Three Brothers from Spain (Knights of Spain, We Are Three Jews)

DESCRIPTION: "We are three (brothers/dukes/knights/jews) come from Spain, Come to court your daughter Jane." "My daughter Jane is yet too young...." "It is for gold she must be sold." The (knight) turns away. The mother calls him back; he chooses the fairest
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1784 (Joseph Ritson, _Gammer Gurton's Garland: or, The Nursery Parnassus_, according to Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame)
KEYWORDS: courting beauty playparty
FOUND IN: US(MA,MW,NE) Britain(England,Scotland(Aber,Bord)) Australia
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Greig/Duncan8 1569, "We Are Three Lovers Come From Spain" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Lyle-Andrew-CrawfurdsCollectionVolume2 199, "Two Brethren Come From Spain" (1 text)
Scott-ACollectorsNotebook-31TraditionalSongs, p. 42, "(no title)" (1 text, in the notes for "The Sailor's Grave")
Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame 12, "Three Brethren out of Spain"; Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame 13, pp. 103-107, "Three Brethren Come from Spain (Scots version)" (11 texts, 2 tunes)
Newell-GamesAndSongsOfAmericanChildren, #1, "Knights of Spain" (2 texts plus many excerpts)
Baring-Gould-AnnotatedMotherGoose #633, pp. 250-251, "(We're three Brethren out of Spain)"
Behan-IrelandSings, #88, "There Came Three Jews" (1 text, 1 tune, modified)
Kane-SongsAndSayingsOfAnUlsterChildhood, p. 77, "We are three knights, we come from Spain" (1 text)
Abrahams-JumpRopeRhymes, #550, "There came two Spaniards just from Spain" (1 text)
(DT, THREDUKE mixes this with "Three Dukes")
ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #353, "Three Knights from Spain" (1 text)
Roud #8251
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Three Dukes" (plot)
NOTES [32 words]: This has some points of similarity with "Three Dukes," and it appears some scholars have lumped them. But even Roud, who is generally a lumper, splits them, and I do so without hesitation. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.5
File: BGMG633

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