English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII

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

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.

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

English and Scottish Ballads, Volume VII

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