Hobbie Noble

Now Hobble was an English man, born into Bewcastle dale;

But his misdeeds they were sae great, they banished him to Liddesdale.

At Kershope foot the tryst was set, Kershope of the lilye lee;

And there was traitor Sim o' the Mains, and with him a private companie.

Then Hobble's graithed his body fair, I wat it was wi' iron and steel;

And he has pull'd his fringed grey, And there, brave Hobble, rade him weel.

But the word is gane to the Land-Serjeant, in Askerton where that he lay -

The deer, that ye hae hunted lang, is seen unto the Waste this day.'

Then Hobbie Noble's dreimit a dreim, in the Foulbogshiel where that he lay;

He thought his horse was neath him shot, and he himself got hard away

'Get up, get up, my feres five!, for I wat here makes a fu' ill day;

And the worst cloak o' this company, I hope, shall cross the Waste this day.'

There was heaps o' men now Hobbie before, and other heaps was him behin',

That had he been as wight as Wallace, brave Noble!, He could not win.

Then they hae ta'en brave Hobbie Noble, wi's ain bowstring they band him sae;

I wat his heart was ne'er sae sair, when his ain five bound him on the brae.

They've ta'en him on for west Carlisle; they asked him, if he kend the way?

Whate'er he thought, yet little he said; he knew the way as weel as they.

'Confess my lord's horse, Hobbie,' they say, 'the mom in Carlisle thou's na die.

'(How can I confess,' Hobble says, 'for I never saw them with my ee?'

'Now fare thee weel, now Mangerton!, for I think again I'll ne'er thee see;

I wad betray nae lad alive, for a' the goud of Christentie.

'And fare thee weel, now Liddesdale!, baith the hie land and the law;

Keep ye weel frae the traitor Mains!, for the goud and gear he'll sell ye a'.