HARDY KNUTE

A FRAGMENT.

I.

TATELY ftept he eaft the wa,

STATE

he

And ftately stept he weft,

Full feventy zeirs he now had fene,
With fkerfs fevin zeirs of rest.
He livit quhen Britons breach of faith
Wroucht Scotland meikle wae:

And ay his fword tauld to their coft,
He was their deidly fae.

II.

Hie on a hill his caftle ftude,

With halls and touris a hicht,

And guidly chambers fair to se,
Quhair he lodgit mony a Knicht.
His Dame fae peirless anes and fair,
For chaft and bewtie deimt,

Nae marrow had in all the land,

III.

Full thirtein fons to him scho bare,

All men of valour stout;

In bluidy ficht with fword in hand

Nyne loft their lives bot doubt; Four zit remain, lang may they live To stand my liege and land:

Hie was their fame, hie was their micht, And hie was their command.

IV..

Great luve they bare to FAIRLY fair,
Their fifter faft and deir,

Her girdle fhawd her middle gimp,

And gowden glift her hair.

Quhat waefou wae hir bewtie bred ?
Waefou to zung and auld,
Waefou I trow to kyth and kin,
As ftory ever tauld.

V.

The king of Norfe in fummer tyde,
Puft up with powir and micht,
Landed in fair Scotland the yle,
With mony a hardy knicht:
The tydings to our gude Scots king
Came, as he fat at dyne,

With noble chiefs in braif aray,

Drinking the blude-reid wyne.

VI.

"To horfe, to horfe, my ryal liege,
"Zour faes ftand on the strand,
"Full twenty thousand glittering fpears
"The king of Norse commands.
Bring me my fteed Mage dapple gray,
Our gude king raise and cryd,
A truftier beaft in all the land
A Scots king nevir feyd.

VII.

Go little page, tell HARDYKNUTE,
That lives on hill fo hie,

To draw his fword, the dreid of faes,

And hafte and follow me.

The little page flew swift as dart

Flung by his masters arm,

Cum down, cum down lord HARDYKNUTE,

And rid zour king frae harm.

VIII.

Then reid, reid grow his dark-brown cheiks, Sae did his dark-brown brow ;

His luiks grew kene, as they were wont,

In dangers great to do;

He hes tane a horn as grene as glafs,

And gien five founds fae fhrill,

That treis in grene wod schuke thereat,
Sae loud rang ilka hill.

IX.

His fons in manly fport and glie,
Had passd the fummer's morn,
Quhen lo! down in a graffy dale,
They heard their fatheris horn.

That horn, quod they, neir founds in peace,
We haif other fport to byde;

And fune they heyd them up the hill,

And fune were at his fyde.

X.

Late, late the zestrene I weind in peace
To end my lengthen'd lyfe,

My age micht weil excuse my arm
Frae manly feats of stryfe;

But now that NORSE dois proudly boast
Fair Scotland to inthrall,

Its neir be faid of HARDYKNUTE

He feard to ficht or fall.

XI.

ROBIN of Rothsay, bend thy bow,
Thy arrows fhcute fae leil,

Many a comely countenance

They haif turnd to deidly pale: Brade THOMAS tak ze but zour lance, Ze neid nae weapons mair,

Gif ze ficht weit as ze did anes

Gainft Westmorlands ferfs heir.

XII.

MALCOM, licht of fute as ftag
That runs in forest wyld,
Get me my thousands thrie of men
Well bred to fword and fchield:
Bring me my Horse and harnifine
My blade of mettal cleir;
If faes kend but the hand it bare,
They fune had fled for feir.

XIII.

Farewell my dame fae peirlefs gude, And tuke hir by the hand, Fairer to me in age zou feim,

Than maids for bewtie fam'd: My zoungest fon fall here remain To guard these stately towirs, And fhut the filver bolt that keips, Sae faft zour painted bowirs.

XIV.

And firft fcho wet her comely cheiks,
And then hir boddice grene,

Hir filken cords of twirtle twift,
Weil plett with filver fchene;

And apron fet with mony a dice
Of neidle-wark fae rare,

Wove by nae hand, as ze may guefs,
Saif that of FAIRLY fair.