| |
| FOUR and twenty bonny boys | |
| Were playing at the ba, 1 | |
| And by it came him sweet Sir Hugh, | |
| And he playd oer them a’. | |
| |
| He kicked the ba with his right foot, | 5 |
| And catchd it wi his knee, | |
| And throuch-and-thro the Jew’s window | |
| He gard the bonny ba flee. | |
| |
| He’s doen him to the Jew’s castell, | |
| And walkd it round about; | 10 |
| And there he saw the Jew’s daughter, | |
| At the window looking out. | |
| |
| “Throw down the ba, ye Jew’s daughter, | |
| Throw down the ba to me!” | |
| “Never a bit,” says the Jew’s daughter, | 15 |
| “Till up to me come ye.” | |
| |
| “How will I come up? How can I come up? | |
| How can I come to thee? | |
| For as ye did to my auld father, | |
| The same ye’ll do me.” | 20 |
| |
| She’s gane till her father’s garden, | |
| And pu’d an apple red and green; | |
| ’Twas a’ to wyle 2 him sweet Sir Hugh, | |
| And to entice him in. | |
| |
| She’s led him in through ae dark door, | 25 |
| And sae has she thro nine; | |
| She’s laid him on a dressing-table, | |
| And stickit him like a swine. | |
| |
| And first came out the thick, thick blood, | |
| And syne came out the thin, | 30 |
| And syne came out the bonny heart’s blood; | |
| There was nae mair within. | |
| |
| She’s rowd 3 him in a cake o lead, | |
| Bade him lie still and sleep; | |
| She’s thrown him in Our Lady’s draw-well, | 35 |
| Was fifty fathom deep. | |
| |
| When bells were rung, and mass was sung, | |
| And a’ the bairns came hame, | |
| When every lady gat hame her son, | |
| The Lady Maisry gat nane. | 40 |
| |
| She’s taen her mantle her about, | |
| Her coffer by the hand, | |
| And she’s gane out to seek her son, | |
| And wanderd oer the land. | |
| |
| She’s doen her to the Jew’s castell, | 45 |
| Where a’ were fast asleep: | |
| “Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh, | |
| I pray you to me speak.” | |
| |
| She’s doen 4 her to the Jew’s garden, | |
| Thought he had been gathering fruit: | 50 |
| “Gin 5 ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh, | |
| I pray you to me speak.” | |
| |
| She heard Our Lady’s deep draw-well, | |
| Was fifty fathom deep: | |
| “Whareer ye be, my sweet Sir Hugh, | 55 |
| I pray you to me speak.” | |
| |
| “Gae hame, gae hame, my mither dear, | |
| Prepare my winding sheet, | |
| And at the back o merry Lincoln | |
| The morn I will you meet.” | 60 |
| |
| Now Lady Maisry is gane hame, | |
| Made him a winding sheet, | |
| And at the back o merry Lincoln | |
| The dead corpse did her meet. | |
| |
| And a’ the bells o merry Lincoln | 65 |
| Without men’s hands were rung, | |
| And a’ the books o merry Lincoln | |
| Were read without man’s tongue, | |
| And neer was such a burial | |
| Sin Adam’s days begun. | 70 |
