His father was a right good lord,
His mother a lady of high degree;
But they, alas! were dead him froe,
And he lov'd keeping companie.

To spend the day with merry cheer,
To drink and revell every night,
To card and dice from eve to morn,
It was, I ween, his heart's delight.

To ride, to run, to rant, to roar,
To alway spend and never spare,
I wott, an' it were the king himself,
Of gold and fee he mote be bare.

So fares the unthrifty lord of Linne,
Till all his gold is gone and spent:
And he maun sell his landes so broad,
His house, and landes, and all his rent.

His father had a keen stewárde, And John o' the Scales was called he:

But John is become a gentel-man, And John has gott both gold and fee.

Sayes "Welcome, welcome, Lord of Linne,

Let nought disturb thy merry cheer: If thou wilt sell thy landes so broad, Good store of gold I'll give thee here."

"My gold is gone, my money is spent ;

My lande nowe take it unto thee: Give me the golde, good John o' the Scales,

And thine for aye my lande shall be."

Then John he did him to record draw,

And John he cast him a godspennie;

But for every pound that John agreed,

The lande, I wis, was well worth three.

He told him the gold upon the borde, He was right glad his land to winne; "The gold is thine, the land is mine, And now I'll be the lord of Linne."

Thus he hath sold his land 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❜lt never spend;

For when all the world doth frown on thee,

Thou there shalt find a faithful friend."

The heir of Linne is full of gold: "And come with me, my friends," said he,