Captain Wedderburn's courtship/Captain Wedderburn's Courtship

Captain Wedderburn’s Courtship.

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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(illegible text) 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.