Percy Manuscript, p. 34; Hales and Furnivall, I, 79.
| 1 |
'Ffaith, master, whither you will,
Whereas you like the best;
Vnto the castle of Bittons-borrow,
And there to take your rest.' |
| 2 |
'But yonder stands a castle faire,
Is made of lyme and stone;
Yonder is in it a fayre lady,
Her lord is ridden and gone.' |
| 3 |
The lady stood on her castle-wall,
She looked vpp and downe;
She was ware of an hoast of men,
Came rydinge towards the towne. |
| 4 |
'See you not, my merry men all,
And see you not what I doe see?
Methinks I see a hoast of men;
I muse who they shold be.' |
| 5 |
She thought it had beene her louly lord,
He had come ryding home;
It was the traitor, Captaine Carre,
The lord of Westerton-towne. |
| 6 |
They had noe sooner super sett,
And after said the grace,
But the traitor, Captaine Carre,
Was light about the place. |
| 7 |
'Giue over thy house, thou lady gay,
I will make thee a band;
All night with-in mine armes thou'st lye,
To-morrow be the heyre of my land.' |
| 8 |
'I'le not giue over my house,' shee said,
'Neither for ladds nor man,
Nor yet for traitor Captaine Carre,
Vntill my lord come home. |
| 9 |
'But reach me my pistoll pe[c]e,
And charge you well my gunne;
I'le shoote at the bloody bucher,
The lord of Westerton.' |
| 10 |
She stood vppon her castle-wall
And let the bulletts flee,
And where shee mist .
. . . |
| 11 |
But then bespake the litle child,
That sate on the nurses knee;
Saies, Mother deere, giue ore this house,
For the smoake it smoothers me. |
| 12 |
'I wold giue all my gold, my childe,
Soe wold I doe all my fee,
For one blast of the westerne wind
To blow the smoke from thee.' |
| 13 |
But when shee saw the fier
Came flaming ore her head,
Shee tooke then vpp her children two,
Sayes, Babes, we all beene dead! |
| 14 |
But Adam then he fired the house,
A sorrowfull sight to see;
Now hath he burned this lady faire
And eke her children three. |
| 15 |
Then Captaine Carre he rode away,
He staid noe longer at that tide;
He thought that place it was to warme
Soe neere for to abide. |
| 16 |
He calld vnto his merry men all,
Bidd them make hast away;
'For we haue slaine his children three,
All and his lady gay.' |
| 17 |
Worde came to louly London,
To London wheras her lord lay,
His castle and his hall was burned,
All and his lady gay. |
| 18 |
Soe hath he done his children three,
More dearer vnto him
Then either the siluer or the gold,
That men soe faine wold win. |
| 19 |
But when he looket this writing on,
Lord, in is hart he was woe!
Saies, I will find thee, Captaine Carre,
Wether thou ryde or goe! |
| 20 |
Buske yee, bowne yee, my merrymen all,
With tempered swords of steele,
For till I haue found out Captaine Carre,
My hart it is nothing weele. |
| 21 |
But when he came to Dractons-borrow,
Soe long ere it was day,
And ther he found him Captaine Carre;
That night he ment to stay.
* * * * * |
