And many a ladye there was sette But faire Christabelle soe woe-begone Then manye a knighte was mickle of might But a stranger wight, whom no man knewe He wan the prize eche daye. His acton it was all of blacke, His hewberke, and his sheelde, Ne noe man wist whence he did come, And now three days were prestlye past When lo upon the fourth morninge A hugye giaunt stiffe and starke, Before him came a dwarffe full lowe, And at his backe five heads he bare, Sir, quoth the dwarffe, and louted lowe, Behold these heads I beare with me! The Eldridge knight is his own cousine, But yette he will appease his wrath Thy head, syr king, must goe with mee; Or else within these lists soe broad Thou must finde him a peere. The king he turned him round aboute, Is there never a knighte of my round table, Is there never a knighte amongst yee all For hee shall have my broad lay-lands, But every knighte of his round table For whenever they lookt on the grim soldan, All woe-begone was that fayre ladyè, She cast her thought on her owne true-love, Up then sterte the stranger knighte, Ile fight for thee with this grimme soldàn, And if thou wilt lend me the Eldridge sworde, I truste in Christe for to slay this fiende Goe fetch him downe the Eldridge sworde, Nowe heaven assist thee, courteous knighte; My daughter is thy meede. The gyaunt he stepped into the lists, And sayd, Awaye, awaye: I sweare, as I am the hend soldàn, Then forthe the stranger knight he came The ladye sighed a gentle sighe, And nowe the gyaunt and knighte be mett And now with swordes soe sharpe of steele, The soldan strucke the knighte a stroke, The soldan strucke a second stroke, The soldan strucke a third fell stroke, The knighte he leapt upon his feete, Quoth hee, But heaven be now my speede, Or else I shall be slaine. He grasped his sworde with mayne and mighte, He drave it into the soldan's syde, Then all the people gave a shoute, When they sawe the soldan falle : And nowe the kinge with all his barons But he for payne and lacke of bloude And there all walteringe in his gore, Come downe, come downe, my daughter deare, Thou art a leeche of skille; Farre lever had I lose halfe my landes, Downe then steppeth that fayre ladyè, Sir Cauline juste lifte up his eyes Then giving her one partinge looke, But when she found her comelye knighte She lavde her pale cold cheeke to his O staye, my deare and onlye lord, Then fayntinge in a deadlye swoune, [This ballad is taken from The Minstrelsy of the Scot tish Border,' where it was given, as never before published, partly from one, under the same title, in Mrs. Brown's Collection, and partly from a MS. of some antiquity, penes Edit. The stanzas appearing to possess most merit were selected from each copy.' It is to be regretted that Sir Walter Scott did not give the two versions in their genuine state rather than a third made up of them. Some idea, however, of what they were may be gotten from comparing the ballad, as given by him, with what Mr. Motherwell calls a less complete version' of it, which he prints in his Minstrelsy,' under the title of The Jolly Goshawk.' With regard to the story, there is,' Sir Walter Scott says, 'some resemblance betwixt it and an Irish Fairy Tale, called The Adventures of Faravla, Princess of Scotland, and Carral O'Daly, son of Donogho More O'Daly, Chief Bard of Ireland.' The princess, being desperately in love with Carral, despatches in search of him a faithful confidante, who, by her magical art, transforms herself into a hawk, and, resting upon the windows of the bard, conveys to him information of the distress of the Princess of Scotland.] WALY, waly, my gay goss-hawk, Gin your feathering be sheen !" "And waly, waly, my master dear, |