IT fell about the Martinmas,

Quhen the wind blew shril and cauld, Said Edom of Gordon to his men,

We maun draw till a hauld.

And quhat a hauld sall we draw till,

5

My mirry men and me?

We wul gae to the house o' the Rodes,

To see that fair ladie.

The lady stude on hir castle wa',

Beheld baith dale and down:

10

There she was ware of a host of men

Cum ryding towards the toun.

O see ze nat, my mirry men a'?

O see ze nat quhat I see?

Methinks I see a host of men:

I marveil quha they be.

She weend it had been hir luvely lord,

As he cam ryding hame;

It was the traitor Edom o' Gordon,

Quha reckt nae sin nor shame,

15

20

She had nae sooner buskit hirsel,

And putten on hir goun,

But Edom o' Gordon and his men

Were round about the toun.

They

Cum doun to me, ze lady gay,

Cum doun, cum doun to me:

This night sall ye lig within mine armes,
To-morrow my bride sall be,

I winnae cum doun, ze fals Gordon,

I winnae cum doun to thee ;

I winnae forsake my ain dear lord,
That is sae far frae me.

Give owre zour house, ze lady fair,

Give owre zour house to me, Or I sall brenn yoursel therein,

Bot and zour babies three.

40

45

I winnae

I winnae give owre, ze false Gordòn,
To nae sik traitor as zee;

And if ze brenn my ain dear babes,
My lord sall make ze drie.

But reach my pistoll, Glaud, my man*,
And charge ze weil my gun* :

50

For, but an I pierce that bluidy butcher,
My babes we been undone.

55

She stude upon hir castle wa',

And let twa bullets flee* :

She mist that bluidy butchers hart,

And only raz'd his knee.

60

Set fire to the house, quo' fals Gordòn,

All wood wi' dule and ire:

Fals lady, ze sall rue this deid,

As ze bren in the fire.

Wae worth, wae worth ze, Jock my man,

65

I paid ze weil zour fee;

Quhy pu' ze out the ground-wa' stane,

Lets in the reek to me?

And ein wae worth ze, Jock my nian,

I paid ze weil zour hire;

70

* These three lines are restored from Foulis's edition, and the

fol. MS., which last reads the bullets in ver. 58.

Quby

Quhy pu' ze out the ground-wa' stane,

To me lets in the fire?

Ze paid me weil my hire, lady;

Ze paid me weil my fee:

But now I'm Edom o' Gordons man,

75

Maun either doe or die.

O than bespaik hir little son,

Sate on the nurses knee:

Sayes, Mither deare, gi' owre this house,

For the reek it smithers me.

I wad gie a' my gowd, my childe,

Sae wald I a' my fee,

For ane blast o' the western wind,

To blaw the reek frae thee.

O then bespaik hir dochter dear,

She was baith jimp and sma:

O row me in a pair o' sheits,
And tow ine owre the wa.

They rowd hir in a pair o' sheits,
And towd hir owre the wa:
But on the point of Gordons spear

She gat a deadly fa.

Obonnie bonnie was hir mouth,

And cherry were her cheiks,

80

85

90

And

And clear clear was hir zellow hair,
Whereon the reid bluid dreips.

Then wi' his spear he turnd hir owre,
O gin hir face was wan!

He sayd, Ze are the first that eir

I wisht alive again.

He turnd hir owre and owre againe,

O gin hir skin was whyte !
I might ha spared that bonnie face
To hae been sum mans delyte,

Busk and boun, my merry men a',

For ill dooms I doe guess;

95

100

105

I cannae luik in that bonnie face,

As it lyes on the grass.

Thame, luiks to freits, my master deir,

Then freits wil follow thame :

110

Let it neir, be said brave Edom o' Gordon,

Was daunted by a dame.

But quhen the ladye see the fire.
Cum flaming owre hir head,

She wept and kist her children twain,
Sayd, Bairns, we been but dead.

115

V. 98, 102, O gin, &c. a Scottish idiom to express great admiration.

V. 109, 110. Thame, &c. i. e. Them that look after omens of ill luck, ill luck will follow.

The