Classic Poem

It befell at Martynmas,
When wether waxed colde,
Captaine Care said to his me n ,
We must go take a holde.

Syck, sike, and to-towe sike,
And sike and like to die;
The sikest nighte that eu er I abode,
God lord haue m er cy on me!

" Haille, m aste r, and wether you will,
And wether ye like it best;"
" To the castle of Creerynbroghe,
And there we will take our reste."

" I knowe wher is a gay castle,
Is builded of lyme and stone;
Within their is a gay ladie,
Her lord is riden and gone."

The ladie she lend on her castle-walle,
She loked vpp and downe;
There was she ware of an host of me n ,
Come riding to the towne.

" Se yow, my meri men all,
And se yow what I see?
Yonder I see an host of me n ,
I muse who they bee."

She thought he had ben her wed lord,
As he comd riding home;
Then was it trait ur Captaine Care
The lord of Ester-towne.

They wer no son er at supper sett,
Then after said the grace,
Or Captaine Care and all his men
Wer lighte aboute the place.

" Gyue ou er thi howsse, thou lady gay,
And I will make the a bande;
To-nighte thou shall ly w i t h in my arm es ,
To-morrowe thou shall ere my lande."

The n bespacke the eldest sonne,
That was both whitt and redde:
O mother dere, geue ou er y our howsse,
Or ell es we shalbe deade.

" I will not geue ou er my hous," she saithe,
" Not for feare of my lyffe;
It shalbe talked throughout the land,
The slaughter of a wyffe.

" Fetch me my pestilett,
And charge me my gonne,
That I may shott at yonder bloddy butcher,
The lord of Easter-towne."

Styfly vpon her wall she stode,
And lett the pellett e s flee;
But then she myst the blody bucher,
And she slew other three.

" [I will] not geue ou er my hous," she saithe,
" Netheir for lord nor lowne;
Nor yet for traito ur Captaine Care,
The lord of Easter-towne.

" I desire of Captine Care,
And all his bloddye band,
That he would saue my eldest sonne,
The eare of all my lande."

" Lap him in a shete," he sayth,
" And let him downe to me,
And I shall take him in my armes,
His waran shall I be."

The captayne sayd unto him selfe:
Wyth sped, before the rest,
He cut his tonge out of his head,
His hart out of his brest.

He lapt them in a handkerchef,
And knet it of knot es three,
And cast them ouer the castell-wall,
At that gay ladye.

" Fye vpon the, Captayne Care,
And all thy bloddy band!
For th o u hast slayne my eldest sonne,
The ayre of all my land."

Then bespake the yongest sonne,
Th a t sat on the nurses knee,
Sayth, Mother gay, geue ouer your house;
It smoldereth me.

" I wold geue my gold," she saith,
" And so I wolde my ffee,
For a blaste of the westryn wind,
To dryue the smoke from thee.

" Fy vpo n the, John Hamleton,
That euer I paid the hyre!
For th o u hast broken my castle-wall,
And kyndled in the ffyre."

The lady gate to her close p ar ler,
The fire fell aboute her head;
She toke vp her childre n thre,
Seth, Bab es , we are all dead.

Then bespake the hye steward,
Th a t is of hye degree;
Saith, Ladie gay, you are in close,
Wether ye fighte or flee.

Lord Hamleto n dremd in his dream,
In Caruall where he laye,
His halle were all of fyre,
His ladie slayne or daye.

" Busk and bowne, my mery me n all,
Eve n and go ye with me;
For I dremd th a t my haal was on fyre,
My lady slayne or day."

He buskt him and bownd hym,
And like a worthi knighte;
And when he saw his hall burni n g,
His harte was no dele lighte.

He sett a tru m pett till his mouth,
He blew as it plesd his grace;
Twe n ty score of Ha m lentons
Was light aboute the place.

" Had I knowne as much yesternighte
As I do to-daye,
Captaine Care and all his me n
Should not haue gone so quite.

" Fye vpon the, Captaine Care,
And all thy blody band e !
Thou haste slayne my lady gay,
More w u rth the n all thy lande.

" If th o u had ought eny ill will," he saith,
" Thou shoulde haue taken my lyffe,
And haue saved my children thre,
All and my louesome wyffe."