also finds a
place in John Aubrey's Remains of Gentilisme and Judaisme (1686-7),
preserved among the Lansdowne MSS. in the British Museum. Aubrey
prefixes the following note to his version of the dirge: The beliefe in
Yorkeshire was amongst the vulgar (perhaps is in part still) that after
the person's death the soule went over Whinny-moore, and till about
1616-24 at the funerale a woman came (like a Praefica) and sang the
following song." Further information about this interesting dirge and
its parallels in other literatures will be found in Henderson's edition
of the Border Minstrelsy, p. 163) and in J. C. Atkinson's Glosary of the
Cleveland Dialect, p. 595.

Cleveland Lyke-wake Dirge

Traditional
Sir Walter Scott's version

From Appendix I of 1st Edition.

This ae nighte, this ae nighte,
Every nighte and alle;
Fire and sleete and candle lighte,
And Christe receive thye saule.

When thou from hence away are paste,
Every nighte and alle;
To Whinny-muir thou comest at laste;
And Christe receive thye saule.

If ever thou gavest hosen and shoon,
Every nighte and alle;
Sit thee down, and put them on;
And Christe receive thye saule.

If hosen and shoon thou ne'er gavest nane,
Every nighte and alle;
The whinnes shall pricke thee to the bare bane,
And Christe receive thye saule.

From Whinny-muir when thou mayst passe,
Every nighte and alle ;
To Brigg o' Dread thou comest at laste,
And Christe receive thye saul

(A stanza wanting)

From Brigg o' Dread when thou mayst passe,
Every nighte and alle;
To purgatory fire thou comest at laste;
And Christ receive thye saule.

If ever thou gavest meat or drinke,
Every nighte and alle;
The fire shall never make thee shrinke;
And Christ receive thye saule.

If meate or drinke thou never gavest nane,
Every nighte and alle;
The fire will burn thee to the bare bane;
And Christe receive thye saule.

This ae nighte, this ae nighte,
Every nighte and alle;
Fire and sleete, and candle lighte,
And Christe receive thye saule.

A Dree Neet(1)

Traditional

'T Were a dree(2) neet, a dree neet,
as t' squire's end drew nigh,
A dree n