Ed de Moel

Child Ballads - Lyrics

Child 178
Captain Car, or, Edom o Gordon
Version B

Percy Manuscript, p. 34; Hales and Furnivall, I, 79.

Narrative

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.
* * * * *

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