And he wad doe their errands weel,
And meikle he wad say,
And ilka ane at Lon'on court
Wad bid to him guid day.
Then neist came in a sodger youth,1
And spak wi' modest grace,
An' he wad gae to Lon'on town,
If sae their pleasure was.
He wad nae hecht2 them courtly gift,
Nor meikle speech pretend;
But he wad hecht an honest heart
Wad ne'er desert his friend.
Now, whom to choose, and whom refuse,
To strife thae Carlins fell;
For some had gentle folk to please,
And some wad please themsel.
Than out spak mim-mou'd Meg o' Nith,
An' she spak out wi' pride,
An' she wad send the sodger youth
Whatever might betide.
For the auld guidman o' Lon'on court
She dinna care a pin,
But she wad send the sodger youth
To greet his eldest son.
Then up sprang Bess o' Annandale :
A deadly aith she's ta'en,
That she wad vote the border Knight,
Tho' she should vote her lane.
For far-aff fowls hae feathers fair,
An' fools o' change are fain:
But I hae tried this border Knight,
An' I'll trie him yet again.
Says auld black Joan frae Creighton peel,
A Carlin stout and grim,
The auld guidman, or young guidman,
For me may sink or swim!
For fools may prate o' right and wrang,
While knaves laugh them to scorn:
But the sodger's friends hae blawn the best,
Sae he shall bear the horn.
Then whiskey Jean spak owre her drink,
Ye weel ken, kimmers a',
The auld guidman o' Lon'on court,
His back's been at the wa'.
And monie a friend that kiss'd his caup,
Is now a fremit wight;
But it's ne'er sae wi' whiskey Jean,—
We'll send the border Knight."
Then slow raise Marjorie o' the Lochs,
And wrinkled was her brow;
Her ancient weed was russet gray,
Her auld Scots heart was true.
"There's some great folks set light by me,
I set as light by them;
But I will send to Lon'on town,
Wha I lo'e best at hame."
So how this weighty plea will end,
Nae mortal wight can tell;
God grant the King, and ilka man,
May look weel to himsel' !!
THE DEUKS DANG O'ER MY DADDIE.
THE bairns gat out wi' an unco shout,
The deuks dang o'er my daddie, O!
The fient ma care, quo' the feirie auld wife,
He was but a paidlin body, O!
He paidles out, and he paidles in,
An' he paidles late and early, O;
Thae seven lang years I hae lien by his side,
An' he is but a fusionless carlie, O.
O haud your tongue, my feirie auld wife,
O haud your tongue now, Nansie, O:
I've seen the day, and sae hae ye,
Ye wadna been sae donsie, O:
I've seen the day ye butter'd my brose,
And cuddl'd me late and earlie, O;
But downa do's come o'er me now,
And, oh, I feel it sairly, O!
THE LASS THAT MADE THE BED TO ME.
WHEN Januar' wind was blawing cauld,
As to the north I took my way,
The mirksome night did me enfauld,
I knew na where to lodge till day.
By my good luck a maid I met,
Just in the middle o' my care;
And kindly she did me invite
To walk into a chamber fair.
I bow'd fu' low unto this maid,
And thank'd her for her courtesie;
I bow'd fu' low unto this maid,
And bade her mak a bed to me.
She made the bed baith large and wide,
Wi' twa white hands she spread it down ;
She put the cup to her rosy lips,
And drank, "Young man, now sleep ye soun."
She snatch'd the candle in her hand,
And frae my chamber went wi' speed;
But I call'd her quickly back again
To lay some mair below my head.
A cod1 she laid below my head,
And served me wi' due respect;
And to salute her wi' a kiss,
I put my arms about her neck.
"Haud aff your hands, young man," she says,
And dinna sae uncivil be;
hae onie love for me,
wrang na my virginite!"
Her hair was like the links o' gowd,
Her teeth were like the ivorie;
Her cheeks like lilies dipt in wine,
The lass that made the bed to me.
Her bosom was the driven snaw,
Twa drifted heaps sae fair to see ;
Her limbs the polish'd marble stane,
The lass that made the bed to me.
I kissed her owre and owre again,
And aye she wist na what to say;
I laid her 'ween me and the wa',
The lassie thought na lang till day.
Upon the morrow when we rose,
I thank'd her for her courtesie ;
But aye she blush'd, and aye she sighed,
And said, "Alas! ye've ruin'd me."
I clasp'd her waist, and kiss'd her syne,
While the tear stood twinklin in her e'e;
I said, "My lassie, dinna cry,
For ye aye shall mak the bed to me'
She took her mither's Holland sheets,
And made them a' in sarks to me:
Blythe and merry may she be,
The lass that made the bed to me.
The bonnie lass made the bed to me,
The braw lass made the bed to me:
I'll ne'er forget till the day I die,
The lass that made the bed to me!
TUNE "SUCH A PARCEL OF ROGUES IN A NATION."
FAREWEEL to a' Scottish fame,
Fareweel our ancient glory!
Fareweel even to the Scottish name,
Sae fam'd in martial story!
Now Sark rins o'er the Solway sands,
And Tweed rins to the ocean,
To mark where England's province stands;
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
What guile or force could not subdue,
Through many warlike ages,
Is wrought now by a coward few,
For hireling traitors' wages.
The English steel we could disdain,
Secure in valour's station,
But English gold has been our bane
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
O would, or had I seen the day
That treason thus could sell us,
My auld grey head had lien in clay,
Wi' Bruce and loyal Wallace!
But pith and power, till my last hour
I'll mak this declaration,
We're bought and sold for English gold:-
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
THERE WAS A BONNIE LASS.
THERE was a bonnie lass, and a bonnie, bonnie lass, And she lo'ed her bonnie laddie, dear;
Till war's loud alarms tore her laddie frae her arms, Wi' monie a sigh and tear.
Over sea, over shore, where the cannons loudly roar,
He still was a stranger to fear:
And nocht could him quell, or his bosom assail,
But the bonnie lass he lo'ed sae dear.
MY HARRY WAS A GALLANT GAY.
TUNE "HIGHLANDER'S LAMENT.”
My Harry was a gallant gay,
Fu' stately strode he on the plain ! But now he's banish'd far away,
I'll never see him back again.
O for him back again,
O for him back again,
I wad gie a' Knock haspie's land,
For Highland Harry back again.
When a' the lave gae to their bed,
I wander dowie up the glen;
I sit me down and greet my fill,
And aye I wish him back again.
O for him, &c.
O were some villains hangit high,
And ilka body had their ain,
Then I might see the joyfu' sight,
My Highland Harry back again!
O for him, &c.
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