"Alas! that ever thou rais'dst thine eyes,- Till seven years are o'er, return no more, Think not but Soulis was wae to yield He took the keys from the rusty lock, He threw them o'er his left shoulder, And he bade it keep them fathoms deep, And still, when seven years are o'er, And some within the chamber-door But none dare tell, for the spirits in hell, The fearful sights they spy. When Soulis thought on his merry men now, Says, "Vengeance is mine, and I'll not repine; Says, "What would you do, young Branxholm, "I would take you to the good green-wood, "Now shall thine ain hand wale the tree, And May shall choose, if my love she refuse, They carried him to the good green-wood, Where the green pines grew in a row; And they heard the cry, from the branches high, Of the hungry carrion crow. They carried him on, from tree to tree, The spiry boughs below: "Say, shall it be thine, on the tapering pine, To feed the hooded crow?" (wale-choose. Young Branxholm turned him, and oft looked back; And aye he passed from tree to tree: Young Branxholm peeped, and puirly spake: "O, sic a death is no for me!" And next they passed the aspin gray, Its leaves were rustling mournfully: "Now choose thee, choose thee, Branxholm gay,Say, wilt thou never choose the tree?" "More dear to me is the aspin gray, More dear than any other tree! For beneath the shade that its branches made, "Now, by my sooth! (quoth bold Walter), With hempen bands they bound him tight, They bound him against the charms of hell. That wizard accurst, the bands he burst, "We'll bind him yet, whate'er betide." The black Spae-Book from his breast he took, They buried it deep, where his bones they sleep, But Thomas did save it from the grave, The black Spae-Book from his breast he took, They sifted the sand from the Nine-stane burn, The black Spae-Book from his breast he took, The barley-chaff to the sifted sand. The barley-chaff to the sifted sand They added still, by handsful nine; But Red-Cap sly, unseen, was by, And the ropes would neither twist nor twine. And still beside the Nine-stane burn, Ribbed, like the sand at mark of sea, The black Spae-Book, true Thomas took- On a circle of stones they placed the pot; On a circle of stones, but barely nine They heated it red and fiery hot, Till the burnished brass did glimmer and shine. They rolled him up in a sheet of lead; And melted him-lead and bones and all The Men of Liddesdale can show; And on the spot, where they boiled the pot, The spreat and the deer-hair ne'er shall grow THE BRAZEN HEAD. (From a Tract of the Sixteenth Century, called The Famous History of Friar Bacon.') HOW FRIAR BACON MADE A BRAZEN HEAD TO SPEAK, BY THE WHICH HE WOULD HAVE WALLED ENGLAND ABOUT WITH BRASS. FRIAR BACON, reading one day of the many conquests of England, bethought himself how he might keep it hereafter from the like conquests, and so make himself famous hereafter to all posterities. This (after great study) he found could be no way so well done as one, which was to make a head of brass; and if he could make this head to speak (and hear it when it speaks), then might he be able to wall all England about with brass. To this purpose he got one Friar Bungay to assist him, who was a great scholar and a magician (but not to be compared to Friar Bacon). These two with great study and pains so framed a head of brass, that in the inward parts thereof there was all things like as in a natural man's head: this being done, they were as far from perfection of the work as they were before, for they knew not how to give those parts that they had made, motion, without which it was impossible that it should speak. Many books they read, but they could not find out any hope of what they sought; that at the last they concluded to raise a spirit, and to know of him that which they could not attain to by their own studies. To do this, they prepared all things ready, and went one evening to a wood thereby, and after many ceremonies used, they spake the words of conjuration, which the devil straight obeyed, and appeared unto them, asking what they would? Know, said Friar Bacon, that we have made an artificial head of brass, which we would have to speak, to the furtherance of which we have raised thee; and being raised, we will here keep thee, unless thou tell to us the way and manner how to make this head to speak. The devil told him that he had not that power of himself. Beginner of lies! (said Friar Bacon) I know that thou dost dissemble, and therefore tell it us quickly, or else we will here bind thee to remain during our pleasures. At these threatenings the devil consented to do it, and told them, that with a continual fume of the six hottest simples it should have motion, and in one month's space speak; the time of the month or day he knew not: also, he told them, that if they heard it not before it had done speaking, all their labour should be lost: they being satisfied, licensed the spirit to depart. Then went these two learned friars home again, and prepared the simples ready, and made the fume, and with continual watching attended when this brazen head should speak: thus watched they for three weeks without any rest, so that they were so weary and sleepy that they could |