A Fragment of a Song, on the Lord of Derwentwater

The king has written a broad letter,
And seal’d it up with gold;
And sent it to the lord of Derwentwater,
To read it if he would.

He sent it with no boy, no boy,
Nor yet with e’er a slave;
But he sent it with as good a knight,
As e’er a king could have.

When he read the three first lines,
He then began to smile;
And when he read the three next lines,
The tears began to sile.