The Ballads & Songs of Derbyshire. Various

Brereton, said Bessy, I know him trusty and true certaine, Therefore the writeing and the gold truely By him shall be carried to Little Brittaine. Alas, said Humphry, I dare not take in hand, To carry the gold over the sea; These galley shipps they be so strange, They will me night so wonderously; They will me robb, they will me drowne, They will take the gold from me. Hold thy peace, Humphrey, said Bessye then, Thou shalt it carry without jepordye; Thou shalt not have any caskett nor any male, Nor budgett, nor cloak sack, shall go with thee; Three mules that be stiff and strong withall, Sore loaded with gold shall they bee, With saddle-side skirted I do tell thee Wherein the gold sowe will I: If any man faine whose is the shipp truely That saileth forth upon the sea, Say it is the Lord Lislay, In England and France well beloved is he. Then came forth the Earle of Darby, These words he said to young Bessy: He said, Bessye, thou art to blame To appoint any shipp upon the sea; I have a good shipp of my owne, Shall carry Humphrey with the mules three; An eagle shall be drawne upon the mast top, That the Italians may it see; There is no freak in all France The eagle that dare come nee If any one ask whose ship it is, then Say it is the Earles of Darby. Humphrey took the three mules then, Into the west wind wou'd hee, Without all doubt at Liverpoole He took shipping upon the sea: With a swift wind and a liart, He so saild upon the sea, To Beggrames Abbey in Little Brittain, Where as the English Prince lie; The Porter was a Cheshire man, Well he knew Humphrey when he him see; Humphrey knockt at the gate truely, Where as the porter stood it by, And welcomed me full heartiley, And received then my mules three; I shall thee give in this breed To thy reward pounds three; I will none of thy gold, the porter said, Nor Humphrey none of the fee, I will open thee the gates certaine To receive thee and the mules three; For a Cheshire man born am I certain, From the Malpas but miles three. The porter opened the gates that time, And received him and the mules three. The wine that was in the hall that time He gave to Humphrey Brereton truely. Alas! said Humphrey, how shoud I doe, I am strayed in a strange countrey, The Prince of England I do not know, Before I never did him see. I shall thee tell, said the porter then, The Prince of England know shall ye, Low where he siteth at the butts certaine, With other lords two or three; He weareth a gown of velvet black And it is cutted above the knee, With a long visage and pale and black— Thereby know that prince may ye; A wart he hath, the porter said, A little alsoe above the chinn, His face is white, his wart is redd, No more than the head of a small pinn; You may know the prince certaine, As soon as you look upon him truely.— He received the wine of the porter, then With him he took the mules three. When Humphrey came before that prince He falleth downe upon his knee, He delivereth the letters which Bessy sent, And so did he the mules three, A rich ring with a stone, Thereof the prince glad was hee; He took the ring of Humphrey then, And kissed the ring times three. Humphrey kneeled still as any stone, As sure as I do tell to thee; Humphrey of the prince answer gott none, Therefore in heart was he heavy; Humphrey stood up then full of skill, And then to the prince said he: Why standest thou so still at thy will, And no answer dost give to me? I am come from the Stanleys' blood so dear, King of England for to make thee, A fairer lady then thou shalt have to thy fair, There is not one in all christantye; She is a countesse, a king's daughter, Humphrey said, The name of her it is Bessye, She can write, and she can read, Well can she work by prophecy; I may be called a lewd messenger, For answer of thee I can gett none, I may sail home with heavy cheare, What shall I say when I come home? The prince he took the Lord Lee, And the Earle of Oxford was him nee, The Lord Ferris wou'd not him beguile truely, To councell they are gone all three; When they had their councell taken, To Humphrey then turned he: Answer, Humphrey, I can give none truely Within the space of weeks three; The mules into a stable were taken anon, The saddle skirts unopened were, Therein he found gold great plenty For to wage a company. He caused the abbot to make him chear: In my stead now let him be, If I be king and wear the crown Well acquited Abbott shalt thou be. Early in the morning they made them knowne, As soon as the light they cou'd see; With him he taketh his lords three, And straight to Paris he took his way. An herriott of arms they made ready, Of men and money they cou'd him pray, And shipps to bring him over the sea, The Stanleys' blood for me hath sent, The King of England for to make me, And I thank them for their intent, For if ever in England I wear the crowne, Well accquited the King of France shall be: Then answered the King of France anon, Men nor money he getteth none of me, Nor no shipps to bring him over the sea; In England if he wear the crowne, Then will he claim them for his own truely: With this answer departed the prince anon, And so departed the same tide, And the English lords three To Beggrames Abbey soon coud the ride, There as Humphrey Brereton then lee; Have Humphrey a thousand mark here, Better rewarded may thou be; Commend me to Bessy that Countesse clear, Before her never did I see: I trust in God she shall be my feer, For her I will travell over the sea; Commend me to my father Stanley, to me so dear, My owne mother married hath he, Bring him here a love letter full right And another to young Bessye, Tell her, I trust in Jesus full of might That my queen that she shall bee; Commend me to Sir William Stanley, That noble knight in the west countrey, Tell him that about Michaelmas certaine In England I do hope to be; At Millford haven I will come inn With all the power that make may I, The first town I will come inn Shall be the towne of Shrewsbury; Pray Sir William Stanley, that noble knight, That night that he will look on me: Commend me to Sir Gilbert Talbot, that royall knight, He much in the north countrey, And Sir John Savage, that man of might— Pray them all to look on me, For I trust in Jesus Christ so full of might, In England for to abide and bee. I will none of thy gold, sir prince, said Humphrey then, Nor none sure will I have of thy fee, Therefore keep thy gold thee within, For to wage thy company; If every hair were a man, With thee, sir prince, will I be: Thus Humphrey Brereton his leave hath tane, And sailed forth upon the sea, Straight to London he rideth then, There as the earle and Bessy lay; And bad them behold, read and see. The earle took leave of Richard the king, And into the west wind wou'd he; He left Bessye in Leicester then And bad her lye in pryvitye, For if King Richard knew thee here anon, In a fire burned thou must be. Straight to Latham the earle is gone, There as the Lord Strange then lee; He sent the Lord Strange to London, To keep King Richard company. Sir William Stanley made anone Ten thousand coats readily, Which were as redd as any blood, Thereon the hart's head was set full high, Which after were tryed both trusty and good As any cou'd be in Christantye. Sir Gilbert Talbot ten thousand doggs In one hour's warning for to be, And Sir John Savage fifteen white hoods, Which wou'd fight and never flee; Edward Stanley had three hundred men, There were no better in Christantye; Sir Rees ap Thomas, a knight of Wales certain, Eight thousand spears brought he. Sir William Stanley sat in the Holt Castle, And looked over his head so high; Which way standeth the wind, can any tell? I pray you, my men, look and see. The wind it standeth south east, So said a knight that stood him by. This night yonder prince, truely Into England entereth hee. He called a gentleman that stood him nigh, His name was Rowland of Warburton, He bad him go to Shrewsbury that night, And bid yonder prince come inn: But when Rowland came to Shrewsbury, The portculles was let downe; They called him Henry Tydder, in scorn truely, And said, in England he shou'd wear no crowne; Rowland bethought him of a wyle then, And tied a writeing to a stone, And threw the writeing over the wall certain, And bad the bailiffs to look it upon: They opened the gates on every side, And met the prince with procession; And wou'd not in Shrewsbury there abide, But straight he drest him to Stafford towne. King Richard heard then of his comeing, He called his lords of great renowne; The Lord Pearcy he came to the king And upon his knees he falleth downe, I have thirty thousand fighting men For to keep the crown with thee. The Duke of Northfolk came to the king anone, And downe he falleth upon his knee; The Earle of Surrey, that was his heir, Were both in one company; We have either twenty thousand men here, For to keep the crown with thee. The Lord Latimer, and the Lord Lovell, And the Earle of Kent he stood him by, The Lord Ross, and the Lord Scrope, I you tell, They were all in one company; The Bishopp of Durham, he was not away, Sir William Bonner he stood him by, The good Sir William of Harrington, as I say, Said, he wou'd fight and never fly. King Richard made a messenger, And sent him into the west countrey, And bid the Earle of Darby make him bowne, And bring twenty thousand men unto me, Or else the Lord Strange his head I will him send, And doubtless his son shall dye; For hitherto his father I took for my friend, And now he hath deceived me. Another herald appeared then To Sir William Stanley that doughty knight, Bid him bring to me ten thousand men, Or else to death he shall be dight. Then answered that doughty knight,