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THE

WIFE OF AUCHTERMUCHTY.

I

In Auchtermuchty dwelt a man,
An husband, as I heard it tald,

Quha weil could tipple out a can,

And nowther luvit hunger nor cauld; Till anes it fell upon a day

He zokit his plewch upon the plain; But schort the storm wad let him stay, Sair blew the day with wind and rain.

II.

He lows'd the plewch at the land's end,
And drave his owsen hame at ene;
Quhen he came in he blinkit ben,

And saw his wife baith dry and clene,
Set beikand by a fire full bauld,
Suppand fat soup, as I heard say:
The man being weary, wet, and cauld,
Betwein thir twa it was nae play.

MATRONA AUCHTERMUCHTIENSIS.

I.

IN Auchtermuchtia notatur

Vixisse quondam homo gnavus,
Maritus, optimus potator,

Inediæ, sitis, hostis gravis.

Huncce, dum solito labore

Aratrum bobus exercebat,

Compulsum hyemis rigore,
Tempestas domum reducebat.

II.

Solvebat boves ante horam

Consuetam hic, defessus multùm,
Et ædes repetens, uxorem

Invenit lautam, comptam, cultam,
Hic frigens, torpens, dum videret

Ad focum conjugem sedentem,
Quæ pingue jusculum sorberet,
Nil mirum visus turbat mentem.

III.

Quod he, "Quhair is my horses corn?

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My owsen has nae hay nor strae ; "Dame, ze maun to the plewch the morn,

"I sall be hussy gif I may.

"This seid-time it proves cauld and bad, "And ze sit warm, nae troubles se ; “The morn ze sall gae wi' the lad,

"And syne ziel ken what drinkers drie."

IV.

"Gudeman," quod scho, "content am I, "To tak the plewch my day about,

"Sae ze rule weil the kaves and ky, "And all the house baith in and out: "And now sen ze haif made the law, "Then gyde all richt, and do not break; 66 They sicker raid that neir did faw; “Therefore let naething be neglect.

Γ.

"But sen ye will hussyskep ken,

"First ze maun sift and syne sall kned;

"And ay as ye gang butt and ben,

"Luke that the bairns dryt not the bed:

"And lay a saft wysp to the kiln,

"We haif a dear farm on our heid:

"And ay as ze gang forth and in,

"Keip weil the gaislings frae the gled."

III.

" I, profer,” dixit,“ huc avenas ;
"Fac bovibus frumenta promi;
"Uxor, tu mane duc habenas,
"Dum ego domina sim domi.
"Tempestas horrido rigore
"Curarum penitus expertem,
"Dum ego maceror labore,

"Te nil offendit hîc inertem."

IV.

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"Pactum conventum sit hinc inde,"

Respondet uxor, datâ dextrâ ;

"Tu vaccas, vitulas, subinde

"Et ædes cures, intus, extra. "Per vices, indies sit actum: "Nostrum sulcare manè glebam;

"Tu quod sanxisti serva pactum, "Et opus age quod solebam.

V.

"Interea, ut sis aptus arti,

"Terendum primò, tunc pinsandum;

"Et quum infantes probè farti,

"Ne lectum polluant curandum.

"Cautè accendas tunc fornacem;

"Sit frugi quicquid ordinetur ; "Caveto milvium rapacem

"Anserculos ne deprædetur.'

VI.

The Wyfe was up rich late ate ene,

I pray luke gif her ill to fare,

Scho kirn'd the kirn, and skumt it clene, Left the Gudeman but bladoch bare:

Then in the morning up scho gat,

And on hir heart laid her disjune,

And pat as meikle in hir lap,

As micht haif serd them baith at nune.

VII.

Says, Jok, be thou maister of wark,
And thou sall had, and I sall ka;
Ise promise thee a gude new sark,
Either of round claith or of sma.
Scho lowst the owsen aught or nyne,
And hynt a gad staff in her hand:

Up the Gudeman raise after syne,

And saw the Wyfe had done command.

VIII.

He draif the gaislings forth to faid;
Thair was but sevensum of them aw,

And by thair comes the greidy gled,
And lickt up five, left him but twa;

Then out he ran in all his mane,

How soon he hard the gaislings cry; But than ere he came in again,

The kaves brak louse and suckt the ky.

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