Chambers's Miscellany of Instructive

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1869. Excerpt: ... His father was a right good lord, His mother a lady of high degree; But they, alas! were dead him fro, And he loved keeping company. To spend the day with merry cheer, To drink and revel every night, To card and dice from even to morn, It was, I ween, his heart's delight. To ride, to run, to rant, to roar, To always spend and never spare, I wot, an he were the king himself, Of gold and fee he might be bare. No. 88. 1 So fares the unthrifty heir of Linne, Till all his gold is gone and spent; And he maun sell his lands so broad, His house, and lands, and all his rent. His father had a keen steward, And John o' Scales was called he: But John is become a gentleman, And John has got both gold and fee. Says: 'Welcome, welcome, Lord of Linne; Let nought disturb thy heavy cheer; If thou wilt sell thy lands so broad, Good store of gold I 'll give thee here.' My gold is gone, my money is spent, My land now take it unto thee: Give me the gold, good John o' Scales, And thine for aye my land shall be.' Then John he did him to record draw, And John he gave him a god's-penny; But for every pound that John agreed, The land, I wis, was well worth three. He told him the gold upon the board; He was right glad the land to win: 'The land is mine, the gold is thine, And now I1l be the Lord of Linne.' Thus he hath sold his lands so broad; Both hill and holt, and moor and fen, All but a poor and lonesome lodge, That stood far off in a lonely glen. For so he to his father hight: 'My son, when I am gone, ' said he, Then thou wilt spend thy land so broad, And thou wilt spend thy gold so free: But swear me now upon the rood, That lonesome lodge thou 'It never spend; For when all the world doth frown on thee, Thou there shaft find a faithful friend.' The heir of Linne is full of gold...