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KING HENRY, by                    
First Line: Lat never a man a wooing wend
Last Line: That ga' me a' my will


Lat never a man a wooing wend
That lacketh thingis three;
A routh o' gold, an open heart,
Ay fu' o' Charity.
As this I speak of King Henry
For he lay burd-alone,
An' he 's doen him to a jelly hunt's ha'
Was seven miles frae a town.
He chas'd the deer now him before
An' the roe down by the den,
Till the fattest buck in a' the flock
King Henry he has slain.
O he has doen him to his ha'
To make him beerly cheer,
An' in it came a griesly ghost
Steed stappin i' the fleer.
Her head hat the reef tree o' the house,
Her middle ye mot wel span;
He 's thrown to her his gay mantle,
Says, Lady, hap your lingcan.
Her teeth was a' like teather stakes,
Her nose like club or mell;
An' I ken nae thing she 'peard to be
But the fiend that wons in hell.
Some meat, some meat, ye King Henry,
Some meat ye gie to me!
An' what meat 's in this house, lady,
An' what ha' I to gie?
O ye do kill your berry brown steed
An' you bring him here to me.
O whan he slew his berry brown steed, --
Wow but his heart ws sair --
Shee eat him a' up skin an' bane,
Left naething but hide an' hair.
Mair meat, mair meat, ye King Henry,
Mair meat ye gi' to me!
An' what meat 's in this house, lady,
An' what ha' I to gi'?
O ye do kill your good gray hounds
An' ye bring them a' to me.
O whan he slew his good gray hounds --
Wow but his heart was sair --
She eat them a' up skin an' bane,
Left naething but hide an' hair.
Mair meat, mair meat, ye King Henry,
Mair meat ye gi' to me!
An' what meat 's in this house, lady,
An' what ha' I to gi'?
O ye do kill your gay gos hawks
An' ye bring them here to me.
O whan he slew his gay gos hawks --
Wow but his heart was sair --
She eat them a' up skin an' bane,
Left naething but feathers bare.
Some drink, some drink now, King Henry,
Some drink ye bring to me!
O what drink 's i' this house, lady,
That you're nae welcome ti?
O ye sew up your horse's hide
An' bring in a drink to me.
[An' he 's sew'd up the bloody hide,
A puncheon o' wine put in;
She drank it a' up at a waught,
Left na ae drap ahin'.]
A bed, a bed now, King Henry,
A bed you mak to me!
For ye maun pu' the heather green
An' mak a bed to me.
O pu'd has he the heather green
An' made to her a bed,
An' up has he ta'en his gay mantle
An' o'er it has he spread.
Tak aff your claiths now, King Henry,
An' lye down by my side!
O God forbid, says King Henry,
That ever the like betide:
That ever the fiend that wons in hell
Shou'd streak down by my side.
Whan night was gane and day was come,
An' the sun shone throw the ha',
The fairest lady that ever was seen
Lay atween him an' the wa'.
O well is me, says King Henry,
How lang 'll this last wi' me?
Then out it spake that fiar lady:
Even till the day you dee.
For I've met wi' mony a gentle knight
That 's gien me sic a fill,
But never before wi' a courteous knight
That ga' me a' my will.





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