The first stroke stricken at Aldingar

Smote off his leggs by the knee.

"Stand up, stand up, thou false traitòr, And fight upon thy feete,

For and thou thrive, as thou begin'st,

180

Of height wee shall be meete."

A priest, a priest, sayes Aldingar,
While I am a man alive.

185

A priest, a priest, sayes Aldingar,
Me for to houzle and shrive.

I wolde have laine by our comlie queene,

But shee wolde never consent;

Then I thought to betraye her unto our kinge

In a fyer to have her brent.

There came a lazar to the kings gates,

A lazar both blind and lame:
I tooke the lazar upon my backe,

And on her bedd had him layne.

Then ranne I to our comlye king,
These tidings sore to tell.
But ever alacke! sayes Aldingar,

190

195

Falsing never doth well.

200

Forgive, forgive me, queene, madame,

The short time I must live.

"Nowe Christ forgive thee, Aldingar,

As freely I forgive."

Then turnd to look for the tinye boye;
-The boye was vanisht and gone.

But first he had touchd the lazar man,

215

And stroakt him with his hand : The lazar under the gallowes tree All whole and sounde did stand.

The lazar under the gallowes tree

Was comelye, straight and tall;

King Henrye made him his head stewarde

To wayte withinn his hall.

220

X.

The Gaberlunzie Man.

A SCOTTISH SONG.

Tradition informs us that the author of this song was King James V. of Scotland. This prince (whose character for wit and libertinism bears a great resemblance to that of his gay successor Charles II.) was noted for strolling about his dominions in disguise,* and for his frequent gallantries with country girls. Two adventures of this kind he hath celebrated with his own pen, viz. in this ballad of The Gaberlunzie Man; and in another entitled The Jolly Beggar, beginning thus:

Thair was a jollie beggar, and a begging he was boun,
And he tuik up his quarters into a land'art toun.

Fa, la, la, &c.

It seems to be the latter of these ballads (which was too licentious to be admitted into this collection) that is meant in the Catalogue of Royal and Noble Authors,† where the ingenious writer remarks, That there is something very ludicrous in the young woman's distress when she thought her first favour had been thrown away upon a beggar.

Bishop Tanner has attributed to James V. the celebrated ballad of Christ's Kirk on the Green, which is ascribed to King James I. in Bannatyne's MS., written in 1568: And notwithstanding that authority, the Editor of this book is of opinion that Bishop Tanner was right.

King James V. died Dec. 13th, 1542, aged 33.

* Sc. of a tinker, beggar, &c. Thus he used to visit a smith's daughter at Niddry, near Edinburgh.

† Vol. ii. p. 203.

THE pauky auld Carle came ovir the lee
Wi' mony good-eens and days to mee,
Saying, Goodwife, for zour courtesie,

Will ze lodge a silly poor man?
The night was cauld, the carle was wat,
And down azont the ingle he sat ;
My dochters shoulders he gan to clap,
And cadgily ranted and sang.

O wow! quo he, were I as free,
As first when I saw this countrie,
How blyth and merry wad I bee!
And I wad nevir think lang.
He grew canty, and she grew fain;
But little did her auld minny ken

5

10

What thir slee twa togither were say'n,
When wooing they were sa thrang.

15

And O! quo he, ann ze were as black,
As evir the crown of your dadyes hat,

Tis I wad lay thee by my back,

And awa wi' me thou sould gang.

20

And O! quoth she, ann I were as white,

As evir the snaw lay on the dike,

Ild clead me braw, and lady-like,

And awa with thee Ild

gang.

Between the twa was made a plot ;
They raise a wee before the cock,

25

And wyliely they shot the lock,

And fast to the bent are they gane. Up the morn the auld wife raise,

And at her leisure put on her claiths, Syne to the servants bed she gaes

To speir for the silly poor man.

She gaed to the bed, whair the beggar lay,
The strae was cauld, he was away,

She clapt her hands, cryd, Dulefu' day!

For some of our geir will be

gane.

Some ran to coffer, and some to kist,

But nought was stown that could be mist.

She dancid her lane, cryd, Praise be blest,
I have lodgd a leal poor man.

40

Since naithings awa, as we can learn,

The kirns to kirn, and milk to earn,

Gae butt the house, lass, and waken my bairn,

And bid her come quickly ben.

The servant gaed where the dochter lay,

45

The sheets was cauld, she was away,

And fast to her goodwife can say,
Shes aff with the gaberlunzie-man.

O fy gar ride, and fy gar rin,

And hast ze, find these traitors agen;

50

For shees be burnt, and hees be slein,

The wearyfou gaberlunzie-man.

* Ver. 29, the carline. other copies.