23. She set her milk-white foot on board, Cried ‘Hail ye, Domine!’ An’ the Belly Blin was the steerer o’t, To row her o’er the sea. 24. Whan she came to Young Bekie’s gate, She heard the music play; Sae well she kent frae a’ she heard, It was his wedding day. 25. She’s pitten her han’ in her pocket, Gin the porter guineas three; ‘Hae, tak ye that, ye proud porter, Bid the bride-groom speake to me.’ 26. O whan that he cam up the stair, He fell low down on his knee: He hail’d the king, an’ he hail’d the queen, An’ he hail’d him, Young Bekie. 27. ‘O I’ve been porter at your gates This thirty years an’ three; But there’s three ladies at them now, Their like I never did see. 28. ‘There’s ane o’ them dress’d in red scarlet, And twa in dainty green, An’ they hae girdles about their middles Woud buy an earldome.’ 29. Then out it spake the bierly bride, Was a’ goud to the chin: ‘Gin she be braw without,’ she says, ‘We’s be as braw within.’ 30. Then up it starts him, Young Bekie, An’ the tears was in his ee: ‘I’ll lay my life it’s Burd Isbel, Come o’er the sea to me.’ 31. O quickly ran he down the stair, An’ whan he saw ’twas she, He kindly took her in his arms, And kiss’d her tenderly. 32. ‘O hae ye forgotten, Young Bekie The vow ye made to me, Whan I took ye out o’ the prison strong Whan ye was condemn’d to die? 33. ‘I gae you a steed was good in need, An’ a saddle o’ royal bone, A leash o’ hounds o’ ae litter, An’ Hector called one.’ 34. It was well kent what the lady said, That it wasnae a lee, For at ilka word the lady spake, The hound fell at her knee. 35. ‘Tak hame, tak hame your daughter dear, A blessing gae her wi’, For I maun marry my Burd Isbel, That’s come o’er the sea to me.’ 36. ‘Is this the custom o’ your house, Or the fashion o’ your lan’, To marry a maid in a May mornin’, An’ send her back at even?’ [Annotations: 4.1: ‘borrow,’ ransom. 6.1,2: ‘but ... ben,’ out ... in. 7.3: ‘stown,’ stolen. 8.3: ‘rottons,’ rats. 15.2: The MS. reads ‘How y you.’ 16.3: ‘marys,’ maids. 29.1: ‘bierly,’ stately.] OLD ROBIN OF PORTINGALE +Text.+-- The Percy Folio is the sole authority for this excellent ballad, and the text of the MS. is therefore given here _literatim_, in preference to the copy served up ‘with considerable corrections’ by Percy in the _Reliques_. I have, however, substituted a few obvious emendations suggested by Professor Child, giving the Folio reading in a footnote. +The Story+ is practically identical with that of _Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard_; but each is so good, though in a different vein, that neither could be excluded.