4 ‘Here, tak frae me this gay mantile, And gie to me a plaidie; Tho kith and kin and a’ had sworn, I’ll follow the gypsie laddie. 5 ‘Yestreen I lay in a weel-made bed, And my gude lord beside me; This night I’ll lie in a tenant’s barn, Whatever shall betide me. 6 ‘Last night I lay in a weel-made bed, Wi silken hangings round me; But now I’ll lie in a farmer’s barn, Wi the gypsies all around me. 7 ‘The first ale-house that we come at, We’ll hae a pot o brandie; The next ale-house that we came at, We’ll drink to gypsie Geordie.’ 8 Now when our lord cam home at een, He speir’d for his fair lady; The ane she cried, [the] tither replied, ‘She’s awa wi the gypsie laddie.’ 9 ‘Gae saddle me the gude black steed; The bay was neer sae bonnie; For I will neither eat nor sleep Till I be wi my lady.’ 10 Then he rode east, and he rode west, And he rode near Strabogie, And there he found his ain dear wife, Drinking wi gypsie Geordie. 11 ‘And what made you leave your houses and land? Or what made you leave your money? Or what made you leave your ain wedded lord, To follow the gypsie laddie? 12 ‘Then come thee hame, my ain dear wife, Then come thee hame, my hinnie, And I do swear, by the hilt of my sword, The gypsies nae mair shall come near thee.’ 13 Then we were seven weel-made men, But lack! we were nae bonnie, And we were a’ put down for ane, For the Earl o Cassilis’ ladie. * * * * * G #a.# A broadside in the Roxburghe Ballads, III, 685, entered in the catalogue, doubtfully, as of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1720. #b.# A recent stall-copy, Catnach, 2 Monmouth Court, Seven Dials. 1 There was seven gypsies all in a gang, They were brisk and bonny; O They rode till they came to the Earl of Castle’s house, And there they sang most sweetly. O 2 The Earl of Castle’s lady came down, With the waiting-maid beside her; As soon as her fair face they saw, They called their grandmother over. 3 They gave to her a nutmeg brown, And a race of the best ginger; She gave to them a far better thing, ’Twas the ring from off her finger. 4 She pulld off her high-heeld shoes, They was made of Spanish leather; She put on her highland brog[u]es, To follow the gypsey loddy. 5 At night when my good lord came home, Enquiring for his lady, The waiting-maid made this reply, ‘She’s following the gypsey loddy.’ 6 ‘Come saddle me my milk-white steed, Come saddle it so bonny, As I may go seek my own wedded wife, That’s following the gypsey loddy. 7 ‘Have you been east? have you been west? Or have you been brisk and bonny? Or have you seen a gay lady, A following the gypsey loddy?’