The Three Perils of Man Volume I Part 18

"His arm was strong, and his heart was stout, And he broke the tower and he got out; Then the king he was an angry man, And an angry man was he, And he said, "Go, lock him in prison strong, And hunger him till he dee.

"That was a hard weird, was it not? Ha-ha! there be many such; for

"He had his wale of seven sisters, Of lith, and lire, and limb so fair; But the loathly dame of the Hazelrig, She ruined his peace for evermair."

"Lo, my son," answered the friar, "thy thoughts are wandering in a wilderness. I only ask thee wherein I have offended thee. For as mine hand is, so is mine heart; and, as my soul liveth, I know not in what respect I have done thee wrong."

"I have not done thee wrong, fair May, I have not done thee wrong, But the cup of death has pa.s.sed my lips, And my life will not be long.

"No, no; dame Delany, you need not bathe my temples. I am not raving. I am not even hurt. The mischievous beast made my horse throw me, but I am nothing the worse."

The friar, not being able to make any thing of the poet himself, applied to the rest, and was soon informed by Tam, that "he was overheard trying to gar the la.s.sie learn the black art, and courting her to nae good; and the poet grew jealous, and was for being revenged."

The friar uttered a loud groan for the ignorance of his a.s.sociates; but, hopeless of making any thing of them at such a period, he only began to moralise in a general manner. The poet was again gotten to mount; and shortly after they reached the ancient town of Selkirk, where they halted and refreshed themselves at the monastery of the Cistertians.

There the laird got his wound dressed, and his dilapidated robes refitted; and that same evening the party reached the castle of Aikwood, the residence of the celebrated wizard Master Michael Scott.

END OF VOL. 1.