1Wallace wight, upon a night,Came riding oer the linn,And he is to his leman’s bower,And tirld at the pin.2‘O sleep ye, wake ye, lady?’ he said,‘Ye’ll rise, lat me come in.’‘O wha’s this at my bower-door,That knocks, and knows my name? ’‘My name is William Wallace,Ye may my errand ken.’3‘The truth to you I will rehearse,The secret I’ll unfold;Into your enmies’ hands this nightI fairly hae you sold.’4‘If that be true ye tell to me,Do ye repent it sair?’‘O that I do,’ she said, ‘dear Wallace,And will do evermair!5‘The English did surround my house,And forced me theretill;But for your sake, my dear Wallace,I coud burn on a hill.’6Then he gae her a loving kiss,The tear droppd frae his ee;Says, Fare ye well for evermair,Your face nae mair I’ll see.7She dressd him in her ain claithing,And frae her house he came;Which made the Englishmen admire,To see this stalwart dame.8He is to Saint Johnston gane,And there he playd him well;For there he saw a well-far’d may,Was washing at a well.9‘What news, what news, ye well-far’d may?What news hae ye to me?What news, what news, ye well-far’d may,All from your north countrie?’10‘See ye not yon tavern-house,That stands on yonder plain?This very day have landet in itFull fifteen Englishmen;11‘In search of Wallace, our dear champion,Ordaining that he shoud dee.’‘Then on my troth,’ said Wallace wight,‘These Englishmen I’se see.’
1Wallace wight, upon a night,Came riding oer the linn,And he is to his leman’s bower,And tirld at the pin.2‘O sleep ye, wake ye, lady?’ he said,‘Ye’ll rise, lat me come in.’‘O wha’s this at my bower-door,That knocks, and knows my name? ’‘My name is William Wallace,Ye may my errand ken.’3‘The truth to you I will rehearse,The secret I’ll unfold;Into your enmies’ hands this nightI fairly hae you sold.’4‘If that be true ye tell to me,Do ye repent it sair?’‘O that I do,’ she said, ‘dear Wallace,And will do evermair!5‘The English did surround my house,And forced me theretill;But for your sake, my dear Wallace,I coud burn on a hill.’6Then he gae her a loving kiss,The tear droppd frae his ee;Says, Fare ye well for evermair,Your face nae mair I’ll see.7She dressd him in her ain claithing,And frae her house he came;Which made the Englishmen admire,To see this stalwart dame.8He is to Saint Johnston gane,And there he playd him well;For there he saw a well-far’d may,Was washing at a well.9‘What news, what news, ye well-far’d may?What news hae ye to me?What news, what news, ye well-far’d may,All from your north countrie?’10‘See ye not yon tavern-house,That stands on yonder plain?This very day have landet in itFull fifteen Englishmen;11‘In search of Wallace, our dear champion,Ordaining that he shoud dee.’‘Then on my troth,’ said Wallace wight,‘These Englishmen I’se see.’
1Wallace wight, upon a night,Came riding oer the linn,And he is to his leman’s bower,And tirld at the pin.
1
Wallace wight, upon a night,
Came riding oer the linn,
And he is to his leman’s bower,
And tirld at the pin.
2‘O sleep ye, wake ye, lady?’ he said,‘Ye’ll rise, lat me come in.’‘O wha’s this at my bower-door,That knocks, and knows my name? ’‘My name is William Wallace,Ye may my errand ken.’
2
‘O sleep ye, wake ye, lady?’ he said,
‘Ye’ll rise, lat me come in.’
‘O wha’s this at my bower-door,
That knocks, and knows my name? ’
‘My name is William Wallace,
Ye may my errand ken.’
3‘The truth to you I will rehearse,The secret I’ll unfold;Into your enmies’ hands this nightI fairly hae you sold.’
3
‘The truth to you I will rehearse,
The secret I’ll unfold;
Into your enmies’ hands this night
I fairly hae you sold.’
4‘If that be true ye tell to me,Do ye repent it sair?’‘O that I do,’ she said, ‘dear Wallace,And will do evermair!
4
‘If that be true ye tell to me,
Do ye repent it sair?’
‘O that I do,’ she said, ‘dear Wallace,
And will do evermair!
5‘The English did surround my house,And forced me theretill;But for your sake, my dear Wallace,I coud burn on a hill.’
5
‘The English did surround my house,
And forced me theretill;
But for your sake, my dear Wallace,
I coud burn on a hill.’
6Then he gae her a loving kiss,The tear droppd frae his ee;Says, Fare ye well for evermair,Your face nae mair I’ll see.
6
Then he gae her a loving kiss,
The tear droppd frae his ee;
Says, Fare ye well for evermair,
Your face nae mair I’ll see.
7She dressd him in her ain claithing,And frae her house he came;Which made the Englishmen admire,To see this stalwart dame.
7
She dressd him in her ain claithing,
And frae her house he came;
Which made the Englishmen admire,
To see this stalwart dame.
8He is to Saint Johnston gane,And there he playd him well;For there he saw a well-far’d may,Was washing at a well.
8
He is to Saint Johnston gane,
And there he playd him well;
For there he saw a well-far’d may,
Was washing at a well.
9‘What news, what news, ye well-far’d may?What news hae ye to me?What news, what news, ye well-far’d may,All from your north countrie?’
9
‘What news, what news, ye well-far’d may?
What news hae ye to me?
What news, what news, ye well-far’d may,
All from your north countrie?’
10‘See ye not yon tavern-house,That stands on yonder plain?This very day have landet in itFull fifteen Englishmen;
10
‘See ye not yon tavern-house,
That stands on yonder plain?
This very day have landet in it
Full fifteen Englishmen;
11‘In search of Wallace, our dear champion,Ordaining that he shoud dee.’‘Then on my troth,’ said Wallace wight,‘These Englishmen I’se see.’
11
‘In search of Wallace, our dear champion,
Ordaining that he shoud dee.’
‘Then on my troth,’ said Wallace wight,
‘These Englishmen I’se see.’
A.
23. was not war.F3haswasna aware.B,C,have the obviously right reading.
51. Wallace then.Maidment, there.
54.Maidment, ouer good.
101.Maidment, When come.
102. quoth he be here.
124.Maidment, should we.
B.
82. oer a stree. Streeis glossed by Lambe asstick,but this is impossible: theswas induced by thesinstaffabove.
103, 121. Oh.
111. root of his swordsimply from ignorance of the meaning of therood,by which the captain swears inA12; rood of his swordis hardly to be thought of.
122. A wordforA wat.SeeD144.
163,4.Corrupted: the words should be Wallace’s.Cf.C12.
C.
92. meal:perhapsmeat.
D.
12.Var.(or gloss), his ain.
21. wentchanged togaed (for rhyme?).
94.Var.with angry jeer.
E.
23. gin he.A. Fisher says that lines are wanting, and has supplied two after 72(making a stanza of 73,4, 81,2, and leaving 83,4as a half stanza) and two after 102(leaving 103,4as the second half of another stanza). The arrangement here adopted is in conformity with that of the other copies.
F.
33. wasna.
221. Insch.
G.
Buchan’s variations.
23. AndforSaid.
34. Christendeen.
92, 103, 152, 273. done.
104. on a.
121. mewanting.
202. I heard them in yon inn.
211. you.
322. ane by ane.