* * * *
*
Sum speikis of lords, sum speikis of lairds,
And sick lyke men of hie degrie;
Of a gentleman I sing a sang,
Sum tyme called laird of Gilnockie.
The king he wrytes a luving letter,
With his ain hand sae tenderly,
And he hath sent it to Johnie Armstrang,
To cum and speik with him speedily.
The Eliots and Armstrangs did convene;
They were a gallant cumpanie—
“We’ll ride and meit our lawful
king,
And bring him safe to Gilnockie.”
“Make kinnen118 and capon ready
then,
And venison in great plentie;
We’ll wellcum here our royal king;
I hope he’ll dine at Gilnockie!”
They ran their horse on the Langhome howm,
And brak their speirs wi’ mickle
main;
The ladies lukit frae their loft windows—
“God bring our men weel back agen!”
When Johnie cam before the king,
Wi’ a’ his men sae brave to
see,
The king he movit his bonnet to him;
He ween’d he was a king as well
as he.
“May I find grace, my sovereign
liege,
Grace for my loyal men and me?
For my name it is Johnie Armstrang,
And subject of your’s, my liege,”
said he.
“Away, away, thou traitor strang!
Out o’ my sight soon may’st
thou be!
I grantit nevir a traitor’s life,
And now I’ll not begin wi’
thee.”
“Grant me my life, my liege, my
king!
“And a bonny gift I’ll gie
to thee—
“Full four and twenty milk-white
steids,
“Were a’ foaled in ae yeir
to me.
“I’ll gie thee a’ these
milk-white steids,
“That prance and nicker119 at
a speir;
“And as mickle gude Inglish gilt120,
“As four of their braid backs dow121
bear.”
“Away, away, thou traitor strang!
“Out o’ my sight soon may’st
thou be!
“I grantit never a traitor’s
life,
“And now I’ll not begin wi’
thee!”
“Grant me my life, my liege, my
king!
“And a bonny gift I’ll gie
to thee—
“Gude four and twenty ganging122
mills,
“That gang thro’ a’
the yeir to me.
“These four and twenty mills complete,
“Sall gang for thee thro’
a’ the yeir;
“And as mickle of gude reid wheit,
“As a’ their happers dow to
bear.”
“Away, away, thou traitor strang!
“Out o’ my sight soon may’st
thou be!
“I grantit nevir a traitor’s
life,
“And now I’ll not begin wi’
thee.”
“Grant me my life, my liege, my
king!
“And a great gift I’ll gie
to thee—
“Bauld four and twenty sister’s
sons,
“Sall for thee fecht, tho’
a’ should flee!”
“Away, away, thou traitor strang!
“Out o’ my sight soon may’st
thou be!
“I grantit nevir a traitor’s
life,
“And now I’ll not begin wi’
thee.”
“Grant me my life, my liege, my
king!
“And a brave gift I’ll gie
to thee—
“All between heir and Newcastle
town
“Sall pay their yeirly rent to thee.”
“Away, away, thou traitor strang!
“Out o’ my sight soon may’st
thou be!
“I grantit nevir a traitor’s
life,
“And now I’ll not begin wi’
thee.”
“Ye lied123, ye lied, now king,”
he says.
“Altho’ a king and prince
ye be!
For I’ve luved naething in my life,
“I weel dare say it, but honesty—
“Save a fat horse,” and a
fair woman,
“Twa bonny dogs to kill a deir;
“But England suld have found me
meal and mault,
“Gif I had lived this hundred yeir!
“Sche suld have found me meal and
mault,
“And beif and mutton in a’
plentie;
“But nevir a Scots wyfe could have
said,
“That e’er I skaithed her
a pure flee.
“To seik het water beneith cauld
ice,
“Surely it is a greit folie—
“I have asked grace at a graceless
face,
“But there is mine for my men and
me!
“But, had I kenn’d ere I cam
frae hame,
“How thou unkind wadst been to me!
“I wad have keepit the border side,
“In spite of al thy force and thee.
“Wist England’s king that
I was ta’en,
“O gin a blythe man he wad be!
“For anes I slew his sister’s
son,
“And on his breist bane brake a
trie.”
John wore a girdle about his middle,
Imbroidered ower wi’ burning gold,
Bespangled wi’ the same metal;
Maist beautiful was to behold.
There hang nine targats124 at Johnie’s
hat,
And ilk are worth three hundred pound—
“What wants that knave that a king
suld have,
But the sword of honour and the crown!
“O whair got thou these targats,
Johnie,
“That blink125 sae brawly abune
thy brie?”
“I gat them in the field fechting,
“Where, cruel king, thou durst not
be.
“Had I my horse, and harness gude,
“And riding as I wont to be,
“It suld have been tald this hundred
yeir,
“The meeting of my king and me!
“God be with thee, Kirsty,[126]
my brother!
“Lang live thou laird of Mangertoun!
“Lang may’st thou live on
the border syde,
“Ere thou see thy brother ride up
and down!
“And God be with thee, Kirsty, my
son,
“Where thou sits on thy nurse’s
knee!
“But and thou live this hundred
yeir,
“Thy father’s better thou’lt
nevir be.
“Farewell! my bonny Gilnock hall,
“Where on Esk side thou stand
est stout!
“Gif I had lived but seven yeirs
mair,
“I wad hae gilt thee round about.”
John murdered was at Carlinrigg,
And all his gallant cumpanie;
But Scotland’s heart was ne’er
sae wae,
To see sae mony brave men die—
Because they saved their countrey deir,
Frae Englishmen! Nane were sae bauld,
Whyle Johnie lived on the border syde,
Nane of them durst cum neir his hauld.
[Footnote 118: Kinnen—Rabbits.]
[Footnote 119: Nicker—Neigh.]
[Footnote 120: Gilt—Gold.]
[Footnote 121: Dow—Able to.]
[Footnote 122: Ganging—Going.]
[Footnote 123: Lied—Lye.]
[Footnote 124: Targats—Tassels.]
[Footnote 125: Blink sae brawly—Glance
so bravely.]
[Footnote 126: Christopher.]
