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User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
skw@worldmusic.de Dainty Davey: What's a curly pow? (230* d) RE: Dainty Davey: What's a curly pow? 02 Mar 99


Bruce - is this what you forgot to copy?

[1692:] A party of King Charles II, his guards being sent to apprehend Mr David Williamson (one of the most eminent of their ministers now in Edenburgh) for the frequent rebellion and treason he preached then at field meetings; and the party having surrounded the house where he was, a zealous lady, mistress of the house, being very solicitous to conceal him, rose in all haste from her bed, where she left her daughter of about eighteen years of age; and having dressed up the holy man's head with some of her own night cloaths, she wittily advis'd him to take her place in the warm bed with her girl; to which he modestly and readily consented; and knowing well how to employ his time, especially upon such an extraordinary call, to propagate the image of the party, while the mother, to divert the troopers' enquiry, was treating them with strong drink in the parlour, he, to express his gratitude, applies himself with extraordinary kindness to the daughter; who finding him like to prove a very useful man in his generation, told her mother she would have him for her husband; to which the mother, though otherwise unwilling, yet, for concealing the scandal, out of love to the cause consented, when the mystery of the iniquity was wholly disclosed to her. ('Jacob Curate', "The Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence", quoted by Hamish Henderson in his article 'The Ballad, the Folk and the Oral Tradition', from Edward J. Cowan (Ed.), The People's Past. Scottish Folk - Scottish History, p 83f)
Henderson gives the year as 1692, so it must have been in the earlier edition.

After giving the note in Herd's 'Scots Songs' that Bruce quotes, Henderson adds:
[1980:] The story goes that when Charles II heard of this exploit of Dainty Davie's, he exclaimed: "Odd's fish! that beats me and the oak! Find me that man and I'll make him a bishop!" (Hamish Henderson in Cowan 84f - cf there for other versions)

About the author of Andreas' song:
[1968:] Robert Burns included in his 'Merry Muses' a song called Dainty Davy, which had a remarkable mixture of fortrightness and symbolism. For his collection of 'Songs' for polite consumption he emasculated the song completely under the title Now Rosey May Comes In Wi' Flowers, but also gave the tune to his Rantin' Rovin' Robin song. Eddie Furey has retained the 'Merry Muses' chorus and has reconstructed a song around it. (Bill Leader, notes 'Finbar and Eddie Furey')

Really interesting thread! Thanks to you all, Susanne


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