212
THE DUKE OF ATHOLE'S NURSE
THE DUKE OF ATHOLE'S NURSE—A
[_]
Cromek's Select Scotish Songs, 1810, II, 196, 194; sent,
with other fragments, by Robert Burns to William Tytler,
August, 1790; stanzas 2-6.
1
‘Where shall I gang, my ain true love?
Where shall I gang to hide me?
For weel ye ken i yere father's bowr
It wad be death to find me.’
2
‘O go you to yon tavern-house,
An there count owre your lawin,
An, if I be a woman true,
I'll meet you in the dawin.’
3
O he's gone to yon tavern-house,
An ay he counted his lawin,
An ay he drank to her guid health
Was to meet him in the dawin.
4
O he's gone to yon tavern-house,
An counted owre his lawin,
When in there cam three armed men,
To meet him in the dawin.
5
‘O woe be unto woman's wit!
It has beguiled many;
She promised to come hersel,
But she sent three men to slay me.’
THE DUKE OF ATHOLE'S NURSE—B
[_]
Skene MS., p. 10; taken down in the north of Scotland,
1802-3.
1
‘Ye are the Duke of Athol's nurse,
And I'm the new-come darling;
I'll gie you my gay gold rings
To get ae word of my leman.’
2
‘I am the Duke of Athol's nurse,
And ye're the new-come darling;
Keep well your gay gold rings,
Ye sall get twa words o your leman.’
3
He leand oure his saddle-bow,
It was not for to kiss her:
‘Anither woman has my heart,
And I but come here to see ye.’
4
‘If anither woman has your heart,
O dear, but I am sorry!
Ye hie you down to yon ale house,
And stay untill't be dawing,
And if I be a woman true
I'll meet you in the dawing.’
5
He did him down to yon ale-house,
And drank untill't was dawing;
He drank the bonnie lassie's health
That was to clear his lawing.
6
He lookit out of a shot-window,
To see if she was coming,
And there he seed her seven brithers,
So fast as they were running!
7
He went up and down the house,
Says, ‘Landlady, can you save me?
For yonder comes her seven brithers,
And they are coming to slay me.’
8
So quick she minded her on a wile
How she might protect him!
She dressd him in a suit of woman's attire
And set him to her baking.
9
‘Had you a quarterer here last night,
Or staid he to the dawing?
Shew us the room the squire lay in,
We are come to clear his lawing.’
10
‘I had a quarterer here last night,
But he staid not to the dawing;
He called for a pint, and paid as he went,
You have nothing to do with his lawing.’
11
They searchd the house baith up and down,
The curtains they spaird not to rive em,
And twenty times they passd
The squire at his baking.
Duke of Athole's Gates
THE DUKE OF ATHOLE'S NURSE—C
1
As I went down by the Duke of Athole's gates,
Where the bells of the court were ringing,
And there I heard a fair maid say,
O if I had but ae sight o my Johnie!
2
‘O here is your Johnie just by your side;
What have ye to say to your Johnie?
O here is my hand, but anither has my heart,
So ye'll never get more o your Johnie.’
3
‘O ye may go down to yon ale-house,
And there do sit till the dawing;
And call for the wine that is very, very fine,
And I'll come and clear up your lawing.’
4
So he's gane down to yon ale-house,
And he has sat till the dawing;
And he's calld for the wine that's very, very fine,
But she neer cam to clear up his lawing.
5
Lang or the dawing he oure the window looks,
To see if his true-love was coming,
And there he spied twelve weel armd boys,
Coming over the plainstanes running.
6
‘O landlady, landlady, what shall I do?
For my life it's not worth a farthing!’
‘O young man,’ said she, ‘tak counsel by me,
And I will be your undertaking.
7
‘I will clothe you in my own body-clothes
And I'll send you like a girl to the baking:’
And loudly, loudly they rapped at the door,
And loudly, loudly they rappëd.
8
‘O had you any strangers here late last night?
Or were they lang gane or the dawing?
O had you any strangers here late last night?
We are now come to clear up his lawing.’
9
‘O I had a stranger here late last night,
But he was lang gane or the dawing;
He called for a pint, and he paid it as he went,
And ye've no more to do with his lawing.’
10
‘O show me the room that your stranger lay in,
If he was lang gane or the dawing:’
She showed them the room that her stranger lay in,
But he was lang gane or the dawing.
11
O they stabbed the feather-bed all round and round,
And the curtains they neer stood to tear them;
And they gade as they cam, and left a' things undone,
And left the young squire by his baking.
Duke of Athole's Nurse
THE DUKE OF ATHOLE'S NURSE—D
1
As I cam in by the Duke of Athole's gate,
I heard a fair maid singing,
Wi a bonny baby on her knee,
And the bells o the court were ringing.
2
‘O it's I am the Duke of Athole's nurse,
And the place does well become me;
But I would gie a' my half-year's fee
Just for a sight o my Johnie.
[OMITTED]
3
‘If ye'll gae down to yon ale-house,
And stop till it be dawing,
And ca for a pint o the very, very best,
And I'll come and clear up your lawing.’
4
O he's gane down to yon ale-house,
And stopt till it was dawing;
He ca'd for a pint o the very, very best,
But she cam na to clear up his lawing.
5
He looked out at the chamber-window,
To see if she was coming;
And there he spied ten armed men,
Across the plain coming running.
6
‘O landlady, landlady, what shall I do?
For my life is not worth a farthing;
I paid you a guinea for my lodging last night,
But I fear I'll never see sun shining.’
7
‘If ye will be advised by me,
I'll be your undertaking;
I'll dress you up in my ain body-clothes
And set you to the baking.’
8
So loudly at the door they rapt,
So loudly are they calling,
‘O had you a stranger here last night,
Or is he within your dwalling?’
9
‘O I had a stranger here last night,
But he wos gane or dawing;
He ca'd for a pint, and he paid it or he went,
And I hae nae mair to do wi his lawing.’
10
They stabd the feather-beds round and round,
The curtains they spared na to tear them;
But they went as they came, and left a' things undone,
And the young man busy baking.
Duke o Athole's Nourice; or,
The Duke of Athol's Nourice
THE DUKE OF ATHOLE'S NURSE—E
[_]
a. Kinloch MSS, VII, 171; from the recitation of Mrs
Charles, Torry. b. Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads,
p. 127.
1
‘I am the Duke o Athole's nurse,
My part does weill become me,
And I wad gie aw my half-year's fee
For ae sicht o my Johnie.’
2
‘Keep weill, keep weill your half-year's fee,
For ye'll soon get a sicht o your Johnie;
But anither woman has my heart,
And I'm sorry for to leave ye.’
3
‘Ye'll dow ye doun to yon changehouse,
And ye'll drink till the day be dawin;
At ilka pint's end ye'll drink my health out,
And I'll come and pay for the lawin.’
4
Ay he ranted and he sang,
And drank till the day was dawin,
And ay he drank the bonnie lassy's health
That was coming to pay the lawin.
5
He spared na the sack, tho it was dear,
The wine nor the sugar-candy,
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
6
He's dune him to the shot-window,
To see an she was coming,
And there he spied twelve armed men,
That oure the plain cam rinning.
7
He's dune him doun to the landlady,
To see gin she wad protect him;
She's buskit him up into women's claiths
And set him till a baking.
8
Sae loudly as they rappit at the yett,
Sae loudly as they callit,
‘Had ye onie strangers here last nicht,
That drank till the day was dawin?’
[OMITTED]
The Duke of Athole's Nurse
THE DUKE OF ATHOLE'S NURSE—F
[_]
a. Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 23.
b. Christie's Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 80.
1
As I gaed in yon greenwood-side,
I heard a fair maid singing;
Her voice was sweet, she sang sae complete
That all the woods were ringing.
2
‘O I'm the Duke o Athole's nurse,
My post is well becoming;
But I woud gie a' my half-year's fee
For ae sight o my leman.’
3
‘Ye say, ye're the Duke o Athole's nurse,
Your post is well becoming;
Keep well, keep well your half-year's fee,
Ye'se hae twa sights o your leman.’
4
He leand him ower his saddle-bow
And cannilie kissd his dearie:
‘Ohon and alake! anither has my heart,
And I darena mair come near thee.’
5
‘Ohon and alake! if anither hae your heart,
These words hae fairly undone me;
But let us set a time, tryst to meet again,
Then in gude friends you will twine me.
6
‘Ye will do you down to yon tavern-house
And drink till the day be dawing,
And, as sure as I ance had a love for you,
I'll come there and clear your lawing.
7
‘Ye'll spare not the wine, altho it be fine,
Nae Malago, tho it be rarely,
But ye'll aye drink the bonnie lassie's health
That's to clear your lawing fairly.’
8
Then he's done him down to yon tavern-house
And drank till day was dawing,
And aye he drank the bonny lassie's health
That was coming to clear his lawing.
9
And aye as he birled, and aye as he drank,
The gude beer and the brandy,
He spar'd not the wine, altho it was fine,
The sack nor the sugar candy.
10
‘It's a wonder to me,’ the knight he did say,
‘My bonnie lassie's sae delaying;
She promisd, as sure as she loved me ance,
She woud be here by the dawing.’
11
He's done him to a shott-window,
A little before the dawing,
And there he spied her nine brothers bauld,
Were coming to betray him.
12
‘Where shall I rin? where shall I gang?
Or where shall I gang hide me?
She that was to meet me in friendship this day
Has sent nine men to slay me!’
13
He's gane to the landlady o the house,
Says, ‘O can you supply me?
For she that was to meet me in friendship this day
Has sent nine men to slay me.’
14
She gae him a suit o her ain female claise
And set him to the baking;
The bird never sang mair sweet on the bush
Nor the knight sung at the baking.
15
As they came in at the ha-door,
Sae loudly as they rappit!
And when they came upon the floor,
Sae loudly as they chappit!
16
‘O had ye a stranger here last night,
Who drank till the day was dawing?
Come show us the chamber where he lyes in,
We'll shortly clear his lawing.’
17
‘I had nae stranger here last night
That drank till the day was dawing;
But ane that took a pint, and paid it ere he went,
And there's naething to clear o his lawing.’
18
A lad amang the rest, being o a merry mood,
To the young knight fell a-talking;
The wife took her foot and gae him a kick,
Says, Be busy, ye jilt, at your baking.
19
They stabbed the house baith but and ben,
The curtains they spared nae riving,
And for a' that they did search and ca,
For a kiss o the knight they were striving.
