And all the saylors were on borde;
Then William Douglas took to his boat,
And with him went that noble lord.
Then he cast up a silver wand,
Says, "Gentle lady, fare thee well!" 170
The lady fett a sigh soe deep,
And in a dead swoone down shee fell.
"Now let us goe back, Douglas," he sayd,
"A sickness hath taken yond faire ladìe;
If ought befall yond lady but good, 175
Then blamed for ever I shall bee."
"Come on, come on, my lord," he sayes,
"Come on, come on, and let her bee;
There's ladyes enow in Lough-leven
For to cheere that gay ladìe." 180
"If you'll not turne yourself, my lord,
Let me goe with my chamberlaine;
We will but comfort that faire lady,
And wee will return to you againe."
"Come on, come on, my lord," he sayes, 185
"Come on, come on, and let her bee;
My sister is craftye, and wold beguile
A thousand such as you and mee."
"When they had sayled fifty myle,
Now fifty mile upon the sea, 190
Hee sent his man to ask the Douglas,
When they shold that shooting see."
"Faire words," quoth he, "they make fooles faine,
And that by thee and thy lord is seen;
You may hap to thinke itt soone enough, 195
Ere you that shooting reach, I ween."
Jamye his hatt pulled over his browe,
He thought his lord then was betray'd;
And he is to Erle Percy againe,
To tell him what the Douglas sayd. 200
"Hold upp thy head, man," quoth his lord,
"Nor therefore lett thy courage fayle;
He did it but to prove thy heart,
To see if he cold make it quail."
When they had other fifty sayld, 205
Other fifty mile upon the sea,
Lord Percy called to Douglas himselfe,
Sayd, "What wilt thou nowe doe with mee?"
"Looke that your brydle be wight, my lord,
And your horse goe swift as shipp att sea; 210
Looke that your spurres be bright and sharpe,
That you may pricke her while shee'll away."
"What needeth this, Douglas?" he sayth;
"What needest thou to flyte with mee?
For I was counted a horseman good 215
Before that ever I mett with thee.
"A false Hector hath my horse,
Who dealt with mee so treacherouslìe;
A false Armstrong hath my spurres,
And all the geere belongs to mee." 220
When they had sayled other fifty mile,
Other fifty mile upon the sea,
They landed low by Berwicke side,
A deputed laird landed Lord Percye.[L224]
Then he at Yorke was doomde to die, 225
It was, alas! a sorrowful sight;
Thus they betrayed that noble earle,
Who ever was a gallant wight.
59. Of the Earl of Morton, the Regent.--P.
78. i. e. Lake of Leven, which hath communication with the sea.
Edinburgh was at that time in the hands of the opposite faction.--P.
119. The Lord Warden of the East Marches.--P.
123. Governor of Berwick.--P.
139. Warden of the Middle-march.--P.
224. fol. MS. reads _land_, and has not the following stanza.
KING OF SCOTS AND ANDREW BROWNE.
From _Reliques of English Poetry_, ii. 217.
"This ballad is a proof of the little intercourse that subsisted
between the Scots and English, before the accession of James I. to the
crown of England. The tale which is here so circumstantially related,
does not appear to have had the least foundation in history, but was
probably built upon some confused hearsay report of the tumults in
Scotland during the minority of that prince, and of the conspiracies
formed by different factions to get possession of his person. It
should seem from ver. 97 to have been written during the regency, or
at least before the death, of the Earl of Morton, who was condemned
and executed June 2, 1581; when James was in his fifteenth year.
"The original copy (preserved in the archives of the Antiquarian
Society, London,) is entitled, _A new ballad, declaring the great
treason conspired against the young king of Scots, and how one Andrew
Browne, an English-man, which was the king's chamberlaine, prevented
the same. To the tune of Milfield, or els to Green-sleeves_. At the
end is subjoined the name of the author, W. Elderton. 'Imprinted at
London for Yarathe James, dwelling in Newgate Market, over against Ch.
Church,' in black-letter folio."--PERCY.
This ballad was licensed to James on the 30th of May, 1581.
Out alas! what a griefe is this,
That princes subjects cannot be true,
But still the devill hath some of his,
Will play their parts whatsoever ensue;
Forgetting what a grievous thing 5
It is to offend the anointed king!
Alas for woe, why should it be so?
This makes a sorrowful heigh ho.
In Scotland is a bonnie kinge,
As proper a youth as neede to be, 10
Well given to every happy thing,
That can be in a kinge to see:
Yet that unluckie country still,
Hath people given to craftie will.
Alas for woe, &c. 15
On Whitsun eve it so befell,
A posset was made to give the king,
Whereof his ladie nurse hard tell,
And that it was a poysoned thing:
She cryed, and called piteouslie, 20
"Now help, or else the king shall die!"
Alas for woe, &c.
One Browne, that was an English man,
And hard the ladies piteous crye,
Out with his sword, and bestir'd him than, 25
Out of the doores in haste to flie;
But all the doores were made so fast,
Out of a window he got at last.
Alas for woe, &c.
He met the bishop coming fast, 30
Having the posset in his hande:
The sight of Browne made him aghast,
Who bad him stoutly staie and stand.
With him were two that ranne awa,
For feare that Browne would make a fray. 35
Alas, for woe, &c.
"Bishop," quoth Browne, "what hast thou there?"
"Nothing at all, my friend," sayde he,
"But a posset to make the king good cheere."
"Is it so?" sayd Browne, "that will I see. 40
First I will have thyself begin,
Before thou go any further in;
Be it weale or woe, it shall be so.
This makes a sorrowful heigh ho."
The bishop sayde, "Browne, I doo know, 45
Thou art a young man poore and bare;
Livings on thee I will bestowe;
Let me go on, take thou no care."
"No, no," quoth Browne, "I will not be
A traitour for all Christiantie: 50
Happe well or woe, it shall be so.
Drink now with a sorrowfull," &c.
The bishop dranke, and by and by
His belly burst and he fell downe:
A just rewarde for his traitery! 55
"This was a posset indeed," quoth Brown.
He serched the bishop, and found the keyes,
To come to the kinge when he did please.
Alas for woe, &c.
As soon as the king got word of this, 60
He humbly fell uppon his knee,
And praysed God that he did misse
To tast of that extremity:
For that he did perceive and know,
His clergie would betray him so: 65
Alas for woe, &c.
"Alas," he said, "unhappie realme,
My father, and grandfather slaine:[L68]
My mother banished, O extreame
Unhappy fate, and bitter bayne! 70
And now like treason wrought for me--
What more unhappie realme can be!"
Alas for woe, &c.
The king did call his nurse to his grace,
And gave her twenty poundes a yeere; 75
And trustie Browne too in like case,
He knighted him with gallant geere,
And gave him lands and livings great,
For dooing such a manly feat,
As he did showe, to the bishop's woe, 80
Which made, &c.
When all this treason done and past
Tooke not effect of traytery,
Another treason at the last,
They sought against his majestie; 85
How they might make their kinge away
By a privie banket on a daye.
Alas for woe, &c.
'Another time' to sell the king
Beyonde the seas they had decreede: 90
Three noble Earles heard of this thing,
And did prevent the same with speede.
For a letter came, with such a charme,
That they should doo their king no harme:
For further woe, if they did soe, 95
Would make a sorrowful heigh hoe.
The Earle Mourton told the Douglas then,
"Take heede you do not offend the king;
But shew yourselves like honest men
Obediently in every thing; 100
For his godmother will not see[L101]
Her noble child misus'd to be
With any woe; for if it be so,
She will make," &c.
God graunt all subjects may be true, 105
In England, Scotland, every where,
That no such daunger may ensue,
To put the prince or state in feare:
That God, the highest king, may see
Obedience as it ought to be. 110
In wealth or woe, God graunt it be so,
To avoide the sorrowful heigh ho.
68. His father was Henry Lord Darnley. His grandfather, the old Earl of
Lenox, regent of Scotland, and father of Lord Darnley, was murdered at
Stirling, Sept. 5, 1571.--P.
101. Queen Elizabeth.
MARY AMBREE.
_Reliques of Ancient English Poetry_, ii. 230.
"In the year 1584, the Spaniards, under the command of Alexander
Farnese, Prince of Parma, began to gain great advantages in Flanders
and Brabant, by recovering many strongholds and cities from the
Hollanders, as Ghent (called then by the English Gaunt), Antwerp,
Mechlin, &c. See Stow's _Annals_, p. 711. Some attempt made with the
assistance of English volunteers to retrieve the former of those
places, probably gave occasion to this ballad. I can find no mention
of our heroine in history, but the following rhymes rendered her
famous among our poets. Ben Jonson often mentions her, and calls any
remarkable virago by her name. See his _Epic[oe]ne_, first acted in
1609, Act 4, sc. 2: his _Tale of a Tub_, Act 4, sc. 4: and his masque
entitled _The Fortunate Isles_, 1626, where he quotes the very words
of the ballad,
---- MARY AMBREE,
(Who marched so free
To the siege of Gaunt,
And death could not daunt,
As the ballad doth vaunt)
Were a braver wight, &c.
She is also mentioned in Fletcher's _Scornful Lady_, Act 5, _sub
finem_.
"This ballad is printed from a black-letter copy in the Pepys
Collection, improved from the Editor's folio MS., and by conjecture.
The full title is, "_The valourous acts performed at Gaunt by the
brave bonnie lass Mary Ambree, who, in revenge of her lovers death,
did play her part most gallantly_". _The tune is_, The blind beggar,
&c."--PERCY.
When captaines couragious, whom death cold not daunte,
Did march to the siege of the citty of Gaunt,
They mustred their souldiers by two and by three,
And the formost in battle was Mary Ambree.
When [the] brave sergeant-major was slaine in her sight,[L5] 5
Who was her true lover, her joy, and delight,
Because he was slaine most treacherouslìe,
Then vowd to revenge him Mary Ambree.
She clothed herselfe from the top to the toe,
In buffe of the bravest, most seemelye to showe; 10
A faire shirt of male then slipped on shee:
Was not this a brave bonny lass, Mary Ambree?
A helmett of proofe shee strait did provide,
A stronge arminge-sword shee girt by her side,
On her hand a goodly faire gauntlett put shee: 15
Was not this a brave bonny lass, Mary Ambree?
Then tooke shee her sworde and her targett in hand,
Bidding all such, as wold, [to] bee of her band;
To wayte on her person came thousand and three:
Was not this a brave bonny lass, Mary Ambree? 20
"My soldiers," she saith, "soe valliant and bold,
Nowe followe your captaine, whom you doe beholde;
Still formost in battell myselfe will I bee:"
Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree?
Then cryed out her souldiers, and loude they did say, 25
"Soe well thou becomest this gallant array,
Thy harte and thy weapons so well do agree,
Noe mayden was ever like Mary Ambree."
Shee cheared her souldiers, that foughten for life, 30
With ancyent and standard, with drum and with fife,
With brave clanging trumpetts, that sounded so free;
Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree?
"Before I will see the worst of you all
To come into danger of death or of thrall,
This hand and this life I will venture so free:" 35
Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree?
Shee ledd upp her souldiers in battaile array,
Gainst three times theyr number by breake of the daye;
Seven howers in skirmish continued shee:
Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree? 40
She filled the skyes with the smoke of her shott,
And her enemyes bodyes with bullets so hott;
For one of her owne men a score killed shee:
Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree?
And when her false gunner, to spoyle her intent, 45
Away all her pellets and powder had sent,
Straight with her keen weapon shee slasht him in three:
Was not this a brave bonny lasse, Mary Ambree?
Being falselye betrayed for lucre of hyre,
At length she was forced to make a retyre; 50
Then her souldiers into a strong castle drew shee:
Was not this a brave bonny lassee, Mary Ambree?
Her foes they besett her on everye side,
As thinking close siege shee cold never abide;
To beate down the walles they all did decree: 55
But stoutlye deffyd them brave Mary Ambree.
Then tooke shee her sword and her targett in hand,
And mounting the walls all undaunted did stand,
There daring their captaines to match any three:
O what a brave captaine was Mary Ambree! 60
"Now saye, English captaine, what woldest thou give
To ransome thy selfe, which else must not live?
Come yield thy selfe quicklye, or slaine thou must bee:"
Then smiled sweetlye brave Mary Ambree.
"Ye captaines couragious, of valour so bold, 65
Whom thinke you before you now you doe behold?"
"A knight, sir, of England, and captaine soe free,
Who shortleye with us a prisoner must bee."
"No captaine of England; behold in your sight
Two brests in my bosome, and therfore no knight: 70
Noe knight, sirs, of England, nor captaine you see,
But a poor simple mayden called Mary Ambree."
"But art thou a woman, as thou dost declare,
Whose valor hath proved so undaunted in warre?
If England doth yield such brave mayden as thee, 75
Full well may they conquer, faire Mary Ambree."
The prince of Great Parma heard of her renowne
Who long had advanced for Englands faire crowne;
Hee wooed her and sued her his mistress to bee,
And offerd rich presents to Mary Ambree. 80
But this virtuous mayden despised them all:
"Ile nere sell my honour for purple nor pall;
A mayden of England, sir, never will bee
The whore of a monarcke," quoth Mary Ambree.
Then to her owne country shee backe did returne, 85
Still holding the foes of faire England in scorne;
Therfore English captaines of every degree
Sing forth the brave valours of Mary Ambree.
5. So P. C. Sir John Major in MS.
BRAVE LORD WILLOUGHBEY.
Percy's _Reliques_, ii. 235.
"Peregrine Bertie, Lord Willoughby of Eresby, had, in the year 1586,
distinguished himself at the siege of Zutphen, in the Low Countries.
He was the year after made general of the English forces in the United
Provinces, in room of the Earl of Leicester, who was recalled. This
gave him an opportunity of signalizing his courage and military skill
in several actions against the Spaniards. One of these, greatly
exaggerated by popular report, is probably the subject of this old
ballad, which, on account of its flattering encomiums on English
valour, hath always been a favourite with the people.
"Lord Willoughbie died in 1601.--Both Norris and Turner were famous
among the military men of that age.
"The subject of this ballad (which is printed from an old black-letter
copy, with some conjectural emendations) may possibly receive
illustration from what Chapman says in the dedication to his version
of Homer's _Frogs and Mice_, concerning the brave and memorable
retreat of Sir John Norris, with only 1000 men, through the whole
Spanish army, under the Duke of Parma, for three miles together."
PERCY.
Lord Willoughby was son of that Duchess of Suffolk, whose
extraordinary adventures, while in exile on the continent during the
reign of Queen Mary, are the subject of an often-printed ballad called
the _Duchess of Suffolk's Calamity_. See _Strange Histories_, Percy
Society, iii. 17, and the Appendix to this volume.
The fifteenth day of July,
With glistering spear and shield,
A famous fight in Flanders
Was foughten in the field:
The most couragious officers 5
Were English captains three;
But the bravest man in battel
Was brave Lord Willoughbèy.
The next was Captain Norris,
A valiant man was hee; 10
The other Captain Turner,
From field would never flee.
With fifteen hundred fighting men,
Alas! there were no more,
They fought with fourteen thousand then, 15
Upon the bloody shore.
"Stand to it, noble pikemen,
And look you round about:
And shoot you right, you bow-men,
And we will keep them out. 20
You musquet and calìver men,
Do you prove true to me:
I'le be the formost man in fight,"
Says brave Lord Willoughbèy.
And then the bloody enemy 25
They fiercely did assail,
And fought it out most furiously,
Not doubting to prevail.
The wounded men on both sides fell,
Most pitious for to see, 30
Yet nothing could the courage quell
Of brave Lord Willoughbèy.
For seven hours, to all mens view,
This fight endured sore,
Until our men so feeble grew 35
That they could fight no more;
And then upon dead horses,
Full savourly they eat,
And drank the puddle water,
They could no better get. 40
When they had fed so freely,
They kneeled on the ground,
And praised God devoutly
For the favour they had found;
And beating up their colours, 45
The fight they did renew,
And turning tow'rds the Spaniard,
A thousand more they slew.
The sharp steel-pointed arrows,
And bullets thick did fly; 50
Then did our valiant soldiers
Charge on most furiously:
Which made the Spaniards waver;
They thought it best to flee;
They fear'd the stout behaviour 55
Of brave Lord Willoughbèy.
Then quoth the Spanish general,
"Come, let us march away;
I fear we shall be spoiled all
If here we longer stay; 60
For yonder comes Lord Willoughbey,
With courage fierce and fell;
He will not give one inch of way
For all the devils in hell."
And then the fearful enemy 65
Was quickly put to flight,
Our men persued couragiously,
And caught their forces quite;
But at [the] last they gave a shout,
Which ecchoed through the sky; 70
"God and St. George for England!"
The conquerers did cry.
This news was brought to England
With all the speed might be,
And soon our gracious queen was told 75
Of this same victory.
"O this is brave Lord Willoughbey,
My love that ever won;
Of all the lords of honour,
'Tis he great deeds hath done." 80
To the souldiers that were maimed
And wounded in the fray,
The queen allowed a pension
Of fifteen pence a day;
And from all costs and charges 85
She quit and set them free:
And this she did all for the sake
Of brave Lord Willoughbèy.
Then courage, noble Englishmen,
And never be dismaid; 90
If that we be but one to ten,
We will not be afraid
To fight with foraign enemies,
And set our nation free:
And thus I end the bloody bout 95
Of brave Lord Willoughbèy.
THE BONNY EARL OF MURRAY.
From _The Tea-Table Miscellany_, ii. 188.
In consequence of a suspicion that the Earl of Murray had been party
to an attempt of his cousin, the notorious Bothwell, against the
person of the King (James VI.), a commission was issued for bringing
Murray before the sovereign for examination. The arrest was
inconsiderately entrusted to the Earl of Huntly, Murray's mortal
enemy. The young earl was at that time peacefully residing at
Dunnibirsel, the house of his mother, Lady Downe. Huntly surrounded
the place and summoned the inmates to surrender, and the demand not
being complied with, set fire to the mansion. Murray escaped from the
flames, but was overtaken by his foes and savagely slain. The event
took place on the night of the 7th of February, 1592.
The youth, beauty, and accomplishments of the victim of this outrage
made him a favourite with the people, and there was a universal clamor
for revenge. On the 10th of the month, proclamation was made for all
noblemen and barons, in a great number of shires, to rise in arms, to
join the King for the pursuit of the Earl of Huntly, who, however,
surrendered himself, and was dismissed, on security for his appearance
to answer for the crime. The moderation of James gave rise to a
scandalous report, that the king countenanced the murderer, out of
jealousy for the favor with which the bonny earl was regarded by the
Queen.
The ballad of _Young Waters_ (vol. iii. p. 89) has, without convincing
reasons, been supposed to be founded on the story of the Earl of
Murray.
The first of the two pieces which follow is from Ramsay's _Tea-Table
Miscellany_. The second, which may perhaps be a part of the same
ballad, was first printed in Finlay's collection.
Ye Highlands, and ye Lawlands,
O where have you been?
They have slain the Earl of Murray,
And they laid him on the green.
"Now wae be to thee, Huntly! 5
And wherefore did you sae?
I bade you bring him wi' you,
But forbade you him to slay."
He was a braw gallant,
And he rid at the ring; 10
And the bonny Earl of Murray,
O he might hae been a king.
He was a braw gallant,
And he play'd at the ba';
And the bonny Earl of Murray 15
Was the flower amang them a'.
He was a braw gallant,
And he play'd at the glove;
And the bonny Earl of Murray,
O he was the Queen's love. 20
O lang will his lady
Look o'er the castle Down,
Ere she see the Earl of Murray
Come sounding thro' the town.
THE BONNIE EARL O' MURRAY.
From Finlay's _Scottish Ballads_, ii. 21.
"Open the gates,
And let him come in;
He is my brother Huntly,
He'll do him nae harm."
The gates they were opent, 5
They let him come in;
But fause traitor Huntly,
He did him great harm.
He's ben and ben,
And ben to his bed; 10
And with a sharp rapier
He stabbed him dead.
The lady came down the stair,
Wringing her hands;
"He has slain the Earl o' Murray, 15
The flower o' Scotland."
But Huntly lap on his horse,
Rade to the king:
"Ye're welcome hame, Huntly,
And whare hae ye been? 20
"Whare hae ye been?
And how hae ye sped?"
"I've killed the Earl o' Murray,
Dead in his bed."
"Foul fa' you, Huntly! 25
And why did ye so?
You might have ta'en the Earl o' Murray
And saved his life too."
"Her bread it's to bake,
Her yill is to brew; 30
My sister's a widow,
And sair do I rue.
"Her corn grows ripe,
Her meadows grow green,
But in bonny Dinnibristle 35
I darena be seen."
THE WINNING OF CALES.
This is one of many exulting effusions which were called forth by the
taking of Cadiz (vulgarly called Cales). The town was captured on the
21st of June, 1596, the Earl of Effingham being high-admiral of the
fleet, and Essex general of the land forces. Sir W. Raleigh, Lord
Thomas Howard, and other distinguished soldiers had commands in the
expedition. The praise here bestowed on Essex's humanity was richly
deserved, and the booty taken by the conquerors is not exaggerated.
The whole loss of the Spaniards, in their city and their fleet, was
estimated at twenty millions of ducats.
We give this ballad from Deloney's _Garland of Good Will_, as
reprinted by the Percy Society, vol. xxx. p. 113. The copy in the
_Reliques_ (ii. 241), which was corrected by the editor, differs but
slightly from the present.
Long had the proud Spaniards
Advancèd to conquer us,
Threatening our country
With fire and sword;
Often preparing 5
Their navy most sumptuous,
With all the provision
That Spain could afford.
Dub a-dub, dub,
Thus strike the drums, 10
Tan-ta-ra, ta-ra-ra,
The Englishman comes.
To the seas presently
Went our lord admiral,
With knights couragious, 15
And captains full good;
The earl of Essex,
A prosperous general,
With him preparèd
To pass the salt flood. 20
Dub a-dub, &c.
At Plymouth speedily,
Took they ships valiantly;
Braver ships never
Were seen under sail;
With their fair colours spread, 25
And streamers o'er their head;
Now, bragging Spaniards,
Take heed of your tail.
Dub a-dub, &c.
Unto Cales cunningly,
Came we most happily, 30
Where the kings navy
Did secretly ride;
Being upon their backs,
Piercing their buts of sack,
Ere that the Spaniards 35
Our coming descry'd.
Tan-ta-ra, ta-ra-ra,
The Englishman comes;
Bounce a-bounce, bounce a-bounce,
Off went the guns. 40
Great was the crying,
Running and riding,
Which at that season
Was made at that place;
Then beacons were firèd, 45
As need was requirèd;
To hide their great treasure,
They had little space:
"Alas!" they cryèd,
"English men comes." 50
There you might see the ships,
How they were firèd fast,
And how the men drown'd
Themselves in the sea;
There you may hear them cry, 55
Wail and weep piteously;
When as they saw no shift
To escape thence away.
Dub a-dub, &c.
The great Saint Philip,
The pride of the Spaniards, 60
Was burnt to the bottom,
And sunk in the sea;
But the Saint Andrew,
And eke the Saint Matthew,
We took in fight manfully, 65
And brought them away.
Dub a-dub, &c.
The earl of Essex,
Most valiant and hardy,
With horsemen and footmen
March'd towards the town; 70
The enemies which saw them,
Full greatly affrighted,
Did fly for their safeguard,
And durst not come down.
Dub a-dub, &c.
"Now," quoth the noble earl, 75
"Courage, my soldiers all!
Fight, and be valiant,
And spoil you shall have;
And well rewarded all,
From the great to the small; 80
But look that the women
And children you save."
Dub a-dub, &c.