"My gorgett and my kirtle of golde,
And all my faire head-geere;

And he wold worrye me with his tush,
And to his nest y-beare;

75

"Saving there came a little '

gray' hawke,

A merlin him they call,

Which untill the grounde did strike the grype,
That dead he downe did fall.

80

Giffe I were a man, as now I am none,

A battell wold I prove,

To fight with that traitor Aldingar:

Att him I cast my glove.

"But seeing Ime able noe battell to make,

85

My liege, grant me a knight

To fight with that traitor, Sir Aldingar,
To maintaine me in my right."

"Now forty dayes I will give thee

To seeke thee a knight therin :

90

If thou find not a knight in forty dayes,
Thy bodye it must brenn."

Then shee sent east, and shee sent west,
By north and south bedeene;

But never a champion colde she find,

95

Wolde fight with that knight soe keene.

Now twenty dayes were spent and gone,
Noe helpe there might be had;
Many a teare shed our comelye queene,
And aye her hart was sad.

100

Then came one of the queenes damsèlles,
And knelt upon her knee:

"Cheare up, cheare up, my gracious dame, I trust yet helpe may be.

105

"And here I will make mine avowe,

And with the same me binde,

That never will I return to thee,
Till I some helpe may finde."

Ver. 77, see below, ver. 137.

Then forth she rode on a faire palfràye,
Oer hill and dale about;

But never a champion colde she finde,

Wolde fighte with that knight so stout.
And nowe the daye drewe on a pace,
When our good queene must dye;
All woe-begone was that faire damsèlle,
When she found no helpe was nye.

All woe-begone was that fair damsèlle,
And the salt teares fell from her eye;
When lo! as she rode by a rivers side,
She met with a tinye boye.

A tinye boy she mette, God wot,
All clad in mantle of golde;

He seemed noe more in mans likenèsse,
Then a childe of four yeere olde.

110

115

120

"Why grieve you, damselle faire," he sayd, "And what doth cause you moane?"

125

The damsell scant wolde deigne a looke,
But fast she pricked on.

"Yet turne againe, thou faïre damsèlle,
And greete thy queene from mee;
When bale is att hyest, boote is nyest;
Nowe helpe enoughe may bee.

130

"Bid her remember what she dreamt,

In her bedd wheras shee laye;

How when the grype and the grimly beast

135

Wolde have carried her crown awaye,

"Even then there came the little gray hawke,

And saved her from his clawes:

Then bidd the queene be merry at hart,

For heaven will fende her cause."

Back then rode that faire damsèlle,
And her hart it lept for glee:
And when she told her gracious dame,
A gladd woman then was shee.

140

Three times the herault he waved his hand,
And three times spake on hye:

"Giff any good knight will fende this dame, Come forth, or shee must dye."

155

No knight stood forth, no knight there came,
No helpe appeared nye;

And now the fyer was lighted up,

Queen Elinor she must dye.

160

And now the fyer was lighted up,

As hot as hot might bee;

When riding upon a little white steed,

The tinye boy they see.

"Away with that stake, away with those brands,

And loose our comelye queene:

166

I am come to fight with Sir Aldingar,

And prove him a traitor keene."

Forthe then stood Sir Aldingar,

But when he saw the chylde,

170

He laughed, and scoffed, and turned his backe,
And weened he had been beguylde.

"Now turne, now turne thee, Aldingar,

And eyther fighte or flee;

I trust that I shall avenge the wronge,
Thoughe I am so small to see."

175

The boye pulld forth a well good sworde,

So gilt it dazzled the ee;

The first stroke stricken at Aldingar

Smote off his leggs by the knee.

180

"Stand up, stand up,

thou false traitòr,

And fight upon thy feete,
For, and thou thrive as thou begin'st,
Of height wee shall be meete."

"A priest, a priest," sayes Aldingar,
"While I am a man alive;

185

A priest, a priest," sayes Aldingar, "Me for to houzle and shrive.

"I wolde have laine by our comlie queene,

But shee wolde never consent;

190

Then I thought to betraye her unto our kinge,

In a fyer to have her brent.

"There came a lazar to the kings gates,

A lazar both blind and lame;

I tooke the lazar upon my backe,

195

And on her bedd had him layne.

"Then ranne I to our comlye king, These tidings sore to tell:

But ever alacke!" sayes Aldingar, "Falsing never doth well.

200

66

'Forgive, forgive me, Queene, madàme,

The short time I must live."

"Nowe Christ forgive thee, Aldingar,

As freely I forgive."

"Here take thy queene, our King Harryè,

205

Then turnd to look for the tinye boye:
-The boye was vanisht and gone.

But first he had touchd the lazar man,
And stroakt him with his hand;

The lazar under the gallowes tree

215

All whole and sounde did stand.

The lazar under the gallowes tree

Was comelye, straight and tall;

King Henrye made him his head stewàrde,
To wayte withinn his hall.

220

X.

The Gaberlunzie Man.

A SCOTTISH SONG.

Tradition informs us that the author of this song was King James V. of Scotland. This prince (whose character for wit and libertinism bears a great resemblance to that of his gay successor Charles II.) was noted for strolling about his dominions in disguise,' and for his frequent gallantries with country girls. Two adventures of this kind he hath celebrated with his own pen, viz. in this ballad of The Gaberlunzie Man ; and in another entitled The Jolly Beggar, beginning thus:

"Thair was a jollie beggar, and a begging he was boun,
And he tuik up his quarters into a land'art toun.

"Fa, la, la," &c.

It seems to be the latter of these ballads (which was too licentious to be admitted into this collection) that is meant in the Catalogue of Royal and Noble Authors,2 where the ingenious writer remarks, that there is something very ludicrous in the young woman's distress when she thought her first favour had been thrown away upon a beggar.

Bishop Tanner has attributed to James V. the celebrated ballad of
Christ's Kirk on the Green, which is ascribed to King James I. in Banna-
tyne's MS., written in 1568. And notwithstanding that authority, the
Editor of this book is of opinion that Bishop Tanner was right.
King James V. died December 13th, 1542, aged 33.

THE pauky auld carle came ovir the lee,
Wi' mony good-eens and days to mee,
Saying, "Good wife, for zour courtesie,
Will ze lodge a silly poor man? "

'Sc. of a tinker, beggar, &c. Thus he used to visit a smith's daughter at Niddry, near Edinburgh.

2 Vol. ii. p. 203.

VOL. I.

U