Buchan's Manuscripts, I, 18.
J.H. Dixon, Scottish Traditional Versions of Ancient Ballads, p. 1.
| 1 |
Young Bonwell was a squire's ae son,
And a squire's ae son was he;
He went abroad to a foreign land,
To serve for meat and fee. |
| 2 |
He hadna been in that country
A twalmonth and a day,
Till he was cast in prison strong,
For the sake of a lovely may. |
| 3 |
'O if my father get word of this,
At hame in his ain country,
He'll send red gowd for my relief,
And a bag o white money. |
| 4 |
'O gin an earl woud borrow me,
At his bridle I woud rin;
Or gin a widow woud borrow me,
I'd swear to be her son. |
| 5 |
'Or gin a may woud borrow me,
I'd wed her wi a ring,
Infeft her wi the ha's and bowers
O the bonny towers o Linne.' |
| 6 |
But it fell ance upon a day
Dame Essels she thought lang,
And she is to the jail-house door,
To hear Young Bondwell's sang. |
| 7 |
'Sing on, sing on, my bonny Bondwell,
The sang ye sang just now:'
'I never sang the sang, lady,
But I woud war't on you. |
| 8 |
'O gin my father get word o this,
At hame in his ain country,
He'll send red gowd for my relief,
And a bag o white money. |
| 9 |
'O gin an earl woud borrow me,
At his bridle I woud rin;
Or gin a widow would borrow me,
I'd swear to be her son. |
| 10 |
'O gin a may woud borrow me,
I woud wed her wi a ring,
Infeft her wi the ha's and bowers
O the bonny towers o Linne.' |
| 11 |
She's stole the keys o the jail-house door,
Where under the bed they lay;
She's opend to him the jail-house door,
And set Young Bondwell free. |
| 12 |
She gae'm a steed was swift in need,
A saddle o royal ben,
A hunder pund o pennies round,
Bade him gae roav an spend. |
| 13 |
A couple o hounds o ae litter,
And Cain they ca'd the one;
Twa gay gos-hawks she gae likeways,
To keep him onthought lang. |
| 14 |
When mony days were past and gane,
Dame Essels thought fell lang,
And she is to her lonely bower,
To shorten her wi a sang. |
| 15 |
The sang has such a melody,
It lulld her fast asleep;
Up starts a woman, clad in green,
And stood at her bed-feet. |
| 16 |
'Win up, win up, Dame Essels,' she says,
'This day ye sleep ower lang;
The morn is the squire's wedding day,
In the bonny towers o Linne. |
| 17 |
'Ye'll dress yoursell in the robes o green,
Your maids in robes sae fair,
And ye'll put girdles about their middles,
Sae costly, rich and rare. |
| 18 |
'Ye'll take your maries alang wi you,
Till ye come to yon strand;
There ye'll see a ship, wi sails all up,
Come sailing to dry land. |
| 19 |
'Ye'll take a wand into your hand,
Ye'll stroke her round about,
And ye'll take God your pilot to be,
To drown ye'll take nae doubt.' |
| 20 |
Then up it raise her Dame Essels,
Sought water to wash her hands,
But aye the faster that she washd,
The tears they trickling ran. |
| 21 |
Then in it came her father dear,
And in the floor steps he:
'What ails Dame Essels, my daughter dear,
Ye weep sae bitterlie? |
| 22 |
'Want ye a small fish frae the flood,
Or turtle frae the sea?
Or is there man in a' my realm
This day has offended thee?' |
| 23 |
'I want nae small fish frae the flood,
Nor turtle frae the sea;
But Young Bondwell, your ain prisoner,
This day has offended me.' |
| 24 |
Her father turnd him round about,
A solemn oath sware he:
'If this be true ye tell me now
High hanged he shall be. |
| 25 |
'To-morrow morning he shall be
Hung high upon a tree:'
Dame Essels whisperd to hersel,
'Father, ye've made a lie.' |
| 26 |
She dressd hersel in robes o green,
Her maids in robes sae fair,
Wi gowden girdles round their middles,
Sae costly, rich and rare. |
| 27 |
She's taen her mantle her about,
A maiden in every hand;
They saw a ship, wi sails a' up,
Come sailing to dry land. |
| 28 |
She's taen a wand intill her hand,
And stroked her round about,
And she's taen God her pilot to be,
To drown she took nae doubt. |
| 29 |
So they saild on, and further on,
Till to the water o Tay;
There they spied a bonny little boy,
Was watering his steeds sae gay. |
| 30 |
'What news, what news, my little boy,
What news hae ye to me?
Are there any weddings in this place,
Or any gaun to be?' |
| 31 |
'There is a wedding in this place,
A wedding very soon;
The morn's the young squire's wedding day,
In the bonny towers of Linne.' |
| 32 |
O then she walked alang the way
To see what coud be seen,
And there she saw the proud porter,
Drest in a mantle green. |
| 33 |
'What news, what news, porter?' she said,
'What news hae ye to me?
Are there any weddings in this place,
Or any gaun to be?' |
| 34 |
'There is a wedding in this place,
A wedding very soon;
The morn is Young Bondwell's wedding day,
The bonny squire o Linne.' |
| 35 |
'Gae to your master, porter,' she said,
'Gae ye right speedilie;
Bid him come and speak wi a maid
That wishes his face to see.' |
| 36 |
The porter's up to his master gane,
Fell low down on his knee;
'Win up, win up, my porter,' he said,
'Why bow ye low to me?' |
| 37 |
hae been porter at your yetts
These thirty years and three,
But fairer maids than's at them now
My eyes did never see. |
| 38 |
'The foremost she is drest in green,
The rest in fine attire,
Wi gowden girdles round their middles,
Well worth a sheriff's hire.' |
| 39 |
Then out it speaks Bondwell's own bride,
Was a' gowd to the chin;
'They canno be fairer thereout,' she says,
'Than we that are therein.' |
| 40 |
'There is a difference, my dame,' he said,
''Tween that ladye's colour and yours;
As much difference as you were a stock,
She o the lily flowers.' |
| 41 |
Then out it speaks him Young Bondwell,
An angry man was he:
'Cast up the yetts baith wide an braid,
These ladies I may see.' |
| 42 |
Quickly up stairs Dame Essel's gane,
Her maidens next her wi;
Then said the bride, This lady's face
Shows the porter's tauld nae lie. |
| 43 |
The lady unto Bondwell spake,
These words pronounced she:
O hearken, hearken, fause Bondwell,
These words that I tell thee. |
| 44 |
Is this the way ye keep your vows
That ye did make to me,
When your feet were in iron fetters,
Ae foot ye coudna flee? |
| 45 |
I stole the keys o the jail-house door
Frae under the bed they lay,
And opend up the jail-house door,
Set you at liberty. |
| 46 |
Gae you a steed was swift in need,
A saddle o royal ben,
A hunder pund o pennies round,
Bade you gae rove an spend. |
| 47 |
A couple o hounds o ae litter,
Cain they ca'ed the ane,
Twa gay gos-hawks as swift's eer flew,
To keep you onthought lang. |
| 48 |
But since this day ye've broke your vow,
For which ye're sair to blame,
And since nae mair I'll get o you,
O Cain, will ye gae hame? |
| 49 |
'O Cain! O Cain!' the lady cried,
And Cain did her ken;
They baith flappd round the lady's knee,
Like a couple o armed men. |
| 50 |
He's to his bride wi hat in hand,
And haild her courteouslie:
'Sit down by me, my bonny Bondwell,
What makes this courtesie?' |
| 51 |
'An asking, asking, fair lady,
An asking ye'll grant me;'
'Ask on, ask on, my bonny Bondwell,
What may your askings be?' |
| 52 |
'Five hundred pounds to you I'll gie,
Of gowd an white monie,
If ye'll wed John, my ain cousin;
He looks as fair as me.' |
| 53 |
'Keep well your monie, Bondwell,' she said,
'Nae monie I ask o thee;
Your cousin John was my first love,
My husband now he's be.' |
| 54 |
Bondwell was married at morning ear,
John in the afternoon;
Dame Essels is lady ower a' the bowers
And the high towers o Linne. |
