Childe Watters in his stable stoode,
And stroaket his milk-white steede;
To him came a ffaire young ladye
As ere did weare woman's weede.
Sais, "Christ you saue, good Chyld Waters!"
Saies, "Christ you saue and see!
My girdle of gold, which was too longe,
Is now too short ffor me.
And all is with one chyld of yours,
I ffeele sturre att my side;
My gowne of greene, it is too strayght;
Before it was too wide."
"If the child be mine, faire Ellen,", he said,
"Be mine, as you tell mee,
Take you Cheshire and Lancashire both,
Take them your owne to bee.
If the child be mine, ffaire Ellen", he said,
"Be mine, as you doe sweare,
Take you Cheshire and Lancashire both,
And make that child your heyre."
Shee saies, "I had rather haue one kisse,
Child Waters, of thy mouth,
Then I wold haue Cheshire and Lancashire both
That lyes by north and south.
And I had rather haue a twinkeling,
Child Waters, of your eye,
Then I wold haue Cheshire and Lancashire both
To take them mine oune to bee."
"To-morrow, Ellen, I must forth ryde
Soe ffarr into the north countrye;
The ffairest lady that can ffind,
Ellen, must goe with mee."
"And euer I pray you, Chylde Watters,
Your ffootpage let me bee!"
"If you will my ffootpage be, Ellen,
As you doe tell itt mee,
Then you must cutt your gowne of greene
An inche aboue your knee.
Soe must you doe your yellow lockes
Another inche aboue your eye;
You must tell noe man what is my name;
My ffootpage then you shall bee."
All this long day Child Waters rode,
Shee ran bare ffoote by his side;
Yett was he neuer soe curteous a knight
To say, "Ellen, will you ryde?"
But all this day Chyld Waters rode,
Shee ran barffoote thorow the broome;
Yett he was neuer soe curteous a knight
As to say, "Put on your shoone."
"Ride softlye", she said, "Child Watters;
Why doe you ryde soe ffast?
The child which is no man's but yours
My bodye itt will burst."
He sayes, "Sees thou yonder water, Ellen,
That fflowes from banke to brim?"
"I truste to God, Child Waters", she said,
"You will neuer see me swime."
But when shee came to the waters side,
Shee sayled to the chinne:
"Except the lord of heuen be my speed
Now must I learne to swime."
The salt waters bare vp Ellen's clothes,
Our ladye bare vpp her chinne
And Chylde Waters was a woe man, good Lord,
To ssee faire Ellen swime.
And when shee ouer the water was,
Shee then came to his knee:
He said, "Come hither, ffaire Ellen,
Loe yonder what I see!
Seest thou not yonder hall, Ellen?
Of redd gold shine the yates;
There's four and twenty ffayre ladyes,
The ffairest is my worldlye make.
Seest thou not yonder hall, Ellen?
Of redd gold shineth the tower;
There is four and twenty ffaire ladyes,
The fairest is my paramoure."
"I doe see the hall now, Child Waters,
That of redd gold shineth the yates;
God giue good then of your selfe
And of your worldlye make!
"I doe see the hall now, Child Waters,
That of redd gold shineth the yates;
God giue good then of your selfe
And of your paramoure!"
There were four and twenty ladyes,
Were playing at the ball
And Ellen was the ffairest ladye,
Must bring his steed to the stall.
There were four and twenty faire ladyes,
Was playing at the chesse;
And Ellen, shee was the ffairest ladye,
Must bring his horsse to grasse.
And then bespake Child Water's sister,
And these were the words said shee:
"You haue the prettyest ffootpage, brother,
That euer I saw with mine eye;
But that his belly it is soe bigg,
His girdle goes wonderous hye;
And euer I pray you, Child Waters,
Let him goe into the chamber with mee."
"It is more meete for a little ffootpage
That has run through mosse and mire,
To take his supper vpon his knee
And sitt downe by the kitchen fyer,
Then to goe into the chamber with any ladye
That weares soe rich attyre."
But when they had supped euery one,
To bedd they took the way;
He sayd, "Come hither, my little footpage,
Harken what I doe say.
And goe thee downe into yonder towne
And low into the street;
The ffairest ladye that thou can find
Hyer her in mine armes to sleepe,
And take her vp in thine armes two
For fillinge of her ffeete."
Ellen is gone into the towne
And low into the streete;
The fairest ladye that shee cold find
Shee hyred in his armes to sleepe,
And tooke here in her armes tow
For filling of her ffeete.
"I pray you now, good Child Waters,
That I may creepe in att your bedd's feete;
For there is noe place about this house
Where I may say a sleepe."
This night and itt droue on affterward
Till itt was neere the day:
He sayd, "Rise vp, my litle ffoote-page,
And giue my steed corne and hay;
And soe doe thou the good blacke oates
That he may carry me the better away."
And vp then rose ffaire Ellen
And gaue his steed corne and hay
And soe shee did and the good blacke oates
That he might carry him the better away.
Shee layned her backe to the manger side,
And greiuouslye did groane;
And that beheard his mother deere
And heard her make her moane.
Shee said, "Rise vp, thou Child Waters,
I thinke thou art a cursed man;
For yonder is a ghost in thy stable
That greiuouslye doth groane,
Or else some woman laboures of child,
Shee is soe woe begone."
But vp then rose Child Waters
And did on his shirt of silke;
Then he put on his other clothes
On his body as white as milke.
And when he came to the stable-dore
Full still that hee did stand,
That hee might heare no faire Ellen
How shee made her monand.
Shee said, "Lullabye, my owne deere child!
Lullabye, deere child, deere!
I wold thy father were a king,
Thy mother layd on a beere!"
"Peace now", he said, "good faire Ellen,
And be of good cheere, I thee pray,
And the bridall and the churching both
They shall bee vpon one day."
And stroaket his milk-white steede;
To him came a ffaire young ladye
As ere did weare woman's weede.
Sais, "Christ you saue, good Chyld Waters!"
Saies, "Christ you saue and see!
My girdle of gold, which was too longe,
Is now too short ffor me.
And all is with one chyld of yours,
I ffeele sturre att my side;
My gowne of greene, it is too strayght;
Before it was too wide."
"If the child be mine, faire Ellen,", he said,
"Be mine, as you tell mee,
Take you Cheshire and Lancashire both,
Take them your owne to bee.
If the child be mine, ffaire Ellen", he said,
"Be mine, as you doe sweare,
Take you Cheshire and Lancashire both,
And make that child your heyre."
Shee saies, "I had rather haue one kisse,
Child Waters, of thy mouth,
Then I wold haue Cheshire and Lancashire both
That lyes by north and south.
And I had rather haue a twinkeling,
Child Waters, of your eye,
Then I wold haue Cheshire and Lancashire both
To take them mine oune to bee."
"To-morrow, Ellen, I must forth ryde
Soe ffarr into the north countrye;
The ffairest lady that can ffind,
Ellen, must goe with mee."
"And euer I pray you, Chylde Watters,
Your ffootpage let me bee!"
"If you will my ffootpage be, Ellen,
As you doe tell itt mee,
Then you must cutt your gowne of greene
An inche aboue your knee.
Soe must you doe your yellow lockes
Another inche aboue your eye;
You must tell noe man what is my name;
My ffootpage then you shall bee."
All this long day Child Waters rode,
Shee ran bare ffoote by his side;
Yett was he neuer soe curteous a knight
To say, "Ellen, will you ryde?"
But all this day Chyld Waters rode,
Shee ran barffoote thorow the broome;
Yett he was neuer soe curteous a knight
As to say, "Put on your shoone."
"Ride softlye", she said, "Child Watters;
Why doe you ryde soe ffast?
The child which is no man's but yours
My bodye itt will burst."
He sayes, "Sees thou yonder water, Ellen,
That fflowes from banke to brim?"
"I truste to God, Child Waters", she said,
"You will neuer see me swime."
But when shee came to the waters side,
Shee sayled to the chinne:
"Except the lord of heuen be my speed
Now must I learne to swime."
The salt waters bare vp Ellen's clothes,
Our ladye bare vpp her chinne
And Chylde Waters was a woe man, good Lord,
To ssee faire Ellen swime.
And when shee ouer the water was,
Shee then came to his knee:
He said, "Come hither, ffaire Ellen,
Loe yonder what I see!
Seest thou not yonder hall, Ellen?
Of redd gold shine the yates;
There's four and twenty ffayre ladyes,
The ffairest is my worldlye make.
Seest thou not yonder hall, Ellen?
Of redd gold shineth the tower;
There is four and twenty ffaire ladyes,
The fairest is my paramoure."
"I doe see the hall now, Child Waters,
That of redd gold shineth the yates;
God giue good then of your selfe
And of your worldlye make!
"I doe see the hall now, Child Waters,
That of redd gold shineth the yates;
God giue good then of your selfe
And of your paramoure!"
There were four and twenty ladyes,
Were playing at the ball
And Ellen was the ffairest ladye,
Must bring his steed to the stall.
There were four and twenty faire ladyes,
Was playing at the chesse;
And Ellen, shee was the ffairest ladye,
Must bring his horsse to grasse.
And then bespake Child Water's sister,
And these were the words said shee:
"You haue the prettyest ffootpage, brother,
That euer I saw with mine eye;
But that his belly it is soe bigg,
His girdle goes wonderous hye;
And euer I pray you, Child Waters,
Let him goe into the chamber with mee."
"It is more meete for a little ffootpage
That has run through mosse and mire,
To take his supper vpon his knee
And sitt downe by the kitchen fyer,
Then to goe into the chamber with any ladye
That weares soe rich attyre."
But when they had supped euery one,
To bedd they took the way;
He sayd, "Come hither, my little footpage,
Harken what I doe say.
And goe thee downe into yonder towne
And low into the street;
The ffairest ladye that thou can find
Hyer her in mine armes to sleepe,
And take her vp in thine armes two
For fillinge of her ffeete."
Ellen is gone into the towne
And low into the streete;
The fairest ladye that shee cold find
Shee hyred in his armes to sleepe,
And tooke here in her armes tow
For filling of her ffeete.
"I pray you now, good Child Waters,
That I may creepe in att your bedd's feete;
For there is noe place about this house
Where I may say a sleepe."
This night and itt droue on affterward
Till itt was neere the day:
He sayd, "Rise vp, my litle ffoote-page,
And giue my steed corne and hay;
And soe doe thou the good blacke oates
That he may carry me the better away."
And vp then rose ffaire Ellen
And gaue his steed corne and hay
And soe shee did and the good blacke oates
That he might carry him the better away.
Shee layned her backe to the manger side,
And greiuouslye did groane;
And that beheard his mother deere
And heard her make her moane.
Shee said, "Rise vp, thou Child Waters,
I thinke thou art a cursed man;
For yonder is a ghost in thy stable
That greiuouslye doth groane,
Or else some woman laboures of child,
Shee is soe woe begone."
But vp then rose Child Waters
And did on his shirt of silke;
Then he put on his other clothes
On his body as white as milke.
And when he came to the stable-dore
Full still that hee did stand,
That hee might heare no faire Ellen
How shee made her monand.
Shee said, "Lullabye, my owne deere child!
Lullabye, deere child, deere!
I wold thy father were a king,
Thy mother layd on a beere!"
"Peace now", he said, "good faire Ellen,
And be of good cheere, I thee pray,
And the bridall and the churching both
They shall bee vpon one day."
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