"Now wae be to thee, Huntly! 5 And wherefore did you sae? I bade you bring him wi' you, But forbade you him to slay."
He was a braw gallant, And he rid at the ring; 10 And the bonny Earl of Murray, O he might hae been a king.
He was a braw gallant, And he play'd at the ba'; And the bonny Earl of Murray 15 Was the flower amang them a'.
He was a braw gallant, And he play'd at the glove; And the bonny Earl of Murray, O he was the Queen's love. 20
O lang will his lady Look o'er the castle Down, Ere she see the Earl of Murray Come sounding thro' the town.
From Finlay's _Scottish Ballads_, ii. 21.
"Open the gates, And let him come in; He is my brother Huntly, He'll do him nae harm."
The gates they were opent, 5 They let him come in; But fause traitor Huntly, He did him great harm.
He's ben and ben, And ben to his bed; 10 And with a sharp rapier He stabbed him dead.
The lady came down the stair, Wringing her hands; "He has slain the Earl o' Murray, 15 The flower o' Scotland."
But Huntly lap on his horse, Rade to the king: "Ye're welcome hame, Huntly, And whare hae ye been? 20
"Whare hae ye been? And how hae ye sped?" "I've killed the Earl o' Murray, Dead in his bed."
"Foul fa' you, Huntly! 25 And why did ye so? You might have ta'en the Earl o' Murray And saved his life too."
"Her bread it's to bake, Her yill is to brew; 30 My sister's a widow, And sair do I rue.
"Her corn grows ripe, Her meadows grow green, But in bonny Dinnibristle 35 I darena be seen."
This is one of many exulting effusions which were called forth by the taking of Cadiz (vulgarly called Cales). The town was captured on the 21st of June, 1596, the Earl of Effingham being high-admiral of the fleet, and Essex general of the land forces. Sir W. Raleigh, Lord Thomas Howard, and other distinguished soldiers had commands in the expedition. The praise here bestowed on Essex's humanity was richly deserved, and the booty taken by the conquerors is not exaggerated. The whole loss of the Spaniards, in their city and their fleet, was estimated at twenty millions of ducats.
We give this ballad from Deloney's _Garland of Good Will_, as reprinted by the Percy Society, vol. xxx. p. 113. The copy in the _Reliques_ (ii. 241), which was corrected by the editor, differs but slightly from the present.