And he has calld for his gude gray hunds 11 'What news, what news?' says the Seven
That lay bund in iron bands, bands,
That lay bund in iron bands.

Forsters,

'What news have ye brought to me?' 'I have noe news,' the palmer said, 'But what I saw with my eye.

'The shirt that was upon his back
Was o the holland14 fine;
The doublet15 which was over that
Was o the Lincoln twine.'

14 Up bespake the Seven Forsters,
Up bespake they ane and a':
'O that is Johnie e Cockleys Well,
And near him we will draw.'

15 O the first stroke that they gae him,
They struck him off by the knee;
Then up bespake his sister's son:
'O the next 'll gar1s him die!'

16 'O some they count ye well-wight17 men, But I do count ye nane;

For you might well ha wakend me,
And askd gin I wad be taen.

17 The wildest wolf in aw this wood
Wad not ha done so by me;

She'd ha wet her foot ith wan water,
And sprinkled it oer my brae18,
And if that wad not ha wakend me,
She wad ha gone and let me be.

18 'O bows of yew, if ye be true,

In London, where ye were bought,
Fingers five, get up belive19,

Manhuid shall fail me nought.'

21

19 He has killd the Seven Forsters,
He has killd them all but ane,
And that wan20 scarce to Pickeram Side,
To carry the bode-words21 hame.

20

'Is there never a [bird] in a' this wood
That will tell what I can say;
That will go to Cockleys Well,

Tell my mither to fetch me away?'

There was a [bird] into that wood,
That carried the tidings away,
And many ae22 was the well-wight man
At the fetching o Johnie away.

14 linen
15 waistcoat
16 make

17 very brave

18 brow

19 quick

20 won, made his way

21 message

22 a one

4 Then came the Laird of Lochinton,
Out frae the English border,
All for to court this pretty maid,
Well mounted in good order.

5

3 He has teld1 her father and mither baith,!

And a' the rest o her kin, And has teld the lass hersell, And her consent has win.

10

11

12

He's teld her father and mither baith,
As I hear sindry say,

But he has nae teld the lass her sell,
Till on her wedding day.

6 When day was set, and friends were met, I say not nay, but that alle day

It is both wreten and said
That woman's feyth is, as who seyth,
Alle utturly decayde;

But neverthelesse right good witnes
In this case myght be layde,
That they love trew, and contenewe,-
Recorde the Nutbrown Mayde,
Which, whan her love cam her to prove,
To her to make his mone,
Wolde not departe, for in her hart
She loved but hym alone.

7 'O are you come for sport, young man?
Or are you come for play?

Or are you come for a sight o our bride,
Just on her wedding day?'

And married to be,

Lord Lauderdale came to the place,
The bridal for to see.

9 There was a glass of the red wine
Filld up them atween,

And ay she drank to Lauderdale,
Wha her true-love had been.

'I'm nouther come for sport,' he says,
'Nor am I come for play;
But if I had one sight o your bride,
I'll mount and ride away.'

13 They haik ye up4 and settle ye by5,
Till on your wedding day,
And gie ye frogs instead o fish,*
And play ye foul, foul play.

1 told

3 caused

2 Perhaps this should be 4 haul you up

he, referring to the Laird of Lochinton * In the ballad of Lord soned with eels.

THE NUTBROWN MAYDE.*

Be it right or wronge, thes men amonge1
On wymen do complayn,
Affermyng this, how that it is
A laboure spent in vayn

To love them welle; for never a dele

They love a man agayn.

For late a man do what he can

5 set you aside (lead you
on and deceive you)
Randal, the lord is poi-

Ther favoure to attayn,

Yet yf a newe do them pursue,
Ther ferste trew lover than2

10

Laboureth for nought; for from her3 thought
He is a banysshed man.

Than betwen us let us discusse
What was alle the manere
Between them two: we wille also
Telle alle the payn in fere+
That she was in. Now I begyn,
So that ye me answere;
Wherfor alle ye that present be,

I pray you, geve an ere.

I am the knyght; I com by nyght,
As secrete as I can,
Saying, 'Alas! thus stondith the caas,
I am a banysshed man.'

20

1 all the while

2 then

30

3 their

4 i-fere, together

*This poem is essentially a little drama, of which the first three stanzas constitute a kind of prologue and the last stanza an epilogue. In the first stanza one speaker propounds the general theme of the fickleness of womankind. In the second stanza, another speaker cites in refutation the story of the Nutbrown Mayde. Then the first speaker proposes that they two enact that story, and he begins by assuming the part of the man who pretended to be outlawed in order to "prove" the maid's love. The second speaker takes the part of the maid, and the dialogue continues regularly in alternate stanzas. It is readily seen that the poem, though for convenience grouped here with the ballads, is of a very different character from the folk-ballads proper, and a product of much more conscious art. Our text is that of the Balliol MS., with some very slight changes of spelling and the regular substitution of MAYDE for the more frequent marginal PUELLA of the manuscript.