"My mother she's a mean woman,
She nursed earl's children three;
I learned it from their chapelain,
To beguile such sparks as ye."
When mass was sung, and bells were rung,225
And all men boune for bed,
Then Earl Richard and this ladye
In ane bed they were laid.
He turned his face to the stock,
And she hers to the stane;230
And cauld and dreary was the luve
That was thir twa between.
Great was the mirth in the kitchen,
Likewise intill the ha';
But in his bed lay Earl Richard,235
Wiping the tears awa'.
He wept till he fell fast asleep,
Then slept till licht was come;
Then he did hear the gentlemen
That talked in the room:240
Said,—"Saw ye ever a fitter match,
Betwixt the ane and ither;
The King o' Scotland's fair dochter,
And the Queen of England's brither?"
"And is she the King o' Scotland's fair dochter?245
This day, oh, weel is me!
For seven times has my steed been saddled,
To come to court with thee;
And with this witty lady fair,
How happy must I be!"250
[75] et seq. This passage has something in common with [Child Waters] and [Burd Ellen].