Thy horse is unruly and wild,i-wis;
Aye skipping here and there."--
"What boot wilt thou have?"our king replied;
"Now tell me in this stound."--
"No pence,nor halfpence,by my fay,But a noble in gold so round."--
"Here's twenty groats of white mon-ey,Sith thou wilt have it of me."--
"I would have sworn now,"quoth the tanner,"Thou hadst not had one penni-e.
"But since we two have made a change,A change we must abide;
Although thou hast gotten Brock my mare,Thou gettest not my cow-hide."--
"I will not have it,"said the king,"I swear,so mote I thee;
Thy foul cow-hide I would not bear,If thou wouldst give it to me."
The tanner he took his good cow-hide That of the cow was hilt;
And threw it upon the king's sad-elle,That was so fairly gilt.
"Now help me up,thou fine fell-ow,'Tis time that I were gone:
When I come home to Gyllian my wife,She'll say I am a gentilmon."
When the tanner he was in the king's sad-elle,And his foot in the stirrup was;
He marvelled greatly in his mind,Whether it were gold or brass.
But when his steed saw the cow's tail wag,And eke the black cow-horn;
He stamped,and stared,and away he ran,As the devil had him borne.
The tanner he pulled,the tanner he sweat,And held by the pummel fast:
At length the tanner came tumbling down;
His neck he had well-nigh brast.
"Take thy horse again with a vengeance!"he said,"With me he shall not bide!"--
"My horse would have borne thee well enough,But he knew not of thy cow-hide.
"Yet if again thou fain wouldst change,As change full well may we,By the faith of my body,thou jolly tann-er,I will have some boot of thee."--
"What boot wilt thou have?"the tanner replied,"Now tell me in this stound."--
"No pence nor halfpence,sir,by my fay,But I will have twenty pound."--
"Here's twenty groats out of my purse;
And twenty I have of thine:
And I have one more,which we will spend Together at the wine."
The king set a bugle horn to his mouth,And blew both loud and shrill:
And soon came lords,and soon came knights,Fast riding over the hill.
"Now,out alas!"the tanner he cried,"That ever I saw this day!
Thou art a strong thief,yon come thy fell-ows Will bear my cow-hide away!"--
"They are no thieves,"the king replied,"I swear,so mote I thee:
But they are the lords of the north countr-y,Here come to hunt with me."
And soon before our king they came,And knelt down on the ground:
Then might the tanner have been away,He had liever than twenty pound.
"A collar,a collar,here!"said the king,"A collar!"he loud gan cry;
Then would he liever than twenty pound,He had not been so nigh.
"A collar,a collar,"the tanner he said,"I trow it will breed sorrow;
After a collar cometh a halter,I trow I'll be hanged to-morrow."--
"Be not afraid,tanner,"said our king;
"I tell thee,so mote I thee,Lo here I make thee the best esquire That is in the north countrie.
"For Plumpton Park I will give thee,With tenements fair beside:
'Tis worth three hundred marks by the year,To maintain thy good cow-hide."--
"Gram-ercy,my liege,"the tanner replied "For the favour thou hast me shown;
If ever thou comest to merry Tam-worth,Neat's leather shall clout thy shoon."
