English and Scottish Ballads Volume III Part 5

And they cast kevils them amang, And kevils them between; 10 And they cast kevils them amang, Wha suld gae kill the king.

O some said yea, and some said nay, Their words did not agree; Till up and got him, Fause Foodrage, 15 And swore it suld be he.

When bells were rung, and ma.s.s was sung, And a' men bound to bed, King Honour and his gay ladye In a high chamber were laid. 20

Then up and raise him, Fause Foodrage, When a' were fast asleep, And slew the porter in his lodge, That watch and ward did keep.

O four and twenty silver keys 25 Hang hie upon a pin; And aye as ae door he did unlock, He has fasten'd it him behind.

Then up and raise him, King Honour, Says--"What means a' this din? 30 Or what's the matter, Fause Foodrage, Or wha has loot you in?"--

"O ye my errand weel sall learn, Before that I depart."-- Then drew a knife, baith lang and sharp, 35 And pierced him to the heart.

Then up and got the Queen hersell, And fell low down on her knee, "O spare my life, now, Fause Foodrage!

For I never injured thee. 40

"O spare my life, now, Fause Foodrage!

Until I lighter be!

And see gin it be lad or la.s.s, King Honour has left me wi'."--

"O gin it be a la.s.s," he says, 45 "Weel nursed it sall be; But gin it be a lad bairn, He sall be hanged hie.

"I winna spare for his tender age, Nor yet for his hie, hie kin; 50 But soon as e'er he born is, He sall mount the gallows pin."--

O four-and-twenty valiant knights Were set the Queen to guard; And four stood aye at her bour door, 55 To keep both watch and ward.

But when the time drew near an end, That she suld lighter be, She cast about to find a wile, To set her body free. 60

O she has birled these merry young men With the ale but and the wine, Until they were a' deadly drunk As any wild-wood swine.

"O narrow, narrow is this window, 65 And big, big am I grown!"-- Yet through the might of Our Ladye, Out at it she is gone.

She wander'd up, she wander'd down, She wander'd out and in; 70 And, at last, into the very swine's stythe, The Queen brought forth a son.

Then they cast kevils them amang, Which suld gae seek the Queen; And the kevil fell upon Wise William, 75 And he sent his wife for him.

O when she saw Wise William's wife, The Queen fell on her knee: "Win up, win up, madam!" she says: "What needs this courtesie?"-- 80

"O out o' this I winna rise, Till a boon ye grant to me; To change your la.s.s for this lad bairn, King Honour left me wi'.

"And ye maun learn my gay goss-hawk 85 Right weel to breast a steed; And I sall learn your turtle dow As weel to write and read.

"And ye maun learn my gay goss-hawk To wield both bow and brand; 90 And I sall learn your turtle dow To lay gowd wi' her hand.

"At kirk and market when we meet, We'll dare make nae avowe, But--'Dame, how does my gay goss-hawk?' 95 'Madame, how does my dow?'"

When days were gane, and years came on, Wise William he thought lang; And he has ta'en King Honour's son A-hunting for to gang. 100

It sae fell out, at this hunting, Upon a simmer's day, That they came by a bonny castell, Stood on a sunny brae.

"O dinna ye see that bonny castell, 105 Wi' halls and towers sae fair?

Gin ilka man had back his ain, Of it you suld be heir."

"How I suld be heir of that castell, In sooth, I canna see; 110 For it belangs to Fause Foodrage, And he is na kin to me."--

"O gin ye suld kill him, Fause Foodrage, You would do but what was right; For I wot he kill'd your father dear, 115 Or ever ye saw the light.

"And gin ye suld kill him, Fause Foodrage, There is no man durst you blame; For he keeps your mother a prisoner, And she darna take ye hame."-- 120

The boy stared wild like a gray goss-hawk, Says,--"What may a' this mean?"

"My boy, ye are King Honour's son, And your mother's our lawful queen."

"O gin I be King Honour's son, 125 By our Ladye I swear, This night I will that traitor slay, And relieve my mother dear!"--

He has set his bent bow to his breast, And leaped the castell wa'; 130 And soon he has seized on Fause Foodrage, Wha loud for help 'gan ca'.

"O haud your tongue, now, Fause Foodrage, Frae me ye shanna flee;"-- Syne pierced him through the fause, fause heart, 135 And set his mother free.

And he has rewarded Wise William Wi' the best half o' his land; And sae has he the turtle dow Wi' the truth o' his right hand. 140

BONNIE ANNIE.

From Kinloch's _Ancient Scottish Ballads_, p. 123.

"There is a prevalent belief among seafaring people, that if a person who has committed any heinous crime be on s.h.i.+p-board, the vessel, as if conscious of its guilty burden, becomes unmanageable, and will not sail till the offender be removed: to discover whom, they usually resort to the trial of those on board, by casting lots; and the individual upon whom the lot falls, is declared the criminal, it being believed that Divine Providence interposes in this manner to point out the guilty person."--KINLOCH.

Motherwell is inclined to think this an Irish ballad, though popular in Scotland.

With Bonnie Annie may be compared _Jon Rimaardsons Skriftemaal_, _Danske Viser_, ii. 220; or, _Herr Peders Sjoresa, Svenska Folk-Visor_, ii. 31, Arwiddson, ii. 5 (translated in _Literature and Romance of Northern Europe_, 276).

There was a rich lord, and he lived in Forfar, He had a fair lady, and one only dochter.

O she was fair, O dear! she was bonnie, A s.h.i.+p's captain courted her to be his honey.

There cam a s.h.i.+p's captain out owre the sea sailing, 5 He courted this young thing till he got her wi' bairn:-- "Ye'll steal your father's gowd, and your mother's money, And I'll mak ye a lady in Ireland bonnie."

She's stown her father's gowd and her mother's money, But she was never a lady in Ireland bonnie. 10 * * * *

"There's fey fowk in our s.h.i.+p, she winna sail for me, There's fey fowk in our s.h.i.+p, she winna sail for me."

They've casten black bullets twice six and forty, And ae the black bullet fell on bonnie Annie.

"Ye'll tak me in your arms twa, lo, lift me cannie, 15 Throw me out owre board, your ain dear Annie."

He has tane her in his arms twa, lo, lifted her cannie, He has laid her on a bed of down, his ain dear Annie.

"What can a woman do, love, I'll do for ye;"