‘My blessing on your heart, sweet thing! Wae to your wilfu’ will! Sae mony a gallant gentleman’s blood This day as ye’ve gar’d spill.’ XIX But a’ you lords of fair England, If you be English born, Come never to Scotland to seek a wife Or else ye’ll get the scorn. XX They’ll haik ye up[543], and settle ye by[544], Until your weddin’-day; Then gie ye frogs instead o’ fish, And do ye foul, foul play. FOOTNOTES: [539] weel-far’d = well-favoured. [540] lave = rest. [541] fere = mate. [542] spier’d = asked. [543] haik ye up = hold you in suspense. [544] settle ye by = keep you waiting aside. _89. Johnie Armstrong_ I Sum speiks of lords, sum speiks of lairds, And sick lyke men of hie degrie; Of a gentleman I sing a sang, Sum tyme called Laird of Gilnockie. II The King he wrytes a luving letter, With his ain hand sae tenderly, And he hath sent it to Johnie Armstrang, To cum and speik with him speedily. III The Eliots and Armstrangs did convene; They were a gallant cumpanie-- ‘We’ll ride and meit our lawful King, And bring him safe to Gilnockie.’ IV ‘Make kinnen[545] and capon ready, then, And venison in great plentie; We’ll wellcum here our royal King; I hope he’ll dine at Gilnockie!’-- V They ran their horse on the Langholme howm, And brak their spears wi’ mickle main; The ladies lukit frae their loft windows-- ‘God bring our men weel hame agen!’ VI When Johnie cam’ before the King, Wi’ a’ his men sae brave to see, The King he movit his bonnet to him; He ween’d he was King as weel as he. VII ‘May I find grace, my sovereign liege, Grace for my loyal men and me? For my name it is Johnie Armstrang, And a subject of yours, my liege,’ said he. VIII ‘Away, away, thou traitor strang! Out o’ my sight soon mayst thou be! I grantit never a traitor’s life, And now I’ll not begin wi’ thee.’-- IX ‘Grant me my life, my liege, my King! And a bonny gift I’ll gie to thee: Full four-and-twenty milk-white steids, Were a’ foal’d in ae yeir to me. X ‘I’ll gie thee a’ these milk-white steids, That prance and nicker[546] at a speir; And as mickle gude Inglish gilt[547], As four o’ their braid backs dow[548] bear.’-- XI ‘Away, away, thou traitor strang! Out o’ my sight soon mayst thou be! I grantit never a traitor’s life, And now I’ll not begin wi’ thee!’-- XII ‘Grant me my life, my liege, my King! And a bonny gift I’ll gie to thee: Gude four-and-twenty ganging[549] mills, That gang thro’ a’ the yeir to me. XIII