"O seven lang years wad I sit here,
Amang the frost and snaw,

A' to ha'e but ane o' these bonnie boys,
A playing at the ba?"

Then up and spake the eldest boy,
"Now listen, thou fair ladie,
And ponder well the read that I tell,
Then make ye a choice of the three.

""Tis I am Peter, and this is Paul, And that ane, sae fair to see,

But a twelve-month sinsyne to paradise came, To join with our companie."

"OI will ha'e the snaw-white boy,

The bonniest of the three."

"And if I were thine, and in thy propine, O what wad ye do to me?"

"'Tis I wad clead thee in silk and gowd, And nourice thee on my knee."

"O mither! mither! when I was thine, Sic kindness I couldna see.'

"Beneath the turf, where now I stand,
The fause nurse buried me;

The cruel penknife sticks still in my heart,
And I come not back to thee."

INDEX OF FIRST LINES.

AE wastefu' howl o'er earth and sea,

A noble marquess, as he did ride a-hunting,

As I was walking all alane,

At Mill o' Tifty lived a man,

PAGE

447 355 384

459

Behold the touchstone of true love,

Be it right, or wrong, these men among,

Clerk Saunders and May Margaret,
Come, listen to me, you gallants so free,
Cope sent a challenge frae Dunbar,
Cospatrick has sent o'er the faem,

Dark was the night, and wild the storm,

Down Dee-side came Inverey whistling and playing,

465

Foul fa' the breast first treason bred in!

14

Frae Dunideir as I came throuch,

79

From heavy dreams fair Helen rose,

290

Gil Morice was an erle's son,
Glasgerion was a king's owne sonne,
God prosper long our noble king,
Gude Lord Scroope's to the hunting gane,

Heard ye ever of a bludy knight,
Henry, our royall king, would ride a hunting,
Her mither died when she was young,
How sweetly shines through azure skies,

In Auchtermuchty thair dwelt ane man,
Is there ever a man in all Scotland,
It fell about the Lammas tide,
It fell about the Martinmas,

It was in and about the Martinmas time,

I wish I were where Helen lies!

Johnie rose up in a May morning,

Lady Margaret sits in her bower door,
Lammikin was as gude a mason,
Late at e'en, drinking the wine,

Lithe and listen, gentlemen,
Lord John stood in his stable door,

Near Edinburgh was a young child born,
Now Liddesdale has ridden a raid,

O billie, billie, bonnie billie,

O Dickie, 'tis light, and the moon shines bright,

Of all the Scottish northern chiefs,

Of Brutus' blood, in Brittaine` born,

Oh, came ye ower by the Yoke-burn Ford?
Oh, have ye na heard o' the fause Sakelde?
Oh, heard ye na o' the silly blind harper?
Oh hone a rie'! oh hone a rie'!

Oh I forbid ye, maidens a',

Oh I will sing to you a sang,
Oh, waly, waly, my gay goss-hawk,
Oh well is me, my jolly goss-hawk,

Oh, wha will shoe my bonny foot?

Oh, wha wad wish the wind to blaw,

Oh, where have you been, my long, long love,
Oh woe is me, the time draws nigh,

270

276
362

'Rise up, rise up, now, Lord Douglas,' she says,

Sir John Cope trode the north right far,
Some speikis of lords, some speikis of lairds,
Stately stept he east the wa',

The Baron of Smaylho'me rose with day,
The Chevalier, being void of fear,
The gypsies cam to our gude lord's yett,
The king sits in Dunfermline toun,
The Laird of Roslin's daughter,

The Master of Weemys has biggit a ship,
The Percy out of Northumberland,
There ance lived a king in fair Scotland,
There are twelve months in all the year,
There cam a strange wicht to our town-en',
There came a ghost to Margret's door,
There stands a knicht at the tap o' yon hill,
There was a braw ball in Edinburgh,
There was a lass, as I heard say,

There was a may, and a weel far'd may,

There was a youth, and a well-beloved youth,
There were three ladies in a ha',
These were twa brothers at the scule,
There were two sisters sat in a bour,

They shot him dead at the Nine-Stane Rig,
Threescore o' nobles rade up the king's ha',
Traquair has ridden up Chapelhope,
True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank,

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380

181

94

91

329

331

387

237

'Twas at the silent, solemn hour,

'Twas on a night, an evening bright,