Percy Manuscript, p. 68; Hales and Furnivall, I, 166.
| 1 |
Our king he kept a ffalse steward,
Men called him Sir Aldingar,
. . . . .
. . . . |
| 2 |
He wold haue layen by our comely queene,
Her deere worshipp to haue betraide;
Our queene shee was a good woman,
And euer more said him nay. |
| 3 |
Aldingar was offended in his mind,
With her hee was neuer content,
But he sought what meanes he cold find out,
In a fyer to haue her brent. |
| 4 |
There came a lame lazer to the kings gates,
A lazar was blind and lame;
He tooke the lazar vpon his backe,
Vpon the queenes bed he did him lay. |
| 5 |
He said, Lye still, lazar, wheras thou lyest;
Looke thou goe not away;
Ile make thee a whole man and a sound
In two howres of a day. |
| 6 |
And then went forth Sir Aldingar,
Our queene for to betray,
And then he mett with our comlye king,
Saies, God you saue and see! |
| 7 |
'If I had space, as I haue grace,
A message I wold say to thee:'
'Say on, say on, Sir Aldingar,
Say thou on and vnto me.' |
| 8 |
'I can let you now see one of [the] greiuos[est] sights
that euer Christen king did see;
Our queene hath chosen a new, new loue,
She will haue none of thee. |
| 9 |
'If shee had chosen a right good knight,
The lesse had beene her shame;
But she hath chosen a lazar man,
Which is both blinde and lame.' |
| 10 |
'If this be true, thou Aldingar,
that thou dost tell to me,
Then will I make thee a rich knight
Both of gold and fee. |
| 11 |
'But if it be false, Sir Aldingar,
That thou doest tell to me,
Then looke for noe other death
But to be hangd on a tree.
Goe with me,' saide our comly king,
'This lazar for to see.' |
| 12 |
When the king he came into the queenes chamber,
Standing her bed befor,
'There is a lodly lome,' says Harry King,
'For our dame Queene Elinor! |
| 13 |
'If thou were a man, as thou art none,
Here thou sholdest be slaine;
But a paire of new gallowes shall be built,
Thoust hang on them soe hye. |
| 14 |
'And [a] fayre fyer there shalbe bett,
And brent our queene shalbee:'
Fforth then walked our comlye king,
And mett with our comly queene. |
| 15 |
Saies, God you saue, our queene, Madam,
And Christ you saue and see!
Heere you [haue] chosen a new, new loue,
And you will haue none of mee. |
| 16 |
'If you had chosen a right good knight,
The lesse had beene your shame;
But you haue chosen a lazar man,
That is both blind and lame.' |
| 17 |
'Euer alacke!' said our comly queene,
'Sir Aldingar is false to mee;
But euer alacke!' said our comly queene,
'Euer alas, and woe is mee! |
| 18 |
'I had thought sweuens had neuer been true;
I haue prooued them true at the last;
I dreamed in my sweauen on Thursday at eueninge,
In my bed wheras I lay, |
| 19 |
'I dreamed a grype and a grimlie beast
Had carryed my crowne away,
My gorgett and my kirtle of golde,
And all my faire heade-geere. |
| 20 |
How he wold haue worryed me with his tush,
And borne me into his nest,
Saving there came a little hawk,
Flying out of the east. |
| 21 |
'Saving there came a little hawke,
Which men call a merlion;
Vntill the ground he stroke him downe,
that dead he did fall downe. |
| 22 |
'Giffe I were a man, as I am none,
A battell I would proue;
I wold fight with that false traitor;
Att him I cast my gloue! |
| 23 |
'Seing I am able noe battell to make,
You must grant me, my leege, a knight,
To fight with that traitor, Sir Aldingar,
To maintaine me in my right.' |
| 24 |
'I'le giue thee forty dayes,' said our king,
'To seeke thee a man therin;
If thou find not a man in forty dayes,
In a hott fyer thou shall brenn.' |
| 25 |
Our queene sent forth a messenger;
He rode fast into the south;
He rode the countryes through and through,
Soe ffar vnto Portsmouth. |
| 26 |
. . . . . .
. . . . .
He cold find never a man in the south country
that wold fight with the knight soe keene. |
| 27 |
The second messenger the queen forth sent
Rode far into the east;
But, blessed be God made sunn and moone!
He sped then all of the best. |
| 28 |
As he rode then by one riuer side,
There he mett with a little child;
He seemed noe more in a mans likenesse
Then a child of four yeeres old. |
| 29 |
He askt the queenes messenger how far he rode;
Loth he was him to tell;
The little one was offended att him,
Bid him adew, farwell. |
| 30 |
Said, Turne thou againe, thou messenger,
Greete our queene well from me;
When bale is att hyest, boote is att next;
Helpe enough there may bee. |
| 31 |
'Bid our queene remember what she did dreame
In her bedd wheras shee lay;
Shee dreamed the grype and the grimly beast
Had carryed her crowne away; |
| 32 |
'Her gorgett and her kirtle of gold,
Alsoe her faire head-geere;
He wold haue werryed her with his tushe,
And borne her into his nest. |
| 33 |
'Saving there came a little hawke,
Men call him a merlyon;
Vntill the ground he did strike him downe,
that dead he did ffall downe. |
| 34 |
'Bidd the queene be merry att her hart,
Euermore light and glad;
When bale is att hyest, boote is at next,
Helpe enoughe there shalbe.' |
| 35 |
Then the queenes messenger rode backe,
A gladed man then was hee;
When he came before our queene,
A gladd woman then was shee. |
| 36 |
Shee gaue the messenger twenty pound,
O lord, in gold and ffee;
Saies, Spend and spare not while this doth last,
Then feitch thou more of me. |
| 37 |
Our queene was put in a tunne to burne,
She thought no thing but death;
Th?e were ware of the little one
Came ryding forth of the east. |
| 38 |
With a mu . . . . .
A louelie child was hee;
When he came to that fier,
He light the queene full nigh. |
| 39 |
Said, Draw away these brands of fire
Lie burning before our queene,
And feitch me hither Sir Aldingar,
that is a knight soe keene. |
| 40 |
When Aldingar see that little one,
Ffull litle of him hee thought;
If there had beene halfe a hundred such,
Of them he wold not haue wrought. |
| 41 |
Hee sayd, Come hither, Sir Aldingar;
Thou seemust as bigge as a ffooder;
I trust to God, ere I haue done with thee,
God will send to vs [an] auger. |
| 42 |
Saies, The first stroke that's giuen, Sir Aldingar,
I will giue vnto thee,
And if the second giue thou may,
Looke then thou spare not mee. |
| 43 |
The litle one pulld forth a well good sword,
I-wis itt was all of guilt;
It cast light there over that feild,
It shone soe all of guilt. |
| 44 |
He stroke the first stroke att Aldingar,
He stroke away his leggs by his knee;
. . . . . .
. . . . . |
| 45 |
Sayes, Stand vp, stand vp, thou false traitor,
And fight vpon thy feete;
For and thou thriue as thou begins,
Of a height wee shalbe meete. |
| 46 |
'A preist, a preist,' sayes Aldingar,
'Me for to houzle and shriue!
A preist, a preist,' sayes Aldingar,
'While I am a man liuing a-liue! |
| 47 |
'I wold haue laine by our comlie queene;
To it shee wold neuer consent;
I thought to haue betrayd her to our king,
In a fyer to haue had her brent. |
| 48 |
'There came a lame lazar to the kings gates,
A lazar both blind and lame;
I tooke the lazar vpon my backe,
In the Queenes bed I did him lay. |
| 49 |
'I bad him, Lie still, lazar, where he lay,
Looke he went not away;
I wold make him a whole man and a sound
In two houres of a day. |
| 50 |
. . . . .
. . . . .
'Euer alacke!' sayes Sir Aldingar,
'Falsing neuer doth well; |
| 51 |
'Forgiue, forgiue me, queene, Madam!
For Christs loue forgiue me!'
'God forgaue his death, Aldingar,
And freely I forgiue thee.' |
| 52 |
'Now take thy wife, thou King Harry,
And loue her as thou shold;
Thy wiffe shee is as true to thee
As stone that lies on the castle wall.' |
| 53 |
The lazar vnder the gallow tree
Was a pretty man and small;
The lazar vnder the gallow tree
Was made steward in King Henerys hall. |
