Johnie Scott
No: 99; variant: 99[Q]
- Young Johnie's up to England gane
Three quarters of a year;
Young Johnie's up to England gane,
The king's banner for to bear.
- But he had not in England been
The one half of the time
Till the fairest laidy in all the court
Was going with child to him.
- Word unto the kitchen's gane,
And word's to the hall,
And word unto the court has gane,
Among the nobles all.
- And word unto the chamber's gane,
The place where the king sat,
That his only daughter is with child
To Johnie, the little Scott.
- 'If this be true,' then sais the king,
'As I true well it be,
I'll put hir in a strong castle,
And hungre hir till she dee.'
- Hir breast-plate was made of iron,
In place of the beaten gold,
A belt of steel about hir waist,
And O but she was cold!
- 'O where will I get a pritty little boy,
That will win hoes ahd shoon,
That will go doun to yonder lee
And tell young Johnie to come?'
- 'Here am I, a pritty little boy,
That will win hoes ahd shoon,
And I'll go doun to yonder lee
And tell young Johnie to come.'
- She has wrote a brod letter,
And seald it tenderly,
And she has sent it to Johnie the Scott,
That lay on yonder lee.
- When Johnie first the letter got,
A blith, blith man was be;
But or he read the half of it
The salt teer blind Johnie's ee.
- 'I will go to fair England,' says he,
'What ever may betide,
For to releave that gay laidy
Who last lay by my side.'
- Up then spoke his old mother,
A sorrifull woman was she;
'If you go to England, John,
I'll never see you mare.'
- Up then spoke Johnie's father,
His head was growing gray;
'If you go to England, John,
O fair you well for me!'
- up then spoke Johnie's uncle,
Our Scottish king was he;
'Five hundred of my merry men
Shall bear you company.'
- When Johnie was mounted on his steed
He looked wondorous bold,
The hair that oer his shouldiers hang
Like threeds of yellow gold.
- 'Now come along with me, my men,
O come along with me,
We'l blow thier castles in the air,
And set free my gay laidy.'
- The first gay town that they came to,
Made mass for to be sung;
The nixt gay town that they came to,
Made bells for to be rung.'
- But when they came to London town,
They made the drums beat round,
Who made the king and all his court
To wonder at the sound.
- 'Is this the Duke of Mulberry,
Or James the Scottish king?
Or is it a young gentleman
To England new come home?'
- 'It is not the Duke of Mulberry,
Nor James the Scottish [king];
But is a young gentleman,
MacNaughten is his name.'
- 'If MacNaughten be your name,' says the king,
'As I true well it be,
Before the morn at eight o clock
Dead hanged you shall be.'
- Up bespoke one of Johnie's little boys,
And a well-spoke boy was he;
'Before we see our master hangd,
We'l all fight till we dee.'
- 'Well spoke, well spoke, my little boy,
That is well spoke of thee;
But I have a champian in my bower
That will fight you three by three.'
- Up then spoke Johnie himself,
And he spoke manfully;
'If it please your Majesty,
May I this champian see?'
- The king and all his nobles then
Rode down unto the plain,
The queen and all [her] gay marries,
To see young Johnie slain.
- When the champian came out of the bower,
He looked at Johnie with disdain;
But upon the tope of Johnie's brodsword
This champian soon was slain.
- He fought on, and Johnie fought on,
With swords of tempered steel,
And ay the blood like dropes of rain
Came trinkling down thier hiel.
- The very nixt stroke that Johnie gave,
He brought him till his knee;
The nixt stroke that Johnie gave,
He clove his head in twa.
- He swapt his sword on every side,
And turned him on the plain:
'Have you any more of your English dogs
That wants for to be slain?'
- 'A clerk, a clerk!' the king he crys,
'I'll seal her taucher free;'
'A priest, a priest!' the queen she crys,
'For weded they shall be.'
- 'I'll have none of your [gold],' say[s] he,
'Nor any of your white money;
But I will have my ain true-love;
This day she has cost me dear.'