Buchan's Manuscripts, II, 186.
| 1 |
'My father was the Duke of York,
My mother a lady free,
Mysell a dainty damsell,
Queen Mary sent for me. |
| 2 |
'Yestreen I washd Queen Mary's feet,
Kam'd down her yellow hair,
And lay a' night in the young man's bed,
And I'll rue t for evermair. |
| 3 |
'The queen's kale was aye sae het,
Her spice was aye sae fell,
Till they gart me gang to the young man's bed,
And I'd a' the wyte mysell. |
| 4 |
'I was not in the queen's service
A twelvemonth but barely ane,
Ere I grew as big wi bairn
As ae woman could gang. |
| 5 |
'But it fell ance upon a day,
Was aye to be it lane,
I did take strong travilling
As ever yet was seen.' |
| 6 |
Ben it came the queen hersell,
Was a' gowd to the hair;
'O where's the bairn, Lady Maisry,
That I heard greeting sair?' |
| 7 |
it came the queen hersell,
Was a' gowd to the chin:
'O where's the bairn, Lady Maisry,
That I heard late yestreen.' |
| 8 |
'There is no bairn here,' she says,
'Nor never thinks to be;
'Twas but a stoun of sair sickness
That ye heard seizing me.' |
| 9 |
They sought it out, they sought it in,
They sought it but and ben,
But between the bolster and the bed
They got the baby slain. |
| 10 |
'Come busk ye, busk ye, Lady Maisdry,
Come busk, an go with me;
For I will on to Edinburgh,
And try the verity.' |
| 11 |
She woud not put on the black, the black,
Nor yet wad she the brown,
But the white silk and the red scarlet,
That shin'd frae town to town. |
| 12 |
As she gaed down thro Edinburgh town
The burghers' wives made meen,
That sic a dainty damsel
Sud ever hae died for sin. |
| 13 |
Make never meen for me,' she says,
'Make never meen for me;
Seek never grace frae a graceless face,
For that ye'll never see.' |
| 14 |
As she gaed up the Tolbooth stair,
A light laugh she did gie;
But lang ere she came down again
She was condemned to die. |
| 15 |
'A' you that are in merchants-ships,
And cross the roaring faem,
Hae nae word to my father and mother,
But that I'm coming hame. |
| 16 |
'Hold your hands, ye justice o peace,
Hold them a little while!
For yonder comes my father and mother,
That's travelld mony a mile. |
| 17 |
'Gie me some o your gowd, parents,
Some o your white monie,
To save me frae the head o yon hill,
Yon greenwood gallows-tree.' |
| 18 |
'Ye'll get nane o our gowd, daughter,
Nor nane o our white monie;
For we hae travelld mony a mile,
This day to see you die.' |
| 19 |
'Hold your hands, ye justice o peace,
Hold them a little while!
For yonder comes him Warenston,
The father of my chile. |
| 20 |
'Give me some o your gowd, Warenston,
Some o your white monie,
To save me frae the head o yon hill,
Yon greenwood gallows-tree.' |
| 21 |
'I bade you nurse my bairn well,
And nurse it carefullie,
And gowd shoud been your hire, Maisry,
And my body your fee.' |
| 22 |
He's taen out a purse o gowd,
Another o white monie,
And he's tauld down ten thousand crowns,
Says, True love, gang wi me. |
