About Yule, when the wind blew cool, And the round tables began, A! there is come to our king's court Mony a well-favoured man. The queen looked ower the castle-wa', Beheld baith dale and down, And then she saw Young Waters Come riding to the town. His footmen they did rin before, His horsemen rade behind, Ane mantel o' the burning gowd Did keep him frae the wind. Gowden graithed his horse before, And siller shod behind; The horse Young Waters rade upon Was fleeter than the wind. But then spak a wily lord, Unto the queen said he: 'O tell me wha's the fairest face Rides in the company?' 'I've seen lord, and I've seen laird, And knights of high degree; But a fairer face than Young Waters Mine een did never see.' Out then spak the jealous king, And an angry man was he: 'O if he had been twice as fair, You might have excepted me.' 'You're neither lord nor laird,' she says, 'But the king that wears the crown; There's not a knight in fair Scotland, But to thee maun bow down.' For a' that she could do or say, Appeased he wadna be, But for the words which she had said, Young Waters he maun dee. They hae tane Young Waters, and Put fetters to his feet; They hae tane Young Waters, and Thrown him in dungeon deep. Aft hae I ridden through Stirling town, In the wind but and the weet, But I ne'er rade through Stirling town Wi' fetters at my feet. Aft hae I ridden through Stirling town, In the wind both and the rain, But I ne'er rade through Stirling town Ne'er to return again. They hae tane to the heading-hill His young son in his cradle; They hae tane to the heading-hill His horse both and his saddle. They hae tane to the heading-hill His lady fair to see; And for the words the queen had spoke, Young Waters he did dee. Now, let the parallel passages be here observed. In verse second, the lady does exactly like the mother of Gil Morrice, of whom it is said: The lady sat on the castle-wa', Beheld baith dale and down, And there she saw Gil Morrice' head Come trailing to the town. Dale and down, let it be observed in passing, are words never used in Scotland; they are exotic English terms. The mantle of the hero in verse third recalls that of Gil Morrice, which was 'a' gowd but the hem'--a specialty, we may say, not likely to have occurred to a male mind. What the wily lord does in verse fifth is the exact counterpart of the account of the eldern knight in _Sir Patrick Spence_: Up and spak an eldern knight, Sat at the king's right knee. Observe the description of the king's jealous rage in _Young Waters_; how perfectly the same is that of the baron in _Gil Morrice_: Then up and spak the bauld baron, An angry man was he * *