"Grant me my life, my liege, my King! And a bonny gift I'll gie to theeGude four-and-twenty ganging mills, That gang thro' a' the yeir to me.

"These four-and-twenty mills complete Sall gang for thee thro' a' the yeir; And as mickle of gude reid wheit,

As a' thair happers dow to bear.”

'Away, away, thou traitor strang! Out o' my sight soon mayst thou be! I grantit never a traitor's life,

And now I'll not begin wi' thee.".

"Grant me my life, my liege, my King!
And a great gift I'll gie to thee—
Bauld four-and-twenty sister's sons,
Sall for thee fecht, tho' a' should flee!"

Away, away, thou traitor strang!

Out o' my sight soon mayst thou be! I grantit never a traitor's life,

And now I'll not begin wi' thee.”

"Grant me my life, my liege, my King!
And a brave gift I'll gie to thee-
All between heir and Newcastle town,
Sall pay their yeirly rent to thee.”—

Away, away, thou traitor strang!

Out o' my sight soon mayst thou be! I grantit never a traitor's life,

And now I'll not begin wi' thee."

"Ye lied, ye lied, now, King," he says,
"Altho' a King and Prince ye be!
For I've luved naething in my life,
I weel dare say it, but honesty-

"Save a fat horse, and a fair woman, Twa bonny dogs to kill a deir,

But England suld have found me meal and mault, Gif I had lived this hundred yeir!

"She suld have found me meal and mault,
And beef and mutton in a' plentie,
But never a Scots wyfe could have said,
That e'er I skaith'd her a puir flee.

"To seik hot water beneith cauld ice,
Surely it is a greit folie-

I have asked grace at a graceless face,
But there is nane for my men and me!

"But had I kenn'd ere I cam frae hame,
How thou unkind wadst been to me!

I wad have keepit the Border side,
In spite of all thy force and thee.

"Wist England's King that I was ta'en
O gin a blythe man he wad be!
For anes I slew his sister's son,

And on his breist bane brak a trie."

John wore a girdle about his middle
Imbroider'd ower wi' burning gold,
Bespangled wi' the same metal,
Maist beautiful was to behold.

There hang nine targats' at Johnie's hat,

66

And ilk ane worth three hundred pound

What wants that knave that a King suld have

But the sword of honour and the crown?

"O where got thou these targats, Johnie, That blink sae brawly abune thy brie?". "I gat them in the field fechting,

Where, cruel King, thou durst not be.

"Had I my horse, and harness gude,
And riding as I wont to be,

It suld have been tauld this hundred yeir,
The meeting of my King and me!

"God be with thee, Kirsty, my brother,
Lang live thou Laird of Mangertoun :

Lang mayst thou live on the Border syde,
Ere thou see thy brother ride up and down.

1 Tassels.

"And God be with the, Kirsty, my son,
Where thou sits on thy nurse's knee!
But an thou live this hundred yeir,
Thy father's better thoul't never be.

"Farewell! my bonny Gilnock hall,
Where on Esk side thou standest stout!
Gif I had lived but seven yeirs mair,
I wad hae gilt thee round about."

John murder'd was at Carlinrigg,
And all his gallant cumpanie;
But Scotland's heart was ne'er sae wae,
To see sae mony brave men die—

Because they saved their country deir
Frae Englishmen! Nane were sa bauld,
Whyle Johnie lived on the Border syde,

Nane of them durst cum neir his hauld.

This ballad was first published by Sir Walter, from tradition. It is said that a bridge over the Annan was built in consequence of the melancholy catastrophe which it relates.

"A

NNAN water's wading deep,

And my love Annie's wondrous bonny; And I am laith she suld weet her feet,

Because I love her best of ony.

"Gar saddle me the bonny black,

Gar saddle sune, and make him ready;
For I will down the Gatehope-Slack,
And all to see my bonny ladye."-

He has loupen on the bonny black,
He stirr'd him wi' the spur right sairly;

But, or he wan the Gatehope-Slack
I think the steed was wae and weary.