was so clear,
And with every man he made merry.

Within three quarters of a year

His merry men were from him gone (His gold and fee it waxed thin)

And left him himself all alone.

He had never a penny left in his purse,
Never a penny but [only] three:

And one was brass, and another was lead,
And another was white money.

"Now well-a-day!" said the Heir of Linne,—
“Now well-a-day, and woe is me !

For when I was the lord of Linne
I neither wanted gold nor fee.

"For I have sold my lands so broad,
And have not left me one penny :
I must go now and take some read
Unto Edinborough and beg [me].