Lord Allenwater
Collins, Shirley & Collins, Dolly
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The King has wrote a long letter
And sealed it up with gold
And sent it unto Lord Ellenwater
To read it if he could
The first two lines Lord Ellenwater read
They struck him with surprise
And the next two lines Lord Ellenwater read
Made tears fall from his eyes
He goes up to his gay lady
As she in childbed lie
And says to London, "I must go
I'm sure there is great need"
"Well, if to London you must go
Before you go away
Make your will, my dear," she said
"Lest you should go astray"
"Well, I will leave my only son
My houses and my lands
And I will leave my dear wedded wife
Ten thousand pounds in hand"
And he goes out to his stable groom
To saddle his milk-white steed
So that off to London he might ride
"I'm sure there is great need"
And he put a foot into the stirrup
The other across the steed
And the gay gold rings from his fingers burst
His nose began to bleed
And as he was riding along the road
His horse fell against a stone
"Oh, there's signs and tokens enough I've seen
I'm sure I'll never return"
And as he was riding up a merry London street
So close by to the Whitehall
Oh, the lords and the ladies stood looking hard
And a traitor he was called
"No traitor at all," Lord Ellenwater said
"No traitor at all," cried he
"Why I vow I could fight you three score men
To fight for King Georgie"
Then it's up and bespoke a grey-headed man
A broad axe in his hand
"Oh, deliver yourself, Lord Ellenwater
Your life's at my command"
"My life I do not value at all
My life I do give unto thee
And the black velvet cloak that I have on my back
You take that for your fee"
"There's forty pounds in one pocket
Pray give it unto the poor
And there's forty-five in the other one
Pray give it from door to door"
And he laid his head all upon the block
The man gave a mighty blow
"Now there lies the head of a traitor," he said
But it answered and it said, "No"