J. F. Campbell Collection > Minstrelsy of the Scottish border > Volume 1

APPENDIX, NO. II. Cxlv
shortly of necessity to take. He stayed my man all night,
and wrote to mee backj that hee was glad to have the
happinesse to be acquainted with mee, and did not doubt
but the country would be better governed by our good
agreements. I wrote to him on the Monday, and the
Thursday after hee appointed the place and hour of
meeting.
" After hee had filled my man with drinke, and put
him to bed, hee, and some halfe a score with him, gott
to horse, and came into England to a little village. There
hee broke up a house, and tooke out a poor fellow, who
(hee pretended) had done him some wrong, and before
the doore cruelly murthered him, and so came quietly
home, and went to bed. The next morning hee deli-
vered my man a letter in answer to mine, and retourned
him to mee. It pleased me well at the reading of his
kinde letter ; but when I heard what a brave hee had
put upon mee, I quickly resolved what to do, which was,
never to have to do with him till I was righted for the
greate wrong he had done mee. Upon this resolution,
the day I should have mett with him, I tooke post, and
with all the haste I could, rode to London, leaving him
to attend my coming to him as was appointed. There
hee stayed from one till five, but heard no news of mee.
Finding by this that I had neglected him, hee retourn-
ed home to his house, and so things rested (with greate
dislike the one of the other) till I came back, which was
with all the speede I could, my businesse being ended,
k