Communicated to Percy by R. Lambe, of Norham, apparently in
1768.
| 1 |
'I wish we had a king,' says Wallace,
'That Scotland might not want a head;
In England and in Scotland baith,
I'm sure that some have sowed ill seed.' |
| 2 |
Wallace he oer the water did luke,
And he luked law down by a glen,
And he was aware of a gay lady,
As she was at the well washing. |
| 3 |
'Weel may ye save, fair lady!' he says,
'Far better may ye save and see!
If ye have ony tidings to tell,
I pray cum tell them a' to me.' |
| 4 |
'I have no tidings you to tell,
And as few tidings do I ken;
But up and to yon ostler-house
Are just gane fifteen gentlemen. |
| 5 |
'They now are seeking Gude Wallace,
And ay they're damning him to hang;'
'Oh God forbid,' says Wallace then,
'I'm sure he is a true Scotsman. |
| 6 |
'Had I but ae penny in my pocket,
Or in my company ae baubee,
I woud up to yon ostler-house,
A' these big gentlemen to see.' |
| 7 |
She pat her hand into her pocket,
She powd out twenty shillings and three:
'If eer I live to come this way,
Weel payed shall your money be.' |
| 8 |
He leaned him twafold oer a staff,
Sae did he twafold oer a tree,
And he's gane up to the ostler-house,
A' these fine gentlemen to see. |
| 9 |
When he cam up among them a',
He bad his benison be there;
The captain, being weel buke-learnd,
Did answer him in domineer. |
| 10 |
'Where was ye born, ye cruked carl,
Or in what town, or what countree?'
'O I was born in fair Scotland,
A cruked carl although I be.' |
| 11 |
The captain sware by the root of his sword,
Saying, I'm a Scotsman as weel as thee;
Here's twenty shillings of English money
To such a cruked carl as thee,
If thou'll tell me of that Wallace;
He's ay the creature I want to see. |
| 12 |
'O hawd your hand,' says Wallace then,
'I'm feard your money be not gude;
If 'twere as muckle and ten times mair,
It should not bide another bode.' |
| 13 |
He's taen the captain alang the chaps,
A wat he never chawed mair;
The rest he sticked about the table,
And left them a' a sprawling there. |
| 14 |
'Gude wife,' he said, 'For my benison,
Get up and get my dinner dight;
For it is twa days till an end
Syne I did taste ane bit of meat.' |
| 15 |
Dinner was not weel made ready,
Nor yet upon the table set,
When fifteen other Englishmen
Alighted all about the yate. |
| 16 |
'Come out, come out now, Wallace,' they say,
'For this is the day ye are to dee;
Ye trust sae mickle in God's might,
And ay the less we do fear thee.' |
| 17 |
The gude wife ran but, the gude man ran ben,
They pat the house all in a swither;
Five sune he sticked where he stude,
And five he smitherd in a gutter. |
| 18 |
Five he chac'd to the gude green-wood,
And hanged them a' out-oer a pin;
And at the morn at eight o'clock
He din'd with his men at Lough-mabin. |
