Captain Wedderburn's courtship/Captain Wedderburn's Courtship

Captain Wedderburn’s Courtship.

—

The Lord of Roslin’s daughter,
walk’d thro’ the woods her lane,
And bye Came Captain Wedderburn,
a servant to the king:
He said unto his servant man,
were it not against the law,
I would take her to my own bed,
and lay her next the wa‘.

I’m walking here alone she says,
amang my father’s trees;
And you may let me wa'k alone,
kind Sir,’now it you please;
The supper-bell it will be rung,
and I'll be miss'd you know;
So I will not lie in your bed,
neither at stock nor wa'.

He says my pretty lady,
I pray lend me your hand;
And you’ll have drums and trumpets,
always at your command;
And fifty men to gaurd you;
Who well their swords can draw:
And we'll both lie in ae bed,
and thou be next the wa’.

O hold away from me kind Sir,
I pray let go my hand;
The supper-bell it will be rung,
no longer must I stand;
My father he'll no supper take,
if he miss’d you know:
So I'll not lie in your bed
neither at stock nor wa’.

Then says the pretty lady,
I pray tell me your name;
My name is Captain Wedderburn,
a servant to the King :
Tho’ thy father and his men were here,
of them I'd have no awe,
But wou'd take thee into my bed,
and lay the next the wa'.

He lighted off his milk-white steed,
and set this lady on,
And held her by the milk-white hand,
even as they rode along ;
He held her by the middle jimp,
for fear that she should fa',
And said Ill take thee to my bed,
and lay thee next the wa'.

He took her to his lodging-house,
his landlady looked hen.
Says, many ladies in Edinburgh I ve seen,
but never such a one.
For such a pretty face as this,
in it I never saw;
Go make her up a down-bed
and lay her next the wa'.

O hold away from me kind Sir,
I pray you let me be ;
For I will not go to your bed,
till you dress me dishes three ;
Dishes three you must dress to me,
and I must have them a ,
Before that I lie in your bed,
either at stock or wa’.

O I must have to my supper
a cherry without a stone,
And I must have to my supper
a chicken without a bone ;
And I must have to my supper
a bird wi hout a ga',
Before I he into your bed
either at stock or wa‘,

When the cherry is in the bloom,
I’m sure it hath no stone ,
And when the chicken is in it's shell,
I’m sure it hath no bone ;
The dove it is a gentle bird,
it flies without a ga’
And we shall both lie in ae bed,
and thou s lie next the wa’.

Hold away from me, kind Sir.
I pray you give me o’er,
For I wiil not go to your bed
till you tell me questions four
Questions four you must tell me,
and that is twa and twa
Or I will not lie in your bed,
neither at stock nor wa’.

You must get me some winter fruit,
that in December grew;
And I must have a silken mantle
that waft was ne'er cad through;
What bird sings first? what wood buds first?
what dew does on them fa'.
And then I’ll lie in your bed,
either at stock or wa‘.

My father has winter fruit,
that in December grew;
My mother has a silk mantle,
that waft was ne‘er ca'd through;
The cock crows, cider buds first,
the dew does on them fa‘:
So we shall both lie into ae bed
and thou s lie next the wa'.

Hold away from me kind sir,
and do not me perplex;
For I'll not lie in your bed,
Till you answer questions six
Questions six you must answer me,
and that is four and twa,
Before I lie into your bed,
either at stock or wa‘.

What is greener than the grass?
what is higher than the trees?
And what is worse than woman s voice?
what's deeper than the seas!
A sparrow's horn a priest unborn,
this night to join us twa,
Before I lie into your bed
either at stock or wa'.

Death is greener than the grass;
skies higher than the trees:
The devil s worse than woman's voice,
hell s deeper than the seas:
A sparrow s horn you may well get,
there s one on every pa,
And two upon the gab of it,
and you shall have them a.

The priest he's standing at the gate,
just ready to come in,
No man can say that he was born,
no man without a sin.
A hole cut in his mother's side,
he from the same did fa';
So we shall lie in ae bed,
and thous lie next the wa'.

O little did this lady think,
that morning when she rose,
That it was to be the very last,
of all her maiden days.
But there is not in the king's realm
to be found a blyther twa;
and now they lie into ae bed,
and she lies next the wa.