Queen Eleanor’s Confession
No: 156; variant: 156D
- THE queen of England she has fallen sick,
Sore sick, and like to die;
And she has sent for twa French priests,
To bear her companie.
- The King he has got word o this,
And an angry man was he;
And he is on to the Earl-a-Marshall,
As fast as he can gae.
- 'Now you'll put on a priest's robe,
And I'll put on anither,
And we will on unto the Queen,
Like twa French priests thegither.'
- 'No indeed!' said the Earl-a-Marshall,
'That winna I do for thee,
Except ye swear by your sceptre and crown
Ye'll do me nae injurie.'
- The King has sworn by his sceptre and crown
He'll do him nae injurie,
And they are on unto the Queen,
As fast as they can gae.
- 'O, if that ye be twa French priests,
Ye're welcome unto me;
But if ye be twa Scottish lords,
High hanged ye shall be.
- 'The first sin that I did sin,
And that to you I'll tell,
I sleeped wi the Earl-a-Marshall,
Beneath a silken bell.
- 'And wasna that a sin, and a very great sin?
And I pray ye pardon me;'
'Amen, and amen!' said the Earl-a-Marshall,
And a wearied man was he.
- 'The neist sin that I did sin,
And that to you I'll tell,
I keeped the poison seven years in my bosom,
To poison the King himsel.
- 'And wasna that a sin, and a very great sin?
And I pray ye pardon me;'
'Amen, and amen!' said the Earl-a-Marshall,
And a wearied man was he.
- 'O see ye there my seven sons,
A' playing at the ba?
There's but ane o them the King's himsel,
And I like him warst of a'.
- 'He's high-backed, and low-breasted,
And he is bald withal;'
'And by my deed,' and says the King,
'I like him best mysel!
- 'O wae betide ye, Earl-a-Marshall,
And an ill death may ye die!
For if I hadna sworn by my sceptre and crown,
High hanged ye should be.'