J. F. Campbell Collection > Minstrelsy of the Scottish border > Volume 2

THE SCOTTISH BORDEli. S65
Owain biheld the brigge smert,
The water ther under blac and swert,
And sore him gan to drede :
For of othing he tok yeme,
Never mot, in some beme,
Thicker than the fendes yede.
The brigge was as heigh as a tour,
And as scharpe as a rasour.
And natu it was also ;
And the water that ther ran under,
Brend o' lightning and of thonder.
That thocht him michel wo.
Ther nis no clerk may write with ynkc.
No no man no may bethink,
No no maister deuine ;
That is ymade forsoth ywis.
Under the brigge of paradis,
Halvendel the pine.
So the dominical ous telle,
Ther is the pure entrae of helle,
Seine Poule berth witnesse ;*
Whoso falleth of the brigge adown,
Of him nis no redempcioun.
Neither more nor lesse.
The fendes seyd to the knight tho,
" Ouer this brigge might thou nowght go,
" For noneskines nede ;
" Fie peril sorwe and wo,
" And to that stede ther thou com fro,
" Wei fair we schul the lede."
Owain anon began bithenche,
Fram hou mani of the fendes wrenche.
~ The reader will probably search St Paul in vain for the evidence here i
t'ened to.