Minstrelsy of the Scottish border - National Library of Scotland

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THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 281
" thou mayst ; I doute no more dethe than lyfe ; for all thy
" wordes, I will not lese mine herytage.' Thus, the clerk de-
" parted from the Lord of Corasse, and went I cannot tell whe-
" ther into Avygnon or into Catalogue, and forgat nat the pro-
" mise that he had made to the Lord of Corasse or he depart-
" ed. For when the knight thoughte leest on hym, about a
" three monethes after, as the knyght laye on a nyght a-bedde
" in his casteUe of Corasse, with the lady, there came to hym
" messangers invisible, and made a marvellous tempest and
" noise in the castell, that it seemed as thoughe the castell
" shulde have fallen downe, and strak gret strokes at liis cham-
" bre dore, that the goode ladye, his wife, was soore afrayde.
" The knight herd alle, but he spoke no Avord thereof; by-
" cause he wolde shewe no abasshed corage, for he was hardy
" to abyde all adventures. Thys noyse and tempest was in
" sundry places of the castell, and dured a long space, and at
" length, cessed for that nyght. Than the nexte mornynge,
" aU the servants of the house came to the lord, whan he was
" risen, and sayd, ' Sir, liave you nat herde this night, that
" we have done?' The lord dissembled, and sayd, ' No! 1
" herd nothyng—what have you herde }' Than they shewed
" him what noyse they hadde herde, and howe alle the vessel
" in the kechyn was overtowrned. Than the lord began to
" laugh, and sayd, ' Yea, sirs ! ye dremed, it was nothynge
" but the wynde.' ' In the name of God !' quod the ladye,
" ' I herde it well.' The next nyght there was as great noyse
"^ and greatter, and suche strokes gyven at his chambre dore
" and windows, as aUe shulde have broken in pieces. The
" knyghte starte up out of his bedde, and wolde not lette, to
" demaunde who was at his chambre dore tha-t tyme of the
" nyght ; and anone he was answered by a voyce that sayd,
" ' I am here.' Quod the knyght, ' Who sent thee hyder ?'
•' —' The clerk of Catelogne sent me hyder,' quod the voice,
'' ' to whom thou dost gret wronge, for thou hast taken from
•' hym the ryghtes of his benefyce ; I will nat leave thee in
' rest tylle thou haste made hym a good accompte, so that he
' be pleased.' Quod the knight, ' What is thy name, that
' thou art so good a messangere ?' Quod he, ' I am called Or-