They swapped swords, and they twa swat,
And aye the blood ran down between.

'Now yield thee, yield thee, Percy,' he said, 'Or else I vow I'll lay thee low!'

'To whom must I yield,' quoth Earl Percy, 'Now that I see it must be so?'

'Thou shalt not yield to lord nor loun,
Nor yet shalt thou yield to me;
But yield thee to the braken-bush,
That grows upon yon lilye lee.'

'I will not yield to a braken-bush, Nor yet will I yield to a brier; But I would yield to Earl Douglas,

Or Sir Hugh the Montgomery, if he were here.'

As soon as he knew it was Montgomery,
He struck his sword's point in the gronde;
The Montgomery was a courteous knight,
And quickly took him by the honde.

This deed was done at the Otterbourne,
About the breaking of the day;

Earl Douglas was buried at the braken-bush,
And the Percy led captive away.

ROBIN HOOD'S DEATH

WHEN Robin Hood and Little John

Down a down a down a down

Went oer yon bank of broom,

Said Robin Hood bold to Little John,

We have shot for many a pound.
Hey, etc.

But I am not able to shoot one shot more,
My broad arrows will not flee;
But I have a cousin lives down below,
Please God, she will bleed me.

Now Robin he is to fair Kirkly gone,

As fast as he can win;

But before he came there, as we do hear,
He was taken very ill.

And when he came to fair Kirkly-hall,

He knockd all at the ring,

But none was so ready as his cousin herself

For to let bold Robin in.

'Will you please to sit down, cousin Robin,' she said,

And drink some beer with me?'

'No, I will neither eat nor drink,

Till I am blooded by thee.'

'Well, I have a room, cousin Robin,' she said,

'Which you did never see,

And if you please to walk therein,

You blooded by me shall be.'

She took him by the lily-white hand,
And led him to a private room,

And there she blooded bold Robin Hood,
While one drop of blood would run down.

She blooded him in a vein of the arm,
And locked him up in the room;
There did he bleed all the live-long day,
Until the next day at noon.

He then bethought him of a casement there,
Thinking for to get down;

But was so weak he could not leap,
He could not get him down.

He then bethought him of his bugle-horn,
Which hung low down to his knee;
He set his horn unto his mouth,

And blew out weak blasts three.

Then Little John, when hearing him,
As he sat under the tree,

'I fear my master is now near dead,
He blows so wearily.'

Then Little John to fair Kirkly is gone, As fast as he can dree;

But when he came to Kirkly-hall,

He broke locks two or three:

Until he came bold Robin to see,
Then he fell on his knee;

'A boon, a boon,' cries Little John,
'Master, I beg of thee.'

'What is that boon,' said Robin Hood,
'Little John, thou begs of me?'
'It is to burn fair Kirkly-hall,

And all their nunnery.'

'Now nay, now nay,' quoth Robin Hood, "That boon I'll not grant thee;

I never hurt woman in all my life,
Nor men in woman's company.

'I never hurt fair maid in all my time, Nor at mine end shall it be;

But give me my bent bow in my hand, And a broad arrow I'll let flee;

And where this arrow is taken up,
There shall my grave digged be.

'Lay me a green sod under my head,
And another at my feet;

And lay my bent bow by my side,
Which was my music sweet;

And make my grave of gravel and green,
Which is most right and meet.

'Let me have length and breadth enough,
With a green sod under my head;
That they may say, when I am dead,
Here lies bold Robin Hood.'

These words they readily granted him,
Which did bold Robin please:
And there they buried bold Robin Hood,
Within the fair Kirklys.

THE TWA CORBIES

As I was walking all alane,

I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The tane unto the t'other say,
'Where sall we gang and dine to-day?'

In behint yon auld fail dyke,
I wot there lies a new slain knight;
And naebody kens that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair.

'His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,

His lady's ta'en another mate,

So we may mak our dinner sweet.

'Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,

And I'll pike out his bonny blue een;
Wi ae lock o his gowden hair

We'll theek our nest when it grows bare.

'Mony a one for him makes mane,
But nane sall ken where he is gane;
Oer his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind sall blaw for evermair.'

YOUNG WATERS

ABOUT Yule, when the wind blew cule,
And the round tables began,
A there is cum to our king's court
Mony a well-favord man.

The queen luikt owre the castle-wa,
Beheld baith dale and down,
And there she saw young Waters
Come riding to the town.

His footmen they did rin before,
His horsemen rade behind;
And mantel of the burning gowd
Did keip him frae the wind.

Gowden-graithd his horse before,
And siller-shod behind;

The horse young Waters rade upon
Was fleeter than the wind.

Out then spack a wylie lord,
Unto the queen said he,

'O tell me wha's the fairest face

Rides in the company?'