| 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, Well 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;
I 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.' |
