He turn'd them loose at the castle gate, Ower muir and moss and ilka dale; And she ne'er let the Wanton bait, But kept him a-galloping hame to her foal. The mare she was right swift o' foot, 45 She didna fail to find the way; For she was at Lochmaben gate A lang three hours before the day. When she came to the Harper's door, There she gave mony a nicker and sneer-- 50 "Rise up," quo' the wife, "thou lazy lass; Let in thy master and his mare." Then up she rose, put on her clothes, And keekit through at the lock-hole-- "O, by my sooth," then cried the lass, 55 "Our mare has gotten a braw brown foal!" "Come haud thy tongue, thou silly wench! The morn's but glancing in your ee; I'll wad my hail fee against a groat, He's bigger than e'er our foal will be." 60 Now all this while in merry Carlisle The Harper harped to hie and law, And the fiend dought they do but listen him to, Until that the day began to daw. But on the morn at fair daylight, 65 When they had ended a' their cheer, Behold the Wanton Brown was gane, And eke the poor blind Harper's mare! "Allace! allace!" quo' the cunning auld Harper, "And ever allace that I cam here; 70 In Scotland I hae lost a braw cowt foal, In England they've stown my gude gray mare!" "Come, cease thy allacing, thou silly blind Harper, And again of thy harping let us hear; And weel payd sall thy cowt-foal be, 75 And thou sall have a far better mare." Then aye he harped, and aye he carped, Sae sweet were the harpings he let them hear! He was paid for the foal he had never lost, And three times ower for the gude GRAY MARE. 80 JOHNIE OF BREADISLEE. AN ANCIENT NITHSDALE BALLAD. _Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border_, iii. 114.