5 'Doe [you] mourne for gold, brother?' he saies,
'Or doe you mourne ffor ffee?
Or doe you mourne for a likesome ladye,
You neuer saw her with your eye?'
6 'I doe not mourne for gold,' he saies,
'Nor I doe not mourne for any ffee;
But I doe mourne for a likesome ladye,
I neere blinke on her with mine eye.'
7 'But when haruest is gotten, my deere brother—
All this is true that I tell thee—
Gentlemen, they loue hunting well,
And giue wight-men their cloth and ffee.
8 'Then I'le goe a wooing ffor thy sake,
In all the speed that I can gone,
And for to see this likesome ladye,
And hope to send thee good tydings home.'
9 Iohn Stewart is gone a wooing for his brother,
Soe ffarr into ffaire Scottland,
And left his brother in mikle ffeare,
Vntill he heard the good tydand.
10 And when he came to the Erle of Mar's his house,
Soe well he could his curtesye,
And when he came before the erle,
He kneeled low downe vpon his knee.
11 'O rise vp, rise vp, Iohn Steward,
Rise vp, now, I doe bidd thee;
How doth thy ffather, Iohn Stewart,
And all the lords in his countrye?'
12 'And itt please you, my lord, my ffather is dead;
My brother and I cannott agree;
My brother and I am ffallen att discord,
And I am come to craue a service of thee.'
13 'O welcome, welcome, Iohn Stewart,
A welcome man thou art to me;
I'le make thee chamberlaine to my daughter,
And ffor to tend of that ladye soe ffree.
14 'And if thou wilt haue a better office,
Aske, and thou shall haue itt of mee;
And where I giue other men a penny of wage,
Inffaith, Iohn, thou shalt haue three.'