Extracted from the previous thread.

Subject: Help re: 'banƒters'
From: Abby Sale
Date: 09-Sep-01 - 03:11 PM

What with today being the anniversary of the battle at Flodden-Field, September 9, 1513, I thought I'd sing "floo'ers of the forest." So I'm looking at the 4th of the "usually sung six verses," ie. # 20 in Herd (1769). (Actually this verse is rarely sung, too.) The data base Floo'ers gives that Hickerson implies it on Drive Dull II but he doesn't, actually. Anyway the DT misprints one word & naturally, that's the single word in the song I can't gloss. The verse is:

In herƒt at the ƒhearing nae younkers are jeering:
The banƒters are lyart, runkled, and gray.
At fairs nor at preaching, nae wooing, nae fleeching,
Since our braw foreƒters are a' wed away

It's 'bansters' in the second line I hope someone can help with. I don't find this or anything similar in any of my glosseries or dictionaries, including Herd's own. I did find in Herd "bangster" and I've a feeling he's misprinted the word in the song - I haven't accidented across 'bangster' in any other Herd songs. "Bangstrie," as all will know, is one of the charges leveled against MacPherson just before he Lamented ans hanged. FYI, since I have them right here, other words in that verse would be:

herƒt = harvest
younkers = young men
banƒters = ? perh. banterers or bangsters (in essence, 'ruffians')
lyart = hoary/grey-haired
runkled = wrinkled
fleeching = coxing/flattering
wed away = cut down / lost (arguable)

Thanks for the advice.