"To whom must I yield," quoth Earl Percy, "Now that I see it must be so?" "Thou shalt not yield to lord nor loon, Nor yet shalt thou yield to me; But yield thee to the bracken bush, That grows upon yon lily lea." "I will not yield to a bracken bush, Nor yet will I yield to a briar; But I would yield to Earl Douglas, Or Sir Hugh the Montgomery, if he were here." As soon as he knew it was Montgomery, He struck his swords point in the ground; The Montgomery was a courteous knight, And quickly took him by the hand. This deed was done at the Otterbourne, About the breaking of the day; Earl Douglas was buried at the bracken bush And the Percy led captive away. (_swapped_, smote.) THE BONNY LASS OF ANGLESEY |Our king he has a secret to tell, And ay well keepit it must be; The English lords are coming down To dance and win the victory. Our king has cried a noble cry, And ay well keepit it must be: "Gar saddle ye, and bring to me The bonny lass of Anglesey." Up she starts, as white as the milk, Between him and his company: "What is the thing I hae to ask, If I should win the victory?" "Fifteen ploughs but and a mill I gie thee till the day thou die, And the fairest knight in a' my court To chuse thy husband for to be." She's taen the fifteen lord[s] by the hand, Saying, "Will ye come dance with me?" But on the morn at ten o'clock They gave it o'er most shamefully. Up then raise the fifteenth lord-- I wat an angry man was he-- Laid by frae him his belt and sword, And to the floor gaed manfully. He said, "My feet shall be my dead Before she win the victory;" But before't was ten o'clock at night He gaed it o'er as shamefully. THE WEE WEE MAN |As I was walking all alone, Atween a water and a wa', And there I spied a wee wee man, He was the least that ere I saw. His legs were scarce a shathmont's length, And thick and thimber was his thigh; Between his brows there was a span, And between his shoulders there was three. He took up a mickle stane, And he flang't as far as I could see; Though I had been a Wallace wight, I couldna liften't to my knee. (_shathmont_, six inches.) "O wee wee man, but thou be strang! Oh, tell me where thy dwelling be?" "My dwelling's down at yon bonnie bower, O will ye go with me and see?" On we lap, and awa' we rade, Till we came to yon bonny green; We lighted down for to bait our horse, And out there cam a lady fine; Four and twenty at her back, And they were a' clad out in green; Though the King of Scotland had been there, The warst o' them might hae been his queen. On we lap, and awa' we rade, Till we came to yon bonny ha'; Where the roof was o* the beaten gowd, And the floor was o' the crystal a'. When we cam to the stair foot