Songs & Ballads from British Isles- Child Ballads
[Thompson's inclusion of 4. The Hog's Heart and 5. The Knight in Green as Child 268 is incorrect. These versions are a different ballad with a related plot first published as, Northern Lord and Cruel Jew, also from Buchan (Gleanings) in 1825. There are currently no known US or Canadian traditional versions of this ballad (Child 268).
Roud incorrectly listed under Roud 303 (Twa Knights) three US versions of The Hog's Heart because they were given as versions of Child 268. The titles from Roud are Knight in Green (Night in Green), one in Flanders (Ballads Migrant) and two in A Pioneer Songster (Night in Green; Hog's Heart) from the mid-1800s.
No. 6, The Kennebeck (also Kennebec) Bite was first published in "Body, Boots, & Britches: Folktales, Ballads, and Speech" by Harold William Thompson in 1940.
R. Matteson 2013]
I. SONGS AND BALLADS FROM THE BRITISH ISLES p. 7
A. Child Ballads
1. The Bishop of Canterbury (45)
2. Barbara Allen (84)
3. Katie Mora (112)
4. The Hog's Heart (268)
5. The Knight in Green (268)
6. The Kennebec Bite (283)
7. The Bold Pirates (285)
8. Captain Ward (287)
9. The Mermaid (289)
Songs and Ballads from the British Isles
A. Child Ballads
EVER since the great English and Scottish Popular Ballads were edited (1882-1898) by Professor F. J. Child of Harvard, these aristocrats of narrative song have been called "Child ballads"; conventionally their representatives have been placed first in most American collections of folksongs. Of the 305 that Child admitted to his canon, only 9 appear in the Stevens-Douglass Manuscript.
As any folklorist would expect, the manuscript includes a version of "Barbara Allen" (Child, 84), though there is some surprise in the location of the story, which is Stonington, probably Stonington, Connecticut, rather than Britain. "The Bishop of Canterbury" (Child, 45) is as important a version as has been found in America of the cleverest of old British riddle ballads. Riddles are, of course, among the oldest kinds of folklore; witness Samson's riddle in the Bible, Judges, chapter 14.
Three ballads are connected with the sea. "Captain Ward" (Child, 287) and "The Mermaid" (Child, 289) are close to the British songs; "The Bold Pirates" is a derivative of Child, 285. Americans had been interested in pirates from the time of Captain Kidd at the end of the seventeenth century until the days of Laflite in the early nineteenth.
It is remarkable that two other derivatives seem connected with a single British ballad, "The Twa Knights" (Child, 268); with their chastity wager they are reminiscent also of stories in Boccaccio and in Shakespeare's Cymbeline. Why was a family descended from New England Puritans so much interested in such a subject that it had memorized "The Hog's Heart" (53 stanzas) and "The Knight in Green" (only 28 stanzas, but incomplete)? "Katie Mora," perhaps a derivative of "The Baffled Knight" (Child, 112), is far from decorous in its humorous trick. "The Kennebec Bite" is not indecorous in its "bite" (trick); it has a story similar to that of "The Crafty Farmer" (Child, 283). Perhaps for folklorists the chief interest of this section is to be found in these derivatives.
1. The Bishop of Canterbury [Child, 45]
In ancient lore a person's life sometimes depended on his ability to answer riddles. This tale of King John, who ruled England from 1199 to 1216, has counterparts in many different countries. In Child version (A) we find the story in a little more detail. Apparently the bishop tried to defend himself against the king's jealousy by maintaining that he had a right to spend his own money as he wished. Unmoved by this logic, King John demanded either the bishop's life or answers to three riddles within a specified time. (In a similar story told in Scotland of James V four riddles are given, the first being, "Where is the middle of the earth?" The answering miller put down his staff and replied, "There, as your majesty will find by measuring.") Unable to find help in either Cambridge or "Oxenford," the bishop rode home and confided in his half-brother, a shepherd, who volunteered to answer for him. When he had answered the riddles correctly, the king promised him the bishopric, but the shepherd declined on the grounds that he could "neither write nor reede." The king then forgave him and the bishop for the trick and promised him three hundred pounds a year. Child (A) closes with the remark that such a great thing has not happened to a shepherd since the time of David.
The song goes by different names such as "King John and the Bishop" and "The King's Three Questions," and in the Flanders, Garland, and Child (B) versions has a "Deny down" refrain.
There is a great deal of variation in wording. Stanza 1 of the Douglass version is obviously faulty. Child (B) clears up the corruption:
I'll tell you a story, a story anon,
Of a noble prince, and his name was King John;
For he was a prince, and a prince of great might,
He held up great wrongs, he put down great right.
Flanders prints a melody for the song.
The Bishop of Canterburry
1. Here's a health to king john so great was that king
Built up great wrongs Tore down great rrights
And as he was seated to make himself merry
He sent for the bisop of canterburry
2. He says Mr. bishop it is told unto me
That you set a much better table than me
And if don't answer to my questions three
Your head will be taken from your boddy
3. The first question is as ime on my stage
With my golden crown on all my head
With all my abilities joy and great mirth
You must tell to one peny just what I am worth
4. The next question is with out any doubt
How long will I be traveling this whole world about
The third question is as I do now wink
You must tell to me presently what I do think
5. O mow the poor bishop O now he is gone
He met a shepherd all a lone
Good morning good morning the shepherd did say
What news do you bring from the king to day
6. Bad news bad news I tell unto thee
The king he has asked me questions three
And if I dont answer to them all right
My head will be taken from my body quite
7. The first question is as he's on his stage
With his golden crown all on his head
And all his abilities joy and great mirth
I must [tell] to one peny just what he is worth
8. The next question is with out any doubt
How [long] he will be tra[v]eling this whole world about
The third question is as he does now wink
I must tell to him presently what he does thenk
9. If you will give me a suit of your pearl [apparel]
I will go and answer to the quirl [quarrel]
A suit of my pearl I freely give
And ten pounds a year as long as I live
10. O now the poor shepherd O now he is gone
To answer the questions of king John
And if he dont answer to them all right
His head will be taken from his body quite
11. Good morning good morning the king he did say
Have you come here to live or to die
And if I dont answer to your questions three
I hope your grace will paron me
12. The first question is as your are on your stage
With your golden crown all on your head
With all your abilities joy and great mirth
I must tell to one peny just what you are worth
13. For thirty peaces our savior was Sold
Among the jews So brave and so bold
And twenty nine is your just due
For me thinks [he was] one peace better than you
14. The next question is without any doubt
How long youll be traveling this whole world about
If you rise with the sun and go down with the same
In twenty four hours you can it obtain
15. The third question is as you do now wink
I must tell to you presently what you do think
O that I can do twill make your heart mery
You think ime the bishop of canterberry
1 6. The king he looked on him with a smile
He can be bishop another while
Go tell the old bishop go tell him for me
He keeps a fine fellow if he keeps the
2. Barbara Allen
[Child, 84]
On January 2, 1666, Pepys recorded in his Diary his pleasure in having heard Mrs. Knipp, the actress, sing "her little Scotch song of 'Barbary Allen.' " The song was not printed, however, until much later; Child reports it in Ramsay's Miscellany of 1740. Since then this most popular of Child ballads has been printed many times.
The locale of the Douglass version is Stonington, Connecticut, from which settlers probably moved to Wyoming County, New York, where the ballad was written down. Both Ozark and Brown have versions referring to "Stoney Town," which is doubtless a corruption of Stonington. Another striking localization in Douglass is the description of Barbara Allen as a blacksmith's daughter. It is, moreover, unusual for this kind of information to appear in the last stanza rather than the first. Although there are countless versions of this ballad, other variations, less obvious than these already mentioned, are noticeable in this one. They are the "milk white steed," the theme of poverty and wealth, and Barbara's death beside her lover's casket, though this immediate demise is mentioned in two southern versions (Scarborough, H and I). The unnamed lover, the explanation of the slight given to Barbara, and the lack of the rose-and-briar ending, while not uncommon, do set this version apart from many variants.
There are several tunes. Cox, Eddy, Gardner and Chickering, Linscott, Mackenzie, Ozark, and Sandburg include tunes.
Barbara Allen
1. It was on the merry month of may
When all things were a blooming
It was on his death bed a young man lay
For the love of Barbara allen
2. He sent his servants out of town
He sent his servants too her
My master dear has sent here
For the love of you miss Allen
3. So slowly she put on her clothes
And so slowly she went to him
And she said when she got there
Was young man i think you are dieing
For death is printed on your face
You are on your death bed lieing
4. Oh dont you remember said she
When you and i were at the tavern
You drinked your health to the pretty girls
But you slighted poor Barbara alien
5. He turned his face unto the wall
He turned his back unto her
Adieu adieu to my friends all
But awoe to Barbary Allen
6. She mounted on her milk white steed
And out of town was goin
She had not rhode many a mile
Before she heard the bells a toling
The bells they tolled all in a row oh cruel Barbary Allen
7. She looked east she looked west
And she looked all around her
And there she saw the lamentable corps
And the barriers dressed in mourning
8. Come set you down this clay cold corps
And let me look upon him
For once his cheeks they beautifully flowed
And now the collor is fading
9. Then she trembled like a leaf
And death it stared upon her
And down she fell as cold as clay
Which made all people wonder
10. Come now all you maidens of this town
And listen to my story
Oh do not stight [slight] nor grieve your tove [love]
For twill surley blast your glory
11. This young man he died for pure love
This damsel followed after
The richest man in stoneington died
For a poor Blacksmiths daughter
3. Katie Mora
[Child, 112]
In Child this old English ballad is known as "The Baffled Knight." Child version A tells the story of a clever maiden who promises her favor to the knight if he will take her home first. When they reach the castle, however, she closes the gate after her, locking him out, and then jeers at him. The wording is quite different from that in the more recent versions.
The Douglass version is longer and more descriptive than the versions in Shoemaker, Sharp, or Eddy, though the latter two have nonsense refrains lacking in Douglass. The present version has a happy ending with marriage, which appears in neither Sharp nor Child. Sharp and Eddy both print tunes.
Horace P. Beck's The Folklore of Maine (Philadelphia and New York, 1957) includes a version called "Kitty O'Morey" in 13 stanzas and refrain. Here the marriage takes place, and there is a jesting conclusion: "But every time Katie winks at me; / oh gosh, I feel like climbing." A man named Dale Potter furnished Mr. Beck with the text and a tune.
Katey Mora
1. Come all you sly and trickey lads
Come listen to my story
I'll tell you how i fixed my plans
To spoil young katy mory
2. I went unto her fathers house
Just like a clever fellow
I told her the blue grapes were ripe
Were charming plump and mellow
3. And that my sisters wished to meet
Her down in yonder bower
There for to gather grapes and plumbs
And spend a social hour
4. I waited until she had gone
Then wantonly pursued her
I caught her down in the shady bower
On purpose to delude her
5. Now i have caught you in this bower
My sisters know not the matter
Its you must die or else comply
For ive no time to flatter
6. My hand she squeezed she seemed well pleased
There is one thing i fear sir
My father he hath gone this way
Lest he should each us hear sir
7. Its you may climb this tree said she
Till hee is out of sight sir
Then I will go along with the
Where we will take delight sir
8. Her counsel then i quickly took
I was not the least offended
My charmer stood at the roots of the tree
For to see how i ascended
9. At every jerk it made such work
Stuck hard in my cropsir
The clothes i wore my shirt i tore
When in the limbs i had got sir
10. When kate she heeled it from the tree
She sung both loud and cheerly
You may pick your plumbs and suck your thumbs
For i no longer fear thee
11. You look just like an owl said she
Your company i shun sir
You may get down as you got up
You are welcome to your fun sir
12. Then kate she heeled it oer the plain
And left me quite distracted
I riped i swore my shirt i tore
For to think how she had acted
13. But when ide thought the matter oer
Her virtues i commended
And soon i made a wife of her
And here my sorrows ended
14. Shes neat she kind she to my mind
We live in love and fashion
Blessed be the hour she ran away
And left me in a pashion
4. The Hog's Heart
[Child, 268]
The story recounted in this ballad is an ancient one, though the ballad itself does not appear in any of the books examined. The ballad in Child most closely related to it is "The Twa Knights." There two men make a similar wager on the chastity of the wife of one, but the wife hires her niece to substitute for her. The husband on his return is shown a finger supposedly cut from his wife's hand as evidence of her guilt; she proves her innocence by showing her hand uninjured.
In Boccaccio's Decameron the ninth novel of the second day is a story more like "The Hog's Heart" in detail. A Genoese merchant, Bernard Lomellin, accepts the wager of Ambrose of Piacenza against Bernard's wife. Ambrose, learning that the lady's reputation is excellent, bribes a poor woman, who is often in the lady's house, to help him. Pretending that she is going away, the poor woman gets permission to leave a chest in the lady's room for safekeeping. After the lady is asleep that night, Ambrose comes out of the chest in which he is concealed, observes the room, notices a mole upon the lady's breast, and then takes, as further proof, a purse, a gown, a ring, and a girdle. Bernard, accepting the stolen articles and Ambrose's description for proof, pays the wager. Then he goes to his country house and sends a servant for his wife with instructions to kill her on the way back. The lady, however, prevails upon the servant to take her clothes as proof of her death but to let her live. Disguised as a man, she gets work, goes to Alexandria with her master, and is transferred to the service of the sultan. (In Shakespeare's Cymbeline, derived partly from this story in Boccaccio, the lady becomes a page in the Roman army that invades Britain.) In Boccaccio she finds at a fair the purse and girdle stolen from her. Inquiring about their ownership, she becomes acquainted with Ambrose, who boasts of the way he got them. She then has both Ambrose and Bernard brought to account. The lady reveals her identity, Ambrose is cruelly executed, and Bernard is happily reunited with his wife in wealth and honor.
John Colvin Dunlop {History of Prose Fiction [London, 1888]) mentions "The Two Merchants and the Faithful Wife" of Ruprecht von Wurzburg as a variant of the story in old German verse.
The substitution of the hog's heart for the woman's by the compassionate servant is a familiar folk motif, one of the versions of "Snow White" being probably the best-known tale in which it occurs.
For further study of the motifs, see Motif K512.2 (compassionate executioner: substituted heart), K52 1.4.1. 1 (girl escapes in male disguise), K1342 (entrance into a woman's room by hiding in a chest), K2112.1 (false tokens of wife's unfaithfulness), N15 (chastity wager).
It is interesting to note, in view of these references, that according to Douglass family tradition, this ballad is founded on actual
events.
The Hogs Heart
1 . A merchant from london as many report
He for a long time a fair lady did court
At length through long courting this noble lady
She promised this merchant his bride for to be
2. There one thing this lady was innocent
To go his own factor the merchant was bent
The ship she was fitted and things ready were
And ordered to sail but the wind was not fair
3. And for to make sure of his lady bright
He was married one morning as soon as it was light
And merry they were but that very same day
Tidings came to him the ship must away
4. He said my dear jewel the thing it is so
That I my own factor to rusia must go
It will not be long before I shall return
Go you home in safety my dear do not mourn
5. So then they embraced and away he did hie
To be left alone thus the lady did cry
As he has gone from me I'll do what I can
To keep my self free from the scandal of man
6. So this noble lady with a troubled mind
Unto her own chamber was closely confined
While now we will leave her to sie and complain
And return to the merchant thats gone oer the main
7. He sailed unto rusia and as we do find
His ship she was laden with traffic so fine
And to come for England his course was to steer
And what hapened to him you quickly shall hear
8. For several hours in waves they were lost
Looking evry moment their lives to be lost
But in the midst of sorrow theres one did contrive
To alter their course and at westchester arrive
9. This thing was son noised abroad in the town
And many shopkeepers to this ship came down
One bought the whole cargo whitch money it was said
To the london merchant in a few days was paid
10. One day at the tavern those dealers we find
S[pe]nt several hours in drinking of wine
At length the shopkeepers says friend will you go
And git us a miss the merchant says no
11. Sir with such A lady I fairly did wed
And never had time to enjoy her in bed
A woman whose body A man never knew
Unto Such a wife I will prove just and true
12. Then said the shopkeepers you consist very strong
To think any woman would tarry so long
To wait for A husband I lay if you dare
That I can defile your chaste lady fair
13. Atlength the merchant cries out I am free
To lay Ship and money on her charity
So then before witness this thing was agreed
And the shopkeepers setout to london with speed
14. He went to A tavern and there did persume
To call for a bottle of wine and a room
It was a widow woman that then lived there
For the sake of money his wife did ensnare
15. He asked if She knew such a one the reply
Was made yes [she] knew her She lived hard by
He says fifty guineas ill give you strait way
If unto her chamber you will me convey
16. The old lady [said] as I am A liv
A way to get you there i Soon will contrive
She went to the lady and says it is so
To my dying father this night I must [go]
17. My jewets and plates and some other things brave
Lays locked in a great chest that by me I have
To night in your chamber pray let it stand here
Tomorrow I'll fetchit you need not to fear
18. This lady not knowing her wicked design
Gave her leave to fech it when night came we find
This bride subtle brood to complete the jest
She had him conveyed there locked up in a chest
19. This lady she used to keep A great light
To burn in her chamber always in the night
And as this fairs lady [lay] in a deep sleep
The shopkeeper [out] of the chest he did creep
20. He went to the bedside like one in amaze
And on this fair lady here stood and did gaze
And on her right breast he espied A mole
Whitch token some time he did stand and behold
21. Likewise on A table he chanced to espy
A watch and gold girdle there on it did lie
On this watch and girdle her name was there placed
Whitch tidings [tokens] in his pocket he put up in haste
22. Saying these same tokens my wager will gain
And now to disturb her I that will refrain
He went and got into the chest and there did lay
Untill the next morning they feched him away
23. And then for weschester this man did prepare
And with A good horse in A Short time got there
He says to the merchant the wager ive won
And if not mistaken you now are undone
24. Upon her right breast there is a mole grows
In whitch through A long courting you have seen I suppose
Sir here's A watch and gold girdle like wise
Whitch you see farely I tell you no lies
25. The merchant seeing this he wept bitterly
He says wicked strumpet you have ruined me
For to be undone this makes my heart ache
And now for subsistance what shift shall i take
26. To hear his sad mourns some merchants being there
Said unto him brother come do not despair
As you are ruined by A wicked woman
We will make A man of you once more if we can
27. So they among them raised a hundred pounds
And set him up shopkeeping Chester town
The devil was busy and to stir up strife
He tempted this merchant for to kill his wife
28. He then kept A servant whose name it was John
He did send A letter to her by this man
These words were within it at Chester I be
With all expectation dear wife come unto me
29. Perusing the letter says she with A smile
My dear ill be with you in A little while
And then witth this young man away she went
Of whose ill design she was innocent
30. Riding through a long wood to make her his prey
He with a penknife turned about and did say
Come lady alight from your horse presently
For it is so order'd that here you must die
31. To hear these expressions she cried out amain
Young man wherefore is it I must be here Slain
The answer was to her for playing the whore
The man that despised you I know him besure
32. She says if I must die ill lake it [take oath] on my death
No man knew my body ne'er since my breath
He says these excuses they never will do
My master has Sent me for to murder you
33. He charged me to bring your clothes and your heart
And i'll not prove false to him as for my part
As She stood trembling and for life did cry
Through providence there a great hog he came by
34. She says you may save my life and kill that swine
And cary his heart to him he'll think its mine
Like wise take my clothes along with you also
Give me some of yours a wandering i'll go
35. For to save her life the youth thought it good
The thing she described was done in the wood
He went home and says for to finish the strife
Sir here is the clothes and the heart of your wife
36. To see this the merchant straight way he did blush
And into the fire this poor heart he did push
Saying there is the heart of a strumpet in grain
Who has been my ruin and fed me with pain
37. So thus in vile manner this poor heart did quake
So that you may see that revenge it is sweet
Where now we will leave him mistaken and here
What course this fair lady for bread now did stear
38. Dressed in mens apparrel She wandered away
And as She was going through A town one day
She went to a generals door it was said
She begged heartily for a morsal of bread
39. The man he came forth looked her in the face
Says unto her young man it is a disgrace
For to go a beging and then will you be
Willing to serve such a hard master as me
40. She says I will and thank you besides
Come in and set down then the gentleman cried
And soon I will put better clothes on your back
Be but a good servant you never Shall lack
41 . This man he so loved her that in a short Space
He got her a commission for a captains place
And she with great courage to flanders went o'er
And was in a battle where cannons did roar
42. When summer was over both She and her men
All that were alive came to england again
For their winter quarters were ordered so
That she and her men to weschester must go
43. She walking along the Streets one day
Looked into A shop and her husband did see
To think of his actions whitch had been so base
Her heart was disturbed and removed from its place
44. Dressed like a commander She to him did go
And said to him sir I pray do you know
Sues a man in this town tell me if you can
The answer was to him sir i am the man
45. Sir did you mary such A lady
A noble knights daughter I pray where is she
Yes I married with her this merchant he cried
But three years ago she sickened and died
46. And then to a justice of peace she retired
And told him the matter whitch thing he admired
He sent for the merchant and young man in haste
And for that villain that was locked up in a chest
47. And first he examined this ladys husband
Who hearing the matter with fear he looked down
Thinking the lady for to be dead
For fear then his teeth all gnashed in his head
48. The Justice says young man now I am for thee
Didst thou with this mans wife tell the truth unto me
He says I wasent this lady to will
Unto her through mercy I showed no i'll
49. Dressed in mens apparel she says to him John
Sir I am a woman I dress like A man
To hear this the merchant straightway then did sweat
And looked like a wood cock well caught in a net
50. Then the shopkeeper was brought into place
Who on this fair lady brought A space
And being examined was then found guilty
And ordered to stand in the Pillery
51. And nay that was not all he was ordered to pay
Twenty thoasand pounds to this merchant next day
The sum was produced with great discontent
And then to the prison away he was sent
52. He says I am taken for playing the cheat
And shall be exposed to great shame in the street
And to prevent all sorrow he took a penknife
And did Stab himself which soon ended his life
53. So now the merchant and lady do dwell
Together in love and agree very well
And as for this young man pitied her moan
This lady loves him as a child of her own
5. The Knight in Green
[Child, 268]
This ballad is a unique combination of motifs, some of them similar to those in "The Hog's Heart." The story of the wager, for instance, is related to "The Twa Knights" (Child, 268) men- tioned in the introduction to "The Hog's Heart." The first part of "The Night in Green," in which preference is shown for the younger sister, may be related to "The Twa Sisters" (Child, 10) or to "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet" (Child, 73). In the latter the brown girl had wealth, but the fair one did not. The lady's green costume at the end of the Douglass ballad may correspond to Annet's attire when she visited Lord Thomas, though a green dress is a ballad convention. The rescue of the lady by the miller reminds one again of "The Twa Sisters," but in that ballad the girl's life is not saved, as it is in the present one.
On the other hand, many parts of the ballad are reminiscent of Shakespearean plays. In The Merchant of Venice a nobleman borrows money from a Jew with the promise of his own flesh as security; in the same play Portia pleads the case of Antonio, whereas in the Douglass ballad the lady dressed in green hears the case of her husband who is tried for murder. As in "The Hog's Heart," the wager on the wife's chastity, the wife's disguise in man's clothing, and the discovery that the man had won the wager under false pretenses are probably related to Boccaccio (II, 9). Shakespeare's Cywbeline, based to a certain extent on Boccaccio, has a few incidents that correspond more closely with the present ballad than does the story from Boccaccio. For instance, in Cymbeline gentlemen rather than merchants make the wager; Posthumus, the husband, is to forfeit a diamond ring if Iachimo brings back Imogen's bracelet as proof of her infidelity; Iachimo professes love for Imogen but is repulsed by her before he tries the stratagem for gaining the bracelet. The stealing of the ring by the maid is reminiscent of the handkerchief's being stolen in Othello.
G. L. Kittredge has mentioned the occurrence of the "pound of flesh" story in Cursor Mundi in the fourteenth century and also in "The Crueltie of Gernutus," which was probably earlier than 1590.
As long as it is, the ballad seems unfinished because the "pound of flesh" bargain is not settled. This is the last ballad in the manuscript, and undoubtedly the final stanzas have been lost. Were it complete, it might be possible to identify the ballad with Shakespearean themes.
For further study of the motifs, see Motif J 116 1.2 (pound of flesh bargain), K512.2 (compassionate executioner: substituted heart), K521.4.1.1 (girl escapes in male disguise), K2112.1 (false tokens of wife's unfaithfulness), N15 (chastity wager).
The Night in Green
1. A norther lord of high renown
Two daughters had the oldest brown
The youngest beautiful and fair
A noble night by chance came there
2. Their father says kind sir I have
Two daughters here whitch do you crave
She thats so beautiful he cried
With that the noble lord replied
3. She thats so beautiful and gay
Is not for to be given away
But as rich treasures bought and sold
She shall fetch me her weight in gold
4. The price i think you need not gretch
For I would frely give as much
With her oldest sister if i can
Light of some lord or noble man
5. The bargain being fully made
before the money could be paid
he hired of a wealthy jew
The mighty sum and writings drew
6. That if he failed or missed one day
As many ounces he should pay
Of his own flesh instead of gold
It was agreed and money told
7. Away he went immedately
To his great lord where he did buy
His daughter beatiful and fair
And paid him down the money there
8. He bought her for it was well known
To all commands she was his own
Therefore by her he did enjoy
A sweet and prety pratling boy
9. Atlingth the time of pay drew near
Which made this noble knight to fear
The terror of the mighty jew
because the money it was due
10. You need not fear his lady cried
For we can cross the ocean wide
And so secure you from your fate
To what she said he yielded straight
11. When they had crossed the raging seas
They traveled on till by degrees
Unto the German court they came
This knight his son and royal dame
12. There they lived in much delight
Till a duch lord dred this english knight
That he a tun of gold would lay
He could enjoy his lady gay
13. And from her hand he was to bring
A rich and costly dimond ring
Which was to prove and testify
That he did with this lady lie
14. He tried but could not once obtain
She frowned his favor wis disdain
She did abhor his base intent
Then to her servant maid he went
15. And told her if she would but steal
Her ladys ring and so conceal
This thing and bring it to him straight
She Should be heir to a fine estate
1 6. The maid in hopes of such reward
Did steal the ring for the duch lord
And when he brought it to the knight
He almost fainted at the sight
17. Then home he went his lady straight
And meeting her at the gait
He plunged her head long down the moat
And left her there to sink or float
18. Now as this lady floated past
The miller catched her up at last
Saving her life and jewels too
Which was more than her husband knew
19. She dressed herself in garments green
Ah in mens clothes and thus was seen
Unto to the court she did ride Straight
And caled her Self an english knight
20. The emperor to her did say
Sir here is a man condemned to die
For drowning of his lady gay
Quoth She ill see him if i may
21. The knight was brought the court was set
The duch lord came and seemed to sweat
About the ring for he did fear
The truth would make his shame appear
22. And so it did for being called
This maid down on her knees did fall
Unto the court and did confess
This duch lords base unworthiness
23. He hired me to steal the ring
Which he did to my master bring
And said he had it from his wife
This was the cause of all the strife
24. The knight in green says is it so
This lady yet for what we know
May be alive therefore you stay
His sentense till another day
25. But you duck lord give him the tun
Gold for he it fairly wone
And so he did with shame and grief
And thus the knight obtained relief
26. But this duch lord to vent his spite
Upon this noble english knight
Did write a letter out of hand
So that the jew might understand
27. The knight was in the german court
Where upon the straight report
The jew he crossed the ocean wide
Resolving to be satisfied
28. He came to court they let him in
He at this knight began to grin
Your hand and seal i pray behold
Your flesh ill have instead of gold
6. The Kennebec Bite
[Child, 283]
"The Kennebec Bite," with its title varying according to locality, seems to be a parallel of the Child ballad. The printed record of
"The Yorkshire Bite" began between 1769 and 1788, whereas that of Child's "The Crafty Farmer" dates from 1796.
Both Green Mountain and Sandburg have a stanza between Douglass stanzas 6 and 7 giving the highwayman's invitation to
ride and John's acceptance. This stanza helps to carry the story along clearly, and its conversation adds to the vitality of the bal-
lad. Two of the Douglass stanzas, 11 and 12, are not in either Green Mountain or Sandburg. There are tunes in Flanders, Green Mountain, and Sandburg to which the stanzas may be sung, though the
refrains are of different length.
The Kennebeck Bite
1. Near Boston there lived a mason by trade
He had for his servants a man and a maid
A Kennebeck boy he had for his man
And for to do his work his name it was John
ral de dal lal lal de da
2. Twas early one morning he caled to John
John hearing his master he quickly did come
Go take that cow and drive her to fair
For She's in good order and all I have to spare
ral de dal
3. John takes the cow out of the barn
And drives her to the fair as you shall learn
In a little time he met with a man
And sold him the cow for a six pound ten
4. He steped to the tavern to take him a drink
T'was there the old merchant he paid him all his chink
He steped to the landlady and unto her did say
What shall I do with my money I do pray
5. Sew it up in your coat lining i think it the best way
For fear that you be robed all on the highway
There sets a highwayman a drinking of his wine
He says to himself that money is all mine
6. In a little time John started for to go
The hiwayman folowed after all so
In a little time he over takes John
You are welcome over taken says he young man
7. They rode till they came to a long dark lane
The hiwayman says i will tell you in plain
Deliver up your money with out fear or strife
Orhear i will end your sweet precious life
8. John seeing now no time to dispute
He jumped off the horse with out fear or doubt
And from the coat lining he pulled the money out
And among the tall grass he strewed it all about
9. The hiwayman comeing down from his horse
But little did he think it would be to his loss
Whilst he was picking the money that was strewd
John jumped upon the horse and away did ride
10. The hiwayman called to John forto stop
But little did he mind but away he did trot
Home to his master and thus he did bring
A horse and a saddle and many a fine thing
11. The maid steped to the door to see John return
She went to quaint her master that was in the other room
He steped to the door and says to him thus
The devil has my cow turned into a horse
12. Oh no your cow I very well sold
But robed on the way by a hiwayman bold
And whilst he was putting your money in his purse
To make your amends i came off with his horse
13. The bags were taken off and out of them were told
Five hundred pounds in silver and in gold
Besides a pair of pistols he says jack i vow
I think my good old master i very well sold [your cow]
14. As for a lad you have done very wrath [rare]
Three quarters of the money you shall have for your share
As for the villain you served him just rite
I think you tucked upon him a Kenebec bite
7. The Bold Pirates
[Child, 285]
According to the Child version entitled "The 'George Aloe' and the 'Sweepstake,' " the story seems to be as follows: Two English merchant ships were bound for Safee (probably Safi, Morocco). Although the George Aloe anchored for a time, the Sweepstake proceeded but was attacked and defeated by the French. The George Aloe in turn overtook the French and defeated them, allowing no quarter. The Douglass ballad, after the first stanza, tells only the latter incident. The refrain in line 2 is quite different from the Child refrain, "With hey, with ho, for and a nony no," though line 4 is close to the English, "And along the course of Barbary." The names of the ships vary, appearing in Neeser (a similar version with one additional stanza) as Prince Rupert and Prince of Wales. Trident prints the tune to "High Barbaree," as this song is sometimes called. The fragment given in Brown corresponds quite closely to Douglass stanzas 1, 2, and 4, the ship names being the same and the refrain also.
The Bold Pirates
1 . Two lofty ships from England they came
Blow high blow low so sailed we
One was the prince of hither the other prince of wales
Cruising down on the coast of Barbary
2. Aloft aloft our jolly bosum cried
Blow high blow low so sailed we
Look A stern look A stern look a weather look a lee
Look down on the coast of barbary
3. I see nothing a stern I see nothing A lee
Blow high, &c
But I see A ship at windward and A lofty ship is she
Cruising, &c
4. Hio hio our jolly bosun cried
Blow high, &c
Are you A man of war or a privateer says he
Cruising, &c
5. I am no man of war no privateer says he
Blow high, &c
But I am A bold pirate seeking for my fee
Cruising, &c
6. Then broad side and broad side for A long time we lay
Blow high, &c
And the broad side we gave them we cut their mast away
Cruising, &c
7. Oh quarters oh quarters these pirats did say
Blow high, &c
But the quarters that we gave them we sunk them in the sea
Cruising, &c
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
9. The Mermaid [Child, 289]
This old broadside ballad known to sailors around the world was first recorded in print, according to Child, in "The Glasgow
Lasses Garland," tentatively dated 1765. Since that time it has become a popular college song, telling a tale of misfortune. To set sail on Friday was unlucky; to sight the mermaid meant that disaster was unavoidable.
The Douglass version is one of the simplest that tells the whole story, having no chorus nor repeated lines. The references to the mother and the wife in New York and Boston, respectively, are natural in a York State version, as the locale changes according to the place where a version is sung. The last stanza, with its "once," "twice," and "third" time around, is unusual; Shoemaker is the only other version that is similar in this respect. In other versions "three times" is repeated. Music to which the ballad is now sung appears on page 96 of Trident and also in Ozark.
The Murmaid
1 . On friday morning we set sail
Not being far from land
It was there espied a fair murmaid
With a comb and a glass in her hand
2. Our boatsman at the helm stood
And in steering his course right well
With a tear standing in his eye
Saying O how the seas they do swell swell
3. Then up spoke the boy out of our gallant ship
And a well spoken lad was he
Saying I have a mother in fair new york town
And this night she will weep for me
4. Then spoke the mate out of our gallant ship
And a well spoken man was he
Saying I have a wife in fair Boston town
And this night she will a widow be
5. Then spoke the captain out of our gallant ship
And a valiant man was he
Saying for the want of a long boat
We all shall be drown and sink to the bottom of the sea
6. The mon gave light and the stars shone bright
And my mother was looking for me
She may look she may weep with a watery eye
And blame the rudles [ruthless] sea
7. Then once around went our gallant ship
And twise around went she
And the third time around went our gallant ship
And She sank to the bottom of the sea