  God prosper long our noble king, Our lives and safeties all; A joyful supper once there did, In Edinbro’ befal. To give the gallant Scot a horn, Bold Etal Children to get, which shall be born, Upon another day. Bold Etal of Northumberland, A vow to God did make, His pleasure in the Scottish town, Three summer’s days to take. The choicest lips in Edinbro’, To kiss and bear away; These tidings reach’d Black Castle’s In Perthshire where he lay. Who sent young Etal present word, He would prevent his sport; The Englishman not fearing this, Did to the town resort. In reg’ment spotted leopard like, Mov’d with superior grace; And swore he’d take their mistresses, And kiss before their face. Sir Patrick, in a silver vest, Most like a gallant knight, Mov’d foremost of the company. And pleas’d the ladies’ sight. Shew me, says he, whose men you be, Who come so boldly here; I fain would see that English face, That I have cause to fear. The first man that did answer make, Was gallant Etal he, Who said, We list not to disclose, Or shew whose men we be. But we will spend our dearest blood, Your toasts to bear away: Sir Pat with anger colour’d red, And thus in rage did say: Ere I will thus outbraved be, One of us two shall die; I know thou Carr of Etal art, Black Castle’s heir am I. But trust me, Etal, pity ’twere, And great offence to kill, Doory and Swinburn, harmless youths, For they can do no ill. Let you and I the battle try, And set our men aside: Accurst be he, bold Etal cried, By whom this is denied. Then stept a noble baron forth, Lord Linton was his name; Who said, He would not have it told, To Scottish men for shame; That ere Black Castle fought on foot, And he stood looking on; You are two ’squires, lord Linton cried, And I am an earl’s son. I’ll do the best that I can do, While I have power to stand; I would not quarrel for a kiss, But Carr, keep back your hand. Then Swinburn clapp’d his hands and laugh’d, And jeeringly did say, Stick to ’em Carr, and bear ’em off, For me I’ll drink away. Drinking’s the sport that I like best, So push the glasses round; Kiss you the ladies and I’ll drink, These gallants to the ground. Oh what a joy it was to see, And likewise for to hear, How Swinburn rattl’d in the van, And Creighton in the rear. They drank full fast from night ’till morn, No slackness there was found; And Scots and English hats and wigs, Lay drunk upon the ground. At Callaly, the seat of the Claverings, tradition reports, that while the workmen were engaged in erecting the castle upon a hill, a little distance from the scite of the present edifice, they were surprised every morning to find their former day’s work destroyed, and the whole impeded by supernatural obstacles, which causing them to watch, they heard a voice saying:— Callaly castle stands on a height, It’s up in the day, and down at night: Build it down on the Shepherd’s Shaw, There it will stand and never fa’. Upon which the building was transferred to the place mentioned, where it now stands. |
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