The freikis on feildis
That wight wapins weildis.
With shyning bright shieldis
At Titan in trone;

Stiff speiris in reistis
Ouer corseris crestis

Are broke on their breistis:
The nicht is neir gone.

So hard are their hittis,
Some sweyis, some sittis,
And some perforce flittis

On ground quhile they grone.
Syne groomis that gay is
On blonkis that brayis

With swordis assayis :

:

The nicht is neir gone.

JOHN STILL, BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS

49.

I

Jolly Good Ale and Old

CANNOT eat but little meat,
My stomach is not good;

But sure I think that I can drink

With him that wears a hood.
Though I go bare, take ye no care,

I nothing am a-cold;

I stuff my skin so full within

Of jolly good ale and old.

Back and side go bare, go bare
Both foot and hand go cold;

48. freikis] men, warriors.

wight wapins] stout weapons. flittis] are

at Titan] over against Titan (the sun), or read 'as.'

But, belly, God send thee good ale enough,
Whether it be new or old.

I love no roast but a nut-brown toast,
And a crab laid in the fire;

A little bread shall do me stead;
Much bread I not desire.

No frost nor snow, no wind, I trow,
Can hurt me if I wold;

I am so wrapp'd and thoroughly lapp'd
Of jolly good ale and old.

Back and side go bare, go bare, &c.
And Tib, my wife, that as her life
Loveth well good ale to seek,
Full oft drinks she till ye may see
The tears run down her cheek:
Then doth she trowl to me the bowl
Even as a maltworm should,

And saith, Sweetheart, I took my part
Of this jolly good ale and old.'

Back and side go bare, go bare, &c.

Now let them drink till they nod and wink,
Even as good fellows should do;
They shall not miss to have the bliss

Good ale doth bring men to;

And all poor souls that have scour'd bowls
Or have them lustily troll'd,

God save the lives of them and their wives,
Whether they be young or old.

Back and side go bare, go bare;

Both foot and hand go cold;

But, belly, God send thee good ale enough,
Whether it be new or old.

So.

ANONYMOUS (SCOTTISH)

When Flora had O'erfret the Firth

Q

16th Cent

UHEN Flora had o'erfret the firth

In May of every moneth queen;
Quhen merle and mavis singis with mirth
Sweet melling in the shawis sheen;
Quhen all luvaris rejoicit bene
And most desirous of their prey,
I heard a lusty luvar mene
-'I luve, but I dare nocht assay !'

'Strong are the pains I daily prove,
But yet with patience I sustene,
I am so fetterit with the luve
Only of my lady sheen,

Quhilk for her beauty micht be queen,
Nature so craftily alway

Has done depaint that sweet serene:
-Quhom I luve I dare nocht assay.

'She is so bricht of hyd and hue,
I luve but her alone, I ween;
Is none her luve that may eschew,
That blinkis of that dulce amene;
So comely cleir are her twa ecn
That she mae luvaris dois affray

Than ever of Greece did fair Helene:
-Quhom I luve I dare nocht assay!'

O

Lusty May

LUSTY May, with Flora queen!

16th Cent.

The balmy dropis from Phoebus sheen
Preluciand beams before the day:

By that Diana growis green

Through gladness of this lusty May.

Then Esperus, that is so bricht,

Til woful hairtis castis his light,

With bankis that bloomis on every brae;
And schouris are shed forth of their sicht
Through gladness of this lusty May.

Birdis on bewis of every birth,
Rejoicing notis makand their mirth
Richt plesantly upon the spray,
With flourishingis o'er field and firth
Through gladness of this lusty May.

All luvaris that are in care
To their ladies they do repair

In fresh morningis before the day,
And are in mirth ay mair and mair
Through gladness of this lusty May.

52.

My Heart is High Above

MY

16th Cent

Y heart is high above, my body is full of bliss,
For I am set in luve as well as I would wiss

I luve my lady pure and she luvis me again,

I am her serviture, she is my soverane;

boughs.

51. sheen] bright.
til] into.
birth] kind.

schouris] showers. 52. wiss] wish.

bewis]

She is my very heart, I am her howp and heill,
She is my joy invart, I am her luvar leal;

I am her bond and thrall, she is at my command;
I am perpetual her man, both foot and hand;

The thing that may her please my body sall fulfil;
Quhatever her disease, it does my body ill.
My bird, my bonny ane, my tender babe venust,
My luve, my life alane, my liking and my lust!
We interchange our hairtis in others armis soft,
Spriteless we twa depairtis, usand our luvis oft.

We mourn when licht day dawis, we plain the nicht is short,
We curse the cock that crawis, that hinderis our disport.
I glowffin up aghast, quhen I her miss on nicht,
And in my oxter fast I find the bowster richt;
Then languor on me lies like Morpheus the mair,
Quhilk causes me uprise and to my sweet repair.
And then is all the sorrow forth of remembrance
That ever I had a-forrow in luvis observance.
Thus never I do rest, so lusty a life I lead,
Quhen that I list to test the well of womanheid.
Luvaris in pain, I pray God send you sic remeid
As I have nicht and day, you to defend from deid!
Therefore be ever true unto your ladies free,

And they will on you rue as mine has done on me.

heill] health. blink on awaking.

invart] inward.

oxter] armpit.

venust] delightful.
a-forrow] aforetime.

glowffin]