"Yet if againe thou faine woldst change, As change full well may wee, By the faith of my bodye, thou jolly tannèr, I will have some boote of thee." 140 "What boote wilt thou have?" the tanner replyd, "Nowe tell me in this stounde; "Noe pence nor half-pence, sir, by my faye, But I will have twentye pound." "Here's twentye groates out of my purse, 145 And twentye I have of thine; And I have one more, which we will spend Together at the wine." The king set a bugle horne to his mouthe, And blewe both loude and shrille; 150 And soone came lords, and soone came knights, Fast ryding over the hille. "Nowe, out alas," the tanner he cryde, "That ever I sawe this daye! Thou art a strong thiefe; yon come thy fellowes 155 Will beare my cowe-hide away." "They are no thieves," the king replyde, "I sweare, soe mote I thee; But they are lords of the north country, Here come to hunt with mee." 160 And soone before our king they came, And knelt downe on the grounde; Then might the tanner have beene awaye, He had lever than twentye pounde. "A coller, a coller, here," sayd the king, 165 "A coller," he loud gan crye; Then woulde he lever then twentye pound, He had not beene so nighe. "A coller! a coller!" the tanner he sayd, "I trowe it will breed sorrowe; 170 After a coller commeth a halter; I trow I shall be hang'd to-morrowe." "Be not afraid, tanner," said our king; "I tell thee, so mought I thee, Lo here I make thee the best esquire 175 That is in the North countrie.[L176] "For Plumpton-parke I will give thee, With tenements faire beside,-- 'Tis worth three hundred markes by the yeare,-- To maintaine thy good cow-hide." 180 "Gramercye, my liege," the tanner replyde; "For the favour thou hast me showne, If ever thou comest to merry Tamwòrth, Neates leather shall clout thy shoen." 16. In the reign of Edward IV. Dame Cecill, lady of Torboke, in her will dated March 7, A.D. 1466, among many other bequests, has this: "Also I will that my sonne Thomas of Torboke have 13_s._ 4_d._ to buy him an horse." Vide Harleian Catalogue, 2176, 27.--Now if 13_s._ 4_d._ would purchase a steed fit for a person of quality, a tanner's horse might reasonably be valued at four or five shillings.--PERCY. 56. i. e. hast no other wealth, but what thou carriest about thee.--PERCY.