No. LIV.

THE

*

LAIDLEY WORM OF SPINDLESTONE HEUGHS.

I have seen another version of this story, with some variations, under the title of Kempion; the one, which I here insert, in my opinion, is by far the best of the two. It is taken from the 3d volume of " Evans's Old Ballads."

THE King is gone from Bamborough castle :

Long may the Princess mourn,

Long may she stand on the castle wall,

Looking for his return.

She has knotted the keys upon a string,
And with her she has them ta'en;

She has cast them o'er her left shoulder,

And to the gate she is gane.

* This is a northern corruption for loathly, i. e. loathsome; worm means serpent.

She tripped out, she`tripped in,
She tript into the yard;

But it was more for the King's sake,
Than for the Queen's regard.

It fell out on a day, the King

Brought the Queen with him home;

And all the lords in our country

To welcome them did come.

-"Oh! welcome father," the lady cries, "Unto your halls and bowers; “And so are you, my step-mother, "For all that is here is yours."

A lord said, wond'ring while she spake,

66

"This Princess of the north,

Surpasses all of female kind,

"In beauty and in worth.”—

The envious Queen replied," at least

"You might have excepted me;

"In a few hours I will her bring

"Down to a low degree.

"I will liken her to a laidley worm, "That warps about the stone,

“And not, till Child Wynd* comes back, "Shall she again be won."

The Princess stood at her bower door,
Laughing who could her blame?
But e'er the next day's sun went down,
A long worm she became.

For seven miles east, and seven miles west,

And seven miles north and south,

No blade of grass or corn could

So venemous was her mouth.

The milk of seven stately cows, (It was costly her to keep,)

grow,

Was brought her daily, which she drank
Before she went to sleep.

At this day may

be seen the cave,

Which held her folded up,

And the stone trough, the very same,

Out of which she did sup.

There is now a street called the Wynd, at Bamborough.

Word went east, and word went west,
And word is gone over the sea,

That a laidley worm in Spindleston Heughs
Would ruin the north country.

Word went east, and word went west,

And over the sea did go;

The Child of Wynd got wit of it,

Which filled his heart with woe.

He called straight his merry men all,
They thirty were and three ;
"I wish I were at Spindleston,
"This desperate worm to see.

"We have no time now here to waste,

They built a ship without delay,

With masts of the rown tree,* With fluttering sails of silk so fine,

And set her on the sea.

* Mountain ash.

They went aboard: the wind with speed Blew them along the deep;

At length they spied an huge square tower On a rock high and steep.

The sea was smooth, the weather clear;
When they approached nigher,

King Ida's castle they well knew,

And the banks of Bamboroughshire.

The Queen look'd out at bower window,
To see what she could see;
There she espied a gallant ship
Sailing upon the sea.

When she beheld the silken sails

Full glancing in the sun,

To sink the ship she sent away

Her witch-wives every one.

Their spells were vain. The hags return'd To the Queen in sorrowful mood, Crying, that witches have no power Where there is rown-tree wood.