Skene Manuscript, p. 61.
| 1 |
My father was the Duke of York,
My mother a lady free,
Mysel a dainty demosell,
Queen Mary sent for me. |
| 2 |
The queen's meat, it was sae sweet,
Her colthing was sae rare,
It made me lang for Sweet Willie's bed,
An I'll rue it ever maer. |
| 3 |
Mary Beaton, and Mary Seaton,
And Lady Livinston, three,
We'll never meet in Queen Mary's bower,
Now Maries tho ye be. |
| 4 |
Queen Mary sat in her bower,
Sewing her silver seam;
She thought she heard a baby greet,
But an a lady meen. |
| 5 |
She threw her needle frae her,
Her seam out of her hand,
An she is on to Lady Mary's bower,
As fast as she could gang. |
| 6 |
'Open your door, Lady Mary,' she says,
'And lat me come in;
For I hear baby greet,
But an a lady meen.' |
| 7 |
'There is na bab in my bower, madam,
Nor never thinks to be,
But the strong pains of gravel
This night has seized me.' |
| 8 |
She pat her fit to the door,
But an her knee,
Baith of brass and iron bands
In flinders she gard flee. |
| 9 |
She pat a hand to her bed-head,
An ither to her bed-feet,
An bonny was the bab
Was blabbering in its bleed. |
| 10 |
'Wae worth ye, Lady Mary,
An ill dead sall ye die!
For an ye widna kept the bonny bab,
Ye might ha sen't to me.' |
| 11 |
'Lay na the wate on me, madam,
Lay na the wate on me!
For my fas love bare the brand at his side
That gared my barrine die.' |
| 12 |
'Get up, Lady Beaton, get up, Lady Seton,
And Lady Livinstone three,
An we will on to Edinburgh,
An try this gay lady.' |
| 13 |
As she came to the Cannongate,
The burgers' wives they cryed
Hon ohon, ochree! . .
. . . . |
| 14 |
'O had you still, ye burgers' wives,
An make na meen for me;
Seek never grace of a graceless face,
For they hae nane to gie. |
| 15 |
'Ye merchants and ye mariners,
That trade upon the sea,
O dinna tell in my country
The dead I'm gaen to die! |
| 16 |
'Ye merchants and ye mariners,
That sail upo the faeme,
O dinna tell in my country
But that I'm comin hame! |
| 17 |
'Little did my father think,
Whan he brought me our the sea,
That he wad see me yellow locks
Hang on a gallow's tree. |
| 18 |
'Little did my mither think
Whan she brought me fra hame,
That she maught see my yellow loks
Han[g] on a gallow-pin. |
| 19 |
'O had your hand a while!
. . .
For yonder comes my father,
I'm sure he'l borrow me. |
| 20 |
'O some of your goud, father,
An of your well won fee,
To save me [frae the high hill]
[And ] frae the gallow-tree!' |
| 21 |
'Ye's get nane of my goud,
Nor of my well won fee,
For I would gie five hundred pown
To see ye hangit hie.' |
| 22 |
'O had yer hand a while!
. . .
Yonder is my love Willie,
Sure he will borrow me. |
| 23 |
'O some o your goud, my love Willie,
An some o yer well won fee,
To save me frae the high hill,
And fra the gallow-tree!' |
| 24 |
'Ye's get a' my goud,
And a' my well won fee,
To save ye fra the headin-hill,
And frae the gallow-tree.' |
