These pretty babes, with hand in hand,
      Went wandering up and down;
    But never more could see the man
      Approaching from the town. 
    Their pretty lips with blackberries
      Were all besmeared and dyed;
    And when they saw the darksome night,
      They sat them down and cried.

    Thus wandered these poor innocents,
      Till death did end their grief;
    In one another’s arms they died,
      As wanting due relief: 
    No burial this pretty pair
      From any man receives,
    Till Robin Redbreast piously
      Did cover them with leaves.

    And now the heavy wrath of God
      Upon their uncle fell;
    Yea, fearful fiends did haunt his house,
      His conscience felt an hell: 
    His barns were fired, his goods consumed,
      His lands were barren made,
    His cattle died within the field,
      And nothing with him stayed.

    And in a voyage to Portugal
      Two of his sons did die;
    And to conclude, himself was brought
      To want and misery: 
    He pawned and mortgaged all his land
      Ere seven years came about. 
    And now at last this wicked act
      Did by this means come out.

    The fellow that did take in hand
      These children for to kill,
    Was for a robbery judged to die,
      Such was God’s blessed will: 
    Who did confess the very truth,
      As here hath been displayed: 
    The uncle having died in jail,
      Where he for debt was laid.

    You that executors be made,
      And overseers eke,
    Of children that be fatherless,
      And infants mild and meek,
    Take you example by this thing,
      And yield to each his right,
    Lest God with suchlike misery
      Your wicked minds requite.

THE RED ETTIN

There was once a widow that lived on a small bit of ground, which she rented from a farmer.  And she had two sons; and by and by it was time for the wife to send them away to seek their fortune.  So she told her eldest son one day to take a can and bring her water from the well, that she might bake a cake for him; and however much or however little water he might bring, the cake would be great or small accordingly, and that cake was to be all that she could give him when he went on his travels.

The lad went away with the can to the well, and filled it with water, and then came away home again; but the can being broken, the most part of the water had run out before he got back.  So his cake was very small; yet small as it was, his mother asked him if he was willing to take the half of it with her blessing, telling him that, if he chose rather to take the whole, he would only get it with her curse.  The young man, thinking he might have to travel a far way, and not knowing when or how he might get other provisions,