Communicated to Robert Chambers by Elliot Anderson,
Galashiels, 21 April, 1827, in a letter preserved among Kinloch's
papers. Copied, with changes, in Kinloch Manuscripts, I, 177.
Furnished me by Mr. Macmath.
| 1 |
'I wish we had our king,' quo Gude Wallace,
'An ilka true Scotsman had his nawn;
For between us an the southron louns
I doubt some ill seed has been sawn.' |
| 2 |
Wallace he owre the water gaed,
An looked low down by a glen,
An there he saw a pretty, pretty maid,
As she was at the well washin. |
| 3 |
'O weel may ye wash, my bonny, bonny maid!
An weel may ye saep, an me to see!
If ye have ony tidins to tell,
I pray you tell them unto me.' |
| 4 |
'I have no tidins for to tell,
Nor ony uncos do I ken;
But up into yon little alehouse
An there sits fyfteen Englishmen. |
| 5 |
'An ay they are speakin o Gude Wallace,
An ay they are doomin him to hang:'
'O forbid!' quo Gude Wallace,
'He's owre truehearted a Scotsman. |
| 6 |
'Had I but a penny in my pouch,
As I have not a single bawbee,
I would up into yon little alehouse,
An ay thae southron blades to see.' |
| 7 |
She's put her hand into her pouch,
An counted him out pennies three;
'If ever I live to come back this way,
Weel paid the money it shall be.' |
| 8 |
He's taen a staff into his hand,
An leand himsel outowre a tree,
An he's awa to yon little alehouse,
An ay the southron louns to see. |
| 9 |
When he gaed in to that little alehouse,
He bad his bennison be there;
The captain answered him [in] wrath,
He answerd him with domineer. |
| 10 |
'O whare was ye born, ye crooked auld carle?
An how may this your dwellin be?'
'O I was born in fair Scotland,
A crooked carle altho I be.' |
| 11 |
'O I would een gie twenty shillins
To ony sic crooked carle as thee
That wad find me out Gude Wallace;
For ay that traitor I lang to see.' |
| 12 |
'Haud out your hand,' quo Gude Wallace,
'I doubt your money be not gude;
If ye'll gie ither twenty shillins,
It neer shall bide ye anither bode.' |
| 13 |
He's taen the captain outowre the jaws,
Anither word spak he neer mair;
An five he sticket whare they sat,
The rest lay scramblin here an there. |
| 14 |
'Get up, get up, gudewife,' he says,
'An get some meat ready for me,
For I hae fasted this three lang days;
A wat right hungry I may be.' |
| 15 |
The meat it wasna weel made ready,
Nor as weel on the table set,
Till there cam fyfteen Englishmen
An lighted a' about the yett. |
| 16 |
The gudewife ran but, the gudeman ran ben;
It put them a' in sic a stoure
That five he sticket whare they sat,
An five lay sprawlin at the door. |
| 17 |
An five are to the greenwood gane,
An he's hangd them a' outowre a tree,
An before the mornin at twal o clock
He dined wi his men at Loch Marie. |
