10 And whan he came ben to the parlour-door, He asked for his fair lady, But some denied, and ithers some replied, ‘She’s awa wi a gypsie laddie.’ 11 ‘Then saddle,’ quoth he, ‘my gude black naig, For the brown is never sae speedy; As I will neither eat nor drink Till I see my fair lady. 12 ‘I met wi a cheel as I rade hame, And thae queer stories said he; Sir, I saw this day a fairy queen Fu pack wi a gypsie laddie. 13 ‘I hae been east, and I hae been west, And in the lang town o Kircadie, But the bonniest lass that ever I saw Was following a gypsie laddie.’ 14 Sae his lordship has rade owre hills and dales, And owre mony a wild hie mountain, Until that he heard his ain lady say, ‘Now my lord will be hame frae the hounting.’ 15 ‘Than will yon come hame, my hinnie and my love?’ Quoth he to his charming dearie, ‘And I’ll keep ye aye in a braw close room, Where the gypsies will never can steer ye.’ 16 Said she, ‘I can swear by the sun and the stars, And the moon whilk shines sae clearie, That I am as chaste for the gypsie Jockie Faw As the day my minnie did bear me.’ 17 ‘Gif ye wad swear by the sun,’ said he, ‘And the moon, till ye wad deave me, Ay and tho ye wad take a far bigger aith, My dear, I wadna believe ye. 18 ‘I’ll tak ye hame, and the gypsies I’ll hang, Ay, I’ll make them girn in a wuddie, And afterwards I’ll burn Jockie Faw, Wha fashed himself wi my fair lady. 19 Quoth the gypsies, We’re fifteen weel-made men, Tho the maist o us be ill bred ay, Yet it wad be a pity we should a’ hang for ane, Wha fashed himself wi your fair lady. 20 Quoth the lady, My lord, forgive them a’, For they nae ill eer did ye, And gie ten guineas to the chief, Jockie Faw, For he is a worthy laddie. 21 The lord he hearkened to his fair dame, And O the gypsies war glad ay! They danced round and round their merry Jockie Faw, And roosed the gypsie laddie. 22 Sae the lord rade hame wi his charming spouse, Owre the hills and the haughs sae whunnie, And the gypsies slade down by yon bonny burn-side, To beek themsells there sae sunnie. * * * * * F The Songs of England and Scotland [by P. Cunningham], London, 1835, II, 346, taken down, as current in the north of England, from the recitation of John Martin, the painter. 1 The gypsies came to the Earl o Cassilis’ gate, And O but they sang bonnie! They sang sae sweet and sae complete That down cam our fair ladie. 2 And she cam tripping down the stair, Wi her twa maids before her; As soon as they saw her weel-far’d face, They coost their glamer oer her. 3 ‘O come wi me,’ says Johnnie Faw, ‘O come wi me, my dearie, For I vow and swear, by the hilt of my sword, Your lord shall nae mair come near ye.’