'Risinge in the Northe,' Percy Manuscript, p. 256;
Hales and Furnivall, II, 210.
| 1 |
Listen liuely lordings all,
And all that beene this place within:
If you'le giue eare vnto my songe,
I will tell you how this geere did begin. |
| 2 |
It was the good Erle Of Westmorlande,
A noble erle was call d hee,
And he wrought treason against the crowne;
Alas, itt was the more pittye! |
| 3 |
And soe itt was the Erle of Northumberland,
Another good noble erle was hee;
They tooken both vpon one part,
Against the crowne they wolden bee. |
| 4 |
Earle Pearcy is into his garden gone,
And after walkes his awne ladye:
'I heare a bird sing in my eare
That I must either fight or flee.' |
| 5 |
'God forbidd,' shee sayd, 'good my lord,
That euer soe that it shalbee!
But goe to London to the court,
And faire fall truth and honestye!' |
| 6 |
'But nay, now nay, my ladye gay,
That euer it shold soe bee;
My treason is knowen well enoughe;
Att the court I must not bee.' |
| 7 |
'But goe to the court yet, good my lord,
Take men enowe with thee;
If any man will doe you wronge,
Your warrant they may bee.' |
| 8 |
'But nay, now nay, my lady gay,
For soe itt must not bee;
If I goe to the court, ladye,
Death will strike me, and I must dye.' |
| 9 |
'But goe to the court yett, [good] my lord,
I my-selfe will ryde with thee;
If any man will doe you wronge,
Your borrow I shalbee.' |
| 10 |
'But nay, now nay, my lady gay,
For soe it must not bee;
For if I goe to the court, ladye,
Thou must me neuer see. |
| 11 |
'But come hither, thou litle foot-page,
Come thou hither vnto mee,
For thou shalt goe a message to Master Norton,
In all the hast that euer may bee. |
| 12 |
Comend me to that gentleman;
Bring him here this letter from mee,
And say, I pray him earnestlye
That hee will ryde in my companye.' |
| 13 |
But one while the foote-page went,
Another while he rann;
Vntill he came to Master Norton,
The foot-page, neuer blanne. |
| 14 |
And when he came to Master Nortton,
He kneeled on his knee,
And tooke the letter betwixt his hands,
And lett the gentleman it see. |
| 15 |
And when the letter itt was reade,
Affore all his companye,
I-wis, if you wold know the truth,
There was many a weeping eye. |
| 16 |
He said, Come hither, Kester Nortton,
A fine fellow thou seemes to bee;
Some good councell, Kester Nortton,
This day doe thou giue to mee. |
| 17 |
'Marry, I'le giue you councell, father,
If you'le take councell att me,
That if you haue spoken the word, father,
That backe againe you doe not flee.' |
| 18 |
'God a mercy! Christopher Nortton,
I say, God a mercye!
If I doe liue and scape with liffe,
Well advanced shalt thou bee. |
| 19 |
'But come you hither, my nine good sonnes,
In mens estate I thinke you bee;
How many of you, my children deare,
On my part that wilbe?' |
| 20 |
But eight of them did answer soone,
And spake full hastilye;
Sayes, We wilbe on your part, father,
Till the day that we doe dye. |
| 21 |
'But God a mercy! my children deare,
And euer I say God a mercy!
And yett my blessing you shall haue,
Whether-soeuer I liue or dye. |
| 22 |
'But what sayst thou, thou Ffrancis Nortton,
Mine eldest sonne and mine heyre trulye?
Some good councell, Ffrancis Nortton,
This day thou giue to me.' |
| 23 |
'But I will giue you councell, father,
If you will take councell att mee;
For if you wold take my councell, father,
Against the crowne you shold not bee.' |
| 24 |
'But fye vpon thee, Ffrancis Nortton!
I say fye vpon thee!
When thou was younge and tender af age
I made full much of thee.' |
| 25 |
'But your head is white, father,' he sayes,
'And your beard is wonderous gray;
Itt were shame for your countrye
If you shold rise and flee away.' |
| 26 |
'But fye vpon thee, thou coward Ffrancis!
Thou neuer tookest that of mee!
When thou was younge and tender of age
I made too much of thee.' |
| 27 |
'But I will goe with you, father,' quoth hee;
'Like a naked man will I bee;
He that strikes the first stroake against the crowne,
An ill death may hee dye!' |
| 28 |
But then rose vpp Master Nortton, that esquier,
With him a full great companye;
And then the erles they comen downe
To ryde in his companye. |
| 29 |
Att Whethersbye the mustered their men,
Vpon a full fayre day;
Thirteen thousand there were seene
To stand in battel ray. |
| 30 |
The Erle of Westmoreland, he had in his ancyent
The dunn bull in sight most hye,
And three doggs with golden collers
Were sett out royallye. |
| 31 |
The Erle of Northumberland, he had in his ancyent
The halfe moone in sight soe hye,
As the Lord was crucifyed on the crosse,
And set forth pleasantlye. |
| 32 |
And after them did rise good Sir George Bowes,
After them a spoyle to make;
The erles returned backe againe,
Thought euer that knight to take. |
| 33 |
This barron did take a castle then,
Was made of lime and stone;
The vttermost walls were ese to be woon;
The erles haue woon them anon. |
| 34 |
But tho they woone the vttermost walls,
Quickly and anon,
The innermust walles the cold not winn;
The were made of a rocke of stone. |
| 35 |
But newes itt came to leeue London,
In all the speede that euer might bee;
And word it came to our royall queene
Of all the rebells in the north countrye. |
| 36 |
Shee turned her grace then once about,
And like a royall queene shee sware;
Sayes, I will ordaine them such a breake-fast
As was not in the north this thousand yeere! |
| 37 |
Shee caused thirty thousand men to be made,
With horsse and harneis all quicklye;
And shee caused thirty thousand men to be made,
To take the rebells in the north countrye. |
| 38 |
They tooke with them the false Erle of Warwicke,
Soe did they many another man;
Vntill they came to Yorke castle,
I-wis they neuer stinted nor blan.
* * * * * |
| 39 |
. . . .
. . . .
'Spread thy ancyent, Erle of Westmoreland!
The halfe-moone faine wold wee see!' |
| 40 |
But the halfe-moone is fled and gone,
And the dun bull vanished awaye;
And Ffrancis Nortton and his eight sonnes
Are fled away most cowardlye. |
| 41 |
Ladds with mony are counted men,
Men without mony are counted none;
But hold your tounge! why say you soe?
Men wilbe men when mony is gone. |
