King Henry- Brown 1802; Sir Walter Scot; Child A
[After Child's text is the text and notes from Scott published in 1802. Below (at the very bottom) is the King Henry text reprinted from Popular Ballads and Songs: Volume 2 - Page 194 by Robert Jamieson in 1806. The text is fit into balanced four-line stanzas.]
King Henry- Version A; Child 32
a. The Jamieson-Brown Manuscript, fol. 31.
b. Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, 1802, II, 132.
Lat never a man a wooing wend
That lacketh thingis three;
A routh o gold, an open heart,
Ay fu o charity.
2 As this I speak of King Henry,
For he lay burd-alone;
An he's doen him to a jelly hunt's ha,
Was seven miles frae a town.
3 He chas'd the deer now him before,
An the roe down by the den,
Till the fattest buch in a' the flock
King Henry he has slain.
4 O he has doen him to his ha,
To make him beerly cheer;
An in it came a griesly ghost,
Steed stappin i the fleer.
5 Her head hat the reef-tree o the house,
Her middle ye mot wel span;
He's thrown to her his gay mantle,
Says, 'Lady, hap your lingcan.'
6 Her teeth was a' like teather stakes,
Her nose like club or mell;
An I ken naething she 'peard to be,
But the fiend that wons in hell.
7 'Some meat, some meat, ye King Henry,
Some meat ye gie to me!'
'An what meat's in this house, lady,
An what ha I to gie?'
'O ye do kill your berry-brown steed,
An you bring him here to me.'
8 O whan he slew his berry-brown steed,
Wow but his heart was sair!
Shee eat him [a'] up, skin an bane,
Left naething but hide an hair.
9 'Mair meat, mair meat, ye King Henry,
Mair meat ye gi to me!'
'An what meat's in this house, lady,
An what ha I to gi?'
'O ye do kill your good gray-hounds,
An ye bring them a' to me.'
10 O whan he slew his good gray-hounds,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She eat them a' up, skin an bane,
Left naething but hide an hair.
11 'Mair meat, mair meat, ye King Henry,
Mair meat ye gi to me!'
'An what meat's i this house, lady,
An what ha I to gi?'
'O ye do kill your gay gos-hawks,
An ye bring them here to me.'
12 O whan he slew his gay gos-hawks,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She eat them a' up, skin an bane,
Left naething but feathers bare.
13 'Some drink, some drink, now, King Henry,
Some drink ye bring to me!'
'O what drink's i this house, lady,
That you're nae welcome ti?'
'O ye sew up your horse's hide,
An bring in a drink to me.'
14 And he's sewd up the bloody hide,
A puncheon o wine put in;
She drank it a' up at a waught,
Left na ae drap ahin.
15 'A bed, a bed, now, King Henry,
A bed you mak to me!
For ye maun pu the heather green,
An mak a bed to me.'
16 O pu'd has he the heather green,
An made to her a bed,
An up has he taen his gay mantle,
An oer it has he spread.
17 'Tak aff your claiths, now, King Henry,
An lye down by my side!'
'O God forbid,' says King Henry,
'That ever the like betide;
That ever the fiend that wons in hell
Shoud streak down by my side.'
* * * * *
18 Whan night was gane, and day was come,
An the sun shone throw the ha,
The fairest lady that ever was seen
Lay atween him an the wa.
19 'O well is me!' says King Henry,
'How lang 'll this last wi me?'
Then out it spake that fair lady,
'Even till the day you dee.
20 'For I 've met wi mony a gentle knight
That's gien me sic a fill,
But never before wi a courteous knight
That ga me a' my will.'
_________________
KING HENRIE [Sir Walter Scott's text from Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, 1802, II, 132]
THE ANCIENT COPY
This ballad is edited from the MS. of Mrs Brown, corrected by a recited fragment. A modernized copy has been published, under the title of Courteous King Jamie. —Tales Of Wonder, Vol. Ii. p. 451.
The legend will remind the reader of the Marriage of Sir Gawain, in the Reliques Of Ancient Poetry, and of the Wife of Bath's Tale, in Father Chaucer. But the original, as appears from the following quotation from Torfxus, is to be found in an Icelandic Saga.
" Hellghis, Rex Danias, moerore ob amissam conjugem " vexatus, solus agebat, et subdurals se hominum commer" do, segregem domum, omnis fatnulitii impatiens, incolebat. " Accidit autem, ut node concubia, lamentabilis cujusdam " ante fores ejulantis sonus auribus ejus obreperet. Exper" gefactus igitur, recluso ostio, informe quoddam mulieris " simulacrum, habitu corporis fxdum, veste squalore obsita, " pallore, made frigorisque tyrannide prope modum par" emptum, deprehendit; quod precibus obsecratus, ut qui "jam miscrorum arumnas ex propria calamitate pensare " didicisset, in domum intromisit; ipse tectum petit. At " mutter, ne hac quidem benignitate contenta, thori consor" Hum obnixi Jtagitabat, addens id tanti referre, ut nisi " impetraret, omnino sibi moriendum esset. Quod, ea lege, " ne ipsum attingeret, concessum est. Ideo nec complexu " eam dignatus rex, avertit sese. Cum autem prima luce "forte oculos ultro citroque converteret, eximix formx vir" ginem lecto receptam animadvertit; quce statim ipsi pla" cere ccepit: causam igitur tam repentinx mutationis cu" riosius indaganti, respondit virgo, se unam e subterra" neorum hominum genere diris novercalibus devotam, tam " tetra et execrabili specie, quali primo comparuit, damna" tam, quoad thori cujusdam principis socia Jieret, multos " reges hac de re sollicitasse. Jam actis pro pratstito be" neficio gratiis, discessum maturans, a regeformx ejus il" lecebris capto comprimitur. Deinde petit, si prolem ex " hoc congressu progigni contigerit, sequente hyeme, eodem " anni tempore, ante fores positam in cedes reciperet, seque " ejus patrem prqfiteri non gravaretur, secus non leve in" fortunium insecuturum prmdixit: a quo prxcepto cum " rexpostea exorbitasset, necprx foribus jacentem infantem " pro suo agHOScere voluisset, ad turn iterum, sed corrugata "fronte, accessit, obque violatamJidem acrius objurgatum. " ab imminentepericulo,prxstiti olim beneficii gratia, exem" pturam pollicebatur, ita tamen ut tota ultionis rabies in "Jilium ejus effusa graves aliquando levitatis illius pamas " exigeret. Ex hac tam dissimilium naturarum commix" tione, Skulda, versuti et versatilis animi mulier, nata " fuisse memoratur; quce utramque naturam participans " prodigiosorum operum effectrix perhibetur.—Hrolffi Krakii, Hist. p. 49, Hafn. 1715.
KING HENRIE
THE ANCIENT COPY.
Let never a man a wooing wend,
That lacketh thingis thrie:
A rowth o' gold, an open heart,
And f'u' o' courtesey.
And this was seen o' king Henrie,
For he lay burd alane ;
And he has ta'en him to a haunted hunt's ha',
Was seven miles frae a toun.
He's chaced the dun deer thro' the wood,
And the roe doun by the den,
Till the fattest buck, in a' the herd,
King Henrie he has slain.
He's ta'en him to his hunting ha'.
For to make burly cheir ;
When loud the wind was heard to sound,
And an earthquake rocked the floor.
And darkness cover'd a' the hall,
Where they sat at their meat:
The gray dogs, youling, left their food,
And crept to Henrie's feet.
And louder houled the rising wind,
And burst the fast'ned door:
And in there came a griesly ghost,
Stood stamping on the floor.
Her head touched the roof-tree of the house;
Her middle ye weel mot span:
Each frighted huntsman fled the ha',
And left the king alone.
Her teeth were a' like tether-stakes,
Her nose like club or mell;
And I ken naething she appeared to be,
But the fiend that wons in hell.
"Sum meat, sum meat, ye king Henrie!
Sum meat ye gie to me!"
"And what meat's in this house, ladye,
That ye're na wellcum tee [1]?"
"O ye'se gae kill your berry-brown steed,
And serve him up to me."
O when he killed his berry-brown steed,
Wow gin his heart was sair!
She eat him a' up, skin and bane,
Left naething but hide and hair.
"Mair meat, mair meat, ye king Henrie!
Mair meat ye gie to me !"
"And what meat's i' this house, ladye,
That ye're na wellcum tee?"
"O ye do slay your gude gray houndes,
And bring them a' to me."
O when he slew his gude gray houndes,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She's ate them a' up, ane by ane,
Left naething but hide and hair.
"Mair meal, mair meat, ye king Henrie
Mair meat ye gie to me !"
" And what meat's i' this house, ladye,
That I hae left to gie ?"
"Oye do fell your gay goss-hawks,
And bring them a' to me."
O when he felled his gay goss-hawks,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She's eat them a' up, bane by bane,
Left naething but feathers bare.
"Sum drink, sum drink, ye king Henrie!
Sum drink ye gie to me !"
"And what drink's in this house, ladye,
That ye're na wellcum tee?"
"O ye sew up your horse's hide,
And bring in a drink to me."
O he has sewed up the bluidy hide,
And put in a pipe of wine;
She drank it a' up at ae draught,
Left na a drap therein.
"A bed, a bed, ye king Henrie!
A bed ye male to me !"
"And what's the bed i' this house, ladye,
That ye're na wellcum tee?"
"O ye maun pu' the green heather,
And mak a bed to me."
O pu'd has he the heather green,
And made to her a bed;
And up he has ta'en his gay mantle,
And o'er it he has spread.
"Now swear, now swear, ye king Henrie,
To take me for your bride !"
"O God forbid," king Henrie said,
" That e'er the like betide !
That e'er the fiend, that wons in hell,
Should streak down by my side."
When day was come, and night was gane,
And the sun shone through the ha',
The fairest ladye, that e'er was seen,
Lay atween him and the wa'.
" O weel is me!" king Henrie said,
" How lang will this last wi' me ?"
And out and spak that ladye fair,
" E'en till the day ye die. "
For I was witched to a ghastly shape,
All by my stepdame's skill,
Till I should meet wi' a courteous knight,
Wad gie me a' my will."
-----
Footnote:
1. Tee, for to, is the Buchanshire and Gallovidian pronunciation.
_______________
The Ballads of Scotland: Volume 2 - Page 22; William Edmondstoune Aytoun - 1859 [King Henry text reprinted from Popular Ballads and Songs: Volume 2 - Page 194 by Robert Jamieson in 1806.]
KING HENRY
This piece, prepared for the press, and in the exact state in which it now appears, was shown by the Editor to Mr Scott of Edinburgh, long before the publication of either the "Tales of Wonder," or the " Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border," and before Mr Scott had any thoughts of adopting it. The interpolations will be found inclosed in brackets; the genuine text was taken from Mrs Brown's recitation.
LAT never a man a wooing wend.
That lacketh thingis three;
A routh o' gold, an open heart,
Ay fu' o' charity.
As this I speak of King Henry,
For he lay burd-alane;
And he's doen him to a jelly hunt's ha',
Was far frae ony town.
He chas'd the deer now him before,
And the roe down by the den,
Till the fattest buck in a' the flock
King Henry he has slain.
O he has doen him to his ha',
To mak him bierly cheer;
And in it cam a grisly ghost,
Staed stappin' i' the fleer.
Her head hat the roof-tree o' the house,
Her middle ye mat weel span;—
He's thrown to her his gay mantle;
Says,—" Ladie, hap your lingcan."
Her teeth was a' like teather stakes,
Her nose like club or mell;
And I ken nae thing she 'pear'd to be,
But the fiend that wons in hell.
"Some meat, some meat, ye King Henry;
Some meat ye gi'e to me."
" And what meat's in this house, Ladie?
And what ha'e I to gi'e ?"
["Its meat, its meat that I maun ha'e;
And sith nae better be,]
Its ye do kill your berry-brown steed,
And ye bring him here to me."
O whan he slew his berry-brown steed,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She ate him a' up, flesh and bane,
Left naething but hide and hair.
"Mair meat, mair meat, ye King Henry,
Mair meat ye bring to me."
"And what meat's in this house, Ladie?
And what hae I to gi'e?"
[" Its meat, its meat that I maun hae;
And sith nae better be,]
O ye do kill your good grey hounds.
And ye bring them in to me."
O whan he killed his good grey hounds,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She ate them a' up, flesh and bane,
Left naething but hide and hair.
"Mair meat, mair meat, ye King Henry
Mair meat ye bring to me."
"And what meat's in this house, Ladie?
And what hae I to gi'e?"
[Its meat, its meat that I maun hae;
And sith nae better be,]
O ye do kill your gay goss hawks,
And ye bring them here to me."
O whan he kill'd his gay goss hawks,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She ate them a' up, skin and bane,
Left naething but feathers bare.
"Some drink, some drink, now, King Henry;
Some drink ye bring to me."
"O what drink's in this house, Ladie,
That ye're nae welcome tee i"
["Drink—gi'e me drink!" she says, "and sith
Nae ither boot hae ye,]
O ye sew up your horse's hide,
And bring in a drink to me."
And he's sew'd up the bloody hide,
A puncheon o' wine put in;
She drank it a' up at a waught,
Left na ae drap ahin'. "
A bed, a bed, now, King Henry,
A bed ye mak to me ;
For ye maun pu' the heather green,
And mak a bed to me."
And pu'd has he the heather green,
And made to her a bed ;
And up he's ta'en his gay mantle,
And o'er it has he spread.
"Tak an your claiths, now, King Henry,
And lye down by my side;
[And ye sall be the groom sae gay.
And I sall be the bride."]
"O God forbid," says King Henry,
"That ever the like betide;
That ever the fiend that wons in hell
Should streek down by my side.
["What I can do, as I have done,
I yet will try for thee;
But sic an ugsome ghaist as thou
Nae bride can be to me."
"A boon, a boon, now, King Henry;
Grant me a boon I pray;
For never did a curteis knicht
Yet say a ladie nay.
"Be thou the groom, and I the bride,
As thou art a leal knicht."
"I wad gi'e half my lands, Ladie,
Or bed wi' sic a wicht.
"But sith thou will nocht be gainsaid,
I will do mair for thee "
Nor a' the knichts intill my court
I wat wald do for me.
"To sink or swim, or fecht or fa',
They wad whate'er they dow;
But thee to clip nae ane o' them
For me wad mird I trow."
Yet, as I am leal-hearted knicht,
My fame I winna stain;
Nor ever deny a lady's boon,
Albe I grant wi' pain."
Syne he has doff'd his claithingfine,
Streekit down by her side ;
And King Henry was the groom sae gay;
The Lady was the bride.]
Whan nicht was gane, and day was come,
And the sun shone thro' the ha',
The fairest lady that ever was seen
Lay atween him and the wa'.
"O weel is me!" says King Henry;
"How lang'll this last wi' me i"
Then out it spake that fair lady,—
"E'en till the day you die.
"For I've met wi' mony a gentle knicht,
That gae me sic a fill;
But never before wi' a curteis knicht,
That gae me a' my will.
["And as you've done as husbands should,
That wish their ladies fair,
(For ay her face is sweet and kind
Whase heart is light o' care;)
"Ye ay sall bless the curtesie
My beauty that has won;
And sae sall every knicht that chears
His dame as ye have done."]