| |
| IT befell at Martynmas, | |
| When wether waxed colde, | |
| Captaine Care said to his men, | |
| We must go take a holde. | |
| |
| Syck, sike, and totowe sike, | 5 |
| And sike and like to die; | |
| The sikest nighte that euer I abode, | |
| God lord haue mercy on me! 1 | |
| |
| “Haille, master, and wether you will, | |
| And wether ye like it best”; | 10 |
| “To the castle of Crecrynbroghe, | |
| And there we will take our reste.” | |
| |
| “I knowe wher is a gay castle, | |
| Is builded of lyme and stone; | |
| Within their is a gay ladie, | 15 |
| Her lord is riden and gone.” | |
| |
| The ladie she lend 2 on her castle-walle, | |
| She loked vpp and downe; | |
| There was she ware of an host of men, | |
| Come riding to the towne. | 20 |
| |
| “Se yow, my meri men all, | |
| And se yow what I see? | |
| Yonder I see a host of men, | |
| I muse who they bee.” | |
| |
| She thought he had ben her wed lord, | 25 |
| As he comd riding home; | |
| Then was it traitur Captaine Care, | |
| The lord of Ester-towne. | |
| |
| They wer no soner at supper sett, | |
| Then after said the grace, | 30 |
| Or Captaine Care and all his men | |
| Wer lighte aboute the place. | |
| |
| “Gyue ouer thi howsse, thou lady gay, | |
| And I will make the a bande, 3 | |
| Tonighte thou shall ly within my armes, | 35 |
| Tomorrowe thou shall ere my lande.” | |
| |
| Then bespacke the eldest sonne, | |
| That was both whitt and redde: | |
| “O mother dere, geue ouer your howsse, | |
| Or elles we shalbe deade.” | 40 |
| |
| “I will not geue ouer my hous,” she saithe, | |
| “Not for feare of my lyffe; | |
| It shalbe talked throughout the land, | |
| The slaughter of a wyffe. | |
| |
| “Fetch me my pestilett, 4 | 45 |
| And charge me my gonne, | |
| That I may shott at yonder bloddy butcher, | |
| The lord of Easter-towne.” | |
| |
| Styfly vpon her wall she stode, | |
| And lett the pellettes flee; | 50 |
| But then she myst the blody bucher, | |
| And she slew other three. | |
| |
| “[I will] not geue ouer my hous,” she saithe, | |
| “Netheir for lord nor lowne; | |
| Nor yet for traitour Captaine Care, | 55 |
| The lord of Easter-towne. | |
| |
| “I desire of Captaine Care, | |
| And all his bloddye band, | |
| That he would saue my eldest sonne, | |
| The eare 5 of all my lande.” | 60 |
| |
| “Lap him in a shete,” he sayth, | |
| “And let him downe to me, | |
| And I shall take him in my armes, | |
| His waran 6 shall I be.” | |
| |
| The captayne sayd unto him selfe: | 65 |
| Wyth sped, before the rest, | |
| He cut his tonge out of his head, | |
| His hart out of his brest. | |
| |
| He lapt them in a handkerchef, | |
| And knet it of knotes three, | 70 |
| And cast them ouer the castell-wall, | |
| At that gay ladye. | |
| |
| “Fye vpon the, Captayne Care, | |
| And all thy bloddy band! | |
| For thou hast slayne my eldest sonne, | 75 |
| The ayre 7 of all my land.” | |
| |
| Then bespake the yongest sonne, | |
| That sat on the nurses knee, | |
| Sayth, “Mother gay, geue ouer your house; | |
| It smoldereth me.” | 80 |
| |
| “I wold geue my gold,” she saith, | |
| “And so I wolde my ffee, 8 | |
| For a blaste of the westryn wind, | |
| To dryue the smoke from thee. | |
| |
| “Fy vpon the, John Hamleton, | 85 |
| That euer I paid the hyre! | |
| For thou hast broken my castle-wall, | |
| And kyndled in the ffyre.” | |
| |
| The lady gate 9 to her close parler, | |
| The fire fell aboute her head; | 90 |
| She toke vp her children thre, | |
| Set, “Babes, we are all dead.” | |
| |
| Then bespake the hye steward, | |
| That is of hye degree; | |
| Saith, “Ladie gay, you are in close, | 95 |
| Wether ye fighte or flee.” | |
| |
| Lord Hamleton dremd in his dream, | |
| In Caruall where he laye, | |
| His halle were all of fyre, | |
| His ladie slayne or daye. | 100 |
| |
| “Busk 10 and bowne, 11 my mery men all, | |
| Even and go ye with me; | |
| For I dremd that my haal was on fyre, | |
| My lady slayne or 12 day.” | |
| |
| He buskt him and bownd hym, | 105 |
| And like a worthi knighte; | |
| And when he saw his hall burning, | |
| His harte was no dele lighte. | |
| |
| He sett a trumpett till his mouth, | |
| He blew as it plesd his grace; | 110 |
| Twenty score of Hamlentons | |
| Was light aboute the place. | |
| |
| “Had I knowne as much yesternighte | |
| As I do to-daye, | |
| Captaine Care and all his men | 115 |
| Should not haue gone so quite. | |
| |
| “Fye vpon the, Captaine Care, | |
| And all thy blody bande! | |
| Thou haste slayne my lady gay, | |
| More wurth then all thy lande. | 120 |
| |
| “If thou had ought eny ill will,” he saith, | |
| “Thou shoulde haue taken my lyffe, | |
| And haue saved my children, thre, | |
| All and my louesome wyffe.” | |
