1.Inmerry Scotland, in merry ScotlandThere lived brothers three;They all did cast lots which of them should goA robbing upon the salt sea.2.The lot it fell on Henry Martyn,The youngest of the three;That he should go rob on the salt, salt seaTo maintain his brothers and he.3.He had not a-sailed a long winter’s night,Nor yet a short winter’s day,Before that he met with a lofty old ship,Come sailing along that way.4.O when she came by Henry Martyn;‘I prithee now, let us go!’‘O no, God wot! that, that will I not,O that will I never do.5.‘Stand off, stand off!’ said Henry Martyn,‘For you shall not pass by me;For I am a robber all on the salt seas,To maintain us brothers three.6.‘How far, how far,’ cries Henry Martyn,‘How far do you make it?’ said he;‘For I am a robber all on the salt seas,To maintain us brothers three.’7.For three long hours they merrily fought,For hours they fought full three;At last a deep wound got Henry Martyn,And down by the mast fell he.8.‘Twas broadside to a broadside then,And a rain and hail of blows,But the salt sea ran in, ran in, ran in,To the bottom then she goes.9.Bad news, bad news for old England,Bad news has come to the town,For a rich merchant’s vessel is cast away,And all her brave seamen drown.10.Bad news, bad news through London Street,Bad news has come to the king,For all the brave lives of the mariners lost,That are sunk in the watery main.JOHN DORYThe Textis from Ravenscroft’sDeuteromelia(1609), the only text that has come down to us of a ‘three-man’s song’ which achieved extraordinary popularity during’ the seventeenth century.The Story.—‘Good King John of France’ is presumed to be JohnII., who was taken prisoner at the battle of Poictiers and died in 1364. But the earliest literary reference to this ballad occurs in the play ofGammarGurton’s Needle, acted in 1566, where the song ‘I cannot eat but little meat’ is to be sung ‘to the tune of John Dory.’ From Carew’sSurvey of Cornwall(1602) we learn a little more: ‘Moreover, the prowess of one Nicholas, son to a widow near Foy [Fowey], is descanted upon in an old three-man’s song, namely, how he fought bravely at sea with John Dory (a Genowey, as I conjecture), set forth by John, the French king, and, after much bloodshed on both sides, took, and slew him, in revenge of the great ravine and cruelty which he had fore committed upon the Englishmen’s goods and bodies.’JOHN DORY1.Asit fell on a holy-day,And upon a holy-tide-a,John Dory bought him an ambling nagTo Paris for to ride-a.2.And when John Dory to Paris was come,A little before the gate-a,John Dory was fitted, the porter was wittedTo let him in thereat-a.3.The first man that John Dory did meetWas good king John of France-a;John Dory could well of his courtesie,But fell down in a trance-a.4.‘A pardon, a pardon, my liege and my king,For my merry men and for me-a,And all the churles in merry England,I’ll bring them all bound to thee-a.’5.And Nicholl was then a Cornish manA little beside Bohide-a,And he manned forth a good black barkWith fifty good oars on a side-a.6.‘Run up, my boy, unto the main-top,And look what thou canst spy-a.’‘Who ho, who ho! a goodly ship I do see;I trow it be John Dory-a.’7.They hoist their sails, both top and top,The mizzen and all was tried-a,And every man stood to his lot,What ever should betide-a.8.The roaring cannons then were plied,And dub-a-dub went the drum-a;The braying trumpets loud they criedTo courage both all and some-a.9.The grappling-hooks were brought at length,The brown bill and the sword-a;John Dory at length, for all his strength,Was clapped fast under board-a.CAPTAIN WARD AND THE RAINBOWThe Textis from a broadside in the Bagford collection (i. 65); other broadsides, very similar, are to be found in the Pepys, Roxburghe, and other collections. The ballad has often been reprinted; and more than one oral version has been recovered—much corrupted in transmission.The Storyis apocryphal, as has been shown by research undertaken since Child annotated the ballad; so also are other broadsides,The Seamen’s Song of Captain WardandThe Seamen’s Song of Dansekar, which deal with Ward. He was a Kentish fisherman, born at Feversham about 1555, who turned pirate after a short service aboard theLion’s Whelpman-of-war. TheRainbowwas the name of a ship then in the navy, often mentioned in reports from 1587 onwards; but Professor Sir J. K. Laughton has pointed out that she never fought with Ward. PossiblyRainbowis a corruption ofTramontana, a small cruiser whichmayhave chased him once in the Irish Channel. The fullest account of Ward may be found in an article, unsigned, but written by Mr. John Masefield, in theGentleman’s Magazinefor March, 1906, pp. 113-126.CAPTAIN WARD AND THE RAINBOW1.Strikeup, you lusty gallants,With music and sound of drum,For we have descried a roverUpon the sea is come;His name is Captain Ward,Right well it doth appear,There has not been such a roverFound out this thousand year:2.For he hath sent unto our King,The sixth of January,Desiring that he might come inWith all his company.‘And if your King will let me comeTill I my tale have told,I will bestow for my ransom,Full thirty ton of gold.’3.‘O nay, O nay,’ then said our King,‘O nay, this may not be,To yield to such a rover,Myself will not agree:He hath deceived the Frenchman,Likewise the King of Spain,And how can he be true to me,That hath been false to twain?’4.With that our King providedA ship of worthy fame,Rainbow is she called,If you would know her name:Now the gallant RainbowShe rows upon the sea,Five hundred gallant seamenTo bear her company.5.The Dutchman and the Spaniard,She made them for to fly,Also the bonny Frenchman,As she met him on the sea.When as this gallant RainbowDid come where Ward did lie,‘Where is the captain of this ship?’This gallant Rainbow did cry.6.‘O, that am I,’ says Captain Ward,‘There’s no man bids me lie,And if thou art the King’s fair ship,Thou art welcome to me.’‘I’ll tell thee what,’ says Rainbow,‘Our King is in great grief,That thou shouldst lie upon the sea,And play the arrant thief,7.‘And will not let our merchants’ shipsPass as they did before;Such tidings to our King is come,Which grieves his heart full sore.’With that, this gallant RainbowShe shot, out of her pride,Full fifty gallant brass piecesChargëd on every side.8.And yet these gallant shootersPrevailëd not a pin,Though they were brass on the outside,Brave Ward was steel within;Shoot on, shoot on,’ says Captain Ward,‘Your sport well pleaseth me,And he that first gives over,Shall yield unto the sea.9.‘I never wronged an English ship,But Turk and King of Spain,For and the jovial Dutchman,As I met on the main;If I had known your KingBut one-two years before,I would have saved brave Essex life,Whose death did grieve me sore.10.‘Go tell the King of England,Go tell him thus from me,If he reigns King of all the land,I will reign King at sea.’With that the gallant Rainbow shot,And shot and shot in vain,And left the rover’s company,And return’d home again.11.‘Our royal King of England,Your ship’s returned again,For Ward’s ship is so strongIt never will be ta’en.’‘O everlasting!’ says our King,‘I have lost jewels three,Which would have gone unto the seasAnd brought proud Ward to me.12.‘The first was Lord Clifford,Earl of Cumberland;The second was the Lord MountjoyAs you shall understand;The third was brave EssexFrom field would never flee,Which would have gone unto the seas,And brought proud Ward to me.’THE SWEET TRINITYThe Textis taken from a broadside in the Pepys collection (iv. 196), which can be dated between 1682 and 1685, and is entitledSir Walter Raleigh sailing in the Low-lands. Three other copies of the same edition of the broadside are known.The Storyof theSweet Trinityhas become confused with that of theGolden Vanity(Golden Victorie,Golden Trinitie,Gold Pinnatreeare variants), which is probably a corrupted form of it; indeed the weak ending of the broadside challenges any singer to improve upon it. But again there are two distinct variations of theGolden Vanityballad. In the first class, the boy, having sunk the French galley, calls to theGolden Vanityto throw him a rope, and when it is refused, threatens to sink her too; whereupon they take him aboard and carry out all their promises of reward (which vary considerably in the different versions). In the second class, the boy dies after he is taken up from the water; in one version he sinks from exhaustion before he can be saved.TheSweet Trinity, however, has been taken by a ship of unspecified nationality (‘false’ might easily become corrupted into ‘French’); and thus this ballad deals with three ships, while theGolden Vanityversions mention but two. The latter are still current in folk-song.THE SWEET TRINITY1.Sir Walter Raleighhas built a ship,In the Netherlands;Sir Walter Raleigh has built a ship,In the Netherlands;And it is called the Sweet Trinity,And was taken by the false gallaly.Sailing in the Lowlands.2.‘Is there never a Seaman boldIn the Netherlands;Is there never a Seaman boldIn the Netherlands;That will go take this false gallaly,And to redeem the Sweet Trinity?Sailing in the Lowlands.3.Then spoke the little Ship-boy,In the Netherlands;Then spoke the little Ship-boy,In the Netherlands;‘Master, master, what will you give me,And I will take this false gallaly,And release the Sweet Trinity?Sailing in the Lowlands.4.‘I’ll give thee gold, and I’ll give thee fee,In the Netherlands;I’ll give thee gold, and I’ll give thee fee,In the Netherlands;And my eldest daughter, thy wife shall be.Sailing in the Lowlands.’5.5.1‘set his breast’: perhaps this simply means he breasted the water; but seeGlossary of Ballad Commonplaces, First Series, xlvi.He set his breast, and away he did swim,Until he came to the false gallaly.6.He had an augur fit for the nonce,The which will bore fifteen good holes at once.7.Some were at cards, and some at dice,Until the salt water flashed in their eyes.8.Some cut their hats, and some cut their caps,For to stop the salt water gaps.9.He set his breast, and away did swim,Until he came to his own ship again.10.‘I have done the work I promised to do,I have sunk the false gallaly,And released the Sweet Trinity.11.‘You promised me gold, and you promised me fee,Your eldest daughter my wife she must be.’12.‘You shall have gold, and you shall have fee,But my eldest daughter your wife shall never be.’13.‘Then fare you well, you cozening Lord,Seeing you are not so good as your word.’14.And thus I shall conclude my song,Of the sailing in the Lowlands,Wishing all happiness to all seamen both old and young,In their sailing in the Lowlands.
1.Inmerry Scotland, in merry ScotlandThere lived brothers three;They all did cast lots which of them should goA robbing upon the salt sea.2.The lot it fell on Henry Martyn,The youngest of the three;That he should go rob on the salt, salt seaTo maintain his brothers and he.3.He had not a-sailed a long winter’s night,Nor yet a short winter’s day,Before that he met with a lofty old ship,Come sailing along that way.4.O when she came by Henry Martyn;‘I prithee now, let us go!’‘O no, God wot! that, that will I not,O that will I never do.5.‘Stand off, stand off!’ said Henry Martyn,‘For you shall not pass by me;For I am a robber all on the salt seas,To maintain us brothers three.6.‘How far, how far,’ cries Henry Martyn,‘How far do you make it?’ said he;‘For I am a robber all on the salt seas,To maintain us brothers three.’7.For three long hours they merrily fought,For hours they fought full three;At last a deep wound got Henry Martyn,And down by the mast fell he.8.‘Twas broadside to a broadside then,And a rain and hail of blows,But the salt sea ran in, ran in, ran in,To the bottom then she goes.9.Bad news, bad news for old England,Bad news has come to the town,For a rich merchant’s vessel is cast away,And all her brave seamen drown.10.Bad news, bad news through London Street,Bad news has come to the king,For all the brave lives of the mariners lost,That are sunk in the watery main.
1.
Inmerry Scotland, in merry Scotland
There lived brothers three;
They all did cast lots which of them should go
A robbing upon the salt sea.
2.
The lot it fell on Henry Martyn,
The youngest of the three;
That he should go rob on the salt, salt sea
To maintain his brothers and he.
3.
He had not a-sailed a long winter’s night,
Nor yet a short winter’s day,
Before that he met with a lofty old ship,
Come sailing along that way.
4.
O when she came by Henry Martyn;
‘I prithee now, let us go!’
‘O no, God wot! that, that will I not,
O that will I never do.
5.
‘Stand off, stand off!’ said Henry Martyn,
‘For you shall not pass by me;
For I am a robber all on the salt seas,
To maintain us brothers three.
6.
‘How far, how far,’ cries Henry Martyn,
‘How far do you make it?’ said he;
‘For I am a robber all on the salt seas,
To maintain us brothers three.’
7.
For three long hours they merrily fought,
For hours they fought full three;
At last a deep wound got Henry Martyn,
And down by the mast fell he.
8.
‘Twas broadside to a broadside then,
And a rain and hail of blows,
But the salt sea ran in, ran in, ran in,
To the bottom then she goes.
9.
Bad news, bad news for old England,
Bad news has come to the town,
For a rich merchant’s vessel is cast away,
And all her brave seamen drown.
10.
Bad news, bad news through London Street,
Bad news has come to the king,
For all the brave lives of the mariners lost,
That are sunk in the watery main.
The Textis from Ravenscroft’sDeuteromelia(1609), the only text that has come down to us of a ‘three-man’s song’ which achieved extraordinary popularity during’ the seventeenth century.
The Story.—‘Good King John of France’ is presumed to be JohnII., who was taken prisoner at the battle of Poictiers and died in 1364. But the earliest literary reference to this ballad occurs in the play ofGammarGurton’s Needle, acted in 1566, where the song ‘I cannot eat but little meat’ is to be sung ‘to the tune of John Dory.’ From Carew’sSurvey of Cornwall(1602) we learn a little more: ‘Moreover, the prowess of one Nicholas, son to a widow near Foy [Fowey], is descanted upon in an old three-man’s song, namely, how he fought bravely at sea with John Dory (a Genowey, as I conjecture), set forth by John, the French king, and, after much bloodshed on both sides, took, and slew him, in revenge of the great ravine and cruelty which he had fore committed upon the Englishmen’s goods and bodies.’
1.Asit fell on a holy-day,And upon a holy-tide-a,John Dory bought him an ambling nagTo Paris for to ride-a.2.And when John Dory to Paris was come,A little before the gate-a,John Dory was fitted, the porter was wittedTo let him in thereat-a.3.The first man that John Dory did meetWas good king John of France-a;John Dory could well of his courtesie,But fell down in a trance-a.4.‘A pardon, a pardon, my liege and my king,For my merry men and for me-a,And all the churles in merry England,I’ll bring them all bound to thee-a.’5.And Nicholl was then a Cornish manA little beside Bohide-a,And he manned forth a good black barkWith fifty good oars on a side-a.6.‘Run up, my boy, unto the main-top,And look what thou canst spy-a.’‘Who ho, who ho! a goodly ship I do see;I trow it be John Dory-a.’7.They hoist their sails, both top and top,The mizzen and all was tried-a,And every man stood to his lot,What ever should betide-a.8.The roaring cannons then were plied,And dub-a-dub went the drum-a;The braying trumpets loud they criedTo courage both all and some-a.9.The grappling-hooks were brought at length,The brown bill and the sword-a;John Dory at length, for all his strength,Was clapped fast under board-a.
1.
Asit fell on a holy-day,
And upon a holy-tide-a,
John Dory bought him an ambling nag
To Paris for to ride-a.
2.
And when John Dory to Paris was come,
A little before the gate-a,
John Dory was fitted, the porter was witted
To let him in thereat-a.
3.
The first man that John Dory did meet
Was good king John of France-a;
John Dory could well of his courtesie,
But fell down in a trance-a.
4.
‘A pardon, a pardon, my liege and my king,
For my merry men and for me-a,
And all the churles in merry England,
I’ll bring them all bound to thee-a.’
5.
And Nicholl was then a Cornish man
A little beside Bohide-a,
And he manned forth a good black bark
With fifty good oars on a side-a.
6.
‘Run up, my boy, unto the main-top,
And look what thou canst spy-a.’
‘Who ho, who ho! a goodly ship I do see;
I trow it be John Dory-a.’
7.
They hoist their sails, both top and top,
The mizzen and all was tried-a,
And every man stood to his lot,
What ever should betide-a.
8.
The roaring cannons then were plied,
And dub-a-dub went the drum-a;
The braying trumpets loud they cried
To courage both all and some-a.
9.
The grappling-hooks were brought at length,
The brown bill and the sword-a;
John Dory at length, for all his strength,
Was clapped fast under board-a.
The Textis from a broadside in the Bagford collection (i. 65); other broadsides, very similar, are to be found in the Pepys, Roxburghe, and other collections. The ballad has often been reprinted; and more than one oral version has been recovered—much corrupted in transmission.
The Storyis apocryphal, as has been shown by research undertaken since Child annotated the ballad; so also are other broadsides,The Seamen’s Song of Captain WardandThe Seamen’s Song of Dansekar, which deal with Ward. He was a Kentish fisherman, born at Feversham about 1555, who turned pirate after a short service aboard theLion’s Whelpman-of-war. TheRainbowwas the name of a ship then in the navy, often mentioned in reports from 1587 onwards; but Professor Sir J. K. Laughton has pointed out that she never fought with Ward. PossiblyRainbowis a corruption ofTramontana, a small cruiser whichmayhave chased him once in the Irish Channel. The fullest account of Ward may be found in an article, unsigned, but written by Mr. John Masefield, in theGentleman’s Magazinefor March, 1906, pp. 113-126.
1.Strikeup, you lusty gallants,With music and sound of drum,For we have descried a roverUpon the sea is come;His name is Captain Ward,Right well it doth appear,There has not been such a roverFound out this thousand year:2.For he hath sent unto our King,The sixth of January,Desiring that he might come inWith all his company.‘And if your King will let me comeTill I my tale have told,I will bestow for my ransom,Full thirty ton of gold.’3.‘O nay, O nay,’ then said our King,‘O nay, this may not be,To yield to such a rover,Myself will not agree:He hath deceived the Frenchman,Likewise the King of Spain,And how can he be true to me,That hath been false to twain?’4.With that our King providedA ship of worthy fame,Rainbow is she called,If you would know her name:Now the gallant RainbowShe rows upon the sea,Five hundred gallant seamenTo bear her company.5.The Dutchman and the Spaniard,She made them for to fly,Also the bonny Frenchman,As she met him on the sea.When as this gallant RainbowDid come where Ward did lie,‘Where is the captain of this ship?’This gallant Rainbow did cry.6.‘O, that am I,’ says Captain Ward,‘There’s no man bids me lie,And if thou art the King’s fair ship,Thou art welcome to me.’‘I’ll tell thee what,’ says Rainbow,‘Our King is in great grief,That thou shouldst lie upon the sea,And play the arrant thief,7.‘And will not let our merchants’ shipsPass as they did before;Such tidings to our King is come,Which grieves his heart full sore.’With that, this gallant RainbowShe shot, out of her pride,Full fifty gallant brass piecesChargëd on every side.8.And yet these gallant shootersPrevailëd not a pin,Though they were brass on the outside,Brave Ward was steel within;Shoot on, shoot on,’ says Captain Ward,‘Your sport well pleaseth me,And he that first gives over,Shall yield unto the sea.9.‘I never wronged an English ship,But Turk and King of Spain,For and the jovial Dutchman,As I met on the main;If I had known your KingBut one-two years before,I would have saved brave Essex life,Whose death did grieve me sore.10.‘Go tell the King of England,Go tell him thus from me,If he reigns King of all the land,I will reign King at sea.’With that the gallant Rainbow shot,And shot and shot in vain,And left the rover’s company,And return’d home again.11.‘Our royal King of England,Your ship’s returned again,For Ward’s ship is so strongIt never will be ta’en.’‘O everlasting!’ says our King,‘I have lost jewels three,Which would have gone unto the seasAnd brought proud Ward to me.12.‘The first was Lord Clifford,Earl of Cumberland;The second was the Lord MountjoyAs you shall understand;The third was brave EssexFrom field would never flee,Which would have gone unto the seas,And brought proud Ward to me.’
1.
Strikeup, you lusty gallants,
With music and sound of drum,
For we have descried a rover
Upon the sea is come;
His name is Captain Ward,
Right well it doth appear,
There has not been such a rover
Found out this thousand year:
2.
For he hath sent unto our King,
The sixth of January,
Desiring that he might come in
With all his company.
‘And if your King will let me come
Till I my tale have told,
I will bestow for my ransom,
Full thirty ton of gold.’
3.
‘O nay, O nay,’ then said our King,
‘O nay, this may not be,
To yield to such a rover,
Myself will not agree:
He hath deceived the Frenchman,
Likewise the King of Spain,
And how can he be true to me,
That hath been false to twain?’
4.
With that our King provided
A ship of worthy fame,
Rainbow is she called,
If you would know her name:
Now the gallant Rainbow
She rows upon the sea,
Five hundred gallant seamen
To bear her company.
5.
The Dutchman and the Spaniard,
She made them for to fly,
Also the bonny Frenchman,
As she met him on the sea.
When as this gallant Rainbow
Did come where Ward did lie,
‘Where is the captain of this ship?’
This gallant Rainbow did cry.
6.
‘O, that am I,’ says Captain Ward,
‘There’s no man bids me lie,
And if thou art the King’s fair ship,
Thou art welcome to me.’
‘I’ll tell thee what,’ says Rainbow,
‘Our King is in great grief,
That thou shouldst lie upon the sea,
And play the arrant thief,
7.
‘And will not let our merchants’ ships
Pass as they did before;
Such tidings to our King is come,
Which grieves his heart full sore.’
With that, this gallant Rainbow
She shot, out of her pride,
Full fifty gallant brass pieces
Chargëd on every side.
8.
And yet these gallant shooters
Prevailëd not a pin,
Though they were brass on the outside,
Brave Ward was steel within;
Shoot on, shoot on,’ says Captain Ward,
‘Your sport well pleaseth me,
And he that first gives over,
Shall yield unto the sea.
9.
‘I never wronged an English ship,
But Turk and King of Spain,
For and the jovial Dutchman,
As I met on the main;
If I had known your King
But one-two years before,
I would have saved brave Essex life,
Whose death did grieve me sore.
10.
‘Go tell the King of England,
Go tell him thus from me,
If he reigns King of all the land,
I will reign King at sea.’
With that the gallant Rainbow shot,
And shot and shot in vain,
And left the rover’s company,
And return’d home again.
11.
‘Our royal King of England,
Your ship’s returned again,
For Ward’s ship is so strong
It never will be ta’en.’
‘O everlasting!’ says our King,
‘I have lost jewels three,
Which would have gone unto the seas
And brought proud Ward to me.
12.
‘The first was Lord Clifford,
Earl of Cumberland;
The second was the Lord Mountjoy
As you shall understand;
The third was brave Essex
From field would never flee,
Which would have gone unto the seas,
And brought proud Ward to me.’
The Textis taken from a broadside in the Pepys collection (iv. 196), which can be dated between 1682 and 1685, and is entitledSir Walter Raleigh sailing in the Low-lands. Three other copies of the same edition of the broadside are known.
The Storyof theSweet Trinityhas become confused with that of theGolden Vanity(Golden Victorie,Golden Trinitie,Gold Pinnatreeare variants), which is probably a corrupted form of it; indeed the weak ending of the broadside challenges any singer to improve upon it. But again there are two distinct variations of theGolden Vanityballad. In the first class, the boy, having sunk the French galley, calls to theGolden Vanityto throw him a rope, and when it is refused, threatens to sink her too; whereupon they take him aboard and carry out all their promises of reward (which vary considerably in the different versions). In the second class, the boy dies after he is taken up from the water; in one version he sinks from exhaustion before he can be saved.
TheSweet Trinity, however, has been taken by a ship of unspecified nationality (‘false’ might easily become corrupted into ‘French’); and thus this ballad deals with three ships, while theGolden Vanityversions mention but two. The latter are still current in folk-song.
1.Sir Walter Raleighhas built a ship,In the Netherlands;Sir Walter Raleigh has built a ship,In the Netherlands;And it is called the Sweet Trinity,And was taken by the false gallaly.Sailing in the Lowlands.2.‘Is there never a Seaman boldIn the Netherlands;Is there never a Seaman boldIn the Netherlands;That will go take this false gallaly,And to redeem the Sweet Trinity?Sailing in the Lowlands.3.Then spoke the little Ship-boy,In the Netherlands;Then spoke the little Ship-boy,In the Netherlands;‘Master, master, what will you give me,And I will take this false gallaly,And release the Sweet Trinity?Sailing in the Lowlands.4.‘I’ll give thee gold, and I’ll give thee fee,In the Netherlands;I’ll give thee gold, and I’ll give thee fee,In the Netherlands;And my eldest daughter, thy wife shall be.Sailing in the Lowlands.’5.5.1‘set his breast’: perhaps this simply means he breasted the water; but seeGlossary of Ballad Commonplaces, First Series, xlvi.He set his breast, and away he did swim,Until he came to the false gallaly.6.He had an augur fit for the nonce,The which will bore fifteen good holes at once.7.Some were at cards, and some at dice,Until the salt water flashed in their eyes.8.Some cut their hats, and some cut their caps,For to stop the salt water gaps.9.He set his breast, and away did swim,Until he came to his own ship again.10.‘I have done the work I promised to do,I have sunk the false gallaly,And released the Sweet Trinity.11.‘You promised me gold, and you promised me fee,Your eldest daughter my wife she must be.’12.‘You shall have gold, and you shall have fee,But my eldest daughter your wife shall never be.’13.‘Then fare you well, you cozening Lord,Seeing you are not so good as your word.’14.And thus I shall conclude my song,Of the sailing in the Lowlands,Wishing all happiness to all seamen both old and young,In their sailing in the Lowlands.
1.
Sir Walter Raleighhas built a ship,
In the Netherlands;
Sir Walter Raleigh has built a ship,
In the Netherlands;
And it is called the Sweet Trinity,
And was taken by the false gallaly.
Sailing in the Lowlands.
2.
‘Is there never a Seaman bold
In the Netherlands;
Is there never a Seaman bold
In the Netherlands;
That will go take this false gallaly,
And to redeem the Sweet Trinity?
Sailing in the Lowlands.
3.
Then spoke the little Ship-boy,
In the Netherlands;
Then spoke the little Ship-boy,
In the Netherlands;
‘Master, master, what will you give me,
And I will take this false gallaly,
And release the Sweet Trinity?
Sailing in the Lowlands.
4.
‘I’ll give thee gold, and I’ll give thee fee,
In the Netherlands;
I’ll give thee gold, and I’ll give thee fee,
In the Netherlands;
And my eldest daughter, thy wife shall be.
Sailing in the Lowlands.’
5.
5.1‘set his breast’: perhaps this simply means he breasted the water; but seeGlossary of Ballad Commonplaces, First Series, xlvi.
He set his breast, and away he did swim,
Until he came to the false gallaly.
6.
He had an augur fit for the nonce,
The which will bore fifteen good holes at once.
7.
Some were at cards, and some at dice,
Until the salt water flashed in their eyes.
8.
Some cut their hats, and some cut their caps,
For to stop the salt water gaps.
9.
He set his breast, and away did swim,
Until he came to his own ship again.
10.
‘I have done the work I promised to do,
I have sunk the false gallaly,
And released the Sweet Trinity.
11.
‘You promised me gold, and you promised me fee,
Your eldest daughter my wife she must be.’
12.
‘You shall have gold, and you shall have fee,
But my eldest daughter your wife shall never be.’
13.
‘Then fare you well, you cozening Lord,
Seeing you are not so good as your word.’
14.
And thus I shall conclude my song,
Of the sailing in the Lowlands,
Wishing all happiness to all seamen both old and young,
In their sailing in the Lowlands.