FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165  
166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   >>   >|  
"Have ye no under robe of steel? "I never saw an English man "Become his doublet half sae weel." "Fy no! fy no!" George Wharton said, "For that's the thing that mauna be, "That I should come wi' armour on, "And you a naked man truly." "Our men shall search our doublets, George, "And see if one of us do lie; "Then will we prove, wi' weapons sharp, "Ourselves true gallants for to be." Then they threw off their doublets both, And stood up in their sarks o' lawn; "Now, take my counsel," said Sir James, "Wharton, to thee I'll make it knawn: "So as we stand, so will we fight; "Thus naked in our sarks," said he; "Fy no! fy no!" George Wharton says; "That is the thing that must not be. "We're neither drinkers, quarrellers, "Nor men that cares na for oursel; "Nor minds na what we're gaun about, "Or if we're gaun to heav'n or hell. "Let us to God bequeath our souls, "Our bodies to the dust and clay!" With that he drew his deadly sword, The first was drawn on field that day. Se'en bouts and turns these heroes had, Or e'er a drop o' blood was drawn; Our Scotch lord, wond'ring, quickly cry'd, "Stout Wharton! thou still hauds thy awn!" The first stroke that George Wharton gae, He struck him thro' the shoulder-bane; The neist was thro' the thick o' the thigh; He thought our Scotch lord had been slain. "Oh! ever alak!" George Wharton cry'd, "Art thou a living man, tell me? "If there's a surgeon living can, "He'se cure thy wounds right speedily." "No more of that!" James Stuart said; "Speak not of curing wounds to me! "For one of us must yield our breath, "Ere off the field one foot we flee." They looked oure their shoulders both, To see what company was there; They both had grievous marks of death, But frae the other nane wad steer. George Wharton was the first that fell; Our Scotch lord fell immediately: They both did cry to Him above, To save their souls, for they boud die. THE LAMENT OF THE BORDER WIDOW. This fragment, obtained from recitation in the Forest of Ettrick, is said to relate to the execution of Cokburne of Henderland, a border freebooter, hanged over the gate of his own tower by James V., in the course of that memorable expedition, in 1529, which was fatal to Johnie Armstrang, Adam Scott of Tushielaw, and many other marauders. The vestiges of th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165  
166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Wharton

 

George

 
Scotch
 

living

 

wounds

 

doublets

 

shoulders

 

Armstrang

 

Stuart

 

curing


breath

 
looked
 
vestiges
 

thought

 
marauders
 
company
 

speedily

 

surgeon

 

Tushielaw

 

Ettrick


relate

 

execution

 

Cokburne

 

Forest

 

fragment

 

obtained

 

recitation

 

Henderland

 

border

 
expedition

memorable

 

freebooter

 
hanged
 

Johnie

 

immediately

 
LAMENT
 

BORDER

 
grievous
 

counsel

 
English

drinkers

 

Become

 

search

 
armour
 

weapons

 

doublet

 
Ourselves
 

gallants

 

quarrellers

 
heroes