The English and Scottish Popular Ballads :: :: University of Virginia Library

‘Marry, I'le giue you councell, ffather,
If you'le take councell att me,
That if you haue spoken the word, father,
That backe againe you doe not flee.’

18

‘God a mercy! Christopher Nortton,
I say, God a mercye!
If I doe liue and scape with liffe,
Well advanced shalt thou bee.

19

‘But come you hither, my nine good sonnes,
In mens estate I thinke you bee;
How many of you, my children deare,
On my part that wilbe?’

20

But eight of them did answer soone,
And spake ffull hastilye;
Sayes, We wilbe on your part, ffather,
Till the day that we doe dye.

21

‘But God a mercy! my children deare,
And euer I say God a mercy!
And yett my blessing you shall haue,
Whether-soeuer I liue or dye.

22

‘But what sayst thou, thou Ffrancis Nortton,
Mine eldest sonne and mine heyre trulye?
Some good councell, Ffrancis Nortton,
This day thou giue to me.’

23

‘But I will giue you councell, ffather,
If you will take councell att mee;
For if you wold take my councell, father,
Against the crowne you shold not bee.’

24

‘But ffye vpon thee, Ffrancis Nortton!
I say ffye vpon thee!
When thou was younge and tender of age
I made ffull much of thee.’

25

‘But your head is white, ffather,’ he sayes,
‘And your beard is wonderous gray;
Itt were shame ffor your countrye
If you shold rise and fflee away.’

26

‘But ffye vpon thee, thou coward Ffrancis!
Thou neuer tookest that of mee!
When thou was younge and tender of age
I made too much of thee.’

27

‘But I will goe with you, father,’ quoth hee;
‘Like a naked man will I bee;
He that strikes the first stroake against the crowne,
An ill death may hee dye!’

406

28

But then rose vpp Master Nortton, that esquier,
With him a ffull great companye;
And then the erles they comen downe
To ryde in his companye.

29

Att Whethersbye the mustered their men,
Vpon a ffull fayre day;
Thirteen thousand there were seene
To stand in battel ray.

30

The Erle of Westmoreland, he had in his ancyent
The dunn bull in sight most hye,
And three doggs with golden collers
Were sett out royallye.

31

The Erle of Northumberland, he had in his ancyent
The halfe moone in sight soe hye,
As the Lord was crucifyed on the crosse,
And set forthe pleasantlye.

32

And after them did rise good Sir George Bowes,
After them a spoyle to make;
The erles returned backe againe,
Thought euer that knight to take.

33

This barron did take a castle then,
Was made of lime and stone;
The vttermost walls were ese to be woon;
The erles haue woon them anon.

34

But tho they woone the vttermost walls,
Quickly and anon,
The innermust walles the cold not winn;
The were made of a rocke of stone.

35

But newes itt came to leeue London,
In all the speede that euer might bee;
And word it came to our royall queene
Of all the rebells in the north countrye.

36

Shee turned her grace then once about,
And like a royall queene shee sware;
Sayes, I will ordaine them such a breake-fast
As was not in the north this thousand yeere!

37

Shee caused thirty thousand men to be made,
With horsse and harneis all quicklye;
And shee caused thirty thousand men to be made,
To take the rebells in the north countrye.

38

They tooke with them the false Erle of Warwicke,
Soe did they many another man;
Vntill they came to Yorke castle,
I-wis they neuer stinted nor blan.

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39

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‘Spread thy ancyent, Erle of Westmoreland!
The halfe-moone ffaine wold wee see!’

40

But the halfe-moone is fled and gone,
And the dun bull vanished awaye;
And Ffrancis Nortton and his eight sonnes
Are ffled away most cowardlye.

41

Ladds with mony are counted men,
Men without mony are counted none;
But hold your tounge! why say you soe?
Men wilbe men when mony is gone.