Part 5

7. Then they're com'd on to the poor fool's house, And they have broken his wals so wide; They have loos'd out Dick o' the Cow's kyne three, And tane three co'erlets off his wife's bed.

8. Then on the morn, when the day grew light, The shouts and crys rose loud and high; 'Hold thy tongue, my wife,' he says, 'And of thy crying let me bee.

9. 'Hald thy tongue, my wife,' he says, 'And of thy crying let me bee, And ay that where thou wants a kow, Good sooth that I shal bring thee three.'

10. Then Dick's com'd on to lord and master, And I wat a drerie fool was he; 'Hald thy tongue, my fool,' he says, 'For I may not stand to jest with thee.'

11. 'Shame speed a' your jesting, my lord,' quo' Dickie, 'For nae such jesting 'grees with me; Liddesdaile has been in my house this last night, And they have tane my three kyne from me.'

12. 'But I may nae langer in Cumberland dwel, To be your poor fool and your leel, Unless ye give me leave, my lord, To go to Liddisdale and steal.'

13. 'To give thee leave, my fool,' he says, 'Thou speaks against mine honour and me; Unless thou give me thy troth and thy right hand, Thou'l steal frae nane but them that sta' from thee.'

14. 'There is my trouth and my right hand; My head shal hing on Hairibie, I'le never crose Carlele sands again, If I steal frae a man but them that sta' frae me.'

15. Dickie has tane leave at lord and master, And I wat a merrie fool was he; He has bought a bridle and a pair of new spurs, And has packed them up in his breek-thigh.

16. Then Dickie's come on for Puddinburn, Even as fast as he may drie; Dickie's come on for Puddinburn, Where there was thirty Armstrongs and three.

17. 'What's this com'd on me!' quo' Dickë, 'What meakle wae's this happen'd on me,' quo' he, 'Where here is but an innocent fool, And there is thirty Armstrongs and three!'

18. Yet he's com'd up to the hall among them all; So wel he became his courtisie; 'Well may ye be, my good Laird's Jock, But the deil bless all your companie!

19. 'I'm come to plain of your man Fair Johnie Armstrong, And syne his billie Willie,' quo' he; 'How they have been in my house this last night, And they have tane my three ky frae me.'

20. Quo' Johnie Armstrong, 'We'll him hang;' 'Nay,' then quo' Willie, 'we'll him slae;' But up bespake another young man, 'We'le nit him in a four-nooked sheet, Give him his burden of batts, and lett him gae.'

21. Then up bespake the good Laird's Jock, The best falla in the companie; 'Sitt thy way down a little while, Dickë, And a peice of thine own cow's hough I'l give to thee.'

22. But Dickie's heart it grew so great That never a bitt of it he dought to eat; But Dickie was warr of ane auld peat-house, Where there al the night he thought for to sleep.

23. Then Dickie was warr of that auld peat-house, Where there al the night he thought for to ly; And a' the prayers the poor fool pray'd was, 'I wish I had a mense for my own three kye!'

24. Then it was the use of Puddinburn, And the house of Mangertoun, all haile! These that came not at the first call They gott no more meat till the next meall.

25. The lads, that hungry and aevery was, Above the door-head they flang the key. Dickie took good notice to that; Says, 'There's a bootie younder for me.'

26. Then Dickie's gane into the stable, Where there stood thirty horse and three; He has ty'd them a' with St. Mary knot, All these horse but barely three.

27. He has ty'd them a' with St. Mary knot, All these horse but barely three; He has loupen on one, taken another in his hand, And out at the door and gane is Dickie.

28. Then on the morn, when the day grew light, The shouts and cryes rose loud and high; 'What's that theife?' quo' the good Laird's Jock, 'Tel me the truth and the verity.

29. 'What's that theife?' quo' the good Laird's Jock, 'See unto me ye do not lie. Dick o' the Cow has been in the stable this last nicht, And has my brother's horse and mine frae me.'

30. 'Ye wad never be tel'd it,' quo' the Laird's Jock, 'Have ye not found my tales fu' leel? Ye wad never out of England bide, Till crooked and blind and a' wad steal.'

31. 'But will thou lend me thy bay?' Fair Johnë Armstrong can say, 'There's nae mae horse loose in the stable but he; And I'le either bring ye Dick o' the Kow again. Or the day is come that he must die.'

32. 'To lend thee my bay,' the Laird's Jock can say, 'He's both worth gold and good monie; Dick o' the Kow has away twa horse, I wish no thou should make him three.'

33. He has tane the Laird's jack on his back, The twa-handed sword that hang leugh by his thigh; He has tane the steel cap on his head, And on is he to follow Dickie.

34. Then Dickie was not a mile off the town, I wat a mile but barely three, Till John Armstrong has o'ertane Dick o' the Kow, Hand for hand on Cannobie lee.

35. 'Abide thee, bide now, Dickie than, The day is come that thou must die.' Dickie looked o'er his left shoulder, 'Johnie, has thou any mo in thy company?

36. 'There is a preacher in our chapell, And a' the lee-lang day teaches he; When day is gane, and night is come, There's never a word I mark but three.

37. 'The first and second's Faith and Conscience, The third is, Johnie, Take head of thee! But what faith and conscience had thou, traitor, When thou took my three kye frae me?

38. 'And when thou had tane my three kye, Thou thought in thy heart thou was no wel sped; But thou sent thy billie Willie o'er the know, And he took three co'erlets off my wife's bed.'

39. Then Johnë lett a spear fa' leugh by his thigh, Thought well to run the innocent through, But the powers above was more than his, He ran but the poor fool's jerkin through.

40. Together they ran or ever they blan; This was Dickie the fool, and hee; Dickie could not win to him with the blade of the sword, But he fel'd him with the plummet under the eye.

41. Now Dickie has fel'd Fair Johnë Armstrong, The prettiest man in the south countrey; 'Gramercie,' then can Dickie say, 'I had twa horse, thou has made me three.'

42. He has tane the laird's jack of his back, The twa-handed sword that hang leugh by his thigh; He has tane the steel cap off his head; 'Johnie, I'le tel my master I met with thee.'

43. When Johnë waken'd out of his dream, I wat a drery man was he; 'Is thou gane now, Dickie, than? The shame gae in thy company!

44. 'Is thou gane now, Dickie, than? The shame go in thy companie! For if I should live this hundred year, I shal never fight with a fool after thee.'

45. Then Dickie comed home to lord and master, Even as fast as he may drie. 'Now, Dickie, I shal neither eat meat nor drink Till high hanged that thou shall be!'

46. 'The shame speed the liars, my lord!' quo' Dickie, 'That was no the promise ye made to me; For I'd never gane to Liddesdale to steal Till that I sought my leave at thee.'

47. 'But what gart thou steal the Laird's Jock's horse? And, limmer, what gart thou steal him?' quo' he; 'For lang might thou in Cumberland dwelt Or the Laird's Jock had stoln ought frae thee.'

48. 'Indeed I wat ye lee'd, my lord, And even so loud as I hear ye lie; I wan him frae his man, Fair Johnë Armstrong, Hand for hand on Cannobie lee.

49. 'There's the jack was on his back, The twa-handed sword that hung leugh by his thigh; There's the steel cap was on his head; I have a' these takens to lett you see.'

50. 'If that be true thou to me tels (I trow thou dare not tel a lie), I'le give thee twenty pound for the good horse, Wel tel'd in thy cloke-lap shall be.

51. 'And I'le give thee one of my best milk-kye To maintain thy wife and children three; And that may be as good, I think, As ony twa o' thine might be.'

52. 'The shame speed the liars, my lord!' quo' Dickie; 'Trow ye ay to make a fool of me? I'le either have thirty pound for the good horse, Or else he's gae to Mattan fair wi' me.'

53. Then he has given him thirty pound for the good horse, All in gold and good monie: He has given him one of his best milk-kye To maintain his wife and children three.

54. Then Dickie's come down through Carlile town, Even as fast as he may drie. The first of men that he with mett Was my lord's brother, Bailife Glazenberrie.

55. 'Well may ye be, my good Ralph Scrupe!' 'Welcome, my brother's fool!' quo' he; 'Where did thou gett Fair Johnie Armstrong's horse?' 'Where did I get him but steal him,' quo' he.

56. 'But will thou sell me Fair Johnie Armstrong's horse? And, billie, will thou sell him to me?' quo' he; 'Ay, and [thou] tel me the monie on my cloke-lap, For there's not one farthing I'le trust thee.'

57. 'I'le give thee fifteen pound for the good horse, Wel told on thy cloke-lap shal be; And I'le give thee one of my best milk-kye To maintain thy wife and thy children three.'

58. 'The shame speed the liars, my lord!' quo' Dickë, 'Trow ye ay to make a fool of me?' quo' he; 'I'le either have thirty pound for the good horse. Or else he's to Mattan Fair with me.'

59. He has given him thirty pound for the good horse, All in gold and good monie; He has given him one of his best milk-kye To maintain his wife and children three.

60. Then Dickie lap a loup on high, And I wat a loud laughter leugh he; 'I wish the neck of the third horse were browken, For I have a better of my own, and onie better can be.'

61. Then Dickie com'd hame to his wife again. Judge ye how the poor fool he sped! He has given her three score of English pounds For the three auld co'erlets was tane off her bed.

62. 'Hae, take thee there twa as good kye, I trow, as all thy three might be; And yet here is a white-footed naigg, I think he'le carry both thee and me.

63. 'But I may no langer in Cumberland dwell; The Armstrongs they'le hang me high.' But Dickie has tane leave at lord and master, And Burgh under Stanemuir there dwels Dickie.

[Annotations: 1.3: 'lidder,' lazy. 2.2: 'billie,' brother. 2.3: 'feed,' feud. 5.2: 'know,' hillock. 20.5: 'burden of batts,' all the blows he can bear. 22.2: 'dought,' was able. 25.1: 'aevery,' ravenous. 26.3: 'St. Mary knot,' a triple knot. 32.4: The copy reads 'should no make.' 33.1: 'jack,' jerkin. 40.1: 'blan,' stopped. 47.2: 'limmer,' rascal. 56.3: I have inserted 'thou' to complete the sense; 'and,' here and below, 60.4, meaning 'if.']

SIR HUGH IN THE GRIME'S DOWNFALL

+The Text+ given here is comparatively a late one, from the Roxburghe collection (iii. 456). An earlier broadside, in the same and other collections, gives a longer but curiously corrupted version, exhibiting such perversions as 'Screw' for 'Scroop,' and 'Garlard' for 'Carlisle.'

+The Story+ in its full form relates that Sir Hugh in the Grime (Hughie Graeme or Graham) stole a mare from the Bishop of Carlisle, by way of retaliation for the Bishop's seduction of his wife. He was pursued by Lord Scroop, taken, and conveyed to Carlisle and hanged.

Scott suggested that Hugh Graham may have been one of four hundred Borderers accused to the Bishop of Carlisle of various murders and thefts about 1548.

SIR HUGH IN THE GRIME'S DOWNFALL

1. Good Lord John is a hunting gone, Over the hills and dales so far, For to take Sir Hugh in the Grime, For stealing of the bishop's mare. _He derry derry down_

2. Hugh in the Grime was taken then And carried to Carlisle town; The merry women came out amain, Saying, 'The name of Grime shall never go down.'

3. O then a jury of women was brought, Of the best that could be found; Eleven of them spoke all at once, Saying 'The name of Grime shall never go down.'

4. And then a jury of men was brought, More the pity for to be! Eleven of them spoke all at once, Saying 'Hugh in the Grime, you are guilty.'

5. Hugh in the Grime was cast to be hang'd, Many of his friends did for him lack; For fifteen foot in the prisin he did jump, With his hands tyed fast behind his back.

6. Then bespoke our good Lady Ward, As she set on the bench so high; 'A peck of white pennys I'll give to my lord, If he'll grant Hugh Grime to me.

7. 'And if it be not full enough, I'll stroke it up with my silver fan; And if it be not full enough, I'll heap it up with my own hand.'

8. 'Hold your tongue now, Lady Ward, And of your talkitive let it be! There is never a Grime came in this court That at thy bidding shall saved be.'

9. Then bespoke our good Lady Moor, As she sat on the bench so high; 'A yoke of fat oxen I'll give to my lord, If he'll grant Hugh Grime to me.'

10. 'Hold your tongue now, good Lady Moor, And of your talkitive let it be! There is never a Grime came to this court That at thy bidding saved shall be.'

11. Sir Hugh in the Grime look'd out of the door, With his hand out of the bar; There he spy'd his father dear, Tearing of his golden hair.

12. 'Hold your tongue, good father dear, And of your weeping let it be! For if they bereave me of my life, They cannot bereave me of the heavens so high.'

13. Sir Hugh in the Grime look'd out at the door; Oh, what a sorry heart had he! There he spy'd his mother dear, Weeping and wailing 'Oh, woe is me!'

14. 'Hold your tongue now, mother dear, And of your weeping let it be! For if they bereave me of my life, They cannot bereave me of heaven's fee.

15. 'I'll leave my sword to Johnny Armstrong, That is made of mettal so fine, That when he comes to the border-side He may think of Hugh in the Grime.'

THE DEATH OF PARCY REED

+The Text.+--There are two texts available for this ballad, of which the second one, here given, was said to have been taken down from the singing of an old woman by James Telfer of Liddesdale, and was so printed in Richardson's _Borderers' Table Book_ (1846). It preserves almost the whole of the other version, taken from Robert White's papers, who recorded it in 1829; but it obviously bears marks of having been tampered with by Telfer. However, it contains certain stanzas which Child says may be regarded as traditional, and it is therefore preferred here.

+The Story.+--Percival or Parcy Reed was warden of the district round Troughend, a high tract of land in Redesdale. In the discharge of his duties he incurred the enmity of the family of Hall of Girsonsfield (two miles east of Troughend) and of some moss-troopers named Crosier. As the ballad shows, the treachery of the Halls delivered Parcy Reed into the Crosiers' hands at a hut in Batinghope, a glen westward of the Whitelee stream. Local tradition adds to the details narrated in the ballad that Parcy's wife had been warned by a dream of her husband's danger, and that on the following morning his loaf of bread happened to be turned upside down--a very bad omen.

Further, we learn from the same source, the Crosiers' barbarous treatment of Parcy's corpse aroused the indignation of the neighbourhood, and they and the treacherous Halls were driven away.

Girsonsfield has belonged to no one of the name of Hall as far back as Elizabeth, whence it is argued that the ballad is not later than the sixteenth century.

THE DEATH OF PARCY REED

1. God send the land deliverance Frae every reaving, riding Scot! We'll sune hae neither cow nor ewe, We'll sune hae neither staig nor stot.

2. The outlaws come frae Liddesdale, They herry Redesdale far and near; The rich man's gelding it maun gang, They canna pass the puir man's mear.

3. Sure it were weel, had ilka thief Around his neck a halter strang; And curses heavy may they light On traitors vile oursels amang.

4. Now Parcy Reed has Crosier taen, He has delivered him to the law; But Crosier says he'll do waur than that, He'll make the tower o' Troughend fa'.

5. And Crosier says he will do waur, He will do waur if waur can be; He'll make the bairns a' fatherless; And then the land it may lie lee.

6. 'To the hunting, ho!' cried Parcy Reed, 'The morning sun is on the dew; The cauler breeze frae off the fells Will lead the dogs to the quarry true.

7. 'To the hunting, ho!' cried Parcy Reed, And to the hunting he has gane; And the three fause Ha's o' Girsonsfield Alang wi' him he has them ta'en.

8. They hunted high, they hunted low, By heathery hill and birken shaw; They raised a buck on Rooken Edge, And blew the mort at fair Ealylawe.

9. They hunted high, they hunted low, They made the echoes ring amain; With music sweet o' horn and hound, They merry made fair Redesdale glen.

10. They hunted high, they hunted low, They hunted up, they hunted down, Until the day was past the prime, And it grew late in the afternoon.

11. They hunted high in Batinghope, When as the sun was sinking low. Says Parcy then, 'Ca' off the dogs, We'll bait our steeds and homeward go.'

12. They lighted high in Batinghope, Atween the brown and benty ground; They had but rested a little while, Till Parcy Reed was sleeping sound.

13. There's nane may lean on a rotten staff, But him that risks to get a fa'; There's nane may in a traitor trust, And traitors black were every Ha'.

14. They've stown the bridle off his steed, And they've put water in his lang gun; They've fixed his sword within the sheath, That out again it winna come.

15. 'Awaken ye, waken ye, Parcy Reed, Or by your enemies be taen; For yonder are the five Crosiers A-coming owre the Hingin-stane.'

16. 'If they be five, and we be four, Sae that ye stand alang wi' me, Then every man ye will take one, And only leave but two to me. We will them meet as brave men ought, And make them either fight or flee.'

17. 'We mayna stand, we canna stand, We daurna stand alang wi' thee; The Crosiers haud thee at a feud, And they wad kill baith thee and we.'

18. 'O, turn thee, turn thee, Johnnie Ha', O, turn thee, man, and fight wi' me; When ye come to Troughend again, My gude black naig I will gie thee; He cost full twenty pound o' gowd, Atween my brother John and me

19. 'I mayna turn, I canna turn, I daurna turn and fight wi' thee; The Crosiers haud thee at a feud, And they wad kill baith thee and me.'

20. 'O, turn thee, turn thee, Willie Ha', O, turn thee, man, and fight wi' me; When ye come to Troughend again, A yoke o' owsen I'll gie thee.'

21. 'I mayna turn, I canna turn, I daurna turn and fight wi' thee; The Crosiers haud thee at a feud, And they wad kill baith thee and me.'

22. 'O, turn thee, turn thee, Tommy Ha', O, turn now, man, and fight wi' me; If ever we come to Troughend again, My daughter Jean I'll gie to thee.'

23. 'I mayna turn, I canna turn, I daurna turn, and fight wi' thee; The Crosiers haud thee at a feud, And they wad kill baith thee and me.'

24. 'O, shame upon ye, traitors a'! I wish your hames ye may never see; Ye've stown the bridle off my naig, And I can neither fight nor flee.

25. 'Ye've stown the bridle off my naig, And ye've put water i' my lang gun; Ye've fixed my sword within the sheath, That out again it winna come.'

26. He had but time to cross himsel', A prayer he hadna time to say, Till round him came the Crosiers keen, All riding graithed, and in array.

27. 'Weel met, weel met, now, Parcy Reed, Thou art the very man we sought; Owre lang hae we been in your debt, Now will we pay you as we ought.

28. 'We'll pay thee at the nearest tree, Where we shall hang thee like a hound;' Brave Parcy rais'd his fankit sword, And fell'd the foremost to the ground.

29. Alake, and wae for Parcy Reed, Alake, he was an unarmed man; Four weapons pierced him all at once, As they assailed him there and than.

30. They fell upon him all at once, They mangled him most cruellie; The slightest wound might caused his deid, And they hae gi'en him thirty-three: They hacket off his hands and feet, And left him lying on the lee.

31. 'Now, Parcy Reed, we've paid our debt, Ye canna weel dispute the tale,' The Crosiers said, and off they rade; They rade the airt o' Liddesdale.

32. It was the hour o' gloaming gray, When herds come in frae fauld and pen; A herd he saw a huntsman lie, Says he, 'Can this be Laird Troughen'?'

33. 'There's some will ca' me Parcy Reed, And some will ca' me Laird Troughen'; It's little matter what they ca' me, My faes hae made me ill to ken.

34. 'There's some will ca' me Parcy Reed, And speak my praise in tower and town It's little matter what they do now, My life-blood rudds the heather brown.

35. 'There's some will ca' me Parcy Reed, And a' my virtues say and sing; I would much rather have just now A draught o' water frae the spring.'

36. The herd flung aff his clouted shoon, And to the nearest fountain ran; He made his bonnet serve a cup, And wan the blessing o' the dying man.

37. 'Now, honest herd, you maun do mair,-- Ye maun do mair as I you tell; You maun bear tidings to Troughend, And bear likewise my last farewell.

38. 'A farewell to my wedded wife, A farewell to my brother John, Wha sits into the Troughend tower, Wi' heart as black as any stone.

39. 'A farewell to my daughter Jean, A farewell to my young sons five; Had they been at their father's hand, I had this night been man alive.

40. 'A farewell to my followers a', And a' my neighbours gude at need; Bid them think how the treacherous Ha's Betrayed the life o' Parcy Reed.

41. 'The laird o' Clennel bears my bow, The laird o' Brandon bears my brand; Whene'er they ride i' the Border side, They'll mind the fate o' the laird Troughend.'

[Annotations: 1.2: 'reaving,' robbing. 1.4: 'staig,' horse; 'stot,' ox. 26.4: 'graithed,' accoutred. 28.3: 'fankit,' entangled. 31.4: 'the airt o',' _i.e._ in the direction of.]

BEWICK AND GRAHAME

+The Text+ is from several broadsides and chap-books, but mainly depends on a stall-copy entitled _The Song of Bewick and Grahame_, approximately dated 1740. Sir Walter Scott considered this ballad 'remarkable, as containing probably the very latest allusion to the institution of brotherhood in arms' (see 14.4, and the use of the word 'bully'); but Child strongly suspects there was an older and better copy than those extant, none of which is earlier than the eighteenth century.

+The Story+ is concerned with two fathers, who boast about their sons, and cause the two lads to fight. Christy Graham is faced with the dilemma of fighting either his father or his brother-in-arms, and decides to meet the latter; but, should he kill his friend, he determines not to return alive. Young Bewick takes a similar vow. They fight two hours, and at last an 'ackward' stroke kills Bewick, and Christy falls on his sword. The two fathers lament, and the ballad-singer finishes by putting the blame on them.

BEWICK AND GRAHAME

1. Old Grahame he is to Carlisle gone, Where Sir Robert Bewick there met he; In arms to the wine they are gone, And drank till they were both merry.