"Thy faith and trouth thou shall na get,
Nor our trew love shall never twin,'
Till ye tell me what comes of women
A wat' that dy's in strong travelling."

"Their beds are made in the heavens high,
Down at the foot of our good Lord's knee,
Well set about wi gilly-flowers,

A wat sweet company for to see.

"O cocks are crowing a merry midd-larf,
A wat the wilde foule boded day;
The salms of Heaven will be sung,
And ere now I'le be misst away."

Up she has tain a bright long wand,

And she has straked' her trouth thereon;
She has given (it) him out at the shot-window,
Wi many a sad sigh and heavy groan.

"I thank you, Margret, I thank you, Margret,
And I thank you hartilie;

Gine ever the dead come for the quick,

Be sure, Margret, I'll come again for thee."

It's hose an shoon and gound1o alane
She clame the wall and followed him,
Until she came to a green forest,

On this she lost the sight of him.

"Is there any room at your head, Sanders?
Is their any room at your feet?

Or any room at your twa sides?
Whare fain, fain woud I sleep."

"Their is na room at my head, Margret,
Their is na room at my feet;

There is room at my twa sides,
For ladys for to sleep.

8 A window opening out on a hinge; or a bow-window. 10 Stockings and shoes and gown.

17

"Cold meal" is my covering owre,

But an my winding sheet;

My bed it is full low, I say,

Down among the hongerey worms I sleep.

"Cold meal is my covering owre,

But an my winding sheet;

The dew it falls na sooner down
Then ay it is full weet."

THE WIFE OF USHER'S WELL

THERE lived a wife at Usher's Well,
And a wealthy wife was she;
She had three stout and stalwart sons,
And sent them oer the sea.

They hadna been a week from her,
A week but barely ane,

Whan word came to the carline1 wife
That her three sons were gane.

They hadna been a week from her,
A week but barely three,

Whan word came to the carlin wife
That her sons she'd never see.

"I wish the wind may never cease,
Nor fashes in the flood,

2

Till my three sons come hame to me,
In earthly flesh and blood."

It fell about the Martinmass,

When nights are lang and mirk.3

The carlin wife's three sons came hame,
And their hats were o the birk."

11 Mould.

1 Old woman. 2 Storms (?).

R Dark.

4 Birch.

It neither grew in syke nor ditch,
Nor yet in ony sheugh;*
But at the gates o Paradise,
That birk grew fair eneugh.

"Blow up the fire, my maidens, Bring water from the well;

For a' my house shall feast this night, Since my three sons are well."

And she has made to them a bed,
She's made it large and wide,
And she's taen her mantle her about,
Sat down at the bed-side.

Up then crew the red, red cock,
And up and crew the gray;
The eldest to the youngest said,
""Tis time we were away."

The cock he hadna crawd but once,
And clappd his wings at a',

When the youngest to the eldest said,

Brother, we must awa."

"The cock doth craw, the day doth daw,
The channerin' worm doth chide;
Gin we be mist out o our place,
A sair pain we maun bide.

"Faer ye weel, my mother dear!
Fareweel to barn and byre!
And fare ye weel, the bonny lass
That kindles my mother's fire!"

18

HUGH OF LINCOLN

FOUR and twenty bonny boys
Were playing at the ba,1

And by it came him sweet Sir Hugh,
And he playd oer them a'.

He kicked the ba with his right foot,
And catchd it wi his knee,

And throuch-and-thro the Jew's window
He gard the bonny ba flee.

He's doen him to the Jew's castell,

And walkd it round about;

And there he saw the Jew's daughter,
At the window looking out.

"Throw down the ba, ye Jew's daughter,

Throw down the ba to me!

"Never a bit," says the Jew's daughter,
"Till up to me come ye."

66

"How will I come up? How can I come up?
How can I come to thee?

For as ye did to my auld father,
The same ye'll do me."

She's gane till her father's garden,

And pu'd an apple red and green;

'Twas a' to wyle' him sweet Sir Hugh,
And to entice him in.

She's led him in through ae dark door,
And sae has she thro nine;
She's laid him on a dressing-table,
And stickit him like a swine.

And first came out the thick, thick blood,
And syne came out the thin,

And syne came out the bonny heart's blood;
There was nae mair within.

She's rowd him in a cake o lead,

Bade him lie still and sleep;

She's thrown him in Our Lady's draw-well, Was fifty fathom deep.

When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' the bairns came hame,

When every lady gat hame her son,
The Lady Maisry gat nane.

She's taen her mantle her about,
Her coffer by the hand,

'And she's gane out to seek her son,
And wanderd oer the land.

She's doen her to the Jew's castell,
Where a' were fast asleep:
"Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh,
I pray you to me speak."

4

She's doen her to the Jew's garden,
Thought he had been gathering fruit:
"Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh,
I pray you to me speak."

She heard Our Lady's deep draw-well,
Was fifty fathom deep:

66

66

Whareer ye be, my sweet Sir Hugh,
I pray you to me speak.”

Gae hame, gae hame, my mither dear,
Prepare my winding sheet,

And at the back o merry Lincoln
The morn I will you meet."

Now Lady Maisry is gane hame,
Made him a winding sheet,
And at the back o merry Lincoln
The dead corpse did her meet.

• Rolled. 4 Gone. "If.