Leoffricus the noble earl,

Of Chester, as I read,

Did for the city of Coventry

Many a noble deed;

Great privileges for the town

This nobleman did get,

Of all things did make it so,

That they toll free did sit,

Save only that for horses still

They did some custom pay,

Which was great charges to the town

Full long and many a day.

Wherefore his wife, Godiva fair,

Did of the earl request,

That therefore he would make it free

As well as all the rest.

And when the lady long had sued,

Her purpose to obtain,

At last her noble Lord she took

Within a pleasant vein,

And unto him with smiling cheer

She did forthwith proceed,

Intreating greatly that he would

Perform that godly deed.

"You move me much, fair dame," quoth he;

"Your suit I fain would shun;

But what would you perform and do,

To have the matter done?"

"Why, anything, my lord," quoth she,

"You will with reason crave,

I will perform it with goodwill

If I my wish may have."

"If thou wilt grant one thing," he said,

"Which I shall now require,

So soon as it is finished,

Thou shalt have thy desire."

"Command what you think good, my lord;

I will thereto agree

On that condition, that this town

In all things may be free."

"If thou wilt strip thy clothes off,

And here wilt lay them down,

And at noonday on horseback ride,

Stark naked through the town,

They shall be free for evermore.

If thou wilt not do so,

More liberty than now they have

I never will bestow."

The lady at this strange demand

Was much abashed in mind;

And yet for to fulfil this thing

She ne'er a whit repined.

Wherefore to all the officers

Of all the town she sent,

That they perceiving her good will

Which for their weal was bent,

That on the day that she should ride,

All persons through the town

Should keep their houses and shut their door,

And clap their windows down,

So that no creature, young nor old,

Should in the street be seen

Till she had ridden (all about

Through all the city clean.

And when the day of riding came,

No person did her see,

Saving her Lord, after which time

The town was ever free.

William and Marjorie

Lady Marjorie, Lady Marjorie,

Sat sewing her silken seam,

And by her came a pale, pale ghost,

Wi' mony a sigh and mane.

"Are ye my father, the king?" she says,

"Or are ye my brither John?

Or are ye my true love, sweet William,

From England newly come?"

"I'm not your father, the king," he says,

"No, no, nor your brither John;

But I'm your true love, sweet William,

From England that's newly come."

"Have ye brought me any scarlets sae red,

Or any silks sae fine;

Or have ye brought me any precious things,

That merchants have for sale?"

"I have not brought you any scarlets sae red,

No, no, nor the silks sae fine;

But I have brought you my winding-sheet

O'er many's the rock and hill.

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"O Lady Marjorie, Lady Marjorie,

For faith and charitie,

Will ye give to me my faith and troth,

That I gave once to thee?"

"O your faith and troth I'll not give thee,

No, no, that will not I,

Until I get ae kiss of your ruby lips,

And in my arms you come lie."

"My lips they are sae bitter," he says,

"My breath it is sae strang,

If you get ae kiss of my ruby lips,

Your days will not be lang.

"The cocks they are crawing, Marjorie," he says,—

"The cocks they are crawing again;

It's time the dead should part the quick,—

Marjorie, I must be gane."

She followed him high, she followed him low,

Till she came to yon churchyard green;

O there the grave did open up,

And young William he lay down.

"What three things are these, sweet William," she says,

"That stands here at your head?"

"It's three maidens, Marjorie," he says,

"That I promised once to wed."

"What three things are these, sweet William,"she says,

"That stands here at your side?"

"It is three babes, Marjorie," he says,

"That these three maidens had."

"What three things are these, sweet William," she says,

"That stands here at your feet?"

"It is three hell-hounds, Marjorie," he says,

"That's waiting my soul to keep."

She took up her white, white hand,

And she struck him in the breast,

Saying,—"Have there again your faith and troth

And I wish your soul gude rest."

The Gipsy Laddie

The gipsies came to our good lord's gate,

And wow but they sang sweetly;

They sang sae sweet and sae very complete,

That down came the fair lady.

And she came tripping doun the stair,

And a' her maids before her;

As soon as they saw her weel-far'd face,

They coost the glamour o'er her.

"Gae tak frae me this gay mantle,

And bring to me a plaidie;

For if kith and kin and a' had sworn,

I'll follow the gipsy laddie.

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"Yestreen I lay in a weel-made bed,

And my good lord beside me;

This night I'll lie in a tennant's barn,

Whatever shall betide me."

"Come to your bed," says Johnie Faa,

"O come to your bed, my deary;

For I vow and I swear by the hilt of my sword,

That your lord shall nae mair come near ye."

"I'll go to bed to my Johnie Faa,

I'll go to bed to my deary;

For I vow and I swear, by what passed yestreen,

That my lord shall nae mair come near me.

"I'll mak a hap to my Johnie Faa,

And I'll mak a hap to my deary;

And he's get a' the coat gaes round,

And my lord shall nae mair come near me."

And when our lord came hame at e'en,

And speir'd for his fair lady,

The tane she cried, and the other replied,

"She's away wi' the gipsy laddie."

"Gae saddle to me the black black steed,

Gae saddle and make him ready;

Before that I either eat or sleep,

I'll gae seek my fair lady."

And we were fifteen weel-made men,

Altho' we were nae bonny;

And we were a' put down for ane,

A fair young wanton lady.

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Waly, Waly, but Love be Bonny

O waly, waly up the bank,

And waly, waly down the brae,

And waly, waly yon burn side,

Where I and my love wont to gae.

I lean'd my back unto an aik,

I thought it was a trusty tree;

But first it bow'd, and syne it brak,

Sae my true love did lightly me!

O waly, waly, but love be bonny,

A little time, while it is new -,

But when 'tis auld, it waxeth cauld,

And fades away like morning dew.

O wherefore should I busk my head?

Or wherefore should I kame my hair?

For my true love has me forsook,

And says he'll never love me mair.

Now Arthur-Seat shall be my bed,

The sheets shall ne'er be filed by me:

Saint Anton's well shall be my drink,

Since my true love has forsaken me.

Martinmas wind, when wilt thou blaw,

And shake the green leaves off the tree?

O gentle death, when wilt thou come?

For of my life I am weary.

'Tis not the frost that freezes fell,

Nor blawing snaw's inclemency;

'Tis not sic cauld that makes me cry,

But my love's heart grown cauld to me.

When we came in by Glasgow town,

We were a comely sight to see;

My love was clad in the black velvet,

And I mysel' in cramasie.

But had I wist, before I kiss'd,

That love had been sae ill to win,

I'd lock'd my heart in a case of gold,

And pinn'd it with a silver pin.

Oh, oh, if my young babe were born,

And set upon the nurse's knee,

And I mysel' were dead and gane!

For a maid again I'll never be.

The Bonny Earl of Murray

Ye Highlands, and ye Lawlands,

O where have you been?

They have slain the Earl of Murray,

And they laid him on the green.

"Now wae be to thee, Huntly!

And wherefore did you sae?

I bade you bring him wi' you,

But forbade you him to slay."

He was a braw gallant,

And he rid at the ring;

And the bonny Earl of Murray,

O he might hae been a king.

He was a braw gallant,

And he play'd at the ba;

And the bonny Earl of Murray

Was the flower amang them a.

He was a braw gallant,

And he play'd at the glove;

And the bonny Earl of Murray,

O he was the Queen's love.

O lang will his lady

Look o'er the castle Down,

Ere she see the Earl of Murray

Come sounding thro' the town.

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