Johnie Scott
No: 99; variant: 99[T]
- Johnny's gane up to fair England
Three quarters of a year,
And Johny's gane up to fair England,
The king's broad banner to bear.
- He had not been in fair England,
Even but a little while,
When that the king's ae dochter
To Johnny gaes wi child.
- And word is gane to the kitchen,
And word's gane to the ha,
And word's gane to the high, high court,
Amang the nobles a'.
- And word is gane unto the king,
In the chair where he sat,
That his ae dochter's wi bairn
To John the little Scott.
- 'If that I thought she is wi bairn,
As I true weel she be,
I'll put her up in high prison,
And hunger her till she die.'
- 'There is a silken sark, Johnny,
My ain sell sewed the gare,
And if ye come to tak me hence
Ye need nae taken mare.
- 'For I am up in high prison,
And O but it is cold!
My garters are o the cold, cold iron,
In place o the beaten gold.'
- 'Is this the Duke o York?' they said,
'Or James the Scottish king?
Or is it John the little Scott,
Frae Scotland new come hame?'
- 'I have an Italian in my bower,
This day he has eaten three;
Before I either eat or sleep
The fourth man ye shall be.'
- . . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
Between his een there was two spans,
His shoulders ells were three.
- Johnny drew forth his good braid glaive
And slate it on the plain:
'Is there any more of your Italian dogs
That wanteth to be slain?'
- 'A clerk, a clerk!' her father cry'd
'To register this deed;'
'A priest, a priest!' her mother cry'd,
'To marry them wi speed.'