English and Scottish Ballads, Volume IV

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts

The blood ran down by Caddon bank,
      And down by Caddon brae;                                      70
    And, sighing, said the bonnie bride,
      "O wae's me for foul play!"

    My blessing on your heart, sweet thing,
      Wae to your wilfu' will!
    There's mony a gallant gentleman                                75
      Whae's bluid ye have garr'd to spill.

    Now a' you lords of fair England,
      And that dwell by the English Border,
    Come never here to seek a wife,
      For fear of sic disorder.                                     80

    They'll haik ye up, and settle ye bye,
      Till on your wedding day,
    Then gie ye frogs instead of fish,
      And play ye foul foul play.




CATHERINE JOHNSTONE.


Obtained from recitation, in the West of Scotland. Motherwell's
_Minstrelsy_, p. 225.

    There was a lass, as I heard say,
      Liv'd low doun in a glen;
    Her name was Catherine Johnstone,
      Weel known to many men.

    Doun came the laird o' Lamington,                                5
      Doun from the South Countrie;
    And he is for this bonnie lass,
      Her bridegroom for to be.

    He's ask'd her father and mother,
      The chief of a' her kin;                                      10
    And then he ask'd the bonnie lass,
      And did her favour win.

    Doun came an English gentleman,
      Doun from the English border;
    He is for this bonnie lass,                                     15
      To keep his house in order.

    He ask'd her father and mother,
      As I do hear them say;
    But he never ask'd the lass hersell,
      Till on her wedding day.                                      20

    But she has wrote a long letter,
      And sealed it with her hand;
    And sent it to Lord Lamington,
      To let him understand.

    The first line o' the letter he read,                           25
      He was baith glad and fain;
    But or he read the letter o'er,
      He was baith pale and wan.

    Then he has sent a messenger,
      And out through all his land;                                 30
    And four-and-twenty armed men
      Was all at his command.

    But he has left his merry men all,
      Left them on the lee;
    And he's awa to the wedding house,                              35
      To see what he could see.

    But when he came to the wedding house,
      As I do understand,
    There were four-and-twenty belted knights
      Sat at a table round.                                         40

    They rose all to honour him,
      For he was of high renown;
    They rose all for to welcome him,
      And bade him to sit down.

    O meikle was the good red wine                                  45
      In silver cups did flow;
    But aye she drank to Lamington,
      For with him would she go.

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English and Scottish Ballads, Volume IV

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