The Justing and Debait Vp at the Drum Betuix William Adamsone and Johine Sym
The grit debait and turnament
Off trewth no toung can tell,
Wes for a lusty lady gent1218,
Betuix twa freikis1219 fell.
For Mars the god armipotent
Wes nocht sa ferss him-sell,
Nor Hercules, that aikkis vprent,
And dang1220 the devill of hell,
With hornis;
Vp at the Drum1221 that day.
Doutles wes nocht so duchty deidis
Amangis the dowsy peiris1222,
Nor yit no clerk in story reidis
Off sa tryvmphand weiris1223;
To se so stowtly on thair steidis
Tha stalwart knychtis steiris1224,
Quhill bellyis bair for brodding1225 bleidis
With spurris als scherp as breiris1226,
And kene,
Vp at the Drum that day.
Vp at the Drum the day wes sett,
And fixit wes the feild
Quhair baith thir noble chiftanis mett
Enarmit vndir scheild.
Thay wer sa haisty and sa hett1227
That nane of thame wald yeild,
Bot to debait or be doun bett
And in the quarrell keild
Or slane,
Vp at the Drum that day.
Thair wes ane bettir and ane worss,
I wald that it wer wittin1228;
For William wichttar wes of corss1229
Nor Sym, and bettir knittin.
Sym said he sett nocht by his forss,
Bot hecht1230 he sowld be hittin,
And1231 he micht counter Will on horss;
For Sym wes bettir sittin
Nor Will,
Vp at the Drum that day.
To se the stryfe come yunkeirs1232 stowt,
And mony galyart1233 man;
All denteis deir wes thair but dowt,
The wyne on broich1234 it ran.
Trumpettis and schalmis1235 with a schowt
Playid or the rink1236 began,
And eikwall juges satt abowt
To se quha tynt or wan1237
The feild,
Vp at the Drum that day.
With twa blunt trincher speiris squair
It wes thair interpryiss,
To fecht with baith thair facis bair
For lufe, as is the gyiss1238.
Ane freynd of thairis throw hap come thair,
And hard the rumor ryiss,
Quha stall away thair styngis1239 baith clair,
And hid in secreit wayiss,
For skaith1240,
Vp at the Drum that day.
Strang men of armes and of micht
Wer sett thame for to sidder.
The harraldis cryd “God schaw the rycht!”
Syne bad thame go togidder.
“Quhair is my speir?” sayis Sym the knycht;
“Sum man go bring it hidder.”
Bot wald thay tary thair all nycht,
Thair lanciss come to lidder1241
And slaw,
Vp at the Drum that day.
Syme flew als fery as a fowne1242;
Doun fra the horss he slaid,
Sayis, “He sall rew my staff hes stowin1243,
For I sal be his deid1244.”
William his vow plicht to the powin1245,
For favour or for feid1246;
“Als gude the tre had nevir growin,
Quhairof my speir wes maid,
To just!”
Vp at the Drum that day.
Thir vowis maid to syn and mone1247,
Thay raikit1248 baith to rest,
Thame to refress with thair disione1249
And of thair armour kest.
Nocht knawing of the deid wes done,
Quhen thay suld haif fairin best,
The fyre wes pischt out lang or none1250
Thair dennaris suld haif drest
And dicht1251,
Vp at the Drum that day.
Than wer thay movit owt of mynd
Far mair than of beforne.
Thay wist nocht how to get him pynd1252
That thame had drevin to skorne.
Thair wes no deth mycht be devynd,
Bot ethis1253 haif thay sworne,
He suld deir by be1254 thay had dynd,
And ban that he wes borne
Or bred;
Vp at the Drum that day.
Than to Dalkeith thai maid thame boun,
Reidwod1255 of this reproche.
Thair wes baith wyne and vennisoun,
And barrellis ran on broche.
Thay band vp kyndness in that toun,
Nane fra his feir to foche1256;
For thair wes nowdir lad nor loun1257
Micht eit are baikin loche1258,
For fowness1259,
Vp at Dalkeith that day.
Syne eftir denner raiss the din,
And all the toun on steir1260.
William wes wyiss, and held him in,
For he wes in a feir1261.
Sym to haif bargan cowld nocht blin1262,
But bukkit Will on weir1263;
Sayis, “Gife thow wald this lady win,
Cum furth and brek a speir
With me!”
Vp at Dalkeyth that day.
This still for bargan Sym abyddis,
And schowttit Will to schame.
Will saw his fais on bath the syddis;
Full sair he dred1264 for blame.
Will schortly to his horss he slydis,
And sayis to Sym be name,
“Bettir we bath wer byand hyddis1265
And weddir1266 skynnis at hame,
Nor heir;”
Vp at Dalkeyth that day.
Now is the growme1267 that wes so grym
Rycht glaid to leif in lie1268.
“Fy, theif, for schame!” sayis littill Sym,
“Will thow nocht fecht with me?
Thow art moir lerge of lyth1269 and lym
Nor I am, be sic thre1270.”
And all the feild cryd fy on him,
Sa cowartly tuk the fle1271
For feir,
Vp at Dalkeyth that day.
Than every man gaif Will a mok1272,
And said he wes our meik1273.
Sayis Sym, “Send for thy broder Jok;
I sall nocht be to seik.
For wer ye foursum1274 in a flok,
I compt yow nocht a leik,
Thocht I had rycht nocht bot a rok1275,
To gar your rumpill reik1276
Behynd!”
Vp at Dalkeith that day.
Thair wes rycht nocht1277 bot haif and ga;
With lawchter lowd thay lewche1278
Quhen thay saw Sym sic curage ta1279,
And Will mak it sa twche1280.
Sym lap on horsbak lyk a ra1281,
And ran him till a huche1282,
Sayis “William, cum ryd doun this bra1283,
Thocht ye suld brek ane bwche1284,
Fo lufe!”
Vp at Dalkeith that day.
Sone doun the bra Sym braid1285 lyk thunder,
And bad Will fallow fast.
To grund for fersness he did funder
Be he midhill had past.
William saw Sym in sic a blunder,
To ga he wes agast;
For he affeird1286 it wes na winder
His cursour suld him cast
And hurt him,
Vp at Dalkeith that day.
Than all the yunkerris bad Will yeild
Or doun the glen to gang1287.
Sum cryd the koward suld be keild;
Sum doun the hewche he thrang1288.
Sum ruscht, sum rummyld1289, sum reild1290;
Sum be the bewche1291 he hang.
Thair avairis1292 fyld vp all the feild,
Thay wer so fow and pang1293
With drafe1294,
Vp at Dalkeith that day.
Than gelly1295 Johine come in a jak1296
To feild quhair he wes feidit1297,
Abone1298 his brand ane bucklar blak,
Baill fell the bern that bedit1299.
He slippit swiftly to the slak1300,
And rudly doun he raid it.
Befoir his curpall1301 wes a crak
Culd na man tell quha maid it,
For lawchter,
Vp at Dalkeith that day.
Be than the bowgill gan to blaw;
For nycht had thame ourtane.
“Allaiss!” said Sym, “for falt of law,
That bargan get I nane.”
Thuss hame with mony crak and flaw1302
Thay passid every ane;
Syne pairtit at the Potter raw,
And sindry gaitis1303 ar gane,
To rest thame,
Within the toun that nicht.
L’ENVOY.
This Will wes he begyld the may,
And did hir marriage spill.
He promeist hir to lat him play,
Hir purposs to fulfill.
Fra1304 scho fell fow1305 he fled away,
And come na mair hir till:
Quhairfoir he tynt1306 the feild that day,
And tuk him to ane mill,
To hyd him,
As coward fals of fey1307.