Child Ballads - Additions and Corrections

46. Captain Wedderburn's Courtship

P. 414. Rev. J. Baring-Gould informs me that there is an Irish version of this piece in Ulster Ballads, British Museum, 1 162. k. 6, entitled 'The Lover's Riddle.' The lady, who in B, C is walking through the wood 'her lane,' is in the Ulster copy walking 'down a narrow lane,' and she meets 'with William Dicken, a keeper of the game.' The only important difference as to the riddles and the answers is that the young lady remembers her Bible to good purpose, and gives Melchisedec as an example of a priest unborn (Hebrews vii, 3).

415, note †. Miss M.H. Mason gives two copies in her Nursery Rhymes and Country Songs, pp. 23, 24, 'A Paradox.'

417, note †, II, 507 b, III, 507 a, IV, 459 b. "They were told that in front of the king's house there were twenty-score poles, with a head on each pole with the exception of three." 'The Lad with the Skin Coverings,' J.G. Campbell, The Fians, p. 261. (There are three adventurers in this case.) (G.L.K.)

421. B. h. 'Captian Wederburn,' "The Old Lady's Collection," No 38.

B. a.

1	The lard of Roslie's doughter was walking on the green, An by came Captain Wederburn, a servant to our king, An he said to his livery-man, Wer it no agenst our laa, I wad take her to my ain bed an lay her neast the waa.

2	I am in my father's garden, walken among my father's trees, An ye dou latt me walk a whill nou, kind sir, if ye pleas; For the supper-beals they will be rung an I will be mised awa,

4³.	An my father will ate nae supper gine I be mised awa.'

6.	He lighted off his hors an sett the lady one,

A. a.

6^1,3.

He sett her ahind his livery-man, was leath to latt her faa:

A. a.

5⁴.	'We's baith lay in ae bed, an ye's lay neast the wa.'

B. a.

7	Fan they came to his quarter-house, his land-l[ad]y came ben: 'Ther is mony bonny lady in Edenbrugh toun, Bat sick a bonny lady is no in it aa;' Says, 'Lass, mak up a doun-bed, we will lay her nist the waa.'

8	'Hold yer toung, young man,' she says, 'an latt yer folly be; I winne come to my bed till ye gett to me things three. . . . . . .

9	'Ye gett to my supper a cherrey without a ston, An ye gett to my suppeer a chiken without a bone, An ye gett to my super a burd that flayes without a gaa, Or I winne lay in your bed, nether att stok nor waa.'

10	'The cherry when it is in the bloum, it is without a ston; The chiken when it is in the egg is without a bon; The dove she is a harmless burd, she flays without a gaa; An we's baith lay in ae bed, an ye's lay nist the waa.'

15	'Hold off yer hands, young man,' she says, 'an dou not me perplex; I winne gae to my bed till ye tell me qustens six; . . . . . .

16	'What is greaner nor the grass? what is hig[h]er the[n] the tree? What is war nor woman's wish? what is deaper nor the sea? What burd sings first? what life buds first, an what dos on it faa? I winne lay in your bed, nether att stok nor waa.'

17	'Death is greaner nor the grass; heaven is higher nor the tree; The devill is war nor woman's wish; hell is deaper nor the sea; The coke crous first; the suderen wood springs first, the due dos on it faa; An we's baith lay in ae bed, an ye's lay neast the waa.'

11	'Hold off yer hands, young man,' she says, 'an yer folly gie our, I winne come to your bed till ye gett to me things four; . . . . . .

12	'Ye gett to me a cherry that in December grou; Leguays a fine silk man tell that waft gad never throu; A sparrou's horn, a prist unborn, this night to join us tua; Or I winne lay in your bed, nether att stok nor waa.'

13	'Ther is a hote-bed in my father's garden wher winter chirrys grou, Lequays a fine silk mantell in his closet which waft never gaid throu; . . . . . .

14	'Ther is a prist nou att the dore, just ready to come in, An never one could say he was born, For ther was a holl cut out of his mother's side, an out of it he did faa; An we's baith lay in ae bed, an ye's lay nist the waa.'

18	Littel kent the lassie in the morning fan she raise That wad be the last of a' her maiden days; For nou she is marred to Captian Wederburn, that afore she never saa, An they baith lay in ae bed, an she lays nest the waa.

7⁴. Lays, Lass.
10¹. bloun.
12¹. grous.

[P. 417 a, II, 507 b, III, 507 a, IV, 459 b, V, 216 a. Heads on stakes. See W.H. Schofield, in the (Harvard) Studies and Notes in Philology and Literature, IV, 175ff.]

418 a, II, 507 b. See Stiefel, Ueber die Quelle der Turandot-Dichtung Heinz des Kellners, in Zeitschr. f. vergleichende Litteraturgeschichte, N.F., VIII, 257ff.

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