Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Songs of Scotland prior to Burns

92 SONGS OF SCOTLAND.
And Major Bowie, that worthy soul,
Was brought down to the ground, man ;
His horse being shot, it was his lot
For to get mony a wound, man.
Lieutenant Smith, of Irish birth,
Frae whom he call'd for aid, man,
Being full of dread, lap ower his head,
And wadna be gainsaid, man.
He made sic haste, sae spurr'd his beast,
"Twas little there he saw, man ;
To Berwick rade, and safely said,
The Scots were rebels a', man.
But let that end, for weel 'tis kend
His use and wont to lie, man ;
The Teague is naught, he never fought,
When he had room to flee, man. 1
And Cadell drest, amang the rest,
With gun and good claymore, man,
On gelding gray, he rode that way,
With pistols set before, man :
The cause was good, he'd spend his blood,
Before that he would yield, man ;
But the night before, he left the cor',
And never took the field, man.
1 ' It is reported that, after the publication of the ballad, [Lieutenant
Smithl sent Mr Skirving a challenge to meet him at Haddington, and
answer for his conduct in treating him with such opprobrium. " Gang
awa' back," said Mr Skirving to the messenger, "and tell Mr Smith I have
nae leisure to gae to Haddington ; but if he likes to come here, I '11 tak a
look o' him, and if I think I can fecht him, I '11 fecht him ; and if no—
I'll just do as he did at Preston — I'll rin awa'.'" — Stenhouse's Notes
to Johnson.