6 ‘O whether is this a rich man’s house, Or whether is it a puir?’ But never a word would the auld bodies speak, For the barring o the door. 7 First they bad good een to them, And syne they bad good morrow; But never a word would the auld bodies speak, For the barring o the door, O. 8 First they ate the white puddin, And syne they ate the black, And aye the auld wife said to hersel, May the deil slip down wi that! 9 And next they drank o the liquor sae strong, And syne they drank o the yill: ‘And since we hae got a house o our ain I’m sure we may tak our fill.’ 10 It’s says the ane unto the ither, Here, man, tak ye my knife, An ye’ll scrape aff the auld man’s beard, While I kiss the gudewife. 11 ‘Ye hae eaten my meat, ye hae drucken my drink, Ye’d make my auld wife a whore!’ ‘John Blunt, ye hae spoken the foremost word, Ye maun rise up and bar the door.’ C Johnson’s Museum, IV, 376, No 365, 1792. Contributed by Robert Burns. 1 There livd a man in yonder glen, And John Blunt was his name; O He maks gude maut and he brews gude ale, And he bears a wondrous fame. O 2 The wind blew in the hallan ae night, Fu snell out oer the moor; ‘Rise up, rise up, auld Luckie,’ he says, ‘Rise up, and bar the door.’ 3 They made a paction tween them twa, They made it firm and sure, Whaeer sud speak the foremost word Should rise and bar the door. 4 Three travellers that had tint their gate, As thro the hills they foor, They airted by the line o light Fu straught to Johnie Blunt’s door. 5 They haurld auld Luckie out o her bed And laid her on the floor, But never a word auld Luckie wad say, For barrin o the door. 6 ‘Ye’ve eaten my bread, ye hae druken my ale, And ye’ll mak my auld wife a whore!’ ‘A ha, Johnie Blunt! ye hae spoke the first word, Get up and bar the door.’ * * * * * =A. a.= _Johnson’s Museum has these variations_: 2^4. Gat up and. 4^3. first who should speak the foremost word. =b.= 1^3. That our gudewife had. 1^4. she boild. 2^1. wind blew cauld frae east. 2^4. Get up and. 3^3. hunder. 3^4. Its neer be barrd by. 4^2. word whaever spak. 5^1. come. 5^3. Whan they can see na ither house. 5^4. And at the door they light. 7^2. And syne. 7^3. Tho _wanting_. 8^1. Then ane unto the ither said. 9^3. bree. 11^1. O up then started. 11^3. you have spak the first word. O _is added to the second and fourth lines for singing, in both of the Museum copies and in_ =B=. FOOTNOTES: [87] All the above have been cited by Reinhold Köhler, Jahrbuch für romanische u. englische Literatur, XII, 348 f., or by Clouston, Popular Tales and Fictions, II, 15 ff. 276