"Set down, set down the corpse,” he said,

"Till I look on the dead;

The last time that I saw her face

She ruddy was and red;
But now, alas! and woe is me,
She's wallow'd like a weed."

He rent the sheet upon her face,
A little aboon her chin;

With lily-white cheek, and lemin' eyne,
She lookt and laugh'd to him.

"Give me a chive of your bread, my love,
A bottle of your wine,

For I have fasted for your love
These weary lang days nine;
There's not a steed in your stable

But would have been dead ere syne.

"Gae hame, gae hame my seven brothers,
Gae hame and blaw the horn;

For you can say in the south of England
Your sister gave you a scorn.

"I came not here to fair Scotland
To lye amang the meal;
But I came here to fair Scotland
To wear the silks so weel.

"I came not here to fair Scotland,
To lye amang the dead;

But I came here to fair Scotland
To wear the gold so red."

EDOM O' GORDON.

"THIS ballad is founded upon a real event, which took place in the north of Scotland, in the year 1571, during the struggles between the party which held out for the imprisoned Queen Mary, and that which endeavoured to maintain the authority of her infant son, James VI. The person here designated Edom o' Gordon, was Adam Gordon of Auchindown, brother of the Marquis of Huntly, and his deputy as lieutenant of the north of Scotland for

the queen. This gentleman committed many acts of oppression on the clan Forbes, under colour of the queen's authority, and, in one collision with that family, killed Arthur, brother to Lord Forbes He afterwards sent a party, under one Captain Car, or Ker, to reduce the house of Towie, one of the chief seats of the name of Forbes. The proprietor of this mansion being from home, his lady, who was pregnant at the time, confiding too much in her sex and condition, not only refused to surrender, but gave Car some very opprobrious language over the walls; which irritated him so much, that he set fire to the house, and burnt the whole inmates, amounting in all to thirty-seven persons. As Gordon never cashiered Car for this inhuman action, he was held by the public voice to be equally guilty; and accordingly we here find a ballad in which he is represented as the principal actor himself. Gordon, in his History of the Family of Gordon, informs us that, in the right o'd spirit of Scottish family feud, the Forbeses afterwards attempted to assassinate Gordon on the streets of Paris. Forbes,' he says, 'with these desperate fellows, lay in wait, in the street through which he was to return to his lodgings from the palace of the Archbishop of Glasgow, then ambassador in France. They discharged their pistols upon Auchindown as he passed by them, and wounded him in the thigh. His servants pursued, but could not catch them; they only found, by good chance, Forbes's hat, in which was a paper with the name of the place where they were to meet. John Gordon, lord of Glenluce and Longormes, son to Alexander Gordon, bishop of Galloway, lord of the bedchamber to the king of France, getting instantly notice of this, immediately acquainted the king, who forthwith despatched le grand prevost de l'hotel, or the great provost of the palace, with his guards, in company with John Gordon, and Sir Adam's servants, to the place of their meeting to apprehend them. When they were arrived at the place, Sir Adam's servants, being impatient, rushed violently into the house, and killed Forbes; but his associates were all apprehended, and broke upon the wheel.' This dreadful incident would surely have made an excellent second part to the ballad."-Chambers.

IT fell about the Martinmas,

When the wind blew shrill and cauld,
Said Edom o' Gordon to his men,
"We maun draw to a hauld.

"And whatna hauld sall we draw to,
My merry men and me?

We will gae to the house of Rodes,
To see that fair ladye."

She had nae sooner buskit hersel',
Nor putten on her goun,
Till Edom o' Gordon and his men
Were round about the toun.

They had nae sooner sitten doun,
Nor suner said the grace,
Till Edom o' Gordon and his men
Were closed about the place.

The ladye ran up to her touir heid,

As fast as she could drie,

To see if, by her fair speeches,
She could with him agree.

As sune as he saw the ladye fair,
And her yetts all lockit fast,
He fell into a rage of wrath,
And his heart was aghast.

“Come down to me, ye ladye fair,
Come down to me, let's see;
This nicht ye'se lie by my ain side,
The morn my bride sall be."

"I winna come down, ye fause Gordon; I winna come doun to thee;

I winna forsake my ain deir lord,
That is sae far frae me."

"Gi'e up your house, ye fair ladye,
Gi'e up your house to me;
Or I will burn yoursel' therein,
But and your babies thrie."

"I winna gi'e't up, thou fause Gordon,
To nae sic traitor as thee;

Though thou suld burn mysel' therein,
But and my babies thrie."

"Set fire to the house," quoth fause Gordon, "Sin' better may na be;

And I will burn hersel' therein,

But and her babies thrie."

"And ein wae worth ye, Jock, my man!

I paid ye weil your fee;

Why pu ye oot my grund-wa-stane,
Lets in the reek to me?

"And ein wae worth ye, Jock, my man!
I paid you weil your hyre ;

Why pu you oot my grund-wa-stane,
To me lets in the fyre?"

"Ye paid me well my hire, lady, Ye paid me well my fee;

But now I'm Edom o' Gordon's manMaun either do or die."

Oh then bespake her youngest son,
Sat on the nurse's knee,

"Dear mother, gi'e ower your house, he

says,

"For the reek it worries me."

"I winna gi'e up my house, my dear,
To nae sic traitor as he;

Come weel, come wae, my jewel fair,
Ye maun tak share wi' me."

Oh then bespake her daughter deir ;
She was baith jimp and sma';
"Oh row me in a pair o' sheets,
And tow me ower the wa'."

They row'd her in a pair o' sheets,
And tow'd her ower the wa';
But on the point o' Edom's speir
She gat a deidly fa'.

Oh bonnie, bonnie, was her mouth,
And cherry were her cheeks;
And cleir, cleir, was her yellow hair,
Whereon the reid blude dreips.

Then wi' his speir he turn'd her ower,
Oh gin her face was wan!

He said, "You are the first that eir
I wist alyve again.”

He turn'd her ower and ower again,
Oh gin her skin was whyte!

He said, "I micht ha'e spared thy lyfe,
To been some man's delyte.