English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VI

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

About the time the fray began,                                 105
      I trow it lasted but an hour,
    Till many a man lay weaponless,
      And was sore wounded in that stour.

    Also before that hour was done,
      Four of the thieves were slain,                              110
    Besides all those that wounded were,
      And eleven prisoners there was ta'en.

    George Carrick, and his brother Edie,
      Them two, I wot they were both slain;
    Harry Corbyl, and Lennie Carrick,                              115
      Bore them company in their pain.

    One of our Weardale-men was slain,
      Rowland Emerson his name hight;
    I trust to God his soul is well,
      Because he 'fought' unto the right.                          120

    But thus they say'd, "We'll not depart
      While we have one:--speed back again!"
    And when they came amongst the dead men,
      There they found George Carrick slain.

    And when they found George Carrick slain,                      125
      I wot it went well near their 'heart;'
    Lord, let them never make a better end,
      That comes to play them sicken a 'part.'

    I trust to God, no more they shall,
      Except it be one for a great chance;                         130
    For God will punish all those
      With a great heavy pestilence.

    Thir limmer thieves, they have good hearts,
      They nevir think to be o'erthrown;
    Three banners against Weardale-men they bare,                  135
      As if the world had been all their own.

    Thir Weardale-men, they have good hearts,
      They are as stiff as any tree;
    For, if they'd every one been slain,
      Never a foot back man would flee.                            140

    And such a storm amongst them fell
      As I think you never heard the like,
    For he that bears his head so high,
      He oft-times falls into the dyke.

    And now I do entreat you all,                                  145
      As many as are present here.
    To pray for [the] singer of this song,
      For he sings to make blithe your cheer.

5. Thirlwall, or Thirlitwall, is said by Fordun, the Scottish historian,
to be a name given to the Picts' or Roman wall, from its having been
thirled, or perforated, in ancient times, by the Scots and Picts.

Willie-haver, or Willeva, is a small district or township in the parish
of Lanercost, near Bewcastledale, in Cumberland, mentioned in the ballad
of _Hobie Noble_.--RITSON.]

31. This would be about eleven o'clock, the usual dinner-hour in that
period.--RITSON.]

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VI

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