ALISON GROSS.

ANONYMOUS.

O ALISON GROSS, that lives in yon tower,
The ugliest witch in the north countrie,
Has trysted me ae day up till her bower,
And mony fair speech she made to me.

She straiked my head, and she kembed my hair,
And she set me down saftly on her knee,
Says," Gin ye will be my lemman sae true,
Sae mony braw things as I would you gie."

She show'd me a mantle o' red scarlet,
Wi' gouden flowers and fringes fine,
Says,-"Gin ye will be my lemman sae true,
This goodly gift it sall be thine."

"Awa, awa, ye ugly witch!

Haud far awa, and let me be; I never will be your lemman sae true, And I wish I were out of your company."

She niest brocht a sark o' the saftest silk,
Weel wrought wi' pearls about the band;
Says," Gin ye will be my ain true love,
This goodly gift ye sall command."

She show'd me a cup o' the good red goud,
Weel set wi' jewels sae fair to see;
Says," Gin ye will be my lemman sae true,
This goodly gift I will you gie."

"Awa, awa, ye ugly witch!

Haud far awa, and let me be;

For I wadna anes kiss your ugly mouth
For a' the gifts that ye cou'd gie."

She's turn'd her right and round about,

And thrice she blew on a grass-green horn; And she sware by the moon and the stars aboon, That she'd gar me rue the day I was born.

Then out has she ta'en a silver wand,

And she's turn'd her three times round and round; She's mutter'd sic words, that my strength it fail'd, And I fell down senseless on the ground.

She's turn'd me into an ugly worm,

And gar'd me toddle about the tree;
And aye, on ilka Saturday's night,
My sister Maisry came to me,

Wi' silver basin, and silver kemb,

To kemb my headie upon her knee;
But or I had kiss'd her ugly mouth,
I'd rather hae toddled about the tree.

But as it fell out on last Hallowe'en,
When the Seely Court was ridin' by,
The queen lighted down on a gowany bank,
Nae far frae the tree where I wont to lye.

She took me up in her milk-white hand,

And she straiked me three times o'er her knee; She changed me again to my ain proper shape, And I nae mair maun toddle about the tree.

LADY ELSPAT.

ANONYMOUS.

"How brent's your brow, my lady Elspat?
How gouden yellow is your hair?
O' a' the maids o' fair Scotland,
There's nane like lady Elspat fair."

"Perform your vows, sweet William," she says, "The vows which ye hae made to me; And at the back o' my mither's castle, This night I'll surely meet wi' thee."

But wae be to her brother's page,

That heard the words thir twa did say ; He's tald them to her lady mither,

Wha wrought sweet William mickle wae.

For she has ta'en him, sweet William,

And she's gar'd bind him wi' his bow-string, Till the red bluid o' his fair body

Frae ilka nail o' his hand did spring.

O, it fell anes upon a time,

That the Lord-justice came to town ; Out has she ta'en him, sweet William, Brought him before the Lord-justice boun'.

"And what is the crime now, lady," he says, "That has by this young man been done?" "O he has broken my bonny castle,

That was weel biggit wi' lime and stane;

"And he has broken my bonny coffers, That was weel bandit wi' aiken ban' And he has stown my rich jewels:

I wot he has stown them every ane.

Then out it spak her Lady Elspat, As she sat by Lord-justice' knee; hae told your tale, mither,

"Now ye

;

I pray, Lord-justice, yo'll now hear me.

"He hasna broken her bonny castle, That was weel biggit wi' lime and stane; Nor has he stown her rich jewels,

For I wat she has them every ane.

"But though he was my first true love, And though I had sworn to be his bride, 'Cause he hadna a great estate,

She would this way our loves divide.”

Syne out and spak the Lord-justice,
I wat the tear was in his ee;
"I see nae faut in this young man ;

Sae loose his bands, and set him free:

"And tak your love, now, Lady Elspat; And my best blessin' you baith upon;

For gin he be your first true love,

He is my eldest sister's son.

"There stands a steed in my stable,

Cost me baith goud and white monie ; Ye's get as mickle o' my free land

As he'll ride about in a summer's day."

THE LADY OF THE TOWER.*

RIDDELL.

THE lovely lady left the tower

When the knight and her father came, And sat and sang in the green-wood bower O' the youth she durstna name.

"His locks are black and his eye is bright,
And his heart is leal and kind;
And oh how dauntless is the youth
I soon shall ride behind.

"The dells are deep and the mountains steep, But his steed shall pass them soon;

And here the lord o' this heart will be
By the glow of the midnight moon.”

"Come hame, come hame, my daughter fair, What boots thy lonely stay?

The night's chill dews will damp thy hair, And thy cheek's red waste away.

"Come hame, come hame, my daughter dear, And dress thysell full fine;

For now is the gallant knight come here
Whose han' shall soon be thine."

The lady rose-her cheek grew wan,
And a sigh frae her bosom came:

*This ballad was never before published.-Ed.