But atween the stable-door and the sta',
Burd Helen made a stand.

"O room ye round, my bonnie broun steids; O room ye near the wa';

66

For the pain that strikes through my twa sides, I fear, will gar me fa'."

She leaned her back again the wa';

Strong travail came her on; And e'en amang the horses' feet,

Burd Helen bare a son.

Lord John's mother intill her bower

Was sitting all alane,

When in the silence o' the night

She heard Burd Helen's maen.

Win up, win up, my son," she says;
"Gae see how a' does fare,

For I think I hear a woman's groans,
And a bairnie greeting sair!"

Lord John is to the stable gane,
As fast as he could hie;

0 open, 0 open, Burd Helen," he says,

"Ye'll open the door to me!"

"How can I open, how shall I open,
How can I open to thee?
I'm lying amang your horses' feet,
Your young son on my knee."

He hit the door then wi' his foot,
Sae did he wi' his knee;

Till planks o' deal and locks o' airn,
In flinders gar'd he flee.

"An askin', an askin', Lord John," she says, "An askin' ye'll grant me :

The warsten bed in a' your towers
For thy young son and me!"

O yes,

O yes, Burd Helen," he said,
"A' that and mair frae me;

The very best bower in a' my towers
For my young son and thee."

"An askin', an askin', Lord John,” she says, "An askin' ye'll grant me,

The meanest woman in a' the house
To wait on him and me."

"The highest lady in a' my bowers

Shall wait on him and thee,

And that's my sister, Isabel,

And a sweet young maid is she.

"O ye will tak' up my little young son,

And wash him wi' the milk, And ye'll tak' up my ain lady, And row her in the silk.

"And cheer ye up, Burd Helen," he says, "Look nae mair sad or wae,

For your wedding and your kirking too, Shall baith be in ae day."

THE BATTLE OF CORRICHIE.

THIS rude ballad, composed in the dialect of Aberdeen, and said to have been written by one John Forbes, schoolmaster at Mary Culter, upon Deeside, commemorates an unfortunate battle which took place in 1562, during the reign of Queen Mary, between the royal troops and the dependants of the great northern Earl of Huntley. It would require more space than I can afford, to give an account of the circumstances which led to this disastrous encounter, and which compelled a loyal nobleman to appear in the odious character of a rebel. Queen Mary had then just returned from France, and was under the tutelage of her illegitimate brother, Murray, who, according to my understanding of the annals of those times, infamously abused his trust, for the purpose of destroying a powerful rival. The following extract, giving an account of the battle, is from Maitland's History :

"Huntley, thus perceiving that all hopes of reconciling himself to her Majesty were lost (his enemy, too, the Earl of Mar, being created Earl of Murray), assembled all his friends, and approached Aberdeen, trusting to the affection of the citizens of that place, and the secret intelligence of the Queen's affairs, sent him by the Earl of Sutherland and Lesly of Buquhane, who attended the court. But being informed that their correspondence was discovered, and that Lesly was taken, he began to retreat; till, hearing the Earl of Murray was at his heels, he determined to fight; and for

that purpose retired into the forest of Corrichy, a place almost wholly surrounded by a marsh. It was not long before Murray came in view and joined battle; but many of his foot giving way, he had certainly been defeated, had not his cavalry, where fought the Earl of Morton and Lord Lindsay, not only sustained the shock of the pursuing Huntleans, but with their lances, which the others had unwarily abandoned, drove them back to the forest. This, Murray's fugitives perceiving, returned, and slaughtered the flying Gordons.

"In this conflict the Earl himself was taken prisoner, with his two sons, John and Adam. Buchanan says that the father, being corpulent, was smothered in the crowd; but the author of the 'Innocence of Mary' writes, that he was murdered by the express orders of Murray. In whatever manner, however, Huntley was killed, certain it is that John was publicly beheaded three days after at Aberdeen, when his winning aspect and valourous deportment on the scaffold drew tears from the spectators. Adam was spared on account of his youth."

MOURN ye heighlands, and

TOURN ye heighlands, and mourn ye leighlands,
I trow ye hae meikle need;

For the bonnie burn o' Corrichie,
Has run this day wi' bleid.

The hopefu' Laird o' Finlater,

Erle Huntley's gallant son,

For the love he bare our beauteous queene,

Has gar'd fair Scotland moan.

He has broken his ward in Aberdeen,
Thro' dreid o' the fause Murray,

And has gather'd the gentle Gordon clan
And his father, auld Huntley.

Fain wad he tak' our bonny gude queene,
And bear her awa wi' him;

But Murray's slee wiles spoilt a' the sport,
And reft him o' life and limb.

Murray gar'd raise the tardy Merns men,
An' Angus, and mony mair ;

Erle Morton, and the Byres Lord Lindsay;
And campit at the Hill o' Fair.

Erle Huntley cam' wi' Haddo Gordon,
An' countit ane thousan' men ;
But Murray had abune twal hunder,
Wi' sax score horsemen and ten.

They sounded the bugles an' the trumpets,
And march'd on in brave array ;
Till the spears and the axes forgather'd,
An' then did begin the fray.

The Gordons sae fiercelie did fecht it,
Withouten terror or dreid;

That mony o' Murray's men lay gaspin',
And dyed the grund wi' their bleid.

Then fause Murray feignit to flee them,
An' they pursued at his back,
When the half o' the Gordons deserted,
An' turned wi' Murray in a crack.

Wi' heather in their bonnets they turn'd,
The traitor Haddo at their head,
An' slay'd their brothers and their fathers,
An' spoil'd, and left them deid.

Then Murray cried to tak' the auld Gordon,
An' mony ane ran wi' speid;