Lord Allenwater

The King has wrote a long letter
And sealed it up with gold
And sent it unto Lord Allenwater
To read it if he could

The first two lines Lord Allenwater read
They struck him with surprise
And the next two lines Lord Allenwater read
Made tears fall from his eyes

He goes up to his gay lady
As she in child bed lay
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 land;
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;
Said, up to London he might ride
“I'm sure there is great need”

And he put a foot into the stirrup
The other across his 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 caught against a stone
“Oh, there's signs and tokens enough I've seen
I'm sure I'll never return”

And as he was a-riding up a merry London street
So close up the fair Whitehall
Oh, the lords and the ladies stood looking hard
And a traitor he was called

“No traitor at all,” Lord Allenwater said
“No traitor at all,” cried he
“Why, I vow I can find 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 your soul, Lord Allenwater
Your life's at my command”

“My life I do not value too
My life I will give unto thee
And the black velvet coat 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 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!”