XIII.

LADY BOTH WELL'S LAMENT,

A SCOTTISH SONG,

- refers, I prefume, to the affecting story of lady Jean Gordon, fifter to the earl of Huntley. This lady had been married but fix months to James Hepburn earl of Bothwell, when that nobleman conceived an ambitious defign of marrying his fovereign Mary queen of Scots: to accomplish which, among other violent measures he fed out a divorce from his lawful bride, the lady Jean. This fuit was driven forward with such indecent precipitation, that the proceß was begun and ended in four days, [in May 1567,] and his wife, who was a woman of merit, driven from his bed, upon the most trivial and Scandalous pretences. See Robertfon. Hiftory is filent as to this lady having a child by him, but that might be accounted for by Suppofing it dyed..>

After all, perhaps this story is misapplied here, and indeed is hardly confiftent with the last stanza. In the Editor's folio MS. whence this song is printed, it is fimply intitled BALOWE and in the copy given by Allan Ramsey in his Tea -table Miscellany, (which contains many modern additions) it is called, "Lady ANNE Bothwell's Lament.

BALOW, me babe, ly ftil and fleipe!

It grieves me fair to fee thee weipe:

If thouft be filent, Ife be glad,
Thy maining maks my heart ful fad.
Balow, my boy, thy mithers joy,
Thy father breiders me great annoy.
Balow, my babé, ly ftil and fleipe,
It greives me fair to fee weipe.

L 3

Whan

Whan he began to court my luve,
And with his fugred wordes to muve,
His faynings fals, and flattering cheire
To me that time did nat appeire:
But now I fee, moft cruell hee
Cares neither for my babe, nor mee.

10

Balow, &c.

15

Ly ftil, my darling, fleipe a while,
And whan thou wakeft, fweitly smile:
But fmile nat, as thy father did,
To cozen maids: nay God forbid!
Bot yett I feire, thou wilt gae neire
Thy fatheris hart, and face to beire.
Balow, &c.

I cannae chufe, but ever wil
Be luving to thy father ftil:

Whair-eir he gaes, whair - eir he ryde,
My luve with him maup ftil abyde:
I weil or wae, whair eir he gae,
Mine hart can neire depart him frae,
Balow, &c.

Bot doe nat, doe nat, prettie mine,
To faynings fals thine hart incline;
Be loyal to thy luver trew,
And nevir change hir for a new ;

> If gude or faire, of hir hae care,

For womens banning's wonderous fair.

20

25

૩૭

35

Balow, &c.

Bairne,

Bairne, fin thy cruel father is gane,
Thy winfome smiles maun eife my paine;

My babe and I'll together live,

He'll comfort me whan cares doe greive;
My babe and I right faft will ly,

And quite forgeit man's cruelty.

Balow, &c.

Fareweil, fareweil, thou falsest youth,

That evir kift a womans mouth!

45

I wifh all maides be warnd by mee
Nevir to truft mans curtesy;

For if we doe bot chance to bow,

They'le use us than they care nae how.

Balow, my babe, ly stil, and fleipe,
It greives me fair to fee thee weipe.

XIV.

THE MURDER OF THE KING OF SCOTS.

The catastrophe of Henry Stewart, lord Darnley, the unfortunate husband of Mary Q. of Scots, is the subject of this ballad. It is here related in that partial imperfect manner, in which fuch an event would naturally strike the fubjects of another kingdom; of which he was a native. Henry appears to have been a vain capricious worthless young man, of weak understanding, and diffolute morals. But the beauty of his perfon, and the inexperience of his youth, would difpofe mankind to treat him with an indulgence, which the cruelty of his murder would afterwards convert into the most tender pity and regret: and then imagination would not fail to adorn

his memory with all those virtues, he ought to have possessed. This will account for the extravagant elogium bestowed upon him in the first stanza, Sc.

Henry lord Darnley, was eldest son of the earl of Lennox, by the lady Margaret Douglas, niece of Henry VIII. and daughter of Margaret queen of Scotland by the earl of Angus, whom that princeß married after the death of James IV.· Darnley, who had been born and educated in England, was but in his 21st gear, when he was married Feb. 9. 1567-8. This crime was perpetrated by the E. of Bothwell, not out of respect to the memory of David Riccio, but in order to pave the way for his own marriage with the queen.

This ballad (printed from the Editor's folio MS.) seems to have been written foon after Mary's escape into England in 1568, See v. 65. It will be remembered at v. 5. that this princess was 2, dowager of France, having been first married to Francis II, who died Dec. 4. 1560.

WOE worth, woe worth thee, falfe Scotlande!

For thou haft ever wrought by leighte;

The worthyest prince that ever was borne,

And bade him come Scotland within,

And fhee wold marry and crowne him kinge.

To be a king is a pleasant thing,

To be a prince unto a peere:

But you have heard, and foe have I,

A man may well buy gold too deare.

There

ΙΟ

There was an Italyan in that place,
Was as well beloved as ever was hee,
And David Riccio was his name

2

Chamberlaine to the queene was hee.

If the king had rifen forth of his place,
Hee wold have fate him downe i' th' chaire,
Although it befeemed him not fo well,

And though the kinge were present there.

Some lords in Scotlande waxed wroth,
And quarrelled with him for the nonce;
And I fhall tell how it befell,

Twelve daggers were in him att once.

When the queene shee saw her chamberlaine flaine
For him her faire cheeks fhee did weete,

And made a vowe for a yeare and a day

The king and fhee wold not come in one sheete.

Then fome of the lords they waxed wroth,
And made their vow all vehementlye;
That for the death of the chamberlaine,

How hee, the king himselfe fholde dye..

With gun - powder they ftrewed his roome,
And layd greene rushes in his waye;
For the traitors thought that very night
This worthye king for to betraye...

To bedd the king he made him bowne;"

To take his reft was his defire;

He was noe fooner caft on fleepe,

But his chamber was on a blafing fire.