I

ITrue Thomas lay on Huntlie bank;A ferlie[5]he spied wi’ his e’e;And there he saw a ladye brightCome riding down by the Eildon Tree.IIHer skirt was o’ the grass-green silk,Her mantle o’ the velvet fyne;At ilka tett[6]o’ her horse’s maneHung fifty siller bells and nine.IIITrue Thomas he pu’d aff his cap,And louted low down on his knee:‘Hail to thee, Mary, Queen of Heaven!For thy peer on earth could never be.’IV‘O no, O no, Thomas,’ she said,‘That name does not belang to me;I’m but the Queen o’ fair Elfland,That am hither come to visit thee.V‘Harp and carp[7], Thomas,’ she said;‘Harp and carp along wi’ me;And if ye dare to kiss my lips,Sure of your bodie I will be.’VI‘Betide me weal, betide me woe,That weird[8]shall never daunten me.’Syne he has kiss’d her rosy lips,All underneath the Eildon Tree.VII‘Now ye maun go wi’ me,’ she said,‘True Thomas, ye maun go wi’ me;And ye maun serve me seven years,Thro’ weal or woe as may chance to be.’VIIIShe’s mounted on her milk-white steed,She’s ta’en true Thomas up behind;And aye, whene’er her bridle rang,The steed gaed swifter than the wind.IXO they rade on, and farther on,The steed gaed swifter than the wind;Until they reach’d a desert wide,And living land was left behind.X‘Light down, light down now, true Thomas,And lean your head upon my knee;Abide ye there a little space,And I will show you ferlies three.XI‘O see ye not yon narrow road,So thick beset wi’ thorns and briers?That is the Path of Righteousness,Though after it but few inquires.XII‘And see ye not yon braid, braid road,That lies across the lily leven[9]?That is the Path of Wickedness,Though some call it the Road to Heaven.XIII‘And see ye not yon bonny roadThat winds about the fernie brae?That is the Road to fair Elfland,Where thou and I this night maun gae.XIV‘But, Thomas, ye sall haud your tongue,Whatever ye may hear or see;For speak ye word in Elflyn-land,Ye’ll ne’er win back to your ain countrie.’XVO they rade on, and farther on,And they waded rivers abune the knee;And they saw neither sun nor moon,But they heard the roaring of the sea.XVIIt was mirk, mirk night, there was nae starlight,They waded thro’ red blude to the knee;For a’ the blude that’s shed on the earthRins through the springs o’ that countrie.XVIISyne they came to a garden green,And she pu’d an apple frae a tree:‘Take this for thy wages, true Thomas;It will give thee the tongue that can never lee.’XVIII‘My tongue is my ain,’ true Thomas he said;‘A gudely gift ye wad gie to me!I neither dought[10]to buy or sellAt fair or tryst where I might be.XIX‘I dought neither speak to prince or peer,Nor ask of grace from fair ladye!’—‘Now haud thy peace, Thomas,’ she said,‘For as I say, so must it be.’XXHe has gotten a coat of the even cloth[11],And a pair o’ shoon of the velvet green;And till seven years were gane and past,True Thomas on earth was never seen.

True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank;A ferlie[5]he spied wi’ his e’e;And there he saw a ladye brightCome riding down by the Eildon Tree.

Her skirt was o’ the grass-green silk,Her mantle o’ the velvet fyne;At ilka tett[6]o’ her horse’s maneHung fifty siller bells and nine.

True Thomas he pu’d aff his cap,And louted low down on his knee:‘Hail to thee, Mary, Queen of Heaven!For thy peer on earth could never be.’

‘O no, O no, Thomas,’ she said,‘That name does not belang to me;I’m but the Queen o’ fair Elfland,That am hither come to visit thee.

‘Harp and carp[7], Thomas,’ she said;‘Harp and carp along wi’ me;And if ye dare to kiss my lips,Sure of your bodie I will be.’

‘Betide me weal, betide me woe,That weird[8]shall never daunten me.’Syne he has kiss’d her rosy lips,All underneath the Eildon Tree.

‘Now ye maun go wi’ me,’ she said,‘True Thomas, ye maun go wi’ me;And ye maun serve me seven years,Thro’ weal or woe as may chance to be.’

She’s mounted on her milk-white steed,She’s ta’en true Thomas up behind;And aye, whene’er her bridle rang,The steed gaed swifter than the wind.

O they rade on, and farther on,The steed gaed swifter than the wind;Until they reach’d a desert wide,And living land was left behind.

‘Light down, light down now, true Thomas,And lean your head upon my knee;Abide ye there a little space,And I will show you ferlies three.

‘O see ye not yon narrow road,So thick beset wi’ thorns and briers?That is the Path of Righteousness,Though after it but few inquires.

‘And see ye not yon braid, braid road,That lies across the lily leven[9]?That is the Path of Wickedness,Though some call it the Road to Heaven.

‘And see ye not yon bonny roadThat winds about the fernie brae?That is the Road to fair Elfland,Where thou and I this night maun gae.

‘But, Thomas, ye sall haud your tongue,Whatever ye may hear or see;For speak ye word in Elflyn-land,Ye’ll ne’er win back to your ain countrie.’

O they rade on, and farther on,And they waded rivers abune the knee;And they saw neither sun nor moon,But they heard the roaring of the sea.

It was mirk, mirk night, there was nae starlight,They waded thro’ red blude to the knee;For a’ the blude that’s shed on the earthRins through the springs o’ that countrie.

Syne they came to a garden green,And she pu’d an apple frae a tree:‘Take this for thy wages, true Thomas;It will give thee the tongue that can never lee.’

‘My tongue is my ain,’ true Thomas he said;‘A gudely gift ye wad gie to me!I neither dought[10]to buy or sellAt fair or tryst where I might be.

‘I dought neither speak to prince or peer,Nor ask of grace from fair ladye!’—‘Now haud thy peace, Thomas,’ she said,‘For as I say, so must it be.’

He has gotten a coat of the even cloth[11],And a pair o’ shoon of the velvet green;And till seven years were gane and past,True Thomas on earth was never seen.

FOOTNOTES:[5]ferlie = marvel.[6]tett = tuft.[7]harp and carp = play and recite (as a minstrel).[8]weird = doom.[9]leven =? lawn.[10]dought = could.[11]even cloth = smooth cloth.

[5]ferlie = marvel.

[6]tett = tuft.

[7]harp and carp = play and recite (as a minstrel).

[8]weird = doom.

[9]leven =? lawn.

[10]dought = could.

[11]even cloth = smooth cloth.

I‘O I forbid you, maidens a’,That wear gowd on your hair,To come or gae by Carterhaugh,For young Tam Lin is there.II‘For even about that knight’s middleO’ siller bells are nine;And nae maid comes to CarterhaughAnd a maid returns again.’IIIFair Janet sat in her bonny bower,Sewing her silken seam,And wish’d to be in CarterhaughAmang the leaves sae green.IVShe’s lat her seam fa’ to her feet,The needle to her tae[12],And she’s awa’ to CarterhaughAs fast as she could gae.VAnd she has kilted her green kirtleA little abune her knee;And she has braided her yellow hairA little abune her bree[13];And she has gaen for CarterhaughAs fast as she can hie.VIShe hadna pu’d a rose, a rose,A rose but barely ane,When up and started young Tam Lin;Says, ‘Ladye, let alane.VII‘What gars ye pu’ the rose, Janet?What gars ye break the tree?What gars ye come to CarterhaughWithout the leave o’ me?’VIII‘Weel may I pu’ the rose,’ she says,‘And ask no leave at thee;For Carterhaugh it is my ain,My daddy gave it me.’IXHe’s ta’en her by the milk-white hand,And by the grass-green sleeve,He’s led her to the fairy groundAt her he ask’d nae leave.XJanet has kilted her green kirtleA little abune her knee,And she has snooded her yellow hairA little abune her bree,And she is to her father’s ha’As fast as she can hie.XIBut when she came to her father’s ha’,She look’d sae wan and pale,They thought the lady had gotten a fright,Or with sickness she did ail.XIIFour and twenty ladies fairWere playing at the ba’,And out then came fair JanetAnce the flower amang them a’.XIIIFour and twenty ladies fairWere playing at the chess,And out then came fair JanetAs green as onie glass.XIVOut then spak’ an auld grey knight’Lay owre the Castle wa’,And says, ‘Alas, fair Janet!For thee we’ll be blamèd a’.’XV‘Hauld your tongue, ye auld-faced knight,Some ill death may ye die!Father my bairn on whom I will,I’ll father nane on thee.XVI‘O if my love were an earthly knight,As he is an elfin gay,I wadna gie my ain true-loveFor nae laird that ye hae.XVII‘The steed that my true-love rides onIs fleeter nor the wind;Wi’ siller he is shod before,Wi’ burning gold behind.’XVIIIOut then spak’ her brither dear—He meant to do her harm:‘There grows an herb in CarterhaughWill twine[14]you an’ the bairn.’XIXJanet has kilted her green kirtleA little abune her knee,And she has snooded her yellow hairA little abune her bree,And she’s awa’ to CarterhaughAs fast as she can hie.XXShe hadna pu’d a leaf, a leaf,A leaf but only twae,When up and started young Tam Lin,Says, ‘Ladye, thou’s pu’ nae mae.XXI‘How dar’ ye pu’ a leaf?’ he says,‘How dar’ ye break the tree?How dar’ ye scathe[15]my babe,’ he says,‘That’s between you and me?’XXII‘O tell me, tell me, Tam,’ she says,‘For His sake that died on tree,If ye were ever in holy chapelOr sain’d[16]in Christentie?’XXIII‘The truth I’ll tell to thee, Janet,Ae word I winna lee;A knight me got, and a lady me bore,As well as they did thee.XXIV‘Roxburgh he was my grandfather,Took me with him to bide;And ance it fell upon a day,As hunting I did ride,XXV‘There came a wind out o’ the north,A sharp wind an’ a snell[17],A dead sleep it came over meAnd frae my horse I fell;And the Queen o’ Fairies she took meIn yon green hill to dwell.XXVI‘And pleasant is the fairy landFor those that in it dwell,But ay at end of seven yearsThey pay a teind[18]to hell;I am sae fair and fu’ o’ fleshI’m fear’d ’twill be mysell.XXVII‘But the night is Hallowe’en, Janet,The morn is Hallowday;Then win me, win me, an ye will,For weel I wat ye may.XXVIII‘The night it is gude Hallowe’en,The fairy folk do ride,And they that wad their true-love win,At Miles Cross they maun bide.’—XXIX‘But how should I you ken, Tam Lin,How should I borrow[19]you,Amang a pack of uncouth[20]knightsThe like I never saw?’—XXX‘You’ll do you down to Miles CrossBetween twel’ hours and ane,And fill your hands o’ the holy waterAnd cast your compass roun’.XXXI‘The first company that passes by,Say na, and let them gae;The neist company that passes by,Say na, and do right sae;The third company that passes by,Then I’ll be ane o’ thae.XXXII‘O first let pass the black, ladye,And syne let pass the brown;But quickly run to the milk-white steed,Pu’ ye his rider down.XXXIII‘For some ride on the black, ladye,And some ride on the brown;But I ride on a milk-white steed,A gowd star on my crown:Because I was an earthly knightThey gie me that renown.XXXIV‘My right hand will be gloved, ladye,My left hand will be bare,And thae’s the tokens I gie thee:Nae doubt I will be there.XXXV‘Ye’ll tak’ my horse then by the headAnd let the bridle fa’;The Queen o’ Elfin she’ll cry out“True Tam Lin he’s awa’!”XXXVI‘They’ll turn me in your arms, ladye,An aske[21]but and a snake;But hauld me fast, let me na gae,To be your warldis make[22].XXXVII‘They’ll turn me in your arms, ladye,But and a deer so wild;But hauld me fast, let me na gae,The father o’ your child.XXXVIII‘They’ll shape me in your arms, ladye,A hot iron at the fire;But hauld me fast, let me na go,To be your heart’s desire.XXXIX‘They’ll shape me last in your arms, Janet,A mother-naked man;Cast your green mantle over me,And sae will I be won.’XLJanet has kilted her green kirtleA little abune the knee;And she has snooded her yellow hairA little abune her bree,And she is on to Miles CrossAs fast as she can hie.XLIAbout the dead hour o’ the nightShe heard the bridles ring;And Janet was as glad at thatAs any earthly thing.XLIIAnd first gaed by the black, black steed,And syne gaed by the brown;But fast she gript the milk-white steedAnd pu’d the rider down.XLIIIShe’s pu’d him frae the milk-white steed,An’ loot[23]the bridle fa’,And up there rase an eldritch[24]cry,‘True Tam Lin he’s awa’!’XLIVThey shaped him in her arms twaAn aske but and a snake;But aye she grips and hau’ds him fastTo be her warldis make.XLVThey shaped him in her arms twaBut and a deer sae wild;But aye she grips and hau’ds him fast,The father o’ her child.XLVIThey shaped him in her arms twaA hot iron at the fire;But aye she grips and hau’ds him fastTo be her heart’s desire.XLVIIThey shaped him in her arms at lastA mother-naked man;She cast her mantle over him,And sae her love she wan.XLVIIIUp then spak’ the Queen o’ Fairies,Out o’ a bush o’ broom,‘She that has borrow’d young Tam LinHas gotten a stately groom.’XLIXOut then spak’ the Queen o’ Fairies,And an angry woman was she,‘She’s ta’en awa’ the bonniest knightIn a’ my companie!L‘But what I ken this night, Tam Lin,Gin I had kent yestreen,I wad ta’en out thy heart o’ flesh,And put in a heart o’ stane.LI‘And adieu, Tam Lin! But gin I had kentA ladye wad borrow’d thee,I wad ta’en out thy twa grey e’enPut in twa e’en o’ tree[25].LII‘And had I the wit yestreen, yestreen,That I have coft[26]this day,I’d paid my teind seven times to hellEre you had been won away!’

‘O I forbid you, maidens a’,That wear gowd on your hair,To come or gae by Carterhaugh,For young Tam Lin is there.

‘For even about that knight’s middleO’ siller bells are nine;And nae maid comes to CarterhaughAnd a maid returns again.’

Fair Janet sat in her bonny bower,Sewing her silken seam,And wish’d to be in CarterhaughAmang the leaves sae green.

She’s lat her seam fa’ to her feet,The needle to her tae[12],And she’s awa’ to CarterhaughAs fast as she could gae.

And she has kilted her green kirtleA little abune her knee;And she has braided her yellow hairA little abune her bree[13];And she has gaen for CarterhaughAs fast as she can hie.

She hadna pu’d a rose, a rose,A rose but barely ane,When up and started young Tam Lin;Says, ‘Ladye, let alane.

‘What gars ye pu’ the rose, Janet?What gars ye break the tree?What gars ye come to CarterhaughWithout the leave o’ me?’

‘Weel may I pu’ the rose,’ she says,‘And ask no leave at thee;For Carterhaugh it is my ain,My daddy gave it me.’

He’s ta’en her by the milk-white hand,And by the grass-green sleeve,He’s led her to the fairy groundAt her he ask’d nae leave.

Janet has kilted her green kirtleA little abune her knee,And she has snooded her yellow hairA little abune her bree,And she is to her father’s ha’As fast as she can hie.

But when she came to her father’s ha’,She look’d sae wan and pale,They thought the lady had gotten a fright,Or with sickness she did ail.

Four and twenty ladies fairWere playing at the ba’,And out then came fair JanetAnce the flower amang them a’.

Four and twenty ladies fairWere playing at the chess,And out then came fair JanetAs green as onie glass.

Out then spak’ an auld grey knight’Lay owre the Castle wa’,And says, ‘Alas, fair Janet!For thee we’ll be blamèd a’.’

‘Hauld your tongue, ye auld-faced knight,Some ill death may ye die!Father my bairn on whom I will,I’ll father nane on thee.

‘O if my love were an earthly knight,As he is an elfin gay,I wadna gie my ain true-loveFor nae laird that ye hae.

‘The steed that my true-love rides onIs fleeter nor the wind;Wi’ siller he is shod before,Wi’ burning gold behind.’

Out then spak’ her brither dear—He meant to do her harm:‘There grows an herb in CarterhaughWill twine[14]you an’ the bairn.’

Janet has kilted her green kirtleA little abune her knee,And she has snooded her yellow hairA little abune her bree,And she’s awa’ to CarterhaughAs fast as she can hie.

She hadna pu’d a leaf, a leaf,A leaf but only twae,When up and started young Tam Lin,Says, ‘Ladye, thou’s pu’ nae mae.

‘How dar’ ye pu’ a leaf?’ he says,‘How dar’ ye break the tree?How dar’ ye scathe[15]my babe,’ he says,‘That’s between you and me?’

‘O tell me, tell me, Tam,’ she says,‘For His sake that died on tree,If ye were ever in holy chapelOr sain’d[16]in Christentie?’

‘The truth I’ll tell to thee, Janet,Ae word I winna lee;A knight me got, and a lady me bore,As well as they did thee.

‘Roxburgh he was my grandfather,Took me with him to bide;And ance it fell upon a day,As hunting I did ride,

‘There came a wind out o’ the north,A sharp wind an’ a snell[17],A dead sleep it came over meAnd frae my horse I fell;And the Queen o’ Fairies she took meIn yon green hill to dwell.

‘And pleasant is the fairy landFor those that in it dwell,But ay at end of seven yearsThey pay a teind[18]to hell;I am sae fair and fu’ o’ fleshI’m fear’d ’twill be mysell.

‘But the night is Hallowe’en, Janet,The morn is Hallowday;Then win me, win me, an ye will,For weel I wat ye may.

‘The night it is gude Hallowe’en,The fairy folk do ride,And they that wad their true-love win,At Miles Cross they maun bide.’—

‘But how should I you ken, Tam Lin,How should I borrow[19]you,Amang a pack of uncouth[20]knightsThe like I never saw?’—

‘You’ll do you down to Miles CrossBetween twel’ hours and ane,And fill your hands o’ the holy waterAnd cast your compass roun’.

‘The first company that passes by,Say na, and let them gae;The neist company that passes by,Say na, and do right sae;The third company that passes by,Then I’ll be ane o’ thae.

‘O first let pass the black, ladye,And syne let pass the brown;But quickly run to the milk-white steed,Pu’ ye his rider down.

‘For some ride on the black, ladye,And some ride on the brown;But I ride on a milk-white steed,A gowd star on my crown:Because I was an earthly knightThey gie me that renown.

‘My right hand will be gloved, ladye,My left hand will be bare,And thae’s the tokens I gie thee:Nae doubt I will be there.

‘Ye’ll tak’ my horse then by the headAnd let the bridle fa’;The Queen o’ Elfin she’ll cry out“True Tam Lin he’s awa’!”

‘They’ll turn me in your arms, ladye,An aske[21]but and a snake;But hauld me fast, let me na gae,To be your warldis make[22].

‘They’ll turn me in your arms, ladye,But and a deer so wild;But hauld me fast, let me na gae,The father o’ your child.

‘They’ll shape me in your arms, ladye,A hot iron at the fire;But hauld me fast, let me na go,To be your heart’s desire.

‘They’ll shape me last in your arms, Janet,A mother-naked man;Cast your green mantle over me,And sae will I be won.’

Janet has kilted her green kirtleA little abune the knee;And she has snooded her yellow hairA little abune her bree,And she is on to Miles CrossAs fast as she can hie.

About the dead hour o’ the nightShe heard the bridles ring;And Janet was as glad at thatAs any earthly thing.

And first gaed by the black, black steed,And syne gaed by the brown;But fast she gript the milk-white steedAnd pu’d the rider down.

She’s pu’d him frae the milk-white steed,An’ loot[23]the bridle fa’,And up there rase an eldritch[24]cry,‘True Tam Lin he’s awa’!’

They shaped him in her arms twaAn aske but and a snake;But aye she grips and hau’ds him fastTo be her warldis make.

They shaped him in her arms twaBut and a deer sae wild;But aye she grips and hau’ds him fast,The father o’ her child.

They shaped him in her arms twaA hot iron at the fire;But aye she grips and hau’ds him fastTo be her heart’s desire.

They shaped him in her arms at lastA mother-naked man;She cast her mantle over him,And sae her love she wan.

Up then spak’ the Queen o’ Fairies,Out o’ a bush o’ broom,‘She that has borrow’d young Tam LinHas gotten a stately groom.’

Out then spak’ the Queen o’ Fairies,And an angry woman was she,‘She’s ta’en awa’ the bonniest knightIn a’ my companie!

‘But what I ken this night, Tam Lin,Gin I had kent yestreen,I wad ta’en out thy heart o’ flesh,And put in a heart o’ stane.

‘And adieu, Tam Lin! But gin I had kentA ladye wad borrow’d thee,I wad ta’en out thy twa grey e’enPut in twa e’en o’ tree[25].

‘And had I the wit yestreen, yestreen,That I have coft[26]this day,I’d paid my teind seven times to hellEre you had been won away!’

FOOTNOTES:[12]tae = toe.[13]bree = eye-brow.[14]twine = part, sunder.[15]scathe = harm.[16]sain’d = blessed, baptised.[17]snell = keen, cold.[18]teind = tithe.[19]borrow = ransom.[20]uncouth = unknown.[21]aske = newt, lizard.[22]make = mate, husband.[23]loot = let.[24]eldritch = unearthly.[25]tree = wood.[26]coft = bought.

[12]tae = toe.

[13]bree = eye-brow.

[14]twine = part, sunder.

[15]scathe = harm.

[16]sain’d = blessed, baptised.

[17]snell = keen, cold.

[18]teind = tithe.

[19]borrow = ransom.

[20]uncouth = unknown.

[21]aske = newt, lizard.

[22]make = mate, husband.

[23]loot = let.

[24]eldritch = unearthly.

[25]tree = wood.

[26]coft = bought.

IJesus, Lord mickle of might,That dyed for us on roode,So maintaine us in all our rightThat loves true English blood!IISir Cawline [was an English knight]Curteous and full hardye;[And our King has lent him] forth to fight,Into Ireland over the sea.IIIAnd in that land there dwells a King,Over all the bell does beare;And he hath a ladye to his daughter,Of fashion[27]she hath no peere;Knights and lordes they woo’d her both,Trusted to have been her feere[28].IVSir Cawline loves her best of onie,But nothing durst he sayTo discreeve[29]his councell to no man,But dearlye loved this may[30].VTill it befell upon a day,Great dill[31]to him was dight[32];The mayden’s love removed his mind,To care-bed[33]went the knight.VIOne while he spread his armes him fro,And cryed so pittyouslye:‘For the mayden’s love that I have most mindeThis day shall comfort mee,Or else ere noone I shall be dead!’Thus can Sir Cawline say.VIIWhen the parish mass that itt was done,And the King was bowne[34]to dine,Says, ‘Where is Sir Cawline, that was wontTo serve me with ale and wine?’VIIIBut then answer’d a curteous knightFast his hands wringìnge:‘Sir Cawline’s sicke and like to be deadWithout and a good leechìnge[35].’IX‘Feitch ye downe my daughter deere,She is a leeche full fine;Ay, and take you doe and the baken bread,And [drinke he of] the wine soe red,And looke no daynty’s for him too deare,For full loth I wo’ld him tine[36].’XThis ladye is gone to his chamber,Her maydens following nye;‘O well,’ she saith, ‘how doth my lord?’‘O sicke!’ againe saith hee.XI‘But rise up wightlye[37], man, for shame!Ne’er lie here soe cowardlye!Itt is told in my father’s hallFor my love you will dye.’—XII‘Itt is for your love, fayre ladye,That all this dill I drie;For if you wo’ld comfort me with a kisse,Then were I brought from bale to bliss,No longer here wo’ld I lye.’—XIII‘Alas! soe well you know, Sir Knight,I cannot be your feere.’—‘Yet some deeds of armes fain wo’ld I doeTo be your bacheleere.’—XIV‘On Eldritch Hill there grows a thorn,Upon the mores[38]brodinge[39];And wo’ld you, Sir Knight, wake there all nightTo day of the other morninge?XV‘For the Eldritch King, that is mickle of might,Will examine[40]you beforne[41]:There was never a man bare his life awaySince the day that I was born.’—XVI‘But I will for your sake, ladye,Walk on the bents[42]soe browne,And I’ll either bring you a readye token,Or I’ll ne’er come to you again.’XVIIBut this ladye is gone to her chamber,Her maydens following bright;And Sir Cawline’s gone to the mores soe broad,For to wake there all night.XVIIIUnto midnight that the moone did riseHe walkèd up and downe,And a lightsome bugle then heard he blowOver the bents so browne;Sayes he, ‘And if cryance[43]come to my heart,I am farr from any good towne.’XIXAnd he spyèd, e’en a little him by,A furyous king and a fell,And a ladye bright his brydle led[More] seemlye [than onie can tell].XXSoe fast he call’d on Sir Cawline,‘O man, I rede thee flye!For if cryance come untill thy heartI’m afeard lest thou maun dye!’—XXIHe sayes, ‘No cryance comes to my heart,Nor i’faith I fear not thee;For because thou ming’d[44]not Christ before,The lesse me dreadeth thee.’XXIIBut Sir Cawline then he shooke a speare;The King was bold, and abode:And the timber those two children bareSoe soon in sunder slode[45]:Forth they tooke and two good swords,And they layden on good loade[46].XXIIIThe Eldritch King was mickle of might,And stiffly to the ground did stand;But Sir Cawline with an aukeward[47]strokeHe brought from him his hand—Ay, and flying over his head so hyeIt fell down of that lay land[48].XXIVHis ladye stood a little thereby,Fast her hands wringìnge:‘For the mayden’s love that you have most minde,Smyte you noe more [this King].XXV‘And he’s never[49]come upon Eldritch HillHim to sport, gammon or play,And to meet no man of middle-earth[50]That lives on Christ his lay[51].’XXVIBut he then up, that Eldritch King,Set him in his sadle againe,And that Eldritch King and his ladyeTo their castle are they gone.XXVIISir Cawline took up that eldritch swordAs hard as any flynt,Soe did he [the hand with] ringès fiveHarder than fyer, and brent[52].XXVIIIThe watchmen cryed upon the wallsAnd sayd, ‘Sir Cawline’s slaine!’Then the King’s daughter she fell downe,‘For peerlesse is my payne!’—XXIX‘O peace, my ladye!’ sayes Sir Cawline,‘I have bought thy love full deare;O peace, my ladye!’ sayes Sir Cawline,‘Peace, ladye, for I am heere!’XXXHe’s presented to the King’s daughterThe hand, and then the sword[And he has claimed the King’s daughterAccording to her word].XXXIAnd the King has betaken[53]him his broad landsAnd all his venison[54];[Sayes] ‘Thou shalt have my daughter deare,[And be my onelye son’].

Jesus, Lord mickle of might,That dyed for us on roode,So maintaine us in all our rightThat loves true English blood!

Sir Cawline [was an English knight]Curteous and full hardye;[And our King has lent him] forth to fight,Into Ireland over the sea.

And in that land there dwells a King,Over all the bell does beare;And he hath a ladye to his daughter,Of fashion[27]she hath no peere;Knights and lordes they woo’d her both,Trusted to have been her feere[28].

Sir Cawline loves her best of onie,But nothing durst he sayTo discreeve[29]his councell to no man,But dearlye loved this may[30].

Till it befell upon a day,Great dill[31]to him was dight[32];The mayden’s love removed his mind,To care-bed[33]went the knight.

One while he spread his armes him fro,And cryed so pittyouslye:‘For the mayden’s love that I have most mindeThis day shall comfort mee,Or else ere noone I shall be dead!’Thus can Sir Cawline say.

When the parish mass that itt was done,And the King was bowne[34]to dine,Says, ‘Where is Sir Cawline, that was wontTo serve me with ale and wine?’

But then answer’d a curteous knightFast his hands wringìnge:‘Sir Cawline’s sicke and like to be deadWithout and a good leechìnge[35].’

‘Feitch ye downe my daughter deere,She is a leeche full fine;Ay, and take you doe and the baken bread,And [drinke he of] the wine soe red,And looke no daynty’s for him too deare,For full loth I wo’ld him tine[36].’

This ladye is gone to his chamber,Her maydens following nye;‘O well,’ she saith, ‘how doth my lord?’‘O sicke!’ againe saith hee.

‘But rise up wightlye[37], man, for shame!Ne’er lie here soe cowardlye!Itt is told in my father’s hallFor my love you will dye.’—

‘Itt is for your love, fayre ladye,That all this dill I drie;For if you wo’ld comfort me with a kisse,Then were I brought from bale to bliss,No longer here wo’ld I lye.’—

‘Alas! soe well you know, Sir Knight,I cannot be your feere.’—‘Yet some deeds of armes fain wo’ld I doeTo be your bacheleere.’—

‘On Eldritch Hill there grows a thorn,Upon the mores[38]brodinge[39];And wo’ld you, Sir Knight, wake there all nightTo day of the other morninge?

‘For the Eldritch King, that is mickle of might,Will examine[40]you beforne[41]:There was never a man bare his life awaySince the day that I was born.’—

‘But I will for your sake, ladye,Walk on the bents[42]soe browne,And I’ll either bring you a readye token,Or I’ll ne’er come to you again.’

But this ladye is gone to her chamber,Her maydens following bright;And Sir Cawline’s gone to the mores soe broad,For to wake there all night.

Unto midnight that the moone did riseHe walkèd up and downe,And a lightsome bugle then heard he blowOver the bents so browne;Sayes he, ‘And if cryance[43]come to my heart,I am farr from any good towne.’

And he spyèd, e’en a little him by,A furyous king and a fell,And a ladye bright his brydle led[More] seemlye [than onie can tell].

Soe fast he call’d on Sir Cawline,‘O man, I rede thee flye!For if cryance come untill thy heartI’m afeard lest thou maun dye!’—

He sayes, ‘No cryance comes to my heart,Nor i’faith I fear not thee;For because thou ming’d[44]not Christ before,The lesse me dreadeth thee.’

But Sir Cawline then he shooke a speare;The King was bold, and abode:And the timber those two children bareSoe soon in sunder slode[45]:Forth they tooke and two good swords,And they layden on good loade[46].

The Eldritch King was mickle of might,And stiffly to the ground did stand;But Sir Cawline with an aukeward[47]strokeHe brought from him his hand—Ay, and flying over his head so hyeIt fell down of that lay land[48].

His ladye stood a little thereby,Fast her hands wringìnge:‘For the mayden’s love that you have most minde,Smyte you noe more [this King].

‘And he’s never[49]come upon Eldritch HillHim to sport, gammon or play,And to meet no man of middle-earth[50]That lives on Christ his lay[51].’

But he then up, that Eldritch King,Set him in his sadle againe,And that Eldritch King and his ladyeTo their castle are they gone.

Sir Cawline took up that eldritch swordAs hard as any flynt,Soe did he [the hand with] ringès fiveHarder than fyer, and brent[52].

The watchmen cryed upon the wallsAnd sayd, ‘Sir Cawline’s slaine!’Then the King’s daughter she fell downe,‘For peerlesse is my payne!’—

‘O peace, my ladye!’ sayes Sir Cawline,‘I have bought thy love full deare;O peace, my ladye!’ sayes Sir Cawline,‘Peace, ladye, for I am heere!’

He’s presented to the King’s daughterThe hand, and then the sword[And he has claimed the King’s daughterAccording to her word].

And the King has betaken[53]him his broad landsAnd all his venison[54];[Sayes] ‘Thou shalt have my daughter deare,[And be my onelye son’].

FOOTNOTES:[27]fashion = form, beauty.[28]feere = mate, consort.[29]discreeve = discover.[30]may = maid.[31]dill = dole, grief.[32]dight = ordained.[33]care-bed = sick-bed.[34]bowne = made ready, gone.[35]without and, &c. = unless he have a good leech, or physician.[36]tine = lose.[37]wightlye = briskly, stoutly.[38]mores = moors.[39]brodinge = growing, sprouting.[40]examine = put to the test.[41]beforne = before (morning).[42]bents = rough grasses.[43]cryance = yielding, cowardice.[44]ming’d = mentioned, spoke the name of.[45]slode = split.[46]good loade = heavily.[47]aukeward = back-handed.[48]lay land = lea, land not under cultivation; here = ground.[49]he’s never = he will never.[50]middle-earth = this earth, as midway between heaven and hell.[51]lay = law, faith.[52]brent = smooth.[53]betaken = given, made over.[54]venison = i. e. deer-forests.

[27]fashion = form, beauty.

[28]feere = mate, consort.

[29]discreeve = discover.

[30]may = maid.

[31]dill = dole, grief.

[32]dight = ordained.

[33]care-bed = sick-bed.

[34]bowne = made ready, gone.

[35]without and, &c. = unless he have a good leech, or physician.

[36]tine = lose.

[37]wightlye = briskly, stoutly.

[38]mores = moors.

[39]brodinge = growing, sprouting.

[40]examine = put to the test.

[41]beforne = before (morning).

[42]bents = rough grasses.

[43]cryance = yielding, cowardice.

[44]ming’d = mentioned, spoke the name of.

[45]slode = split.

[46]good loade = heavily.

[47]aukeward = back-handed.

[48]lay land = lea, land not under cultivation; here = ground.

[49]he’s never = he will never.

[50]middle-earth = this earth, as midway between heaven and hell.

[51]lay = law, faith.

[52]brent = smooth.

[53]betaken = given, made over.

[54]venison = i. e. deer-forests.

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