"What news, what news, my silly auld man, What news? come tell to me;" "Na news, na news," said the silly auld man, "But what my een did see. 40 "As I cam in by yon greenwud, And doun amang the scrogs, The bonniest youth that e'er I saw, Lay sleeping atween twa dogs. "The sark that he had on his back, 45 Was o' the Holland sma'; And the coat that he had on his back, Was laced wi' gowd fu' braw." Up bespak the first forester, The first forester of a'-- 50 "And this be Johnie o' Cocklesmuir, It's time we were awa." Up bespak the niest forester, The niest forester of a'-- "And this be Johnie Cocklesmuir, 55 To him we winna draw." The first shot that they did shoot, They woundit him on the thie; Up bespak the uncle's son,-- "The niest will gar him die." 60 "Stand stout, stand stout, my noble dogs, Stand stout and dinna flee; Stand fast, stand fast, my gude gray hunds, And we will mak them die." He has killed six o' the proud foresters, 65 And wounded the seventh sair; He laid his leg out owre his steed, Says, "I will kill na mair." THE SANG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY. _Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border_, i. 369. "This ballad appears to have been composed about the reign of James V. It commemorates a transaction supposed to have taken place betwixt a Scottish monarch and an ancestor of the ancient family of Murray of Philiphaugh, in Selkirkshire. The Editor is unable to ascertain the historical foundation of the tale; nor is it probable that any light can be thrown upon the subject, without an accurate examination of the family charter-chest.... "The merit of this beautiful old tale, it is thought, will be fully acknowledged. It has been, for ages, a popular song in Selkirkshire. The scene is by the common people supposed to have been the Castle of Newark upon Yarrow. This is highly improbable, because Newark was always a royal fortress. Indeed, the late excellent antiquarian, Mr. Plummer, Sheriff-depute of Selkirkshire, has assured the Editor that he remembered the _insignia_ of the unicorns, &c., so often mentioned in the ballad, in existence upon the old Tower of Hangingshaw, the seat of the Philiphaugh family; although, upon first perusing a copy of the ballad, he was inclined to subscribe to the popular opinion. The Tower of Hangingshaw has been demolished for many years. It stood in a romantic and solitary situation, on the classical banks of the Yarrow. When the mountains around Hangingshaw were covered with the wild copse which constituted a Scottish forest, a more secure stronghold for an outlawed baron can scarcely be imagined.