Medyl erth you sall not se. I trow my dedes will werke me care, Whedir so euyr my body sal fare. The figge and als fylbert tre; The nyghtyngale bredyng in her neste, The throstylcock sang wold hafe no rest. As man for faute that was faynt; Sees thou, Thomas, yone secund way, That lygges lawe undir the ryse? Streight is the way sothly to say, To the joyes of paradyce. Sees thou, Thomas, yone thyrd way, Sees thou, Thomas, yone fayre castell, Of town and tower it beereth the belle, I pray thu curteis man to be; What so any man to you say, And behelde that ladye gaye; Than was sche fayr and ryche anone, And also ryal on hir palfreye. The grewhoundes had fylde them on the dere, The ratches coupled, by my fay, She blewe her horn Thomas to chere, To the castell she went her way. The lady into the hall went, With curtasy and lawe. Harp and fedyl both he fande, The getern and the sawtry, Lut and rybib ther gon gang, When he com emyddes the flore, And kokes stondyng with dressyng knyfe, Knyghtes dansyd by two and thre, Ladyes that were gret of gre, Sat and sang of rych aray. Thomas sawe much more in that place, Than I can descryve, Til on a day alas, alas, My lovelye ladye sayd to me, Busk ye Thomas you must agayn, Hy then zerne that you were at hame, For I say ye certenly here Haf I be bot the space of dayés three. Sothly Thomas as I telle ye, You hath ben here thre yeres, And here you may no longer be; To-morowe of helle ye foule fende Ferre ouyr yon montayns gray, Ther hathe my facon; Fare wele, Thomas, I wende my way. [The elfin queen, after restoring Thomas to earth, pours forth a string of prophecies, in which we distinguish references to the events and personages of the Scottish wars of Edward III. The battles of Duplin and Halidon are mentioned, and also Black Agnes, countess of Dunbar. There is a copy of this poem in the museum in the cathedral of Lincoln, another in the collection in Peterborough; but unfortunately they are all in an imperfect state. Mr Jamieson, in his curious collection of Popular Ballads and Songs, lately published, has an entire copy of this ancient poem, with all the collations. The lacuna of the former edition have been supplied from his copy.] THOMAS THE RHYMER, PART SECOND. ALTERED FROM ANCIENT PROPHECIES THE prophecies, ascribed to Thomas of Ercildoune, have been the principal means of securing to him remembrance " amongst the sons of his people." The author of Sir Tristrem would long ago have joined, in the vale of oblivion, "Clerk of Tranent, who wrote the adventures of "Schir Gawain," if, by good hap, the same current of ideas respecting antiquity, which causes Virgil to be regarded as a magician by the lazaroni of Naples, had not exalted the bard of Ercildoune to the prophetic character. Perhaps, indeed, he himself affected it during his life. We know, at least, for certain, that a belief in his supernatural knowledge was current soon after his death. |