14 ‘Oh, pray forbear, my father dear; That ever such a thing should be! Shall I venture my body in field to fight With a man that’s faith and troth to me?’ 15 ‘What’s that thou sayst, thou limmer loon? Or how dare thou stand to speak to me? If thou do not end this quarrel soon, Here is my glove thou shalt fight me.’ 16 Christy stoopd low unto the ground, Unto the ground, as you’ll understand: ‘O father, put on your glove again, The wind hath blown it from your hand.’ 17 ‘What’s that thou sayst, thou limmer loon? Or how dare thou stand to speak to me? If thou do not end this quarrel soon, Here is my hand thou shalt fight me.’ 18 Christy Grahame is to his chamber gone, And for to study, as well might be, Whether to fight with his father dear, Or with his bully Bewick he. 19 ‘If it be [my] fortune my bully to kill, As you shall boldly understand, In every town that I ride through, They’ll say, There rides a brotherless man! 20 ‘Nay, for to kill my bully dear, I think it will be a deadly sin; And for to kill my father dear, The blessing of heaven I neer shall win. 21 ‘O give me your blessing, father,’ he said, ‘And pray well for me for to thrive; If it be my fortune my bully to kill, I swear I’ll neer come home alive.’ 22 He put on his back a good plate-jack, And on his head a cap of steel, With sword and buckler by his side; O gin he did not become them well! 23 ‘O fare thee well, my father dear! And fare thee well, thou Carlisle town! If it be my fortune my bully to kill, I swear I’ll neer eat bread again.’ 24 Now we’ll leave talking of Christy Grahame, And talk of him again belive; But we will talk of bonny Bewick, Where he was teaching his scholars five. 25 Now when he had learnd them well to fence, To handle their swords without any doubt, He’s taken his own sword under his arm, And walkd his father’s close about. 26 He lookd between him and the sun, To see what farleys he coud see; There he spy’d a man with armour on, As he came riding over the lee. 27 ‘I wonder much what man yon be That so boldly this way does come; I think it is my nighest friend, I think it is my bully Grahame. 28 ‘O welcome, O welcome, bully Grahame! O man, thou art my dear, welcome! O man, thou art my dear, welcome! For I love thee best in Christendom.’ 29 ‘Away, away, O bully Bewick, And of thy bullyship let me be! The day is come I never thought on; Bully, I’m come here to fight with thee.’ 30 ‘O no! not so, O bully Grahame! That eer such a word should spoken be! I was thy master, thou was my scholar: So well as I have learnëd thee.’ 31 ‘My father he was in Carlisle town, Where thy father Bewick there met he; He said I was bad, and he calld me a lad, And a baffled man by thou I be.’