English and Scottish Ballads Volume I Part 20

"If that piece of courtisie I do to thee, Another thou must do to me. 20

"I have an aiker of good ley land, Which lyeth low by yon sea strand;

"It's ye maun till't wi' your touting horn, And ye maun saw't wi' the pepper corn;

"And ye maun harrow't wi' a thorn, 25 And hae your wark done ere the morn;

"And ye maun shear it wi' your knife, And no lose a stack o't for your life;

"And ye maun stack it in a mouse hole, And ye maun thrash it in your shoe sole; 30

"And ye maun dight it in your loof, And also sack it in your glove;

"And ye maun bring it over the sea,[L33]

Fair, and clean, and dry to me;

"And when that ye have done your wark, 35 Come back to me, and ye'll get your sark."

"I'll not quite my plaid for my life; It haps my seven bairnes and my wife."

"My maidenhead I'll then keep still, Let the Elfin knight do what he will. 40

"My plaid awa, my plaid away, And owre the hills and far awa, And far awa to Norowa', My plaid shall not be blawn awa."

33, thou must.

THE BROOMFIELD HILL.

A fragment of this ballad was printed in Herd's Collection, ("_I'll wager, I'll wager_," i. 226.) The present version is from the _Border Minstrelsy_, (iii. 28,) and we have added another from Kinloch's _Ancient Scottish Ballads_. A somewhat longer copy is given in Buchan's _Ballads_, (ii. 291,) and a modernized English one, of no value, (_The West Country Wager_,) in _Ancient Poems_, &c., Percy Society, vol. xvii. p. 116.

_Brume, brume on hil_, is mentioned in the _Complaynt of Scotland_, and formed part of Captain c.o.x's well-known collection.

A Danish ballad exhibits the same theme, though differently treated: _Sovnerunerne_, Grundtvig, No. 81.

There was a knight and a lady bright, Had a true tryst at the broom; The ane ga'ed early in the morning, The other in the afternoon.

And aye she sat in her mother's bower door, 5 And aye she made her mane, "O whether should I gang to the Broomfield hill, Or should I stay at hame?

"For if I gang to the Broomfield hill, My maidenhead is gone; 10 And if I chance to stay at hame, My love will ca' me mansworn."--

Up then spake a witch woman, Aye from the room aboon; "O, ye may gang to Broomfield hill, 15 And yet come maiden hame.

"For when ye come to the Broomfield hill, Ye'll find your love asleep, With a silver belt about his head, And a broom-cow at his feet. 20

"Take ye the blossom of the broom, The blossom it smells sweet, And strew it at your true love's head, And likewise at his feet.

"Take ye the rings off your fingers, 25 Put them on his right hand, To let him know, when he doth awake, His love was at his command."--

She pu'd the broom flower on Hive-hill, And strew'd on's white hals bane, 30 And that was to be wittering true, That maiden she had gane.

"O where were ye, my milk-white steed, That I hae coft sae dear, That wadna watch and waken me, 35 When there was maiden here?"--

"I stamped wi' my foot, master, And gar'd my bridle ring; But nae kin' thing wald waken ye, Till she was past and gane."-- 40

"And wae betide ye, my gay goss hawk, That I did love sae dear, That wadna watch and waken me, When there was maiden here."--

"I clapped wi' my wings, master, 45 And aye my bells I rang, And aye cry'd, Waken, waken, master, Before the ladye gang."--

"But haste and haste, my gude white steed, To come the maiden till, 50 Or a' the birds of gude green wood Of your flesh shall have their fill."--

"Ye needna burst your gude white steed, Wi' racing o'er the howm; Nae bird flies faster through the wood, 55 Than she fled through the broom."

LORD JOHN.

From Kinloch's _Ancient Scottish Ballads_, (p. 195.)

"I'll wager, I'll wager," says Lord John, "A hundred merks and ten, That ye winna gae to the bonnie broom-fields, And a maid return again."--

"But I'll lay a wager wi' you, Lord John, 5 A' your merks oure again, That I'll gae alane to the bonnie broom-fields, And a maid return again."

Then Lord John mounted his grey steed, And his hound wi' his bells sae bricht, 10 And swiftly he rade to the bonny broom-fields, Wi' his hawks, like a lord or knicht.

"Now rest, now rest, my bonnie grey steed, My lady will soon be here; And I'll lay my head aneath this rose sae red, 15 And the bonnie burn sae near."

But sound, sound, was the sleep he took, For he slept till it was noon; And his lady cam at day, left a taiken and away, Gaed as licht as a glint o' the moon. 20

She strawed the roses on the ground, Threw her mantle on the brier, And the belt around her middle sae jimp, As a taiken that she'd been there.

The rustling leaves flew round his head, 25 And rous'd him frae his dream; He saw by the roses, and mantle sae green, That his love had been there and was gane.

"O whare was ye, my gude grey steed, That I coft ye sae dear; 30 That ye didna waken your master, Whan ye ken'd that his love was here."--

"I paut.i.t wi' my foot, master, Garr'd a' my bridles ring; And still I cried, Waken, gude master, 35 For now is the hour and time."--

"Then whare was ye, my bonnie grey hound, That I coft ye sae dear, That ye didna waken your master, Whan ye kend that his love was here."-- 40

"I paut.i.t wi' my foot, master, Garr'd a' my bells to ring; And still I cried, Waken, gude master, For now is the hour and time."--

"But whare was ye, my hawks, my hawks, 45 That I coft ye sae dear, That ye didna waken your master, Whan ye ken'd that his love was here."--