Ye would send for King Henry, King Henry to me:"
King Henry was called for, and sat by her bedside, 15
"What aileth thee, Jeanie, what aileth my bride?"
"King Henry, King Henry, will ye do this for me,
To rip up my two sides, and save my babie?"
"Queen Jeanie, Queen Jeanie, that's what I'll never do,
To rip up your two sides to save your babie." 20
But with sighing and sobbing she's fallen in a swoon,
Her side it was ript up, and her babie was found;
At this bonie babie's christ'ning there was meikle joy and mirth,
But bonnie Queen Jeanie lies cold in the earth.
Six and six coaches, and six and six more, 25
And royal King Henry went mourning before;
O two and two gentlemen carried her away,
But royal King Henry went weeping away.
O black were their stockings, and black were their bands,
And black were the weapons they held in their hands; 30
O black were their mufflers, and black were their shoes,
And black were the cheverons they drew on their luves.
They mourned in the kitchen, and they mourn'd in the ha',
But royal King Henry mourn'd langest of a'.
Farewell to fair England, farewell for evermore, 35
For the fair flower of England will never shine more!
THE DEATH OF QUEEN JANE.
From _Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England_,
edited by Robert Bell, p. 113. Taken down from the singing of a young
gipsy girl.
Queen Jane was in travail for six weeks or more,
Till the women grew tired and fain would give o'er,
"O women, O women, good wives if ye be,
Go send for King Henrie, and bring him to me!"
King Henrie was sent for, he came with all speed, 5
In a gownd of green velvet from heel to the head;
"King Henrie, King Henrie, if kind Henrie you be,
Send for a surgeon, and bring him to me!"
The surgeon was sent for, he came with all speed,
In a gownd of black velvet from heel to the head; 10
He gave her rich caudle, but the death-sleep slept she,
Then her right side was opened, and the babe was set free.
The babe it was christened, and put out and nursed,
While the royal Queen Jane she lay cold in the dust.
* * * * *
So black was the mourning, and white were the wands, 15
Yellow, yellow the torches they bore in their hands;
The bells they were muffled, and mournful did play,
While the royal Queen Jane she lay cold in the clay.
Six knights and six lords bore her corpse through the grounds,
Six dukes followed after, in black mourning gownds, 20
The flower of Old England was laid in cold clay,
Whilst the royal King Henrie came weeping away.
THE MURDER OF THE KING OF SCOTS.
_Reliques of Ancient English Poetry_, ii. 210.
"The catastrophe of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, the unfortunate
husband of Mary Queen of Scots, is the subject of this ballad. It is
here related in that partial imperfect manner, in which such an event
would naturally strike the subjects of another kingdom, of which he
was a native. Henry appears to have been a vain, capricious, worthless
young man, of weak understanding, and dissolute morals. But the
beauty of his person, and the inexperience of his youth, would dispose
mankind to treat him with an indulgence, which the cruelty of his
murder would afterwards convert into the most tender pity and regret:
and then imagination would not fail to adorn his memory with all those
virtues he ought to have possessed.
"Darnley, who had been born and educated in England, was but in his
21st year when he was murdered, Feb. 9, 1567-8. This crime was
perpetrated by the Earl of Bothwell, not out of respect to the memory
of Riccio, but in order to pave the way for his own marriage with the
queen.
"This ballad (printed, with a few corrections, from the Editor's folio
MS.) seems to have been written soon after Mary's escape into England
in 1568, see v. 65.--It will be remembered, at v. 5, that this
princess was Queen Dowager of France, having been first married to
Francis II., who died Dec. 4, 1560."--PERCY.
Woe worth, woe worth thee, false Scotlànde!
For thou hast ever wrought by sleight;
The worthyest prince that ever was borne,
You hanged under a cloud by night.
The Queene of France a letter wrote, 5
And sealed itt with harte and ringe;
And bade him come Scotland within,
And shee wold marry and crowne him kinge.
To be a king is a pleasant thing,
To bee a prince unto a peere: 10
But you have heard, and soe have I too,
A man may well buy gold too deare.
There was an Italyan in that place,
Was as well beloved as ever was hee,
Lord David [Rizzio] was his name, 15
Chamberlaine to the queene was hee.
If the king had risen forth of his place,
He wold have sate him downe in the cheare,
And tho itt beseemed him not so well,
Altho the kinge had beene present there. 20
Some lords in Scotlande waxed wrothe,
And quarrelled with him for the nonce;
I shall you tell how it befell,
Twelve daggers were in him att once.
When the queene saw her chamberlaine was slaine, 25
For him her faire cheeks shee did weete,
And made a vowe, for a yeare and a day
The king and shee wold not come in one sheete.
Then some of the lords they waxed wrothe,
And made their vow all vehementlye, 30
For the death of the queenes chamberlaine,
The king himselfe, how he shall dye.
With gun-powder they strewed his roome,
And layd greene rushes in his way;
For the traitors thought that very night 35
This worthye king for to betray.
To bedd the king he made him bowne;
To take his rest was his desire;
He was noe sooner cast on sleepe,
But his chamber was on a blasing fire. 40
Up he lope, and the window brake,
And hee had thirtye foote to fall;
Lord Bodwell kept a privy watch,
Underneath his castle wall.
"Who have wee here?" Lord Bodwell sayd; 45
"Now answer me, that I may know."
"King Henry the eighth my uncle was;
For his sweete sake some pitty show."
"Who have we here?" Lord Bodwell sayd;
"Now answer me when I doe speake." 50
"Ah, Lord Bodwell, I know thee well;
Some pitty on me I pray thee take."
"Ile pitty thee as much," he sayd,
"And as much favor show to thee,
As thou didst to the queenes chamberlaine, 55
That day thou deemedst him to die."
Through halls and towers the king they ledd,
Through towers and castles that were nye,
Through an arbor into an orchàrd,
There on a peare-tree hanged him hye. 60
When the governor of Scotland heard
How that the worthye king was slaine,
He persued the queen so bitterlye,
That in Scotland shee dare not remaine.
But shee is fledd into merry England, 65
And here her residence hath taine,
And through the Queene of Englands grace,
In England now shee doth remaine.
THE RISING IN THE NORTH.
Percy's _Reliques_, i. 285.
The subject of this ballad is the insurrection of the Earls of
Northumberland and Westmoreland, in the twelfth year of Queen
Elizabeth, 1569.
These two noblemen were the leaders of the Catholic party in the North
of England, and interested themselves warmly in various projects to
restore Mary Stuart to her liberty. When a marriage was proposed
between the Duke of Norfolk and the Scottish Queen, they, with many of
the first persons in the kingdom, entered zealously into the scheme,
having the ulterior view, according to Hume, of placing Mary on the
throne of England. Norfolk endeavored to conceal his plans from
Elizabeth, until he should form a combination powerful enough to
extort her consent, but the Queen received information betimes, and
committed the Duke to the Tower. Several of his abettors were also
taken into custody, and the two Northern Earls were summoned to appear
at court, to answer to the charge of an intended rebellion. They had
proceeded too far to trust themselves willingly in the hands of their
enraged sovereign, and the summons precipitated them into an
insurrection for which they were not prepared. They hastily gathered
their followers, and published a manifesto, in which they declared
that they maintained an unshaken allegiance to the Queen, and sought
only to reëstablish the religion of their ancestors, and to restore
the Duke of Norfolk to liberty and to the Queen's favor.
"Their common banner (on which was displayed the cross, together with
the five wounds of Christ,) was borne by an ancient gentleman, Richard
Norton, Esq., of Norton-Conyers: who with his sons (among whom,
Christopher, Marmaduke, and Thomas, are expressly named by Camden)
distinguished himself on this occasion. Having entered Durham, they
tore the Bible, &c, and caused mass to be said there: they then
marched on to Clifford Moor near Wetherbye, where they mustered their
men. Their intention was to have proceeded on to York; but, altering
their minds, they fell upon Barnard's castle, which Sir George Bowes
held out against them for eleven days."--PERCY.
The insurgents' army amounted to about six thousand men. The Earl of
Sussex, supported by Lord Hunsdon and others, marched against them
with seven thousand, and the Earl of Warwick with still greater
forces. Before these superior numbers the rebels dispersed without
striking a blow. Northumberland fled to the Scots, by whom, as we
shall see in the next ballad, he was betrayed to Elizabeth. The Earl
of Westmoreland escaped to Flanders, and died there in penury.
Another outbreak following close upon the above was suppressed by Lord
Hunsdon. Great cruelties were exercised by the victorious party, no
less than eight hundred having, it is said, suffered by the hands of
the executioner.
The ballad was printed by Percy from two MS. copies, one of them in
the editor's folio collection. "They contained considerable
variations, out of which such readings were chosen as seemed most
poetical and consonant to history."
"The Fate of the Nortons," we need hardly say, forms the subject of
Wordsworth's _White Doe of Rylstone_.
Listen, lively lordlings all,
Lithe and listen unto mee,
And I will sing of a noble earle,
The noblest earle in the north countrìe.
Earle Percy is into his garden gone, 5
And after him walkes his faire ladìe:
"I heard a bird sing in mine eare,
That I must either fight or flee."
"Now heaven forefend, my dearest lord,
That ever such harm should hap to thee; 10
But goe to London to the court,
And faire fall truth and honestìe."
"Now nay, now nay, my ladye gay,
Alas! thy counsell suits not mee;
Mine enemies prevail so fast, 15
That at the court I may not bee."
"O goe to the court yet, good my lord,
And take thy gallant men with thee;
If any dare to doe you wrong,
Then your warrant they may bee." 20
"Now nay, now nay, thou lady faire,
The court is full of subtiltie;
And if I goe to the court, lady,
Never more I may thee see."
"Yet goe to the court, my lord," she sayes, 25
"And I myselfe will ride wi' thee:
At court then for my dearest lord,
His faithfull borrowe I will bee."
Now nay, now nay, my lady deare;
Far lever had I lose my life, 30
Than leave among my cruell foes
My love in jeopardy and strife.
"But come thou hither, my little foot-page,
Come thou hither unto mee;
To maister Norton thou must goe 35
In all the haste that ever may bee.
"Commend me to that gentleman,
And beare this letter here fro mee;
And say that earnestly I praye,
He will ryde in my companie." 40
One while the little foot-page went,
And another while he ran;
Untill he came to his journeys end
The little foot-page never blan.
When to that gentleman he came, 45
Down he kneeled on his knee,
And tooke the letter betwixt his hands,
And lett the gentleman it see.
And when the letter it was redd
Affore that goodlye companye, 50
I-wis, if you the truthe wold know,
There was many a weepynge eye.
He sayd, "Come hither, Christopher Norton,
A gallant youth thou seemst to bee;
What doest thou counsell me, my sonne,
Now that good erle's in jeopardy?" 55
"Father, my counselle's fair and free;
That erle he is a noble lord,
And whatsoever to him you hight,
I wold not have you breake your word." 60
"Gramercy, Christopher, my sonne,
Thy counsell well it liketh mee,
And if we speed and scape with life,
Well advanced shalt thou bee."
"Come you hither, mine nine good sonnes,[L65] 65
Gallant men I trowe you bee:
How many of you, my children deare,
Will stand by that good erle and mee?"
Eight of them did answer make,
Eight of them spake hastilie, 70
"O father, till the daye we dye
We'll stand by that good erle and thee."
"Gramercy now, my children deare,
You showe yourselves right bold and brave;
And whethersoe'er I live or dye, 75
A fathers blessing you shal have."
"But what sayst thou, O Francis Norton?
Thou art mine oldest sonn and heire;
Somewhat lyes brooding in thy breast;
Whatever it bee, to mee declare." 80
"Father, you are an aged man;
Your head is white, your bearde is gray;
It were a shame at these your yeares
For you to ryse in such a fray."
"Now fye upon thee, coward Francis, 85
Thou never learnedst this of mee;
When thou wert yong and tender of age,
Why did I make soe much of thee?"
"But, father, I will wend with you,
Unarm'd and naked will I bee; 90
And he that strikes against the crowne,
Ever an ill death may he dee."
Then rose that reverend gentleman,
And with him came a goodlye band,
To join with the brave Erle Percy, 95
And all the flower o' Northumberland.
With them the noble Nevill came,
The erle of Westmorland was hee:
At Wetherbye they mustred their host,
Thirteen thousand faire to see. 100
Lord Westmorland his ancyent raisde,
The Dun Bull he rays'd on hye,[L102]
And three Dogs with golden collars
Were there sett out most royallye.
Erie Percy there his ancyent spred, 105
The Halfe-Moone shining all soe faire:[L106]
The Nortons ancyent had the crosse,
And the five wounds our Lord did beare.
Then Sir George Bowes he straitwaye rose,
After them some spoyle to make; 110
Those noble erles turn'd backe againe,
And aye they vowed that knight to take.
That baron he to his castle fled
To Barnard castle then fled hee;
The uttermost walles were eathe to win, 115
The earles have won them presentlìe.
The uttermost walles were lime and bricke,
But thoughe they won them soon anone,
Long e'er they wan the innermost walles,
For they were cut in rocke of stone. 120
Then newes unto leeve London came,
In all the speede that ever might bee,
And word is brought to our royall queene
Of the rysing in the North countrie.
Her grace she turned her round about, 125
And like a royall queene shee swore,
"I will ordayne them such a breakfast,
As never was in the North before."
Shee caus'd thirty thousand men be rays'd,
With horse and harneis faire to see; 130
She caused thirty thousand men be raised,
To take the earles i' th' North countrie.
Wi' them the false Erle Warwick went,
Th' Erle Sussex and the Lord Hunsden;
Untill they to Yorke castle came,
I-wiss they never stint ne blan. 135
Now spred thy ancyent, Westmorland,
Thy dun bull faine would we spye:
And thou, the Erle o' Northumberland,
Now rayse thy half moone up on hye. 140
But the dun bulle is fled and gone,
And the halfe moone vanished away:
The erles, though they were brave and bold,
Against soe many could not stay.
Thee, Norton, wi' thine eight good sonnes, 145
They doom'd to dye, alas for ruth!
Thy reverend lockes thee could not save,
Nor them their faire and blooming youthe.
Wi' them full many a gallant wight
They cruellye bereav'd of life: 150
And many a childe made fatherlesse,
And widowed many a tender wife.
65. The Act of Attainder, 13th Elizabeth, only mentions Richard Norton,
the father, and _seven_ sons, and in "a list of the rebels in the late
Northern rebellion that are fled beyond seas," the same seven sons are
named. Richard Norton, the father, was living long after the rebellion
in Spanish Flanders. See Sharp's _Bishoprick Garland_, p. 10.
102. The supporters of the Nevilles Earls of Westmoreland were two bulls
argent, ducally collar'd gold, armed or, &c. But I have not discovered
the device mentioned in the ballad, among the badges, &c., given by that
house. This however is certain, that, among those of the Nevilles, Lord
Abergavenny (who were of the same family), is a dun cow with a golden
collar; and the Nevilles of Chyte in Yorkshire (of the Westmoreland
branch), gave for their crest, in 1513, a dog's (greyhound's) head
erased.--So that it is not improbable but Charles Neville, the unhappy
Earl of Westmoreland here mentioned, might on this occasion give the
above device on his banner.--After all, our old minstrel's verses here
may have undergone some corruption; for, in another ballad in the same
folio MS., and apparently written by the same hand, containing the
sequel of this Lord Westmoreland's history, his banner is thus
described, more conformable to his known bearings:
"_Sett me up my faire Dun Bull,
With Gilden Hornes, hee beares all soe hye_."--P.
106. The Silver Crescent is a well-known crest or badge of the
Northumberland family. It was probably brought home from some of the
crusades against the Sarazens.--P.
NORTHUMBERLAND BETRAYED BY DOUGLAS.
Percy's _Reliques_, i. 295.
The Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland, after the dispersion of
their forces took refuge with the Scots on the Borders. The Elliots
drove them from Liddesdale, and they sought the protection of the
Armstrongs in the Debatable Land. Northumberland took up his residence
with a man of that tribe called Hector of Harlaw, relying on his
plighted faith and on his gratitude for many past favors. By this
miscreant the Earl was betrayed for money to the Regent Murray. He was
confined in Lochleven Castle until 1572, when he was handed over to
Lord Hunsden, and executed at York.
We are assured that this Hector, who had been rich, fell into poverty
after his treachery, and became so infamous that "to take Hector's
cloak" was a proverb for a man who betrayed his friend.
In Pinkerton's _Poems from the Maitland MS_. (pp. 219-234) are three
bitter invectives on this subject. In one of these we are told that
the traitor Eckie of Harlaw said he sold the Earl "to redeem his
pledge," that is, says Scott, the pledge which had been exacted from
him for his peaceable demeanor.
"The interposal of the Witch-Lady (v. 53)" hath some countenance from
history; for, about twenty-five years before, the Lady Jane Douglas,
Lady Glamis, sister of the Earl of Angus, and nearly related to
Douglas of Lough-leven, had suffered death for the pretended crime of
witchcraft; who, it is presumed, is the witch-lady alluded to in verse
133.
"The following is selected (like the former) from two copies, which
contained great variations; one of them in the Editor's folio MS. In
the other copy some of the stanzas at the beginning of this ballad are
nearly the same with what in that MS. are made to begin another ballad
on the escape of the Earl of Westmoreland, who got safe into Flanders,
and is feigned in the ballad to have undergone a great variety of
adventures."--PERCY.
"How long shall fortune faile me nowe,
And harrowe me with fear and dread?
How long shall I in bale abide,
In misery my life to lead?
"To fall from my bliss, alas the while! 5
It was my sore and heavye lott;
And I must leave my native land,
And I must live a man forgot.
"One gentle Armstrong I doe ken,
A Scot he is, much bound to mee; 10
He dwelleth on the Border side,
To him I'll goe right privilie."
Thus did the noble Percy 'plaine,
With a heavy heart and wel-away,
When he with all his gallant men 15
On Bramham moor had lost the day.
But when he to the Armstrongs came,
They dealt with him all treacherouslye;
For they did strip that noble earle,
And ever an ill death may they dye! 20
False Hector to Earl Murray sent,
To shew him where his guest did hide,
Who sent him to the Lough-levèn,
With William Douglas to abide.
And when he to the Douglas came, 25
He halched him right courteouslie;
Say'd, "Welcome, welcome, noble earle,
Here thou shalt safelye bide with mee."
When he had in Lough-leven been
Many a month and many a day, 30
To the regent the lord warden sent,
That bannisht earle for to betray.
He offered him great store of gold,
And wrote a letter fair to see,
Saying, "Good my lord, grant me my boon, 35
And yield that banisht man to mee."
Earle Percy at the supper sate,
With many a goodly gentleman;
The wylie Douglas then bespake,
And thus to flyte with him began. 40
"What makes you be so sad, my lord,
And in your mind so sorrowfullye?
To-morrow a shootinge will bee held
Among the lords of the North countrye.
"The butts are sett, the shooting's made, 45
And there will be great royaltye;
And I am sworne into my bille,
Thither to bring my Lord Percye."
"I'll give thee my hand, thou gentle Douglas,
And here by my true faith," quoth hee, 50
"If thou wilt ryde to the worldes end
I will ryde in thy companye."
And then bespake a lady faire,
Mary à Douglas was her name;
"You shall byde here, good English lord, 55
My brother is a traiterous man.
"He is a traitor stout and stronge,
As I tell you in privitie;
For he hath tane liverance of the erle,[L59]
Into England nowe to 'liver thee." 60
"Now nay, now nay, thou goodly lady,
The regent is a noble lord:
Ne for the gold in all Englànd
The Douglas wold not break his word.
"When the regent was a banisht man, 65
With me he did faire welcome find;
And whether weal or woe betide,
I still shall find him true and kind.
"Between England and Scotland it wold breake truce,
And friends againe they wold never bee, 70
If they shold 'liver a banisht erle,
Was driven out of his own countrie."
"Alas! alas! my lord," she sayes,
"Nowe mickle is their traitorie;
Then lett my brother ryde his wayes, 75
And tell those English lords from thee,
"How that you cannot with him ryde,
Because you are in an ile of the sea,[L78]
Then ere my brother come againe,
To Edenborow castle Ile carry thee. 80
"To the Lord Hume I will thee bring;
He is well knowne a true Scots lord,
And he will lose both land and life,
Ere he with thee will break his word."
"Much is my woe," Lord Percy sayd, 85
"When I thinke on my own countrìe,
When I thinke on the heavye happe
My friends have suffered there for mee.
"Much is my woe," Lord Percy sayd,
"And sore those wars my minde distresse; 90
Where many a widow lost her mate,
And many a child was fatherlesse.
"And now that I a banisht man
Shold bring such evil happe with mee,
To cause my faire and noble friends 95
To be suspect of treacherie,
"This rives my heart with double woe;
And lever had I dye this day,
Than thinke a Douglas can be false,
Or ever he will his guest betray." 100
"If you'll give me no trust, my lord,
Nor unto mee no credence yield,
Yet step one moment here aside,
Ile showe you all your foes in field."
"Lady, I never loved witchcraft, 105
Never dealt in privy wyle;
But evermore held the high-waye
Of truth and honour, free from guile."
"If you'll not come yourselfe, my lorde,
Yet send your chamberlaine with mee, 110
Let me but speak three words with him,
And he shall come again to thee."
James Swynard with that lady went,
She showed him through the weme of her ring
How many English lords there were 115
Waiting for his master and him.
"And who walkes yonder, my good lady,
So royallye on yonder greene?"
"O yonder is the Lord Hunsden:[L119]
Alas! he'll doe you drie and teene." 120
"And who beth yonder, thou gay ladye,
That walkes so proudly him beside?"
"That is Sir William Drury," shee sayd,[L123]
"A keene captaine hee is and tryde."
"How many miles is itt, madàme, 125
Betwixt yond English lords and mee?"
"Marry, it is thrice fifty miles,
To saile to them upon the sea.
"I never was on English ground,
Ne never sawe it with mine eye, 130
But as my book it sheweth mee,
And through my ring I may descrye.
"My mother shee was a witch ladye,
And of her skille she learned mee;
She wold let me see out of Lough-leven 135
What they did in London citìe."
"But who is yond, thou lady faire,
That looketh with sic an austerne face?"
"Yonder is Sir John Foster," quoth shee,[L139]
"Alas! he'll do ye sore disgrace." 140
He pulled his hatt downe over his browe;
He wept, in his heart he was full of woe;
And he is gone to his noble lord,
Those sorrowful tidings him to show.
"Now nay, now nay, good James Swynàrd, 145
I may not believe that witch ladìe;
The Douglasses were ever true,
And they can ne'er prove false to mee.
"I have now in Lough-leven been
The most part of these years three, 150
Yett have I never had noe outrake,
Ne no good games that I cold see.
"Therefore I'll to yond shooting wend,
As to the Douglas I have hight:
Betide me weale, betide me woe, 155
He ne'er shall find my promise light."
He writhe a gold ring from his finger,
And gave itt to that gay ladìe:
Sayes, "It was all that I cold save,
In Harley woods where I cold bee." 160
"And wilt thou goe, thou noble lord?
Then farewell truth and honestìe,
And farewell heart, and farewell hand,
For never more I shall thee see."