{"collection":"Northern European Mythology","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/neu/eng/child/ch212.htm","path":"neu/eng/child/ch212.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch212.htm","text":"212A.* * * *\n\u2018WHERE shall I gang, my ain true love?\nWhere shall I gang to hide me?\nFor weel ye ken i yere father\u2019s bowr\nIt wad be death to find me.\u2019\n212A.2 \u2018O go you to yon tavern-house,\nAn there count owre your lawin,\nAn, if I be a woman true,\nI\u2019ll meet you in the dawin.\u2019\n212A.3 O he\u2019s gone to yon tavern-house,\nAn ay he counted his lawin,\nAn ay he drank to her guid health\nWas to meet him in the dawin.\n212A.4 O he\u2019s gone to yon tavern-house,\nAn counted owre his lawin,\nWhen in there cam three armed men,\nTo meet him in the dawin.\n212A.5 \u2018O woe be unto woman\u2019s wit!\nIt has beguiled many;\nShe promised to come hersel,\nBut she sent three men to slay me.\u2019\n212B: The Duke of Athole\u2019s Nurse\n212B.1 \u2018YE are the Duke of Athol\u2019s nurse,\nAnd I\u2019m the new-come darling;\nI\u2019ll gie you my gay gold rings\nTo get ae word of my leman.\u2019\n212B.2 \u2018I am the Duke Athol\u2019s nurse,\nAnd ye\u2019re the new-come darling;\nKeep well your gay gold rings,\nYe sall get twa words o your leman.\u2019\n212B.3 He leand oure his saddle-bow,\nIt was not for to kiss her:\n\u2018Anither woman has my heart,\nAnd I but come here to see ye.\u2019\n212B.4 \u2018If anither woman has your heart,\nO dear, but I am sorry!\nYe hie you down to yon ale house,\nAnd stay untill \u2019t be dawing,\nAnd if I be a woman true\nI\u2019ll meet you in the dawing.\u2019\n212B.5 He did him down to yon ale-house,\nAnd drank untill \u2019t was dawing;\nHe drank the bonnie lassie\u2019s health\nThat was to clear his lawing.\n212B.6 He lookit out of a shot-window,\nTo see if she was coming,\nAnd there he seed her seven brithers,\nSo fast as they were running!\n212B.7 He went up and down the house,\nSays, \u2018Landlady, can you save me?\nFor yonder comes her seven brithers,\nAnd they are coming to slay me.\u2019\n212B.8 So quick she minded her on a wile\nHow she might protect him!\nShe dressd him in a suit of woman\u2019s attire\nAnd set him to her baking.\n212B.9 \u2018Had you a quarterer here last night,\nOr staid he to the dawing?\nShew us the room the squire lay in,\nWe are come to clear his lawing.\u2019\n212B.10 \u2018I had a quarterer here last night,\nBut he staid not to the dawing;\nHe called for a pint, and paid as he went,\nYou have nothing to do with his lawing.\u2019\n212B.11 They searchd the house baith up and down,\nThe curtains they spaird not to rive em,\nAnd twenty times they passd\nThe squire at his baking.\n212C: The Duke of Athole\u2019s Nurse\n212C.1 AS I went down by the Duke of Athole\u2019s gates,\nWhere the bells of the court were ringing,\nAnd there I heard a fair maid say,\nO if I had but ae sight o my Johnie!\n212C.2 \u2018O here is your Johnie just by your side;\nWhat have ye to say to your Johnie?\nO here is my hand, but anither has my heart,\nSo ye\u2019ll never get more o your Johnie.\u2019\n212C.3 \u2018O ye may go down to yon ale-house,\nAnd there do sit till the dawing;\nAnd call for the wine that is very, very fine,\nAnd I\u2019ll come and clear up your lawing.\u2019\n212C.4 So he\u2019s gane down to yon ale-house,\nAnd he has sat till the dawing;\nAnd he\u2019s calld for the wine that\u2019s very, very fine,\nBut she neer cam to clear up his lawing.\n212C.5 Lang or the dawing he oure the window looks,\nTo see if his true-love was coming,\nAnd there he spied twelve weel armd boys,\nComing over the plainstanes running.\n212C.6 \u2018O landlady, landlady, what shall I do?\nFor my life it\u2019s not worth a farthing!\u2019\n\u2018O young man,\u2019 said she, \u2019Tak counsel by me,\nAnd I will be your undertaking.\n212C.7 \u2018I will clothe you in my own body-clothes\nAnd I\u2019ll send you like a girl to the baking:\u2019\nAnd loudly, loudly they rapped at the door,\nAnd loudly, loudly they rapp d.\n212C.8 \u2018O had you any strangers here late last night?\nOr were they lang gane or the dawing?\nO had you any strangers here late last night?\nWe are now come to clear up his lawing.\u2019\n212C.9 \u2018O I had a stranger here late last night,\nBut he was lang gane or the dawing;\nHe called for a pint, and he paid it as he went,\nAnd ye\u2019ve no more to do with his lawing.\u2019\n212C.10 \u2018O show me the room that your stranger lay in,\nIf he was lang gane or the dawing:\u2019\nShe showed them the room that her stranger lay in,\nBut he was lang gane or the dawing.\n212C.11 O they stabbed the feather-bed all round and round,\nAnd the curtains they neer stood to tear them;\nAnd they gade as they cam, and left a\u2019 things undone,\nAnd left the young squire by his baking.\n212D: The Duke of Athole\u2019s Nurse\n212D.1 AS I cam in by the Duke of Athole\u2019s gate,\nI heard a fair maid singing,\nWi a bonny baby on her knee,\nAnd the bells o the court were ringing.\n212D.2 \u2018O it\u2019s I am the Duke of Athole\u2019s nurse,\nAnd the place does well become me;\nBut I would gie a\u2019 my half-year\u2019s fee\nJust for a sight o my Johnie.\n* * * * *\n212D.3 \u2018If ye\u2019ll gae down to yon ale-house,\nAnd stop till it be dawing,\nAnd ca for a pint o the very, very best,\nAnd I\u2019ll come and clear up your lawing.\u2019\n212D.4 O he\u2019s gane down to yon ale-house,\nAnd stopt till it was dawing;\nHe ca\u2019d for a pint o the very, very best,\nBut she cam na to clear up his lawing.\n212D.5 He looked out at the chamber-window,\nTo see if she was coming;\nAnd there he spied ten armed men,\nAcross the plain coming running.\n212D.6 \u2018O landlady, landlady, what shall I do?\nFor my life is not worth a farthing;\nI paid you a guinea for my lodging last night,\nBut I fear I\u2019ll never see sun shining.\u2019\n212D.7 \u2018If ye will be advised by me,\nI\u2019ll be your undertaking;\nI\u2019ll dress you up in my ain body-clothes\nAnd set you to the baking.\u2019\n212D.8 So loudly at the door they rapt,\nSo loudly are they calling,\n\u2018O had you a stranger here last night,\nOr is he within your dwelling?\u2019\n212D.9 \u2018O I had a stranger here last night,\nBut he wos gane or dawing;\nHe ca\u2019d for a pint, and he paid it or he went,\nAnd I hae nae mair to do wi his lawing.\u2019\n212D.10 They stabd the feather-beds round and round,\nThe curtains they spared na to tear them;\nBut they went as they came, and left a\u2019 things undone,\nAnd the young man busy baking.\n212E: The Duke of Athole\u2019s Nurse\n212E.1 \u2018I AM the Duke o Athole\u2019s nurse,\nMy part does well become me,\nAnd I wad gie aw my half-year\u2019s fee\nFor ae sicht o my Johnie.\u2019\n212E.2 \u2018Keep weill, keep weill your half-year\u2019s fee,\nFor ye\u2019ll soon get a sicht o your Johnie;\nBut anither woman has my heart,\nAnd I\u2019m sorry for to leave ye.\u2019\n212E.3 RR\u2019rrye\u2019ll dow ye doun to yon changehouse,\nAnd ye\u2019ll drink till the day be dawin;\nAt ilka pint\u2019s end ye\u2019ll drink my health out,\nAnd I\u2019ll come and pay for the lawin.\u2019\n212E.4 Ay he ranted and he sang,\nAnd drank till the day was dawin,\nAnd ay he drank the bonnie lassy\u2019s health\nThat was coming to pay the lawin.\n212E.5 He spared na the sack, tho it was dear,\nThe wine nor the sugar-candy,\n. . . .\n. . . .\n212E.6 He\u2019s dune him to the shot-window,\nTo see an she was coming,\nAnd there he spied twelve armed men,\nThat oure the plain cam rinning.\n212E.7 He\u2019s dune him doun to the landlady,\nTo see gin she wad protect him;\nShe\u2019s buskit him up into women\u2019s claiths\nAnd set him till a baking.\n212E.8 Sae loudly as they rappit at the yett,\nSae loudly as they callit,\n\u2018Had ye onie strangers here last nicht,\nThat drank till the day was dawin?\u2019\n* * * * *\n212F: The Duke of Athole\u2019s Nurse\n212F.1 AS I gaed in yon greenwood-side,\nI heard a fair maid singing;\nHer voice was sweet, she sang sae complete\nThat all the woods were ringing.\n212F.2 \u2018O I\u2019m the duke o Athole\u2019s nurse,\nMy post is well becoming;\nBut I woud gie a\u2019 my half-year\u2019s fee\nFor ae sight o my leman.\u2019\n212F.3 \u2018Ye say, ye\u2019re the Duke o Athole\u2019s nurse,\nYour post is well becoming;\nKeep well, keep well your half-year\u2019s fee,\nYe\u2019se hae twa sights o your leman.\u2019\n212F.4 He leand him ower his saddle-bow\nAnd cannilie kissd his dearie:\n\u2018Ohon and alake! anither has my heart,\nAnd I darena mair come near thee.\u2019\n212F.5 \u2018Ohon and alake! if anither hae your heart,\nThese words hae fairly undone me;\nBut let us set a time, tryst to meet again,\nThen in gude friends you will twine me.\n212F.6 \u2018Ye will do you down to yon tavern-house\nAnd drink till the day be dawing,\nAnd, as sure as I ance had a love for you,\nI\u2019ll come there and clear your lawing.\n212F.7 \u2018Ye\u2019ll spare not the wine, altho it be fine,\nNae Malago, tho it be rarely,\nBut ye\u2019ll aye drink the bonnie lassie\u2019s health\nThat\u2019s to clear your lawing fairly.\u2019\n212F.8 Then he\u2019s done him down to yon tavern-house\nAnd drank till day was dawing,\nAnd aye he drank the bonnie lassie\u2019s health\nThat was coming to clear his lawing.\n212F.9 And aye as he birled, and aye as he drank,\nThe gude beer and the brandy,\nHe spar\u2019d not the wine, altho it was fine,\nThe sack nor the sugar candy.\n212F.10 \u2018It\u2019s a wonder to me,\u2019 the knight he did say,\n\u2018My bonnie lassie\u2019s sae delaying;\nShe promised, as sure as she loved me ance,\nShe woud be here by the dawing.\u2019\n212F.11 He\u2019s done him to a shott-window,\nA little before the dawing,\nAnd there he spied her nine brothers bauld,\nWere coming to betray him.\n212F.12 \u2018Where shall I rin? where shall I gang?\nOr where shall I gang hide me?\nShe that was to meet me in friendship this day\nHas sent nine men to slay me!\u2019\n212F.13 He\u2019s gane to the landlady o the house,\nSays, \u2018O can you supply me?\nFor she that was to meet me in friendship this day\nHas sent nine men to slay me.\u2019\n212F.14 She gae him a suit o her ain female claise\nAnd set him to the baking;\nThe bird never sang mair sweet on the bush\nNor the knight sung at the baking.\n212F.15 As they came in at the ha-door,\nSae loudly as they rappit!\nAnd when they came upon the floor,\nSae loudly as they chappit!\n212F.16 \u2018O had ye a stranger here last night,\nWho drank till the day was dawing?\nCome show us the chamber where he lyes in,\nWe\u2019ll shortly clear his lawing.\u2019\n212F.17 \u2018I had nae stranger here last night\nThat drank till the day was dawing;\nBut ane that took a pint, and paid it ere he went,\nAnd there\u2019s naething to clear o his lawing.\u2019\n212F.18 A lad among the rest, being o a merry mood,\nTo the young knight fell a-talking;\nThe wife took her foot and gae him a kick,\nSays, Be busy, ye jilt, at your baking.\n212F.19 They stabbed the house baith but and ben,\nThe curtains they spared nae riving,\nAnd for a\u2019 that they search and ca,\nFor a kiss o the knight they were striving.","title":"The Child Ballads: 212. The Duke of Athole's Nurse","type":"page"}