Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom; Bruce and Stokoe 1882; Child 1A
[From Bruce and Stokoe (1882) BNM, pp76-87. Collected from Print by Dixon from probably the Coles broadside of 1674. Edited to remove the youngest daughter sleeping with the knight. It is almost identical to #1A (Child (1882-1898) CPB, vol I, pp 3-4).
The date it also occurs in D'urfey's "Wit and Mirth", which is "1699" appears to be wrong since it's in volume IV.
R. Matteson 2011/2018]
Titles:
Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom
There was a lady of the North Country
Listen: http://totsie.biz:8110/PeggySeeger/listen-buy/the-long-harvest/lh02/audiocd-popup.html
Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom
Regarding the text, Bruce and Stokoe say it "was communicated to the "Local Historian's Table Book" by Mr. J. H. Dixon, who found it in the Bodleian Library Collection of Ballads, in a folio printed in the reign of Charles II.; it also occurs in D'urfey's "Wit and Mirth", 1699, and in Jamieson's "Popular Songs and Ballads," 1806.". The air is "from D'Urfey's works, and is supposed to be the original and ancient tune".
There was a lady of the North countrie,
Lay the bent to the bonny broom
And she had lovely daughters three,
Fal la la la la la la la re.
There was knight of noble worth,
Lay the bent, &c.,
Who also lived in the North.
Fal la la la. &c.,
This knight was of courage stout and brave,
Nothing but love could his heart enslave.
This knight he knockt at the lady's gate,
One evening when it was full late.
The eldest sister let him in,
And pinned the door with a silver pin.
The second sister she made his bed,
And laid soft pillows under his head.
The youngest sister fair and bright,
Was resolved to wed this valiant knight.
And in the morning, when it was day,
These words unto him she did say:
"Now (as I love you well)" quoth she,
"I pray, Sir Knight, will you marry me?"
The young brave knight to her replied—
"Thy suit, fair maid, shall not be denied.
"If thou canst answer me questions three,
This very day will I marry thee."
"Kind sir, in love, O then," quoth she,
"Tell me what your questions be."
"O what is longer than the way,
Or what is deeper than the sea?
"Or what is louder than the horn,
Or what is sharper than a thorn?
"Or what is greener than the grass,
Or what is worse than a woman e'er was?"
"O true love is longer than the way,
And hell is deeper than the sea.
"And thunder is louder than the horn,
And hunger is sharper than a thorn.
"And poison is greener than the grass,
And the Devil is worse than woman e'er was."
When she these questions answered had,
The knight became exceeding glad.
And having tried so hard her wit,
He much commended her for it.
And after it was verified,
He made of her his lovely bride.
Now, fair maidens, all adieu,
This song I dedicate to you;
I wish that you may constant prove
To the men that you do love.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom- Child (1882-1898)CPB vol I, pp3-4.
This is #1A in the Child cannon. The text is almost identical to the version supplied by Bruce and Stokoe. Indeed, I have used the score for the previous version (as supplied by Bruce and Stokoe) although it does not quite fit the words. I have included it so that a comparison can be made between the two versions.
Regarding the text, Child states that it is from "a. Broadside in the Rawlinson collection, 4to, 566, fol. 193, Wood, E. 25fol. 15. b. Pepys, III, 19, No 17. c. Douce, II, fol 168 b. d. Pills to cure Melancholy, IV, 130, ed. 1719.".
Bruce and Stokoe state that the air is "from D'Urfey's works, and is supposed to be the original and ancient tune".
Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom- Child version A
THERE was a lady of the North Country,
Lay the bent to the bonny broom
And she had lovely daughters three.
Fa la la la, fa la la la ra re
There was knight of noble worth
Which also lived in the North.
The knight, of courage stout and brave,
A wife he did desire to have.
He knocked at the ladie's gate
One evening when it was late.
The eldest sister let him in,
And pin'd the door with a silver pin.
The second sister she made his bed,
And laid soft pillows under his head.
The youngest daughter that same night,
She went to bed to this young knight.
And in the morning, when it was day,
These words unto him she did say:
'Now you have had your will,' quoth she,
'I pray, sir knight, will you marry me?'
The young brave knight to her replyed,
'Thy suit, fair maid, shall not be deny'd.
'If thou canst answer me questions three,
This very day will I marry thee.'
'Kind sir, in love, O then,' quoth she,
'Tell me what your [three] questions be.'
'O what is longer than the way,
Or what is deeper than the sea?
'Or what is louder than the horn,
Or what is sharper than a thorn?
'Or what is greener than the grass,
Or what is worse then a woman was?'
'O love is longer than the way,
And hell is deeper than the sea.
'And thunder is louder than the horn,
And hunger is sharper than a thorn.
'And poyson is greener than the grass,
And the Devil is worse than woman was.'
When she these questions answered had,
The knight became exceeding glad.
And having [truly] try'd her wit,
He much commended her for it.
And after, as it is verifi'd,
He made of her his lovely bride.
So now, fair maidens all, adieu,
This song I dedicate to you.
I wish that you may constant prove
Unto the man that you do love
--------------------------------
The version in Jamieson's "Popular Songs and Ballads," 1806 is found on page 154 under the title, Captain Wedderburn's Courtship, another Child riddling ballad. Here's the text:
154. CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN'S COURTSHIP
Of this piece, which is very popular in the north, as well as in the south of Scotland, the following copy was furnished from Mr Herd's MS. by the editor of the "Border Minstrelsy; and the present writer has supplied a few readings of small importance from his own recollection, as it was quite familiar to him in his early youth.
Playful sparrings of wit, of the kind here specified, are, and I believe have always been, so common among lovers in real life, that it would be matter of surprise, that they have so seldom obtained a place in the popular songs characteristic of the tender passion, did we not consider how few there are of the very ingenious ladies and lady-like gentlemen, who exercise their talents in that way, that have in them sentiment and sense enough to preserve from oblivion a song, or sonnet, beyond the circle of their own frivolous acquaintance. Hence the collector of these ditties is willing to suppose it comes, that he has been able to furnish his readers with only one specimen of an amorous parley of this kind, and that too of very little merit as a composition. Its singularity, however, and its extensive popularity, seem to entitle it to a place in this miscellany; and if the riddles of Girzey Sinclair have been less noted and less important than those of Samson, and of the Sphinx, they may nevertheless be read with pleasure, as well as indulgence, by such (more particularly) of my expatriated countrymen, as have heard them in their earlier years at stentings and rockings around the wintery ingle in Scotland. And although it is true, that the subject, good enough in itself, is handled with very little dexterity; yet had "The Lord of Roslin's daughter,' and the gallant " servant to the king, captain Wedderburn," lived in later times, they would probably have made a very distinguished figure among the ingenious correspondents of the learned Dr H***** and Co. in the " Lady's Diary," which bath often been the instrument of "crowning love, though riddles won the cause."
That there were in those days in England also enigmatising lovers, as naive, innocent, and easy to be won, as Girzey Sinclair, we have unquestionable evidence in " The noble Riddle wisely expounded, or the Maid's Answer to the Knight's three Questions' which is preserved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, in a large volume of ballads in black letter, of the latter part of Charles the Second's reign, p. 299. It begins thus:
"There was a lady of the north country,
(Lay the bent to the bonny broom)
And she had lovely daughters three.
Fa la la la, fa la la la ra re.
"There was a knight of noble worth, &c
Which also lived in the north," &c.
And so it came to pass that "The knight of courage stout and brave," being amorously and matrimonially inclined,
'Knocked at the ladie's gate, &c.
One evening when it was late, ore.
"The eldest sister let him in, &c.
And pind the door with a silver pin, &c.
"The second sister she made bis bed, &c.
And laid soft pillows under his head, &c
"The youngest daughter that same night, &e.
She went to bed with this young knight, &c.
And in the morning when it was day, &c.
These words unto him she did say, &c.
"Now, you have had your will, quoth she,
I pray, sir knight, will you marry me? &a
"The young brave knight to her replyed, &c.
Thy suit, fair maid, shall not be denyed, &c.
"If thou canst answer me questions three, &c.
This very day will I marry thee, &c.
"Kind sir, in love, O then, quoth she, &c.
Tell me what your questions be? &c.
"O what is longer than the way? &c.
Or what is deeper than the sea? &c.
"Or what is louder than the horn? &c.
Or what is sharper than a thorn? &c.
"Or what is greener than the grass? &c
Or what is worse than a woman was? &c
"O love is longer than the way, &c.
And hell is deeper than the sea, &c.
"And thunder is louder than the horn, &c.
And hunger is sharper than a thorn, &c.
"And poyson is greener than the grass, &c.
And the devil is worse than woman was, &c.
"When she these questions answered had, &c
The knight became exceeding glad, &c.
"And having tryd her wit, &c.
He much commended her for it, &c.
And so do I, with all my heart; and, considering the exceeding brilliancy of it, no one can be surprised, that
-----"after, as it is verified, &c.
He made of her his lovely bride, &&
in which she certainly was extremely fortunate ; and the good knight was also very much in the right, as they were just fere for fere, qve. pro quo; and so, in the beautiful strains of the same illustrious bard, whose lays I here consecrate to immortality,
-----"now, fair maidens, all adieu, &c
This song I dedicate to you, &c
"I wish that you may constant prove, &c.
Unto the man that you do love, &c."