Earl Richard (1802 edition)

Earl Richard tells his lady that she need no longer tend their child for he has a new sweetheart that is far lovelier than she. The lady nevertheless invites him in and entertains him so well with ale and wine that he becomes intoxicated.  He lies down to sleep but never wakes, and the words of a popinjay reveal that the lady had been in danger of getting blood on her clothing. The lady calls on her bower maidens for help and together they dress the corpse as if for hunting and carry it to the River Clyde. The popinjay asks what the lady has done with Earl Richard and she tries to coax the bird down with an offer of a cage of gold, but the bird stays out of reach, knowing that she would kill him as she killed Earl Richard.  One day, when the king is about to go out riding, he misses Earl Richard who should ride at his right hand. The lady says she is afraid he must have drowned in the Clyde and divers make a search on the king’s orders but fail to find him. That evening, when the king is in the lady’s castle, the popinjay tells him that the divers should search after dark since they will then see a light glowing where the body lies.  Taking this advice the searchers find Earl Richard. The king sees the wound on the body and demands to know who killed his right-hand man.  The popinjay says that there is no doubt that it was the lady. She swears she is innocent and blames her waiting maid Catherine. When they put Catherine in the fire to burn her, the fire will not catch hold on her body. So they take Catherine out of the fire and put the lady in and she is devoured by the flames.

MSB 29 Earl Richard (1803 edition)

Earl Richard tells his lady that she need no longer tend their child since he has a new sweetheart who is far lovelier than she. The lady nevertheless invites him in and entertains him so well with ale and wine that he becomes intoxicated.  He lies down to sleep but never wakes, and the words of a popinjay reveal that the lady had been in danger of getting blood on her clothing. The lady calls on her bower maidens for help and together they dress the corpse as if for hunting and carry it to the River Clyde. The popinjay asks what the lady has done with Earl Richard and she tries to coax the bird down with an offer of a cage of gold, but the bird stays out of reach, knowing that she would kill him as she killed Earl Richard. The lady meets Earl Richard’s father and explains that she has been seeking Earl Richard but cannot find him. The father assures her that Earl Richard knows all the fords and will come home safely. One day, when the king is about to go out riding, he misses Earl Richard who should ride at his right hand. The lady says she is afraid he must have drowned in the Clyde and divers make a search on the king’s orders but fail to find him. That evening, when the king is in the lady’s castle, the popinjay tells him that the divers should search after dark since they will then see a light glowing where the body lies.  Taking this advice the searchers find Earl Richard. The king sees the wound on the body and demands to know who killed his right-hand man.  The popinjay says that there is no doubt that it was the lady. She swears she is innocent and blames her waiting maid Catherine. When they put Catherine in the fire to burn her, the fire will not catch hold on her body. When Catherine touches the corpse, it does not bleed at all, but it bleeds copiously when the lady touches it. So they take Catherine out of the fire and put the lady in and she is devoured by the flames.