Ballads of Robin Hood and other Outlaws Part 46

7.

'And will not let our merchants' ships Pa.s.s as they did before; Such tidings to our King is come, Which grieves his heart full sore.'

With that, this gallant Rainbow She shot, out of her pride, Full fifty gallant bra.s.s pieces Charged on every side.

8.

And yet these gallant shooters Prevailed not a pin, Though they were bra.s.s on the outside, Brave Ward was steel within; Shoot on, shoot on,' says Captain Ward, 'Your sport well pleaseth me, And he that first gives over, Shall yield unto the sea.

9.

'I never wronged an English ship, But Turk and King of Spain, For and the jovial Dutchman, As I met on the main; If I had known your King But one-two years before, I would have saved brave Ess.e.x life, Whose death did grieve me sore.

10.

'Go tell the King of England, Go tell him thus from me, If he reigns King of all the land, I will reign King at sea.'

With that the gallant Rainbow shot, And shot and shot in vain, And left the rover's company, And return'd home again.

11.

'Our royal King of England, Your ship's returned again, For Ward's ship is so strong It never will be ta'en.'

'O everlasting!' says our King, 'I have lost jewels three, Which would have gone unto the seas And brought proud Ward to me.

12.

'The first was Lord Clifford, Earl of c.u.mberland; The second was the Lord Mountjoy As you shall understand; The third was brave Ess.e.x From field would never flee, Which would have gone unto the seas, And brought proud Ward to me.'

THE SWEET TRINITY

+The Text+ is taken from a broadside in the Pepys collection (iv. 196), which can be dated between 1682 and 1685, and is ent.i.tled _Sir Walter Raleigh sailing in the Low-lands_. Three other copies of the same edition of the broadside are known.

+The Story+ of the _Sweet Trinity_ has become confused with that of the _Golden Vanity_ (_Golden Victorie_, _Golden Trinitie_, _Gold Pinnatree_ are variants), which is probably a corrupted form of it; indeed the weak ending of the broadside challenges any singer to improve upon it. But again there are two distinct variations of the _Golden Vanity_ ballad.

In the first cla.s.s, the boy, having sunk the French galley, calls to the _Golden Vanity_ to throw him a rope, and when it is refused, threatens to sink her too; whereupon they take him aboard and carry out all their promises of reward (which vary considerably in the different versions).

In the second cla.s.s, the boy dies after he is taken up from the water; in one version he sinks from exhaustion before he can be saved.

The _Sweet Trinity_, however, has been taken by a ship of unspecified nationality ('false' might easily become corrupted into 'French'); and thus this ballad deals with three ships, while the _Golden Vanity_ versions mention but two. The latter are still current in folk-song.

THE SWEET TRINITY

1.

Sir Walter Raleigh has built a ship, _In the Netherlands_; Sir Walter Raleigh has built a ship, _In the Netherlands_; And it is called the Sweet Trinity, And was taken by the false gallaly.

_Sailing in the Lowlands_.

2.

'Is there never a Seaman bold _In the Netherlands_; Is there never a Seaman bold _In the Netherlands_; That will go take this false gallaly, And to redeem the Sweet Trinity?

_Sailing in the Lowlands_.

3.

Then spoke the little Ship-boy, _In the Netherlands_; Then spoke the little Ship-boy, _In the Netherlands_; 'Master, master, what will you give me, And I will take this false gallaly, And release the Sweet Trinity?

_Sailing in the Lowlands_.

4.

'I'll give thee gold, and I'll give thee fee, _In the Netherlands_; I'll give thee gold, and I'll give thee fee, _In the Netherlands_; And my eldest daughter, thy wife shall be.

_Sailing in the Lowlands_.'

5.

He set his breast, and away he did swim, Until he came to the false gallaly.

6.

He had an augur fit for the nonce, The which will bore fifteen good holes at once.

7.

Some were at cards, and some at dice, Until the salt water flashed in their eyes.

8.

Some cut their hats, and some cut their caps, For to stop the salt water gaps.

9.

He set his breast, and away did swim, Until he came to his own ship again.

10.

'I have done the work I promised to do, I have sunk the false gallaly, And released the Sweet Trinity.

11.

'You promised me gold, and you promised me fee, Your eldest daughter my wife she must be.'

12.

'You shall have gold, and you shall have fee, But my eldest daughter your wife shall never be.'

13.

'Then fare you well, you cozening Lord, Seeing you are not so good as your word.'

14.

And thus I shall conclude my song, _Of the sailing in the Lowlands_, Wishing all happiness to all seamen both old and young, _In their sailing in the Lowlands_.

[Annotations: 5.1: 'set his breast': perhaps this simply means he breasted the water; but see _Glossary of Ballad Commonplaces_, First Series, xlvi.]