Winds that have no abidings, Pitying their delay, Would come and bring him tidings, And direct him the way. If the earth should part him, He would gallop it o'er; There is no striving To cross his intent, There is no contriving His plots to prevent; But if once the message greet him, If death should come and meet him, UNKNOWN. [Before 1649.] BEGONE DULL CARE! BEGONE dull care! I prithee begone from me: Begone dull care! Thou and I can never agree. Long while thou hast been tarrying here, Thou never shalt have thy will. Will make a young man gray; Will turn an old man to clay. For I hold it is the wisest thing, Hence, dull care, I'll none of thy company; Hence, dull care, Thou art no pair for me. We'll hunt the wild boar through the wold, So merrily pass the day; And then at night, o'er a cheerful bowl, We'll drive dull care away. BISHOP RICHARD CORBETT. [1582-1635.] FAREWELL TO THE FAIRIES. FAREWELL rewards and fairies! And though they sweep their hearths no less Than maids were wont to do; Yet who of late, for cleanliness, Finds sixpence in her shoe? The moon shines bright, and the stars Lament, lament, old Abbeys, give a light, A little before it is day; So God bless you all, both great and small, And send you a joyful May! The fairies' lost command; They did but change priests' babies, But some have changed your land; And all your children sprung from thence Are now grown Puritans; Who live as changelings ever since, At morning and at evening both, Witness those rings and roundelays And later, James came in, By which we note the fairies Their dances were procession: Or else they take their ease. A tell-tale in their company They never could endure, And whoso kept not secretly UNKNOWN. Their mirth, was punished sure; It was a just and Christian deed, To pinch such black and blue: O, how the commonwealth doth need Such justices as you! 21 I puff and snort: And out the candles I do blow: The maids I kiss, They shriek-Who's this? I answer naught but ho, ho, ho! When any need to borrow aught, Abroad amongst them then I go, With pinchings, dreams, and ho, ho, ho! When lazy queans have naught to do, 1 mark their gloze, And it disclose UNKNOWN. [Before 1649.] EDOM O' GORDON. IT fell about the Martinmas, "We maun draw to a hauld. "And whatna hauld sall we draw to, My merry men and me? We will gae to the house of the Rodes, To see that fair ladye." The lady stood on her castle wa', Beheld baith dale and down; To them whom they have wrongéd so: There she was aware of a host of men When I have done I get me gone, And leave them scolding, ho, ho, 66 Came riding towards the town. “O see ye not, my merry men a', She weened it had been her lovely lord, She had nae sooner buskit hersell, They had nae sooner supper set, Nae sooner said the grace, But Edom o' Gordon an' his men Were lighted about the place. The lady ran up to her tower-head, She could wi' him agree. "Come doun to me, ye lady gay, Come doun, come doun to me; "I winna come down, ye fause Gordon, |