Old Brass To Mend

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It was a Lady of the North, she loved a Gentleman,
And knew not well what course to take, to use him now and then.
Wherefore she writ a letter, and sealed it with her hand,
And bid him be a Tinker, to mend both pot and pan.

With a hey ho, derry down,
With a hey ho, derry down.

When he came to the Lady's house, he knocked at the gate;
Then answered this Lady gay, "Who knocketh there so late?"
"Tie I, Madam," the Tinker said, "I work for gold and fee:
If you have broken pots or pans, come bring them all to me."

But when the Lady knew his face, she then began to wink;
"Haste, lusty Butler!" then quoth she, "To fetch the man some drink.
Give him such meat as we do eat, and drink as we do use.
It is not for a Tinker's trade good liquor to refuse,"

But when that he had eat and drunk, the truth of all is so,
The Lady took him by the sleeve, her work to him to show.
"Let up thy tools, Tinker," quoth she, "and see there be none lost,
And mend my kettle handsomely, what e'er it doth me cost."

"Your work, Madam, shall be well done, but to my fee now hark:
For every nail that I do drive, you shall give me a mark.
If I not drive the nail full in, I'll have nothing for ray pain,
And what I do receive of you shall be return'd again."

At last he came into the room where he the work should do.
The Lady lay down on the bed, so did the Tinker, too.
Although the Tinker knocked amain, the Lady was not offended,
And before that she rose from the bed, her cauldron was well mended.

But when his work was at an end, which he did in the dark,
She put her hand into her purse and gave him twenty mark,
"Here's money for thy work," said she, "and I thank thee for thy pain,
And when my cauldron mending lacks I'll send for thee again,"

The Tinker he was well content for that which he had done,
So took his budget on his back, and quickly he was gone.
The Lady to her husband went, "Oh, my dear Lord," quoth she,
"I've had the bravest Tinker that ever you did see,"

"No fault at all this Tinker hath, but he takes dear for his work.
That little time that he wrought here, it cost me twenty mark."
"If you had been so wise," quoth he, "for to have held your own,
Before you set him to this work, the price you might have known."

"Pray hold your peace, my Lord," she said, "and think it not too dear.
If you could do't so well, 'twould save you forty pounds a year."
With that the Lord most lovingly, to make all things amends,
He kindly kist his Lady gay, and so they both were friends.

You merry Tinkers, every one, that hear this new-made sonnet,
When e'er you do a Lady's work, be sure you think upon it;
Drive home your nails to the very head, and do your work profoundly,
And then, no doubt, your Mistresses will pay you for it soundly.

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