Evidence that Anachie was not a drip . . .

Regarding the line about Anachie, "though he may be pretty, where are his lands?" This probably did not mean, as it would today, that he was just a pretty face.

Years ago when I was a linguistics student studying the history of English and even a chance class on the ballad tradition, I discovered that, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, in 15th-century England "pretty" meant clever, admirable, excellent. In
Scotland, "pretty" was a term often applied to soldiers, meaning brave and gallant. The implication that a "pretty fellow" was a fop doesn't apply until the 18th century, if I've read my OED correctly.

By the way, "silly" has an interesting history too . . . You could look it up. :)