"O rede, O rede, mither," he says, "A gude rede gie to me: O sail I tak the nut-brown bride, And let fair Annet be?" "The nut-brown bride haes gowd and gear, Fair Annet she has gat nane; And the little beauty fair Annet haes, O it wull soon be gane." (_rede_, advice.) And he has till his brother gane: "Now, brother, rede ye me; A', sail I marry the nut-brown bride, And let fair Annet be?" "The nut-brown bride has oxen, brother, The nut-brown bride has kye: I wad hae ye marry the nut-brown bride, And cast fair Annet by." "Her oxen may die i' the house, billie, And her kye into the byre, And I sail hae nothing to mysel', But a fat fadge by the fire." And he has till his sister gane: "Now sister, redè ye me; O sail I marry the nut-brown bride, And set fair Annet free?" "I'se rede ye tak fair Annet, Thomas, And let the brown bride alane; Lest ye should sigh, and say, Alas, What is this we brought hame!" "No, I will tak my mither's counsel, And marry me out o' hand; And I will tak the nut-brown bride; Fair Annet may leave the land." (_byre_, cow-house. _fadge,_hag.) Up then rose fair Annet's father, Twa hours or it were day, And he is gane into the bower Wherein fair Annet lay. "Rise up, rise up, fair Annet," he says, "Put on your silken sheen; Let us gae to St. Mary's kirk, And see that rich weddeen." "My maids, gae to my dressing-room, And dress to me my hair; Where-e er ye laid a plait before, See ye lay ten times mair. "My maids, gae to my dressing-room, And dress to me my smock; The one half is o' the holland fine, The other o' needle-work." The horse fair Annet rade upon, He amblit like the wind; Wi' siller he was shod before, Wi' burning gowd behind. Four and twanty siller bells Were a' tied till his mane, And yae tift o' the norland wind, They tinkled ane by ane. (_sheen_, shoes. _tift_, puff.) Four and twanty gay gude knights Rade by fair Annet's side, And four and twenty fair ladies, As gin she had bin a bride. [Illustration: 0101] And whan she cam to Mary's kirk, She sat on Mary's stean: The cleading that fair Annet had on It skinkled in their een. And whan she cam into the kirk, She shimmer'd like the sun; The belt that was about her waist, Was a' wi' pearls bedone. (_skinkled_, sparkled.) She sat her by the nut-brown bride, And her een they were sae clear, Lord Thomas he clean forgat the bride, When fair Annet drew near. He had a rose into his hand, He gae it kisses three, And reaching by the nut-brown bride, Laid it on fair Annet's knee. [Illustration: 0102] Up than spak the nut-brown bride, She spak wi' mickle spite; "And where gat ye that rose-water, That does mak ye sae white?" "O I did get the rose-water