Chapter 7

‘But little knew he that his bloody houndsWere bound in iron bands’:and I have therefore substituted lines from a later text. The correction in 20.1and 21.1is also essential.The Storywill be familiar to many asJohnie of Breadislee, a title given by Sir Walter Scott to his version, the first that was published, in theMinstrelsy(1802). In the present version, however, Johnny certainly belongs to Cockley’s Well, Bradyslee being only the name of his hunting-ground. In other variants, his name is Johnny Cock, Johnny Cox, Johnny o’ Cockis, o’ Cockerslee, of Cockielaw, of Cocklesmuir, or Johnny Brad. The name of the hunting-ground varies also, though not so widely; and, as usual, the several editors of the ballad have carefully noted that its topography (though the nomenclature is corrupted) connects it with this district or that—Percy’s ballad is Northumbrian, Scott’s is of Dumfriesshire.Percy considered that the mention of wolves (17.1) was an indication of the antiquity of the ballad; whereupon Child quotes Holinshed (1577) as saying that ‘though the island is void of wolves south of theTweed, yet the Scots cannot boast the like, since they have grievous wolves.’ Yet how can one reconcile the mention of wolves with the reference to ‘American leather’ (13.3)?Professor Child calls this a ‘precious specimen of the unspoiled traditional ballad,’ and Professor Gummere points out that ‘it goes with a burden, this sterling old song, and has traces of an incremental repetition that has been reduced to lowest terms by impatient transcribers’ (The Popular Ballad, p. 268). In hisOld English BalladsGummere gives a text very ingeniously compounded of Percy’s and Kinloch’s; and Professor Brandl has attempted to restore the original text.JOHNNY O’ COCKLEY’S WELL1.1.2-5From Kinloch’s version. The final repetition, here printed in italics, forms the burden in singing, and is to be repeated,mutatis mutandis, in each verse.Johnnyhe has risen up i’ the morn,Call’d for water to wash his hands;And he has called for his good grey-houndsThat lay bound in iron bands,bands,That lay bound in iron bands.2.2.2‘care-bed,’ the bed of sickness due to anxiety.Johnny’s mother has gotten word o’ that,And care-bed she has taen.‘O Johnny, for my benison,I beg you’ll stay at hame;For the wine so red, and the well-baken bread,My Johnny shall want nane.3.3.1‘forsters,’ foresters, woodmen.‘There are seven forsters at Pickeram Side,At Pickeram where they dwell,And for a drop of thy heart’s bluidThey wad ride the fords of hell.’4.Johnny he’s gotten word of that,And he’s turned wondrous keen;He’s put off the red scarlet,And he’s put on the Lincoln green.5.With a sheaf of arrows by his side,And a bent bow in his hand,He’s mounted on a prancing steed,And he has ridden fast o’er the strand.6.6.1TheMS.reads ‘Braidhouplee’ for the first ‘Bradyslee.’6.2‘buss,’ bush.He’s up i’ Bradyslee, and down i’ Bradyslee,And under a buss o’ broom;And there he found a good dun deerFeeding in a buss of ling.7.7.4‘stem’d,’ stopped, stayed.7.1‘lap,’ leapt.Johnny shot, and the dun deer lap,And she lap wondrous wide,Until they came to the wan water,And he stem’d her of her pride.8.8.4‘but and,’ and.He has taen out the little pen-knife,‘Twas full three quarters long,And he has taen out of that dun deerThe liver but and the tongue.9.They eat of the flesh, and they drank of the blood,And the blood it was so sweet,Which caused Johnny and his bloody houndsTo fall in a deep sleep.10.10.4‘drie,’ hold out, be able.By then came an old palmer,And an ill death may he die!For he’s away to Pickeram Side,As fast as he can drie.11.‘What news, what news?’ says the Seven Forsters,‘What news have ye brought to me?’‘I have no news,’ the palmer said,‘But what I saw with my eye.12.12.2‘scroggs,’ underwood.12.3‘well-wight,’ stalwart.‘High up i’ Bradyslee, low down i’ Bradyslee,And under a buss of scroggs,O there I spied a well-wight manSleeping among his dogs.13.13.3‘American leather.’ A patent for making morocco from American horsehides was granted c. 1799, but the date of this text is twenty years earlier than that date.‘His coat it was of the light Lincoln,And his breeches of the same,His shoes of the American leather,And gold buckles tying them.’14.Up bespake the Seven Forsters,Up bespake they ane and a’:‘O that is Johnny o’ Cockley’s Well,And near him we will draw.’15.15.1‘ae’ (y in theMS.), one. Cf. 21.3.O the first ae stroke that they gae him,They struck him off by the knee;Then up bespake his sister’s son:‘O the next’ll gar him die!’16.‘O some they count ye well-wight men,But I do count ye nane;For you might well ha’ waken’d me,And ask’d gin I wad be taen.17.‘The wildest wolf in a’ this woodWad not ha’ done so by me;She’d ha’ wet her foot i’ th’ wan water,And sprinkled it o’er my bree,And if that wad not ha’ waken’d me,She wad ha’ gone and let me be.18.18.3‘belive,’ quickly.‘O bows of yew, if ye be true,In London, where ye were bought,Fingers five, get up belive,Manhuid shall fail me nought.’19.19.3‘wan,’ won, reached.19.4TheMS.gives ‘bord (or bood) words.’He has kill’d the Seven Forsters,He has kill’d them all but ane,And that wan scarce to Pickeram Side,To carry the bode-words hame.20.20.1, 21.1: TheMS.gives ‘boy’ for ‘bird.’‘Is there never a bird in a’ this woodThat will tell what I can say;That will go to Cockley’s Well,Tell my mither to fetch me away?’21.There was a bird into that wood,That carried the tidings away,And many ae was the well-wight manAt the fetching o’ Johnny away.THE OUTLAW MURRAYThe Textis derived, with trivial alterations, from Herd’sMSS.In the first edition of theMinstrelsy of the Scottish Border, Scott says the principal copy he employed was one ‘apparently of considerable antiquity’ among the papers of Mrs. Cockburn; he also made use of Herd’sMS.and the GlenriddellMS.In the second edition of theMinstrelsyhe made further additions, including one of three stanzas between 52 and 58 of the present version, which makes reference to an earlier Sir Walter Scott.The Storyof this Scots outlaw makes tame reading after those which precede it in this volume. The ballad was inserted at the end of Child’s collection only because he preferred ‘to err by including rather than excluding.’ He adds, ‘I am convinced that it did not begin its existence as a popular ballad, and I am not convinced that (as Scott asserts) it has been for ages a popular song in Selkirkshire.’ Nevertheless, it undoubtedly gained a place in popular tradition; and this, while entitling it to a place here, renders the elaborate historical investigation, to which it has been submitted since Child’s edition, a waste of erudition and ingenuity.THE OUTLAW MURRAY1.EttrickForest is a fair forest,In it grows many a seemly tree;The hart, the hynd, the doe, the roe,And of a’ wild beastis great plentie.2.2.1‘biggit,’ built.There’s a castell biggit with lime and stane;O gin it stands not pleasantlie!In the forefront o’ that castell fair,Twa unicorns are bra’ to see.3.There’s the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright,And the grene hollin abune their bree;There an Outlaw keeps five hundred men;He keeps a royal companie.4.His merry men are in ae liverie clad,Of the Lincoln grene sae fair to see;He and his ladie in purple clad,O gin they live not royallie!5.5.4‘courtrie,’ courtiers.Word is gane to our noble king,In Edinburgh, where that he lay,That there was an Outlaw in Ettrick ForestCounted him nought and all his courtrie gay.6.‘I mak a vow,’ then the gude king said,‘Unto the man that dear bought me,I’se either be king of Ettrick ForestOr king of Scotland that Outlaw’s be.’7.Then spak the earl hight Hamilton,And to the noble king said he,‘My sovereign prince, some counsel take,First of your nobles, syne of me.8.8.1‘redd,’ advise.‘I redd ye, send yon bra’ Outlaw till,And see gif your man come will he:Desire him come and be your man,And hold of you yon forest free.9.‘And gif he refuses to do that,We’ll conquer both his lands and he,Or else we’ll throw his castell down,And mak a widow o’ his gay ladye.’10.The king called on a gentleman,James Boyd, Earl of Arran, his brother was he;When James he came before the king,He fell before him on his knee.11.‘Welcome, James Boyd,’ said our noble king;‘A message ye maun gang for me;Ye maun hie to Ettrick Forest,To yon Outlaw, where dwelleth he;12.‘Ask him of whom he holds his lands,Or, man, who may his master be,Desire him come and be my man,And hold of me yon forest free.13.‘To Edinburgh to come and gang,His safe-warrant I sall be;And gif he refuses to do that,We’ll conquer baith his lands and he.14.14.4‘frith,’ wood.‘Thou may’st vow I’ll cast his castell down,And mak a widow o’ his gay ladye;I’ll hang his merry men pair by pairIn ony frith where I may them see.’15.James Boyd took his leave of the noble king,To Ettrick Forest fair cam he;Down Birkendale Brae when that he cam,He saw the fair forest with his ee.16.16.4‘whidderand,’ whizzing.Baith doe and roe and hart and hindAnd of a’ wild beastis great plentie;He heard the bows that bauldly ring,And arrows whidderand near him by.17.Of that fair castell he got a sight;The like he nere saw with his ee;On the forefront o’ that castellTwa unicorns were bra’ to see.18.The picture of a knight, and a lady bright,And the green hollin abune their bree;Thereat he spy’d five hundred men,Shooting with bows upon the lee.19.They a’ were in ae livery clad,O’ the Lincoln green sae fair to see;The knight and his ladye in purple clad;O gif they lived right royallie!Therefore he kend he was master-man,And served him in his ain degree.20.‘God mot thee save, brave Outlaw Murray,Thy ladye and a’ thy chivalrie!’‘Marry, thou’s welcome, gentleman,Some king’s-messenger thou seems to be.’21.‘The King of Scotland sent me here,And, gude Outlaw, I’m sent to thee;I wad wot of whom ye hold your lands,Or, man, wha may thy master be?’22.22.3‘Soudron,’ Southron,i.e.southern, English.‘Thir landis are mine,’ the Outlaw said;‘I own na king in Christentie;Frae Soudron I this forest wan,Whan the king nor ‘s knights were not to see.’23.‘He desires you’ll come to Edinburgh,And hold of him this forest free;And gif you refuse to do this,He’ll conquer baith thy landis and thee;He has vow’d to cast thy castell down,And mak a widow o’ thy gay ladye;24.‘He’ll hang thy merry men pair by pairIn ony frith where he may them find.’‘Aye, by my troth!’ the Outlaw said,‘Than wad I think me far behind.25.‘Ere the king my fair countrie get,This land that ‘s nativest to me,Mony o’ his nobles sall be cauld,Their ladyes sall be right wearie.’26.26.4‘rad,’ afraid.Then spak his ladye, fair of face,She said, ‘Without consent of me,That an Outlaw shuld come before the king;I am right rad of treasonrie.27.‘Bid him be gude to his lordis at hame,For Edinburgh my lord sail never see.’James tuke his leave of the Outlaw keen,To Edinburgh boun is he.28.And when he cam before the king,He fell before him on his knee:‘Welcome, James Boyd!’ said the noble king;‘What forest is Ettrick Forest free?’29.‘Ettrick Forest is the fairest forestThat ever man saw with his ee;There’s the doe, the roe, the hart, the hynde,And of a’ wild beastis great plentie.30.‘There’s a pretty castell of lime and stane,O gif it stands not pleasauntlie!There’s on the foreside of that castellTwa unicorns sae bra’ to see.31.‘There’s the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright,And the green hollin abune their bree.There the Outlaw keepis five hundred men,O gif they live not royallie!32.‘His merry men in ae livery clad,O’ the Lincoln green so fair to see;He and his ladye in purple clad;O! gif they live not royallie!33.‘He says yon forest is his ain,He wan it from the Soudronie;Sae as he wan it, sae will he keep it,Contrair all kings in Christentie.’34.34.1‘Gar ray,’ cause to be arrayed,i.e.saddled.34.3‘graith,’ equip, prepare.‘Gar ray my horse,’ said the noble king,‘To Ettrick Forest hie will I me’;Then he gard graith five thousand men,And sent them on for the forest free.35.Then word is gane the Outlaw till,In Ettrick Forest, where dwelleth he,That the king was coming to his cuntrie,To conquer baith his lands and he.36.‘I mak a vow,’ the Outlaw said,‘I mak a vow, and that trulie,Were there but three men to take my partYon king’s coming full dear suld be.’37.Then messengers he called forth,And bade them haste them speedilie:‘Ane of you go to Halliday,The laird of the Covehead is he.38.‘He certain is my sister’s son;Bid him come quick and succour me;Tell Halliday with thee to come,And show him a’ the veritie.’39.‘What news, what news?’ said Halliday,‘Man, frae thy master unto me?’‘Not as ye wad; seeking your aid;The king’s his mortal enemie.’40.‘Aye, by my troth,’ quoth Halliday,‘Even for that it repenteth me;For gif he lose fair Ettrick Forest,He’ll tak fair Moffatdale frae me.41.41.2‘mae,’ more.‘I’ll meet him wi’ five hundred men,And surely mae, if mae may be.’The Outlaw call’d a messenger,And bid him hie him speedily.42.‘To Andrew Murray of Cockpool,That man’s a dear cousin to me;Desire him come, and make me aid,With all the power that he may be.43.‘The king has vow’d to cast my castle down,And mak a widow of my gay ladye;He’ll hang my merry men pair by pairIn ony place where he may them see.’44.‘It stands me hard,’ quoth Andrew Murray,‘Judge if it stands not hard with me;To enter against a king with crown,And put my lands in jeopardie!45.‘Yet gif I come not on the day,Surely at night he sall me see.’To Sir James Murray, laird of Traquair,A message came right speedilie.46.‘What news, what news?’ James Murray said,‘Man, frae thy master unto me?’‘What need I tell? for wel ye kenThe king’s his mortal enemie.47.‘He desires ye’ll come and make him aid,With all the powers that ye may be.’‘And, by my troth,’ James Murray said,‘With that Outlaw will I live and die;48.‘The king has gifted my lands lang syne,It can not be nae war with me.’..........49.49.1A ford on the Tweed, at the mouth of the Caddon Burn, near Yair.The king was coming thro’ Caddon Ford,And fifteen thousand men was he;They saw the forest them before,They thought it awsome for to see.50.Then spak the earl hight Hamilton,And to the noble king said he,‘My sovereign prince, some counsel take,First at your nobles, syne at me.51.‘Desire him meet thee at Penman’s Core,And bring four in his companie;Five earls sall gang yoursell before,Gude cause that you suld honour’d be.52.‘And, if he refuses to do that,Wi’ fire and sword we’ll follow thee;There sall never a Murray, after him,Have land in Ettrick Forest free.’53.The king then call’d a gentleman,Royal banner-bearer then was he;James Hope Pringle of Torsonse, by name:He came and knelit upon his knee.54.‘Welcome, James Pringle of Torsonse!Ye maun a message gae for me;Ye maun gae to yon Outlaw Murray,Surely where bauldly bideth he.55.‘Bid him meet me at Penman’s Core,And bring four of his companie;Five earls sall come wi’ mysel,Gude reason I suld honour’d be.56.‘And if he refuses to do that,Bid him look for nae good o’ me;There sall never a Murray after himHave land in Ettrick Forest free.’57.James came before the Outlaw keen,And served him in his ain degree;‘Welcome, James Pringle of Torsonse!What tidings frae the king to me?’58.‘He bids you meet him at Penman’s Core,And bring four of your companie;Five earls will come with the king,Mae mair in number will he be.59.‘And gif you refuse to do that,I freely here upgive wi’ thee,There will never a Murray after theeHave land in Ettrick Forest free.60.‘He’ll cast your bonny castle down,And make a widow of your gaye ladye,He’ll hang your merry men pair by pairIn ony place where he may them see.’61.‘It stands me hard,’ the Outlaw said;‘Judge if it stands not hard with me;I reck not of losing of mysell,But all my offspring after me.62.‘Auld Halliday, young Halliday,Ye sall be twa to gang wi’ me;Andrew Murray, and Sir James Murray,We’ll be nae mae in companie.’63.When that they came before the king,They fell befor him on their knee;‘Grant mercy, mercy, royal king!E’en for His sake who died on tree.’64.64.1‘Siccan,’ such.‘Siecan like mercie sall ye have;On gallows ye sall hangit be!’‘God forbid,’ quo’ the Outlaw then,‘I hope your grace will better be!’65.‘These lands of Ettrick Forest fair,I wan them frae the enemie;Like as I wan them, sae will I keep them,Contrair all kings in Christentie.’66.All the nobles said, the king about,Pitie it were to see him die:‘Yet grant me mercy, sovereign prince,Extend your favour unto me!67.‘I’ll give you the keys of my castell,With the blessing o’ my fair ladye,Mak me the sheriff of the forest,And all my offspring after me.’68.‘Wilt thou give me the keys of thy castell,With the blessing of thy fair ladye?I’ll mak thee sheriff of the Forest,Surely while upwards grows the tree;If you be not traitour to the king,Forfaulted sall ye never be.’69.‘But, prince, what sall come o’ my men?When I go back, traitour they’ll ca’ me.I had rather lose my life and land,Ere my merry men rebukëd me.’70.‘Will your merry men amend their lives?And all their pardons I grant thee;Now, name thy landes where’er they be,And here I render them to thee.’71.71.4‘steads,’ dwelling-places. Cp. farm-stead, home-stead.‘Fair Philiphaugh, prince, is my ain,I biggit it wi’ lime and stane;The Tinnies and the Hangingshaw,My liege, are native steads of mine.72.‘..........I have mony steads in the forest shaw,But them by name I dinna knaw.’73.The keys of the castle he gave the king,With the blessing of his fair ladye;He was made sheriff of Ettrick Forest,Surely while upward grows the tree;And if he was not traitour to the king,Forfaulted he suld never be.74.Wha ever heard, in ony times,Siccan an outlaw in his degreeSic favour get before a kingAs did the Outlaw Murray of the forest free?SIR ANDREW BARTONThe Textis taken from the Percy FolioMS., but the spelling is modernised. There is another version, extant in broadsides to be found in nearly all the large collections; this, when set beside the FolioMS.text, provides a remarkable instance of the loss a ballad sustained by falling into the hands of the broadside-printers. The present text, despite the unlucky hiatus after st. 35, is a splendid example of an English ballad, which cannot be earlier than the sixteenth century. There is a fine rhythm throughout, and, as Child says, ‘not many better passages are met with in ballad poetry than that which tells of the three gallant attempts on the mainmast tree (stt. 52-66).’The Storytold in the ballad is a piece of history, and belongs originally to the beginning of the sixteenth century. Andrew Barton was one of three sons of John Barton, a Scots trader whose ship had been plundered by the Portuguese in 1476; letters of reprisal were granted to the brothers Barton, and renewed to them in 1506 ‘as no opportunity had occurred of effectuating a retaliation.’ It seems, however, that this privilege was abused, at least by Andrew, who was reported in June 1511 to HenryVIII.as seizing English ships under the pretext that they were Portuguese. The king did not send Lord Charles Howard, as the ballad states—Lord Charleswas not born till twenty-five years afterwards—but Sir Thomas and Sir Edward Howard set out against the pirate by Henry’s leave. They took two ships, not one, the meeting with Henry Hunt (st. 18) being the ballad-maker’s invention. Lord Charles’s fraudulent use of the ‘white flag’ in st. 37 is supported by Bishop Lesley’s partisan account of the engagement, writtenc.1570. The time-scheme of the ballad is unusually vague: it begins ‘in midsummer-time,’ and the punitive expedition starts on ‘the day before midsummer even’—i.e.June 19, which agrees with the chronicles. The fight takes place within the week; but Lord Charles does not get home until December 29 (st. 71). Hall’s chronicle says that they returned on August 2.Lord Charles Howard was created Earl of Nottingham in 1596; but the adoption of this into the ballad (st. 78) dates only our text. It is quite probable that it existed in a previous version with names and facts more correctly stated.SIR ANDREW BARTON1.Asit befell in midsummer-time,When birds sing sweetly on every tree,Our noble king, King Henry the Eighth,Over the river of Thames passed he.2.He was no sooner over the river,Down in a forest to take the air,But eighty merchants of London cityCame kneeling before King Henry there.3.‘O ye are welcome, rich merchants,Good sailors, welcome unto me!’They swore by the rood they were sailors good,But rich merchants they could not be.4.‘To France nor Flanders dare we not pass,Nor Bordeaux voyage we dare not fare,And all for a false robber that lies on the seas,And robs us of our merchant’s-ware.’5.King Henry was stout, and he turned him about,And swore by the Lord that was mickle of might;‘I thought he had not been in the world throughoutThat durst have wrought England such unright.’6.But ever they sighed, and said, alas!Unto King Henry this answer again;‘He is a proud Scot that will rob us allIf we were twenty ships and he but one.’7.The king looked over his left shoulder,Amongst his lords and barons so free;‘Have I never a lord in all my realmWill fetch yond traitor unto me?’8.‘Yes, that dare I!’ says my lord Charles Howard,Near to the king whereas he did stand;‘If that your Grace will give me leave,Myself will be the only man.’9.‘Thou shalt have six hundred men,’ saith our king,‘And choose them out of my realm so free,Besides mariners and boys,To guide the great ship on the sea.’10.‘I’ll go speak with Sir Andrew,’ says Charles, my lord Howard,‘Upon the sea, if he be there;I will bring him and his ship to shore,Or before my prince I will never come near.’11.The first of all my lord did call,A noble gunner he was one;This man was three score years and ten,And Peter Simon was his name.12.‘Peter,’ says he, ‘I must sail to the sea,To seek out an enemy; God be my speed!Before all others I have chosen thee;Of a hundred gunners thou’st be my head.’13.13.4, 16.4: ‘bread,’ breadth.‘My lord,’ says he, ‘if you have chosen meOf a hundred gunners to be the head,Hang me at your main-mast treeIf I miss my mark past three pence bread.’14.The next of all my lord he did call,A noble bowman he was one;In Yorkshire was this gentleman born,And William Horsley was his name.15.‘Horsley,’ says he, ‘I must sail to the sea,To seek out an enemy; God be my speed!Before all others I have chosen thee;Of a hundred bowmen thou’st be my head.’16.‘My lord,’ says he, ‘if you have chosen meOf a hundred bowmen to be the head,Hang me at your main-mast treeIf I miss my mark past twelve pence bread.’17.With pikes, and guns, and bowmen bold,This noble Howard is gone to the seaOn the day before mid-summer even,And out at Thames’ mouth sailed they.18.They had not sailed days threeUpon their journey they took in hand,But there they met with a noble ship,And stoutly made it both stay and stand.19.‘Thou must tell me thy name,’ says Charles, my lord Howard,‘Or who thou art, or from whence thou came,Yea, and where thy dwelling is,To whom and where thy ship does belong.’20.‘My name,’ says he, ‘is Harry Hunt,With a pure heart and a penitent mind;I and my ship they do belongUnto the New-castle that stands upon Tyne.’21.‘Now thou must tell me, Harry Hunt,As thou hast sailed by day and by night,Hast thou not heard of a stout robber?Men call him Sir Andrew Barton, knight.’22.But ever he sighed and said, ‘Alas!Full well, my lord, I know that wight;He robbed me of my merchant’s-ware,And I was his prisoner but yesternight.23.23.3‘arch-board,’ stern (?) Cp. 29.2and ‘hatch-board,’ 70.2.‘As I was sailing upon the sea,And Bordeaux voyage as I did fare,He clasped me to his arch-board,And robbed me of all my merchant’s-ware.24.‘And I am a man both poor and bare,And every man will have his own of me,And I am bound towards London to fare,To complain to my prince Henry.’25.‘That shall not need,’ says my lord Howard;‘If thou canst let me this robber see,For every penny he hath taken thee fro,Thou shalt be rewarded a shilling,’ quoth he.26.‘Now God forfend,’ says Henry Hunt,‘My lord, you should work so far amiss:God keep you out of that traitor’s hands!For you wot full little what a man he is.27.‘He is brass within, and steel without,And beams he bears in his top-castle strong;His ship hath ordnance clean round about;Besides, my lord, he is very well manned.28.28.1‘dearly dight,’ handsomely fitted out.‘He hath a pinnace is dearly dight,Saint Andrew’s cross, that is his guide;His pinnace bears nine score men and more,Besides fifteen cannons on every side.29.29.2Cp. 23.3and note.‘If you were twenty ships, and he but one,Either in arch-board or in hall,He would overcome you every one,And if his beams they do down fall.’30.‘This is cold comfort,’ says my lord Howard,‘To welcome a stranger thus to the sea;I’ll bring him and his ship to shore,Or else into Scotland he shall carry me.’31.‘Then you must get a noble gunner, my lord,That can set well with his eye,And sink his pinnace into the sea,And soon then overcome will he be.32.‘And when that you have done this,If you chance Sir Andrew for to board,Let no man to his top-castle go;And I will give you a glass, my lord,33.‘And then you need to fear no Scot,Whether you sail by day or by night;And to-morrow, by seven of the clock,You shall meet with Sir Andrew Barton, knight.34.‘I was his prisoner but yesternight,And he hath taken me sworn,’ quoth he;‘I trust my Lord God will me forgiveAnd if that oath then broken be.35.‘You must lend me six pieces, my lord,’ quoth he,‘Into my ship, to sail the sea,And to-morrow, by nine of the clock,Your honour again then will I see.’36.And the hatch-board where Sir Andrew layIs hatched with gold dearly dight:‘Now by my faith,’ says Charles, my lord Howard,‘Then yonder Scot is a worthy wight!37.‘Take in your ancients and your standards,Yea, that no man shall them see,And put me forth a white willow wand.As merchants use to sail the sea.’38.But they stirred neither top nor mast,But Sir Andrew they passed by.‘What English are yonder,’ said Sir Andrew,‘That can so little courtesy?39.‘I have been admiral over the seaMore than these years three;There is never an English dog, nor Portingale,Can pass this way without leave of me.40.‘But now yonder pedlars they are past,Which is no little grief to me;Fetch them back,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,‘They shall all hang at my mainmast tree.’41.With that the pinnace it shot off,That my lord Howard might it well ken;It struck down my lord’s foremast,And killed fourteen of my lord his men.42.‘Come hither, Simon,’ says my lord Howard,‘Look that thy words be true thou said;I’ll hang thee at my mainmast treeIf thou miss thy mark past twelve pence bread.’43.Simon was old, but his heart it was bold;He took down a piece, and laid it full low;He put in chain yards nine,Besides other great shot less and moe.44.With that he let his gunshot go;So well he settled it with his eye,The first sight that Sir Andrew saw,He saw his pinnace sunk in the sea.45.When he saw his pinnace sunk,Lord! in his heart he was not well.‘Cut my ropes, it is time to be gone;I’ll go fetch yond pedlars back myself!’46.When my lord Howard saw Sir Andrew loose,Lord! in his heart that he was fain.‘Strike on your drums, spread out your ancients;Sound out your trumpets, sound out amain!’47.47.2i.e.‘wit [ye], howsoever this affair may turn out.’‘Fight on, my men,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,‘Weet, howsoever this gear will sway,It is my lord Admiral of EnglandIs come to seek me on the sea.’48.Simon had a son; with shot of a gun,Well Sir Andrew might it ken,He shot it at a privy place,And killed sixty more of Sir Andrew’s men.49.Harry Hunt came in at the other side,And at Sir Andrew he shot then;He drove down his foremast tree,And killed eighty more of Sir Andrew’s men.50.‘I have done a good turn,’ says Harry Hunt,‘Sir Andrew is not our king’s friend;He hoped to have undone me yesternight,But I hope I have quit him well in the end.’51.‘Ever alas!’ said Sir Andrew Barton,‘What should a man either think or say?Yonder false thief is my strongest enemy,Who was my prisoner but yesterday.52.‘Come hither to me, thou Gordon good,And be thou ready at my call,And I will give thee three hundred poundIf thou wilt let my beams down fall.’53.53.1‘swarved,’ swarmed, climbed.53.3‘bearing arrow’: perhaps a light arrow for long-distance shooting, but see 56.3; and cf.Adam Bell, 150.3.With that he swarved the mainmast tree,So did he it with might and main;Horsley, with a bearing arrow,Strake the Gordon through the brain.54.And he fell into the hatches again,And sore of this wound that he did bleed;Then word went through Sir Andrew’s menThat the Gordon he was dead.55.‘Come hither to me, James Hamilton,Thou art my sister’s son, I have no more;I will give thee six hundred poundIf thou will let my beams down fall.’56.With that he swarved the mainmast tree,So did he it with might and main;Horsley, with another broad arrow,Strake the yeoman through the brain.57.That he fell down to the hatches again;Sore of his wound that he did bleed.Covetousness gets no gain,It is very true as the Welshman said.58.But when he saw his sister’s son slain,Lord! in his heart he was not well.‘Go fetch me down my armour of proof,For I will to the top-castle myself.59.‘Go fetch me down my armour of proof,For it is gilded with gold so clear;God be with my brother, John of Barton!Amongst the Portingales he did it wear.’60.But when he had his armour of proof,And on his body he had it on,Every man that looked at himSaid, gun nor arrow he need fear none.61.‘Come hither, Horsley,’ says my lord Howard,‘And look your shaft that it go right;Shoot a good shoot in the time of need,And for thy shooting thou’st be made a knight.’62.‘I’ll do my best,’ says Horsley then,‘Your honour shall see before I go;If I should be hanged at your mainmast,I have in my ship but arrows two.’63.63.3‘spole,’ spauld, shoulder.But at Sir Andrew he shot then;He made sure to hit his mark;Under the spole of his right armHe smote Sir Andrew quite through the heart.64.64.3‘jack,’ coat of mail.Yet from the tree he would not start,But he clinged to it with might and main;Under the collar then of his jackHe strake Sir Andrew through the brain.65.‘Fight on, my men,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,‘I am hurt, but I am not slain;I’ll lay me down and bleed awhile,And then I’ll rise and fight again.66.66.4‘Till’ may mean ‘while.’‘Fight on, my men,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,‘These English dogs they bite so low;Fight on for Scotland and Saint AndrewTill you hear my whistle blow!’67.But when they could not hear his whistle blow,Says Harry Hunt, ‘I’ll lay my headYou may board yonder noble ship, my lord,For I know Sir Andrew he is dead.’68.With that they boarded this noble ship,So did they it with might and main;They found eighteen score Scots alive,Besides the rest were maimed and slain.69.My lord Howard took a sword in his hand,And smote off Sir Andrew’s head;The Scots stood by did weep and mourn,But never a word durst speak or say.70.He caused his body to be taken down,And over the hatch-board cast into the sea,And about his middle three hundred crowns:‘Wheresoever thou lands, it will bury thee.’71.With his head they sailed into England again,With right good will and force and main,And the day before New Year’s EvenInto Thames’ mouth they came again.72.My lord Howard wrote to King Henry’s grace,With all the news he could him bring:‘Such a New Year’s gift I have brought to your GraceAs never did subject to any king.73.‘For merchandise and manhood,The like is not to be found:The sight of these would do you good,For you have not the like in your English ground.’74.But when he heard tell that they were come,Full royally he welcomed them home;Sir Andrew’s ship was the king’s New Year’s gift;A braver ship you never saw none.75.Now hath our king Sir Andrew’s ship,Beset with pearls and precious stones;Now hath England two ships of war—Two ships of war, before but one.76.‘Who holp to this?’ says King Henry,‘That I may reward him for his pain.’‘HarryHunt, and Peter Simon,William Horsley, and I the same.’77.‘Harry Hunt shall have his whistle and chain,And all his jewels, whatsoever they be,And other rich gifts that I will not name,For his good service he hath done me.78.‘Horsley, right thou’st be a knight,Lands and livings thou shalt have store;Howard shall be Earl of Nottingham,And so was never Howard before.79.‘Now Peter Simon, thou art old;I will maintain thee and thy son;Thou shalt have five hundred pound all in goldFor the good service that thou hast done.’80.Then King Henry shifted his room.In came the Queen and ladies bright;Other errands had they noneBut to see Sir Andrew Barton, knight.81.But when they see his deadly face,His eyes were hollow in his head;‘I would give a hundred pound,’ says King Henry,‘The man were alive as he is dead!82.‘Yet for the manful part that he hath played,Both here and beyond the sea,His men shall have half a crown a dayTo bring them to my brother, King Jamie.’HENRY MARTYNThe Textis from a copy taken down from North Devon tradition by the Rev. S. Baring Gould, and printed by Child; since when other versions have been found still in circulation in England. A Sussex version, though perhaps derived from a Catnach broadside, is given in theJournalof the Folk-Song Society, vol. i. 162.The Story.—This ballad is undoubtedly a degenerate version of the preceding,Sir Andrew Barton, of which name, as Child says, Henry Martyn would be no extraordinary corruption. It is given here as an instance of the fate which awaits a popular ballad in the process of being sung to pieces.HENRY MARTYN

‘But little knew he that his bloody houndsWere bound in iron bands’:

‘But little knew he that his bloody hounds

Were bound in iron bands’:

and I have therefore substituted lines from a later text. The correction in 20.1and 21.1is also essential.

The Storywill be familiar to many asJohnie of Breadislee, a title given by Sir Walter Scott to his version, the first that was published, in theMinstrelsy(1802). In the present version, however, Johnny certainly belongs to Cockley’s Well, Bradyslee being only the name of his hunting-ground. In other variants, his name is Johnny Cock, Johnny Cox, Johnny o’ Cockis, o’ Cockerslee, of Cockielaw, of Cocklesmuir, or Johnny Brad. The name of the hunting-ground varies also, though not so widely; and, as usual, the several editors of the ballad have carefully noted that its topography (though the nomenclature is corrupted) connects it with this district or that—Percy’s ballad is Northumbrian, Scott’s is of Dumfriesshire.

Percy considered that the mention of wolves (17.1) was an indication of the antiquity of the ballad; whereupon Child quotes Holinshed (1577) as saying that ‘though the island is void of wolves south of theTweed, yet the Scots cannot boast the like, since they have grievous wolves.’ Yet how can one reconcile the mention of wolves with the reference to ‘American leather’ (13.3)?

Professor Child calls this a ‘precious specimen of the unspoiled traditional ballad,’ and Professor Gummere points out that ‘it goes with a burden, this sterling old song, and has traces of an incremental repetition that has been reduced to lowest terms by impatient transcribers’ (The Popular Ballad, p. 268). In hisOld English BalladsGummere gives a text very ingeniously compounded of Percy’s and Kinloch’s; and Professor Brandl has attempted to restore the original text.

1.1.2-5From Kinloch’s version. The final repetition, here printed in italics, forms the burden in singing, and is to be repeated,mutatis mutandis, in each verse.Johnnyhe has risen up i’ the morn,Call’d for water to wash his hands;And he has called for his good grey-houndsThat lay bound in iron bands,bands,That lay bound in iron bands.2.2.2‘care-bed,’ the bed of sickness due to anxiety.Johnny’s mother has gotten word o’ that,And care-bed she has taen.‘O Johnny, for my benison,I beg you’ll stay at hame;For the wine so red, and the well-baken bread,My Johnny shall want nane.3.3.1‘forsters,’ foresters, woodmen.‘There are seven forsters at Pickeram Side,At Pickeram where they dwell,And for a drop of thy heart’s bluidThey wad ride the fords of hell.’4.Johnny he’s gotten word of that,And he’s turned wondrous keen;He’s put off the red scarlet,And he’s put on the Lincoln green.5.With a sheaf of arrows by his side,And a bent bow in his hand,He’s mounted on a prancing steed,And he has ridden fast o’er the strand.6.6.1TheMS.reads ‘Braidhouplee’ for the first ‘Bradyslee.’6.2‘buss,’ bush.He’s up i’ Bradyslee, and down i’ Bradyslee,And under a buss o’ broom;And there he found a good dun deerFeeding in a buss of ling.7.7.4‘stem’d,’ stopped, stayed.7.1‘lap,’ leapt.Johnny shot, and the dun deer lap,And she lap wondrous wide,Until they came to the wan water,And he stem’d her of her pride.8.8.4‘but and,’ and.He has taen out the little pen-knife,‘Twas full three quarters long,And he has taen out of that dun deerThe liver but and the tongue.9.They eat of the flesh, and they drank of the blood,And the blood it was so sweet,Which caused Johnny and his bloody houndsTo fall in a deep sleep.10.10.4‘drie,’ hold out, be able.By then came an old palmer,And an ill death may he die!For he’s away to Pickeram Side,As fast as he can drie.11.‘What news, what news?’ says the Seven Forsters,‘What news have ye brought to me?’‘I have no news,’ the palmer said,‘But what I saw with my eye.12.12.2‘scroggs,’ underwood.12.3‘well-wight,’ stalwart.‘High up i’ Bradyslee, low down i’ Bradyslee,And under a buss of scroggs,O there I spied a well-wight manSleeping among his dogs.13.13.3‘American leather.’ A patent for making morocco from American horsehides was granted c. 1799, but the date of this text is twenty years earlier than that date.‘His coat it was of the light Lincoln,And his breeches of the same,His shoes of the American leather,And gold buckles tying them.’14.Up bespake the Seven Forsters,Up bespake they ane and a’:‘O that is Johnny o’ Cockley’s Well,And near him we will draw.’15.15.1‘ae’ (y in theMS.), one. Cf. 21.3.O the first ae stroke that they gae him,They struck him off by the knee;Then up bespake his sister’s son:‘O the next’ll gar him die!’16.‘O some they count ye well-wight men,But I do count ye nane;For you might well ha’ waken’d me,And ask’d gin I wad be taen.17.‘The wildest wolf in a’ this woodWad not ha’ done so by me;She’d ha’ wet her foot i’ th’ wan water,And sprinkled it o’er my bree,And if that wad not ha’ waken’d me,She wad ha’ gone and let me be.18.18.3‘belive,’ quickly.‘O bows of yew, if ye be true,In London, where ye were bought,Fingers five, get up belive,Manhuid shall fail me nought.’19.19.3‘wan,’ won, reached.19.4TheMS.gives ‘bord (or bood) words.’He has kill’d the Seven Forsters,He has kill’d them all but ane,And that wan scarce to Pickeram Side,To carry the bode-words hame.20.20.1, 21.1: TheMS.gives ‘boy’ for ‘bird.’‘Is there never a bird in a’ this woodThat will tell what I can say;That will go to Cockley’s Well,Tell my mither to fetch me away?’21.There was a bird into that wood,That carried the tidings away,And many ae was the well-wight manAt the fetching o’ Johnny away.

1.2-5From Kinloch’s version. The final repetition, here printed in italics, forms the burden in singing, and is to be repeated,mutatis mutandis, in each verse.

Johnnyhe has risen up i’ the morn,

Call’d for water to wash his hands;

And he has called for his good grey-hounds

That lay bound in iron bands,bands,

That lay bound in iron bands.

2.2‘care-bed,’ the bed of sickness due to anxiety.

Johnny’s mother has gotten word o’ that,

And care-bed she has taen.

‘O Johnny, for my benison,

I beg you’ll stay at hame;

For the wine so red, and the well-baken bread,

My Johnny shall want nane.

3.1‘forsters,’ foresters, woodmen.

‘There are seven forsters at Pickeram Side,

At Pickeram where they dwell,

And for a drop of thy heart’s bluid

They wad ride the fords of hell.’

Johnny he’s gotten word of that,

And he’s turned wondrous keen;

He’s put off the red scarlet,

And he’s put on the Lincoln green.

With a sheaf of arrows by his side,

And a bent bow in his hand,

He’s mounted on a prancing steed,

And he has ridden fast o’er the strand.

6.1TheMS.reads ‘Braidhouplee’ for the first ‘Bradyslee.’

6.2‘buss,’ bush.

He’s up i’ Bradyslee, and down i’ Bradyslee,

And under a buss o’ broom;

And there he found a good dun deer

Feeding in a buss of ling.

7.4‘stem’d,’ stopped, stayed.

7.1‘lap,’ leapt.

Johnny shot, and the dun deer lap,

And she lap wondrous wide,

Until they came to the wan water,

And he stem’d her of her pride.

8.4‘but and,’ and.

He has taen out the little pen-knife,

‘Twas full three quarters long,

And he has taen out of that dun deer

The liver but and the tongue.

They eat of the flesh, and they drank of the blood,

And the blood it was so sweet,

Which caused Johnny and his bloody hounds

To fall in a deep sleep.

10.

10.4‘drie,’ hold out, be able.

By then came an old palmer,

And an ill death may he die!

For he’s away to Pickeram Side,

As fast as he can drie.

11.

‘What news, what news?’ says the Seven Forsters,

‘What news have ye brought to me?’

‘I have no news,’ the palmer said,

‘But what I saw with my eye.

12.

12.2‘scroggs,’ underwood.

12.3‘well-wight,’ stalwart.

‘High up i’ Bradyslee, low down i’ Bradyslee,

And under a buss of scroggs,

O there I spied a well-wight man

Sleeping among his dogs.

13.

13.3‘American leather.’ A patent for making morocco from American horsehides was granted c. 1799, but the date of this text is twenty years earlier than that date.

‘His coat it was of the light Lincoln,

And his breeches of the same,

His shoes of the American leather,

And gold buckles tying them.’

14.

Up bespake the Seven Forsters,

Up bespake they ane and a’:

‘O that is Johnny o’ Cockley’s Well,

And near him we will draw.’

15.

15.1‘ae’ (y in theMS.), one. Cf. 21.3.

O the first ae stroke that they gae him,

They struck him off by the knee;

Then up bespake his sister’s son:

‘O the next’ll gar him die!’

16.

‘O some they count ye well-wight men,

But I do count ye nane;

For you might well ha’ waken’d me,

And ask’d gin I wad be taen.

17.

‘The wildest wolf in a’ this wood

Wad not ha’ done so by me;

She’d ha’ wet her foot i’ th’ wan water,

And sprinkled it o’er my bree,

And if that wad not ha’ waken’d me,

She wad ha’ gone and let me be.

18.

18.3‘belive,’ quickly.

‘O bows of yew, if ye be true,

In London, where ye were bought,

Fingers five, get up belive,

Manhuid shall fail me nought.’

19.

19.3‘wan,’ won, reached.

19.4TheMS.gives ‘bord (or bood) words.’

He has kill’d the Seven Forsters,

He has kill’d them all but ane,

And that wan scarce to Pickeram Side,

To carry the bode-words hame.

20.

20.1, 21.1: TheMS.gives ‘boy’ for ‘bird.’

‘Is there never a bird in a’ this wood

That will tell what I can say;

That will go to Cockley’s Well,

Tell my mither to fetch me away?’

21.

There was a bird into that wood,

That carried the tidings away,

And many ae was the well-wight man

At the fetching o’ Johnny away.

The Textis derived, with trivial alterations, from Herd’sMSS.In the first edition of theMinstrelsy of the Scottish Border, Scott says the principal copy he employed was one ‘apparently of considerable antiquity’ among the papers of Mrs. Cockburn; he also made use of Herd’sMS.and the GlenriddellMS.In the second edition of theMinstrelsyhe made further additions, including one of three stanzas between 52 and 58 of the present version, which makes reference to an earlier Sir Walter Scott.

The Storyof this Scots outlaw makes tame reading after those which precede it in this volume. The ballad was inserted at the end of Child’s collection only because he preferred ‘to err by including rather than excluding.’ He adds, ‘I am convinced that it did not begin its existence as a popular ballad, and I am not convinced that (as Scott asserts) it has been for ages a popular song in Selkirkshire.’ Nevertheless, it undoubtedly gained a place in popular tradition; and this, while entitling it to a place here, renders the elaborate historical investigation, to which it has been submitted since Child’s edition, a waste of erudition and ingenuity.

1.EttrickForest is a fair forest,In it grows many a seemly tree;The hart, the hynd, the doe, the roe,And of a’ wild beastis great plentie.2.2.1‘biggit,’ built.There’s a castell biggit with lime and stane;O gin it stands not pleasantlie!In the forefront o’ that castell fair,Twa unicorns are bra’ to see.3.There’s the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright,And the grene hollin abune their bree;There an Outlaw keeps five hundred men;He keeps a royal companie.4.His merry men are in ae liverie clad,Of the Lincoln grene sae fair to see;He and his ladie in purple clad,O gin they live not royallie!5.5.4‘courtrie,’ courtiers.Word is gane to our noble king,In Edinburgh, where that he lay,That there was an Outlaw in Ettrick ForestCounted him nought and all his courtrie gay.6.‘I mak a vow,’ then the gude king said,‘Unto the man that dear bought me,I’se either be king of Ettrick ForestOr king of Scotland that Outlaw’s be.’7.Then spak the earl hight Hamilton,And to the noble king said he,‘My sovereign prince, some counsel take,First of your nobles, syne of me.8.8.1‘redd,’ advise.‘I redd ye, send yon bra’ Outlaw till,And see gif your man come will he:Desire him come and be your man,And hold of you yon forest free.9.‘And gif he refuses to do that,We’ll conquer both his lands and he,Or else we’ll throw his castell down,And mak a widow o’ his gay ladye.’10.The king called on a gentleman,James Boyd, Earl of Arran, his brother was he;When James he came before the king,He fell before him on his knee.11.‘Welcome, James Boyd,’ said our noble king;‘A message ye maun gang for me;Ye maun hie to Ettrick Forest,To yon Outlaw, where dwelleth he;12.‘Ask him of whom he holds his lands,Or, man, who may his master be,Desire him come and be my man,And hold of me yon forest free.13.‘To Edinburgh to come and gang,His safe-warrant I sall be;And gif he refuses to do that,We’ll conquer baith his lands and he.14.14.4‘frith,’ wood.‘Thou may’st vow I’ll cast his castell down,And mak a widow o’ his gay ladye;I’ll hang his merry men pair by pairIn ony frith where I may them see.’15.James Boyd took his leave of the noble king,To Ettrick Forest fair cam he;Down Birkendale Brae when that he cam,He saw the fair forest with his ee.16.16.4‘whidderand,’ whizzing.Baith doe and roe and hart and hindAnd of a’ wild beastis great plentie;He heard the bows that bauldly ring,And arrows whidderand near him by.17.Of that fair castell he got a sight;The like he nere saw with his ee;On the forefront o’ that castellTwa unicorns were bra’ to see.18.The picture of a knight, and a lady bright,And the green hollin abune their bree;Thereat he spy’d five hundred men,Shooting with bows upon the lee.19.They a’ were in ae livery clad,O’ the Lincoln green sae fair to see;The knight and his ladye in purple clad;O gif they lived right royallie!Therefore he kend he was master-man,And served him in his ain degree.20.‘God mot thee save, brave Outlaw Murray,Thy ladye and a’ thy chivalrie!’‘Marry, thou’s welcome, gentleman,Some king’s-messenger thou seems to be.’21.‘The King of Scotland sent me here,And, gude Outlaw, I’m sent to thee;I wad wot of whom ye hold your lands,Or, man, wha may thy master be?’22.22.3‘Soudron,’ Southron,i.e.southern, English.‘Thir landis are mine,’ the Outlaw said;‘I own na king in Christentie;Frae Soudron I this forest wan,Whan the king nor ‘s knights were not to see.’23.‘He desires you’ll come to Edinburgh,And hold of him this forest free;And gif you refuse to do this,He’ll conquer baith thy landis and thee;He has vow’d to cast thy castell down,And mak a widow o’ thy gay ladye;24.‘He’ll hang thy merry men pair by pairIn ony frith where he may them find.’‘Aye, by my troth!’ the Outlaw said,‘Than wad I think me far behind.25.‘Ere the king my fair countrie get,This land that ‘s nativest to me,Mony o’ his nobles sall be cauld,Their ladyes sall be right wearie.’26.26.4‘rad,’ afraid.Then spak his ladye, fair of face,She said, ‘Without consent of me,That an Outlaw shuld come before the king;I am right rad of treasonrie.27.‘Bid him be gude to his lordis at hame,For Edinburgh my lord sail never see.’James tuke his leave of the Outlaw keen,To Edinburgh boun is he.28.And when he cam before the king,He fell before him on his knee:‘Welcome, James Boyd!’ said the noble king;‘What forest is Ettrick Forest free?’29.‘Ettrick Forest is the fairest forestThat ever man saw with his ee;There’s the doe, the roe, the hart, the hynde,And of a’ wild beastis great plentie.30.‘There’s a pretty castell of lime and stane,O gif it stands not pleasauntlie!There’s on the foreside of that castellTwa unicorns sae bra’ to see.31.‘There’s the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright,And the green hollin abune their bree.There the Outlaw keepis five hundred men,O gif they live not royallie!32.‘His merry men in ae livery clad,O’ the Lincoln green so fair to see;He and his ladye in purple clad;O! gif they live not royallie!33.‘He says yon forest is his ain,He wan it from the Soudronie;Sae as he wan it, sae will he keep it,Contrair all kings in Christentie.’34.34.1‘Gar ray,’ cause to be arrayed,i.e.saddled.34.3‘graith,’ equip, prepare.‘Gar ray my horse,’ said the noble king,‘To Ettrick Forest hie will I me’;Then he gard graith five thousand men,And sent them on for the forest free.35.Then word is gane the Outlaw till,In Ettrick Forest, where dwelleth he,That the king was coming to his cuntrie,To conquer baith his lands and he.36.‘I mak a vow,’ the Outlaw said,‘I mak a vow, and that trulie,Were there but three men to take my partYon king’s coming full dear suld be.’37.Then messengers he called forth,And bade them haste them speedilie:‘Ane of you go to Halliday,The laird of the Covehead is he.38.‘He certain is my sister’s son;Bid him come quick and succour me;Tell Halliday with thee to come,And show him a’ the veritie.’39.‘What news, what news?’ said Halliday,‘Man, frae thy master unto me?’‘Not as ye wad; seeking your aid;The king’s his mortal enemie.’40.‘Aye, by my troth,’ quoth Halliday,‘Even for that it repenteth me;For gif he lose fair Ettrick Forest,He’ll tak fair Moffatdale frae me.41.41.2‘mae,’ more.‘I’ll meet him wi’ five hundred men,And surely mae, if mae may be.’The Outlaw call’d a messenger,And bid him hie him speedily.42.‘To Andrew Murray of Cockpool,That man’s a dear cousin to me;Desire him come, and make me aid,With all the power that he may be.43.‘The king has vow’d to cast my castle down,And mak a widow of my gay ladye;He’ll hang my merry men pair by pairIn ony place where he may them see.’44.‘It stands me hard,’ quoth Andrew Murray,‘Judge if it stands not hard with me;To enter against a king with crown,And put my lands in jeopardie!45.‘Yet gif I come not on the day,Surely at night he sall me see.’To Sir James Murray, laird of Traquair,A message came right speedilie.46.‘What news, what news?’ James Murray said,‘Man, frae thy master unto me?’‘What need I tell? for wel ye kenThe king’s his mortal enemie.47.‘He desires ye’ll come and make him aid,With all the powers that ye may be.’‘And, by my troth,’ James Murray said,‘With that Outlaw will I live and die;48.‘The king has gifted my lands lang syne,It can not be nae war with me.’..........49.49.1A ford on the Tweed, at the mouth of the Caddon Burn, near Yair.The king was coming thro’ Caddon Ford,And fifteen thousand men was he;They saw the forest them before,They thought it awsome for to see.50.Then spak the earl hight Hamilton,And to the noble king said he,‘My sovereign prince, some counsel take,First at your nobles, syne at me.51.‘Desire him meet thee at Penman’s Core,And bring four in his companie;Five earls sall gang yoursell before,Gude cause that you suld honour’d be.52.‘And, if he refuses to do that,Wi’ fire and sword we’ll follow thee;There sall never a Murray, after him,Have land in Ettrick Forest free.’53.The king then call’d a gentleman,Royal banner-bearer then was he;James Hope Pringle of Torsonse, by name:He came and knelit upon his knee.54.‘Welcome, James Pringle of Torsonse!Ye maun a message gae for me;Ye maun gae to yon Outlaw Murray,Surely where bauldly bideth he.55.‘Bid him meet me at Penman’s Core,And bring four of his companie;Five earls sall come wi’ mysel,Gude reason I suld honour’d be.56.‘And if he refuses to do that,Bid him look for nae good o’ me;There sall never a Murray after himHave land in Ettrick Forest free.’57.James came before the Outlaw keen,And served him in his ain degree;‘Welcome, James Pringle of Torsonse!What tidings frae the king to me?’58.‘He bids you meet him at Penman’s Core,And bring four of your companie;Five earls will come with the king,Mae mair in number will he be.59.‘And gif you refuse to do that,I freely here upgive wi’ thee,There will never a Murray after theeHave land in Ettrick Forest free.60.‘He’ll cast your bonny castle down,And make a widow of your gaye ladye,He’ll hang your merry men pair by pairIn ony place where he may them see.’61.‘It stands me hard,’ the Outlaw said;‘Judge if it stands not hard with me;I reck not of losing of mysell,But all my offspring after me.62.‘Auld Halliday, young Halliday,Ye sall be twa to gang wi’ me;Andrew Murray, and Sir James Murray,We’ll be nae mae in companie.’63.When that they came before the king,They fell befor him on their knee;‘Grant mercy, mercy, royal king!E’en for His sake who died on tree.’64.64.1‘Siccan,’ such.‘Siecan like mercie sall ye have;On gallows ye sall hangit be!’‘God forbid,’ quo’ the Outlaw then,‘I hope your grace will better be!’65.‘These lands of Ettrick Forest fair,I wan them frae the enemie;Like as I wan them, sae will I keep them,Contrair all kings in Christentie.’66.All the nobles said, the king about,Pitie it were to see him die:‘Yet grant me mercy, sovereign prince,Extend your favour unto me!67.‘I’ll give you the keys of my castell,With the blessing o’ my fair ladye,Mak me the sheriff of the forest,And all my offspring after me.’68.‘Wilt thou give me the keys of thy castell,With the blessing of thy fair ladye?I’ll mak thee sheriff of the Forest,Surely while upwards grows the tree;If you be not traitour to the king,Forfaulted sall ye never be.’69.‘But, prince, what sall come o’ my men?When I go back, traitour they’ll ca’ me.I had rather lose my life and land,Ere my merry men rebukëd me.’70.‘Will your merry men amend their lives?And all their pardons I grant thee;Now, name thy landes where’er they be,And here I render them to thee.’71.71.4‘steads,’ dwelling-places. Cp. farm-stead, home-stead.‘Fair Philiphaugh, prince, is my ain,I biggit it wi’ lime and stane;The Tinnies and the Hangingshaw,My liege, are native steads of mine.72.‘..........I have mony steads in the forest shaw,But them by name I dinna knaw.’73.The keys of the castle he gave the king,With the blessing of his fair ladye;He was made sheriff of Ettrick Forest,Surely while upward grows the tree;And if he was not traitour to the king,Forfaulted he suld never be.74.Wha ever heard, in ony times,Siccan an outlaw in his degreeSic favour get before a kingAs did the Outlaw Murray of the forest free?

EttrickForest is a fair forest,

In it grows many a seemly tree;

The hart, the hynd, the doe, the roe,

And of a’ wild beastis great plentie.

2.1‘biggit,’ built.

There’s a castell biggit with lime and stane;

O gin it stands not pleasantlie!

In the forefront o’ that castell fair,

Twa unicorns are bra’ to see.

There’s the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright,

And the grene hollin abune their bree;

There an Outlaw keeps five hundred men;

He keeps a royal companie.

His merry men are in ae liverie clad,

Of the Lincoln grene sae fair to see;

He and his ladie in purple clad,

O gin they live not royallie!

5.4‘courtrie,’ courtiers.

Word is gane to our noble king,

In Edinburgh, where that he lay,

That there was an Outlaw in Ettrick Forest

Counted him nought and all his courtrie gay.

‘I mak a vow,’ then the gude king said,

‘Unto the man that dear bought me,

I’se either be king of Ettrick Forest

Or king of Scotland that Outlaw’s be.’

Then spak the earl hight Hamilton,

And to the noble king said he,

‘My sovereign prince, some counsel take,

First of your nobles, syne of me.

8.1‘redd,’ advise.

‘I redd ye, send yon bra’ Outlaw till,

And see gif your man come will he:

Desire him come and be your man,

And hold of you yon forest free.

‘And gif he refuses to do that,

We’ll conquer both his lands and he,

Or else we’ll throw his castell down,

And mak a widow o’ his gay ladye.’

10.

The king called on a gentleman,

James Boyd, Earl of Arran, his brother was he;

When James he came before the king,

He fell before him on his knee.

11.

‘Welcome, James Boyd,’ said our noble king;

‘A message ye maun gang for me;

Ye maun hie to Ettrick Forest,

To yon Outlaw, where dwelleth he;

12.

‘Ask him of whom he holds his lands,

Or, man, who may his master be,

Desire him come and be my man,

And hold of me yon forest free.

13.

‘To Edinburgh to come and gang,

His safe-warrant I sall be;

And gif he refuses to do that,

We’ll conquer baith his lands and he.

14.

14.4‘frith,’ wood.

‘Thou may’st vow I’ll cast his castell down,

And mak a widow o’ his gay ladye;

I’ll hang his merry men pair by pair

In ony frith where I may them see.’

15.

James Boyd took his leave of the noble king,

To Ettrick Forest fair cam he;

Down Birkendale Brae when that he cam,

He saw the fair forest with his ee.

16.

16.4‘whidderand,’ whizzing.

Baith doe and roe and hart and hind

And of a’ wild beastis great plentie;

He heard the bows that bauldly ring,

And arrows whidderand near him by.

17.

Of that fair castell he got a sight;

The like he nere saw with his ee;

On the forefront o’ that castell

Twa unicorns were bra’ to see.

18.

The picture of a knight, and a lady bright,

And the green hollin abune their bree;

Thereat he spy’d five hundred men,

Shooting with bows upon the lee.

19.

They a’ were in ae livery clad,

O’ the Lincoln green sae fair to see;

The knight and his ladye in purple clad;

O gif they lived right royallie!

Therefore he kend he was master-man,

And served him in his ain degree.

20.

‘God mot thee save, brave Outlaw Murray,

Thy ladye and a’ thy chivalrie!’

‘Marry, thou’s welcome, gentleman,

Some king’s-messenger thou seems to be.’

21.

‘The King of Scotland sent me here,

And, gude Outlaw, I’m sent to thee;

I wad wot of whom ye hold your lands,

Or, man, wha may thy master be?’

22.

22.3‘Soudron,’ Southron,i.e.southern, English.

‘Thir landis are mine,’ the Outlaw said;

‘I own na king in Christentie;

Frae Soudron I this forest wan,

Whan the king nor ‘s knights were not to see.’

23.

‘He desires you’ll come to Edinburgh,

And hold of him this forest free;

And gif you refuse to do this,

He’ll conquer baith thy landis and thee;

He has vow’d to cast thy castell down,

And mak a widow o’ thy gay ladye;

24.

‘He’ll hang thy merry men pair by pair

In ony frith where he may them find.’

‘Aye, by my troth!’ the Outlaw said,

‘Than wad I think me far behind.

25.

‘Ere the king my fair countrie get,

This land that ‘s nativest to me,

Mony o’ his nobles sall be cauld,

Their ladyes sall be right wearie.’

26.

26.4‘rad,’ afraid.

Then spak his ladye, fair of face,

She said, ‘Without consent of me,

That an Outlaw shuld come before the king;

I am right rad of treasonrie.

27.

‘Bid him be gude to his lordis at hame,

For Edinburgh my lord sail never see.’

James tuke his leave of the Outlaw keen,

To Edinburgh boun is he.

28.

And when he cam before the king,

He fell before him on his knee:

‘Welcome, James Boyd!’ said the noble king;

‘What forest is Ettrick Forest free?’

29.

‘Ettrick Forest is the fairest forest

That ever man saw with his ee;

There’s the doe, the roe, the hart, the hynde,

And of a’ wild beastis great plentie.

30.

‘There’s a pretty castell of lime and stane,

O gif it stands not pleasauntlie!

There’s on the foreside of that castell

Twa unicorns sae bra’ to see.

31.

‘There’s the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright,

And the green hollin abune their bree.

There the Outlaw keepis five hundred men,

O gif they live not royallie!

32.

‘His merry men in ae livery clad,

O’ the Lincoln green so fair to see;

He and his ladye in purple clad;

O! gif they live not royallie!

33.

‘He says yon forest is his ain,

He wan it from the Soudronie;

Sae as he wan it, sae will he keep it,

Contrair all kings in Christentie.’

34.

34.1‘Gar ray,’ cause to be arrayed,i.e.saddled.

34.3‘graith,’ equip, prepare.

‘Gar ray my horse,’ said the noble king,

‘To Ettrick Forest hie will I me’;

Then he gard graith five thousand men,

And sent them on for the forest free.

35.

Then word is gane the Outlaw till,

In Ettrick Forest, where dwelleth he,

That the king was coming to his cuntrie,

To conquer baith his lands and he.

36.

‘I mak a vow,’ the Outlaw said,

‘I mak a vow, and that trulie,

Were there but three men to take my part

Yon king’s coming full dear suld be.’

37.

Then messengers he called forth,

And bade them haste them speedilie:

‘Ane of you go to Halliday,

The laird of the Covehead is he.

38.

‘He certain is my sister’s son;

Bid him come quick and succour me;

Tell Halliday with thee to come,

And show him a’ the veritie.’

39.

‘What news, what news?’ said Halliday,

‘Man, frae thy master unto me?’

‘Not as ye wad; seeking your aid;

The king’s his mortal enemie.’

40.

‘Aye, by my troth,’ quoth Halliday,

‘Even for that it repenteth me;

For gif he lose fair Ettrick Forest,

He’ll tak fair Moffatdale frae me.

41.

41.2‘mae,’ more.

‘I’ll meet him wi’ five hundred men,

And surely mae, if mae may be.’

The Outlaw call’d a messenger,

And bid him hie him speedily.

42.

‘To Andrew Murray of Cockpool,

That man’s a dear cousin to me;

Desire him come, and make me aid,

With all the power that he may be.

43.

‘The king has vow’d to cast my castle down,

And mak a widow of my gay ladye;

He’ll hang my merry men pair by pair

In ony place where he may them see.’

44.

‘It stands me hard,’ quoth Andrew Murray,

‘Judge if it stands not hard with me;

To enter against a king with crown,

And put my lands in jeopardie!

45.

‘Yet gif I come not on the day,

Surely at night he sall me see.’

To Sir James Murray, laird of Traquair,

A message came right speedilie.

46.

‘What news, what news?’ James Murray said,

‘Man, frae thy master unto me?’

‘What need I tell? for wel ye ken

The king’s his mortal enemie.

47.

‘He desires ye’ll come and make him aid,

With all the powers that ye may be.’

‘And, by my troth,’ James Murray said,

‘With that Outlaw will I live and die;

48.

‘The king has gifted my lands lang syne,

It can not be nae war with me.’

.....

49.

49.1A ford on the Tweed, at the mouth of the Caddon Burn, near Yair.

The king was coming thro’ Caddon Ford,

And fifteen thousand men was he;

They saw the forest them before,

They thought it awsome for to see.

50.

Then spak the earl hight Hamilton,

And to the noble king said he,

‘My sovereign prince, some counsel take,

First at your nobles, syne at me.

51.

‘Desire him meet thee at Penman’s Core,

And bring four in his companie;

Five earls sall gang yoursell before,

Gude cause that you suld honour’d be.

52.

‘And, if he refuses to do that,

Wi’ fire and sword we’ll follow thee;

There sall never a Murray, after him,

Have land in Ettrick Forest free.’

53.

The king then call’d a gentleman,

Royal banner-bearer then was he;

James Hope Pringle of Torsonse, by name:

He came and knelit upon his knee.

54.

‘Welcome, James Pringle of Torsonse!

Ye maun a message gae for me;

Ye maun gae to yon Outlaw Murray,

Surely where bauldly bideth he.

55.

‘Bid him meet me at Penman’s Core,

And bring four of his companie;

Five earls sall come wi’ mysel,

Gude reason I suld honour’d be.

56.

‘And if he refuses to do that,

Bid him look for nae good o’ me;

There sall never a Murray after him

Have land in Ettrick Forest free.’

57.

James came before the Outlaw keen,

And served him in his ain degree;

‘Welcome, James Pringle of Torsonse!

What tidings frae the king to me?’

58.

‘He bids you meet him at Penman’s Core,

And bring four of your companie;

Five earls will come with the king,

Mae mair in number will he be.

59.

‘And gif you refuse to do that,

I freely here upgive wi’ thee,

There will never a Murray after thee

Have land in Ettrick Forest free.

60.

‘He’ll cast your bonny castle down,

And make a widow of your gaye ladye,

He’ll hang your merry men pair by pair

In ony place where he may them see.’

61.

‘It stands me hard,’ the Outlaw said;

‘Judge if it stands not hard with me;

I reck not of losing of mysell,

But all my offspring after me.

62.

‘Auld Halliday, young Halliday,

Ye sall be twa to gang wi’ me;

Andrew Murray, and Sir James Murray,

We’ll be nae mae in companie.’

63.

When that they came before the king,

They fell befor him on their knee;

‘Grant mercy, mercy, royal king!

E’en for His sake who died on tree.’

64.

64.1‘Siccan,’ such.

‘Siecan like mercie sall ye have;

On gallows ye sall hangit be!’

‘God forbid,’ quo’ the Outlaw then,

‘I hope your grace will better be!’

65.

‘These lands of Ettrick Forest fair,

I wan them frae the enemie;

Like as I wan them, sae will I keep them,

Contrair all kings in Christentie.’

66.

All the nobles said, the king about,

Pitie it were to see him die:

‘Yet grant me mercy, sovereign prince,

Extend your favour unto me!

67.

‘I’ll give you the keys of my castell,

With the blessing o’ my fair ladye,

Mak me the sheriff of the forest,

And all my offspring after me.’

68.

‘Wilt thou give me the keys of thy castell,

With the blessing of thy fair ladye?

I’ll mak thee sheriff of the Forest,

Surely while upwards grows the tree;

If you be not traitour to the king,

Forfaulted sall ye never be.’

69.

‘But, prince, what sall come o’ my men?

When I go back, traitour they’ll ca’ me.

I had rather lose my life and land,

Ere my merry men rebukëd me.’

70.

‘Will your merry men amend their lives?

And all their pardons I grant thee;

Now, name thy landes where’er they be,

And here I render them to thee.’

71.

71.4‘steads,’ dwelling-places. Cp. farm-stead, home-stead.

‘Fair Philiphaugh, prince, is my ain,

I biggit it wi’ lime and stane;

The Tinnies and the Hangingshaw,

My liege, are native steads of mine.

72.

‘.....

.....

I have mony steads in the forest shaw,

But them by name I dinna knaw.’

73.

The keys of the castle he gave the king,

With the blessing of his fair ladye;

He was made sheriff of Ettrick Forest,

Surely while upward grows the tree;

And if he was not traitour to the king,

Forfaulted he suld never be.

74.

Wha ever heard, in ony times,

Siccan an outlaw in his degree

Sic favour get before a king

As did the Outlaw Murray of the forest free?

The Textis taken from the Percy FolioMS., but the spelling is modernised. There is another version, extant in broadsides to be found in nearly all the large collections; this, when set beside the FolioMS.text, provides a remarkable instance of the loss a ballad sustained by falling into the hands of the broadside-printers. The present text, despite the unlucky hiatus after st. 35, is a splendid example of an English ballad, which cannot be earlier than the sixteenth century. There is a fine rhythm throughout, and, as Child says, ‘not many better passages are met with in ballad poetry than that which tells of the three gallant attempts on the mainmast tree (stt. 52-66).’

The Storytold in the ballad is a piece of history, and belongs originally to the beginning of the sixteenth century. Andrew Barton was one of three sons of John Barton, a Scots trader whose ship had been plundered by the Portuguese in 1476; letters of reprisal were granted to the brothers Barton, and renewed to them in 1506 ‘as no opportunity had occurred of effectuating a retaliation.’ It seems, however, that this privilege was abused, at least by Andrew, who was reported in June 1511 to HenryVIII.as seizing English ships under the pretext that they were Portuguese. The king did not send Lord Charles Howard, as the ballad states—Lord Charleswas not born till twenty-five years afterwards—but Sir Thomas and Sir Edward Howard set out against the pirate by Henry’s leave. They took two ships, not one, the meeting with Henry Hunt (st. 18) being the ballad-maker’s invention. Lord Charles’s fraudulent use of the ‘white flag’ in st. 37 is supported by Bishop Lesley’s partisan account of the engagement, writtenc.1570. The time-scheme of the ballad is unusually vague: it begins ‘in midsummer-time,’ and the punitive expedition starts on ‘the day before midsummer even’—i.e.June 19, which agrees with the chronicles. The fight takes place within the week; but Lord Charles does not get home until December 29 (st. 71). Hall’s chronicle says that they returned on August 2.

Lord Charles Howard was created Earl of Nottingham in 1596; but the adoption of this into the ballad (st. 78) dates only our text. It is quite probable that it existed in a previous version with names and facts more correctly stated.

1.Asit befell in midsummer-time,When birds sing sweetly on every tree,Our noble king, King Henry the Eighth,Over the river of Thames passed he.2.He was no sooner over the river,Down in a forest to take the air,But eighty merchants of London cityCame kneeling before King Henry there.3.‘O ye are welcome, rich merchants,Good sailors, welcome unto me!’They swore by the rood they were sailors good,But rich merchants they could not be.4.‘To France nor Flanders dare we not pass,Nor Bordeaux voyage we dare not fare,And all for a false robber that lies on the seas,And robs us of our merchant’s-ware.’5.King Henry was stout, and he turned him about,And swore by the Lord that was mickle of might;‘I thought he had not been in the world throughoutThat durst have wrought England such unright.’6.But ever they sighed, and said, alas!Unto King Henry this answer again;‘He is a proud Scot that will rob us allIf we were twenty ships and he but one.’7.The king looked over his left shoulder,Amongst his lords and barons so free;‘Have I never a lord in all my realmWill fetch yond traitor unto me?’8.‘Yes, that dare I!’ says my lord Charles Howard,Near to the king whereas he did stand;‘If that your Grace will give me leave,Myself will be the only man.’9.‘Thou shalt have six hundred men,’ saith our king,‘And choose them out of my realm so free,Besides mariners and boys,To guide the great ship on the sea.’10.‘I’ll go speak with Sir Andrew,’ says Charles, my lord Howard,‘Upon the sea, if he be there;I will bring him and his ship to shore,Or before my prince I will never come near.’11.The first of all my lord did call,A noble gunner he was one;This man was three score years and ten,And Peter Simon was his name.12.‘Peter,’ says he, ‘I must sail to the sea,To seek out an enemy; God be my speed!Before all others I have chosen thee;Of a hundred gunners thou’st be my head.’13.13.4, 16.4: ‘bread,’ breadth.‘My lord,’ says he, ‘if you have chosen meOf a hundred gunners to be the head,Hang me at your main-mast treeIf I miss my mark past three pence bread.’14.The next of all my lord he did call,A noble bowman he was one;In Yorkshire was this gentleman born,And William Horsley was his name.15.‘Horsley,’ says he, ‘I must sail to the sea,To seek out an enemy; God be my speed!Before all others I have chosen thee;Of a hundred bowmen thou’st be my head.’16.‘My lord,’ says he, ‘if you have chosen meOf a hundred bowmen to be the head,Hang me at your main-mast treeIf I miss my mark past twelve pence bread.’17.With pikes, and guns, and bowmen bold,This noble Howard is gone to the seaOn the day before mid-summer even,And out at Thames’ mouth sailed they.18.They had not sailed days threeUpon their journey they took in hand,But there they met with a noble ship,And stoutly made it both stay and stand.19.‘Thou must tell me thy name,’ says Charles, my lord Howard,‘Or who thou art, or from whence thou came,Yea, and where thy dwelling is,To whom and where thy ship does belong.’20.‘My name,’ says he, ‘is Harry Hunt,With a pure heart and a penitent mind;I and my ship they do belongUnto the New-castle that stands upon Tyne.’21.‘Now thou must tell me, Harry Hunt,As thou hast sailed by day and by night,Hast thou not heard of a stout robber?Men call him Sir Andrew Barton, knight.’22.But ever he sighed and said, ‘Alas!Full well, my lord, I know that wight;He robbed me of my merchant’s-ware,And I was his prisoner but yesternight.23.23.3‘arch-board,’ stern (?) Cp. 29.2and ‘hatch-board,’ 70.2.‘As I was sailing upon the sea,And Bordeaux voyage as I did fare,He clasped me to his arch-board,And robbed me of all my merchant’s-ware.24.‘And I am a man both poor and bare,And every man will have his own of me,And I am bound towards London to fare,To complain to my prince Henry.’25.‘That shall not need,’ says my lord Howard;‘If thou canst let me this robber see,For every penny he hath taken thee fro,Thou shalt be rewarded a shilling,’ quoth he.26.‘Now God forfend,’ says Henry Hunt,‘My lord, you should work so far amiss:God keep you out of that traitor’s hands!For you wot full little what a man he is.27.‘He is brass within, and steel without,And beams he bears in his top-castle strong;His ship hath ordnance clean round about;Besides, my lord, he is very well manned.28.28.1‘dearly dight,’ handsomely fitted out.‘He hath a pinnace is dearly dight,Saint Andrew’s cross, that is his guide;His pinnace bears nine score men and more,Besides fifteen cannons on every side.29.29.2Cp. 23.3and note.‘If you were twenty ships, and he but one,Either in arch-board or in hall,He would overcome you every one,And if his beams they do down fall.’30.‘This is cold comfort,’ says my lord Howard,‘To welcome a stranger thus to the sea;I’ll bring him and his ship to shore,Or else into Scotland he shall carry me.’31.‘Then you must get a noble gunner, my lord,That can set well with his eye,And sink his pinnace into the sea,And soon then overcome will he be.32.‘And when that you have done this,If you chance Sir Andrew for to board,Let no man to his top-castle go;And I will give you a glass, my lord,33.‘And then you need to fear no Scot,Whether you sail by day or by night;And to-morrow, by seven of the clock,You shall meet with Sir Andrew Barton, knight.34.‘I was his prisoner but yesternight,And he hath taken me sworn,’ quoth he;‘I trust my Lord God will me forgiveAnd if that oath then broken be.35.‘You must lend me six pieces, my lord,’ quoth he,‘Into my ship, to sail the sea,And to-morrow, by nine of the clock,Your honour again then will I see.’36.And the hatch-board where Sir Andrew layIs hatched with gold dearly dight:‘Now by my faith,’ says Charles, my lord Howard,‘Then yonder Scot is a worthy wight!37.‘Take in your ancients and your standards,Yea, that no man shall them see,And put me forth a white willow wand.As merchants use to sail the sea.’38.But they stirred neither top nor mast,But Sir Andrew they passed by.‘What English are yonder,’ said Sir Andrew,‘That can so little courtesy?39.‘I have been admiral over the seaMore than these years three;There is never an English dog, nor Portingale,Can pass this way without leave of me.40.‘But now yonder pedlars they are past,Which is no little grief to me;Fetch them back,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,‘They shall all hang at my mainmast tree.’41.With that the pinnace it shot off,That my lord Howard might it well ken;It struck down my lord’s foremast,And killed fourteen of my lord his men.42.‘Come hither, Simon,’ says my lord Howard,‘Look that thy words be true thou said;I’ll hang thee at my mainmast treeIf thou miss thy mark past twelve pence bread.’43.Simon was old, but his heart it was bold;He took down a piece, and laid it full low;He put in chain yards nine,Besides other great shot less and moe.44.With that he let his gunshot go;So well he settled it with his eye,The first sight that Sir Andrew saw,He saw his pinnace sunk in the sea.45.When he saw his pinnace sunk,Lord! in his heart he was not well.‘Cut my ropes, it is time to be gone;I’ll go fetch yond pedlars back myself!’46.When my lord Howard saw Sir Andrew loose,Lord! in his heart that he was fain.‘Strike on your drums, spread out your ancients;Sound out your trumpets, sound out amain!’47.47.2i.e.‘wit [ye], howsoever this affair may turn out.’‘Fight on, my men,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,‘Weet, howsoever this gear will sway,It is my lord Admiral of EnglandIs come to seek me on the sea.’48.Simon had a son; with shot of a gun,Well Sir Andrew might it ken,He shot it at a privy place,And killed sixty more of Sir Andrew’s men.49.Harry Hunt came in at the other side,And at Sir Andrew he shot then;He drove down his foremast tree,And killed eighty more of Sir Andrew’s men.50.‘I have done a good turn,’ says Harry Hunt,‘Sir Andrew is not our king’s friend;He hoped to have undone me yesternight,But I hope I have quit him well in the end.’51.‘Ever alas!’ said Sir Andrew Barton,‘What should a man either think or say?Yonder false thief is my strongest enemy,Who was my prisoner but yesterday.52.‘Come hither to me, thou Gordon good,And be thou ready at my call,And I will give thee three hundred poundIf thou wilt let my beams down fall.’53.53.1‘swarved,’ swarmed, climbed.53.3‘bearing arrow’: perhaps a light arrow for long-distance shooting, but see 56.3; and cf.Adam Bell, 150.3.With that he swarved the mainmast tree,So did he it with might and main;Horsley, with a bearing arrow,Strake the Gordon through the brain.54.And he fell into the hatches again,And sore of this wound that he did bleed;Then word went through Sir Andrew’s menThat the Gordon he was dead.55.‘Come hither to me, James Hamilton,Thou art my sister’s son, I have no more;I will give thee six hundred poundIf thou will let my beams down fall.’56.With that he swarved the mainmast tree,So did he it with might and main;Horsley, with another broad arrow,Strake the yeoman through the brain.57.That he fell down to the hatches again;Sore of his wound that he did bleed.Covetousness gets no gain,It is very true as the Welshman said.58.But when he saw his sister’s son slain,Lord! in his heart he was not well.‘Go fetch me down my armour of proof,For I will to the top-castle myself.59.‘Go fetch me down my armour of proof,For it is gilded with gold so clear;God be with my brother, John of Barton!Amongst the Portingales he did it wear.’60.But when he had his armour of proof,And on his body he had it on,Every man that looked at himSaid, gun nor arrow he need fear none.61.‘Come hither, Horsley,’ says my lord Howard,‘And look your shaft that it go right;Shoot a good shoot in the time of need,And for thy shooting thou’st be made a knight.’62.‘I’ll do my best,’ says Horsley then,‘Your honour shall see before I go;If I should be hanged at your mainmast,I have in my ship but arrows two.’63.63.3‘spole,’ spauld, shoulder.But at Sir Andrew he shot then;He made sure to hit his mark;Under the spole of his right armHe smote Sir Andrew quite through the heart.64.64.3‘jack,’ coat of mail.Yet from the tree he would not start,But he clinged to it with might and main;Under the collar then of his jackHe strake Sir Andrew through the brain.65.‘Fight on, my men,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,‘I am hurt, but I am not slain;I’ll lay me down and bleed awhile,And then I’ll rise and fight again.66.66.4‘Till’ may mean ‘while.’‘Fight on, my men,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,‘These English dogs they bite so low;Fight on for Scotland and Saint AndrewTill you hear my whistle blow!’67.But when they could not hear his whistle blow,Says Harry Hunt, ‘I’ll lay my headYou may board yonder noble ship, my lord,For I know Sir Andrew he is dead.’68.With that they boarded this noble ship,So did they it with might and main;They found eighteen score Scots alive,Besides the rest were maimed and slain.69.My lord Howard took a sword in his hand,And smote off Sir Andrew’s head;The Scots stood by did weep and mourn,But never a word durst speak or say.70.He caused his body to be taken down,And over the hatch-board cast into the sea,And about his middle three hundred crowns:‘Wheresoever thou lands, it will bury thee.’71.With his head they sailed into England again,With right good will and force and main,And the day before New Year’s EvenInto Thames’ mouth they came again.72.My lord Howard wrote to King Henry’s grace,With all the news he could him bring:‘Such a New Year’s gift I have brought to your GraceAs never did subject to any king.73.‘For merchandise and manhood,The like is not to be found:The sight of these would do you good,For you have not the like in your English ground.’74.But when he heard tell that they were come,Full royally he welcomed them home;Sir Andrew’s ship was the king’s New Year’s gift;A braver ship you never saw none.75.Now hath our king Sir Andrew’s ship,Beset with pearls and precious stones;Now hath England two ships of war—Two ships of war, before but one.76.‘Who holp to this?’ says King Henry,‘That I may reward him for his pain.’‘HarryHunt, and Peter Simon,William Horsley, and I the same.’77.‘Harry Hunt shall have his whistle and chain,And all his jewels, whatsoever they be,And other rich gifts that I will not name,For his good service he hath done me.78.‘Horsley, right thou’st be a knight,Lands and livings thou shalt have store;Howard shall be Earl of Nottingham,And so was never Howard before.79.‘Now Peter Simon, thou art old;I will maintain thee and thy son;Thou shalt have five hundred pound all in goldFor the good service that thou hast done.’80.Then King Henry shifted his room.In came the Queen and ladies bright;Other errands had they noneBut to see Sir Andrew Barton, knight.81.But when they see his deadly face,His eyes were hollow in his head;‘I would give a hundred pound,’ says King Henry,‘The man were alive as he is dead!82.‘Yet for the manful part that he hath played,Both here and beyond the sea,His men shall have half a crown a dayTo bring them to my brother, King Jamie.’

Asit befell in midsummer-time,

When birds sing sweetly on every tree,

Our noble king, King Henry the Eighth,

Over the river of Thames passed he.

He was no sooner over the river,

Down in a forest to take the air,

But eighty merchants of London city

Came kneeling before King Henry there.

‘O ye are welcome, rich merchants,

Good sailors, welcome unto me!’

They swore by the rood they were sailors good,

But rich merchants they could not be.

‘To France nor Flanders dare we not pass,

Nor Bordeaux voyage we dare not fare,

And all for a false robber that lies on the seas,

And robs us of our merchant’s-ware.’

King Henry was stout, and he turned him about,

And swore by the Lord that was mickle of might;

‘I thought he had not been in the world throughout

That durst have wrought England such unright.’

But ever they sighed, and said, alas!

Unto King Henry this answer again;

‘He is a proud Scot that will rob us all

If we were twenty ships and he but one.’

The king looked over his left shoulder,

Amongst his lords and barons so free;

‘Have I never a lord in all my realm

Will fetch yond traitor unto me?’

‘Yes, that dare I!’ says my lord Charles Howard,

Near to the king whereas he did stand;

‘If that your Grace will give me leave,

Myself will be the only man.’

‘Thou shalt have six hundred men,’ saith our king,

‘And choose them out of my realm so free,

Besides mariners and boys,

To guide the great ship on the sea.’

10.

‘I’ll go speak with Sir Andrew,’ says Charles, my lord Howard,

‘Upon the sea, if he be there;

I will bring him and his ship to shore,

Or before my prince I will never come near.’

11.

The first of all my lord did call,

A noble gunner he was one;

This man was three score years and ten,

And Peter Simon was his name.

12.

‘Peter,’ says he, ‘I must sail to the sea,

To seek out an enemy; God be my speed!

Before all others I have chosen thee;

Of a hundred gunners thou’st be my head.’

13.

13.4, 16.4: ‘bread,’ breadth.

‘My lord,’ says he, ‘if you have chosen me

Of a hundred gunners to be the head,

Hang me at your main-mast tree

If I miss my mark past three pence bread.’

14.

The next of all my lord he did call,

A noble bowman he was one;

In Yorkshire was this gentleman born,

And William Horsley was his name.

15.

‘Horsley,’ says he, ‘I must sail to the sea,

To seek out an enemy; God be my speed!

Before all others I have chosen thee;

Of a hundred bowmen thou’st be my head.’

16.

‘My lord,’ says he, ‘if you have chosen me

Of a hundred bowmen to be the head,

Hang me at your main-mast tree

If I miss my mark past twelve pence bread.’

17.

With pikes, and guns, and bowmen bold,

This noble Howard is gone to the sea

On the day before mid-summer even,

And out at Thames’ mouth sailed they.

18.

They had not sailed days three

Upon their journey they took in hand,

But there they met with a noble ship,

And stoutly made it both stay and stand.

19.

‘Thou must tell me thy name,’ says Charles, my lord Howard,

‘Or who thou art, or from whence thou came,

Yea, and where thy dwelling is,

To whom and where thy ship does belong.’

20.

‘My name,’ says he, ‘is Harry Hunt,

With a pure heart and a penitent mind;

I and my ship they do belong

Unto the New-castle that stands upon Tyne.’

21.

‘Now thou must tell me, Harry Hunt,

As thou hast sailed by day and by night,

Hast thou not heard of a stout robber?

Men call him Sir Andrew Barton, knight.’

22.

But ever he sighed and said, ‘Alas!

Full well, my lord, I know that wight;

He robbed me of my merchant’s-ware,

And I was his prisoner but yesternight.

23.

23.3‘arch-board,’ stern (?) Cp. 29.2and ‘hatch-board,’ 70.2.

‘As I was sailing upon the sea,

And Bordeaux voyage as I did fare,

He clasped me to his arch-board,

And robbed me of all my merchant’s-ware.

24.

‘And I am a man both poor and bare,

And every man will have his own of me,

And I am bound towards London to fare,

To complain to my prince Henry.’

25.

‘That shall not need,’ says my lord Howard;

‘If thou canst let me this robber see,

For every penny he hath taken thee fro,

Thou shalt be rewarded a shilling,’ quoth he.

26.

‘Now God forfend,’ says Henry Hunt,

‘My lord, you should work so far amiss:

God keep you out of that traitor’s hands!

For you wot full little what a man he is.

27.

‘He is brass within, and steel without,

And beams he bears in his top-castle strong;

His ship hath ordnance clean round about;

Besides, my lord, he is very well manned.

28.

28.1‘dearly dight,’ handsomely fitted out.

‘He hath a pinnace is dearly dight,

Saint Andrew’s cross, that is his guide;

His pinnace bears nine score men and more,

Besides fifteen cannons on every side.

29.

29.2Cp. 23.3and note.

‘If you were twenty ships, and he but one,

Either in arch-board or in hall,

He would overcome you every one,

And if his beams they do down fall.’

30.

‘This is cold comfort,’ says my lord Howard,

‘To welcome a stranger thus to the sea;

I’ll bring him and his ship to shore,

Or else into Scotland he shall carry me.’

31.

‘Then you must get a noble gunner, my lord,

That can set well with his eye,

And sink his pinnace into the sea,

And soon then overcome will he be.

32.

‘And when that you have done this,

If you chance Sir Andrew for to board,

Let no man to his top-castle go;

And I will give you a glass, my lord,

33.

‘And then you need to fear no Scot,

Whether you sail by day or by night;

And to-morrow, by seven of the clock,

You shall meet with Sir Andrew Barton, knight.

34.

‘I was his prisoner but yesternight,

And he hath taken me sworn,’ quoth he;

‘I trust my Lord God will me forgive

And if that oath then broken be.

35.

‘You must lend me six pieces, my lord,’ quoth he,

‘Into my ship, to sail the sea,

And to-morrow, by nine of the clock,

Your honour again then will I see.’

36.

And the hatch-board where Sir Andrew lay

Is hatched with gold dearly dight:

‘Now by my faith,’ says Charles, my lord Howard,

‘Then yonder Scot is a worthy wight!

37.

‘Take in your ancients and your standards,

Yea, that no man shall them see,

And put me forth a white willow wand.

As merchants use to sail the sea.’

38.

But they stirred neither top nor mast,

But Sir Andrew they passed by.

‘What English are yonder,’ said Sir Andrew,

‘That can so little courtesy?

39.

‘I have been admiral over the sea

More than these years three;

There is never an English dog, nor Portingale,

Can pass this way without leave of me.

40.

‘But now yonder pedlars they are past,

Which is no little grief to me;

Fetch them back,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,

‘They shall all hang at my mainmast tree.’

41.

With that the pinnace it shot off,

That my lord Howard might it well ken;

It struck down my lord’s foremast,

And killed fourteen of my lord his men.

42.

‘Come hither, Simon,’ says my lord Howard,

‘Look that thy words be true thou said;

I’ll hang thee at my mainmast tree

If thou miss thy mark past twelve pence bread.’

43.

Simon was old, but his heart it was bold;

He took down a piece, and laid it full low;

He put in chain yards nine,

Besides other great shot less and moe.

44.

With that he let his gunshot go;

So well he settled it with his eye,

The first sight that Sir Andrew saw,

He saw his pinnace sunk in the sea.

45.

When he saw his pinnace sunk,

Lord! in his heart he was not well.

‘Cut my ropes, it is time to be gone;

I’ll go fetch yond pedlars back myself!’

46.

When my lord Howard saw Sir Andrew loose,

Lord! in his heart that he was fain.

‘Strike on your drums, spread out your ancients;

Sound out your trumpets, sound out amain!’

47.

47.2i.e.‘wit [ye], howsoever this affair may turn out.’

‘Fight on, my men,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,

‘Weet, howsoever this gear will sway,

It is my lord Admiral of England

Is come to seek me on the sea.’

48.

Simon had a son; with shot of a gun,

Well Sir Andrew might it ken,

He shot it at a privy place,

And killed sixty more of Sir Andrew’s men.

49.

Harry Hunt came in at the other side,

And at Sir Andrew he shot then;

He drove down his foremast tree,

And killed eighty more of Sir Andrew’s men.

50.

‘I have done a good turn,’ says Harry Hunt,

‘Sir Andrew is not our king’s friend;

He hoped to have undone me yesternight,

But I hope I have quit him well in the end.’

51.

‘Ever alas!’ said Sir Andrew Barton,

‘What should a man either think or say?

Yonder false thief is my strongest enemy,

Who was my prisoner but yesterday.

52.

‘Come hither to me, thou Gordon good,

And be thou ready at my call,

And I will give thee three hundred pound

If thou wilt let my beams down fall.’

53.

53.1‘swarved,’ swarmed, climbed.

53.3‘bearing arrow’: perhaps a light arrow for long-distance shooting, but see 56.3; and cf.Adam Bell, 150.3.

With that he swarved the mainmast tree,

So did he it with might and main;

Horsley, with a bearing arrow,

Strake the Gordon through the brain.

54.

And he fell into the hatches again,

And sore of this wound that he did bleed;

Then word went through Sir Andrew’s men

That the Gordon he was dead.

55.

‘Come hither to me, James Hamilton,

Thou art my sister’s son, I have no more;

I will give thee six hundred pound

If thou will let my beams down fall.’

56.

With that he swarved the mainmast tree,

So did he it with might and main;

Horsley, with another broad arrow,

Strake the yeoman through the brain.

57.

That he fell down to the hatches again;

Sore of his wound that he did bleed.

Covetousness gets no gain,

It is very true as the Welshman said.

58.

But when he saw his sister’s son slain,

Lord! in his heart he was not well.

‘Go fetch me down my armour of proof,

For I will to the top-castle myself.

59.

‘Go fetch me down my armour of proof,

For it is gilded with gold so clear;

God be with my brother, John of Barton!

Amongst the Portingales he did it wear.’

60.

But when he had his armour of proof,

And on his body he had it on,

Every man that looked at him

Said, gun nor arrow he need fear none.

61.

‘Come hither, Horsley,’ says my lord Howard,

‘And look your shaft that it go right;

Shoot a good shoot in the time of need,

And for thy shooting thou’st be made a knight.’

62.

‘I’ll do my best,’ says Horsley then,

‘Your honour shall see before I go;

If I should be hanged at your mainmast,

I have in my ship but arrows two.’

63.

63.3‘spole,’ spauld, shoulder.

But at Sir Andrew he shot then;

He made sure to hit his mark;

Under the spole of his right arm

He smote Sir Andrew quite through the heart.

64.

64.3‘jack,’ coat of mail.

Yet from the tree he would not start,

But he clinged to it with might and main;

Under the collar then of his jack

He strake Sir Andrew through the brain.

65.

‘Fight on, my men,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,

‘I am hurt, but I am not slain;

I’ll lay me down and bleed awhile,

And then I’ll rise and fight again.

66.

66.4‘Till’ may mean ‘while.’

‘Fight on, my men,’ says Sir Andrew Barton,

‘These English dogs they bite so low;

Fight on for Scotland and Saint Andrew

Till you hear my whistle blow!’

67.

But when they could not hear his whistle blow,

Says Harry Hunt, ‘I’ll lay my head

You may board yonder noble ship, my lord,

For I know Sir Andrew he is dead.’

68.

With that they boarded this noble ship,

So did they it with might and main;

They found eighteen score Scots alive,

Besides the rest were maimed and slain.

69.

My lord Howard took a sword in his hand,

And smote off Sir Andrew’s head;

The Scots stood by did weep and mourn,

But never a word durst speak or say.

70.

He caused his body to be taken down,

And over the hatch-board cast into the sea,

And about his middle three hundred crowns:

‘Wheresoever thou lands, it will bury thee.’

71.

With his head they sailed into England again,

With right good will and force and main,

And the day before New Year’s Even

Into Thames’ mouth they came again.

72.

My lord Howard wrote to King Henry’s grace,

With all the news he could him bring:

‘Such a New Year’s gift I have brought to your Grace

As never did subject to any king.

73.

‘For merchandise and manhood,

The like is not to be found:

The sight of these would do you good,

For you have not the like in your English ground.’

74.

But when he heard tell that they were come,

Full royally he welcomed them home;

Sir Andrew’s ship was the king’s New Year’s gift;

A braver ship you never saw none.

75.

Now hath our king Sir Andrew’s ship,

Beset with pearls and precious stones;

Now hath England two ships of war—

Two ships of war, before but one.

76.

‘Who holp to this?’ says King Henry,

‘That I may reward him for his pain.’

‘HarryHunt, and Peter Simon,

William Horsley, and I the same.’

77.

‘Harry Hunt shall have his whistle and chain,

And all his jewels, whatsoever they be,

And other rich gifts that I will not name,

For his good service he hath done me.

78.

‘Horsley, right thou’st be a knight,

Lands and livings thou shalt have store;

Howard shall be Earl of Nottingham,

And so was never Howard before.

79.

‘Now Peter Simon, thou art old;

I will maintain thee and thy son;

Thou shalt have five hundred pound all in gold

For the good service that thou hast done.’

80.

Then King Henry shifted his room.

In came the Queen and ladies bright;

Other errands had they none

But to see Sir Andrew Barton, knight.

81.

But when they see his deadly face,

His eyes were hollow in his head;

‘I would give a hundred pound,’ says King Henry,

‘The man were alive as he is dead!

82.

‘Yet for the manful part that he hath played,

Both here and beyond the sea,

His men shall have half a crown a day

To bring them to my brother, King Jamie.’

The Textis from a copy taken down from North Devon tradition by the Rev. S. Baring Gould, and printed by Child; since when other versions have been found still in circulation in England. A Sussex version, though perhaps derived from a Catnach broadside, is given in theJournalof the Folk-Song Society, vol. i. 162.

The Story.—This ballad is undoubtedly a degenerate version of the preceding,Sir Andrew Barton, of which name, as Child says, Henry Martyn would be no extraordinary corruption. It is given here as an instance of the fate which awaits a popular ballad in the process of being sung to pieces.

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