J. F. Campbell Collection > Minstrelsy of the Scottish border

MINSTRELSY OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER.
■ Grant me my life, my liege, my king !
And a great gift I'll gie to thee —
Bauld four and twenty sister's sons,
Sail for thee fecht, tho' a' should flee !"
" Away, away, thou traitor Strang !
Out o' my sight soon may'^st thou be !
I grantit nevir a traitor''s life,
And now I''ll not begin wi"* thee."
" Grant me my life, my liege, my king !
And a brave gift I'll gie to thee —
All between heir and Newcastle town
Sail pay their yeirly rent to thee."
" Away, away, thou traitor Strang !
Out o' my sight soon may'st thou be !
I gi-antit nevir a traitor's life.
And now I'll not begin wi' thee."
" Ye lied,* ye lied, now, king," he says,
" Altho' a king and prince ye be !
For I've luved naething in my life,
I weel dare say it, but honesty —
" Save a fat horse, and a fair woman,
Twa bonny dogs to kill a deir ;
But England suld have found me meal and mault,
Gif I had lived this hundred yeir !
" Sche suld have found me meal and mault,
And beef and mutton in a' ])lentie ;
But nevir a Scots wj-fe could have said,
That e'er I skaithed her a pure flee.
" To seik bet water beneith cauld ice,
Surely it is a greit folic —
I have asked grace at a graceless face.
But there is nane for my men and me !
" But had I kenn'd ere I cam frae hame,
How thou unkind wadst been to me !
I wad have keepit the border side.
In spite of al thy force and thee.
" Wist England's king that I was ta'eu,
O gin a blythc man he wad be !
For anes I slew his sister's son,
And on his breist bane brak a trie."