"He certain is my sister's son;
Bid him cum quick and succour me!
The king cums on for Ettricke Foreste,
And landless men we a' will be."
"What news? What news?" said Halliday,
"Man, frae thy master unto me?"
"Not as ye wad; seeking your aide;
The king's his mortal enemie."
"Aye, by my troth!" said Halliday,
"Even for that it repenteth me;
For gif he lose feir Ettricke Foreste,
He'll tak feir Moffatdale frae me.
"I'll meet him wi' five hundred men,
And surely mair, if mae may be;
And before he gets the Foreste feir,
We a' will die on Newark Lee!"
The Outlaw call'd a messenger,
And bid him hie him speedilye,
To Andrew Murray of Cockpool—
"That man's a deir cousin to me;
Desyre him cum, and mak me ayd,
With a' the power that he may be."
"It stands me hard," Andrew Murray said,
Judge gif it stands na hard wi' me;
To enter against a king wi' crown,
And set my landis in jeopardie!
Yet, if I cum not on the day,
Surely at night he sall me see."
To Sir James Murray of Traquair,
A message cam right speedilye—
"What news? What news?" James Murray said,
"Man, frae thy master unto me?"
"What neids I tell? for weell ye ken,
The king's his mortal enemie;
And now he is cuming to Ettricke Foreste,
And landless men ye a' will be."
"And, by my trothe," James Murray said,
"Wi' that Outlaw will I live and die;
The king has gifted my landis lang syne—
It cannot be nae warse wi' me."
The king was cuming thro' Caddon Ford[110],
And full five thousand men was he;
They saw the derke Foreste them before,
They thought it awsome for to see.
Then spak the lord, hight Hamilton,
And to the nobil king said he,
"My sovereign liege, sum council tak,
First at your nobilis, syne at me.
"Desyre him mete thee at Permanscore,
And bring four in his cumpanie;
Five erles sall gang yoursell befor,
Gude cause that you suld honour'd be.
"And, gif he refuses to do that,
We'll conquess baith his landis and he;
"There sall nevir a Murray, after him,
Hald land in Ettricke Foreste frie."
Then spak the kene laird of Buckscleuth,
A stalworthye man, and sterne was he—
"For a king to gang an Outlaw till,
Is beneath his state and his dignitie.
"The man that wons yon Foreste intill,
He lives by reif and felonie!
Wherefore, brayd on, my sovereign liege!
Wi' fire and sword we'll follow thee;
Or, gif your courtrie lords fa' back,
Our borderers sall the onset gie."
Then out and spak the nobil king,
And round him cast a wilie e'e—
"Now haud thy tongue, Sir Walter Scott,
Nor speik of reif nor felonie:
For, had everye honeste man his awin kye,
A right puir clan thy name wad be!"
The king then call'd a gentleman,
Royal banner bearer there was he;
James Hop Pringle of Torsonse, by name;
He cam and knelit upon his kné.
"Wellcum, James Pringle of Torsonse!
A message ye maun gang for me;
Ye maun gae to yon Outlaw Murray,
Surely where bauldly bideth he.
"Bid him mete me at Permanscore,
And bring four in his cumpanie;
Five erles sall cum wi' mysell
Gude reason I suld honour'd be.
"And, gif he refuses to do that,
Bid him luke for nae good o' me!
Ther sall nevir a Murray, after him,
Have land in Ettricke Foreste frie."
James cam befor the Outlaw kene,
And serv'd him in his ain degré—
"Wellcum, James Pringle of Torsonse!
What message frae the king to me?"
"He bidds ye mete him at Permanscore,
And bring four in your cumpanie;
Five erles sall gang himsell befor,
Nae mair in number will he be.
"And, gif you refuse to do that,
(I freely here upgive wi' thee)
He'll cast yon bonny castle down,
And mak a widowe o' that gaye ladye.
"He'll loose yon bluidhound borderers,
Wi' fire and sword to follow thee;
There will nevir a Murray, after thysell,
Have land in Ettricke Foreste frie."
"It stands me hard," the Outlaw said;
"Judge gif it stands na hard wi' me!
Wha reck not losing of mysell,
But a' my offspring after me.
"My merryemen's lives, my widowe's teirs—
There lies the pang that pinches me!
When I am straught in bluidie eard,
Yon castell will be right dreirie.
"Auld Halliday, young Halliday,
Ye sall be twa to gang wi' me;
Andrew Murray, and Sir James Murray,
We'll be nae mae in cumpanie."
When that they cam befor the king,
They fell befor him on their kné—
"Grant mercie, mercie, nobil king!
E'en for his sake that dyed on trie."
"Sicken like mercie sall ye have;
On gallows ye sall hangit be!"
"Over God's forbode," quoth the Outlaw then,
"I hope your grace will bettir be!
Else, ere ye come to Edinburgh port,
I trow thin guarded sall ye be:
"Thir landis of Ettricke Foreste feir,
I wan them from the enemie;
Like as I wan them, sae will I keep them,
Contrair a' kingis in Christentie."
All the nobilis the king about,
Said pitie it were to see him die—
"Yet graunt me mercie, sovereign prince!
Extend your favour unto me!
"I'll give thee the keys of my castell,
Wi' the blessing o' my gaye ladye,
Gin thoul't mak me sheriffe of this Foreste,
And a' my offspring after me."
"Wilt thou give me the keys of thy castell,
Wi' the blessing of thy gaye ladye?
I'se mak thee sheriffe of Ettricke Foreste,
Surely while upwards grows the trie;
If you be not traitour to the king,
Forfaulted sall thou nevir be."
"But, prince, what sall cum o' my men?
When I gae back, traitour they'll ca' me.
I had rather lose my life and land,
E'er my merryemen rebuked me."
"Will your merryemen amend their lives?
And a' their pardons I graunt thee—
Now, name thy landis where'er they lie,
And here I RENDER them to thee."
"Fair Philiphaugh is mine by right,
And Lewinshope still mine shall be;
Newark, Foulshiells, and Tinnies baith,
My bow and arrow purchased me.
"And I have native steads to me,
The Newark Lee and Hangingshaw;
I have mony steads in the Foreste shaw,
But them by name I dinna knaw."
The keys o' the castell he gave the king,
Wi' the blessing o' his feir ladye;
He was made sheriffe of Ettricke Foreste,
Surely while upwards grows the trie;
And if he was na traitour to the king,
Forfaulted he suld nevir be.
Wha ever heard, in ony times,
Sicken an Outlaw in his degré,
Sick favour get befor a king,
As did the OUTLAW MURRAY of the Foreste frie?
NOTES ON THE SANG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.
Then spak the Lord, hight Hamilton.—P. 86. v. 4.
This is, in most copies, the earl hight Hamilton, which must be
a mistake of the reciters, as the family did not enjoy that title till
1503.
James Boyd (the Earl of Arran his brother), &c.—P. 87. v. 2.
Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran, was forfeited, with his father and uncle,
in 1469, for an attempt on the person of James III. He had a son,
James, who was restored, and in favour with James IV. about 1482. If
this be the person here meant, we should read "The Earl of Arran his
son was he." Glenriddel's copy reads, "A highland laird I'm
sure was he." Reciters sometimes call the messenger, the laird of
Skene.
Down Birkendale Brae when that he cam.—P. 88, v. 2.
Birkendale Brae, now commonly called Birkendailly, is a steep
descent on the south side of Minch-Moor, which separates Tweeddale
from Ettrick Forest; and from the top of which you have the first view
of the woods of Hangingshaw, the castle of Newark, and the romantic
dale of Yarrow.
The laird of the Corehead, &c.—P. 93. v. 1.
This is a place at the head of Moffat-water, possessed of old by the
family of Halliday.
To Andrew Murray of Cockpool.—P. 94. v. 1.
This family were ancestors of the Murrays, earls of Annandale; but the
name of the representative, in the time of James IV. was William, not
Andrew. Glenriddel's MS. reads, "the country-keeper."
To Sir James Murray of Traquair.—P. 94. v. 3.
Before the barony of Traquair became the property of the Stewarts, it
belonged to a family of Murrays, afterwards Murrays of Black-barony,
and ancestors of Lord Elibank. The old castle was situated on the
Tweed. The lands of Traquair were forfeited by Willielmus de Moravia,
previous to 1464; for, in that year, a charter, proceeding upon his
forfeiture, was granted by the crown "Willielmo Douglas de Cluny." Sir
James was, perhaps, the heir of William Murray. It would farther seem,
that the grant in 1464 was not made effectual by Douglas; for, another
charter from the crown, dated the 3d February, 1478, conveys the
estate of Traquair to James Stewart, Earl of Buchan, son to the
black knight of Lorne, and maternal uncle to James III., from whom
is descended the present Earl of Traquair. The first royal grant not
being followed by possession, it is very possible that the Murrays may
have continued to occupy Traquair long after the date of that charter.
Hence, Sir James might have reason to say, as in the ballad, "The king
has gifted my lands lang syne."
James Hop Pringle of Torsonse.—P. 97. v. 1.
The honourable name of Pringle, or Hoppringle, is of great antiquity
in Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire. The old tower of Torsonse is
situated upon the banks of the Gala. I believe the Pringles of
Torsonse are now represented by Sir James Pringle of Stitchell. There
are three other ancient and distinguished families of this name; those
[102]
of Whitebank, Clifton, and Torwoodlee.
He bids ye mete him at Permanscore.—P. 98. v. 1.
Permanscore is a hollow on the top of a high ridge of hills,
dividing the vales of Tweed and Yarrow, a little to the east-ward of
Minch-Moor. It is the outermost point of the lands of Broadmeadows.
The Glenriddel MS., which, in this instance, is extremely inaccurate
as to names, calls the place of rendezvous "The Poor Man's
house," and hints, that the Outlaw was surprised by the treachery
of the king:—
"Then he was aware of the king's coming,
With hundreds three in company,
I wot the muckle deel * * * * *
He learned kings to lie!
For to fetch me here frae amang my men,
Here like a dog for to die."
I believe the reader will think, with me, that the catastrophe is
better, as now printed from Mrs. Cockburn's copy. The deceit supposed
to be practised on the Outlaw, is unworthy of the military monarch,
as he is painted in the ballad; especially if we admit him to be King
James IV.
Fair Philiphaugh is mine by right.—P. 101. v. 1.
In this and the following verse, the ceremony of feudal investiture is
supposed to be gone through, by the Outlaw resigning his possessions
into the hands of the king, and receiving them back, to be held of
him as superior. The lands of Philiphaugh are still possessed by the
Outlaw's representative. Hangingshaw and Lewinshope were sold of
late years. Newark, Foulshiels and Tinnies, have long belonged to the
family of Buccleuch.
JOHNIE ARMSTRANG.