| |
| AS it befell, and hapinit into deid, | |
| Upon ane rever the quhilk is callit Tweid; | |
| At Tweidis mouth thair stands ane noble toun, | |
| Quhair mony lordis hes bene of grit renoune, | |
| And mony a lady bene fair of face, | 5 |
| And mony ane fresche lusty galand was. | |
| Into this toune, the quhilk is callit Berwik, | |
| Apoun the sey, thair standis nane it lyk, | |
| For it is wallit weill about with stane, | |
| And dowbil stankis castin mony ane. | 10 |
| And syne the castell is so strang and wicht, | |
| With staitelie towrs, and turrats hé on hicht, | |
| With kirnalis wrocht craftelie with all; | |
| The portculis most subtellie to fall, | |
| Quhen that thame list to draw thame upon hicht, | 15 |
| That it may be into na mannis micht, | |
| To win that hous by craft or subtiltie. | |
| Quhairfoir it is maist fair alluterrlie; | |
| Into my tyme, quhairever I have bein, | |
| Most fair, most gudelie, most pleasand to be sene. | 20 |
| The toun, the castel, and the pleasand land; | |
| The sea wallis upon the uther hand; | |
| The grit Croce kirk, and eik the Mason dew; | |
| The Jacobine of the quhyt hew, | |
| The Carmeletis, and the monks eik | 25 |
| Of the four ordours war nocht to seik; | |
| Thay wer all into this toun dwelling. * * * * * | |
| |
