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MARY HAMILTON—W

[_]

“Scotch Ballads, Materials for Border Minstrelsy,” No 85, Abbotsford.

1

There lived a man in the North Countree
And he had doghters three;
The youngest o them's to Edinbourgh gaen,
Ane o the queen's Marys to be.

2

Queen Mary's bread it was sae white,
And her wine it ran sae clear,
It shewed her the way to the butler's bed,
And I wait she's bought dear.

3

For Mary's to the garden gaen,
To eat o the saven tree,
And a' 's to pit her young son back.
But back he wad na be.

4

So Mary's to her chamber gaen,
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]

5

Queen Mary she came down the stair,
And a' her maids afore her:
‘Oh, Mary Miles, where is the child
That I have heard greet sae sore O?’

6

‘There is no child with me, madam,
There is no child with me;
It was only a bit of a cholick I took,
And I thought I was gawen to dee.’

7

So they looked up, and they looked down,
And they looked beneath the bed-foot,
And there they saw a bonnie boy,
Lying weltering in his blood.

8

[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
‘Since that you have killed your own dear child,
The same death you shall dee.’

9

When Mary came afore the court,
A loud laugh laughed she;
But when she came to the [gallows-]fit
The tear blinded her ee.
[OMITTED]

10

‘O wha will comb Queen Mary's heed?
Or wha will brade her hair?
And wha will lace her middle sae jimp
Whan [I] am nae langer there?

11

‘Yestreen the queen [had] four Maries,
The night she'll hae but three;
There was Mary Seaten, and Mary Beaten,
And Mary Carmichal, and me.
[OMITTED]

12

‘I'll not put on my robes of black,
Nor yet my robes of brown,
But I'll put on a shining braw garb,
That will shine thro Edinbourgh town.’
[OMITTED]

13

Oh, whan she came to the Cannongate,
The Cannongate sae hee,
There mony a lord and belted knight
Was grieved for her beautee.
[OMITTED]

14

And whan she came to [the] Hee Town,
The Hee Town sae hee,[OMITTED]
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