"If this be true thou tell'st to me I'll make thee lord of high degree; But if thy words do prove a lie, Thou shall be hang'd up presently." 100
But when the king the truth had found, His joys did more and more abound: According as the old man did say, Sweet William was a lady gay.
Therefore the king without delay 105 Put on her glorious rich array, And upon her head a crown of gold, Which was most famous to behold.
And then, for fear of further strife, He took Sweet William for his wife: 110 The like before was never seen,-- A serving-man to be a queen.
THE FAIR FLOWER OF NORTHUMBERLAND.
_Ritson's Ancient Songs and Ballads_, ii. 75.
Preserved in Thomas Deloney's _History of Jack of Newbery_, whence it was extracted by Ritson. In that extraordinary book, _The Minstrelsy of the English Border_, (p. 201,) Ritson's copy is inserted without acknowledgment, and with a few alterations for the worse. Scottish versions of this ballad are given by Kinloch, (_The Provost's Dochter_, p. 131,) and by Buchan, (_The Betrayed Lady_, ii. 208.) The former of these is printed in our Appendix.
It was a Knight in Scotland born, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, Was taken prisoner, and left forlorn, Even by the good Earl of Northumberland.
Then was he cast in prison strong, 5 _Follow, my love, 'come' over the strand_, Where he could not walk nor lye along, Even by the good Earl of Northumberland.
And as in sorrow thus he lay, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, 10 The Earl [s] sweet daughter walks that way, And she is the fair Flower of Northumberland.
And passing by like an angel bright, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, The prisoner had of her a sight, 15 And she the fair Flower of Northumberland.
And aloud to her this knight did cry, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, The salt tears standing in his eye, And she the fair Flower of Northumberland.
"Fair lady," he said, "take pity on me, 21 _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, And let me not in prison die, And you the fair Flower of Northumberland."
"Fair Sir, how should I take pity on thee, 25 _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, Thou being a foe to our country, And I the fair Flower of Northumberland."
"Fair lady, I am no foe," he said, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, 30 "Through thy sweet love here was I stay'd, For thee, the fair Flower of Northumberland."
"Why shouldst thou come here for love of me, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, Having wife and children in thy country, 35 And I the fair Flower of Northumberland."
"I swear by the blessed Trinity, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, I have no wife nor children, I, Nor dwelling at home in merry Scotland. 40
"If courteously thou wilt set me free, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, I vow that I will marry thee, So soon as I come in fair Scotland.
"Thou shalt be a lady of castles and towers, 45 _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, And sit like a queen in princely bowers, Were I at home in fair Scotland."
Then parted hence this lady gay, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, 50 And got her fathers ring away, To help this knight into fair Scotland.
Likewise much gold she got by sleight, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, And all to help this forlorn knight, 55 To wend from her father to fair Scotland.
Two gallant steeds, both good and able, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, She likewise took out of the stable, To ride with the knight into fair Scotland. 60
And to the jaylor she sent this ring, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, The knight from prison forth 'to' bring, To wend with her into fair Scotland.
This token set the prisoner free, 65 _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, Who straight went to this fair lady, To wend with her into fair Scotland.
A gallant steed he did bestride, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, 70 And with the lady away did ride, And she the fair Flower of Northumberland.
They rode till they came to a water clear, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, "Good Sir, how should I follow you here, 75 And I the fair Flower of Northumberland?
"The water is rough and wonderful deep, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, And on my saddle I shall not keep, And I the fair Flower of Northumberland." 80
"Fear not the foard, fair lady," quoth he, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, "For long I cannot stay for thee, And thou the fair Flower of Northumberland."
The lady prickt her wanton steed, 85 _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, And over the river swom with speed, And she the fair Flower of Northumberland.
From top to toe all wet was she, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_; 90 "Thus have I done for love of thee, And I the fair Flower of Northumberland."
Thus rode she all one winters night, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, Till Edenborough they saw in sight, 95 The fairest town in all Scotland.
"Now chuse," quoth he, "thou wanton flower, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, 'Whether' thou wilt be my paramour, Or get thee home to Northumberland. 100
"For I have wife, and children five, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_; In Edenborough they be alive, Then get thee home to fair England.
"This favour thou shalt have to boot, 105 _Follow, my love, come over the strand_; I'le have 'thy' horse, go thou on foot, Go, get thee home to Northumberland."
"O false and faithless knight," quoth she, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, 110 "And canst thou deal so bad with me, And I the fair Flower of Northumberland?
"Dishonour not a ladies name, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, But draw thy sword and end my shame, 115 And I the fair Flower of Northumberland."
He took her from her stately steed, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, And left her there in extream need, And she the fair Flower of Northumberland. 120
Then sat she down full heavily, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_; At length two knights came riding by, Two gallant knights of fair England.
She fell down humbly on her knee, 125 _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, Saying, "Courteous 'knights,' take pity on me, And I the fair Flower of Northumberland.
"I have offended my father dear, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, 130 And by a false knight, who brought me here From the good Earl of Northumberland."
They took her up behind them then _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, And brought her to her father again, 135 And he the good Earl of Northumberland.
All you fair maidens be warned by me, _Follow, my love, come over the strand_, Scots never were true, nor never will be, To lord, nor lady, nor fair England. 140
GENTLE HERDSMAN, TELL TO ME.
From _Reliques of Ancient English Poetry_, ii. 82.
"The scene of this beautiful old ballad is laid near Walsingham, in Norfolk, where was anciently an image of the Virgin Mary, famous over all Europe for the numerous pilgrimages made to it, and the great riches it possessed. Erasmus has given a very exact and humorous description of the superstitions practised there in his time. See his account of the Virgo Parathalassia, in his colloquy entitled, _Peregrinatio Religionis Ergo_. He tells us, the rich offerings in silver, gold, and precious stones that were there shown him were incredible, there being scarce a person of any note in England, but what some time or other paid a visit or sent a present to Our Lady of Walsingham. At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538, this splendid image, with another from Ipswich, was carried to Chelsea, and there burnt in the presence of commissioners; who, we trust, did not burn the jewels and the finery.
"This poem is printed from a copy in the Editor's folio MS. which had greatly suffered by the hand of time; but vestiges of several of the lines remaining, some conjectural supplements have been attempted, which, for greater exactness, are in this one ballad distinguished by italics." PERCY.