"Nowe sell me thy harpe," sayd the kyng of Spayne, "Thy harpe and stryngs eche one, And as many gold nobles thou shalt have, As there be stryngs thereon." 240 "And what wold ye doe with my harpe," he sayd, Iff I did sell it yee?" "To playe my wiffe and me a fitt, When abed together we bee." "Now sell me," quoth hee, "thy bryde soe gay, 245 As shee sitts laced in pall, And as many gold nobles I will give, As there be rings in the hall." "And what wold ye doe with my bryde soe gay, Iff I did sell her yee? 250 More seemelye it is for her fayre bodye To lye by mee than thee." Hee played agayne both loud and shrille, And Adler he did syng, "O ladye, this is thy owne true love; 255 Noe harper, but a kyng. "O ladye, this is thy owne true love, As playnlye thou mayest see; And Ile rid thee of that foule paynim, Who partes thy love and thee." 260 The ladye looked, the ladye blushte, And blushte and lookt agayne, While Adler he hath drawne his brande, And hath the Sowdan slayne. Up then rose the kemperye men, 265 And loud they gan to crye: "Ah! traytors, yee have slayne our kyng, And therefore yee shall dye." Kyng Estmere threwe the harpe asyde, And swith he drew his brand; 270 And Estmere he, and Adler yonge, Right stiffe in stour can stand. And aye their swordes soe sore can byte, Through helpe of gramarye, That soone they have slayne the kempery men, 275 Or forst them forth to flee. Kyng Estmere tooke that fayre ladye, And marryed her to his wiffe, And brought her home to merrye England, With her to leade his life. 280 27. MS. Many a man ... is. 136. MS. ryde, but see v. 140. v. 187. Then they pulled out a ryng of gold, Layd itt on the porters arme. The rings so often used in ballads to conciliate the porter would seem to be not personal ornaments, but coins. For an account of Ring Money, see the paper of Sir William Betham, in the seventeenth volume of the _Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy_. SIR CAULINE. From _Reliques of English Poetry_, i. 44. "This old romantic tale," says Percy, "was preserved in the Editor's folio MS., but in so very defective and mutilated a condition, (not from any chasm in the MS., but from great omission in the transcript, probably copied from the faulty recitation of some illiterate minstrel,) that it was necessary to supply several stanzas in the first part, and still more in the second, to connect and complete the story."