Captain Ward- Douglass (NY) c. 1841 Thompson
[From A Pioneer Songster- Texts from Stevens-Douglass MS 1841-1856 by Thompson, 1958. The text is copied from the Douglass manuscript without changes of spelling. Notes are by Thompson- below.
R. Matteson 2014]
8. Captain Ward [Child, 287]
About 1604, according to Child, an English sailor named John Ward persuaded the crew of his ship to turn pirates under his leadership. The story told in the ballad begins with his offer of a large ransom for himself and his crew if the king, James I, would forgive them. The king, afraid to trust a man who had proved false before, sent the Rainbow to capture him. This well-known ship, which had been in Drake's expedition against Cadiz in 1587, brought back word that Ward could not be taken. Angry at this failure, the king named three other men, any one of whom he thought might have succeeded. They were George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland; Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy; and Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. The version given in Child is "dated at the British Museum 1680 at the earliest" and is said to be sung "to the tune of Captain Ward, etc."
Phillips Barry (British Ballads from Maine [New Haven, 1929]) believes that the ballad was probably contemporary with the event but, because of the poor light which it threw on King James, was not printed in England till after 1688. Besides a long historical note Barry gives two tunes and several texts. The one reprinted from The Forget-Me-Not Songster (J. S. Locke, Boston) is word for word the same as the Douglass version except for misspellings and so forth.
The Douglass ballad is much like that in Flanders except that it is longer, adding stanzas 19 and 23-27. There is much variation
between Douglass and Firth, some of Firth's lines not being in Douglass, and Douglass stanzas 7, 8, 9, and 10 not being in Firth.
Captain Ward
1. Come all ye jolly sailors bold
That live by tuck of drum
I'll tell you of a rank robber
Now on the seas is come
2. His name is called captain ward
As you the truth shall hear
For ther's not been such a robber
This hundred and fifty year
3. He wrote a letter to our king
On the fifth of January
To see if he would take him in
And all his company
4. To see if he would accept of him
And all his jolly sailors bold
And for a ransom he would give
Two thousand pounds in gold
5. First he beguiled the wild turks
And then the king of spain
Pray how can he prove true to us
When he proves false to them
6. O no, O no then said the king
For no such thing can be
For he has been a rank robber
And a robber on the seas
7. Othen says captain ward my boys
Lets put to sea again
And see what prizes we can find
On the coast of France and spain
8. Then we espy'd a lofty ship
A sailing from the west
She was loaded with silks and satins
And cambricks of the best
9. Then we bore up to her straitway
They thinking no such thing
We robbed them of their merchandise
Then bade them tell their king
10. And when their king did hear of this
His heart was grieved full score
To thing his ships could not get past
As they had done before
11. Then he caused a worthy ship
And a worthy ship of fame
The Rainbow she was called
And the rainbow was her name
12. He rigged her and freighted her
And sent her to the sea
With five hundred bold mariners
To bear her company
13. They sailed east they sailed west
But nothing could espy
Until they came to the very spot
Where capain Ward did lie
14. Who is the owner of this ship
The Rainbow then did cry
Here I am says captain Ward
Let no man me deny
15. What brought you here you cowardly dogs
You ugly wanton theif
What makes you lie at anchor
And keep your king in grief
1 6. You lie you lie says captain ward
As ever I heard you lie
I never robbed an englishman
An Englishman but three
17. As for the worthy Scotchmen
I love them as my own
My chief delight is for to pull
The french and Spaniards down
1 8. Why curse thou so bold a robber
We'll soon humble your pride
With that the gallant rainbow
She shot out of her side
19. Full fifty good brass cannons
Well charged on every side
And then they fired their great guns
And gave Ward a broadside
20. Fire on fire on says captain Ward
I value you not a pin
If you are brass on the out side
I am good steel within
21. They fought eight oclock in the morn
Till eight oclock at night
At length the gallant rainbow
Began to take her flight
22. Go home go home says captain ward
And tell your king for me
If he reigns king upon dry land
I will reign king at sea
23. With that the gallant rainbow
She shot and shot in vain
And left the Rover's company
And home returned again
24. Tell our royal king of England
His ship is returned again
For captain Ward he is to strong
He never will be taken
25. O shame O shame said the king
For no such thing can be
For I have lost two thousand pounds
Besides lost jewels three
26. The first was brave lord Clifford
Great earl of Cumberland
The second was brave lord Mountjoy
As you shall understand
27. The third was brave lord essex
From field would never flee
Who would have gone unto the sea
And brought proud ward to me