noble in gold so round."--

"Here's twenty groats of white mon-ey,
Sith thou wilt have it of me."--
"I would have sworn now," quoth the tanner,
"Thou hadst not had one penni-e.

"But since we two have made a change,
A change we must abide;
Although thou hast gotten Brock my mare,
Thou gettest not my cow-hide."--

"I will not have it," said the king,
"I swear, so mote I thee;
Thy foul cow-hide I would not bear,
If thou wouldst give it to me."

The tanner he took his good cow-hide
That of the cow was hilt;
And threw it upon the king's sad-elle,
That was so fairly gilt.

"Now help me up, thou fine fell-ow,
'Tis time that I were gone:
When I come home to Gyllian my wife,
She'll say I am a gentilmon."

When the tanner he was in the king's sad-elle,
And his foot in the stirrup was;
He marvelled greatly in his mind,
Whether it were gold or brass.

But when his steed saw the cow's tail wag,
And eke the black cow-horn;
He stamped, and stared, and away he ran,
As the devil had him borne.

The tanner he pulled, the tanner he sweat,
And held by the pummel fast:
At length the tanner came tumbling down;
His neck he had well-nigh brast.

"Take thy horse again with a vengeance!" he said,
"With me he shall not bide!"--
"My horse would have borne thee well enough,
But he knew not of thy cow-hide.

"Yet if again thou fain wouldst change,
As change full well may we,
By the faith of my body, thou jolly tann-er,
I will have some boot of thee."--

"What boot wilt thou have?" the tanner replied,
"Now tell me in this stound."--
"No pence nor halfpence, sir, by my fay,
But I will have twenty pound."--

"Here's twenty groats out of my purse;
And twenty I have of thine:
And I have one more, which we will spend
Together at the wine."

The king set a bugle horn to his mouth,
And blew both loud and shrill:
And soon came lords, and soon came knights,
Fast riding over the hill.

"Now, out alas!" the tanner he cried,
"That ever I saw this day!
Thou art a strong thief, yon come thy fell-ows
Will bear my cow-hide away!"--

"They are no thieves," the king replied,
"I swear, so m