[THE BLUDY SERK.]
The Bludy Serk, both story and morality, is taken from the Gesta Romanorum; see two forms of the tale in Madden's Old English Versions, &c. p. 22, p. 404.
This poem is preserved in the Bannatyne Manuscript, and has been several times printed. The present copy is from Laing's Select Remains of the Ancient Popular Poetry of Scotland. The author is Robert Henryson, whose ballad of Robene and Makyne has been given in the fourth volume of this collection.
This hindir yeir I hard be tald,
Thair was a worthy king;
Dukis, erlis, and barronis bald,
He had at his bidding.
The lord was anceane and ald, 5
And sexty yeiris cowth ring;
He had a dochter, fair to fald,
A lusty lady ying.
Off all fairheid scho bur the flour,
And eik hir faderis air; 10
Off lusty laitis and he honour;
Meik, bot and debonair.
Scho wynnit in a bigly bour;
On fold wes none so fair;
Princes luvit hir, paramour, 15
In cuntries our all quhair.
Thair dwelt a lyt besyde the king
A fowll gyane of ane;
Stollin he hes the lady ying,
Away with hir is gane; 20
And kest hir in his dungering,
Quhair licht scho micht se nane;
Hungir and cauld and grit thristing
Scho fand in to hir wame.
He wes the laithliest on to luk 25
That on the grund mycht gang;
His nailis wes lyk ane hellis cruk,
Thairwith fyve quarteris lang.
Thair wes nane that he ourtuk,
In rycht or yit in wrang, 30
But all in schondir he thame schuke,
The gyane wes so strang.
He held the lady day and nycht
Within his deip dungeoun;
He wald nocht gif of hir a sicht 35
For gold nor yit ransoun,
Bot gife the king mycht get a knycht
To fecht with his persoun,
To fecht with him, both day and nycht,
Quhill ane wer dungin doun. 40
The king gart seik baith fer and neir,
Beth be se and land,
Off any knycht gife he micht heir,
Wald fecht with that gyand.
A worthy prince, that had no peir, 45
Hes tane the deid on hand,
For the luve of the lady cleir,
And held full trewe cunnand.