17.

For of my pane thow maid it play;
And all in vane I spend :

As thow hes done, sa sall I say,
I think to mend.'

"Murne on,

'Makyne, the howp of all my heill,
My hairt on thee is sett;
And evirmair to thee be leill
Quhill I may leif but lett;
Never to faill as utheris feill,
Quhat grace that evir I gett.'
6 Robin, with thee I will nocht deill;
Adieu! for thus we mett.'

Makyne went hame blyth anneuche
Attour the holttis hair;

Robin murnit, and Makyne leuche;

Scho sang, he sichit sair:

And so left him baith wo and wreuch,

In dolour and in cair,

Kepand his hird under a huche
Amangis the holttis hair.

THIS

The Bludy Serk

HIS hinder yeir I hard be tald
Thair was a worthy King;

Dukis, Erlis, and Barronis bald,
He had at his bidding.

16. howp] hope. but lett] without hindrance.

enough.

holttis hair] grey woodlands.
huche] heuch, cliff.

wreuch] peevish.

17. hinder yeir] last year.

anneuche]

leuche] laughed.

The Lord was ancean and ald,
And sexty yeiris cowth ring;
He had a dochter fair to fald,
A lusty Lady ying.

Off all fairheid scho bur the flour,
And eik hir faderis air;
Off lusty laitis and he honour,
Meik bot and debonair:
Scho wynnit in a bigly bour,
On fold wes nane so fair,
Princis luvit hir paramour
In cuntreis our allquhair.

Thair dwelt a lyt besyde the King
A foull Gyand of ane;
Stollin he has the Lady ying,

Away with hir is gane,

And kest her in his dungering

Quhair licht scho micht se nane;
Hungir and cauld and grit thristing
Scho fand into hir waine.

He wes the laithliest on to luk
That on the grund mycht gang:
His nailis wes lyk ane hellis cruk,
Thairwith fyve quarteris lang;

fairheid] beauty. scho wynnit] paramour] a lyt besyde] kest] cast. hellis

dungering] dungeon. into hir waine] in her lodging.

cruk] hell-claw.

Thair wes nane that he ourtuk,
In rycht or yit in wrang,
Bot all in schondir he thame schuk,
The Gyand wes so strang.

He held the Lady day and nycht
Within his deip dungeoun,
He wald nocht gif of hir a sicht
For gold nor yit ransoun-
Bot gif the King mycht get a knycht,
To fecht with his persoun,

To fecht with him beth day and nycht,
Quhill ane wer dungin doun.

The King gart seik baith fer and neir,
Beth be se and land,

Off ony knycht gif he mycht heir
Wald fecht with that Gyand:
A worthy Prince, that had no peir,
Hes tane the deid on hand
For the luve of the Lady cleir,
And held full trew cunnand.

That Prince come prowdly to the toun

Of that Gyand to heir,

And fawcht with him, his awin persoun,

And tuke him presoneir,

And kest him in his awin dungeoun

Allane withouten feir,

With hungir, cauld, and confusioun,
As full weill worthy weir.

quhill] until.

himself.

dungin doun] beaten down. withouten feir] without companion.

his awin persoun]

Syne brak the bour, had hame the bricht
Unto her fadir fre.

Sa evill wondit wes the Knycht
That he behuvit to de;

Unlusum was his likame dicht,
His sark was all bludy;

In all the world was thair a wicht

se?

So peteouss for to se

The Lady murnyt and maid grit mane,
With all her mekill mycht-

'I luvit nevir lufe bot ane,

That dulfully now is dicht;
God sen my lyfe were fra me tane
Or I had seen yone sicht,

Or ellis in begging evir to gane
Furth with yone curtass knycht.'

He said 'Fair lady, now mone I
De, trestly ye me trow;
Take ye my serk that is bludy,
And hing it forrow yow;
First think on it, and syne on me,

Quhen men cumis yow to wow.'
The Lady said 'Be Mary fre,
Thairto I mak a vow.'

Quhen that scho lukit to the sark

Scho thocht on the persoun,
And prayit for him with all hir hart
That lowsit hir of bandoun,

the bricht] the fair one.

likame] body.

lowsit hir of

bandoun] loosed her from thraldom.

Quhair scho was wont to sit full merk
Into that deip dungeoun;

And evir quhill scho wes in quert,
That was hir a lessoun.

Sa weill the Lady luvit the Knycht
That no man wald scho tak:
Sa suld we do our God of micht
That did all for us mak;
Quhilk fullily to deid was dicht,
For sinfull manis sak,

Sa suld we do beth day and nycht,
With prayaris to him mak.

This King is lyk the Trinitie,
Baith in hevin and heir;
The manis saule to the Lady,
The Gyand to Lucefeir,

The Knycht to Chryst, that deit on tre

And coft our synnis deir;

The pit to Hele with panis fell,

The Syn to the woweir.

The Lady was wowd, but scho said nay

With men that wald hir wed;
Sa suld we wryth all sin away
That in our breist is bred.
I pray to Jesu Chryst verray,
For ws his blud that bled,
To be our help on domisday
Quhair lawis ar straitly led.

quert] prison. coft] bought.

straitly led] strictly carried out.