P. 284. B as it stands in "The Old Lady's Collection,"
No 26.
| 1 |
Earell is a bonny place,
Itt stands upon yon plain;
The gratest faut about the toun,
Earell's na a man. |
| |
For fat ye caa the danton o'tt,
According as ye ken,
For the pearting . . .,
Lady Earel lays her lean. |
| 2 |
Eearel is a bonny place,
It stans upon yon plain;
The rosses they grou read an whit,
An the apples they grou green. |
| 3 |
'Fatt nead I my apron wash
An hing upon yon pinn?
For lang will I gaa out an in
Or I hear my barn's dinn. |
| 4 |
'Fatt nead I my apron wash,
Or hang upoiTyon dor?
For side an wid is my petecot,
An eaen doun afore. |
| 5 |
Bat I will laice my stays agean,
My middel jump an smaa;
I ull gaa a' my days a meaden,
Awaa, Earell, awaa!' |
| 6 |
It fell ance upon a day Lord Earell
Went to hunt him lean,
. . .
. . . |
| 7 |
He was na a mill fra the toun,
Nor yett sae far awaa,
Till his lady is on to Edinbrugh,
To tray him att the laa. |
| 8 |
Littel did Lord Earell think,
Fan he satt doun to dine,
That his lady was one to Edinbrugh,
Nor fatt was in her mind. |
| 9 |
Till his best servant came
For to latt him kenn,
. . .
. . . |
| 10 |
She was na in att the toun-end,
Nor yett sa far awa,
Till Earell he was att her back,
His goudy lokes to sha. |
| 11 |
She was na in att the toun-head,
Nor just att the eand,
Till Earell he was att her back,
Her earent for to ken. |
| 12 |
'As lang as they caa ye Kett Carnege,
An me Sir Gilbert Hay,
I us gar yer father sell Kinnerd,
Yer tougher for to pay.' |
| 13 |
'For to gar my father sell Kennerd,
It wad be a sin,
To gee 't to ony naughty knight
That a toucher canna wine.' |
| 14 |
Out spak the first lord,
The best among them a';
'I never seed a lady come to Edinbrugh
We sick matters to the laue.' |
| 15 |
Out spak the nixt lord,
The best of the toun;
'Ye gett fiften weell-fared maids,
An pitt them in a roun,
An Earl in the midst of them,
An latt him chouss out ane.' |
| 16 |
They ha gotten fiften well-fared maids,
An pat them in a roun,
An Earel in the mids of them,
An bad him chuse out ane. |
| 17 |
He voued them a' intell a rau,
Even up an doun,
An he has chossen a well-fared may,
An Meggie was her name. |
| 18 |
He touk her by the hand,
Afore the nobles a',
An tuenty times he kissed her moue,
An lead her throu the haa. |
| 19 |
'Louk up, Meggie, luke up, Meggie,
An thinkne sham[e];
As lang as ye see my goudy loks,
Lady Earel's be yer name.' |
| 20 |
Thir was fifteen nobelmen,
An as mony ladys gay,
To see Earel proven a man
. . . |
| 21 |
'Ye tak this well-fared may,
An keep her three roun reaths of a year,
An even att the three raiths' end
I ull draue near.' |
| 22 |
They ha tane that well-fared may,
An kepeed her three roun reaths of a year,
An even att the three raiths' end
Earel's son she bare. |
| 23 |
The gentelmen they ga a shout,
The ladys gaa a caa,
Fair mat faa him Errel,
But vou to his lady! |
| 24 |
He was na in at the toun-head,
Nor just att the end,
Till the letters they wer metting him
That Errol had a son. |
| 25 |
'Luke up, Megie, luk up, Meggie,
An think na shame;
As lang as ye see my bra blak hat,
Lady Earrol's be yer name. |
| 26 |
'I will gie my Meggie a mill,
Bat an a pice of land,
. . .
To foster my young son. |
| 27 |
'Fare is a' my merry men a',
That I pay meat an gair,
For to conve my Meggie hame,
. . . |
| 28 |
. . .
. . .
Even in Lord Barrel's coach
They conved the lassie hame. |
| 29 |
'Tak hame yer dother, Lord Kennard,
An take her to the glen,
For Earell canno pleas her,
Ear ell nor a' his men.' |
| 30 |
'Had I ben lady of Barrel,
Of sick a boony place,
I wadne gain to Edinbrugh
My husband to disgrace.' |
288. E is also in the small Manuscript volume of C.K.
Sharpe's, "Songs," p. 17. The reading in 34 is "toss,"
"top" being a mis-copy.
289. Findlay Manuscripts, I, 135; 'Airlie,' from Miss
Butchart, Arbroath.
| 1 |
Lord Airlie's courted mony a lady,
He's courted mony a ane, O
An he's awa to bonny Kinnaird,
Lady Katrine's love to win. O |
| 2 |
An when he cam to bonny Kinnaird,
An on the bowlin-green,
There he saw his ain Katrine,
Was walking there alane. |
| 3 |
'O will ye go to bonnie Airlie,
Alang wi me to dine?
Or will ye go to bonny Airlie,
To be my lady fine?' |
| 4 |
'I winna go to bonny Airlie
Alang wi you to dine,
But I will go to bonny Airlie
To be your lady fine.' |
| 5 |
He would not hae the lady gay,
That rustled in her silk,
But he would hae the country-girl,
Goin to sell her milk. |
| 6 |
He took his Peggie by the hand
An led her through the ha,
An twenty times he kissed her,
Before the nobles a'. |
| 7 |
He took his Peggie by the hand
An led her through the trance,
An twenty times he kissed her
Before he bade her dance. |
Findlay Manuscripts, I, 153, from Bell Harris, Muirside of
Kinnell, Forfarshire, "once a servant of the family of Carnegie,
and now upwards of eighty years of age (1868)."
| 1 |
They hae made a marriage o 't,
An they hae made it sune, O
An they hae made a marrige o 't,
It stood at Earlstoon. O |
| 2 |
When een was come, an bells were rung,
An a' men boond for bed,
The earl and his gay ladie
In ae chamber were laid. |
| 3 |
It's up i the mornin the earl rose,
Went to anither room;
Up she rose an away she goes,
An to Kinnaird she came. |
| 4 |
They socht her up, they socht her doon,
They socht her through a' the toon,
An she was seen walkin her lane,
An her bed-goon it was on. |
| 5 |
He wissd his horse had broken's neck
When first he to Kinnaird did come. |
| 6 |
There was na ane bade him come in
But John Lindsay him lane. |
| 7 |
When he was at bonny Kinnaird,
An on the bowlin-green,
His hair was like the threeds o gold,
An his eyes like diamonds sheen;
He micht 'U ae served the best Carnegie,
That ever bore the name. |
| 8 |
He said, Tho ye be Kate Carnegie,
I am Sir Gilbert Hay;
I'll gar your father sell Kinnaird,
Your tocher-gude he maun pay. |
| 9 |
'To gar my father sell his land
I think it were a sin,
For ony silly brat like you;
Ye couldna tocher win. |
| 10 |
'I may wash my apron
An hing it on the tower,
An I may kilt my petticoats,
They 're even doon afore.' |
| 11 |
But the earl he's awa to Edinbro,
To prove himself a man;
The lady she fast followd him,
To swear that he was none. |
| 12 |
An when they cam to Edinbro,
And into the ha,
There she saw her ain gude lord,
Amang the nobles a'. |
| 13 |
He took the tapster-lass
An led her through the room,
An twenty times he kissed her mou,
Afore his lady's een. |
| 14 |
She took the cocks all frae her head
An dashed them at the wa;
'Awa! awa, Lord Earl!' she says,
'Awa, Lord Earl, awa!' |
| 15 |
But the earl he hae gotten leave
To choise a maid unto himsel,
An he hae choised a country-lass,
Cam butter an eggs to sell. |
| 16 |
He took the lassie by the hand
An led her through the room:
'I'd gie thee three times three hundred pound,
If you'd bear to me a son.' |
| 17 |
'Haud aff your hands, Lord Earl,' she said,
'Haud aff your hands frae me;
For I wad think it a great disgrate
For a' my kin an me.' |
| 18 |
But he has called for a private room,
An there he laid her doun,
An there he took his will o her,
Upon a bed o down. |
| 19 |
She was three quarters of a year
Confined to a room,
And bonny was the babe she bore,
Sir John Hay was his name. |
| 20 |
Wae be to you, Peggie Stuart,
That ae sister o mine!
Ye 've pairted me an my gude lord,
We'll never meet again.' |
| 21 |
Up spak her sister, Lady Jean,
. . .
An I could gain sick an estate,
I wad gien my husband up to disdain. |
290. D b. Now collated with a Manuscript of
Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, and with another copy of the same
pieces in "North Country Ballads," Miscellanea Curiosa,
Abbotsford Library.
290 b, line 6. Read 73.
