A BALLAD of a Country Wedding, By KING JAMES the Fifth of SCOTLAND.  

Was never in Scotland heard nor seen  
Sic dressing nor 
* Drawing up in order.  de ray,  
Neither at Faulkland on the Green  
Nor- Peblis at the Play,  
As was (of Wooers as I ween)  
At Christ's Kirk on a day:  
For there came Ketty washen clean,  
In her new Gown of grey,  
So gay that day.   

To dance there, Damsels them 
* Addressed.  dight  
These Lasses 
† Wanton.  light of Laight's,  
Their Gloves were of the Raffle right,  
Their Shoes were of the straits:  
Their Kittles were of Lincoln light  
We'll pressed with many plaits,  
They were so nice, when men them 
* Drew near.  nigh't  
They squeaked like any Gaits  
Full loud that day.   

Of all these Maidens mild as Mede  
None was so 
* Neat.  Jimp as Geilly,  
As any Rose her 
† The apples of the Check.  Rude was red,  
Her 
* Neck and Collar.  Lyre was like the Lilly.  
But yellow, yellow was her head,  
And she of love so silly,  
Though all her Kin had sworn her dead,  
She would have none but Willie  
All on that day.   

She scorned Jockey, and 
* Slighted him.  skirped at him,  
And 
† Jeered him.  murgeoned him with mocks,  
He would have loved her, she would not let him  
For all his yellow locks,  
He cherished her, she bid go pack him,  
She counted him not twa clocks,  
So shamefully his short Cloak set him  
His legs were like twa 
* A Distaff.  Rocks  
Or 
† Cudgels.  Rungs that day.   

Tom Luter was their Minstrel meet  
Good Lord how he could dance,  
He played so shrill and sung so sweet  
Till Toosie took a trance:  
Old Lightfoot there he did 
* Led on.  foreleete  
And counterfeited France,  
He held him like a man discreet  
And up the Morris Dance  
He led that day.   

Then Steven came stepping in with stends,  
No Rink might him arrest,  
Plyfoot did bob with many bends,  
For Masie he made request,  
He lap while he lay on his 
* Brecche.  Lends,  
And rising was so pressed,  
While he did 
† Fart.  host at both the ends,  
For honour of the Feast,  
And Dance that day.   

Then Robin Roy began to 
* Rant.  revel,  
And Toosie to him drugged,  
Let be, quoth Jockey, and called him 
† Base fellow.  Jevell,  
And by the tail her tugged.  
Then Kensie 
* Pulled a Pole or beggar's staff.  cleeked up a Kevell,  
God wot how they twa lugged,  
They parted her upon a 
† Box on the ear.  Nevell,  
Men say their hair was 
* Pulled.  rugged  
Between them twa.   

With that a friend of his cried Fie,  
And forth one Arrow drew,  
He forged it so forcefully  
The Bow in flinters flew:  
Sic was the grace of God trow I,  
For had the tree been true  
Men said who knew his Archery,  
That he had slain enew,  

* In a moment.  Believe that day.   

A 
* A raw young fellow.  yap young man that stood him nighest  
Soon bend his Bow in Ire,  
And 
† Aimed the man.  etled the Berne in at the Breast,  
The Bolt flew over the 
* The Cowhouse.  Byre:  
He cried Fie, he had slain a Priest  
A mile beyond the Myre,  
Both Bow and bag from him he 
† Did throw away.  keist  
And fled as fast as fire  
From flint that day.   

A Lusty Kinsman was called Harry  
That was an Archer keen,  
Tied up a 
* Bowstring.  Tackle withouten tarry  
I trow the man was 
† Mad.  teen:  
I wots not whether his hand did vary,  
Or his Foe was his Friend,  
But he escaped by the might of Mary,  
As man that nothing meined  
But good that day.   

Then Laurence like a Lion lap  
And soon a 
* An Arrow.  flegge 'gan 
† Let fly.  fedder,  
He heght to pierce him at the pap  
Thereon to 
† To wager a sheep.  wed a Wedder,  
He hit him on the womb a 
* A blow.  wapp  
It burst like any bladder:  
He escaped so, sic was his hap  
His Doublet was of Leather  
Full fine that day.   

The buff so boisterously abased him  
That he to the earth dushed down;  
The other man so dead he left him,  
And fled out of the Town:  
The Wiffs came forth, and up the rest him  
And found life in the lown:  
Then with their routs there they raised him,  
And cured him out of sown;  

† Suddenly.  Frae hand that day.   

The Miller was of a manly Maik  
To moot him was no mows,  
There durst not ten men there him take  
So 
* Knocked their pates.  Nowed he their powes,  
The 
† Ambushment.  ambushment whole about him brake  
And bicked him with bows:  
Then traitorously behind his back  
They hacked him on his 
* Hamstringed him.  Howes  
Behind that day.   

Then Hutcheon with ane hazel rice  
To 
* Part them.  red 'gan throw them rummel  
He 
† Trod.  mudled them down like any Mice,  
He was no beetle bummel:  
Though he was wight, he was not wise  
With such matters to jummel,  
For from his thumb there flew a slice  
While he cried barlafummel  
I'm slain this day.   

When that he saw his blood so red  
To flee might no man let him,  
He trowed it had been for old 
* Quarrel.  feud  
He thought they bid have at him,  
He made his 
† Ran away.  feet defend his head  
The far fairer it sat him,  
While he was passed out of their plead  
They must run fast that got him  
Through speed that day.   

Twa that were herdsmen of the Herd,  
They rushed on other like ramms,  
The other four that were unfeared  
Beat on with Barrow 
† Great levers.  Tramms:  
And where their 
* Mouths unarmed.  Gobs were unbegeard  
They got upon the 
† Legs.  Gamms,  
While that all bloodrun was their beard  
As they had worried Lamb's  
Most like that day.   

With Forks and flails than let they flapps,  
And flew together with friggs,  
With 
* Rafters.  Kebbers of barns they pierced blue Caps  
While of the Berns they made 
† Treading on their Children.  briggs.  
The roar risen rudely with their raps  
When 
† Poles were beaten to the ground.  ruggs were laid on riggs  
The Wiffes came forth with cries and clapps,  
See where my liking liggs  
Full low this day.   

The 
* Cobbler.  black souter of breath was bounden,  
His wife hang by his waste,  
His body was in black all branden,  
He girned like a Ghaist:  
Her glittering hair that was so golden  
His love fast for him laced,  
That for her sake he was so 
† Undone.  unenden  
While he a mile was chased  
And mair that day.   

When they had 
* Fought.  beerd like baited Bulls,  
The Banefires burn in 
† Fiercely.  bails,  
They grew as meek as any Mules  
That weary were with Mayls,  
For tiredness those forfoughten fools  
Fell down like flatchter 
* Flakes of snow.  fails,  
Fresh men came in and hailed the 
† Fathers.  Dods,  
And dang them down in dayls,  
Bedeene that day.   

The Wiffs than gave a hideous yell  
When all the Yonkers yoked,  
As fierce as flags of fire flaks fell,  

† Soon.  Freiks to the fields they flocked:  
Then 
* Clowas.  Carls with clubs did other quell  
On breasts while blood out 
† Belch.  bocked,  
So rudely rang the common bell  
That all the Steeple rocked  
For dread that day.   

By that Tom Taylor was in his Gear,  
When he heard the common bell,  
He said that he should put them all in sfeare  
When he came there himsel,  
He went to fight with such a fear  
While to the ground he fell,  
A wife than hat him on the ear  
With a great knocking mell  
Felled him that day.   

The Bridegroom brought a pint of Ale  
And bad the Pyper drink it,  
Drink it (qnoth he) and it so stolen,  
I shrew me if I drink it.  
The Bride's Maiden stood near him by  
And said it was not Blinkit:  
And Bartagosy the Bride so gay  
Upon them fast she winked  
Full soon that day.   

When all was done, Dick with an Axe  
Came forth to fallen a 
* Kill the whole party.  Foother,  
Quoth he, where are you whoreson 
† Rogues.  Smaicks  
Right now that hurt my Brother?  
His Wife bade him go hame Gib 
* Doting fool.  Glaiks,  
And so did Meg his Mother;  
He turned and gave them both their Paiks, 
† Javelins.   
For he durst ding none other  
But them that day.   
FINIS.