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Updated: June 6, 2025
Choosing a fit time, when the cattle were well together and in good position, Hornie away at the stone dyke, he took from his pocket a somewhat wasted volume of ballads ballants, he called them and said, "Sit ye doon, cratur. Never min' the nowt. I'm gaein' to read till ye." Gibbie dropped on his crossed legs like a lark to the ground, and sat motionless.
"It is very true," said the blind man, "that when I am tired of scraping thairm or singing ballants I whiles make a tale serve the turn among the country bodies; and I have some fearsome anes, that make the auld carlines shake on the settle, and the bits o' bairns skirl on their minnies out frae their beds.
It was jist laithly to luik upo'. I cud describe it till ye, mem, but it wad only gar ye runkle yer bonny broo, an' luik as I wadna hae ye luik, mem, 'cause ye wadna luik freely sae bonny as ye div noo whan ye luik jist yersel'. But ae queer thing was, 'at atween hit an' the tree it grippit a buik, an' I kent it for the buik o' ballants. An' I gaed nearer, luikin' an' luikin', an' some frichtit.
'Deed, Jeanie, I could not help it; if he would ask me about our ballants and buiks, that ye would never lay your mind to 'Ballants and buiks! Bonnie gear for a king that should be thinking of spears and jacks, lances and honours. Ye're welcome to him, Elleen, sin ye choose to busk your cockernnonny at ane that's as good as wedded!
If ye have to rowt, ye can rowt amang the kye; and the maist feck of the caapital punishment ye're like to come across'll be guddling trouts. Now, I'm for no idle lairdies; every man has to work, if it's only at peddling ballants; to work, or to be wheeped, or to be haangit.
But they stick to it, that they" be streekit, and hae an auld wife when they're dying to rhyme ower prayers, and ballants, and charms, as they ca' them, rather than they'll hae a minister to come and pray wi' them that's an auld threep o' theirs; and I am thinking the man that died will hae been ane o' the folk that was shot when they burnt Woodbourne."
At all events, my only chance now is to help on the Charter; for the sooner it comes the better for me. And if I die why, the little woman won't be long in coming after me, I know that well; and there's a tough business got well over for both of us!" "Hech," said Sandy, "To every man Death comes but once a life "as my countryman, Mr. Macaulay, says, in thae gran' Roman ballants o' his.
"But tell me, Tibb," said Dame Glendinning, "what does your leddy aye do reading out o' that thick black book wi' the silver clasps? there are ower mony gude words in it to come frae ony body but a priest An it were about Robin Hood, or some o' David Lindsay's ballants, ane wad ken better what to say to it.
If ye have to rowt, ye can rowt amang the kye; and the maist feck of the caapital punishmeiit ye're like to come across'll be guddling trouts. Now, I'm for no idle lairdies; every man has to work, if it's only at peddling ballants; to work, or to be wheeped, or to be haangit.
He used frequently to read over by the fireside in the evening the results of his curious industry, which, however, were not very greatly appreciated by his nearest relatives; and they did not scruple to declare that for the "Advocate" to go about collecting "ballants" was mere waste of time as well as money.
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