1 Go.

Mawkin went hame withouten fail,
Full weary after gouth weep;5
Then Robin in a full fair dale
Assembled all his sheep.

By that some part of Mawkin's ail®
Out through his heart gouth creep;
He followed her fast there till 8 assail,
And to her took gude keep.

"Abide, abide, thou fair Mawkin:
Ae word for onything;
For all my love it shall be thine
Withouten departing !

All haill thy heart for to have mine
Is all my coveting;

My sheep to morn, while hours nine,10
Will need of no keeping."

"Robin, thou hast heard sing and say
In gests 11 and stories old,

11

The man that will not when he may
Shall have not when he wold.

I pray to Jesu every day

May eke12 their carès cauld,

That first preisses 13 with thee to play
By firth, forest, or fauld."

"Mawkin, the night is soft and dry,
The weather is warm and fair,
And the green wood richt near us by
To walk a-tour 14 all-where :

2 Mourned in her thoughts. 3 Strode
6 Ailment.

5 Gouth, Scottish preterite for gan.
9 Wholly.
10 To-morrow till nine o'clock.
13 Endeavours.

12 Increase.

along the brake. 4 Lost. 7 Throughout. 8 To. 11 Histories. 14 About.

Mawkin, the hope of all my heal,5
My heart on thee is set,

And evermair to thee be leal,

While I may live, but let ;7

Never to fail as others fele

What grace that ever I get."
"Robin, with thee I will nocht deal;
Adieu! For thus we met."

Mawkin went hame blyth eneuch9

A-tour the holtès hair;

10

Robin mourned, and Mawkin leuch ;11
She sang, he sichit sair :

And so left him, baith wo and wreuch,12
In dolour and in care,
Keeping his herd under a beuch 13
Amang the holtès hair.

FROM THE TESTAMENT OF CRESSEID.

CRESSEID, having become a leper in punishment of her faithless behaviour, once more meets her lover Troilus, and receives alms from him.

Thus chidand with her dreary destiny,

Weeping, she woke the nicht frae end to end,

But all in vain: her dule, her careful cry,

Micht not remeid,14 nor yet her mourning mend.
Ane leper lady rase and to her wend,15

And said, "Why spurnès thou against the wall,
To slay thyself, and mend nae thing at all?

"Sin thy weeping redoubles but thy woe,

I counsel thee make virtue of ane need;
To learn to clap thy clapper1 to and fro,
And learn after the law of leper leid." 2

There was nae help, but forth with them she gaed
Frae place to place, while cauld and hunger sair
Compellit her to be ane rank3 beggair.

That samin time of Troy the garrison,—
Which had for chieftain worthy Troilus,--
Through jeopardy of war had stricken down
Knightès of Greece in number marvellous :
With great triumph and laud1 victorious
Again to Troy richt royally they rade,5
The way where Cresseid with the lepers bade."

Seeing that company come with ane stevin,"
They gave ane cry, and shook cuppès, good speed ;
Said, "Worthy lordès, for God's love of Heaven,
To us lepers part of your almous deed !" 8
Then to their cry noble Troilus took heed,
Having pitíe; and near the place gan pass
Where Cresseid sat, not witting what she was.

Then upon him she cast up baith her een,

And with ane blink it come into his thocht
That he some time her face before had seen;
But she was in sic plight he knew her nocht;
Yet then her look into his mind it brocht
The sweet visage and amorous blenking
Of fair Cresseid, sometime his awn darling. . . .

Ane spark of love then to his heart did spring,
And kindled all his body in ane fire;
With hot fever ane sweat and trimbilling
Him took, while he was ready to expire;
To bear his shield his breast began to tire;
Within ane while he changèd mony hue,
And nevertheless not ane ane-other knew.

1 A kind of hand-bell which lepers rattled for the twofold purpose
alms and warning persons from coming within reach of infection.
2 Leper's language. 3 Importunate. 4 Praise. 5 Rode.
8 Bestow on us some of your alms.

7 With a noise.

of seeking

6 Dwelt. 9 Glance.

For knichtly pity and memorial

Of fair Cresseid, ane girdle did he tak, Ane purse of gold, and mony gay jewel,

.1

And in the skirt of Cresseid doun gan swak ;1 Then rade away, and not ane word he spak; Pensive in heart while2 he come to the toun; And for great care oft-times almaist fell doun.

FROM THE FABLE OF THE LION AND THE MOUSE (Prologue).

A VISION OF ESOP.

In mids of June, that jolly sweet seasoun,
When that fair Phoebus with his beamès bricht
Had dryit up the dew frae dale and down,

I

And all the land made with his gleamès licht,

In ane morning, betwixt mid-day and nicht,
rase, and put all sloth and sleep aside,
And to a wood I went alone, but guide.

Sweet was the smell of flowers white and red,
The noise of birdès richt delicious;
The boughès bloomèd broad above my head,
The ground growand with gersses gracious:
Of all pleasance that place was plenteous,
With sweet odours and birdès harmony
The morning mild, my mirth was mair forthy.*...

Me to conserve then frae the sunnès heat,
Under the shadow of ane hawthorn green

I leanit down amang the flowers sweet;

Syne cled my head and closed baith my een.
On sleep I fall amang these boughès been ; 5
And, in my dream, methocht come through the shaw
The fairest man that ever before I saw.

His gown was of ane claith as white as milk,
His chimeris was of chambelote purple-brown;
His hood of scarlet bordered weel with silk,

8

Unhecked-wise, untill his girdle doun;

His bonnet round and of the auld fassoun;
His beard was white, his een was great and grey,
With locker hair, whilk over his shoulders lay.

1 Throw down. 6 Covert, wood.

2 Till. 8 Without a guide. 4 Therefore.
7 Short light gown. 8 Unfastened-wise.

6

5 Was.
9 Curling.

Ane roll of paper in his hand he bare,

Ane swanès pen stickand under his ear,
Ane ink-horn, with ane pretty gilt pennair,1
Ane bag of silk, all at his belt did bear;
Thus was he goodly graithit 2 in his gear.
Of stature large, and with a fearfull3 face,
Even where I lay he come ane sturdy pace ;

And said, "God speed, my son ;" and I was fain1
Of that couth word, and of his company.
With reverence I saluted him again,

"Welcome, father;" and he sat doun me by.
"Displease you nocht, my good maister, though I
Demand your birth, your faculty, and name,
Why ye come here, or where ye dwell at hame?"

"My son," said he, "I am of gentle blood,
My native land is Rome withouten nay;
And in that town first to the schools I gaed,
In civil law studied full many a day,

And now my wonning 5 is in heaven for aye.
Æsop I hecht; my writing and my wark
Is couth and kend to mony a cunning clerk."

"O maister Æsop, poet laureate !

God wot ye are full dear welcome to me ;
Are ye nocht he that all those Fables wrate
Which, in effect, suppose they feignèd be,9
Are full of prudence and morality?"
"Fair son," said he, "I am the samin man."
God wot gif 10 that my heart was merry than.