The page may not have been as magnanimous as we all think.He was bound to know that information like this would be highly rewarded by his Lord. OK, he may have been 'loyal' to the two of them, the Lord was in a position to hand out a few acres of land, where herself wasn't.
He also assumed that if his information was incorrect he would be killed himself, for defaming his wife, but, perhaps he reckoned that that Matty would still be in the sack with his wife the next morning. Versions differ as to how far away the Lord was on this particular day.
Matty was an eegit for staying the night in the first place, morality questions aside.
The page, lowlife informer that he was, made substantial financial gain out of the whole affair.He probably wrote the song as well. Matty certainly didn't. Neither did the Lady. And I doubt the Lord would have been in possession of sufficient facts about the matter to write such a detailed account about events that happened when he wasn't there to witness, them.
Wouldn't really be in his best interests to write such a song, would it?No my money is on a big white wash job by the page.
It's so hard to find decent help these days.
B.