Francis James Child

“ There is no child with me;
It was only a bit of a cholick I took,
And I thought I was gawen to dee.'
So they looked up, and they looked down,
And they looked beneath the bed-foot,
And there they saw a bonnie boy,
Lying weltering in his blood.
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
'Since that you have killed your own dear child,
The same death you shall dee.'
When Mary came afore the court,
A loud laugh laughed she ”

“ Busk ye and gang wi me,
For I maun away to Edinbro town,
A rich wedding to see.'
Mary wad na put on the black velvet,
Nor yet wad put on the brown,
But she's put on the red velvet,
To shine thro Edinbro town.
When she came unto the town,
And near the Tolbooth stair,
There stood many a lady gay,
Weeping for Mary fair.
'O haud yeer tongue [s] , ye ladys a',
And weep na mair for me!
O haud yeer tongues, ye ladys a',
For it's for my fault I dee.
'The king he took me on his knee
And he gae three drinks to me,
And a' to put the babie back,
But it wad na gang back for me. ”

“ That I hae lien in a young man's arms,
An I rued it aye synsyne.
Queen Marie she cam doon the stair,
Wi the goud kamis in her hair:
'Oh whare oh whare is the wee wee babe
I heard greetin sae sair?'
'It's no a babe, a babie fair,
Nor ever intends to be;
But I mysel, wi a sair colic,
Was seek and like to dee.'
They socht the bed baith up an doon,
Frae the pillow to the straw,
An there they got the wee wee babe,
But its life was far awa.
'Come doon, come doon, Marie Hamilton,
Come doon and speak to me;
. . . .
. . . . ”

“ To glance through Embro town.
'Come saddle not to me the black,' she says,
'Nor yet to me the brown,
But come saddle to me the milk-white steed,
That I may ride in renown.'
=
P
=
MY father's the duke of Argyll,
My mither's a lady gay,
And I mysel am a dainty dame,
And the king desired me.
schawd [me] up, he schawed me doun,
He schawd me to the ha;
He schawd me to the low cellars,
And that was waurst of a'.
=
Q
=
THE Duke of York was my father,
My mother a lady free,
Myself a dainty damosell,
Queen Marie sent for me. ”

“ The lands I was to travel in,
Or the death I was to die!'
=
J
=
My mother was a proud, proud woman,
A proud, proud woman and a bold;
She sent me to Queen Marie's bour,
When scarcely eleven years old. ”

“ An the king thoct mair o Marie
Then onie that were there.
Mary Hamilton's to the preaching gane,
Wi ribbons on her breast;
An the king thocht mair o Marie
Than he thocht o the priest.
Syne word is thro the palace gane,
I heard it tauld yestreen,
The king loes Mary Hamilton
Mair than he loes his queen. ”

“ Doun and cam the king himsell,
And an angry man was he:
'If ye had saved that braw child's life,
It might hae been an honour to thee.'
They socht the chamer up and doun,
And in below the bed,
And there they fand a braw lad-bairn
Lying lapperin in his blood. ”

“ Her spice was aye sae fell,
Till they gart me gang to the young man's bed,
And I'd a' the wyte mysell.
'I was not in the queen's service
A twelvemonth but barely ane,
Ere I grew as big wi bairn
As ae woman could gang. ”