267
THE HEIR OF LINNE
The Heir of Lin
THE HEIR OF LINNE—A
[_]
Percy MS., p. 71; Hales and Furnivall, I, 174.
1
Off all the lords in faire Scottland
A song I will begin;
Amongst them all there dweld a lord
Which was the vnthrifty lord of Linne.
2
His father and mother were dead him froe,
And soe was the head of all his kinne;
To the cards and dice that he did run
He did neither cease nor bl[i]nne.
3
To drinke the wine that was soe cleere,
With euery man he wold make merry;
And then bespake him Iohn of the Scales,
Vnto the heire of Linne sayd hee.
4
Sayes, How dost thou, Lord of Linne?
Doest either want gold or fee?
Wilt thou not sell thy lands soe brode
To such a good fellow as me?
5
‘Ffor [OMITTED] I [OMITTED] ’ he said,
‘My land, take it vnto thee;’
‘I draw you to record, my lord[ë]s all;’
With that he cast him a god's peny.
6
He told him the gold vpon the bord,
It wanted neuer a bare penny:
‘That gold is thine, the land is mine,
The heire of Linne I wilbee.’
7
‘Heere's gold inoughe,’ saithe the heire of Linne,
‘Both for me and my company:’
He drunke the wine that was soe cleere,
And with euery man he made merry.
8
With-in three quarters of a yeere
His gold and fee it waxed thinne,
His merry men were from him gone,
And left him himselfe all alone.
9
He had neuer a penny left in his pursse,
Neuer a penny [left] but three,
And one was brasse, and another was lead,
And another was white mony.
10
‘Now well-aday!’ said the heire of Linne,
‘Now welladay, and woe is mee!
For when I was the lord of Linne,
I neither wanted gold nor fee.
11
‘For I haue sold my lands soe broad,
And haue not left me one penny;
I must goe now and take some read
Vnto Edenborrow, and begg my bread.’
12
He had not beene in Edenborrow
Not three qwarters of a yeere,
But some did giue him, and some said nay,
And some bid ‘to the deele gang yee!
13
‘For if we shold hang any landles feer,
The first we wold begin with thee.’
‘Now welladay!’ said the heire of Linne,
‘No[w] welladay, and woe is mee!
14
‘For now I have sold my lands soe broad,
That mery man is irke with mee;
But when that I was the lord of Linne,
Then on my land I liued merrily.
15
‘And now I have sold my land soe broade
That I haue not left me one pennye!
God be with my father!’ he said,
‘On his land he liued merrily.’
16
Still in a study there as he stood,
He vnbethought him of [a] bill;
He vnbethought him of [a] bill
Which his father had left with him.
17
Bade him he shold neuer on it looke
Till he was in extreame neede,
‘And by my faith,’ said the heire of Linne,
‘Then now I had neuer more neede.’
18
He tooke the bill, and looked it on,
Good comfort that he found there;
Itt told him of a castle wall
Where there stood three chests in feare.
19
Two were full of the beaten gold,
The third was full of white mony;
He turned then downe his baggs of bread,
And filled them full of gold soe red.
20
Then he did neuer cease nor blinne
Till Iohn of the Scales house he did winne.
When that he came to Iohn of the Scales,
Vpp at the speere he looked then.
21
There sate three lords vpon a rowe,
And Iohn o the Scales sate at the bord's head,
And Iohn o the Scales sate at the bord's head,
Because he was the lord of Linne.
22
And then bespake the heire of Linne,
To Iohn o the Scales' wiffe thus sayd hee:
Sayd, Dame, wilt thou not trust me one shott
That I may sitt downe in this company?
23
‘Now, Christ's curse on my head,’ shee said,
‘If I doe trust thee one pennye;’
Then be-spake a good fellowe,
Which sate by Iohn o the Scales his knee.
24
Said, Haue thou here, thou heire of Linne,
Forty pence I will lend thee;
Some time a good fellow thou hast beene;
And other forty if neede bee.
25
Thé dru[n]ken wine that was soe cleere,
And euery man thé made merry;
And then bespake him Iohn o the Scales,
Vnto the lord of Linne said hee.
26
Said, How doest thou, heire of Linne,
Since I did buy thy lands of thee?
I will sell it to thee twenty pound better cheepe
Nor euer I did buy it of thee.
27
‘I draw you to recorde, lord[ë]s all,’
With that he cast him [a] god's penny;
Then he tooke to his baggs of bread,
And they were full of the gold soe redd.
28
He told him the gold then over the borde,
It wanted neuer a broad pennye:
‘That gold is thine, the land is mine,
And the heire of Linne againe I wilbee.’
29
‘Now welladay!’ said Iohn o the Scales' wife,
‘Welladay, and woe is me!
Yesterday I was the lady of Linne,
And now I am but Iohn o the Scales' wiffe!’
30
Saies, Haue thou heere, thou good fellow,
Forty pence thou did lend me,
Forty pence thou did lend me,
And forty pound I will giue thee.
31
‘Ile make thee keeper of my forrest
Both of the wild deere and the tame,’
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
32
But then bespake the heire of Linne,
These were the words, and thus said hee,
Christs curse light vpon my crowne
If ere my land stand in any ieopardye!
The Heir of Linne; or,
The Weary Heir of Linne; or,
The Laird o Linne
THE HEIR OF LINNE—B
[_]
a. Buchan's MSS, I, 40. b. Buchan's MSS, II,
114. c. Christie's Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 112.
1
‘The bonny heir, and the well-faird heir,
And the weary heir o Linne,
Yonder he stands at his father's yetts,
And naebody bids him come in.
2
‘O see for he gangs, an see for he stands,
The weary heir o Linne!
O see for he stands on the cauld casey,
And nae an bids him come in!
3
‘But if he had been his father's heir,
Or yet the heir o Linne,
He wadna stand on the cauld casey,
Some an woud taen him in.’
4
‘Sing ower again that sang, nourice,
The sang ye sung just now;’
‘I never sung a sang in my life
But I woud sing ower to you.
5
‘O see for he gangs, an see for he stands,
The weary heir o Linne!
O see for he stands on the cauld casey,
An nae an bids him come in!
6
‘But if he had been his father's heir,
Or yet the heir o Linne,
He woudna stand on the cauld casye,
Some an woud taen him in.
7
‘When his father's lands a selling were,
His claise lay well in fauld,
But now he wanders on the shore,
Baith hungry, weet, and cauld.’
8
As Willie he gaed down the town,
The gentlemen were drinking;
Some bade gie Willie a glass, a glass,
And some bade him gie nane,
Some bade gie Willie a glass, a glass,
The weary heir o Linne.
9
As Willie he came up the town,
The fishers were a' sitting;
Some bade gie Willie a fish, a fish,
Some bade gie him a fin,
Some bade gie him a fish, a fish,
And lat the palmer gang.
10
He turned him right and round about,
As will as a woman's son,
And taen his cane into his hand,
And on his way to Linne.
11
His nourice at her window lookd,
Beholding dale and down,
And she beheld this distressd young man
Come walking to the town.
12
‘Come here, come here, Willie,’ she said,
‘And rest yoursel wi me;
I hae seen you in better days,
And in jovial companie.’
13
‘Gie me a sheave o your bread, nourice,
And a bottle o your wine,
And I'll pay you it a' ower again,
When I'm the laird o Linne.’
14
‘Ye'se get a sheave o my bread, Willie,
And a bottle o my wine,
But ye'll pay me when the seas gang dry,
For ye'll neer be heir o Linne.’
15
Then he turnd him right and round about,
As will as woman's son,
And aff he set, and bent his way,
And straightway came to Linne.
16
But when he came to that castle,
They were set down to dine;
A score o nobles there he saw,
Sat drinking at the wine.
17
Then some bade gie him beef, the beef,
And some bade gie him the bane;
And some bade gie him naething at a',
But lat the palmer gang.
18
Then out it speaks the new-come laird,
A saucy word spake hee;
‘Put round the cup, gie my rival a sup,
Let him fare on his way.’
19
Then out it speaks Sir Ned Magnew,
Ane o young Willie's kin;
‘This youth was ance a sprightly boy
As ever lived in Linne.’
20
He turned him right and round about,
As will as woman's son,
Then minded him on a little wee key,
That his mother left to him.
21
His mother left [him] this little wee key
A little before she died;
And bade him keep this little wee key
Till he was in maist need.
22
Then forth he went, these nobles left,
All drinkin' in the room,
Wi walking rod intill his hand,
He walked the castle roun.
23
There he found out a little door,
For there the key slipped in,
And there [he] got as muckle red gowd
As freed the lands o Linne.
24
Back through the nobles then he went,
A saucy man was then:
‘I'll take the cup frae this new-come laird,
For he neer bade me sit down.’
25
Then out it speaks the new-come laird,
He spake wi mock an jeer;
‘I'd gie a seat to the laird o Linne,
Sae be that he were here.
26
‘When the lands o Linne a selling were,
A' men said they were free;
This lad shall hae them frae me this day,
If he'll gie the third pennie.’
27
‘I take ye witness, nobles a',
Guide witnesses ye'll be;
I'm promisd the lands o Linne this day,
If I gie the third pennie.’
28
‘Ye've taen us witness, Willie,’ they said,
‘Guide witnesses we'll be;’
‘Buy the lands o Linne who likes,
They'll neer be bought by thee.’
29
He's done him to a gaming-table,
For it stood fair and clean;
There he tauld down as much rich gowd
As freed the lands o Linne.
30
Thus having done, he turnd about,
A saucy man was he;
‘Take up your monie, my lad,’ he says,
‘Take up your third pennie.
31
‘Aft hae I gane wi barefeet cauld,
Likewise wi legs full bare,
An mony days walkd at these yetts
Wi muckle dool and care.
32
‘But now my sorrow's past and gane,
And joy's returned to me,
And here I've gowd enough forbye,
Ahin this third pennie.’
33
As Willie he gaed down the town,
There he crawd wonderous crouse;
He calld the may afore them a',
The nourice o the house,
34
‘Come here, come here, my nurse,’ he says,
‘I'll pay your bread and wine;
Seas ebb and flow [as] they wont to do,
Yet I'm the laird o Linne.’
35
As he gaed up the Gallowgate port,
His hose abeen his sheen;
But lang ere he came down again
Was convoyed by lords fifeteen.
