There was a jolly beggar, and a-begging he was boun,
And he took up his quarters into a land’art town,
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
He wad neither ly in barn, nor yet wad he in byre,
But in ahint the ha’ door, or else afore the fire.
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
The beggar’s bed was made at e’en wi’ gude clean straw and hay,
And in ahint the ha’ door, and there the beggar lay.
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
Up raise the goodman’s dochter and for to bar the door,
And there she saw the beggar standin’ I’ the floor.
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
He took the lassie in his arms, and to the bed he ran,
O hooly, hooly wi’ me, sir, ye’ll waken our goodman.
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
The beggar was a cunnin’ loon, and ne’er a word he spake
Until he got his turne done, syne he began to crack.
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
“Is there ony dogs into this toun? maiden, tell me true.”
“:And what wad ye do wi’ them, my hinny and my dow?
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
“They’ll rive a’ my meal pocks, and do me meikle wrang.”
O dool for the doing o’t, are ye the poor man?”
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
Then she took up the meal pocks, and flang them o’er the wa’,
“The deil gae wi the meal pocks, my maidenhead and a’!”
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
“I took ye for some gentleman, at least the laird o’ Brodie;
O dool for the doing o’t! are ye the poor bodie?”
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
He took the lassie in his arms, and gae her kisses three,
And four and twenty hunder merk to pay the nurice-fee.
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
He took a horn frae his side, and blew baith loud and shrill,
And four and twenty belted knights came skipping o’er the hill.
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
And he took out his little knife, loot a’ his duddies fa’,
And he was the brawest gentleman tat was amang them a’.
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
The beggar was a clever loon, and he lap shoulder height:
“O, ay for sicken quarters as I gat yesternight!”
And we’ll gang nae mair a roving
Sae late in-to the night;
And we’ll gane nae mair a roving, boys,
Let the moon shine ne’er so bright.
The Jolly Beggar attributed to James V of Scotland
There was a jolly beggar, and a-begging he was bound,
And he took up his quarters in a country farmstead,
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
He would neither lie in the barn, nor yet in the byre;
But in behind the main door, or else before the fire.
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
The beggar’s bed was made at evening with good clean straw and hay,
And in behind the main door, and there the beggar lay.
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
Up rose the farmer’s daughter to bar the door,
And there she saw the beggar standing on the floor.
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
He took the lassie in his arms, and to the bed he ran,
O carefully, carefully with me, sir, you’ll waken our farmer.
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
The beggar was a cunning rogue, and never a word he spoke
Until he got his turn done, then he began to talk.
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
“Are there any dogs in this town? maiden, tell me true.”
“And what would you do with them, my honey and my dove?”
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
“They’ll tear all my meal packs, and do me much wrong.”
“O sorrow for the doing of it! are you a poor man?”
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
Then she took up the meal packs, and threw them over the wall;
“The devil go with the meal packs, my maidenhead, and all!”
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
“I took you for some gentleman, at least the lord of Brodie;
O sorrow for the doing of it! are you a poor body?”
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
He took the lassie in his arms, and gave her kisses three,
And four and twenty hundred marks to pay the [wet] nurse’s fee.
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
He took a horn from his side, and blew both loud and shrill,
And four and twenty belted knights came skipping over the hill.
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
And he took out his little knife, and let all his rags fall;
And he was the finest gentleman that was among them all.
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
The beggar was a clever rogue, and he leapt shoulder height;
“O, always such quarters as I had yesternight!”
And we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night;
And we’ll go no more a-roving, boys,
Let the moon shine never so bright.
From: Eyre-Todd, George (ed.), Scottish Poetry of the Sixteenth Century, 1892, William Hodge & Co: Glasgow, pp. 180-182.
(https://archive.org/details/scottishpoetryof00eyre)
Date: c1535
Attributed to: James V of Scotland (1512-1542)