Maidment's New Book of Old Ballads, p. 73, No XX;
Whitelaw's Book of Scottish Ballads, p. 246, No V: from
a manuscript copy, in the possession of W.H. Logan, Edinburgh,
derived from oral tradition.
| 1 |
Said the lord to his lady,
Beware of Rankin;
For I am going to England,
to wait on the king. |
| 2 |
'No fears, no fears,'
said the lady, said she,
'For the doors shall be bolted,
and the windows pindee. |
| 3 |
'Go bar all the windows,
both outside and in;
Don't leave a window open,
to let Bold Rankin in.' |
| 4 |
She has barred all the windows,
both outside and in;
But she left one of them open,
to let Bold Rankin in. |
| 5 |
'O where is the master of this house?'
said Bold Rankin;
'He's up in Old England.'
said the false nurse to him. |
| 6 |
'O where is the mistress of this house?'
said Bold Rankin;
'She's up in the chamber sleeping,'
said the false nurse to him. |
| 7 |
'O how shall we get her down?'
said Bold Rankin;
'By piercing the baby,'
said the false nurse to him. |
| 8 |
'Go please the baby, nursy,
go please it with a bell;'
'It will not be pleased, madam,
till you come down yoursel.' |
| 9 |
'How can I come down stairs,
so late into the night,
Without coal or candle,
to shew me the light? |
| 10 |
'There is a silver bolt
lies on the chest-head;
Give it to the baby,
give it sweet milk and bread.' |
| 11 |
She rammed the silver bolt
up the baby's nose,
Till the blood it came trinkling
down the baby's fine clothes. |
| 12 |
'Go please the baby, nursie,
go please it with the bell:'
'It will not please, madam,
till you come down yoursel. |
| 13 |
'It will neither please with breast-milk,
nor yet with pap;
But I pray, loving lady,
Come and roll it in your lap.' |
| 14 |
The first step she stepit,
she steppit on a stone;
And the next step she stepit,
she met Bold Rankin. |
| 15 |
'O rankin, O Rankin,
spare me till twelve o'clock,
And I will give you as many guineas
as you can carry on your back.' |
| 16 |
'What care I for as many guineas
as seeds into a sack,
When I cannot keep my hands off
your lily-white neck?' |
| 17 |
'O will I kill her, nursie,
or let her abee?'
'O kill her,' said the false nurse,
'She was never good to me.' |
| 18 |
'Go scour the bason, lady,
both outside and in,
To hold your mother's heart's blood,
sprung from a noble kin.' |
| 19 |
'To hold my mother's heart's blood
would make my heart full woe;
O rather kill me, Rankin,
and let my mother go.' |
| 20 |
'Go scour the bason, servants,
both outside and in,
To hold your lady's heart's blood,
sprung from a noble kin.' |
| 21 |
'To hold my lady's heart's blood
would make my heart full woe;
O rather kill me, Rankin,
and let my lady go.' |
| 22 |
'Go scour the bason, nursy,
both outside and in,
To hold your lady's heart's blood,
sprung from a noble kin.' |
| 23 |
'To hold my lady's heart's blood
would make my heart full glad;
Ram in the knife, Bold Rankin,
and gar the blood to shed. |
| 24 |
'She's none of my comrades,
she's none of my kin;
Ram in the knife, Bold Rankin,
and gar the blood rin.' |
| 25 |
'O will I kill her, nursy,
or let her abee?'
'O kill her,' said the false nurse,
'She was never good to me.'
* * * * * |
| 26 |
'I wish my wife and family
may be all well at home;
For the silver buttons of my coat
they will not stay on.' |
| 27 |
As Betsy was looking
oer her window so high,
She saw her dear father
come riding by. |
| 28 |
'O father, dear father,
don't put the blame on me
It was false nurse and Rankin
that killed your lady.' |
| 29 |
O wasn't that an awful sight,
when he came to the stair,
To see his fairest lady
lie bleeding there! |
| 30 |
The false nurse was burnt
on the mountain hill-head,
And Rankin was boiled
in a pot full of lead. |
