Page:Wife of Beith reformed and corrected.pdf/5

Then down they went a right steep hill
Where smoke and darkness did abound,
And pitch and sulphur burned still;
With yells and cries hills did rebound,
The fiend himself came to the gate.
And asked him where he had been?
Do ye not know or have forgot,
Seeking thes wife could not be seen.
Good dame, he said, would you be here,
I pray you then tell me your name?
The wife of Beith, since that youspier.
But to come in I were to blame.
I will not have you here, good dame,
For you are mistress of the flyting;
If once within this gate you come,
I will be troubled with your biting:
Cummer go back and let me be,
Here are too many of your rout,
For woman lewd like unto thee,
I canot turn my foot abut.
Sir Thief she says, I shall bide out,
But gossip thou wast ne'er to me,
For to come in I'm not so stout,
And of my biting thou'st be free.
But Lucifer what's that on thee?
Hast thou no water in this place?
Thou look'st so black, it seems to me
Thou ne'er dost wash they ugly face.
If we had water here to drink,
We would not care for washing them;
Into those flames and filthy stink

We burn with fire unto the doom.