[He gat his foot upon the spyre,[L81-88] To have gotten the flesche doune to the pat; He fell backward into the fyre, And brack his head on the keming stock. Yit he gat the mekle pat upon the fyre, 85 And gat twa cannes, and ran to the spout; Er he came in, quhat thought ye of that? The fyre brunt aw the pat-a... out.] Than he beur kendling to the kill, But scho start all up in ane low; 90 Quhat evir he hard, quhat evir he saw, That day he had na will to mow. Then he yeid to tak up the bairnis, Thocht to haif fund thame fair and clene; The first that he gat in his armis 95 Was all bedirtin to the ene. The first that he gat in his armis, It was all dirt up to the eine; "The devill cut of thair handes," quoth he, "That fild you all sa fow this strene." 100 He trailit foull scheitis doun the gait, Thought to haif wescht thame on ane stane; The burne wes rissin grit of spait, Away fra him the scheitis hes tane. Then up he gat on ane know heid, 105 On hir to cry, on hir to schout;[L106] Scho hard him, and scho hard him not, Bot stoutly steird the stottis about. Scho draif the day unto the night, Scho lousit the pluch, and syne come hame; 110 Scho fand all wrang that sould bene richt, I trow the man thought richt grit schame. Quoth he, "My office I forsaik, For all the dayis of my lyf, For I wald put ane house to wraik, 115 Had I bene twenty dayis gudwyf." Quoth scho, "Weill mote ye bruke your place, For trewlie I will never excep it:" Quoth he, "Feind fall the lyaris face, Bot yit ye may be blyth to get it." 120 Than up scho gat ane mekle rung, And the gudman maid to the doir;[L122] Quoth he, "Dame, I sall hald my tung, For and we fecht I'ill get the woir." Quoth he, "Quhen I forsuk my pluche, 125 I trow I but forsuk my seill; And I will to my pluch agane, Ffor I and this howse will nevir do weill." 81-88. This stanza, which does not occur in the Bannatyne MS., or in the ordinary printed copies, is given by Laing from a MS. "written in a hand not much later than the year 1600." 106. MS. cray. 122. MS. dur. THE FRIAR IN THE WELL.