Set fire to the house, quo' fals Górdòn,

All wood wi' dule and ire:

Fals lady, ze fall rue this deid,

As ze brenn in the fire.

Wae worth, wae worth ze, Jock my man,

65

I paid ze weil zour fee;

Lets in the reek to me ?

Quhy pow ze out the ground-wa ftane,

And ein wae worth ze, Jock my man,

I paid ze weil zour hire;

To me lets in the fire?

70

Quhy pow ze out the ground-wa ftane,

Sayes, Mither dear, gi owre this houfe,
For the reek it smithers me.

89

I wad gie a' my gowd, my childe,

Sae wad I a' my fee,

For ane blaft o' the weftlin wind,

To blaw the reek frae thee.

H 4

O then

.

O then befpaik hir dochter dear,
She was baith jimp and sma:
O row me in a pair o' fheits,
And tow me owre the wa.

They rowd hir in a pair o' fheits
And towd hir owre the wa:
But on the point of Gordons fpe
She gat a deadly fa.

O bonnie bonnie was hir mouth
And cherry wer hir cheiks,
And clear clear was hir zellow i
Whereon the reid biuid dreip

Then wi' his fpear he turnd hir
O gin hir face was wan!
He fayd, Ze are the firft that ei
I wisht alive again.

He turnd hir owre and owre aga
O gin hir skin was whyte!
I might ha fpared that bonnie fac
To hae been fum mans delyte.

V. 98, 102, O gin, &c. a Scottish idiom t ration.

Buk and

14

The

EGY

ARL OF NORTH-
AND.

T

imens of the compofition of ader has here an ELEGY of e little deviation from our e end of the FIRST BOOK, me of the preceding.

zt.

death of HENRY PERCY, ho fell a victim to the avaparliament had granted the he war in Bretagne. This Forth, that the whole counNorthumberland, then lord o inform the king of the difBut nothing is fo unrewrote back that not a penny being delivered by the earl ace rofe, and fuppofing him te , broke into his house and is attendants: who yet are backward in their duty on event happened at the earl's Yorkshire, April 28. 1489.

Than fum they rade, and fum they rin,

Fou faft out-owre the bent;

But eir the foremost could get up,

135

Baith lady and babes were brent.

He wrang his hands, he rent his hair,

And wept in teenefu' muid:

O traitors, for this cruel deid

Ze fall weip teirs o' bluid.

And after the Gordon he is gane,

Sa faft as he micht drie;

And foon i' the Gordon's foul hartis bluid,

He's wroken his dear ladie.

140

XII.

XII.

AN ELEGY

ON HENRY FOURTH EARL OF NORTH

HUMBERLAND.

As it was propofed to give fpecimens of the compofition of most of our ancient poets, the reader has here an ELEGY of SKELTON'S yet as this is fome little deviation from our plan, we chufe to throw it to the end of the FIRST BOOK, though evidently written before fome of the preceding.

The fubject of this poem is the death of HENRY PERCY, fourth earl of Northumberland, who fell a victim to the avarice of Henry VII. In 1489 the parliament had granted the king a fubfidy for carrying on the war in Bretagne. This tax was found fo heavy in the North, that the whole country was in a flame. The E. of Northumberland, then lord lieutenant for Yorkshire, wrote to inform the king of the difcontent, and praying an abatement. But nothing is fo unrelenting as avarice: the king wrote back that not a penny fhould be abated. This message being delivered by the earl with too little caution, the populace rofe, and fuppofing him te be the promoter of their calamity, broke into his boufe and murdered him with feveral of his attendants: who yet are charged by Skelton with being backward in their duty on this occafion. This melancholy event happened at the earl's feat at Cocklodge, near Thirske, in Yorkshire, April 28. 1489. See Lord Bacon, &c.