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Reedisdale and Wise William

REDESDALE AND WISE WILLIAM—A

[_]

Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 70; written down from memory by Mr Nicol, Strichen, as learned in his earlier years from old people.

1

When Reedisdale and Wise William
Were drinking at the wine,
There fell a roosing them amang,
On an unruly time.
384

2

For some o them hae roosd their hawks,
And other some their hounds,
And other some their ladies fair,
And their bowers whare they walkd in.

3

When out it spake him Reedisdale,
And a rash word spake he;
Says, There is not a lady fair,
In bower wherever she be,
But I could aye her favour win
Wi ae blink o my ee.

4

Then out it spake him Wise William,
And a rash word spake he;
Says, I have a sister of my own,
In bower where ever she be,
And ye will not her favour win
With three blinks of your ee.

5

‘What will ye wager, Wise William?
My lands I'll wad with thee;’
‘I'll wad my head against your land,
Till I get more monie.’

6

Then Reedisdale took Wise William,
Laid him in prison strang,
That he might neither gang nor ride,
Nor ae word to her send.

7

But he has written a braid letter,
Between the night and day,
And sent it to his own sister
By dun feather and gray.

8

When she had read Wise William's letter,
She smilëd and she leugh;
Said, Very well, my dear brother,
Of this I have eneuch.

9

She looked out at her west window
To see what she could see,
And there she spied him Reedisdale
Come riding ower the lea.

10

Says, Come to me, my maidens all,
Come hitherward to me;
For here it comes him Reedisdale,
Who comes a-courting me.

11

‘Come down, come down, my lady fair,
A sight of you give me;’
‘Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me you will not see.’

12

‘Come down, come down, my lady fair,
A sight of you give me;
And bonny are the gowns of silk
That I will give to thee.’

13

‘If you have bonny gowns of silk,
O mine is bonny tee;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me you shall not see.’

14

‘Come down, come down, my lady fair,
A sight of you I'll see;
And bonny jewels, brooches and rings
I will give unto thee.’

15

‘If you have bonny brooches and rings,
O mine are bonny tee;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me you shall not see.’

16

‘Come down, come down, my lady fair,
One sight of you I'll see;
And bonny are the ha's and bowers
That I will give to thee.’

17

‘If you have bonny ha's and bowers,
O mine are bonny tee;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me you shall not see.’

18

‘Come down, come down, my lady fair,
A sight of you I'll see;
And bonny are my lands so broad
That I will give to thee.’

19

‘If you have bonny lands so broad,
O mine are bonny tee;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For me ye will not see.’

20

‘Come down, come down, my lady fair,
A sight of you I'll see;
And bonny are the bags of gold
That I will give to thee.’

21

‘If you have bonny bags of gold,
I have bags of the same;
Go from my yetts now, Reedisdale,
For down I will not come.’

22

‘Come down, come down, my lady fair,
One sight of you I'll see;
385

Or else I'll set your house on fire,
If better cannot be.’

23

Then he has set the house on fire,
And all the rest it tuke;
He turned his wight horse head about,
Said, Alas, they'll ne'er get out!

24

‘Look out, look out, my maidens fair,
And see what I do see,
How Reedisdale has fired our house,
And now rides oer the lea.

25

‘Come hitherwards, my maidens fair,
Come hither unto me;
For thro this reek, and thro this smeek,
O thro it we must be!’

26

They took wet mantles them about,
Their coffers by the band,
And thro the reek, and thro the flame,
Alive they all have wan.

27

When they had got out thro the fire,
And able all to stand,
She sent a maid to Wise William,
To bruik Reedisdale's land.

28

‘Your lands is mine now, Reedisdale,
For I have won them free;’
‘If there is a gude woman in the world,
Your one sister is she.’
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