Earl Lithgow
THE KNIGHT AND SHEPHERD'S DAUGHTER—F
[_]
a. Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 91; from
the recitation of an old person. b. Christie's Traditional
Ballad Airs, I, 184.
1
Earl Lithgow he's a hunting gane,
Upon a summer's day,
And he's fa'en in with a weel-far'd maid,
Was gathering at the slaes.
2
He's taen her by the milk-white hand,
And by the grass-green sleeve;
He led her to the foot of a tree,
At her he spierd nae leave.
3
The lassie being well learned,
She turned her right around;
Says, Will ye be as good, kind sir,
As tell to me your name?
4
‘Whiles they call me Jack,’ he says,
‘And whiles they call me John;
But when I'm in the queen's high court,
Earl Litchcock is my name.’
5
The lassie being well learned,
She spelld it ower again;
Says, Litchcock is a Latin word,
But Lithgow is your name.
6
The lassie being well learned,
She spelld it ower again;
Says, Lithgow is a gentle word,
But Richard is your name.
7
She has kilted her green claithing
A little abeen her knee;
The gentleman rode, and the lassie ran,
Till at the water o Dee.
8
When they were at the water o Dee,
And at the narrow side,
He turned about his high horse head,
Says, Lassie, will ye ride?
9
‘I learned it in my mother's bower,
I wish I had learned it better,
When I came to this wan water,
To swim like ony otter.
10
‘I learned it in my mother's bower,
I wish I had learned it weel,
That when I came to a wan water,
To swim like ony eel.’
11
She has kilted her green claithing
A little abeen her knee;
The gentleman rode, the lassie swam,
Thro the water o Dee:
Before he was at the middle o the water,
At the other side was she.
12
She sat there and drest hersell,
And sat upon a stone;
There she sat to rest hersell,
And see how he'd come on.
13
‘How mony miles hae ye to ride?
How mony hae I to gang?’
‘I've thirty miles to ride,’ he says,
‘And ye've as mony to gang.’
14
‘If ye've thirty miles to ride,’ she says,
‘And I've as mony to gae,
Ye'll get leave to gang yoursell;
It will never be gane by me.’
15
She's gane to the queen's high court,
And knocked at the pin;
Who was sae ready as the proud porter,
To let this lady in!
16
She's put her hand in her pocket,
And gien him guineas three:
‘Ye will gang to the queen hersell,
And tell her this frae me.
17
‘There is a lady at your yetts
Can neither card nor spin;
But she can sit in a lady's bower,
And lay gold on a seam.’
18
He's gane ben thro ae lang room,
And he's gane ben thro twa,
Till he came to a lang, lang trance,
And then came to the ha.
19
When he came before the queen,
Sat low down on his knee:
‘Win up, win up, my proud porter,
What makes this courtesie?’
20
‘There is a lady at your yetts
Can neither card nor spin;
But she can sit in a lady's bower,
And lay gold on a seam.’
21
‘If there is a lady at my yetts
That cannot card nor spin,
Ye'll open my yetts baith wide and braid,
And let this lady in.’
22
Now she has gane ben thro ae room,
And she's gane ben thro twa,
And she gaed ben a lang, lang trance,
Till she came to the ha.
23
When she came before the queen,
Sat low down on her knee:
‘Win up, win up, my fair woman,
What makes such courtesie?’
24
‘My errand it's to thee, O queen,
My errand it's to thee;
There is a man within your courts
This day has robbed me.’
25
‘O has he taen your purse, your purse,
Or taen your penny-fee?
Or has he taen your maidenhead,
The flower of your bodie?’
26
‘He hasna taen my purse, my purse,
Nor yet my penny-fee,
But he has taen my maidenhead,
The flower of my bodi’
27
‘It is if he be a batchelor,
Your husband he shall be;
But if he be a married man,
High hanged he shall be.
28
‘Except it be my brother, Litchcock,
I hinna will it be he;’
Sighd and said that gay lady,
That very man is he.
29
She's calld on her merry men a',
By ane, by twa, by three;
Earl Litchcock used to be the first,
But the hindmost man was he.
30
He came cripple on the back,
Stane blind upon an ee;
And sighd and said Earl Richard,
I doubt this calls for me.
31
He's laid down a brand, a brand,
And next laid down a ring;
It's thrice she minted to the brand,
But she's taen up the ring:
There's not a knight in a' the court,
But calld her a wise woman.
32
He's taen out a purse of gold,
And tauld it on a stane;
Says, Take ye that, my fair woman,
And ye'll frae me be gane.
33
‘I will hae nane o your purse[s] o gold,
That ye tell on a stane;
But I will hae yoursell,’ she says,
‘Another I'll hae nane.’
34
He has taen out another purse,
And tauld it in a glove;
Says, Take ye that, my fair woman,
And choice another love.
35
‘I'll hae nane o your purses o gold,
That ye tell in a glove;
But I will hae yoursell,’ she says,
‘I'll hae nae ither love.’
36
But he's taen out another purse,
And tauld it on his knee;
Said, Take ye that, ye fair woman,
Ye'll get nae mair frae me.
37
‘I'll hae nane o your purses o gold,
That ye tell on your knee;
But I will hae yoursell,’ she says,
‘The queen has granted it me.’
38
‘O will ye hae the short claithing,
Or will ye hae the side?
Or will ye gang to your wedding,
Or will ye to it ride?’
39
‘I winna hae the short claithing,
But I will hae the side;
I winna gang to my wedding,
But to it I will ride.’
40
The first town that they came till
They made the mass be sung,
And the next town that they came till
They made the bells be rung.
41
And the next town that they came till
He bought her gay claithing,
And the next town that they came till
They held a fair wedding.
42
When they came to Mary-kirk,
The nettles grew on the dyke:
‘If my auld mither, the carlin, were here,
Sae well's she would you pyke.
43
‘Sae well's she would you pyke,’ she says,
‘She woud you pyke and pou,
And wi the dust lyes in the mill
Sae woud she mingle you.
44
‘She'd take a speen intill her hand,
And sup ere she be fou,
Syne lay her head upon a sod,
And snore like ony sow.’
45
When she came to yon mill-dams,
Says, Weel may ye clap;
I wyte my minnie neer gaed by you
Wanting mony a lick.
46
He's drawn his hat out ower his face,
Muckle shame thought he;
She's driven her cap out ower her locks,
And a light laugh gae she.
47
When they were wedded, and well bedded,
And hame at dinner set,
Then out it spake our bride hersell,
And she spake never blate.
48
Put far awa your china plates,
Put them far awa frae me,
And bring to me my humble gockies,
That I was best used wi.
49
Put far awa your siller speens,
Had them far awa frae me,
And bring to me my horn cutties,
That I was best used wi.
50
When they were dined and well served,
And to their dancing set,
Out it spake our bride again,
For she spake never blate.
51
If the auld carlin, my mither, were here,
As I trust she will be,
She'll fear the dancing frae us a',
And gar her meal-bags flee.
52
When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' men bound for rest,
Earl Richard and the beggar's daughter
In ae chamber were placed.
53
‘Had far awa your fine claithing,
Had them far awa frae me,
And bring to me my fleachy clouts,
That I was best used wi.
54
‘Had far awa your holland sheets,
Had them far awa frae me,
And bring to me my canvas clouts,
That I was best used wi.
55
‘Lay a pock o meal beneath my head,
Another aneath my feet,
A pock o seeds beneath my knees,
And soundly will I sleep.’
56
‘Had far awa, ye carlin's get,
Had far awa frae me;
It disna set a carlin's get
My bed-fellow to be.’
57
‘It's may be I'm a carlin's get,
And may be I am nane;
But when ye got me in good greenwood,
How letna you me alane?’
58
‘It is if you be a carlin's get,
As I trust well ye be,
Where got ye all the gay claithing
You brought to greenwood with thee?’
59
‘My mother was an auld nourice,
She nursed bairns three;
And whiles she got, and whiles she staw,
And she kept them a' for me;
And I put them on in good greenwood,
To beguile fause squires like thee.’
60
It's out then spake the Billy-Blin,
Says, I speak nane out of time;
If ye make her lady o nine cities,
She'll make you lord o ten.
61
Out it spake the Billy-Blin,
Says, The one may serve the other;
The King of Gosford's ae daughter,
And the Queen of Scotland's brother.
62
‘Wae but worth you, Billy-Blin,
An ill death may ye die!
My bed-fellow he'd been for seven years
Or he'd kend sae muckle frae me.’
63
‘Fair fa ye, ye Billy-Blin,
And well may ye aye be!
In my stable is the ninth horse I've killd,
Seeking this fair ladie:
Now we're married, and now we're bedded,
And in each other's arms shall lie.’
