And take part of sic good as we have here, And heartly, I you pray, to thank the friar Of his bening great business and cure' That he has done to us upon this floor; And brought us meat and drink abundantly;

Wherefore of right we ought merry to be." But all their sport when they were maist at ease,

Untill our dame it did her nothing please. For other thing was more intill her thought; She was so red, her heart was all on flought,2 Lest through the friar she should discovered be.

To him she looked oft times affeiritly,3 And aye dispairèd in her heart was she, That he had wit of all her purveyance to. Thus sat she still, and wist no other wane ;4 What ever they say, she lute 5 them all alane.

But she drank with them into company With feigned cheer, and heart full woe and heavy.

But they were blithe anough, God wait, and sung,

For aye the wine was rakand' them among, Till at the last they waxèd blithe ilkone.7

Then Symon said unto the friar anon, "I marvel meikle how that this may be ! Intill short time that ye, so suddenly, Has brought us forth so many dainties dear!"

Gif that ye list, or likis to have more,
He shall it bring, that I shall stand there-
fore..

Incontinent that samen shall ye see,
But I protest that ye keep it privie;
Let no man wit that I can do sic thing."
Then Symon said, "I swear by heavens
king

It shall be keptèd privy, as for me.
But, brother dear, your servant wald I see,
Gif that ye please, that we may drink to-
gether;

For I wait not gif ye may aye come hither, When that we list, or want sic feast as this."

Then Robert said, 'Sae have I heavens bliss,

You to have the sight of my servant,
It can not be, ye shall weel understand;
That ye may see him graithly in his ain
kind,'

But ye anon should go out of your mind.
He is so foul and ugly for to see,

I dare not venture for to take on me
To bring him hither here into your sight,
And namely now, so late into the night.
But gif it were on sic a manner wise,
Him to translate into ane other guise,
Frae his awin kind intill ane other state."
Then Symon said, "I make nae more de-
bate.

However ye please so likis weel to me,

Friar Robert said, "Sen that your will is so,
Tell unto me, withouten wordis mo,
Into what shape list ye that he appear."
Then Symon said, "In likness of a friar,
In white habit, sic as yourself can wear:
For colour white will to no man do deir."2
Friar Robert said, "That sae it may not be
For causes sic as ye may weel foresee.
That he appear intill our habit white;
For till our order it were great despite, 3

1 Dressed in his proper shape. 2 Harm. 3 Disgrace.

That any sic unworthy wight as he
Into our habit any man should see.
But, gif it pleases all you that are here,
Ye shall him see in likness of a friar
In habit black, it was his kind to wear;
Into sic wise that he shall no man deir,
Sae that ye do as I shall you devise,
To hold you close, and rule you on this
wise.

Whatever it be ye either see or hear,

Ye speak no word, nor yet make any stear:1 But hold you close, till I have done my

cure.

And, Symon, ye maun be upon the floor Near beside me, with staff into your hand: Have ye no dread, I shall youaye warrand." And Symon said, "I assent that it be sae. Syne up he gat, and took ane libberlae 2 Intill his hand, and on the floor he start, Something affrayed, though stalwart was his heart.

Then Symon said unto Friar Robert soon, "Now tell me, master, what ye will have done."

"Nothing," he said, "but hold you close, and still;

And what I do take ye good tent 3 theretill. And near the door ye hide you privily; And when I bid you strike, strike hardily. Into the neck see that ye hit him right." "I warrand that," quoth he, "with all my might."

Thus on the floor I leave him standand still,

Bidand his time; and turn again I will To friar Robert, that took his book in hye,4 And turned oure the leavis busily

Ane full long space, and when he had

* A baton, or heavy stick, 5 Space of time. 3 Heed. 6 Presently.

5 Direct, prepares. 6 Going.

"Strike, strike hardily, for now is time to

thee,"

With that Symon ane fellon flap1 let flee;
With his burdoun2 he hit him on the neck;
He was so fierce he fell outour the seck,3
And brak his head upon ane mustard 4 stone.
By that the friar outour the stair was gone,
In sic ane wise he missèd has the trap;
And in the mire he fell, sic was his hap,
Was forty foot in breadth, under the
stair:

Yet gat he up with cleithing 5 naething fair,
Full drearily upon his feet he stood,
And through the mire full smartly then
he yude."

And oure the wall he clamb right hastily,
Which round about was laid with stonis dry.
Of his escape in heart he was full fain.
I trow he shall be laith to come again.

With that Friar Robert start aback, and

saw

Down oure the stair, intill a mire he fell, Let him now gae; he is ane graceless ghaist:

And boun ye to your bed and take yourrest."

Thus Symon's head upon the stone was broken;

And oure the stair Friar John in mire has loppen,

And tap oure tail he filed was wonder ill: And Alisone on nae ways gat her will. This is the story that happened of that friar ;

No more there is, but Christ us keep most dear.

THE THREE PRIESTS OF

PEEBLES.

[THE first notice of these Tales is found

law

Upon the floor; and bleedand was his head. He start till him, and weend he had been dead;

And claught him up, withouten wordis

"

more,

And to the door deliverly him bore.
And, for the wind was blawand in his face,
He soon ourecome7 within a little space.
And syne the friar has franit at him fast,
What ailed you to be so sair aghast?"
He said, "Yon friar has made me in affray."
"Let be," quoth he, "the worst is all away;
Make merry man, and see ye murne nae
mair;

Ye have him striken quite outour the stair.
I saw him skip, gif I the sooth can tell,

the earliest copy that has been traced is an edition printed by Robert Charteris, Edinburgh, 1603.

Pinkerton, on the ground that the kingdom of Granada is referred to as not yet Christian, supposes them to have been written before 1492, and assigns their authorship to Dean David Steill, the author of "The Ring of the Roy Robert," a poem of over 200 lines, but of no poetic value, preserved in the Maitland MS. Sibbald refers them to between 1533 and 1540, and attributes their authorship to John Rolland. Dr Laing says that a portion of them, including the title, is contained in a MS. which appears to have been transcribed twenty years earlier than the date assigned them by Sibbald.

I From top to toe.

Their inferiority to "The Friars of Berwick," in the telling as well as in the structure of the stories, is very apparent; yet they bear considerable resemblance to that admirable tale; although it were unwarrantable on this ground alone to assign them to the same authorship. The Prelude and "The First Taile" only, are here given; the second, or Master Archibald's Tale, being somewhat unsuitable; and the third, or Master William's, being a more developed allegory than the others, is somewhat dull.]

PREFACE.

IN Peebles town sometime, as I heard tell,
The foremost day of Februar, befel,
Three priests went unto Collation,
Into ane privy place of the said town,
Where that they sat right soft and unfoot
sair;

They loved not nae rangald nor repair.1
And, gif I should the sooth reckon and

say,

I trust it was upon saint Brydis day;
Where that they sat, full easily and soft;
With many loud laughter upon loft.
And, wit ye well, thir three they made
good cheer;

To them there was nae dainties then too dear,

Both with themself what they would tell

or crack;

I

Umquhile sadly, umquhile jangle and jack ;2

Thus sat thir three beside ane felloun fire,
Till their capons were roasted limb and
Before them was soon set a roundel 4 bright;
lyre.3
And with ane clean cloth finely dight,
It was oureset, and on it bread was laid.
The eldest then began the grace, and said,
And blessed the bread with benedicite,
With Dominus, Amen, sae mot I thee.
And by 5 they had drunken about a quart,
Then spake ane thus, that Master was in
Art,

And to his name there called John was he; And said, "Sen that we here are priestis three,

Syne wantis nought by him that made the

creesh,

With many other sundry divers meis. And them to serve they had not but a boy;

Frae company they keeped them sae coy; They loved not with ladry, nor with lown,3 Nor with trumpours to travel through the

town;

* Rabble gatherings. 3 Worthless fellow. 2 Common people. 4 Idle stragglers.