Ballad XI. The Scots Curanto

Come, come away to the English wars;
A fig for our Hills and Valleys,
'Twas we did begin, and will lengthen their jarrs;
We'l gain by their loss and follyes;
Let the Nations
By invasions
Break through our barrs;
They can get little good by their salleys.

Though Irish and English entred be,
The State is become our Debtor:
Let them have our Land, if their own may be free,
And the Scot will at length be a getter.
If they crave it,
Let them have it,
What care we?
We would fain change our Land for a better.

Long have we longed for the English Land,
But we're hindred still by disasters;
But now is their time, when they can't withstand,
But are their own Countreys wasters.
If we venter,
We may enter
By command,
And at last we shall grow to be Masters.

When at the first we began to rebel,
Though they did not before regard us;
How the name of a Scot did the English quell,
Which formerly have out-dar'd us.
For our coming
And returning,
They pay'd us well,
And royally did reward us.

The better to bring our ends about,
We must plead for a Reformation;
And tickle the minds of the giddy-brain'd rout,
With the hopes of an innovation.
They will love us,
And approve us,
Without doubt,
If we bring in an alteration.

Down with the Bishops and their train,
The Surplice, and Common-prayers,
Then will we not have a King remain,
But we'l be the Realms surveyers:
So by little,
And a little
We shall gain
All the Kingdom without gain-sayers.

And when at the last we have conquer'd the King,
And beaten away the Caveliers;
The Parliament next must the same ditty sing,
And thus we will set the Realm by the ears.
By their jarring,
And their warring
We will bring,
Their estates to be ours, which they think to be theirs.

And thus when among us the Kingdom is shar'd,
And the people are all made beggars like we;
A Scot will be as good as an English Leard;
O! what an unity this will be
As we gain it,
We'l retain it
By the sweard,
And the English shall say, bonny blew cap for me.

Written in 1645.