JOHNIE ARMSTRANG.
Sum speikis of lords, sum speikis of lairds,
And sik like men of hie degrie;
Of a gentleman I sing a sang,
Sum tyme called Laird of Gilnockie.
The King he wrytes a luving letter,
With his ain hand sae tenderly,
And he hath sent it to Johnie Armstrang
To cum and speik with him speedily
The Eliots and Armstrangs did convene;
They were a gallant cumpanie—
"We'll ride and meit our lawful King,
And bring him safe to Gilnockie.=
"Make kinnen * and capon ready, then,
And venison in great plentie;
We'll wellcum here our royal King;
I hope he'll dine at Gilnockie!"
They ran their horse on the langholme howm,
And brak their spears wi' mickle main;
The ladies lukit frae their loft windows—
"God bring our men weel hume again!"
When Johnic cam before the King,
Wi' a' his men sae brave to see,
The King he movit his bonnet to him;
He ween'd he was a King as weel as he.
"May I rind grace, my sovereign liege,
Grace for my loyal men and me?
For my name it is Johr.ie Armstrong,
And a subject of yours, my liege," said he.
"Away, away, thou traitor Strang!
Out o' my sight soon may'st thou be!
I grantit never a traitor's life,
And now I'll not begin wi' thee."
"Grant me my life, my liege, my King!
And a bonny gift I'll gie to thee—
Full four-and-twenty milk-white steids,
Were a' foal'd in ae yeir to me.
"I'll gie thee a' these milk-white steids,
That prance and nicker at a speir;
And as mickle gude Inglish gilt,
As four o' their braid backs dow bear."
"Away, away, thou traitor strang!
Out o' my sight soon may'st thou be!
I grantit never a traitor's life,
And now I'll not begin wi' thee!"
"Grant me my life, my liege, my King!
And a bonny gift I'll gie to thee—
Gude four-and-twenty ganging mills,
That gang thro' a' the yeir to me.
* Rabbits.
"These four-and-twenty mills complete
Sail gang for thee thro' a' the yeir;
And as mickle of gude reid wheit,
As a' their happers dow to bear."
"Away, away, thou traitor strang!
Out o' my sight soon may'st thou be!
I grautit never a traitor's life,
And now I'll not begin wi' thee!"
"Grant me my life, my liege, my King!
And a great great gift I'll gie to thee—
Bauld four-and-twenty sisters' sons,
Sail for thee fecht, tho' a' should flee!"
"Away, away, thou traitor strang!
Out o' my sight soon may'st thou be!
I grantit never a traitor's life,
And now I'll not begin wi' thee!"
"Grant me my life, my liege, my King!
And a brave gift I'll gie to thee—
All between heir and Newcastle town
Sail pay their yeirly rent to thee."
"Away, away, thou traitor strang!
Out o' my sight soon may'st thou be!
I grantit never a traitor's life,
And now I'll not begin wi' thee!"
"Ye lied, ye lied, now King," he says,
T Altho' a King and Prince ye be!
For I've luved naething in my life,
I weel dare say it, but honesty—
"Save a fat horse, and a fair woman,
Twa bonny dogs to kill a deir;
But Ingland suld have found me meal and mault,,
Gif I had lived this hundred yeir!
"She suld have found me meal and mault,
And beef and mutton in a' plentie;
But never a Scots wyfe could have said,
That e'er I skaithed her a puir flee.
"To seik het water beneith cauld ice,
Surely it is a greit folie—
I have asked grace at a graceless face,
But there is nane for my men and me! *
"But had I kenn'd ere I cam frae liame,
How thou unkind wad'st been to me!
1 wad have keepit the Border side,
In spite of all thy force and thee.
"Wist England's King that I was ta'en,
O gin a blythe man he wad be!
For ance I slew his sister's son,
And on his breist bane brak a trie."
John wore a girdle about his middle,
Imbroidered ower wi' burning gold,
Bespangled wi' the same metal,
Maist beautiful was to behold.
There hang nine targats ** at Johnie's hat,
And ilk ane worth three hundred pound—
"What wants that knave that a King suld have
But the sword of honour and the crown?
"O where gat thou these targats, Johnie,
That blink sae brawly abune thy brie?"
"I gat them in the field fechting,
Where, cruel King, thou durst not be.
"Had I my horse, and harness gude,
And riding as I w ont to be,
It suld hae been tauld this hundred yeir,
The meeting of my King and me!
"God be with thee, Kirsty, my brother,
Lang live thou Laird of Mangertoun!
Lang may'st thou live on the Border syde
Ere thou see thy brother ride up and down!
"And God be with thee, Kirsty, my son,
Where thou sits on thy nurse's knee!
But an' thou live this hundred yeir,
Thy father's better thou'lt never be.
* This and the three preceding stanzas were among those that
Sir Walter Scott most delighted to quote.
** Tassels.
"Farewell! my bonny Gilnoek hall,
Where on Esk side thou standest stout!
Gif I had lived hut seven yeirs mair,
I wad hae gilt thee round about."
[Original]
John murdered was at Carlinrigg,
And all his gallant companie;
But Scotland's heart was ne'er sae wae,
To see sae mony brave men die—=
Because they saved their country deir
Frae Inglishmen! Nane were sa bauld,
Whyle Johnie lived on the Border syde,
Nane of them durst cum neir his hauld.
It will be observed that Gilnockie puts forward as his claim to respect the very robberies in England for which, says the poet, he was hanged. The only sign of treachery is that Johnnie did come to Caerlanrig, probably in hope of making his peace like many other lairds. Whether he were "enticed by some courtiers," or whether he risked the adventure is not manifest. According to Pitscottie he had held England as far as Newcastle under blackmail.
Above Caerlanrig, Teviot winds through the haughs and moors and under the alders to its source at Teviot-stone.