| |
| “O, CAME ye ower by the Yoke-burn Ford, | |
| Or down the King’s Road o’ the cleuch? 1 | |
| Or saw ye a knight and a lady bright, | |
| Wha ha’e gane the gate they baith shall rue?” | |
| |
| “I saw a knight and a lady bright | 5 |
| Ride up the cleuch at the break of day; | |
| The knight upon a coal-black steed, | |
| And the dame on one of a silver-gray. | |
| |
| “And the lady’s palfrey flew the first, | |
| With many a clang of silver bell: | 10 |
| Swift as the raven’s morning flight | |
| The two went scouring ower the fell. | |
| |
| “By this time they are man and wife, | |
| And standing in St. Mary’s fane; | |
| And the lady in the grass-green silk | 15 |
| A maid you will never see again.” | |
| |
| “But I can tell thee, saucy wight,— | |
| And that the runaway shall prove,— | |
| Revenge to a Douglas is as sweet | |
| As maiden charms or maiden’s love.” | 20 |
| |
| “Since thou say’st that, my Lord Douglas, | |
| Good faith some clinking there will be; | |
| Beshrew my heart but and my sword, | |
| If I winna turn and ride with thee!” | |
| |
| They whipped out ower the Shepherd Cleuch, | 25 |
| And doun the links o’ the Corsecleuch Burn; | |
| And aye the Douglas swore by his sword | |
| To win his love, or ne’er return. | |
| |
| “First fight your rival, Lord Douglas, | |
| And then brag after, if you may; | 30 |
| For the Earl of Ross is as brave a lord | |
| As ever gave good weapon sway. | |
| |
| “But I for ae poor siller merk, | |
| Or thirteen pennies and a bawbee, | |
| Will tak in hand to fight you baith, | 35 |
| Or beat the winner, whiche’er it be.” | |
| |
| The Douglas turned him on his steed, | |
| And I wat a loud laughter leuch he: | |
| “Of a’ the fools I have ever met, | |
| Man, I ha’e never met ane like thee. | 40 |
| |
| “Art thou akin to lord or knight, | |
| Or courtly squire or warrior leal?” | |
| “I am a tinkler,” quo’ the wight, | |
| “But I like croun-cracking unco weel.” | |
| |
| When they came to St. Mary’s kirk, | 45 |
| The chaplain shook for very fear; | |
| And aye he kissed the cross, and said, | |
| “What deevil has sent that Douglas here! | |
| |
| “He neither values Book nor ban, | |
| But curses all without demur; | 50 |
| And cares nae mair for a holy man | |
| Than I do for a worthless cur.” | |
| |
| “Come here, thou bland and brittle priest, | |
| And tell to me without delay | |
| Where have you hid the lord of Ross | 55 |
| And the lady that came at the break of day.” | |
| |
| “No knight or lady, good Lord Douglas, | |
| Have I beheld since break of morn; | |
| And I never saw the lord of Ross | |
| Since the woful day that I was born.” | 60 |
| |
| Lord Douglas turned him round about, | |
| And looked the Tinkler in the face; | |
| Where he beheld a lurking smile, | |
| And a deevil of a dour grimace. | |
| |
| “How ’s this, how ’s this, thou Tinkler loun? | 65 |
| Hast thou presumed to lie on me?” | |
| “Faith that I have!” the Tinkler said, | |
| “And a right good turn I have done to thee; | |
| |
| “For the lord of Ross and thy own true-love, | |
| The beauteous Harriet of Thirlestane, | 70 |
| Rade west away, ere the break of day; | |
| And you ’ll never see the dear maid again; | |
| |
| “So I thought it best to bring you here, | |
| On a wrang scent, of my own accord; | |
| For had you met the Johnstone clan, | 75 |
| They wad ha’e made mince-meat of a lord.” | |
| |
| At this the Douglas was so wroth | |
| He wist not what to say or do; | |
| But he strak the Tinkler o’er the croun, | |
| Till the blood came dreeping ower his brow. | 80 |
| |
| “Beshrew my heart,” quo’ the Tinkler lad, | |
| “Thou bear’st thee most ungallantlye! | |
| If these are the manners of a lord, | |
| They are manners that winna gang doun wi’ me.” | |
| |
| “Hold up thy hand,” the Douglas cried, | 85 |
| “And keep thy distance, Tinkler loun!” | |
| “That will I not,” the Tinkler said, | |
| “Though I and my mare should both go doun!” | |
| |
| “I have armor on,” cried the Lord Douglas, | |
| “Cuirass and helm, as you may see.” | 90 |
| “The deil me care!” quo’ the Tinkler lad; | |
| “I shall have a skelp at them and thee.” | |
| |
| “You are not horsed,” quo’ the Lord Douglas, | |
| “And no remorse this weapon brooks.” | |
| “Mine ’s a right good yaud,” quo’ the Tinkler lad, | 95 |
| “And a great deal better nor she looks. | |
| |
| “So stand to thy weapons, thou haughty lord, | |
| What I have taken I needs must give; | |
| Thou shalt never strike a tinkler again, | |
| For the langest day thou hast to live.” | 100 |
| |
| Then to it they fell, both sharp and snell, | |
| Till the fire from both their weapons flew; | |
| But the very first shock that they met with, | |
| The Douglas his rashness ’gan to rue. | |
| |
| For though he had on a sark of mail, | 105 |
| And a cuirass on his breast wore he, | |
| With a good steel bonnet on his head, | |
| Yet the blood ran trickling to his knee. | |
| |
| The Douglas sat upright and firm, | |
| Aye as together their horses ran; | 110 |
| But the Tinkler laid on like the very deil,— | |
| Siccan strokes were never laid on by man. | |
| |
| “Hold up thy hand, thou Tinkler loun,” | |
| Cried the poor priest with whining din; | |
| “If thou hurt the brave Lord James Douglas; | 115 |
| A curse be on thee and all thy kin!” | |
| |
| “I care no more for Lord James Douglas | |
| Than Lord James Douglas cares for me; | |
| But I want to let his proud heart know | |
| That a tinkler ’s a man as well as he.” | 120 |
| |
| So they fought on, and they fought on, | |
| Till good Lord Douglas’ breath was gone; | |
| And the Tinkler bore him to the ground, | |
| With rush, with rattle, and with groan. | |
| |
| “O hon! O hon!” cried the proud Douglas, | 125 |
| “That I this day should have lived to see! | |
| For sure my honor I have lost, | |
| And a leader again I can never be! | |
| |
| “But tell me of thy kith and kin, | |
| And where was bred thy weapon hand? | 130 |
| For thou art the wale of tinkler louns | |
| That ever was born in fair Scotland.” | |
| |
| “My name ’s Jock Johnstone,” quo’ the wight; | |
| “I winna keep in my name frae thee; | |
| And here, tak thou thy sword again, | 135 |
| And better friends we two shall be.” | |
| |
| But the Douglas swore a solemn oath, | |
| That was a debt he could never owe; | |
| He would rather die at the back of the dike | |
| Than owe his sword to a man so low. | 140 |
| |
| “But if thou wilt ride under my banner, | |
| And bear my livery and my name, | |
| My right-hand warrior thou shalt be | |
| And I ’ll knight thee on the field of fame.” | |
| |
| “Woe worth thy wit, good Lord Douglas, | 145 |
| To think I ’d change my trade for thine; | |
| Far better and wiser would you be, | |
| To live a journeyman of mine, | |
| |
| “To mend a kettle or a casque, | |
| Or clout a goodwife’s yettlin’ pan,— | 150 |
| Upon my life, good Lord Douglas, | |
| You ’d make a noble tinkler-man! | |
| |
| “I would give you a drammock twice a day, | |
| And sunkets on a Sunday morn, | |
| And you should be a rare adept | 155 |
| In steel and copper, brass and horn! | |
| |
| “I ’ll fight you every day you rise, | |
| Till you can act the hero’s part; | |
| Therefore, I pray you, think of this, | |
| And lay it seriously to heart.” | 160 |
| |
| The Douglas writhed beneath the lash, | |
| Answering with an inward curse,— | |
| Like salmon wriggling on a spear, | |
| That makes his deadly wound the worse. | |
| |
| But up there came two squires renowned; | 165 |
| In search of Lord Douglas they came; | |
| And when they saw their master down, | |
| Their spirits mounted in a flame. | |
| |
| And they flew upon the Tinkler wight, | |
| Like perfect tigers on their prey: | 170 |
| But the Tinkler heaved his trusty sword, | |
| And made him ready for the fray. | |
| |
| “Come one to one, ye coward knaves,— | |
| Come hand to hand, and steed to steed; | |
| I would that ye were better men, | 175 |
| For this is glorious work indeed!” | |
| |
| Before you could have counted twelve, | |
| The Tinkler’s wondrous chivalrye | |
| Had both the squires upon the sward, | |
| And their horses galloping o’er the lea. | 180 |
| |
| The Tinkler tied them neck and heel, | |
| And many a biting jest gave he: | |
| “O fie, for shame!” said the Tinkler lad; | |
| “Siccan fighters I never did see!” | |
| |
| He slit one of their bridle reins,— | 185 |
| O, what disgrace the conquered feels!— | |
| And he skelpit the squires with that good tawse, | |
| Till the blood ran off at baith their heels. | |
| |
| The Douglas he was forced to laugh | |
| Till down his cheek the salt tear ran: | 190 |
| “I think the deevil be come here | |
| In the likeness of a tinkler man!” | |
| |
| Then he has to Lord Douglas gone, | |
| And he raised him kindly by the hand, | |
| And set him on his gallant steed, | 195 |
| And bore him away to Henderland: | |
| |
| “Be not cast down, my Lord Douglas, | |
| Nor writhe beneath a broken bane; | |
| For the leech’s art will mend the part, | |
| And your honor lost will spring again. | 200 |
| |
| “’T is true, Jock Johnstone is my name; | |
| I ’m a right good tinkler, as you see; | |
| For I can crack a casque betimes, | |
| Or clout one, as my need may be. | |
| |
| “Jock Johnstone is my name, ’t is true,— | 205 |
| But noble hearts are allied to me; | |
| For I am the lord of Annandale, | |
| And a knight and earl as well as thee.” | |
| |
| Then Douglas strained the hero’s hand, | |
| And took from it his sword again: | 210 |
| “Since thou art the lord of Annandale, | |
| Thou hast eased my heart of meikle pain. | |
| |
| “I might have known thy noble form | |
| In that disguise thou ’rt pleased to wear; | |
| All Scotland knows thy matchless arm, | 215 |
| And England by experience dear. | |
| |
| “We have been foes as well as friends, | |
| And jealous of each other’s sway; | |
| But little can I comprehend | |
| Thy motive for these pranks to-day.” | 220 |
| |
| “Sooth, my good lord, the truth to tell, | |
| ’T was I that stole your love away, | |
| And gave her to the lord of Ross | |
| An hour before the break of day; | |
| |
| “For the lord of Ross is my brother, | 225 |
| By all the laws of chivalrye; | |
| And I brought with me a thousand men | |
| To guard him to my ain countrye. | |
| |
| “But I thought meet to stay behind, | |
| And try your lordship to waylay, | 230 |
| Resolved to breed some noble sport, | |
| By leading you so far astray. | |
| |
| “Judging it better some lives to spare,— | |
| Which fancy takes me now and then,— | |
| And settle our quarrel hand to hand, | 235 |
| Than each with our ten thousand men. | |
| |
| “God send you soon, my Lord Douglas, | |
| To Border foray sound and haill! | |
| But never strike a tinkler again, | |
| If he be a Johnstone of Annandale.” | 240 |
