C
Allan Ramsay, The Ever Green, II, 190, “copied from a gentleman’s mouth of the name of Armstrang, who is the 6th generation from this John.”
1
Sum speiks of lords, sum speiks of lairds,
And siclyke men of hie degrie;
Of a gentleman I sing a sang,
Sumtyme calld Laird of Gilnockie.
2
The king he wrytes a luving letter,
With his ain hand sae tenderly:
And he hath sent it to Johny Armstrang,
To cum and speik with him speidily.
3
The Eliots and Armstrongs did convene,
They were a gallant company:
‘We’ill ryde and meit our lawful king,
And bring him safe to Gilnockie.
4
‘Make kinnen and capon ready, then,
And venison in great plenty;
We’ill welcome hame our royal king;
I hope he’ill dyne at Gilnockie!’
5
They ran their horse on the Langum howm,
And brake their speirs with mekle main;
The ladys lukit frae their loft-windows,
‘God bring our men weil back again!’
6
When Johny came before the king,
With all his men sae brave to see,
The king he movit his bonnet to him;
He weind he was a king as well as he.
7
‘May I find grace, my sovereign liege,
Grace for my loyal men and me?
For my name it is Johny Armstrang,
And subject of yours, my liege,’ said he.
8
‘Away, away, thou traytor, strang!
Out of my sicht thou mayst sune be!
I grantit nevir a traytors lyfe,
And now I’ll not begin with thee.’
9
‘Grant me my lyfe, my liege, my king,
And a bony gift I will give to thee;
Full four-and-twenty milk-whyt steids,
Were a’ foald in a yeir to me.
10
‘I’ll gie thee all these milk-whyt steids,
That prance and nicher at a speir,
With as mekle gude Inglis gilt
As four of their braid backs dow beir.’
11
‘Away, away, thou traytor strang!
Out o’ my sicht thou mayst sune be!
I grantit nevir a traytors lyfe,
And now I’ll not begin with thee.’
12
‘Grant me my lyfe, my liege, my king,
And a bony gift I’ll gie to thee;
Gude four-and-twenty ganging mills,
That gang throw a’ the yeir to me.
13
‘These four-and-twenty mills complete
Sall gang for thee throw all the yeir,
And as mekle of gude reid wheit
As all their happers dow to bear.’
14
‘Away, away, thou traytor, strang!
Out of my sicht thou mayst sune be!
I grantit nevir a traytors lyfe,
And now I’ll not begin with thee.’
15
‘Grant me my lyfe, my liege, my king,
And a great gift I’ll gie to thee;
Bauld four-and-twenty sisters sons,
Sall for the fecht, tho all sould flee.’
16
‘Away, away, thou traytor, strang!
Out of my sicht thou mayst sune be!
I grantit nevir a traytors lyfe,
And now I’ll not begin with thee.’
17
‘Grant me my lyfe, my liege, my king,
And a brave gift I’ll gie to thee;
All betwene heir and Newcastle town
Sall pay thair yeirly rent to thee.’
18
‘Away, away, thou traytor, strang!
Out of my sicht thou mayst sune be!
I grantit nevir a traytors lyfe,
And now I’ll not begin with thee.’
19
‘Ye lied, ye lied, now, king,’ he says,
‘Althocht a king and prince ye be,
For I luid naithing in all my lyfe,
I dare well say it, but honesty;
20
‘But a fat horse, and a fair woman,
Twa bony dogs to kill a deir:
But Ingland suld haif found me meil and malt,
Gif I had livd this hundred yeir!
21
‘Scho suld half found me meil and malt,
And beif and mutton in all plentie;
But neir a Scots wyfe could haif said
That eir I skaithd her a pure flie.
22
‘To seik het water beneth cauld yce,
Surely it is a great folie;
I haif asked grace at a graceless face,
But there is nane for my men and me.
23
‘But had I kend, or I came frae hame,
How thou unkynd wadst bene to me,
I wad haif kept the border-syde,
In spyte of all thy force and thee.
24
‘Wist Englands king that I was tane,
O gin a blyth man wald he be!
For anes I slew his sisters son,
And on his breist-bane brak a tree.’
25
John wore a girdle about his midle,
Imbroiderd owre with burning gold,
Bespangled with the same mettle,
Maist beautifull was to behold.
26
Ther hang nine targats at Johnys hat,
And ilk an worth three hundred pound:
‘What wants that knave that a king suld haif,
But the sword of honour and the crown!
27
‘O whair gat thou these targats, Johnie,
That blink sae brawly abune thy brie? ’
‘I gat them in the field fechting,
Wher, cruel king, thou durst not be.
28
‘Had I my horse, and my harness gude,
And ryding as I wont to be,
It sould haif bene tald this hundred yeir
The meiting of my king and me.
29
‘God be withee, Kirsty, my brither,
Lang live thou Laird of Mangertoun!
Lang mayst thou live on the border-syde
Or thou se thy brither ryde up and doun.
30
‘And God be withee, Kirsty, my son,
Whair thou sits on thy nurses knee!
But and thou live this hundred yeir,
Thy fathers better thoult never be.
31
‘Farweil, my bonny Gilnock-Hall.
Whair on Esk-syde thou standest stout!
Gif I had lived but seven yeirs mair,
I wald haif gilt thee round about.’
32
John murdred was at Carlinrigg,
And all his galant companie:
But Scotlands heart was never sae wae,
To see sae mony brave men die.
33
Because they savd their country deir
Frae Englishmen; nane were sae bauld,
Whyle Johnie livd on the border-syde,
Nane of them durst cum neir his hald.
A. a.
33. syke a.
174. O th’ the.
b.
32. sick a man.
52. it wanting.
61. And therefore if.
74. and white.
84. an it: for wanting.
91. Johnnee.
102. Ne for.
11. There Johnne.
113. Said he.
114. yee.
122. the wanting.
134. that we.
143. Johnnee’s.
154. thorough.
B. a.
Iohn Arm-strongs last good night. Declaring How John Arm-strong and his eightscore men fought a bloody bout with a Scottish king at Edenborough. To a pretty northern tune called, Fare you well, guilt Knock-hall.
61. we must before; perhaps rightly.
81,3, 211. guilt Knock-hall.
Signed T. R.
London, Printed for Francis Grove on S[n]owhill.
Entered according to order.
b.
Title: with the Scottish. To a pretty new northern tune: called, &c., omitted.
12. estate.
14. of treachery.
22. Jonny: they do.
41. writes a loving.
42. And with.
43. hath.
51. this letter.
51. Good Lord.
52. he lookt.
53. a king.
61. must go.
62. most gallantly.
71. And ye.
74. hats and.
81,3, 211. guilt Knock-hall.
82. full fast.
83. fare thee well thou guilt.
91. Johnny.
94. to their.
101. he wanting.
123. to morrow morning by eight.
124. hang up.
131. Johnny.
141. out his.
153. It shall ne’r.
154. We will.
162. were.
164. but two or.
171,2. rose.
173. Then wanting.
182. little wounded but am.
192. up on.
203. Musgrove.
211. up wanting.
223. Johnny Armstrong is.
232. been fed with.
241. bespake.
243. for wanting.
244. father’s death.
Signed T. R.
London, Printed for W. Thackeray and T. Passenger.
c.
Johnny Armstrongs, last Good-night, shewing how John Armstrong, with his Eightscore Men, fought a bloody Battle with the Scotch King at Edenborough. To a Northern Tune.
11. ever.
12. estate.
13. our king.
14. full of treachery.
22. Johnny: they do.
31. horses.
41. writes a loving.
42. And with.
43. hath: Johnny.
51. this letter.
52. He lokd as blith.
53. a king.
61. must go.
62. most gallantly.
63. Ye.
71. And every one shall.
64. hats and feathers.
81. Johnny went: Giltnock.
82. full fast.
83. fare thee well thou Giltnock.
91. Johnny.
92. With his.
94. hanging to their.
101. he wanting.
113. Johnny.
114. a wanting.
122. will I.
123. to-morrow morning by eight.
124. hang up.
131. Then Johnny.
134. there is: you and.
141. his good broad sword.
142. That was made of the.
144. his fair.
152. foot for to.
153. shall never be: hangd.
154. We will.
162. were.
164. were: but one, two or three.
171,2. rose.
173. Then wanting.
174. through.
182. little wounded but am.
183. for wanting.
211. up wanting.
211. Giltnock.
223. Iohnny Armstrong is.
232. hast been fed with corn.
241. bespake.
242. he sat on.
243. for wanting.
244. fathers death.
C.
Printed in stanzas of eight lines.
Zours, zeir, etc., are here printed yours, yeir, etc.; quhair, quheit, here, whair, wheit.
51. hown.
11, 14, 16, 18, only Away, away thou traytor, etc., is printed.
194. sayit.
170
THE DEATH OF QUEEN JANE
A. Percy papers, 1776. B. ‘Queen Jeanie,’ Kinloch’s Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 116. C. a. Jamieson’s Popular Ballads, I, 182.[[242]] b. Herd’s MSS, I, 103. D. ‘The Death of Queen Jane,’ Bell’s Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England, p. 113. E. ‘Queen Jeanie,’ Macmath MS., p. 68. F. Notes and Queries, Second Series, XI, 131. G. A fragment from William Motherwell’s papers.
This threnody is said to have been current throughout Scotland. There is another, not in the popular style, in the Crowne Garland of Golden Roses, 1612, Percy Society, vol. vi, p. 29: The Wofull Death of Queene Jane, wife to King Henry the Eight, and how King Edward was cut out of his mother’s belly. This is reprinted in Old Ballads, 1723, II, 115, and Evans’s Collection, 1777, 1784, II, 54, and is among Pepys’s Penny Merriments, vol. iii. ‘A ballett called The Lady Jane’ and another piece entitled The Lamentation of Quene Jane were licensed in 1560; Stationers’ Registers, Arber, I, 151 f.
Jane Seymour gave birth to Prince Edward October 12, 1537, and by a natural process, but, in consequence of imprudent management, died twelve days after. There was a belief that severe surgery had been required, under which the queen sank. The editor of Old Ballads, II, 116 f, cites Sir John Hayward as saying: “All reports do constantly run that he [Prince Edward] was not by natural passage delivered into the world, but that his mother’s belly was opened for his birth, and that she died of the incision the fourth day following.” And Du Chesne: “Quand ce vint au terme de l’accouchement, elle eut tant de tourment et de peine qu’il lui fallut fendre le costé, par lequel on tira son fruit, le douzième jour d’Octobre. Elle mourut douze jours après.” But Echard again: “Contrary to the opinion of many writers,” the queen “died twelve days after the birth of this prince, having been well delivered, and without any incision, as others have maliciously reported.”