The Deil's Courtship- Motherwell c.1825, Child H
[From F.J. Child's ESPB, Volume 1, 1882 as taken from Motherwell's MS., p. 92.
R. Matteson 2018]
'The Deil's Courtship'- Version H; Child 2, Elfin Knight; Motherwell's MS., p. 92.
1 'Come, pretty Nelly, and sit thee down by me,
Every rose grows merry wi thyme
And I will ask thee questions three,
And then thou wilt be a true lover of mine.
2 'Thou must buy me a cambrick smock
Without any stitch of needlework.
3 'Thou must wash it in yonder strand,
Where wood never grew and water neer ran.
4 'Thou must dry it on yonder thorn,
Where the sun never shined on since Adam was formed.'
5 'Thou hast asked me questions three ;
Sit down till I ask as many of thee.
6 'Thou must buy me an acre of land
Betwixt the salt water, love, and the sea-sand.
7 'Thou must plow it wi a ram's horn,
And sow it aU over wi one pile o corn.
8 'Thou must shear it wi a strap o leather,
And tie it all up in a peacock feather.
9 'Thou must stack it in the sea,
And bring the stale o 't hame dry to me.
10 'When my love 's done, and finished his work.
Let him come to me for his cambric smock.'