The weight o' their iron graith; It was upon a day in Spring, "Come doun from out your castell grey, through the river, which was then swoln with | His bauldest men can hardlings bear Sing oh, &c. Morkall he glinted ower the walls, "So draw off a space your men; I yield my trust nae help arrives, And Alnwick Castle's taen. Sing oh, &c. 40 "But give to me your kingly word, Ten minutes to come, ten minutes to gae, Sing oh, &c. "And I'll give up my Castle's keys 45 50 Sing oh, &c. "My hand and gluve, my faith and troth, I give to thee also; And I'll grant thee thy liberty, With leave to come and go." 55 The Scots are arming for the fight, O siccan a fearful shout, The beast sprung forth with na' corn in his They rushed red wud to the Castle gates, 115 120 125 They bend the bonny mangonel, 85 And the stanes in showers fly. Sing oh, &c. 130 Some on ilk ither's shouthers mount, Whilst reeking tar and pitch, Sing oh, &c. "I bear the keys o' Alnwick Gates;" He said wi' saucy air; With blocks and bars and het water, "I hold them forth, let him wha likes Come tak them gin' he dare.” Sing oh, &c. A score o' Chiefs put forth a stap, But Malcolme staid them a'; Sing oh, &c. O, O, the sin! O, O, the din! That men should warsle so, 135 The battle sounded loud and clear- Like one strong in life the King louped up, 155 Sing oh, &c. name of "Black Friars, White Friars," and several lanes called "Grey Friars, Low Friars, Crutched Friars," &c. And, My masters, he sayd, what means this effeir? THE slaughter of the Bishop is mentioned | write. There are squares still known by the in Brand's History of Durham; what was the offence of this prelate, the historian does not say; perhaps it was a question of tithes, or more probably some ecclesiastical change, to which the people offered resistance, and in the heat of their fury, they broke in upon him and slew him. "The old Chapel by the gate," as the Chronicler avers, might well answer to the old Chapel in Gateshead. The watch word of the murderers was "gude redde, shorte redde, slay ye the Bischoppe," meaning probably, a good riddance; or as "redde" stands for counsel in the old ballads, it may have meant the latter. He hath broughte King William's honde. That it was a weighty matter affecting some reformation in the Church, we are led to believe by the Priest being armed with King William's word (that is the parchment), with the law or order signed by the King (William I.). The Black Friars and the White, There were Monasteries of all these orders in Newcastle, during the period of which we "Bodin in effeir," a Border phrase, to come armed for battle. Rose high as Saynt Nicholasse. He clave the woode, when strange to tell A miracle occurred on the feast of St. Oswin (which the author has copied in the present ballad). "On the feast of the passion of St. Oswin (a Saxon martyr and king), as a sailor was cutting a piece of wood on board his schippe at Newcastle-on-Tyne, he saw blood gush out of it in great abundance; recollecting the festival he gave over work, but a companion of his, regardless of the miracle, persisted in his profane business; and upon striking the wood, the blood gushed out in still greater abundance. Both clergy and Wyth sticks stelle headed, staves and stones, A lowsel lifted his partizan, The Durham Priest to kille. 60 The Bischoppe stoode, and his snowy hairs 65 He hastened to the altarr steppes, And there his courage keppe; Who the author of the "Outlandish Knight" was, I have no means of discovering, as it is one of those Ballads that pass down the stream of time unclaimed, and whose authorship is left for the antiquary to discover. 1Is Ballad is copied from a broad sheet | belr's well known Ballad of "Lord Ullin's in the possession of a gentleman of New- Daughter," is on the same subject. castle; it has also been published in "Richardson's Table Book." The verses with inverted commas are added at the suggestion of a friend, as it was thought the Knight was not rendered sufficiently odious without this new trait of his dishonour. There is in Monk Lewis's Tales of Wonder, a translation AN Outlandish Knight from the north lands from a German Ballad, on the same subject or nearly so; for the Knight goes to church, and meeting with a lovely mayden, came, And he came a wooing to me; He told me he'd take me to the north lands, 4 |