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O, mickle dolour shall ye dree,*

And aye the salt seas o'er ye'se swim,
And far more dolour shall ye dree

On Estmere + Crags, when ye them climb.

I weird ye to a fiery beast,

And relieved shall ye never be,
Till Kempion, the King his son,

Come to the crag, and thrice kiss thee.

O, mickle dolour did she dree,

And aye the salt seas o'er she swam,
And far more dolour did she dree

On Estmere Crags, ere she them clamb.

And aye she cried for Kempion,

Gin he would but come to her hand.-
Now word has gone to Kempion,
That such a beast was in his land.

Now by my sooth, said Kempion,
This fiery beast I'll gang and see.—
And, by my sooth, said Segramour,
My only brother, I'll gang with thee.

Then builded have they a bonny boat,
And they have set her to the sea;
But a mile before they reached the shore,
Around them she gar'd ‡ the red fire flee.

O Segramour, keep the boat afloat

And let her not the land o'er near;
For this wicked beast will sure go mad,
And set fire to a' the land and mair.

Soon has he bent an arblast bow,

Suffer.

And aimed an arrow at her head,

+ Estmere crags are probably intended to represent the cliffs of Northum berland, in opposition to Westmoreland.-W. S.

I Caused.

And swore, if she did not quit the land,
With that same shaft to shoot her dead.

O out of my stythe I winna rise,
(And it is not for the a' of thee),
Till Kempion, the King his son,

Come to the crag, and thrice kiss me.

He has louted him o'er the dizzy crag,
And given the monster kisses ane;
Awa she gaed, and again she came,
The fieryest beast that ever was seen!

O out of my stythe I winna rise,
(And not for a' thy bow nor thee),
Till Kempion, the King his son,

Come to the crag, and thrice kiss me.

He's louted him o'er the Estmere crags,
And he has given her kisses twa:
Awa she gaed, and again she came,
The fieryest beast that ever you saw !*

O out of my den I winna rise,

Nor flee it for the fear of thee,
Till Kempion, that courteous knight,
Come to the crag, and thrice kiss me.

He's louted him o'er the lofty crag,

And he has given her kisses three;

* Sir Walter Scott has taken a hint from this, in one of the episodes in

the Lady of the Lake :

"She Crossed him once, she Crossed him twice,

That lady was so brave;

The fouler grew his goblin hue,

The darker grew the cave.

"She Crossed him thrice,- that lady bold,

He rose beneath her hand;

The fairest knight on Scottish mould,

Her brother, Ethert Brand,"

Away she gaed, and again she came,
The loveliest lady e'er could be!

And by my sooth, says Kempion,
My own true love (for this is she),
They surely had a heart of stone
Could put thee to such misery.

O was it warwolf in the wood,

Or was it mermaid on the sea;

Or was it man, or vile woman,

My ain true love, that misshaped thee?

It was no warwolf in the wood,
Nor was it mermaid in the sea;
But it was my wicked step-mother,
And wae and weary may she be.

O! a heavier weird shall light her on
Than ever fell on vile woman;

Her hair shall grow rough, and her teeth grow lang,
And on her four feet shall she gang.

None shall take pity her upon:

In Wormeswood she aye shall wan,
And relieved shall she never be,

Till Saint Mungo come over the sea :—
And, sighing, said that weary wight,

"I doubt that day I'll never see.”

SCOTT'S BORDER MINSTRELSY.

WILLIE OF KINMONT.

THIS, which Sir Walter Scott characterises as one of the last and most gallant achievements performed upon the Border, took place in the year 1596.

O HAVE ye na heard of the false Sakelde?—

O have ye na heard of the keen Lord Scroop?— How they have taken bold Kinmont Willie,

On Hairibee* to hang him up?

Had Willie had but twenty men;

But twenty men as stout as he,

False Sakelde had never the Kinmont ta'en,
With eightscore in his company.

They bound his legs beneath the steed,--
They tied his hands behind his back,—

They guarded him fivesome on each side,
And they brought him over the Liddel-rack.

They led him through the Liddel-rack,
And also through the Carlisle sands,—
They brought him to Carlisle castle,
To be at my Lord Scroop's commands.

The place of execution for the English Marches, at Carlisle.

My hands are tied, but my tongue is free;
And who will dare this deed avow,
Or answer by the Border law,

Or answer to the bold Buccleugh?

Now hold thy tongue, thou rank rover,
There's never a Scott shall set ye free;
Before ye cross my castle-gate,

I trow ye shall take farewell of me.

Fear na ye that, my Lord, quoth Willie;

By the faith of my body, Lord Scroop, he said, I never yet lodged in a hostelrie, *

But I paid my lawing + before I gaed.

Now word is gane to the bold Keeper,
In Branksome Ha', where that he lay,
That Lord Scroop has taken the Kinmont Willie,
Between the hours of night and day.

He has taken the table with his hand,
He gar'd the red wine spring on hie:
Now Christ's curse on my head, he said,
But avenged of Lord Scroop I'll be!

O is my basnet a widow's curch, §

Or my lance a wand of the willow tree

Or my arm a lady's lily hand,

That an English lord should lightly || me?

And have they ta’en him—Kinmont Willie,
Against the truce of Border tide,

And forgotten that the bold Buccleuch
Is keeper here on the Scottish side?

And have they e’en ta’en him—Kinmont Willie, Withouten either dread or fear,

* Inn.
§ Coif.

+ Reckoning.

+ Helmet.

Set light by.

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