The heathen Soldan, or Amiral, when about to slay two lovers, relents in a similar manner:
Weeping, he turned his heued awai,
And his swerde hit fel to grounde.
Florice and
Blauncheflour.
ERLINTON.
Erlinton had a fair daughter,
I wat he weird her in a great
sin,[A]
For he has built a bigly bower,
An’ a’ to put
that lady in.
An’ he has warn’d her sisters
six,
An’ sae has he her brethren
se’en,
Outher to watch her a’ the night,
Or else to seek her morn an’
e’en.
She hadna been i’ that bigly bower,
Na not a night, but barely
ane,
Till there was Willie, her ain true love,
Chapp’d at the door,
cryin’, “Peace within!”
“O whae is this at my bower door,
“That chaps sae late,
nor kens the gin?"[B]
“O it is Willie, your ain true love,
“I pray you rise an’
let me in!”
“But in my bower there is a wake,
“An’ at the wake
there is a wane;[C]
“But I’ll come to the green-wood
the morn,
“Whar blooms the brier
by mornin’ dawn.”
Then she’s gane to her bed again,
Where she has layen till the
cock crew thrice,
Then she said to her sisters a’,
“Maidens, ’tis
time for us to rise.”
She pat on her back a silken gown,
An’ on her breast a
siller pin,
An’ she’s tane a sister in
ilka hand,
An’ to the green-wood
she is gane.
She hadna walk’d in the green-wood,
Na not a mile but barely ane,
Till there was Willie, her ain true love,
Whae frae her sisters has
her ta’en.
He took her sisters by the hand,
He kiss’d them baith,
an’ sent them hame,
An’ he’s ta’en his true
love him behind,
And through the green-wood
they are gane.
They hadna ridden in the bonnie green-wood,
Na not a mile but barely ane,
When there came fifteen o’ the boldest
knights.
That ever bare flesh, blood,
or bane.
The foremost was an aged knight,
He wore the grey hair on his
chin,
Says, “Yield to me thy lady bright,
“An’ thou shalt
walk the woods within.”
“For me to yield my lady bright
“To such an aged knight
as thee,
“People wad think I war gane mad,
“Or a’ the courage
flown frae me.”
But up then spake the second knight,
I wat he spake right boustouslie,
“Yield me thy life, or thy lady
bright,
“Or here the tane of
us shall die.”
“My lady is my warld’s meed;
“My life I winna yield
to nane;
“But if ye be men of your manhead,
“Ye’ll only fight
me ane by ane.”
He lighted aff his milk-white steed,
An’ gae his lady him
by the head,
Say’n, “See ye dinna change
your cheer;
“Until ye see my body
bleed.”