J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular rhymes of Scotland

86 POPULAR RHYMES OF SCOTLAND.
the attempt, prefixing' a day for them to be spectators.
Most of them looked upon this promise as a rodomontade ;
others as an act of madness, flowing from an inconsiderate
youth ; but he concerned not himself with their discourses.
The appointed day being come, somewhat before the dawn-
ing of the day he placed himself, with a stout and resolute
fellow, his servant (whom he gained by a large reward to
hazard with him in this attempt), within half an arrow-
flight, or thereby, to the den's mouth, which was no larger
than easily to admit the outgoing and re-entering of this
serpent, whom now he watched with a vigilant eye upon
horseback, having before prepared some long small and hard
peats, bedaubed with pitch, roset, and brimstone, fixed with
small wire upon the wheel at the point of his lance : these
being touched with fire, would instantly break out into a
flame. The proverb holds good, that the fates assist bold
men ; for it was truly verified in him, fortune favouring" the
hardy enterprise of this young man. The day was not only
fair, but extremely calm, no wind blowing but a breath of
air that served much to his purpose.
' About the sunrising, this serpent, or worm (as by tradi-
tion it is named), appeared, with her head and some part of
her body without the den ; whereupon the servant, accord-
ing to direction, set fire to the peats upon the wheel at the
top of the lance, and instantly this resolute gentleman put
spurs to his horse, advanced with a full gallop, the fire still
increasing, placed the same, with the wheel and almost the
third part of his lance, directly into the serpent's mouth,
which went down her throat into her belly, which he left
there, the lance breaking with the rebound of his horse,
giving her a deadly wound ; who, in the pangs of death
(some part of her body being within the den), so great was
her strength, that she raised up the whole ground that was
above her, and overturned the same to the furthering of her
ruin, being partly smothered by the w-eight thereof.
' Thus was she brought to her death in the way and man-
ner rehearsed, by the bold undertaking of this noble gentle-
man, who, besides a universal applause, and the great re-
wards he received from his gracious prince, deserved to have
this action of his engraven on tables of brass, in a perpetual
memorial of his worth. What that unpolished age was
capable to give, as a monument to future generations, he