University of Virginia Library

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10

2. The iusting and debait vp at the Drum, Betuix Wa Adamsone, and Iohnie Sym.

The grit debait and turnament,
Off trewth no toung can tell,
Wes for a lusty lady gent,
Betuix twa freikis fell;
For mars the god armipotent
Was nocht sa ferss himsell,
Nor hercules, that aikkis vprent
And dang the devill of hell / with hornis;
Vp at the Drum that day.

Doutles wes nocht so duchty deidis
Amangis the dowsy peiris,
Nor ȝit no clerk in story reidis
Off sa tryvmphand weiris;
To se so stowtly on their steidis
Tha stalwart knychtis steiris
Quhill bellyis bair for brodding bleidis
With spurris als scherp as breiris / and kene;
Vp at the Drum that day.

Vp at the Drum the day wes sett
And fixt wes þe feild,
Quhair baith thir noble chiftanis mett
Enarmit vndir scheild;
Thay wer sa haisty and sa hett,
That nane of thame wald ȝeild,
Bot to debait, or be doun bett
And in the quarrell keild / or slane;
Vp at the Drum þat day.

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11

Thair wes ane bettir and ane worss
I wald þat it wer wittin,
For William wichttar wes of corss
Nor Sym, and bettir knittin.
Sym said he sett nocht by his forss
Bot hecht he sowld be hittin,
And he micht counter Will on horss,
For sym wes bettir sittin / nor Will;
Vp at the Drum that day.

To se the stryfe come ȝunkeirs stowt,
And mony galȝart man;
All denteis deir wes thair but dowt,
The wyne on broich it ran:
Trumpettis and schalmis with a schowt
Playid or the rink began;
And eikwall juges satt abowt
To se quha tynt or wan / the feild;
Vp at the Drum that day.

With twa blunt trincher speiris squair,
It wes thair interpryiss
To fecht, with baith thair facis bair,
For lufe, as is the gyiss:
Ane freynd of thairis throw hap come thair,
And hard the rumor ryiss;
Quha stall away thair styngis bath clair,
And hid in secreit wayiss / For skaith;
Vp at [the Drum that day].

Strang men of armes and of micht,
Wer sett thame for to sidder;
The harraldis cryd, “God schaw the rycht,”
Syne bad thame go togidder.
“Quhair is my speir?” sayis sym the knycht,
“Sum man go bring it hidder;”
But wald they tary thair all nycht,
Thair lanciss come to lidder / & slaw;
Vp at [the Drum that day].

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12

Sym flew als fery as a fowne,
Doun fra the horss he slaid,
Sayis, “he sall rew my stalf hes stowin,
For I sal be his deid.”
William his vow plicht to the powin
For favour or for feid,
“Als gude the tre had nevir growin,
Quhairof my speir wes maid / to just”;
Vp at [the Drum that day].

Thir vowis maid to syn and mone,
They raikit baith to rest,
Thame to refress with thair disione,
And of thair armour kest,
Nocht knawing of the deid wes done;
Quhen thay suld haif fairin best,
The fyre wes pischt out lang or none,
Thair dennaris suld haif drest / and dicht;
Vp at [the Drum that day].

Than wer thay movit owt of mynd,
Far mair than of beforne;
Thay wist nocht how to get him pynd,
That thame had drevin to skorne.
Thair wes no deth mycht be devynd,
But ethis haif thay sworne,
He suld deir by, be thay had dynd,
And ban that he was borne, / or bred;
Vp at the Drum þat day.

Than to Dalkeith thai maid thame boun,
Reidwod of this reproche;
Thair wes baith wyne and vennisoun,
And barrellis ran on broche:
They band vp kyndnes in that toun,
Nane fra his feir to foche,
For thair wes nowdir lad nor loun
Mycht eit ane baikin-loche / For fowness;
Vp at Dalkeith þat day.

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13

Syne eftir denner raiss the din,
And all the toun on steir:
William wes wyiss, and held him in,
For he wes in a feir;
Sym to haif bargan cowld nocht blin,
Bot bukkit Will on weir,
Sayis, “gife thow wald this lady win,
Cum furth and brek a speir / with me”;
Vp at Dalkeyth þat day.

This still for bargan Sym abyddis,
And schowttit Will to schame;
Will saw his fais on baith the syddis,
Full fair he dred for blame:
Will schortly to his horss he slydis,
And sayis to Sym be name,
“Bettir we bath wer byand hyddis
“And weddir skynnis at hame / nor heir”;
Vp at [Dalkeith þat day].

Now is the growme that wes so grym
Rycht glaid to leif in lie:
“Fy, theif, for schame,” sayis littill Sym,
“Will thow nocht fecht with me?
“Thow art moir lerge of lyth and lym,
“Nor I am, be sic thre,”
And all the feild cryd, fy on him!
Sa cowartly tuk the fle / for feir;
Vp at [Dalkeith that day].

Than every man gaif Will a mok,
And said, he wes our meik:
Sayis Sym, “send for thy broder Jok,
“I sall nocht be to seik;
“For wer ȝe foursum in a flok,
“I compt ȝow nocht a leik,
“Thocht I had rycht nocht but a rok
“To gar ȝour rumpill reik / behynd,”
Vp at Dalkeith þat day.

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14

Thair wes richt nocht bot haif and ga,
With lawchter lowd thay lewche,
Quhen they saw sym sic curage ta,
And will mak it sa twche:
Sym lap on horsback lyk a ra,
And ran him till a huche,
Sayis “William, cum ryde doun this bra,
Thocht ȝe suld brek ane bwche / Fo[r] lufe”
Vp at [Dalkeith this day].

Sone doun the bra Sym braid lyk thunder,
And bad Will fallow fast;
To grund, for fersness, he did funder,
Be he midhill had past.
William saw Sym in sic a blunder,
To ga he wes agast;
For he affeird, it wes na winder
His cursour suld him cast / and hurt him,
Vp [at Dalkeith that day].

Than all the ȝungkeiris bad Will ȝeild,
Or doun the glen to gang;
Sum cryd “the koward suld be keild;”
Sum doun the hewche he thrang;
Sum ruscht, sum rummyld, [and] sum reild;
Sum be the bewche he hang;
Thair avairis fyld vp all the feild,
They wer sa fow and pang, / with drafe
Vp [at Dalkeith that day].

Than gelly Johine come in a jak
To feild quhair he wes feidit,
Abone his brand ane bucklar blak,
Baill fell the bern thad bed it;
He slippit swiftly to the slak,
And rudly doun he raid it;
Befoir his curpall wes a crak
Culd na man tell quha maid it / For lawchtter
Vp at [Dalkeith that day].

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15

Be than the bowgill gan to blaw,
For nycht had thame ourtane;
“Allaiss,” said sym, “for falt of law,
That bargan get I nane.”
Thuss hame with mony crak & flaw
Thay passid every ane;
Syne pairtit at the Potter-raw,
And sindry gaitis ar gane / to rest thame
Within the toun þat nycht.