Lade your beasts of burden--
Take all you have--your food, your filthy gold,
Your wives, your children, parents, and yourselves!
Go to our Scottish king, and prate of courage!
Or go to Edward--Percy will conduct thee.
[LADY SETON _advances forward_.
_Lady Seton_.--Spoke like thyself, my husband!
Out on thee, slave! [_To_ ELLIOT.
Or shall I call thee traitor? What didst thou,
On finishing thy _funeral service_, whisper
In my Lord Percy's ear?
_Elliot_.--I whisper, lady?
_Lady Seton_.--You whisper, smooth-tongued sir!
_Percy [aside]._--Zounds! by the coronet of broad Northumberland,
Could I exchange it for fair England's crown,
I'd have my bodyguard of woman's eyes,
And make the whole sex sharpshooters!
_Provost Ramsay_.--Wae's me! friend Elliot, but you have an
unco dumfoundered-like look after that speech o' yours in
defence o' liberty, and infants, and fair bosoms, maiden
screams, and grey hairs, and what not.
_Sir Alex_.--Percy, we hear no terms but death or liberty.
This is our answer.
_Percy_.--Well, cousins, be it so. The wilful dog--
As runs the proverb. Lady, fare-ye-well. [_Exit_.
_Sir Alex_.--On with me, friends--on to the southern ramparts!
There, methinks, they meditate a breach. On, Scotsmen! on--
For Freedom and for Scotland! [_Exeunt_.
Pages:
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141