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(1876*1900)
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/:
ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH
BALLADS.
SELECTED AND EDITED
BY
FRANCIS JAMES CHILD.
VOLUME III.
§']^-
BOSTON:
LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY.
SHEPAED, CLARK AND BROWN.
CINCINNATI: MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS AND CO.
M.DCCC.t.Vn.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857,
by Little, Brown and Company, in the Clerk's OflSce of
the District Court of Massachusetts.
PR
RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE:
STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY
H. 0. UOCGHTON AND COMPANY.
I
CONTENTS OF VOLUME THIRD.
BOOK IV. (continued.)
Pago
11 a. Earl Richard, [Scott's version] 3
11 b. Earl Richard, [Motherwell's version] 10
11 c. Young Redin 13
11 d. Lord William. 18
12 a. Prince Robert 22
12 b. Earl Robert 26
13. The Weary Coble o' Cargill 30
14. Old Robin of Portingale 34
15. Pause Foodrage 40
16. Bonnie Annie 47
17. William Guiseman 50
18. The Enchanted Ring 53
19 a. The Three Ravens 57
19 b. TheTwa Corbies, [Scott] 59
19 c. The Twa Corbies, [Motherwell] 61
20 a. The DoAvie Dens of Yarrow 63
20 b. The Braes o' Yarrow 69
21. Sir James the Rose 73
22. Grseme and Bewick ; 77
23. The Lament of the Border Widow 86
24. Young Waters 68
25. Bonnie George Campbell 92
26 a. Lamkin.. 94
26 b. Lambert Linkin 100
27 a. The Laird of Waristouu. [Jamieson] 107
27 b. Laird of Wariestoun, [Kinlock] 110
IV CONTENTS.
Page
28 a. The Queen's Marie 113
28 b. Mary Hamilton 120
29. Bessie Bell and Mary Gray 126
30. The Children in the Wood 128
31 a. Hugh of Lincoln 136
31b. Sir Hugh 142
31 c. The Jew's Daughter 144
32 a. Sir Patrick Spence, [Percy] 147
32 b. Sir Patrick Spens, [Scott] 162
BOOK V.
1. King Estmere 159
2. Sir Cauline 173
8 a. Fair Annie, [Scott] 191
3 b. Fair Annie, [Motherwell] 198
4 a. Child Waters 205
4 b. Burd Ellen 213
5 a. Erlinton 220
5 b. The Child of Elle 224
6 a. Sir Aldingar 234
6 b. Sir Hugh le Blond 244
7 a. The Knight, and Shepherd's Daughter 252
7 b. Eari Richard 258
8 a. The Gay Goss-Hawk 269
8b. The Jolly Goshawk 277
APPENDIX.
Young Hunting 287
Earl Richard 293
Young Waters 301
Lammikin 307
Long Lonkin 313
The Laird of Waristoun 316
Mary Hamilton, [Kinloch] 324
Mary Hamilton, [Maidment] 329
Sir Hugh, or The Jew's Daughter, [Motherwell] 331
CONTENTS. V
Page
Sir Hu^li, [Hume] 335
Sir Patrick Spens 338
Lord Livingstone 343
Clerk Tamas 349
John Thomson and The Turk 352
Lord Thomas Stuart 357
The Spanish Virgin 360
The Lady Isabella's Tragedy 366
The Cruel Black 370
King Malcom and Sir Colvin 378
Skioen Anna ; Fair Annie 383
Lady :Margaret 390
Earl Richard 395
Glossary 403
BOOK IV
CONTINUED.
VOL. III.
EARL RICHARD.
A FRAGMENT of this gloomy and impressive romance,
(corresponding to v. 21-42,) was published in Herd's
Scottish Songs, i. 184, fix)m which, probably, it was
copied into Pinkerton's Scottish Tragic Ballads, p. 84.
The entire story was first printed in The Border Min-
strelsy, together with another piece. Lord William,
containing a part of the same incidents. Of the five
versions which have appeared, four are given in this
place, and the remjdning one in the Appendix, where,
also, we have put a rifacimento of the story, from
Scarce Ancient Ballads, Aberdeen, 1822.
" There are two ballads in Mr. Herd's MSS. upon
the following story, in one of which the unfortunate
knight is termed Young Huntin\ [See Appendix.]
The best verses are selected from both copies, and
some trivial alterations have been adopted from tra-
dition." Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 184.
" O Lady, rock never your young son, young,
One hour langer for me ;
For I have a sweetheart in Garlioch Wells,
I love far better than thee.
EARL RICHARD.
" The very sole o' that lady's foot «
Than thy face is far mair white : "
" But, nevertheless, now, Erl Richard,
Ye will bide in my bower a' night ? "
She birled him with the ale and wine,
As they sat down to sup : w
A living man he laid him down,
But I wot he ne'er rose up.
Then up and spake the popinjay,
That flew aboun her head ;
" Lady ! keep weel your green cleiding w
Frae gude Erl Richard's bleid." —
" O better I'll keep my green cleiding
Frae gude Erl Richard's bleid.
Than thou canst keep thy clattering toung,
That trattles in thy head." 20
She has call'd upon her bower maidens,
She has call'd them ane by ane ;
" There lies a dead man in my hour :
I wish that he were gane ! "
They hae booted him, and spurred him, 35
As he was wont to ride ; —
A hunting-horn tied round his waist,
A sharpe sword by his side ;
EARL RICHARD.
And they hae had him to the wan water,
For a' men call it Clyde.
Then up and spoke the popinjay
That sat upon the tree —
" What hae ye done wi' Erl Richard ?
Ye were his gay ladye." —
" Come down, come down, my bonny bird.
And sit upon my hand ;
And thou sail hae a cage o* gowd,
Where thou hast but the wand." —
" Awa ! awa ! ye ill woman !
Nae cage o' gowd for me ;
As ye hae done to Erl Richard,
Sae wad ye do to me."
She hadna cross'd a rigg o* land,
A rigg but barely ane.
When she met wi' his auld father.
Came riding all alane.
" Where hae ye been, now, ladye fiiir,
Where hae ye been sae late ?
We hae been seeking Erl Richard,
But him we canna get." —
30. Clyde, in Celtic, means white. — Lockhart.
EARL RICHARD.
" Erl Richard kens a' the fords in Clyde,
He'll ride them ane by ane ;
And though the night was ne'er sae mirk,
Erl Richard will be hame."
0 it fell anes, upon a day, w
The King was boun to ride ;
And he has mist him, Erl Richard,
Should hae ridden on his right side.
The ladye tum*d her round %bout,
Wi' mickle mournfu* din — «
" It fears me sair o' Clyde water,
That he is drown'd therein." —
" Gar douk, gar douk," the King he cried,
" Gar douk for gold and fee ;
0 wha will douk for Erl Richard's sake, cs
Or wha will douk for me ? "
They douked in at ae weil-heid,
And out aye at the other ;
" We can douk nae mair for Erl Richard,
Although he were our brother." 70
It fell that, in that ladye's castle.
The King was boun to bed ;
And up and spake the popinjay.
That flew abune his head.
EARL RICHARD. /
" Leave aff your douking on the day, ?«
And douk upon the night ;
And where that sackless knight lies slain,
The candles will bum bright." —
" 0 there's a bird within this bower,
That sings baith sad and sweet ; »
O there's a bird within your bower,
Keeps me frae my night's sleep."
They left the douking on the day.
And douk'd upon the night ;
And where that sackless knight lay slain, as
The candles burned bright.
The deepest pot in a' the linn.
They fand Erl Richard in ;
86. These are, unquestionably the corpse-lights, called in
Wales Canhwyllan Cyrph, which are sometimes seen to illu-
minate the spot where a dead body is concealed. The Editor
is informed, that, some years ago, the corpse of a man, drowned
in the Ettrick, below Selkirk, was discovered by means of
these candles. Such lights are common in churchyards, and
are probably of a phosphoric nature. But rustic superstition
derives them from supernatural agency, and supposes, that,
as soon as life has departed, a pale flame appears at the win-
dow of the house, in which the person had died, and glides
towards the churchyard, tracing through every winding the
route of the future funeral, and pausing where the bier is to
rest. This and other opinions, relating to the " tomb-fires'
livid gleam," seem to be of Runic extraction. Scott.
87. The deep holes, scooped in the rock by the eddies of a
river, are called pots ; the motion of the water having there
EARL RICHARD.
A green tuif tyed across his breast,
To keep that gude lord down.
Then up and spake the King himsell,
When he saw the deadly wound —
" O wha has slain mj right-hand man,
That held my hawk and hound ? " —
Then up and spake the popinjay,
Says — " What needs a' this din ?
It was his light leman took his life,
And hided him in the linn."
She swore her by the grass sae grene,
Sae did she by the corn.
She hadna seen him, Erl Richard,
Since Moninday at mom.
" Put na the wite on me,'* she sAid,
" It was my may Catherine : "
Then they hae cut baith fern and thorn,
To bum that maiden in.
It wadna take upon her cheik,
Nor yet upon her chin ;
Nor yet upon her yellow hair,
To cleanse the deadly sin.
some resemblance to a boiling caldron. Linti, means the
pool beneath a cataract. Scott.
EARL RICHARD. ^
The maiden touch'd the clay-cauld corpse,
A drap it never bled ;
The ladye laid her hand on him,
And soon the ground was red.
Out they hae ta'en her, may Catherine, in
And put her mistress in ;
The flame tuik fast upon her cheik,
Tuik fast upon her chin ;
Tuik fast upon her faire body —
She burn'd like hoUin-green. 120
120. The lines immediately preceding, " The maiden
touched," &c., and which are restored from tradition, refer
to a superstition formerly received in most parts of Europe,
and even resorted to by judicial authority, for the discovery
of murder. In Germany, this experiment was called bahr-
recht, or the law of the bier; because, the murdered body
being stretched upon a bier, the suspected person was obliged
to put one hand upon the wound and the other upon the
mouth of the deceased, and, in that posture, call upon heaven
to attest his innocence. If, during this ceremony, the blood
gushed from the mouth, nose, or wound, a circumstance not
unlikely to happen in the course of shifting or stirring the
body, it was held sufficient evidence of the guilt of the party.
SOOTT.
EARL RICHARD.
Obtained from recitation by Motherwell, and printed
in his Minstrelsy^ p. 218.
Earl Richard is a hunting gone,
As fast as he could ride ;
His hunting-horn hung about his neck,
And a small sword by his side.
When he came to my lady's gate, 5
He tirled at the pin ;
And wha was sae ready as the lady herselT
To open and let him in ?
" 0 light, O light, Earl Richard," she says,
" O light and stay a' night ; w
You shall have cheer wi' charcoal clear,
And candles burning bright."
EARL RICHARD. 11
" I will not light, I cannot light,
I cannot light at all ;
A fairer lady than ten of thee is
Is waiting at Richard's-wall."
He stooped from his milk-white steed,
To kiss her rosy cheek ;
She had a penknife in her hand.
And wounded him so deep. 20
" 0 he ye there. Earl Richard," she says,
" O lie ye there till morn ;
A fairer lady than ten of me
Will think lang of your coming home."
She called her servants ane by ane, 25
She called them twa by twa ;
" I have got a dead man in my bower,
I wish he were awa."
The ane has ta'en him by the hand,
And the other by the feet ; 30
And they 've thrown him in a deep draw well,
Full fifty fathoms deep.
Then up bespake a little bird,
That sat upon a tree :
" Gae hame, gae hame, ye fause lady, 35
And pay your maids their fee."
12 EARL RICHARD.
" Come down, come down, my pretty Ijird,
That sits upon the tree ;
I have a cage of beaten gold,
I '11 gie it unto thee." 40
" Gae hame, gae hame, ye fause lady.
And pay your maids their fee ;
As ye have done to Earl Richard,
Sae wud ye do to me."
" If I had an arrow in my hand, 45
And a bow bent on a string ;
I 'd shoot a dart at thy proud heart,
Among the leaves sae green."
'm
YOUNG REDIN.
burgh, a native of Mearnsshire, who sings it to a
plaintive, though somewhat monotonous air of one
measure." — Kjnloch, Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 1.
Young Redin's til the huntin gane,
Wi' therty lords and three ;
And he has til his true-love gane,
As fast as he could hie.
" Ye 're welcome here, my young Redm, s
For coal and candle licht ;
And sae are ye, my young Redin,
To bide wi' me the nicht"
" I thank ye for your licht, ladie,
Sae do I for your coal ; lo
But there 's thrice as fair a ladie as thee
Meets me at Brandie's well."
14 YOUNG REDIN.
Whan they were at their supper set,
And merrily drinking wine,
This ladie has tane a sair sickness, 15
And til her bed has gane.
Young Redin he has followed her,
And a dowie man was he ;
He fund his true-love in her bouer,
And the tear was in her ee. 20
Whan he was in her arms laid,
And gieing her kisses sweet.
Then out she 's tane a Httle penknife,
And wounded him sae deep.
" O lang, lang, is the winter nicht, 26
And slawly daws the day ;
There is a slain knicht in my bouer.
And I wish he war away."
Then up bespak her bouer-woman,
And she spak ae wi' spite : — 30
" An there be a slain knicht in your bouer,
It's yoursel that has the wyte."
" O heal this deed on me, Meggy,
O heal this deed on me ;
The silks that war shapen for me gen Pasche,
They saU be sewed for thee." so
YOUNG REDIN. 15
^01 hae heal'd on my mistress
A twalmonth and a day,
And I hae heal'd on my mistress,
Mair than I can say." 40
They 've booted him, and they 've spurred him,
As he was wont to ride : —
A huntin horn round his neck.
And a sharp sword by his side ;
In the deepest place o' Clyde's water, «
It's there they 've made his bed.
Sine up bespali the wylie parrot.
As he sat on the tree, —
" And hae ye kill'd him young Redin,
Wha ne'er had love but thee I " so
" Come doun, come doun, ye wylie parrot,
Come doun into my hand ;
Your cage sail be o' the beaten gowd,
When now it's but the wand."
" I winna come doun, I canna come doun, ss
I winna come doun to thee ;
For as ye 've dune to young Redin,
Ye'll do the like to me ;
Ye'U thraw my head aff my hause-bane,
And throw me in the sea." oo
16 YOUNG REDIN.
0 there cam seekin young Redin,
Monie a lord and knicht ;
And there cam seekin young Redin,
Monie a ladie bricht.
And they hae til his true-love gane,
Thinking he was wi' her ;
* * * M^ * * *
* ******
" I hae na seen him, young Redin,
Sin yesterday at noon ;
He tum'd his stately steed about,
And hied him through the toun.
" But ye'll seek Clyde's water up and doun,
Ye'll seek it out and in —
1 hae na seen him, young Redin,
Sin yesterday at noon."
Then up bespak young Redin's mitlier,
And a dowie woman was scho ; —
" There's na a place in a Clyde's water.
But my son wad gae through."
They've sought Clyde's water up and doun,
They've sought it out and in.
And the deepest place o' Clyde's water
They fund young Redin in.
YOUNG REDIN. 17
0 white, white, war his wounds washen, 85
As white as a Hnen clout ;
But as the traitor she cam near,
His wounds they gushed out !
" It's surely been my bouer-woman,
O ill may her betide ; 90
1 ne'er wad slain him young Redin,
And thrown him in the Clyde."
Then they've made a big bane-fire,
The bouer-woman to brin ;
It tuke na on her cheek, her cheek, 95
It tuke na on her chin,
But it tuke on the cruel hands
That ptit young Redin in.
Then they've tane out the bouer-woman,
And put the ladie in : 100
It tuke na on her cheek, her cheek.
It tuke na on her chin.
But it tuke on the fause, fause arms.
That young Redin lay in.
VOL. III.
1
LORD WILLIAM.
Minstrelsy of the Scoiiish Border, iii. 23.
This ballad was communicated to Sir Walter Scott
by Mr. James Hogg, accompanied with the following
note : —
" I am fully convinced of the antiquity of this song ;
for, although much of the language seems somewhat
modernized, this must be attributed to its currency,
being much Hked, and very much sung in this neigh-
bourhood. I can trace it back several generations, but
cannot hear of its ever having been in print. I have
never heard it with any considerable variation, save
that one reciter called the dwelling of the feigned
sweet-heart, Castleswa"
Lord William w^as the bravest knight
That dwalt in fair Scotland,
And though renown'd in France and Spain,
Fell by a ladle's hand.
As she was walking maid alone,
Down by yon shady wood,
She heard a smit o' bridle reins,
She wish'd might be for good.
LORD WILLIAM. 19
" Come to my arms, my dear Willie,
You're welcome hame to me ; lo
To best o' cheer and charcoal red,
And candle burning free." —
'' I winna light, I darena light,
Nor come to your arms at a' ;
A fairer maid than ten o' you is
I'll meet at Castle-law." —
" A fairer maid than me, Willie I
A fairer maid than me !
A fairer maid than ten o' me
Your eyes did never see." — 20
He louted ower his saddle lap.
To kiss her ere they part,
And wi' a httle keen bodkin.
She pierced him to the heart.
" Ride on, ride on. Lord William now, 25
As fast as ye can dree !
Your bonny lass at Castle-law
Will weary you to see." —
11. Charcoal red. This circumstance marks the antiquity
of the poem. While wood was plenty in Scotland, charcoal
was the usual fuel in the chambers of the wealthy. Scott.
LORD WILLIA3I.
Out up then spake a bonny bird,
Sat high upon a tree, — so
" How could you kill that noble lord ?
He came to marry thee." —
" Come down, come down, my bonny 1)1 rd.
And eat bread afF my hand !
Your cage shall be of wiry goud, ^5
Whar now it's but the wand." —
" Keep ye your cage o' goud, lady,
And I will keep my tree ;
As ye hae done to Lord William,
Sae wad ye do to me." — «
She set her foot on her door step,
A bonny marble stane,
And carried him to' her chamber,
O'er him to make her mane.
And she has kept that good lord's corpse «
Three quarters of a year.
Until that word began to spread ;
Then she began to fear.
Then she cried on her waiting maid.
Aye ready at her ca' ; ^
" There is a knight into my bower,
'Tis time he were awa." —
LORD WILLIAM. 21
The aiie has ta'en him by the head,
The ither by the feet,
And thrown him in the wan water, 55
That ran baith wide and deep.
" Look back, look back, now, lady fair.
On him that lo'ed ye weel !
A better man than that blue corpse
Ne'er drew a sword of steel." — eo
PBINCE ROBERT
Was first published in the Minstrelsy of the Scottish
Border, iii. 269, and was obtained from the recitation
of Miss Christian Rutherford. Another copy, also
from recitation, is subjoined.
Prince Robert has wedded a gay ladye,
He has wedded her with a ring :
Prince Robert has wedded a gay ladye,
But he darna bring her hame.
" Your blessing, your blessing, my mother dear I
Your blessing now grant to me ! " — <;
" Instead of a blessing ye sail have my curse.
And you'll get nae blessing frae me." —
She has call'd upon her waiting-maid,
To fill a glass of wine ; lo
She has call'd upon her fause steward,
To put rank poison in.
PRINCE ROBERT. 23
She has put it to her roudes lip,
And to her roudes chin ;
She has put it to her fause, fause mouth, 15
But the never a drap gaed in.
He has put it to his bonny mouth,
And to his bonny chin,
He's put it to his cherry lip,
And sae fast the rank poison ran in. i»
" O ye hae poison'd your ae son, mother,
Your ae son and your heir ;
0 ye hae poison'd your ae son, mother,
And sons you'll never hae mair.
" O where will I get a little boy, 25
That will win hose and shoon.
To rin sae fast to Darlinton,
And bid fair Eleanor come ? " —
Then up and spake a little boy.
That wad win hose and shoon, — ao
" O I'll away to Darlinton,
And bid fair Eleanor come." —
O he has run to Darlinton,
And tirled at the pin ;
And wha was sae ready as Eleanor's sell '«
To let the bonny boy in.
24 PRINCE ROBERT.
" Your gude-mother has made ye a rare dinour,
She's made it baith gude and fine ;
Your gude-mother has made ye a gay dinour,
And ye maun cum till her and dine." — 40
It's twenty lang miles to Sillertoun town,
The langest that ever were gane :
But the steed it was wight, and the ladye was
light,
And she cam linkin' in.
But when she came to Sillertoun town, 45
And into Sillertoun ha',
The torches were burning, the ladies were
mourning.
And they were weeping a'.
" O where is now my wedded lord,
And where now can he be ? • w
O where is now my wedded lord ?
For him I canna see." —
" Your wedded lord is dead," she says,
" And just gane to be laid in the clay :
Your wedded lord is dead," she says, m
" And just gane to be buried the day.
" Ye'se get nane o' his gowd, ye'se get nane o'
his gear.
PRINCE ROBERT. 25
Ye'se get nae thing frae me ;
Ye'se no get an inch o' his gude bi-aid land,
Though your heart suld burst in three." — eo
" I want nane o' his gowd, I want nane o' his gear,
I want nae land frae thee :
But I'll hae the rings that's on his finger,
For them he did promise to me." —
" Ye'se no get the rings that's on his finger, es
Ye'se no get them frae me ;
Ye'se no get the rings that's on his finger,
An your heart suld burst in three." —
She's turn'd her back unto the wa'.
And her face unto a rock ; 70
And there, before the mother's face,
Her very heart it broke.
The tane was buried in Marie's kirk,
The tother in Marie's quair ;
And out o' the tane there sprang a birk, 75
And out o' the tother a brier.
And thae twa met, and thae twa plat.
The birk but and the brier ;
And by that ye may very weel ken
They were twa lovers dear. ao
EARL ROBERT.
" Given," says Motherwell, " from the recitation of
an old woman, a native of Bonhill, in Dumbarton-
shire ; and it is one of the earliest songs she remem-
bers of having heard chanted on the classic banks of
the Water of Leaven." — Minstrelsy^ p.* 200.
Another copy is noted by the same editor as con-
taining the following stanzas : —
Lord Robert and Mary Florence,
They wer twa children ying;
They were scarce seven years of age
Till luve began to spring.
Lord Robert loved Mary Florence,
And she lov'd him above power;
But he durst not for his cruel mither
Bring her intill his bower.
It's fifty miles to Sittingen's rocks,
As ever was ridden or gane ;
And Earl Robert has wedded a wife,
But he dare na bring her hame.
And Earl Robert has wedded a wife, &c.
EARL ROBERT. 27
His mother, she call'd to her waiting-maid : 5
" 0 bring me a pint of wine,
For I dinna weel ken what hour of this day
That my son Earl Robert shall dine."
She's put it to her fause, fause cheek,
But an' her fause, fause chin ; w
She's put it to her fause, fause lips ;
But never a drap went in.
But he's put it to his bonny cheek,
Aye and his bonny chin ;
He's put it to his red rosy lips, •!«
And the poison went merrily down.
" 0 where will I get a bonny boy,
That wiU win hose and shoon, —
That wiU gang quickly to Sittingen's rocks.
And bid my lady come ? " ao
It's out then speaks a bonny boy,
To Earl Robert was something akin :
'' Many a time have I run thy errand,
But this day with the tears I'll rin."
O when he cam to Sittingen's rocks, '^-■>
To the middle of a' the ha'.
There were bells a ringing, and music playing,
And ladies dancing a'.
28 EARL ROBERT.
" What news, what news, my bonny boy.
What news have ye to me ? 30
Is Earl Robert in very good health.
And the ladies of your countrie ? "
" O Earl Robert's in very good health,
And as weel as a man can be ;
But his mother this night has a drink to be
druken, 35
And at it you must be."
She called to her waiting-maid,
• To bring her a riding weed ;
And she called to her stable groom.
To saddle her milk-white steed. «
But when she came to Earl Robert's bouir.
To the middle of a' the ha'.
There were bells a ringing and sheets down
hinging.
And ladies murning a'.
" I've come for none of his gold," she said, «
" Nor none of his white monie ;
Excepting a ring of his smallest finger.
If that you will grant me."
" Thou'll no get none of his gold," she said,
" Nor none of his white monie ;
EARL ROBERT. 29
Thou'll no get a ring of his smallest finger,
Tho' thy heart should break in three."
She set her foot unto a stone,
Her back unto a tree ;
She set her foot unto a stone, 55
And her heart did break in three !
The one was buried in Mary's kirk,
The other in Mary's quier ;
Out of the one there grew a bush,
From the other a bonnie brier. eo
And thir twa grew, and thir twa threw.
Till this twa craps drew near ;
So all the world may plainly see
That they lov'd each other dear.
THE WEARY COBLE O' CARGILL.
From Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 230.
" This local ballad, which commemorates some real
event, is given from the recitation of an old woman,
residing in the neighbourhood of Cambus Michael,
Perthshire. It possesses the elements of good poetry,
and, had it fallen into the hands of those who make no
scruple of interpolating and corrupting the text of oral
song, it might have been made, with little trouble, a
very interesting and pathetic composition.
" Kercock and Balathy are two small villages on the
banks of the Tay ; the latter is nearly opposite Stobhall.
According to tradition, the ill-fated hero of the ballad
had a leman in each of these places ; and it was on
the occasion of his pacing a visit to his Kercock love,
that the jealous dame in Balathy Toun, from a revenge-
ful feeling, scuttled the boat in which he was to recross
.the Tay to Stobhall." Motherwell.
David Drummond's destinie,
Gude man o' appearance o' Cargill ;
I wat his blude rins in the flude,
Sae sair against his parents' will.
THE WEARY COBLE o' CARGILL. 31
She was the lass o' Balathy toun, 5
And he the butler o' Stobhall ;
And mony a time she wauked late,
To bore the coble o' Cargill.
His bed was made in Kercock ha',
Of gude clean sheets and of the hay ; w
He wudna rest ae nicht therein,
But on the prude waters he wud gae.
His bed was made in Balathy toun,
Of the clean sheets and of the strae ;
But I wat it was far better made, is
Into the bottom o' bonnie Tay.
She bored the coble in seven pairts,
I wat her heart might hae been sae sair ;
For there she got the bonnie lad lost,
Wi' the curly locks and the yellow hair. 20
He put his foot into the boat,
He little thocht o' ony ill :
But before that he was mid waters,
The weary coble began to fill.
" Woe be to the lass o' Balathy toun, ^
I wat an ill death may she die ;
For she bored the coble in seven pairts.
And let the waters perish me !
32 THE WEARY COBLE o' CARGILL.
" O help, O help I can get nane,
Nae help o' man can to me come ! " so
This was about his dying words,
When he was choaked up to the chin.
" Gae tell my father and my mother,
It was naebody did me this ill ;
I was a-going my ain errands, 35
Lost at the coble o' bonnie Cargill."
She bored the boat in seven pairts,
I wat she bored it wi' gude will ;
And there they got the bonnie lad's corpse.
In the kirk -shot o' bonnie Cargill. 40
O a' the keys o' bonnie Stobha',
I wat they at his belt did hing ;
But a' the keys of bonnie Stobha',
They now ly low into the stream.
A braver page into his age 45
Ne'er set a foot upon the plain ;
His father to his mother said,
" O sae sune as we've wanted him !
" I wat they had raair luve than this,
When they were young and at the scule ; 50
But for his sake she wauked late,
And bored the coble o' bonnie Cargill.
THE WEARY COBLE O' CARGILL. 33
" There's ne'er a clean sark gae on my back,
Nor yet a kame gae in my hair ;
There's neither coal nor candle licht 55
Shall shine in my bouer for ever mair.
" At kirk nor market Tse ne'er be at,
Nor yet a blythe blink in my ee ;
There's ne'er a ane shall say to anither.
That's the lassie gar'd the young man die." eo
Between the yetts o' bonnie Stobha',
And the kirkstyle o' bonnie Cargill,
There is mony a man and mother's son
That was at my luve's burial.
VOL. III.
OLD ROBIN OF PORTINGALE.
Percy's Reliques of English Poetry, iii. 88.
" From an ancient copy in the Editor's folio MS.,
which was judged to require considerable corrections.
" In the former edition the hero of this piece had
been called Sir Robin, but that title riot being in the
MS. is now omitted.
" Giles, steward to a rich old merchant trading to
Portugal, is qualified with the title of Sir, not as being
a knight, but rather, I conceive, as having received an
inferior order of priesthood." Percy.
Let never again see old a man
Marrye see yonge a wife,
As did old Robin of Portingale ;
Who may rue all the dayes of his life.
For the mayors daughter of Lin, God wott. '
He chose her to his wife,
And thought with her to have lived in love
But they fell to hate and strife.
OLD ROBIN OF PORTINGALE. 35
They scarce were in their wed-bed laid,
And 'scarce was bee asleepe, lo
But upp shee rose, and forth shee goes.
To the steward, and gan to weepe.
" Sleepe you, wake you, faire Sir Gyles ?
Or be you not within ?
Sleepe you, wake you, faire Sir Gyles, is
Arise and let me inn."
"01 am waking, sweete," he said,
" Sweete ladye, what is your will ? "
" I have onbethought me of a wile
How my wed lord weel spill. 20
" Twenty-four good knights," shee sayes,
" That dwell about this towne.
Even twenty-four of my next cozens
Will helpe to dinge him downe."
All that beheard his litle footepage, 25
As he watered his masters steed ;
And for his masters sad perille
His verry heart did bleed. .
He mourned, sighed and wept full sore ;
I sweare by the holy roode, - 30
19, unbethought.
36 OLD ROBIN OF PORTINGALE.
The teares he for his master wept
Were blent water and bloude.
And that beheard his deare master
As he stood at his garden pale :
Sayes, " Ever alacke, my litle foot-page,
What causes thee to wail ?
" Hath any one done to thee wronge,
Any of thy fellowes here ?
Or is any of thy good friends dead,
That thou shedst manye a teare ?
" Or, if it be my head bookes-man,
Aggrieved he shal bee :
For no man here within my howse
Shall doe wrong unto thee."
" O it is not your head bookes-man,
Nor none of his degree :
But, on to-morrow ere it be noone
All deemed to die are yee :
" And of that bethank your head steward,
And thank your gay ladye."
" If this be true, my litle foot-page.
The heyre of my land thoust bee :"
MS. 32, blend. 47, or to-moiTow.
OLD ROBIN OF PORTINGALE. 37
" If it be not true, my dear master,
No good death let me die : "
" If it be not true, thou litle foot-page, 55
A dead corse shalt thou bee.
" O call now downs my faire ladye,
O call her downe to mee ;
And tell my ladye gay how sicke,
And like to die I bee." «)
Downe then came his ladye faire,
All clad in purple and pall :
The rings that were on her fingers.
Cast light thorrow the hall.
" What is your will, my own wed-lord ? fs
What is your will with mee ? "
" O see, my ladye deere, how sicke,
And like to die I bee."
" And thou be sicke, my own wed-lord,
Soe sore it grieveth me : 70
But my five maydens and myselfe
Will make the bedde for thee.
" And at the waking of your first sleepe.
We will a hott drinke make ;
And at the waking of your next sleepe, ro
Your sorrowes we will slake."
MS. 75, first.
38 OLD KOBIN OF PORTINGALE.
He put a silk cote on his backe,
And mail of manye a fold ;
And hee putt a Steele cap on his head,
"Was gilt with good red gold. so
He layd a bright browne sword by his side,
And another att his feete :
[And twentye good knights he placed at hand.
To watch him in his sleepe.]
And about the middle time of the night, >ir,
Came twentye-four traitours inn ;
Sir Giles he was the foremost man.
The leader of that ginn.
Old Robin with his bright browne sword,
Sir Gryles head soon did winn ; 90
And scant of all those twenty-four
Went out one quick agenn.
None save only a litle foot -page,
Crept forth at a window of stone ;
And he had two armes when he came in, 95
And he went back with one.
Upp then came that ladie gaye.
With torches burning bright ;
She thought to have brought Sir Gyles a
drinke.
Butt she found her owne wedd knight. J"0
OLD ROBIN OF PORTINGALE. 39
The first thinge that she stumbled on
It was Sir Gyles his foote ;
Sayes, " Ever alacke, and woe is mee I
Here lyes my sweete hart-roote^'
The next thinge that she stumbled on 105
It was Sir Gyles his heade ;
Sayes, " Ever alacke, and woe is me !
Heere lyes my true love deade."
Hee cutt the pappes beside her brest,
And didd her body spille ; no
He cutt the eares beside her heade,
And bade her love her fiUe.
He called up then up his litle foot-page,
And made him there his heyre ;
And sayd, " Henceforth my worldlye goodes, 115
And countrie I forsweare."
He shope the crosse on his right shoulder,
Of the white clothe and the redde,
And went him into the holy land,
Wheras Christ was quicke and dead. 120
117. Every person who went on a Croisade to the Holy
Land usually wore a cross on his upper garment, on the right
shoulder, as a badge of his profession. Diflferent nations
were distinguished by crosses of different colors: the English
wore white, the French red, &c. This circumstance seems
to be confounded in the ballad. Pekct.
MS. 118, fleshe.
FAUSE FOODRAGE.
First published iii Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 220.
" This ballad has been popular iu many parts of
Scotland. It is chiefly given from Mrs. Brown of
Falkland's MSS. The expression,
" The boy stared wild like a gi-ay goss-hawk," v. 31,
strongly resembles that in Hardyknute,
" Norse e'en like gray goss-hawk stared wild ; "
a circumstance which led the Editor to make the
strictest inquiry into the authenticity of the song. But
every doubt was removed by the evidence of a lady
of high rank, who not only recollected the ballad, as
having amused her infancy, but could repeat many of
the verses, particularly those beautiful stanzas from the
20th to the 25th. The Editor is, therefore, compelled
to believe, that the author of Hardyknute copied the
old ballad, if the coincidence be not altogether acci-
dental." Scott.
King Easter has courted her for her lands,
King Wester for her fee,
King Honour for her comely face.
And for her fair bodie.
FAUSE FOODRAGE. 41
They had not been four months married, fi
As I have heard them tell,
Until the nobles of the land
Against them did rebel.
And they cast kevils them amang,
And kevils them between ; lo
And they cast kevils them amang,
Wha suld gae kill the king.
O some said yea, and some said nay,
Their words did not agree ;
Till up and got him, Fause Foodrage, is
And swore it suld be he.
When bells were rung, and mass was sung.
And a' men bound to bed.
King Honour and his gay ladye
In a high chamber were laid. 20
Then up and raise him, Fause Foodrage,
When a' were fast asleep,
And slew the porter in his lodge,
That watch and ward did keep.
0 four and twenty silver keys 25
Hang hie upon a pin ;
And aye as ae door he did unlock.
He has fasten'd it him behind.
42 FAUSE FOODRAGE.
Then up and raise him, King Honour,
Says — " What means a' this din ?
Or what's the matter, Fause Foodrage,
Or wha has loot you in ? " —
" O ye my errand weel sail learn,
Before that I depart." —
Then drew a knife, baith lang and sharp,
And pierced him to the heart.
Then up and got the Queen hersell,
And fell low down on her knee,
" O spare my life, now, Fause Foodrage !
For I never injured thee.
" O spare my life, now, Fause Foodrage !
Until I lighter be !
And see gin it be lad or lass.
King Honour has left me wi'." —
" 0 gin it be a lass," he says,
" Weel nursed it sail be ;
But gin it be a lad bairn,
He sail be hanged hie.
" I winna spare for his tender age.
Nor yet for his hie, hie kin ;
But soon as e'er he bom is,
He sail mount the gallows pin." —
FAUSE FOODRAGE. 43
O four-and-twenty valiant knights
Were set the Queen to guard ;
And four stood aye at her hour door, m
To keep both watch and ward.
But when the time drew near an end,
That she suld Hghter be.
She cast about to find a wile,
To set her body free. «>
O she has birled these merry young men
With the ale but and the wine,
Until they were a' deadly drunk
As any wild-wood swine.
" O narrow, narrow is this window, es
And big, big am I grown ! " —
Yet through the might of Our Ladye,
Out at it she is gone.
She wander'd up, she wander'd down.
She wander'd out and in ; ro
And, at last, into the very swine's stythe,
The Queen brought forth a son.
Then they cast kevils them amang,
Which suld gae seek the Queen ;
And the kevil fell upon Wise William, 75
And he sent his wife for him.
44 FAUSE FOODRAGE.
O when she saw Wise William's wife,
The Queen fell on her knee :
" Win up, win up, madam ! " she says :
" What needs this courtesie ? " — 8o
" O out o' this I winna rise,
Till a boon ye grant to me ;
To change your lass for this lad bairn,
King Honour left me wi'.
" And ye maun learn my gay goss-hawk ss
Right weel to breast a steed ;
And I sail learn your turtle dow
As weel to write and read.
" And ye maun learn my gay goss-hawk
To wield both bow and brand ; 9o
And I sail learn your turtle dow
To lay gowd wi' her hand.
" At kirk and market when we meet.
We'll dare make nae avowe,
But — ' Dame, how does my gay goss-hawk ? '
* Madame, how does my dow ? ' " 96
When days were gane, and years came on,
Wise William he thought lang ;
And he has ta'en King Honour's son
A-huntino; for to saner. loo
FAUSE FOODRAGE. 45
It sae fell out, at this hunting,
Upon a simmer's- day.
That they came by a bonny castell.
Stood on a sunny brae.
" 0 dinna ye see that bonny castell, los
Wi' halls and towers sae fair ?
Gin ilka man had back his ain.
Of it you suld be heir."
" How I suld be heir of that castell,
In sooth, I canna see ; no
For it belangs to Fause Foodrage,
And he is na kin to me." —
" O gin ye suld kill him, Fause Foodrage,
You would do but what was right ;
For I wot he kill'd your father dear, 115
Or ever ye saw the light.
" And gin ye suld kill him, Fause Foodrage,
There is no man durst you blame ;
For he keeps your mother a prisoner,
And she darna take ye hame." — i^n
The boy stared wild like a gray goss-hawk,
Says, — " What may a' this mean ? "
" My boy, ye are King Honour's son.
And your mother's our lawful queen."
46 FAUSE FOODRAGE.
" O gin I be King Honour's son, 125
By our Ladye I swear,
This night I will that traitor slay,
And relieve my mother dear ! " —
He has set his bent bow to his breast,
And leaped the castell wa' ; iso
And soon he has seized on Fause Foodrage,
Wha loud for help 'gan ca'.
" O baud your tongue, now, Fause Foodrage,
Frae me ye shanna flee ; " —
Syne pierced him through the fause, fause
heart, 135
And set his mother free.
And he has rewarded Wise William
Wi' the best half o' his land ;
And sae has he the turtle dow
Wi' the truth o' his right hand. 140
BONNIE ANNIE.
From Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads^ p. 123.
" There is a prevalent belief among seafaring people,
that if a person who has committed any heinous crime
be on ship-board, the vessel, as if conscious of its guilty
burden, becomes unmanageable, and will not sail till
the offender be removed : to discover whom, they
usually resort to the trial of those on board, by casting
lots; and the individual upon whom the lot falls, is
declared the criminal, it being believed that Divine
Providence interposes in this manner to point out the
guilty person." — Kinloch.
Motherwell is inclined to think this an Irish ballad,
though popular in Scotland.
With Bonnie Annie may be compared Herr Peders
SJbresa, Sir Peter's Voyage, Svenska Folk-Visor, ii. 31,
translated in Literature and Romance of Northern
Europe, 276.
There was a rich lord, and he lived in Forfar,
He had a fair lady, and one only dochter.
O she v^as fair, O dear ! she was bonnie,
A ship's captain courted her to be his honey.
48 BONNIE ANNIE.
There cam a ship's captam out owre the sea
sailing, 5
He courted this young thing till he got her wi'
bairn : —
" Ye'll steal your father's gowd, and your mother's
money,
And I'll mak ye a lady in Ireland bonnie."
She's stown her father's gowd and her mother's
money,
But she was never a lady in Ireland bonnie. 10
* * * *
" There's fey fowk in our ship, she winna sail for
me,
There's fey fowk in our ship, she winna sail for
me.
They've casten black bullets twice six and forty.
And ae the black bullet fell on bonnie Annie.
" Ye'll tak me in your arms twa, lo, lift me cannie, 15
Throw me out owre board, your ain dear Annie."
He has tane her in his arms twa, lo, lifted her
cannie.
He has laid her on a bed of down, his ain dear
Annie.
. " What can a woman do, love, I'll do for ye ; "
" Muckle can a woman do, ye canna do for me. —
Lay about, steer about, lay our ship cannie, 21
Do all you can to save my dear Annie."
BONNIE ANNIE. 49
" I've laid about, steer'd about, laid about cannie,
But all I can do, she winna sail for me.
Ye'll tak her in your arms twa, lo, lift her cannie, 25
And throw her out owre board, your ain dear
Annie."
He has tane her in his arms twa, lo, lifted her
cannie,
He has thrown her out owre board, his ain dear
Annie :
As the ship sailed, bonnie Annie she swam,
And she was at Ireland as soon as them. so
They made his love a coffin of the gowd sae yellow,
And they buried her deep on the high banks of
Yarrow.
32. The last two lines are derived from Motherwell, p. xcix.
The text in Kinloch is corrupt, and stands thus: —
He made his love a coffin off the Goats of Yerrow.
And buried his bonnie love doun in a sea valley.
VOL. III. 4
I
WILLIAM GUISEMAN.
From Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 156.
"My name is William Guiseman,
In London I do dwell ;
I have committed murder,
And that is known right well ;
I have committed murder,
And that is known right well.
And it's for mine offence I must die.
" I lov'd a neighbour's dochter.
And with her I did lie ;
I did dissemble with her
Myself to satisfy ;
I did dissemble with her
Myself to satisfy,
And it's for mine offence I must die.
" Sae cunningly's I kept her,
Until the fields war toom ;
WII.LIAM GUISEMAN. 51
Sae cunningly's I trysted her
Unto yon shade o' broom ;
And syne I took my wills o' her,
And then I flang her doun, 20
And it's for mine offence I must die.
" Sae cunningly's I killed her,
Who should have been my wife ;
Sae cursedly's I killed her.
And with my cursed knife ; 25
Sae cursedly's I killed her,
Who should have been my wife,
And it's for mine offence I must die.
" Six days she lay in murder*
Before that she was found ; so
Six days she lay in murder.
Upon the cursed ground ;
Six days she lay in murder.
Before that she was found,
And it's for mine offence I must die. 35
" 0 all the neighbours round about.
They said it had been I ;
I put my foot on gude shipboard.
The county to defy ;
The ship she wadna sail again, to
But hoisted to and fro,
And it's for mine offence I must die.
52 WILLIAM GUISEMAN.
" O up bespak the skipper-boy,
I wat he spak too high ;
* There's .sinful men amongst us, -
The seas will not obey ; '
O up bespak the skipper-boy,
I wat he spak too high,
And it's for mine offence I must die.
" O we cuist cavels us amang,
The cavel fell on me ;
O we cuist cavels us amang.
The cavel fell on me ;
O we cuist cavels us amang.
The cavel fell on me,
And if s for mine offence I must die.
" I had a loving mother
Who of me took gret care ;
She wad hae gien the gold sae red,
To have bought me from that snare ;
But the gold could not be granted,
The gallows pays a share.
And it's for mine offence I must die."
THE ENCHANTED RING.
A fragment of this ballad was published by Jamieson,
(Popular Ballads^ i. 187,) under the title of Bonny
Bee-Ho'm. Buchan's collection, as usual, has the story
complete : Ballads of the North of Scotland^ i. 169.
In Laiiderdale I chanc'd to walk,
And heard a lady's moan,
Lamenting for her dearest deai*.
And aye she cried, ohon !
" Sure never a maid that e'er drew breath fi
Had harder fate than me ;
I'd never a lad but one on earth,
They fore'd him to the sea.
" The ale shall ne'er be brewin o' malt.
Neither by sea nor land, lo
That ever mair shall cross my hause,
Till my love comes to hand.
54 THE ENCHANTED RING.
A handsome lad wi' shoulders broad,
Gold yellow was his hair ;
None of our Scottish youths on earth is
That with him could compare.
She thought her love was gone to sea,
And landed in Bahome ;
But he was in a quiet chamber.
Hearing his lady's moan. 20
" Why make ye all this moan, lady ?
Why make ye all this moan ?
For I'm deep sworn on a book,
I must go to Bahome.
" Traitors false for to subdue, ' 25
O'er seas I'll make me boun'.
That have trepan'd our kind Scotchmen,
Like dogs to ding them down."
" Weell, take this ring, this royal thing,
Whose virtue is unknown ; so
As lang's this ring's your body on.
Your blood shall ne'er be drawn.
" But if this ring shall fade or stain,
Or change to other hue,
Come never mair to fair Scotland, 33
If ye're a lover true."
THE ENCHANTED RING. 55
Then this couple they did part
With a sad heavy moan ;
The wind was fair, the ship was rare,
They landed in Bahome. ■»
But in that place they had* not been
A month but barely one.
Till he look'd on his gay gold ring,
And riven was the stone.
Time after this was not expir'd <5
A month but scarcely three.
Till black and ugly was the ring.
And the stone was burst in three.
" Fight on, fight on, you merry men all,
With you I'll fight no more ; so
I wiU gang to some holy place.
Pray to the King of Glore."
Then to the chapel he is gone,
And knelt most piteouslie.
For seven days and seven nights, 55
Till blood ran frae his knee.
" Ye'll take my jewels that's in Bahome,
And deal them liberallie,
43, they look'd. 48, And stone.
56 THE ENCHANTED RING.
To young that cannot, and old that mannot,
The blind that does not see. eo
" Give maist to women in child-bed laid,
Can neither fecht nor flee :
I hope she's sin the heavens high.
That died for love of me."
The knights they wrang their white fingers, cs
The ladies tore their hair ;
The women that ne'er had children born.
In swoon they down fell there.
But in what way the knight expir'd.
No tongue will e'er declare ; 70
So this doth end my mournful song.
From me ye'U get nae mair.
THE THREE RAVENS.
We give three varieties of this ancient ballad. The
first is taken from Ritson's Ancient English Songs, ii.
53. It is there reprinted from Ravenscroffs Melismata,
1611.
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
DownCf a downe, hay downe, hay downe,
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
With a downe,
There were three ravens sat on a tree.
They were as blacke as they might be,
With a downe, derrie, derrie, derrie, doicne,
downe.
The one of them said to his mate,
" Where shall we our breakefast take ? "—
" Downe in yonder greene field,
There lies a knight slain under his shield.
58 THE THREE RAVENS.
" His hounds they lie downe at his feete,
So well they their master keepe.
" His haukes they flie so eagerly,
There's no fowle dare him com nie.** lo
Downe there comes a fallow doe,
As great with yong as she might goe.
She lift up his bloudy hed.
And kist his wounds that were so red.
She got him up upon her backe, is
And carried him to earthen lake.
She buried him before the prime,
She was dead herselfe ere even-song time.
God send every gentleman,
Such haukes, such houndes, and such a leman. 20
THE TWA CORBIES.
From Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, ii. 359. It
was communicated to Scott by Mr. Sharpe, as written
down, from tradition, by a lady.
As I was walking all alane,
V I heard twa corbies making a mane ;
The tane unto the t'other say,
" Where sail we gang and dine to-day ? " —
" In behint yon auld fail dyke, »
I wot there lies a new-slain knight ;
And naebody kens that he lies there,
But hi% hawk, his hound, and lady fair.
" His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk, to fetch the wild-fowl hame, lo
His lady^s ta'en another mate,
So we may mak our dinner sweet.
60 THE TWA CORBIES.
" Ye'U sit on his white hause-bane,
And I'll pick out his bonny blue een :
Wi' ae lock o' his gowden hair is
We'll theek our nest when it grows bare.
" Mony a one for him makes mane,
But nane saU ken where he is gane :
O'er his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind sail blaw for evermair." — 20
THE TWA CORBIES.
From Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p^ 7: a modernized version.
There were twa corbies sat on a tree,
Large and black as black might be,
And one the other gan say,
" Where shall we go and dine to-day ?
Shall we go dine by the wild salt sea ? «
Shall we go dine 'neath the greenwood tree ? " ,
" As I sat on the deep sea sand,
I saw a fair ship nigh at land ;
I waved my wings, I bent my beak,
The ship sunk, and I heard a shriek : lo
There they lie, one, two, and three, —
I shall dine by the wild salt sea."
" Come,' I will show ye a sweeter sight,
A lonesome glen and a new slain knight ;
His blood yet on the grass is hot, is
His sword half drawn, his shafts unshot, —
And no one kens that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound, and his lady fair.
62 THE TWA CORBIES.
" His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk to fetch the wild fowl harae, 20
His lady's away with another mate,
So we shall make our dinner sweet ;
Our dinner's sure, our feasting free, —
Come, and dine by the greenwood tree. .
" Ye shall sit on his white hause-bane, 25
I will pick out his bonny blue een ;
Ye'll take a tress of his yellow hair,
To theak yere nest when it grows bare ;
The gowden down on his young chin
Will do to sewe my young ones in. so
" O cauld and bare will his bed be,
When winter storms sing in the tree ;
At his head a turf, at his feet a stone.
He will sleep, nor hear the maiden's moan ;
O'er his white bones the birds shall fly, 35
The wild deer bound, and foxes cry."
I
THE DOWIE DENS OF YARROW.
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 143.
" This ballad, which is a very great favourite among
the inhabitants of Ettrick Forest, is universally believed
to be founded in fact. I found it easy to collect a va-
riety of copies ; but very difficult indeed to select from
them such a collated edition as might, in any degree,
suit the taste of ' these more light and giddy-paced
times.'
" Tradition places the event, recorded in the song,
very early ; and it is probable that the ballad was com-
posed soon afterwards, although the language has been
gradually modernized, in the course of its transmission
to us, through the inaccurate channel of oral tradition.
The bard does not relate particulars, but barely the
striking outlines of a fact, apparently so well known
when he wrote, as to render minute detail as unneces-
sary as it is always tedious and unpoetical.
" The hero of the ballad was a knight of great
bravery, called Scott, who is said to have resided at
Kirkhope, or Oakwood Castle, and is, in tradition,
termed the Baron of Oakwood. The estate of Kirk-
hope belonged anciently to the Scotts of Harden ;
64 THE DOWIE DENS OF YARROW.
Oakwood is still their property, and has been so from
time immemorial. The Editor was, therefore, led to
suppose that the hero of the ballad might have been
identified with John Scott, sixth son of the Laird of
Harden, murdered in Ettrick Forest by his kinsmen,
the Seotts of Gilmanscleugh. (See notes to Jamie
Telfer.) This appeared the more probable, as the com-
mon people always affirm that this young man was
treacherously slain, and that, in evidence thereof, his
body remained uncorrupted for many years ; so that
even the roses on his shoes seemed as fresh as when he
was first laid in the family vault at Hassendean. But
from a passage in Nisbet's Heraldry, he now beheves
the ballad refers to a duel fought at Deucharswyre, of
which Annan's Treat is a part, betwixt John Scott of
Tushielaw and his brother-in-law, Walter Scott, third
son of Robert of Thirlestane, in which the latter was
slain.
" In ploughing Annan's Treat, a huge monumental
stone, with an inscription, was discovered ; but being
rather scratched than engraved, and the hues being
run through each other, it is only possible to read one
or two Latin words. It probably records the event of
the combat. The person slain was the male ancestor
of the present Lord Napier.
"" Tradition affirms, that the hero of the song (be
he who he may) was murdered by the brother, either
of his wife or betrothed bride. The alleged cause of
malice was the lady's father having proposed to endow
her with half of his property, upon her marriage with
a warrior of such renown. The name of the murderer
is said to have been Annan, and the place of combat is
stiU called Annan's Treat. It is a low muir, on the
THE DOWIE DENS OF YARROW. 65
banks of the Yarrow, lying to the west of Yarrow Kirk.
Two tall unhewn masses of stone are erected, about
eighty yards distant from each other ; and the least
child, that can herd a cow, will teU the passenger, that
there lie ' the two lords, who were slain in single
combat.'
" It will be, with many readers, the greatest recom-
mendation of these verses, that they are supposed to
have suggested to Mr. Hamilton of Bangour, the mod-
ern ballad, beginning,
' Busk ye, busk ye, my bonny bonny bride.'
" A fragment, apparently regarding the story of the
following ballad, but in a different measure, occurs in
Mr. Herd's MS., and runs thus : —
' When I look east, my heart is sair,
But when I look west, it's mair and mair;
For then 1 see the braes o' Yarrow,
And there, for aye, I lost my marrow.' "
We have added an wncollated copy from Buchan's
Ballads of the North of Scotland. Another is furnished
by Motherwell, Minstrelsy, p. 252, Some of Scott's
verses are also found in Herd's fragment, (^Scottish
Songs, \. 202,) and Buchan's Haughs o' Yarrow, ii. 211.
The Dowy Den, in Evans's collection, iii. 342, is the
caput mortuum of this spirited ballad.
Late at e'en, drinking the wine,
And ere they paid the lawing,
They set a combat them between,
To fight it in the dawing.
VOL. III. 5
66 THE DOWIE DENS OF YARROW.
" 0 stay at hame, my noble lord, «
O stay at hame, my marrow !
My cruel brother will you betray
On the dowie houms of Yarrow." —
" O fare ye weel, my ladye gaye !
0 fare ye weel, my Sarah ! lo
For I maun gae, though I ne'er return
Frae the dowie banks o' Yarrow."
She kiss'd his cheek, she kaim'd his hair,
As oft she had done before, O ;
She belted him with his noble brand, i«
And he's away to Yarrow.
As he gaed up the Tennies bank,
1 wot he gaed wi' sorrow.
Till, down in a den, he spied nine arm'd men,
On the dowie houms of Yarrow. 20
" O come ye here to part your land.
The bonnie Forest thorough ?
Or come ye here to wield your brand.
On the dowie houms of Yarrow ? " —
" I come not here to part my land, -^
And neither to beg nor borrow ;
17. The Tennies is the name of a farm of the* Duke of
Buccleuch's, a little below Yarrow Kirk.
THE DOWIE DENS OF YARROW. 67
I come to wield my noble brand,
On the bonnie banks of Yarrow.
" If I see all, ye're nine to ane ;
And that's an unequal marrow ;
Yet will I fight, while lasts my brand,
On the bonnie banks of Yarrow."
Four has he hurt, and five has slain.
On the bloody braes of Yarrow,
Till that stubborn knight came him behind, ss
And ran his body thorough.
" Gae hame, gae hame, good-brother John,
And tell your sister Sarah,
To come and lift her leafu' lord ;
He's sleepin sound on Yarrow." — 40
" Yestreen I dream'd a dolefu' dream ;
I fear there will be sorrow !
I dream'd I pu'd the heather green,
Wi' my true love, on Yarrow.
" O gentle wind, that bloweth south, 45
From where my love repaireth.
Convey a kiss from his dear mouth,
And tell me how he fareth !
68 THE DOWIE DENS OF YARROW.
" But in the glen strive armed men ;
They've wrought me dole and sorrow ; so
They've slain — the comeliest knight they've
slain —
He bleeding lies on Yarrow."
As she sped down yon high high hill,
She gaed wi' dole and sorrow,
And in the den spied ten slain men, 55
On the dowie banks of Yarrow.
She kissed his cheek, she kaim'd his hair,
She searched his wounds all thorough,
She kiss'd them, till her lips grew red.
On the dowie houms of Yarrow. eo
" Now hand your tongue, my daughter dear !
For a' this breeds but sorrow ;
I'll wed ye to a better lord,
Than him ye lost on Yarrow." —
" 0 hand your tongue, my father dear ! 65
Ye mind me but of sorrow ;
A fairer rose did never bloom
Than now lies cropp'd on Yarrow."
THE BRAES O' YARROW.
From Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland,
ii. 203. Repeated in the xviith volume of the Percy
Society Publications.
Ten lords sat drinking at the wine,
Intill a morning early ;
There fell a combat them among,
It must be fought, — nae parly.
" O stay at hame, my ain gude lord,
O stay, my ain dear marrow."
" Sweetest min', I will be thine,
And dine wi' you to-morrow."
She's kiss'd his lips, and comb'd his hair,
As she had done before, O ;
Gied him a brand down by his side,
And he is on to Yarrow.
70 THE BRAES O' YARROW.
As he gaed ower yon dowie knowe,
As aft he'd dune before, O ;
Nine armed men lay in a den, w
Upo' the braes o' Yarrow.
" O came ye here to hunt or hawk.
As ye hae dune before, 0 ?
Or came ye here to wiel' your brand,
Upo' the braes o' Yarrow-? " 20 '
" I came na here to hunt nor hawk,
As I hae dune before, O ;
But I came here to wiel' my brand.
Upon the braes o' Yarrow." >
Four he hurt, and five he slew, 25 l>
Till down it fell himsell, O ; ]
There stood a fause lord him behin'.
Who thrust him thro' body and mell, O.
" Gae hame, gae hame, my brother John,
And tell your sister sorrow ; so
Your mother to come take up her son,
Aff o' the braes o' Yarrow."
As he gaed ower yon high, high hill.
As he had dune before, O ;
There he met his sister dear, as
Came rinnin fast to Yarrow.
THE BRAES O' YARROW. 71
" I dreamt a dream last night," she says,
" I wish it binna sorrow ;
I dreamt I was pu'ing the heather green,
Upo' the braes o' Yarrow." «
" I'll read your dream, sister," he says,
" I'll read it into sorrow ;
Ye're bidden gae take up your love,
He's sleeping sound on Yarrow."
She's torn the ribbons frae her head, «
They were baith thick and narrow ;
She's kilted up her green clai thing.
And she's awa' to Yarrow.
She's taen him in her arms twa,
And gien him kisses thorough, m
And wi' her tears she bath'd his wounds,
Upo' the braes o' Yarrow.
Her father looking ower his castle wa',
Beheld his daughter's sorrow ;
" O had your tongue, daughter," he says, 55
" And let be a' your sorrow,
I'll wed you wi' a better lord.
Than he that died on Yarrow."
39. To dream of any thing green is regarded in Scotland
as unlucky.
72 THE BRAES O* YARROW.
" O had your tongue, father/' she says,
" And let be till to-morrow ;
A better lord there cou'dna be
Than he that died on Yarrow."
She kiss'd his lips, and comb'd his hair,
As she had dune before, O ;
Then wi' a crack her heart did brack,
Upon the braes o' Yarrow.
SIR JAMES THE ROSE.
PiNKERTON first published this piece in his Scottish
Tragic Ballads, p. 61. In a note, it is said to have
been taken " from a modem edition in one sheet, 12mo.
after the old copy." Motherwell gives another version
" as it occurs in early stall prints," (Minstrelsy, p. 321,)
and suspects a few conjectural emendations in Pinker-
ton's text. The passage from v. 51 to v. 59 is appar-
ently defective, and has, probably, been tampered
with ; but Pinkerton's copy is on the whole much
better than Motherwell's, or than Whitelaw's, (Scottish
Ballads, 39,) which professes to be given chiefly from
oral recitations.
Michael Bruce's Sir James the Rose will be found in
another part of this collection. In Caw's Museum
(p. 290) is a ballad in the worst possible taste, styled
Elfrida and Sir James of Perth, which seems to be a
mere disfiguration of Bruce's.
O HEARD ye o' Sir James the Rose,
The young heir o' Buleighan ?
For he has kill'd a gallant squire,
Whase friends are out to tak him.
74 SIR JAMES THE ROSE.
Now he has gane to the house o' Mar,
Whar nane might seik to find him ;
To see his dear he did repair,
Weining she wold befreind him.
" Whar are ye gaing Sir James," she said,
" O whar awa are ye riding ? "
" I maun be bound to a foreign land,
And now I'm under hiding.
" Whar sail I gae, whar sail I rin,
Whar sail I rin to lay me ?
For I ha kill'd a gallant squire.
And his friends seik to slay me."
" 0 gae ye down to yon laigh house,
I sail pay there your lawing ;
And as I am your leman trew,
I'll meet ye at the dawing."
He turned him richt and round about.
And rowd him in his brechan :
And laid him doun to tak a sleip.
In the lawlands o' Buleighan.
He was nae weil gane out o' sicht,
Nor was he past Milstrethen,
Whan four and twenty belted knichts
Cam ridino: owr the Leathen.
SIR JAMES THE ROSE. 75
" O ha ye seen Sir James the Rose,
The young heir o' Buleighan ? so
For he has kill'd a gallant squire,
And we are sent to tak him."
" Yea, I ha seen Sir James," she said,
" He past by here on Monday ;
Gin the steed be swift that he rides on, «
He's past the Hichts of Lundie."
But as wi speid they rade awa,
She leudly cryd behind them ;
" Gin ye'll gie me a worthy meid,
I'll tell ye whar to find him." 40
" O tell fair maid, and on our band,
Ye'se get his purse and brechan."
" He's in the bank aboon the mill.
In the lawlands o' Buleighan."
Than out and spak Sir John the Graham, «
Who had the charge a keiping,
" It's neer be said, my stalwart feres,
We kill'd him whan a sleiping."
They seized his braid sword and his targe.
And closely him suiTOunded : 50
" O pardon ! mercy ! gentlemen,"
He then fou loudly sounded.
76 SIR JAMES THE ROSE.
" Sic as ye gae, sic ye sail hae,
Nae grace we shaw to thee can."
" Donald my man^ wait till I fa,
And ye sail hae my brechan ;
Ye'll get my purse thouch fou o' gowd
To tak me to Loch Lagan."
Syne they tuke out his bleiding heart.
And set it on a speir ;
Then tuke it to the house o' Mar,
And shawd it to his deir.
" We cold nae gie Sir James's purse,
We cold nae gie his brechan ;
But ye sail ha his bleeding heart,
Bot and his bleeding tartan."
" Sir James the Rose, O for thy sake
My heart is now a breaking,
Curs'd be the day I wrocht thy wae,
Thou brave heir of Buleighan I "
Then up she raise, and furth she gaes.
And, in that hour o' tein.
She wanderd to the dowie glen.
And nevir mair was sein.
GRiEME AND BEWICK.
From Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 69. A
single improved reading is adopted from a Newcastie
chap-book.
" Given, in the first edition, fix)m the recitation of a
gentleman, who professed to have forgotten some verses.
These have, in the present edition, been partly re-
stored, from a copy obtained by the recitation of an
ostler in Carlisle, which has also furnished some slight
alterations."
" The ballad is remarkable, as containing, probably,
the very latest allusion to the institution of brother-
hood in arms, which was held so sacred in the days of
chivalry, and whose origin may be traced up to the
Scythian ancestors of Odin." Scott.
GuDE Lord Graeme is to Carlisle gane,
Sir Robert Bewick there met he,
And arm in arm to the wine they did go,
And they drank till they were baith merrie.
78 GR^ME AND BEWICK.
Gude Lord Graeme has ta'en up the cup,
" Sir Robert Bewick, and here's to thee !
And here's to our twae sons at hame !
' For they like us best in our ain countrie." —
" 0 were your son a lad like mine,
And learn'd some books that he could read, i
They might hae been twae brethren bauld.
And they might hae bragged the Border side.
" But your son's a lad, and he is but bad.
And billie to my son he canna be ; '*
" I sent him to the schools, and he wadna learn ; is
I bought him books, and he wadna read ;
But my blessing shall he never earn,
Till I see how his arm can defend his head." —
Gude Lord Graeme has a reckoning call'd,
A reckoning then called he ; 20
And he paid a crown, and it went roun'.
It was all for the gude wine and free.
And he has to the stable gane.
Where there stude thirty steeds and three ;
15, Scott, Ye sent; 16, Ye bought.
22: Newcastle C. B,, and hay.
GR^ME AND BEWICK. 79
He's ta'en his ain horse amang them a', 25
And hame he rade sae manfuUie.
" Welcome, my auld father ! " said Christie Graeme,
" But where sae lang frae hame were ye ? " —
" It's I hae been at Carlisle town,
And a baffled man by Jhee I be. 30
" I hae been at Carlisle town.
Where Sir Robert Bewick he met me ;
He says ye're a lad, and ye are but bad,
And billie to his son ye canna be.
" I sent ye to the schools, and ye wadna learn ; si
I bought ye books, and ye wadna read ;
Therefore my blessing ye shall never earn,
Till I see with Bewick thou save thy head."
" Now, God forbid, my auld father.
That ever sic a thing suld be ! 40
Billie Bewick was my master, and I was his
scholar,
And aye sae weel as he learned me."
" 0 hald thy tongue, thou limmer loon,
And of thy talking let me be !
41, 42. Shall I venture m}' body in field to fight
With a man that's faith and troth to me?
N. C. B.
80 GILEME AND BEWICK.
If thou does na end me this quarrel soon, «
There is my glove, I'll fight wi' thee."
Then Christie Graeme he stooped low
Unto the ground, you shall understand ; —
" O father, put on your glove again,
The wind has blown jt from your hand ? " s^
*' What's that thou says, thou limmer loon ?
How dares thou stand to speak to me ?
If thou do not end this quarrel soon.
There's my right hand thou shalt fight with
me." —
Then Christie Graeme's to his chamber gane, 5-.
To consider weel what then should be ;
Whether he should fight with his auld father,
Or with his billie Bewick, he.
" If I suld kill my billie dear,
God's blessing I shall never win ; ea
But if I strike at my auld father,
I think 'twald be a mortal sin.
" But if I kill my billie dear,
It is God's will, so let it be ;
But I make a vow, ere I gang frae hame, 6.5
That I shall be the next man's die." —
GRJEME AND BEWICK. 81
Then he's put on's back a gude auld jack,
And on his head a cap of steel,
And sword and buckler by his side ;
0 gin he did not become them weel ! ro
We'll leave off talking of Christie Graeme,
And talk of him again belive ;
And we will talk of bonny Bewick,
Where he was teaching his scholars five.
When he had taught them well to fence, ?«
And handle swords without any doubt,
lie took his sword under his arm.
And he walk'd his father's close about.
He look'd atween him and the sun,
And a' to see what there might be, w
Till he spied a man in armour bright.
Was riding that way most hastilie.
" O wha is yon, that came this way,
Sae hastiUe that hither came ?
I think it be my brother dear, w
1 think it be young Christie Graeme.
" Ye're welcome here, my billie dear,
And thrice ye're welcome unto me ! " —
" But I'm wae to say, I've seen the day.
When I am come to fight wi' thee. ac
VOL. III. 6
I
82 GR^ME AND BEWICK.
'' My father's gane to Carlisle town,
Wi' your father Bewick there met he :
He says I'm a lad, and I am but bad,
And a baffled man I trow I be.
" He sent me to schools, and I wadna learn ;
He gae me books, and T wadna read ;
Sae my father's blessing I'll never earn.
Till he see how my arm can guard my head."
" O God forbid, my billie dear.
That ever such a thing suld be !
We'll take three men on either side.
And see if we can our fathers agree."
" 0 hald thy tongue, now, billie Bewick,
And of thy talking let me be !
But if thou'rt a man, as I'm sure thou art, ^
Come o'er the dyke, and fight wi' me."
" But I hae nae harness, billie, on my back.
As weel I see there is on thine." —
107-118. Instead of this passage, the Newcastle copy has
the following stanzas : —
He flang his cloak from off his shoulders,
His psalm-book from his pouch flang he,
He clapped his hand upon the hedge,
And o'er lap he right wantonly.
GK^ME AND BEWICK. 83
" But as little harness as is on thy back,
As little, billie, shall be on mine." — no
Then he's thrown aff his coat o' mail,
His cap of steel away flung he ;
He stuck his spear into the ground,
And he tied his horse unto a tree.
Then Bewick has thrown aff his cloak, us
And's psalter-book frae's hand flung he ;
He laid his hand upon the dyke,
And ower he lap most manfullie.
O they hae fought for twae lang hours ;
When twae lang hours were come and gane, 120
The sweat drapp'd fast frae aff them baith,
But a drap of blude could not be seen.
When Graham did see his bully come,
The salt tears stood long in his ee ;
" Now needs must I say thou art a man,
That dare venture thy body to fight with
" Nay, I have a harness on my back;
I know that thou hast none on thine ;
But as little as thou hast on thy back,
As little shall there be on mine."
He flang his jacket from off his back,
His cap of steel from his head flang he ;
He's taken his spear into his hand,
He's ty'd his horse unto a tree.
84 GRAEME AND BEWICK.
Till Graeme gae Bewick an ackward stroke,
Ane ackward stroke strucken sickerlie ;
He has hit him under the left breast, 125
And dead-wounded to the ground fell he.
" Rise up, rise up, now, billie dear.
Arise and speak three words to me !
Whether thou's gotten thy deadly wound,
Or if Grod and good leeching may succour thee ? "
" O horse, O horse, now, billie Graeme, i3i
And get thee far from hence with speed ;
And get thee out of this country.
That none may know who has done the deed." —
"01 have slain thee, billie Bewick, iss
If this be true thou tellest to me ;
But I made a vow, ere I came frae hame.
That aye the next man I wad be."
He has pitch'd his sword in a moodie-hill.
And he has leap'd twenty lang feet and three.
And on his ain sword's point he lap, i4i
And dead upon the ground fell he.
'Twas then came up Sir Robert Bewick,
And his brave son alive saw he ;
*•' Rise up, rise up, my son," he said, i«
" For I think ye hae gotten the victorie."
GR^ME AND BEWICK. So
" 0 hald your tongue, my father dear,
Of your prideful t^ilking let me be !
Ye might hae drunken your wine in peace,
And let me and my billie be. 150
" Gae dig a grave, baith wide and deep,
And a grave to hald baith him and me ;
But lay Christie Graeme on the sunny side.
For I'm sure hfe wan the victorie."
" Alack ! a wae ! " auld Bewick cried, ^^
" Alack ! was I not much to blame ?
I'm sure I've lost the liveliest lad
That e'er was bom unto my name."
" Alack ! a wae ! " quo' gude Lord Graeme,
" I'm sure I hae lost the deeper lack ! ifio
I durst hae ridden the Border through.
Had Christie Grseme been at my back.
" Had I been led through Liddesdale,
And thirty horsemen guarding me.
And Christie Graeme been at my back, 1&5
Sae soon as he had set me free !
" I've lost my hopes, I've lost my joy,
I've lost the key but and the lock ;
I durst hae ridden the world round,
Had Christie Graeme been at my back." i-o
THE LAMENT OF THE BORDER WIDOW.
Minstrelsy of (he Scottish Border, iii. 94.
This fragment was obtained from recitation in
Ettrick Forest, where it is said to refer to the exe-
cution of Cockburne, of Henderland, a freebooter,
hanged by James V. over the gate of his own tower.
There is another version in Johnson's Museum, {Oh
Ono Chrio, p. 90,) which, Dr. Blacklock informed
Bums, was composed on the massacre of Glencoe.
But in fact, these verses seem to be, as Motherwell has
remarked, only a portion (expanded, indeed,) of The
Famous Flower of Serving Men : see vol. iv. p. 1 74.
There are some verbal differences between Scott's
copy and the one in Chambers's Scottish Songs, i. 1 74.
Mr love he built me a bonny bower,
And clad it a' wi' lilye floor,
A brawer bower ye ne'er did see.
Than my true love he built for me.
THE LAMENT OF THE BORDER WIDOW. 87
There came a man, by middle day, '>
He spied his sport, and went away ;
And brought the King that very night,
Who brake my bower, and slew my knight.
He slew my knight, to me sae dear ;
He slew my knight, and poin'd his gear ; lo
My servants all for life did flee.
And left me in extremitie.
I sew*d his sheet, making my mane ;
I watch'd the corpse, myself alane ;
I watch'd his body, night and day; is
No living creature came that way.
I tuk his body on my back,
And whiles I gaed, and whiles I sat ;
I digg'd a grave, and laid him in.
And happ'd him with the sod sae green. »
But think na ye my heart was sair.
When I laid the moul' on his yellow hair;
O think na ye my heart was wae,
When I turn'd about, away to gae ?
Nae living man I'll love again, 25
Since that my lovely knight is slain ;
Wi' ae lock of his yellow hair
I'll chain my heart for ever mair.
YOUNG WATERS.
First published on an octavo sheet, by Lady Jean
Home, about the middle of the last century, and from
this copy reprinted in Percy's Reliques, (ii. 227.)
Buchan has a version (i. 15) twenty-five stanzas
longer than the present, which is given in our Ap-
pendix. This ballad has been supposed to refer to
the fate of the Earl of Murray, (see post, The Bonny
Earl of Murray.^ The additional circumstances fur-
nished by Buchan's copy, however, have led Chambers
to suggest that the unfortunate hero was Walter Stuart,
second son of the Duke of Albany. In support of his
conjecture, he adduces " the name, which may be a
corruption of Walter ; the mention of the Heading
(beheading) Hill of Stirling, which is known to have
been the very scene of Walter Stuart's execution ; the
relationship which Young Waters claims with the king ;
and the sympathy expressed by the people, in the last
verse, for the fate of the young knight, which exactly
tallies with what is told us by the Scottish historians,
regarding the popular feeling expressed in favour of
YOUNG WATERS. 89
the numerous nobles and princes of his own blood,
whom the king saw it necessary to sacrifice." We do
not consider these coincidences sufficient to establish
the historical character of the piece.
About Zule, quhen the wind blew cule,
And the round tables began,
A' ! there is cum to our kings court
Mony a well-favourd man.
The queen luikt owre the castle wa',
Beheld baith dale and down,
And then she saw zoung Waters
Cum riding to the town.
His footmen they did rin before.
His horsemen rade behind ;
Ane mantel of the buraing gowd
Did keip him frae the wind.
Gowden graith'd his horse before,
And siller shod behind ;
The horse zoung Waters rade upon
Was fleeter than the wind.
But then spake a wylie lord.
Unto the queen said he :
" O tell me quha 's the fairest face
Rides in the company ? "
90 YOUNG WATERS.
" I've sene lord, and I've sene laird,
And knights of high degree,
Bot a fairer face than zoung Waters
Mine eyne did never see."
Out then spaek the jealous king -i^
(And an angry man was he) :
" O if he had been twice as fair,
Zou micht have excepted me."
' " Zou're neither laird nor lord," she says,
" Bot the king that wears the crown ; so
There is not a knight in fair Scotland,
Bot to thee maun bow down."
For a' that she could do or say, •
Appeasd he wade nae bee ;
Bot for the words which she had said, as
Zoung Waters he maun dee.
They hae taen zoung Waters, and
Put fetters to his feet ;
They hae taen zoung Waters, and
Thrown him in dungeon deep.
" Aft I have ridden thro' Stirling town,
In the wind bot and the weit ;
Bot I neir rade thro' Stirling town
Wi' fetters at my feet.
YOUNG WATERS. 91
" Aft have I ridden thro' Stirling town, «
In the wind hot and the rain ;
Bot I neir rade thro' Stirling town
Neir to return again."
They hae taen to the heiding-hill
His zoung son in his craddle ; bo
And they hae taen to the heiding-hill
His horse bot and his saddle.
They hae taen to the heiding-hill
His lady fair to see ; .
And for the words the queen had spoke k
Zoung Waters he did dee.
BONNIE GEORGE CAMPBELL.
Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 44.
This, says Motherwell, " is probably a. lament for
one of the adherents of the house of Argyle, who fell
in the battle of Glenlivat, stricken on Thursday, the
third day of October, 1594 years. The words and
the music are published in the fifth volume of The
Scottish MinstreW Finlay gives eight lines of this
ballad in the Preface to his first volume, p. xxxiii.
Hie upon Hielands,
And low upon Tay,
Bonnie George Campbell
Rade out on a day.
Saddled and bridled 5
And gallant rade he ;
Hame cam his gude horse,
But never cam he !
Out cam his auld mither
Greeting fu' sair, 10
BONNIE GEORGE CAMPBELL. 93
And out cam his bonnie bride
Rivin' her hair.
Saddled and bridled
And booted rade he ;
Toom hame cam the saddle, i5
But never cam he !
" My meadow lies green,
And my corn is unshorn ;
My barn is to big,
And my babie 's unborn." 20
Saddled and bridled
And booted rade he ;
Toom hame cam the saddle,
But never cam he !
LAMKm.
The following is believed to be a correct account
of the various printed forms of this extremely popular
ballad. In the second edition of Herd's Scottish Songs
(1776) appeared a fragment of eighteen stanzas, called
Lammikin, embellished in a puerile style by some mod-
ern hand. Jamieson published the story in a complete
and authentic shape in his Popular Ballads, in 1806.
Finlay's collection (1808) furnishes us with two more
copies, the first of which (ii. 47) is made up in part of
Herd's fragment, and the second (ii. 57) taken from
a MS. " written by an old lady." Another was given,
from recitation,, in Motherwell's Minstrelsy, (1827,)
with the more intelligible title of Lambert Linkin. An
English fragment, called Long Lonkin, taken down
from the recitation of an old woman, is said to have
been inserted by Miss Landon, in the Drawing-Room
Scrap-Book, for 1837. This was republished in Rich-
ardson's Borderer's Table-Book, 1846, vol. viii. 410, and
the editor of that miscellany, who ought to have learned
to be skeptical in such matters, urges the circumstantial
character of local tradition as strong evidence that the
real scene of the cruel history was in Northumberland.
LAMKIN. 95
Lastly, we liave to note a version resembling Mother-
well's, styled Bold Rankin^ and printed in A New
Book of Old Ballads, (p. 73,) and also in Whitelaw's
Book of Scottish Ballads, (p. 246.)
We have printed Jamieson's, Motherwell's, the longer
of Finlay's versions, and the English fragment: the
last two in the Appendix. The following is from
Jamieson's Popular Ballads, i. 176. " This piece was
transmitted to the Editor by Mrs. Brown.**
" O PAY me now, Lord Wearie ;
Come, pay me out o' hand."
" I canna pay you, Lamkin,
Unless I sell my land."
" O gin ye winna pay me,
I here sail mak a vow,
Before that ye come hame again,
Ye sail ha'e cause to rue."
Lord Wearie got a bonny ship.
To sail the saut sea faem ;
Bade his lady weel the castle keep.
Ay till he should come hame.
But the nourice was a fause limmer
As e'er hung on a tree ;
She laid a plot wi' Lamkin,
Whan her lord was o'er the sea.
96 LA5IKIN.
She laid a plot wi' Lamkin,
When the servants were awa' ;
Loot"^ him in at a little shot window,
And brought him to the ha'.
" O whare's a' the men o' this house,
That ca' me Lamkin ? "
" They're at the bai'n well thrashing,
'Twill be lang ere they come in."
" And whare's the women o' this house,
That ca' me Lamkin ? "
" They're at the far well washing ;
'Twill be lang ere they come in."
"And whare's the bairns o' this house,
That ca' me Lamkin ? "
" They're at the school reading ;
'Twill be night or they come hame."
O whare's the lady o' this house.
That ca's me Lamkin ? "
. " She's up in her bower sewing,
But we soon can bring her down."
Then Lamkin's tane a sharp knife,
That hang down by his gaire.
And he has gi'en the bonny babe
A deep wound and a sair.
LAMKIN. 97
Then Lamkin he rocked,
And the fause nourice sang,
Till frae ilkae bore o' the cradle
The red blood out sprang.
Then out it spak the lady, «
As she stood on the stair,
" What ails my bairn, nourice,
That he's greeting sae sair ?
" O still my bairn, nourice ;
O still him wi' the pap ! " w
" He winna still, lady,
For this, nor for that."
** O still my bairn, nourice ;
" O still him wi' the wand ! "
" He winna still, lady, u
For a' his father's land.'*
" O still my bairn, nourice,
O still him wi' the bell ! "
" He winna still, lady.
Till ye come down yoursel." m
O the firsten step she steppit,
She steppit on a stane ;
But the neisten step she steppit,
She met him, Lamkin.
VOL. III. 7
98 LAMKIN.
" O mercy, mercy, Lamkin !
Ha'e mercy upon me !
Though you've ta'en my young son's life,
Ye may let mysel be."
" 0 sail I kill her, nourice ?
Or saU I lather be?"
" O kill her, kill her, Lamkin,
For she ne'er was good to me."
" O scour the bason, nourice.
And mak it fair and clean,
For to keep this lady's heart's blood,
For she's come o' noble kin."
" There need nae bason, Lamkin ;
Lat it run through the floor ;
What better is the heart's blood
O' the rich than o' the poor? "
But ere three months were at an end
Lord Wearie came again ;
But dowie dowie was his heart
When first he came hame.
" O wha's blood is this," he says,
" That lies in the chamer ? "
" It is your lady's heart's blood ;
'Tis as clear as the lamer."
LAMKIN. 99
" And wha's blood is this," he says,
" That lies in my ha' ? " »
" It is your young son's heart's blood ;
'Tis the clearest ava."
O sweetly sang the black-bird
That sat upon the tree ;
But sairer grat Lamkin, »
When he was condemn'd to die.
And bonny sang the mavis
Out o' the thorny brake ;
But sairer grat the nourice,
When she was tied to the stake. loo
LAMBERT LINKIN.
"The present copy is given from recitation, and
though it could have received additions, and perhaps
improvements, from another copy, obtained from a
similar source, and of equal authenticity, in his posses-
sion, the Editor did not like to use a liberty which is
liable to much abuse. To some, the present set of the
ballad may be valuable, as handing down both name
and nickname of the revengeful builder of Prime
Castle ; for there can be little doubt that the epithet
Linkin Mr. Lambert acquired from the secrecy and
address with which he insinuated himself into that
notable strength. Indeed, all the names of Lammer-
linkin, Lammikin, Lamkin, Lankin, Linkin, Belinkin,
can easily be traced out as abbreviations of Lambert
Linkin. In the present set of the ballad, Lambert
iljnkin and Belinkin are used indifferently, as the
measure of the verse may require ; in the other recited
copy, to which reference has been made, it is Lam-
merlinkin and Lamkin ; and the nobleman for whom
he " built a house " is stated to be " Lord Arran." No
allusion, however, is made here to the name of the
LAMBERT LINKlN. 101
owner of Prime Castle. Antiquaries, perad venture,
may find it as difficult to settle the precise locality of
this fortalice, as they have found it to fix the topog-
raphy of Troy." Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 291.
In Finlay's second copy, the murderer's name is Bal-
canqual, " which," observes the editor, " is an ancient
Scottish surname, and is sometimes corrupted, for the
more agreeable sound, into Beluncan." It is more
likely that Belinkin has suggested Balcanqual, than
that Balcanqual has been corrupted into Lamkin.
Belinkin was as gude a mason
As e'er pickt a stane ;
He built up Prime Castle,
But payment gat nane.
The lord said to his lady,
When he was going abroad,
*' O beware of Belinkin,
For he lyes in the wood."
The gates they were bolted,
Baith outside and in ;
At the sma' peep of a window
Belinkin crap in.
" Gude morrow, gude morrow,"
Said Lambert Linkin.
" Gude morrow to yoursell, sir,"
Said the fause nurse to him.
102 LAMBERT LINKIN.
" O whare is your gude lord ? "
Said Lambert Linkin.
" He's awa to New England,
To meet with his king."
" O where is his auld son ? "
Said Lambert Linkin.
" He*s awa to buy pearhngs,
Gin our lady ly in."
" Then she'll never wear them,'
Said Lambert Linkin.
" And that is nae pity,"
Said the fause nurse to him.
" O where is your lady ? "
Said Lambert Linkin.
" She's in her bpuir sleepin',"
Said the fause nurse to him.
" How can we get at her ? "
Said Lambert Linkin.
" Stab the babe to the heart
Wi' a silver bo'kin."
" That wud be a pity,"
Said Lambert Linkin. .
" Nae pity, nae pity,"
Said the fause nurse to him.
LAMBERT LINKIN. 103
Belinkin he rocked,
And the fause nurse she sang,
Till a' the tores o' the cradle
Wi' the red blude down ran.
" 0 still my babe, nurice, *
O still him wi' the knife."
" He'll no be still, lady,
Tho' I lay down my life."
" 0 still my babe, nurice,
O still him wi' the kame." 5(
" He'll no be still, lady.
Till his daddy come hame."
" 0 still my babe, nurice,
O still him wi' the bell."
" He'll no be still, lady, k
Till ye come down yoursell."
" It's how can I come doun.
This cauld frosty nicht.
Without e'er a coal
Or a clear candle licht ? " a
43. Tores. The projections or knobs at the corners of
old-fashioned cradles, and the ornamented balls common-
ly found surmounting the backs of old chairs. Mother-
well,
104 LAMBERT LINKIN.
•" There's twa smocks in your coffer,
As white as a swan ;
Put ane o' them about you,
It will shew you licht doun."
She took ane o' them about her, »
And came tripping doun ;
But as soon as she viewed,
Belinkin was in.
" Gude morrow, gude morrow,"
Said Lambert Linkin. 70
" Gude morrow to yoursell, sir,"
Said the lady to him.
" O save my life, Belinkin,
Till my husband come back,
And I'll gie ye as much red gold rs
As ye'U baud in your hat."
" I'll not save your life, lady.
Till your husband come back,
Tho' you wud gie me as much red gold
As I could baud in a sack. »)
"Will I kill her?" quo' Belinkin,
" Will I kill her, or let her be ? "
" You may kill her," said the fause nurse,
" She was n^'er gude to me ;
I
LAMBERT LINKIN. 105
And ye'U be laird o' the Castle, 80
And rU be ladye."
Then he cut aff her head
Fra her lily breast bane,
And he hung 't up in the kitchen.
It made a' the ha' shine. 90
The lord sat in England
A-drinking the wine :
" I wish a' may be weel
Wr my lady at hame ;
For the rings 0' my fingers 93
They're now burst in twain ! "
He saddled his horse,
And he came riding doun ;
But as soon as he viewed,
Belinkin was in. 100
He hadna weel stepped
Twa steps up the stair,
Till he saw his pretty young son
Lying dead on the floor.
He hadna weel stepped los
Other twa up the stair,
Till he saw his pretty lady .
Lying dead in despair.
106 LAMBERT LINKIN.
He hanged Belinkin
Out over the gate ;
And he burnt the fause nurice,
Being under the grate.
THE LAIRD OF WARISTOUN. ,
Jamieson and Kinlocli have each published a highly
dramatic fragment of this terrible story. Both of these
are here given, and in the Appendix may be seen
Buchan's more extensive, but far less poetical ver-
sion. With this last, we have printed Mr. Chambers's
account of the events on which these ballads are
founded.
Jamieson's copy was taken down by Sir Walter
Scott, from the recitation of his mother. Popular
Ballads, i. 109.
Down by yon garden green
Sae merrily as she gaes ;
She has twa weel-made feet,
And she trips upon her taes.
She has twa weel-made feet ; 5
Far better is her hand ;
She's as jimp in the middle
As ony willow-wand.
108 THE LAIRD OF WARISTOUX.
" Gif ye will do my bidding,
At my bidding for to be,
It's I will make you lady
Of a' the lands you see."
*****
He spak a word in jest ;
Her answer wasna good ;
He thi-ew a plate at her face,
Made it a' gush out o' blood.
She wasna frae her chamber
A step but barely three.
When up and at her richt hand
There stood Man's Enemy.
" Gif ye will do my bidding,
At ray bidding for to be ;
I'll learn you a wile
Avenged for to be."
The Foul Thief knotted the tether
She lifted his head on hie ;
The nourice drew the knot
That gar'd lord Waristoun die.
Then word is gane to Leith,
Also to Edinburgh town,
That the lady had kill'd the laird.
The laird o' Waristoun.
THE LAIRD OF WARISTOUN. 109
^* Tak aflP, tak aff mj hood,
But lat my petticoat be ;
Put my mantle o'er my head ; 35
For the fire I downa see.
" Now, a' ye gentle maids,
Tak warning now by me.
And never marry ane
But wha pleases your e'e. 40
" For he married me for love.
But I married him for fee ;
And sae brak out the feud
That gar'd my dearie die."
LAIRD OF WARIESTOUN.
Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 53.
It was at dinner as they sat,
And when they drank the .wine,
How happy were the laird and lady
Of bonnie Wariestoun.
The lady spak but ae word,
The matter to conclude ;
The laird strak her on the mouth,
Till she spat out o' blude.
She did not know the way
Her mind to satisfy.
Till evil cam into her head
All by the Enemy.
LAIRD OF WARIESTOUN. IH
" At evening when ye sit
And when ye drink the wine,
See that ye fill the glass well up w
To the laird o' Wariestoun."
******
So at table as they sat,
And when they drank the wine,
She made the glass aft gae round
To the laird o' Wariestoun. 20
The nurice she knet the knot,
And O she knet it sicker ;
The ladie did gie it a twig,
Till it began to wicker. ,
But word has gane doun to Leith, 25
And up to Embro toun,
That the lady she has slain the laird,
The laird o' Wariestoun.
Word's gane to her father, the great Dunie-
pace,
And an angry man was he ; ao
Cries, " Fy ! gar mak a barrel o' pikes,
And row her doun some brae."-
She said, " Wae be to ye, Wariestoun,
I wish ye may sink for ain ;
For I hae been your gudwife ' as
112 LAIRD OF WARIESTOUN.
These nine years, running ten ;
And I never loved ye sae weill
As now when you're lying slain."
* * ♦ * ♦
" But tak aff this gowd brocade,
And let my petticoat be,
And tie a handkerchief round my face,
That the people may not see."
THE QUEEN'S MARIE.
Or this affecting ballad different editions have ap-
peared in Scott's Minstrelsy^ Sharpe's Ballad Book,
Kinloeh's Scottish Ballads, and Motherwell's Minstrel-
sy. There is also a fragment in Maidment's North
Countrie Garland, which has been reprinted in Bu-
chan's Gleanings, p. 164, and a very inferior version,
with a different catastrophe, in Buchan's larger collec-
tion, (ii. 190,) called Warenston and the Duke oj
York's Daughter. Kinloeh's copy may be found with
Maidment's fragment, in the Appendix to this volume :
Motherwell's immediately after the present.
Sir Walter Scott conceives the ballad to have had
its foundation in an event which took place early in
the reign of Mary Stuart, described by Knox as fol-
lows : " In the very time of the General Assembly,
there comes to public knowledge a haynous mur-
ther, committed in the court ; yea, not far from the
Queen's lap ; for a French woman, that served in the
Queen's chamber, had played the whore with the
Queen's own apothecary. The woman conceived and
bare a childe, whom, with common consent, the father
and mother murthered ; yet were the cries of a new-
VOL. III. 8
114 THE queen's marie.
borne cliilde hearde, searche was made, tlie childe and
the mother were both apprehended, and so were the
man and the woman condemned to be hanged in the
publicke street of Edinburgh. The punishment was
suitable, because the crime was haynous. But yet was
not the court purged of whores and whoredoms, which
was the fountaine of such enormities : for it was well
known that shame hasted marriage betwixt John Sem-
pill, called the Dancer, and Mary Levingston, sir-
named the Lusty. What bruit the Maries, and the
rest of the dancers of the court? had, the ballads of that
age doe witnesse, which we for modestie's sake omit.
Knox's History of the Reformation^ p. 373.
" Such," Sir Walter goes on to say, " seems to be
the subject of the following baUad, as narrated by the
stern apostle of Presbytery. It will readily strike the
reader, that the tale has suffered great alterations, as
handed down by tradition ; the French wEiiting wo-,
man being changed into Mary Hamilton, and the
Queen's apothecary into Henry Darnley. Yet this is
less surprising, when we recollect, that one of the
heaviest of the Queen's complaints against her iU-fated
husband, was his infidehty, and that even with her
personal attendants."
Satisfactorily as the circumstances of Knox's story
may agree with those of the ballads, a coincidence no
less striking, and extending even to the name, is pre-
sented by an incident which occurred at the court of
Peter the Great. " During the reign of the Czar
Peter," observes Mr. C. K. Sharpe, " one of his Em-
press's attendants, a Miss Hamilton, was executed for
the murder of a natural child, — not her first crime in
that way, as was suspected ; and the Emperor, whose
admiration of her beauty did not preserve her life,
THE queen's marie. 115
stood upon the scaffold till her head was struck off,
which he lifted by the ears and kissed on the lips. I
cannot help thinking that the two stories have been
confused in the ballad ; for, if IVIarie Hamilton was exe-
cuted in Scotland, it is not likely that her relations
resided beyond seas ; and we have no proof that Ham-
ilton was really the name of the woman who made
the slip with the Queen's apothecary."
Scott's edition of Mary Hamilton, (the first ever
published,) was made up by him, from various copies.
See Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 294.
Marie Hamilton's to the kirk gane,
Wi' ribbons in her hair ;
The King thought mair o' Marie Hamilton,
Than ony that were there.
Marie Hamilton's to the kirk gane, s
Wi' ribbons on her breast ;
The King thought mair o' Marie Hamilton,
Than he listen'd to the priest.
Marie Hamilton's to the kirk gane,
Wi' gloves upon her hands ; lo
The King thought mair o' Marie Hamilton,
Than the Queen and a' her lands.
She hadna been about the King's court
A month, but barely one,
Till she was beloved by a' the King's court, 15
And the King the only man.
116 THE queen's marie.
She hadna been about the King's court
A month, but barely three,
Till frae the King's court Marie Hamilton,
Marie Hamilton durstna be. 20
The King is to the Abbey gane.
To pu' the Abbey tree,
To scale the babe frae Marie's heart ;
But the thing it wadna be.
O she has row'd it in her apron, 25
And set it on the sea, —
" Grae sink ye, or swim ye, bonny babe,
Ye's get nae mair o' me." —
Word is to the kitchen gane,
And word is to the ha', 30
And word is to the noble room,
Amang the ladyes a'.
That Marie Hamilton's brought to bed, ,
And the bonny babe's mist and awa*. "
Scarcely had she lain down again, S5
And scarcely fa'en asleep,
When up then started our gude Queen,
Just at her bed-feet ;
Saying — " Marie Hamilton, where's your babe ?
For I am sure I heard it greet." — 40
' O no, 0 no, my noble Queen !
Think no such thing to be ;
THE queen's marie. 117
'Twas but a stitch into my side,
And sair it troubles me." —
" Get up, get up, Marie Hamilton : «
Get up and follow me ;
For I am going to Edinburgh town,
A rich wedding for to see." —
0 slowly, slowly raise she up.
And slowly put she on ; w
And slowly rode she out the way,
Wi' mony a weary groan.
The Queen was clad in scarlet.
Her merry maids all in green ;
And every town that they cam to, «5
They took Marie for the Queen.
" Ride hooly, hooly, gentlemen,
Ride hooly now wi' me !
For never, I am sure, a wearier burd
Rade in your cumpanie." — eo
But little wist Marie Hamilton,
When she rade on the brown.
That she was ga'en to Edinburgh town,
And a' to be put down.
" Why weep ye so, ye burgess wives, es
Wliy look ye so on me ?
O I am going to Edinburgh town,
A rich wedding for to see." —
118 THE queen's marie.
When she gaed up the tolbooth stairs,
The corks frae her heels did flee ; 7o
And lang or e'er she cam down again,'
She was condemn'd to die.
When she cam to the Netherbow port,
She laughed loud laughters three ;
But when she cam to the gallows foot, ^s
The tears blinded her ee.
" Yestreen the Queen had four Maries,
The night she'll hae but three ;
There was Marie Seaton, and Marie Beaton,
And Marie Carmichael, and me. 8o
73. The Netherbow port was the gate which divided the
city of Edinburgh from the suburb, called the Canongate. S.
80. The Queen's Maries were four young ladies of the
highest families in Scotland, who were sent to France in her
train, and returned with her to Scotland. Keith gives us
their names, p. 55. " The young Queen, Mary, embarked
at Dunbarton for France, and with her went
and four young virgins, all of the name of
Mary, viz. Livingston, Fleming, Seatoun, and Beatoun."
Neither Mary Livingston, nor Mary Fleming, are mentioned
in the ballad; nor are the Mary Hamilton, and Mary Carmi-
chael, of the ballad, mentioned by Keith. But if this corps
continued to consist of young virgins, as when originally
raised, it could hardly have subsisted without occasional re-
cruits ; especially if we trust our old bard, and John Knox.
The Queen's Maries are mentioned in many ballads, and
the name seems to have passed into a general denomination
for female attendants.— Scott.
THE queen's marie. 119
" 0 often have I dress' d my Queen,
And put gold upon her hair ;
But now I've gotten for mj reward
The gallows to be my share.
" Often have I dress'd my Queen, «"
And often made her bed ;
But now I've gotten for my reward
The gallows tree to tread.
" I charge ye all, ye mariners.
When ye sail ower phe faem, 90
Let neither my father nor mother get wit,
But that I'm coming hame.
" I charge ye all, ye mariners,
That sail upon the sea,
Let neither my father nor mother get wit ^
This dog's death I'm to die.
" For if my father and mother got wit,
And my bold brethren three,
O mickle wad be the gude red blude
This day wad be spilt for me ! 100
" O little did my mother ken,
That day she cradled me,
The lands I was to travel in,
Or the death I was to die ! "
MARY HAMILTON.
From Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 311.
" In this set of the ballad, from its direct allusion to
the use of the Savin-tree, a clue is, perhaps, afforded
for tracing how the poor mediciuer mentioned by Knox
should be implicated in the crime of IVIary Hamilton.
It may also be noted as a feature in this version of the
ballad, which does not occur in any heretofore printed,
the unfortunate heroine's proud and indignant spurn-
ing at life after her character had been tainted by the
infemy of a sentence of condemnation. In another
copy of the ballad, also obtained from recitation, this
sentiment is, perhaps, stiU more forcibly expressed ; at
any rate, it is more appropriate as being addressed to
the King. The whole concluding verses of this copy,
differing as they somewhat do from the version adopted
for a text, it has been thought worth while to preserve.
" But bring to me a cup,'' she says,
" A cup bot and a can,
And I will drink to all my friends,
And they'll drink to me again.
Here's to you, all travellers.
Who travel by land or sea ;
Let na wit to mj' father nor mother
The death that I must die.
Here's to you, all travellers,
MARY HAMILTON. 121
That travel on dry land ;
Let na wit to my father or mother
But I am coming hame.
0 little did my mottier think,
First time she cradled me,
What land I was to travel on,
Or what death I would die. ♦
0 little did my mother think,
First time she tied my head.
What land I was to tread upon.
Or whare I would win my bread-
Yestreen Queen Mary had four Maries;
This night she'll hae but three ;
She had Mary Seaton, and Mary Beaton,
And Mary Carmichael, and me.
Yestreen I Avush Queen Mary's feet,
And bore her till her bed ;
This day she's given me my reward,
The gallows tree to tread.
Cast aff, cast aflf my gown," she said,
" But let my petticoat be ;
And tye a napkin on my face,
For that gallows I downa see."
By and cam the King himsell,
Look'd up wi' a pitiful ee:
" Come down, come down, Mary Hamilton ;
This day thou wilt dine with me."
" Hold your tongue, my sovereign liege,
And let your folly be ;
An ye had had a mind to save my life.
Ye should na hae shamed me here ! "
" The copy of the ballad from which the above
extract is given, begins with this verse :
" There were three ladies, they lived in a bower.
And 0 but they were fair;
The youngest o' them is to the King's court.
To learn some unco lair."
122 MARY HAMILTON.
" There is another version in which the heroine is
named Mary Myles, or Myle ; but Myle is probably
a conniption of the epithet ' mild,' which occurs in
the fragment given in the North Countrie Garland."
Motherwell.
There lived a knight into the North,
And he had daughters three :
The ane of them was a barber's wife,
The other a gay ladie ;
And the youngest o' them to Scotland is gane
The Queen's Mary to be ; e
And for a' that they could say or do,
Forbidden she wouldna be.
The prince's bed it was sa©«saft,
The spices they were sae fine, lo
That out of it she could not lye
Wliile she was scarce fifteen.
She's gane to the garden gay
To pu' of the savin tree ;
But for a' that she could say or do, is
The babie it would not die.
She's rowed it in her handkerchief.
She threw it in the sea :
Says, — " Sink ye, swim ye, my bonnie babe,
For ye'll get nae mair of me." 20
MARY HAMILTON. 123
Queen Mary came tripping down the stair,
Wi' the gold strings in her hair :
" O whare's the little babie,'^ she says,
" That I heard greet sae sair ? "
" O hald your tongue, Queen Mary, my dame,
Let all those words go free ; 26
It was mysell wi' a fit o' the sair colic,
I was sick just like to die."
" O hald your tongue, Mary Hamilton,
Let all those words go free ; so
0 where is the little babie
That I heard weep by thee ? "
" I rowed it in my handkerchief,
And threw it in the sea ;
1 bade it sink, I bade it swim, ss
It would get nae mair o' me." .
" O Wae be to thee, Mary Hamilton,
And an ill deid may you die ;
For if you had saved the babie's life.
It might hae been an honour to thee. 40
" Busk ye, busk ye, Mary Hamilton,
O busk ye to be a bride ;
For I am going to Edinburgh town
Your gay wedding to bide.
124 MARY HAMILTON.
" You must not put on your robes of black, «
Nor yet your robes of brown ;
But you must put on your yellow gold stuffs,
To shine thro' Edinburgh town."
" I wiU not put on my robes of black.
Nor yet my robes of brown ; so
But I will put on my yellow gold stuffs.
To shine thro' Edinburgh town."
As she went up the Parliament Close,
A riding on her horse.
There she saw many a burgess' lady «
Sit greeting at the cross.
" O what means a' this greeting ?
I'm sure it's nae for me ;
For I'm come this day to Edinburgh town,
Weel wedded for to be." eo
When she gade up the Parliament stair,
She gied loud lauchters three ;
But ere that she had come down again,
She was condemned to die.
" O little did my mother think, «
The day she prinned my gown.
That I was to come sae far frae hame
To be hanged in Edinburgh town.
MARY HAMILTON. 125
" O what'U my poor father think,
As he comes through the town, ro
To see the face of his Molly fair
Hanging on the gallows pin ?
" Here's a health to the mariners
That plough the raging main ;
Let neither my mother nor father ken "5
But I'm coming hame again.
" Here's a health to the sailors
That sail upon the sea ;
Let neither my mother nor father ken
That I came here to die. ao
" Yestreen the Queen had four Maries,
This night she'll hae but three ;
There was Mary Beaton, and Mary Seaton,
And Mary Carmichael and me."
" O hald your tongue, Mary Hamilton, as
Let all those words go free ;
This night ere ye be hanged
Ye shall gang hame wi' me."
" O hald your tongue, Queen Mary, my dame,
Let all those words go free ; 90
Since I have come to Edinburgh town.
It's hanged I shall be ;
For it shall ne'er be said that in your court
I was condemned to die."
BESSIE BELL AND MARY GRAY.
From Lyle's Ancient Ballads and Songs, p. 160,
where it was printed as collated " from the singing of
two aged persons, one of them a native of Perthshire."
There are two versions slightly differing from the pres-
ent ; — one in Cunningham's Songs of Scotland, iii.
60, obtained from Sir Walter Scott, and another in
Chambers's Scottish Ballads, p. 146, recovered by Mr.
Sharpe.
Allan Ramsay wrote a song with the same title, be-
ginning with the first stanza of the ballad, (Tea Table
Miscellany, i. 70.)
The story of the unfortunate heroines is thus given
by Chambers : " Bessie Bell and Mary Gray were the
daughters of two country gentlemen in the neighbor-
hood of Perth ; and an intimate friendship subsisted
between them. Bessie Bell, daughter of the Laird of
Kinnaird, happening to be on a visit to Mary Gray, at
her father's house of Lynedoch, when the plague of
1666 broke out, to avoid the infection, the two young
ladies built themselves a bower in a very retired and
romantic spot, called the Burn-braes, about three quar-
tei-s of a mile westward from Lynedoch House ; where
they resided for some time, supplied with food, it is
BESSIE BELL AND MART GRAY. 127
said, by a young gentleman of Perth, who was in love
with them both. The disease was unfortunately com-
municated to them by their lover, and proved fatal ;
when, according to custom in cases of the plague, they
were not buried in the ordinary parochial place of
sepulture, but in a sequestered spot, called the Dronach
Haugh, at the foot of a brae of the same name, upon
the banks of the River Almond."
O Bessy Bell an' Mary Gray,
They were twa bonnie lassies ;
They biggit a house on yon burn-brae,
An' theekit it o'er wi' rashes.
They theekit it o'er wi' birk and brume, s
They theekit it o'er wi' heather,
Till the pest cam frae the neib'rin town
Aji' streekit them baith thegither.
They were na' buried in Meffen kirk-yard,
Amang the rest o' their kin ; lo
But they were buried by Dornoch haugh,
On the bent before the sun.
Sing, Bessy Bell an' Mary Gray,
They were twa bonnie lasses,
Wha' biggit a bower on yon burn-brae, is
An' theekit it o'er wi' tjirashes.
THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD.
The Children in the Wood is perhaps the most pop-
ular of all English ballads. Its merit is attested by the
favor it has enjoyed with so many generations, and
was vindicated to a cold and artificial age by the
kindly pen of Addison. The editor of the Reliques
thought that the subject was taken from an old play,
published in 1601, "of a young child murthered in a
wood by two ruffins, with the consent of his unkle,"
but Ritson discovered that the ballad was entered in
the Stationers' Registers in 1595. The plot of the play
was undoubtedly derived from the Italian, and the
author of the ballad may have taken a hint from the
same source.
Percy's edition, {Reliques, iii. 218,) which we have
adopted, was printed from two old copies, one of them
in black-letter, in the Pepys collection. The full title
is. The Children in the Wood, or, The Norfolk Gentle-
man^s Last Will and Testament. To the Tune of Rogero,
&c. Copies slightly varying from Percy's may be seen
in A Collection of Old Ballads, (1723,) i. 221 ; Ritson's
Ancient Songs, ii. 150 ; The Book of British Ballads,
p. 13 ; and Moore's Pictorial Book of Ancient Ballad
Poetry, p. 263.
THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD. 129
Now ponder well, you parents deare,
These wordes which I shall write ;
A doleful story you shall heare,
In time brought forth to light.
A gentleman of good account i
In Norfolke dwelt of late,
Who did in honour far surmount
Most men of his estate.
Sore sicke he was, and like to dye,
No helpe his life could save ; lo
His wife by him as sicke did lye.
And both possest one grave.
No love between these two was lost,
Each was to other kinde ;
In love they liv'd, in love they dyed, i5
And left two babes behinde :
The one a fine and pretty boy,
Not passing three yeares olde ;
The other a girl more young than he.
And fram'd in beautyes molde. 20
The father left his little son.
As plainlye doth appeare.
When he to perfect age should come.
Three hundred poundes a yeare.
And to his little daughter Jane 25
Five hundred poundes in gold,
VOL. III. 9
130 THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD.
To be paid downe on marriage-day,
Which might not be controll'd :
But if the children chance to dye,
Ere they to age should come,
Their uncle should possesse their wealth ;
For so the wille did run.
" Now, brother," said the dying man,
" Look to my children deare ;
Be good unto my boy and girl,
No friendes else have they here :
To God and you I recommend
My children deare this daye ;
But little while be sure we have
Within this world to staye.
" You must be father and mother both,
And uncle all in one ;
God knowes what will become of them,
When I am dead and gone."
With that bespake their mother deare,
" 0 brother kinde," quoth shee,
" You are the man must bring our babes
To wealth or miserie :
" And if you keep them carefully.
Then God will you reward ;
But if you otherwise should deal,
God will your deedes regard."
THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD. 131
With lippes as cold as any stone,
They kist their children small :
" Grod bless you both, my children deare ;" S5
With that the teares did fall.
Thesie speeches then their brother spake
To this sicke couple there :
" The keeping of your little ones.
Sweet sister, do not feare. flo
God never prosper me nor mine.
Nor aught else that I have,
If I do wrong your children deare.
When you are layd in grave."
The parents being dead and gone, 65
The children home he takes,
And bringes them straite unto his house,
Where much of them he makes.
He had not kept these pretty babes
A twelvemonth and a daye, 7o
But, for their wealth, he did devise
To make them both awaye.
He bargain'd with two ruffians strong.
Which were of furious mood,
That they should take these children young,
And slaye them in a wood. '^^
He told his wife an artful tale.
He would the children send
132 THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD.
To be brought up in faire London,
With one that was his friend. 8o
Away then went those pretty babes,
Rejoycing at that tide,
Rejoycing with a merry minde,
They should on cock-horse ride.
They prate and prattle pleasantly, «.-.
As they rode on the waye.
To those that should their butchers be.
And work their lives decaye :
So that the pretty speeche they had.
Made Murder's heart relent : '»
And they that undertooke the deed,
FuU sore did now repent.
Yet one of them more hard of heart,
Did vowe to do his charge.
Because the wretch, that hired him, 95
Had paid him very large.
The other won't agree thereto.
So here they fall to strife ;
With one another they did fight.
About the childrens life : 100
And he that was of mildest mood.
Did slaye the other there,
Within an unfrequented wood ;
The babes did quake for feare !
THE CHILDRE?i IN THE WOOD. 133
He took the children by the hand, w^
Teares standing in their eye,
And bad them straitwaye follow him.
And look they did not crye :
And two long miles he ledd them on,
While they for food complaine : uo
^ Staye here," quoth he, " I'll bring you brea^
When I come back againe."
These pretty babes, with hand in hand.
Went wandering up and downe ;
But never more could see the man us
Approaching from the towne :
Their prettye lippes with blackberries.
Were all besmear'd and dyed.
And when they sawe the darksome night,
They sat them downe and cryed. 120
Thus wandered these poor innocents,
Till deathe did end their grief.
In one anothers armes they died.
As wanting due relief:
No burial this pretty pair i»
Of any man receives.
Till Robin-red-breast piously
Did cover them with leaves.
And now the heavy wrathe of God
Upon their uncle fell ; 130
125, these.... babes, PP.
134 THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD.
Yea, fearfull fiends did haunt his house,
His conscience felt an hell ;
His barnes were fir'd, his goodes consum'd,
His landes were barren made,
His cattle dyed within the field, las
And nothing with him stayd.
And in the voyage of Portugal
Two of his sonnes did dye ;
And to conclude, himselfe was brought
To want and miserye : 140
He pawn'd and mortgaged all his land
Ere seven years came about,
And now at length this wicked act
Did by this meanes come out :
The fellowe, that did take in hand 143
These children for to kill,
Was for a robbery judg'd to dye,
Such was God's blessed will :
Who did confess the very ti'uth,
As here hath been display'd : iso
Their uncle having dyed in gaol,
Where he for debt was layd..
You that executors be made,
And overseers eke
137. " A. D. 1588. Dr. Percy, not knowing that the text
alludes to a particular event, has altered it to a voyage to
Portugal." RiTSON.
THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD. 135
Of children that be fatherless, i«
And infants mild and meek ;
Take you example by this thing,
And yield to each his right,
Lest God with such like miserye
Your wicked mindi requite.
HUGH OF LINCOLN.
In the year 1255, we are told by Matthew Paris, in
his account of the reign of Henry III., the Jews of
Lincoln stole a boy, named Hugh, of the age of eight
years, whom, after torturing for ten days, they crucified
before a large council of their people, in contempt
of the death of the founder of Christianity. The boy
was sought by his mother in the house of a Jew,
which he had been seen to enter, and his body was
found in a pit. The occupant of the house being
seized, acknowledged the crime, and avowed, besides,
that the like was committed nearly every year by his
nation. Notwithstanding the promise of impunity by
which this confession had been obtained, the wretch
who made it was tied to the tail of a horse and dragged
to the gallows, and after a judicial investigation,
eighteen of the richest and most distinguished Jews
in Lincoln were hanged for participation in the mur-
der, while many more were detained as prisoners in
the Tower of London-J On the other hand, the body
of the child was buried with the honors of a martyr in
Lincoln Cathedral, where a construction, assumed
without reason to be his tomb, is still shown. The
remains of a young person, found near this spot in
1791, were at once taken for granted to be those of
HUGH OF LINCOLN. 137
the sainted infant, and drawings were made of the
relics, which may be seen among the works of the
artist Grimm in the British Museum.
Several stories of the same tenor are reported by
the English chroniclers. It may be doubted whether
there is a grain of truth in any of them, although it
would be no wonder if the atrocious injuries inflicted
on the Jews should, in an instance or two, have pro-
voked a bloody retaliation, even from that tribe whose
badge has always been sufferance. The annual sac-
rifice of a Christian child, in mockery of the crucifixion
of Jesus, is on a par for credibility with the mira-
cles which are said to have followed the death of those
innocents.
The exquisite tale which Chaucer has put into the
mouth of the Prioress exhibits nearly the same inci-
dents as the following ballad. The legend of Hugh
of Lincoln was widely famous. Michel has published
an Anglo-Norman ballad, {Hugo de Lincolnia,) on the
subject, which appears to be almost contemporary with
the event recorded by Matthew Paris, and is certainly
of the times of Henry IH. The versions of the Eng-
lish ballad are quite numerous. We give here those
of Percy, Herd, and Jamieson, and two others in
the Appendix. Besides these, fragments have been
printed in Sir Egerton Brydges's Resfituia, i. 381,
Halli well's Ballads and Poems respecting Hugh of
Lincoln, (1849,) and in Notes and Queries, vol. viii.
614, and vol. ix. 320. The most complete of all the
versions is to be found in the new edition of the
Musical Museum, vol. iv. p. 500 ; but that copy is
evidently made up from others previously published.
See, for a collection of most of the poetry, and of mucb
138 HUGH OF LINCOLN.
curious information on the imputed cruelties of the
Jews, IMichel's Hugues de Lincoln, and Hume's Sir
Hugh of Lincoln. The whole subject is critically
examined in the London Athenceum for Dec. 15, 1849.
" The text of the following edition has been given
verbatim, as the editor took it down from Mrs. Brown's
recitation ; and in it two circumstances are preserved,
which are neither to be found in any of the former
editions, nor in any of the chronicles in which the
transaction is recorded ; but which are perfectly in the
character of those times, and tend to enhance the
miracles to which the discovery is attributed. The
first of these is, that, in order that the whole of this
infamous sacrifice might be of a piece, and every pos-
sible outrage shown to Christianity, the Jews threw
the child's body into a well dedicated to the Virgin
Mary; and tradition says, that it was 'through the
might of Our Ladie,' that the dead body was permitted
to speak, and to reveal the horrid story to the discon-
solate mother. The other is, the voluntary ringing of
the bells, &c., at his funeral. The sound of conse-
crated bells was supposed to have a powerful effect in
driving away evil spirits, appeasing storms, &c., and
they were believed to be inspired with sentiments and
perceptions which were often manifested in a very
miraculous manner." Jamieson's Popular Ballads,
i. 139-156.
Four and twenty bonny boys
Were playing at the ba' ;
And by it came him, sweet Sir Hugh,
And he play'd o'er them a'.
HUGH OF LINCOLN. 139
He kick'd the ba' with his right foot, «
And catch'd it wi' his knee ;
And throuch-and-thro' the Jew's window,
He gar'd the bonny ba' flee.
He's doen him to the Jew's castell.
And walk'd it round about ; lo
And there he saw the Jew's daughter
At the window looking out.
"Throw down the ba', ye Jew's daughter.
Throw down the ba' to me ! "
" Never a bit," says the Jew's daughter, is
" Till up to me come ye."
" How will I come up ? How can I come up ?
How can I come to thee ?
For as ye did to my auld father,
The same ye'll do to me." 20
■>
She's gane till her father's garden,
And pu'd an apple, red and green ;
'Twas a' to wyle him, sweet Sir Hugh,
And to entice him in.
She's led him in through ae dark door, 25
And sae has she thro' nine ;
She's laid him on a dressing table.
And stickit him like a swine.
140 HUGH OF LINCOLN.
And first came out the thick, thick blood,
And syne came out the thin ; so
And syne came out the bonny heart's blood ;
There was nae mair within.
She's row'd him in a cake o' lead,
Bade him lie still and sleep ;
She's thrown him in Our Lady's draw well, 35
Was fifty fathom deep.
When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' the bairns came hame.
When every lady gat hame her son,
The Lady Maisry gat nane. v
She's ta'en her mantle her about,
Her coffer by the hand ;
And she's gane out to seek her son,
And wander'd o'er the land.
She's doen her to the Jew's castell, 45
Where a' were fast asleep ;
" Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh,
I pray you to me speak."
She's doen her to the Jew's garden,
Thought he had been gathering fruit ; so
" Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh,
I pray you to me speak."
HUGH OF LINCOLN. 141
She near'd Our Lady's deep draw-well,
Was fifty fathom deep ;
" Whare'er ye be, my sweet Sir Hugh, 55
I pray you to me speak."
" Gae hame, gae hame, my mither dear ;
Prepare my winding sheet ;
And, at the back o' merry Lincoln,
The mom I will you meet." m
Now Lady Maisry is gane hame ;
Made him a winding sheet ;
And, at the back o' merry Lincoln,
The dead corpse did her meet.
And a' the bells o' merry Lincoln, es
Without men's hands were rung ;
And a' the books o' merry Lincoln,
Were read without man's tongue ;
And ne'er was such a burial
Sin Adam's days begun. to
SIR HUGH.
From Herd's Scottiah Songs, i. 157.
A' the boys of merry Linkim
War playing at the ba',
An up it stands him sweet Sir Hugh,
The flower among them a'.
He keppit the ba' than wi' his foot, «
And catcht it wi' his knee,
And even in at the Jew's window,
He gart the bonny b^' flee.
" Cast out the ba' to me, fair maid,
Cast out the ba' to me." v
" Ah never a bit of it," she says,
" Till ye come up to me.
" Come up, sweet Hugh, come up, dear Hugh,
Come up and get the ba' ; "
" I winna come, I mayna come, is
Without my bonny boys a'."
I
sm HUGH. 143
" Come up, sweet Hugh, come up, dear Hugh,
Come up and speak to me ; "
" I mayna come, I winna come.
Without my bonny boys three." 20
She's taen her to the Jew's garden,
Whar the grass grew lang and green,
She's pu'd an apple red and white.
To wyle the bonny boy in.
She's wyled him in through ae chamber, 25
She's wyled him in through twa.
She's wyled him in till her ain chamber,
The flower out owr them a'.
She's laid him on a dressin board,
Whar she did often dine ; so
She stack a penknife to his heart.
And dress'd him like a swine.
She row'd him in a cake of lead.
Bade him ly still and sleep,
She threw him i' the Jew's draw-well, 35
It was fifty fathom deep.
Whan bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' man bound to bed,
Every lady got home her son,
But sweet Sir Hugh was dead.
THE JEW'S DAUGHTER.
From Percy's Reliques, i. 40 ; printed from a manu-
script copy sent from Scotland.
Mirryland toune is a corruption of Merry Lincoln,
and not, as Percy conjectured, of Mailand (Milan)
town. In Motherwell's copy we have Maitland town.
The rain rins doun through Mirry-land toune,
Sae dois it doune the Pa :
Sae dois the Ifids of Mirry-land toune,
Quhan they play at the ba'.
Than out and cam the Jewis dochter, «
Said, " Will ye cum in and dine ? "
" I winnae cum in, I cannae cum in,
Without my play-feres nine."
Scho powd an apple reid and white,
To intice the zong thing in : lo
Scho powd an apple white and reid,
And that the sweit baime did win.
THE Jew's daughter. 145
And scho has taine out a little pen-knife,
And low down by her gair ;
Scho has twin'd the zong thing and his Hfe ; i*
A word he nevir spak mair.
And out and cam the thick thick bluid,
And out and cam the thin ;
And out and cam the bonny herts bluid :
Thair was nae life left in. 20
Scho laid him on a dressing borde,
And drest him like a swine,
And laughing said, " Gae nou and pley
With zour sweit play-feres nine."
Scho rowd him in a cake of lead, 25
Bade him lie stil and sleip ;
Scho cast him in a deip draw-well,
Was fifty fadom deip.
Quhan bells wer rung, and mass was sung,
And every lady went hame, 30
Then ilka lady had her zong sonne,
Bot Lady Helen had nane.
Scho rowd hir mantil hir about,
And sair sair gan she weip.
And she ran into the Jewis castel, 35
Quhan they wer all asleip.
VOL. III. 10
146 THE Jew's daughtek.
" My bonny Sir Hew, my pretty Sir Hew,
I pray thee to me speik : "
' " O lady, rinn to the deip draw-well.
Gin ze zour sonne wad seik." 40
Lady Helen ran to the deip draw-weU,
And knelt upon her kne :
" My bonny Sir Hew, and ze be here,
I pray thee speik to me."
" The lead is wondrous heavy, mither, «
The well is wondrous deip ;
A keen pen-knife sticks in my hert,
A word I dounae speik.
" Grae hame, gae hame, my mither deir,
Fetch me my windling sheet, bo
And at the back 0' Mirry-land toun.
Its thair we twa sail meet."
SIR PATRICK SPENCE.
From Percy's Reliques, i. 81.
The event upon which this ballad is founded, if it
has been rightly ascertained, belongs to a remote
period in Scottish history. Margaret, the daughter
of Alexander III., was, in the year 1281, betrothed
to Eric, prince of Norway. The bride was conducted
to her husband by a splendid convoy of knights and
nobles, and in the month of August was crowned
queen. In returning from the celebration of the nup-
tials, many of the Scottish escort were lost at sea, and
among those who perished was Sir Patrick Spence, we
are to suppose.
It is in conformity with this view of the origin of
the ballad, (the suggestion of Motherwell,) that in
Buchan's version the object of the voyage is said to be
to take the king's daughter, now " a chosen queen,*' to
Norway. In Scott's edition, on the other hand, Sir
Patrick is deputed to bring home the king of Norway's
daughter. To explain this circumstance in the story.
Sir Walter is forced to suppose that an unsuccessful
and unrecorded embassy was sent, when the death of
Alexander UI. had left the Scottish throne vacant, to
148 SIR PATRICK SPENCE.
bring the only daughter of Eric and Margaret, styled
by historians the Maid of Norway, to the kingdom of
which, after her grandfather's demise, she became the
heir. That such an embassy, attended with so disas-
trous consequences to the distinguished persons who
would compose it, should be entirely unnoticed by the
chroniclers is, to say the least, exceedingly improbable.
The question concerning the historical basis of the
ballad would naturally lose much of its interest, were
any importance attached to the arguments by which
its genuineness has been lately assailed. These are so
trivial as hardly to admit of a statement. The claims
of the composition to a high antiquity are first disputed,
(Musical Museum, new ed., iv. 457*,) on the ground
that such a piece was never heard of till it was sent to
Percy by some of his correspondents in Scotland, with
other ballads of (assumed) questionable authority.
But even the ballad of Sir Hugh is liable to any im-
peachment that can be extracted from these circum-
stances, since it was first made known by Percy, and
was transmitted to him from Scotland, (for aught we
know, in suspicious company,) while its story dates also
from the 13th century. Then, " an ingenious friend"
having remarked to Percy that some of the phrases of
Hardyknute seemed to have been borrowed from Sir
Patrick Spence and other old Scottish songs, this ob-
servation, combined with the fact that the localities
of Dunfermline and Aberdour are in the neighborhood
of Sir Henry Wardlaw's estate, leads to a conjecture
that Lady Wardlaw may have been the author of Sir
Patrick Spence, as she is known to have been of
Hardyknute. It could never be deemed fair to argue
from those resemblances which give plausibility to a
SIR PATRICK SPENCE. 149
counterfeit to the spuriousness of the original, but
in fact there is no resemblance in the two pieces.
Hardyknute is recognized at once by an ordinary critic
to be a modern production, and is, notwithstanding
the praise it has received, a tame and tiresome one
besides. Sir Patrick Spence, on the other hand, if not
ancient, has been always accepted as such by the most
skilful judges, and is a solitary instance of a successful
imitation, in manner and spirit, of the best specimens
of authentic minstrelsy.
It is not denied that this ballad has suffered, like
others, by corruption and interpolations, and it is not,
therefore, maintained that hats and cork-heeld shoon
are of the 13th century.
We have assigned to Percy's copy the first place,
because its brevity and directness give it a peculiar
vigor. Scott's edition follows, made up from two MS.
copies, (one of which has been printed in Jamieson's
Popular Ballads, i. 157,) collated with several verses
recited by a friend. Buchan's version, obtained from
recitation, is in the Appendix. The variations in re-
cited copies are numerous : some specimens are given
by Motherwell, p. xlv.
The king sits in Dumferling ^ toune,
Drinking the blude-reid wine :
" 0 quhar will I get guid sailor,
To sail this schip of mine ? "
1. The palace of Dunfermline was the favorite residence
of King Alexander III.
150 SIR PATRICK SPENCE.
Up and spak an eldern knicht,
Sat at the kings richt kne :
" Sir Patrick Spence is the best sailor,
That sails upon the se."
The king has written a braid letter,
And signd it wi' his hand,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence,
Was walking on the sand.
The first line that Sir Patrick red,
A loud lauch lauched he :
The next line that Sir Patrick red,
The teir blinded his ee.
" O quha is this has don this deid,
This ill deid don to me ;
To send me out this time o' the zeir,
To sail upon the se ?
" Mak hast, mak haste, my mirry men all.
Our guid schip sails the morne."
" O say na sae, my master deir,
For I feir a deadlie storme.
" Late late yestreen I saw the new moone
Wi' the auld moone in hir arme ;
And I feir, I feir, my deir master.
That we will com to harme."
SIR PATRICK SPENCE. 151
O our Scots nobles wer richt laith
To weet their cork-heild schoone ; ao
Bot lang owre a' the play wer playd^
Thair hats they swam aboone.
O lang, lang, may their ladies sit
Wi' thair fans into their hand,
Or eir they se Sir Patrick Spence a*
Cum sailing to the land.
O lang, lang, may the ladies stand
Wi' thair gold kerns in their hair,
Waiting for thair ain deir lords,
For they'll se thame na mair. *o
Have owre, have owre to Aberdour,
It's fiftie fadom deip :
And thair lies guid Sir Patrick Spence,
Wi' the Scots lords at his feit.
SIR PATRICK SPENS.
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, i. 299.
Ix singing, the interjection O is added to the second
and fourth lines.
The king sits in Dunfermline town,
Drinking the blude-red wine :
" O whare will I get a skeely skipper
To sail this new ship of mine ? "
0 up and spake an eldem knight, «
Sat at the king's right knee :
" Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor
That ever sailed the sea."
Our king has written a braid letter,
And sealed it with his hand, lo
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens,
Was walking on the strand.
" To Noroway, to Noroway,
To Noroway o'er the faem ;
The king's daughter of Noroway, is
'Tis thou maun bring her hame ! "
SIR PATRICK SPENS. 153
The first word that Sir Patrick read,
Sac loud loud laughed he ;
The neist word that Sir Patrick read,
The tear blindit his e'e. 20
" O wha is this has done this deed,
And tauld the king o' me,
To send us out at this time of the year.
To sail upon the sea ?
" Be it wind, be it weet, be it hail, be it sleet,
Our ship must sail the faem ; 28
The king's daughter of Noroway,
'Tis we must fetch her hame."
They hoysed their sails on Monenday morn
Wi' a' the speed they may ; 30
They hae landed in Noroway
Upon a Wodensday.
They hadna been a week, a week,
In Noroway, but twae,
When that the lords o' Noroway 35
Began aloud to say :
" Ye Scottishmen spend a' our king's goud,
And a' our queenis fee."
" Ye lie, ye lie, ye liars loud !
Fu' loud I hear ye lie ! 40
154 SIR PATRICK SPENS.
" For I brought as much white monie
As gane my men and me, —
And I brought a half-fou o' gude red goud
Out o'er the sea wi' me.
" Make ready, make ready, my merrymen a' !
Our gude ship sails the mom." 40
" Now, ever alake ! my master dear,
I fear a deadly storm !
" I saw the new moon, late yestreen,
Wi' the auld moon in her arm ; »
And if we gang to sea, master,
I fear we'll come to harm."
They hadna sailed a league, a league,
A league, but barely three.
When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew
lond, «
And gurly grew the sea.
The ankers brak, and the topmasts lap,
It was sic a deadly storm ;
And the waves came o'er the broken ship.
Till a' her sides were torn. flo
" O where will I get a gude sailor,
To take my helm in hand,
SIR PATRICK SPENS. 155
TilM get up to the tall topmast,
To see if I can spy land ? "
" O here am I, a sailor gude, «
To take the helm in hand,
Till you go up to the tall topmast, —
But I fear you'll ne'er spy land."
He hadna gane a step, a step,
A step, but barely ane, 70
When a bout flew out of our goodly ship.
And the salt sea it came in.
" Gae fetch a web o' the silken claith,
Another 0' the twine,
And wap them into our ship's side, 7s
And letna the sea come in."
They fetched a web o' the silken claith.
Another o' the twine,
And they wapped them roun' that gude ship's
side.
But still the sea came in. ao
" O laith laith were our gude Scots lords
To weet their cork-heeled shoon !
But lang or a' the play was played.
They wat their hats aboon.
156 SIR PATRICK SPENS.
And mony was the feather-bed gs
That flatter'd on the faem ;
And mony was the gude lord's son
That never mair cam hame.
The ladyes wrang their fingers white,
The maidens tore their hair ; a)
A' for the sake of their true loves,
For them they'll see nae mair.
O lang lang may the ladyes- sit,
Wi' their fans into their hand,
Before they see Sir Patrick Spens 95
Come sailing to the strand !
And lang lang may the maidens sit,
Wi' their goud kaims in their hair,
A' waiting for their ain dear loves.
For them they'll see nae mair. 100
O forty miles off Aberdeen
'Tis fifty fathoms deep,
And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spens
Wi' the Scots lords at his feet.
BOOK V
KmG ESTMERE. \
From Rdiques of EngKsh Poetry, i. 66.
" This romantic legend," says Percy, " is given from
two copies, one of them in the Editor's folio MS., but
which contained very great variations." This second
copy has been conjectured to be of Percy's own
making, the ballad never having been heard of by any
one else, out of his manuscript. Judging from the
internal evidence, the alterations made in the printed
text were not very serious.
King Easter and King Wester have appeared in the
ballad of Fause Foodrage, (vol. iii. p. 40.) In another
version of the same, they are called the Eastmure king
and the Westmure king, (Motherwell's Minstrelsy^ p.
lix.) There is also a tale cited in the Complaynt of
Scotland, (i. 98,) of a king of Estmureland that mar-
ried the daughter of the king of Westmureland. This
is plausibly supposed by Ritson to have been a romance
of Horn, in which case the two countries should mean
England and Ireland. For the nonce, we are told that
King Estmere was an English prince, and we may,
160 KING ESTMERE.
perhaps, infer from the eighth stanza that King Ad-
land's dominions were on the same island. But no
subject of inquiry can be more idle than the geography
of the romances.
Hearken to me, gentlemen,
Come and you shall heare ; •
He tell you of two of the boldest brethren.
That ever born y-were.
The tone of them was Adler yonge,
The tother was kyng Estmere ;
They were as bolde men in their deedes
As any were, farr and neare.
As they were drinking ale and wine
Within kyng Estmeres halle,
" When will ye marry a wyfe, brother,
A wyfe to gladd us all ? "
Then bespake him kyng Estmere,
And answered him hartilye :
" I knowe not that ladye in any lande,
That is able to marry with mee."
" Kyng Adland hath a daughter, brother,
Men call her bright and sheene ;
If I were kyng here in your stead,
That ladye shold be queene."
KING ESTMERE. 161
Sayes, " Reade me, reade me, deare brother,
Throughout merry England,
Where we might find a messenger
Betweene us two to sende."
Sayes, " You shall ryde yourselfe, brother, 23
lie beare you companee ;
Many throughe fals messengers are deceived,
And I feare lest soe shold wee."
Thus they renisht them to ryde
On twoe good renisht steedes, ao
And when they came to kyng Adlands halle.
Of red golde shone their weedes.
And when they came to kyng Adlatids halle,
Before the goodlye yate,
Ther they found good kyng Adland, 35
Rearing himselfe theratt.
" Nowe Christ thee save, good kyng Adland,
Nowe Christ thee save and see : "
Sayd, " You be welcome, kyng Estmere,
Right hartilye to mee." «
" You have a daughter," sayd Adler yonge,
" Men call her bright and sheene ;
27 MS. Many a man . . . is.
VOL. III. 11
162 KING ESTMERE.
My brother wold marrye her to his wifFe,
Of Englande to be queene."
" Yesterdaye was att my dere daughter 45
The king his sonne of Spayn ;
And then she nicked him of naye ;
I feare sheele do youe the same."
" The kyng of Spayne is a foule paynim,
And 'leeveth on Mahound, ed
And pitye it were that fayre ladye
Shold marrye a heathen hound."
" But grant to me," sayes kyng Estmere,
" For my love I you praye,
That I may see your daughter dere w
Before I goe hence awaye."
" Althoughe itt is seven yeare and more
Syth my daughter was in halle,
She shall come downe once for your sake,
To glad my guestes alle." eo
Downe then came that mayden fayre,
With ladyes lacede in pall.
And halfe a hondred of bolde knightes.
To bring her from bowre to hall,
And eke as manye gentle squieres, es
To waite upon them all.
KING ESTMERE. 163
The talents of golde were on her head sette,
Hunge lowe downe to her knee ;
And everye rynge on her small finger
Shone of the chrystall free. 7o
Sayes, " Christ you save, my deare madame,"
Sayes, " Christ you save and see : "
Sayes, " You be welcome, kyng Estmere,
Right welcome unto mee.
" And iff you love me, as you saye, n
So well and hartilee.
All that ever you are comen about
Soone sped now itt may bee."
Then bespake her father deare,
" My daughter, I saye naye ; 8o
Remember well the kyng of Spayne,
What he sayd yesterdaye.
" He wold pull downe my halles and castles,
And reave me of my lyfe :
And ever I feare that paynim kyng, 85
Iff I reave him of his wyfe."
" Your castles and your towres, father.
Are stronglye built aboute ;
And therefore of that foule paynim
Wee neede not stande in doubte. so
164 KING ESTMERE.
" Plyght me your troth nowe, kyng Est-
' mere,
By heaven and your righte hande,
That you will marrye me to your wyfe,
And make me queene of your land."
Then kyng Estmere he plight his troth 95
By heaven and his righte hand,
That he wolde marrye her to his wyfe.
And make her queene of his land.
And he tooke leave of that ladye fayre,
To goe to his owne countree, 100
To fetche him dukes and lordes and knightes,
That marryed they might bee.
They had not ridden scant a myle,
A myle fbrthe of the towne,
But in did come the kynge of Spayne, 105
With kempes many a one :
But in did come the kyng of Spayne,
With manye a grimme barone,
Tone day to marrye kyng Adlands daugh-
ter,
Tother daye to carrye her home. no
Then shee sent after kyng Estmere,
In all the spede might bee.
KING ESTMERE. 165
That he must either returne and fighte,
Or goe home and lose his ladye.
One whyle then the page he went, us
Another whyle he ranne ;
Till he had oretaken king Estmere,
Iwis he never blanne.
" Tydinges, tydinges, kyng Estmere ! "
" What tydinges nowe, my boye ? " i^
" O tydinges I can tell to you,
That will you sore annoye.
" You had not ridden scant a myle,
A myle out of the towne.
But in did come the kyng of Spayne 125
With kempes many a one :
" But in did come the kyng of Spayne
With manye a grimme barone,
Tone day to marrye kyng Adlands daugh-
ter,
Tother daye to carrye her home. 130
" That ladye fayre she greetes you well,
And ever-more well by mee :
You must either tume againe and fighte.
Or goe home and lose your ladye."
166 KING ESTMERE.
Sayes, " Reade me, reade me, deare brother.
My reade shall ryse at thee, ise
Whiche way we best may turne and fighte.
To save this fayre ladye."
" Now hearken to me," sayes Adler yonge,
" And your reade must rise at me ; >4o
I quicklye will devise a waye
To sette thy ladye free.
" My mother was a westerne woman,
And learned in gramarye,
And when I learned at the schole, ms
Something shee taught itt me.
" There groweth an hearbe within this fielde,
And iff it were but knowne,
His color which is whyte and redd,
It will make blacke and browne. iso
*^ His color which is browne and blacke,
Itt will make redd and whyte ;
That sword is not in all Englande,
Upon his coate will byte.
" And you shal be a harper, brother, »55
Out of the north countree :
MS. ryde, but see v. 140.
KING ESTMERE. 167
And lie be your boye, so faine of fighte,
To beare your harpe by your knee.
'* And you shall be the best harper
That ever tooke harpe in hand ; leo
And I will be the best singer
That ever sung in this land.
" Itt shal be written in our forheads,
All and in grammarye,
That we to we are the boldest men »<»
That are in all Christentye."
And thus they renisht them to ryde,
On towe good renish steedes ;
And whan they came to king Adlands hall,
Of redd gold shone their weedes. i7o
And whan they came to kyng Adlands hall,
Untill the fayre hall yate^
There they found a proud porter,
Rearing himselfe theratt.
Sayes, " Christ thee save, thou proud porter,"
Sayes, " Christ thee save and see : " I'c
" Nowe you be welcome," sayd the porter,
" Of what land soever ye bee."
" We been harpers," sayd Adler yonge,
" Come out of the northe countree ; ia>
168 KING ESTMERE.
We beene come hither untill this place,
This proud weddinge for to see."
Sayd, "And your color were white and redd,
As it is blacke and browne,
lid saye king Estmere and his brother i85
Were comen untill this towne."
Then they pulled out a ryng of gold,
Layd itt on the porters arme :
" And ever we will thee, proud porter,
Thow wilt saye us no harme." loo
Sore he looked on kyng Estmere,
And sore he handled the ryng,
Then opened to them the fayre hall yates,
He lett for no kind of thyng.
Kyng Estmere he light off his steede, im
Up att the fayre hall board ;
The frothe that came from his brydle bitte
Light on kyng Bremors beard.
Sayes, " Stable thy steede, thou proud harper.
Go stable him in the stalle ; 200
Itt doth not beseeme a proud harper
To stable him in a kyngs halle."
" My ladd he is so lither," he sayd,
" He will do nought that's meete ;
KING ESTMERE. 169
And aye that I cold but find the man, 205
Were able him to beate."
" Thou speakst proud words,"' sayd the paynim
king,
" Thou harper, here to mee ;
There is a man within this halle,
That will beate thy lad and thee." 210
" 0 lett that man come downe," he sayd,
" A sight of him wold I see ;
And whan hee hath beaten well my ladd,
Then he shall beate of mee."
Downe then came the kemperye man, 215
And looked him in the eare ;
For all the gold that was under hellven,
He durst not neigh him neare.
" And how nowe, kempe," sayd the kyng of
Spayne,
" And how what aileth thee ? " 220
He sayes, " Itt is written in his forhead.
All and in gramarye.
That for all the gold that is under heaven,
I dare not neigh him nye."
Kyng Estmere then pulled forth his harpe, ^-^
And played thereon so sweete :
170 KING ESTMERE.
Upstarte the ladye from the kynge,
As hee sate at the meate.
" Now stay thy harpe, thou proud harper,
Now stay thy harpe, I say ; 230
For an thou playest as thou beginnest,
Thou'lt till my bride awaye."
He strucke upon his harpe agayne.
And playd both fayre and free ;
The ladye was so pleasde theratt, ass
She laught loud laughters three.
" No we sell me thy harpe," sayd the kyng of
Spayne,
" Thy harpe and stryngs eche one.
And as rdknj gold nobles thou shalt have.
As there be stryngs thereon." 240
" And what wold ye doe with my harpe," he sayd.
Iff I did sell it yee ? "
" To playe my wiffe and me a fitt, a
When abed together we bee."
" Now sell me," quoth hee, " thy bryde soe gay,
As shee sitts laced in pall, 246
And as many gold nobles I will give.
As there be rings in the hall."
KING ESTMERE. 171
" And what wold ye doe with my bryde soe gay,
Iff I did sell her yee ? 250
More seemelye it is for her fayre bodye
To lye by mee than thee."
Hee played agayne both loud and shrille,
And Adler he did syng,
" O ladye, this is thy owne true love ; 255
Noe harper, but a kyng.
" O ladye, this is thy owne true love,
As playnlye thou mayest see ;
And He rid thee of that foule paynim,
Who partes thy love and thee." aw
The ladye looked, the ladye blushte.
And blushte and lookt agayne.
While Adler he hath di-awne his brande,
And hath the Sowdan slayne.
Up then rose the kemperye men, aw
And loud they gan to crye :
" Ah ! traytors, yee have slayne our kyng.
And therefore yee shall dye."
Kyng Estmere threwe the harpe asyde.
And swith he drew his brand ; 270
And Estmere he, and Adler yonge.
Right stiffe in stour can stand.
172 KING ESTMERE.
And aye their swordes soe sore can byte,
Through helpe of gramarye,
That soone they have slayne the kempery men,
Or forst them forth to flee. 276
Kyng Estmere tooke that fayre ladye,
And marryed her to his wiffe.
And brought her home to merrye England,
With her to leade his Hfe. 280
V. 187. Then they pulled out a ryng of gold,
Layd itt on the porters anne.
The rings so often used in ballads to conciliate the porter
would seem to be not personal ornaments, but coins. For an
account of Eing Money, see the paper of Sir William Betham,
in the seventeenth volume of the Transactions of the Royal
Irish Academy.
SIR CAULINE.
From Reliques of English Poetry, i. 44.
" This old romantic tale," says Percy, " was pre-
served in the Editor's folio MS., but in so very defec-
tive and mutilated a condition, (not from any chasm in
the MS.,. but from great omission in the transcript,
probably copied from the faulty recitation of some illit-
erate minstrel,) that it was necessary to supply several
stanzas in the first part, and still more in the second,
to connect and complete the story."
Many of the interpolations acknowledged in such
general terms might with some confidence be pointed
out. Among them are certainly most, if not all, of the
last twelve stanzas of the Second Part, which include
the catastrophe to the story. It is diflficult to believe
that this charming romance had so tragic and so senti-
mental a conclusion.
The first part of this ballad is preserved in Scotland,
under the title of King Malcolm and Sir Colvin, and
is printed in our Appendix from Buchan's collection.
In this, Sir Colvin weds the princess after his victory
over the Elrick knight.
174 SIR CAULINE.
THE FIRST PART.
In Ireland, ferr over the sea,
There dwelleth a bonnye kinge ;
And with him a yong and comlye knighte,
Men call him Syr Cauline.
The kinge had a ladye to his daughter,
In fashyon she hath no peere ;
And princely wightes that ladye wooed
To be theyr wedded feere.
Syr Cauline loveth her best of all,
But nothing durst he saye,
Ne descreeve his counsayl to no man.
But deerlye he lovde this may.
Till on a daye it so beffell
Great diU to him was dight ;
The maydens love removde his mynd.
To care-bed went the knighte.
One while he spred his armes him fro,
One while he spred them nye :
" And aye ! but I winne that ladyes love,
For dole now I raun dye."
SIR CAULINE. 175
And whan our parish-masse was done,
Our kinge was bowne to dyne :
He sayes, " Where is Syr Cauline,
That is wont to serve the wyne ? "
Then aunswerde him a courteous knighte, 25
And fast his handes gan wringe :
" Syr Cauline is sicke, and like to dye,
Without a good leechinge."
" Fetche me downe my daughter deere,
She is a leeche fulle fine ; so
Goe take him doughe and the baken bread,
And serve him with the wyne soe red :
Lothe I were him to tine."
Fair Christabelle to his chaumber goes,
Her maydens foUowyng nye : 35
" 0 well," she sayth, " how doth my lord ? "
" O sicke, thou fayr ladye."
" Nowe ryse up wightlye, man, for shame,
Never lye soe cowardice ;
For it is told in my fathers halle 40
You dye for love of mee."
" Fayre ladye, it is for your love ^
That all this dill I drye :
For if you wold comfort me with a kisse.
176 SIR CAULINE.
Then were I brought from bale to blisse, is
No lenger wold I lye."
" Sir knighte, my father is a kings,
I am his onlye heire ;
Alas ! and well you knowe, syr knighte,
I never can be youre fere." fo
" O ladye, thou art a kinges daughter.
And I am not thy peere ;
But let me doe some deedes of armes,
To be your bacheleere."
" Some deedes of armes if thou wilt doe, «
My bacheleere to bee,
(But ever and aye my heart wold rue,
GifF harm shold happe to thee,)
" Upon Eldridge hill there groweth a thorne,
Upon the mores brodinge ; eo
And dare ye, syr knighte, wake there all nighte,
Untile the fayre mominge ?
" For the Eldridge knighte, so mickle of mighte.
Will examine you beforne ;
And never man bare life awaye, cs
But he did him scath and scorne.
" That knighte he is a foul paynim,
And large of limb and bone ;
SIR CAULINE. 177
And but if heaven may be thy speede,
Thy hfe it is but gone." 70
" Nowe on the Eldridge hilles lie walke,
For thy sake, fair ladie ;
And He either bring you a ready token,
Or lie never more you see."
The lady has gone to her own chaumbere, 75
Her maydens following bright ;
Syr Cauline lope from care-bed soone,
And to the Eldridge hills is gone,
For to wake there all night.
Unto midnight, that the moone did rise, so
He walked up and downe ;
Then a lightsome bugle heard he blowe
Over the bents soe browne ;
Quoth hee, " If cryance come till my heart,
I am ffar from any good towne." 85
And soone he spyde on the mores so broad
A furyous wight and fell ;
A ladye bright his brydle led,
Clad in a fayre kyrtell :
And soe fast he called on Syr Cauline, 'a
" O man, I rede thee flye,
For but if cryance come till thy heart,
I weene but thou mun dye."
92, MS. For if.
VOL. III. 12
178 SIR CAULINE.
He sayth, " No cryance comes till my heart,
Nor, in faith, I wyll not flee ; 95
For, cause thou minged not Christ before,
The less me dreadeth thee."
The Eldridge knighte, he pricked his steed ;
Syr Cauline bold abode :
Then either shooke his trustye speare, loo
And the timber these two children bare
Soe soone in sunder slode.
Then tooke they out theyr two good swordes,
And layden on full faste.
Till helme and hawberke, mail and sheelde, los
They all were well-nye brast.
The Eldridge knight was mickle of might,
And stiffe in stower did stande ;
But Syr Cauline with an aukeward stroke
He smote off his right-hand ; uo
That soone he, with paine and lacke of bloud,
Fell downe on that lay-land.
Then up Syr Cauline lift his brand e
All over his head so hye :
" And here I sweare by the holy roode, '*5
Nowe, caytiffe, thou shalt dye."
94, No inserted.
SIR CAULINE. 179
Then up and came that ladye brighte,
Faste ringing of her hande :
" For the maydens love, that most you love,
Withhold that deadlye brande : 120
" For the maydens love that most you love,
Now srayte no more I praye ;
And aye whatever thou wilt, my lord.
He shall thy hests obaye."
" Now sweare to mee, thou Eldridge knighte,
And here on this lay-land, 126
That thou wilt believe on Christ his laye,
And therto plight thy hand :
" And that thou never on Eldridge [hill] come
To sporte, gamon, or playe ; iso
And that thou here give up thy armes
Until thy dying daye."
The Eldridge knighte gave up his armes,
With many a sorrowfulle sighe ;
And sware to obey Syr Caulines best, 133
Till the tyme that he shold dye.
And he then up, and the Eldridge knighte
Sett him in his saddle anone ;
And the Eldridge knighte and his ladye,
To theyr castle are they gone. 140
180 SIR CAULINE.
Then he tooke up the bloudy hand,
That was so large of bone,
And on it he founde five rmges of gold,
Of knightes that had be slone.
Then he tooke up the Eldridge sworde, i«
As hard as any flint ;
And he tooke off those ringes five.
As bright as fyre and brent.
Home then pricked Syr Cauline,
As light as leafe on tree ; iw
I-wys he neither stint ne blanne,
Till he his ladye see.
Then downe he knelt upon his knee,
Before that lady gay :
'* 0 ladye, I have bin on the Eldridge hills ; 155
These tokens I bring away."
" Now welcome, welcome, Syr Cauline,
Thrice welcome unto mee.
For now I perceive thou art a true knights,
. Of valour bolde and free." leo
" O ladye, I am thy own true knighte,
Thy bests for to obaye ;
And mought I hope to winne thy love ! " —
No more his tonge colde say.
SIR CAULINE. 181
The ladye blushed scarlette redde, les
And fette a gentill sighe :
" Alas ! syr knight, how may this bee,
For my degree's soe highe ?
" But sith thou hast hight, thou comely youth,
To be my batchilere, i7o
He promise, if thee I may not wedde,
I will have none other fere."
Then shee held forthe her liley-white hand
Towards that knighte so free ;
He gave to it one gentill kisse, m
His heart was brought from bale to blisse.
The teares sterte from his ee.
" But keep my counsayl, Syr Cauline,
Ne let DO man it knowe ;
For, and ever my father sholde it ken, iso
I wot he wolde us sloe."
From that daye forthe, that ladye fayre
Lovde Syr Cauline the knighte ;
From that daye forthe, he only joyde
Whan shee was in his sight. Kj
Yea, and oftentimes they mette
Within a fayre arboure.
Where they, in love and sweet daliaunce,
Past manye a pleasaunt houre.
182 SIR CAULINE.
THE SECOND PART.
EvEEYE white will have its blacke,
And everye sweete its sowre :
This founde the Ladye Christabelle
In an untimely howre.
For so it befelle, as Syr Cauline «
Was with that ladye faire,
The kinge, her father, walked forthe
To take the evenyng aire:
And into the arboure as he went
To rest his wearye feet, lo
He found his daughter and Syr Cauline
There sette in daliaunce sweet.
The kinge hee sterted forthe, i-wys,
And an angrye man was hee :
" Nowe, traytoure, thou shaJt hange or drawe is
And rewe shall thy ladie."
Then forthe Syr Cauline he was ledde.
And throwne in dungeon deepe :
And the ladye into a towre so hye.
There left to wayle and weepe. »
SIR CAULINE. 183
The queene she was Syr Caulines friend^
And to the kinge sayd shee :
" I praye you save Syr Caulines life,
And let him banisht bee."
" Now, dame, that traitor shall be sent as
Across the salt sea fome :
But here I will make thee a band,
If ever he come within this land,
A foule deathe is his doome."
All woe-begone was that gentil knight so
To parte from his ladye ;
And many a time he sighed sore, •
And cast a wistfulle eye :
" Faire Christabelle, from thee to parte,
Farre lever had I dye." 35
Fair Christabelle, that ladye bright,
Was had forthe of the towre ;
But ever shee droopeth in her minde,
As, nipt by an ungentle winde,
Doth some faire lillye flowre. 40
And ever shee doth lament and weepe^
To tint her lover soe :
" Syr Cauline, thou little think'st on mee,
But I will still be true."
Manye a kinge, and manye a duke, «
And lorde of high degree^
184 SIR CAULIXE.
Did sue to that fayre ladye of love ;
But never shee wolde them nee.
When manye a daye was past and gone,
Ne comforte she colde finde, so
The kynge proclaimed a tourneament,
To cheere his daughters mind.
And there came lords, and there came knights,
Fro manye a farre countrye,
To break a spere for theyr ladyes loye, 55
Before that faire ladye.
And many a ladye there was sette,
In purple and in palle ;
But fah'e Christabelle, soe woe-begone,
Was the fayrest of them all. eo
Then manye a knighte was mickle of might,
Before his ladye gaye ;
But a stranger wight, whom no man knewe.
He wan the prize eche daye.
His acton it was all of blacke, es
His hewberke and his sheelde ;
Ne noe man wist whence he did come,
Ne noe man knewe where he did gone.
When they came out the feelde.
69. Syr Cauline here acts up to the genuine spirit of per-
fect chivalry. ' In old romances no incident is of more fre-
quent occurrence than this, of knights already distinguished
SIR CAULIXE. 185
And now three days were prestlye past 7o
In feates of chivalrye,
When lo, upon the fourth mominge,
A sorrowfulle sight they see :
A hugye giaunt stiffe and starke,
All foule of limbe and lere, 75
Two goggling eyen like fire farden,
A mouthe from eare to eare.
Before him came a dwarffe full lowe,
That waited on his knee ;
And at his backe five heads he bare, so
All wan and pale of blee.
" Sir," quoth the dwarffe, and louted lowe,
" Behold that hend Soldain !
Behold these heads I beare with me !
They are kings which he hath slain. 85
" The Eldridge knight is his own cousine,
Whom a knight of thine hath shent ;
for feats of arms laying aside their wonted cognizances, and,
under the semblance of stranger knights, manfully perform-
ing right worshipful and valiant deeds. [See Syr Gowghier,
vol. i. vv. 472-482.] In the romance of Roswall and LiUian,
[Laing's Early Metrical Tales, p. 265,] Dissawer resorts to
the same devices as Syr Gowghter. In this incident, the
one seems to be almost a literal transcript of the other. —
Motherwell.
18& SIR CAULINE.
And hee is come to avenge his wrong :
And to thee, all thy knightes among,
Defiance here hath sent. 90
" But yette he will appease his wrath,
Thy daughters love to winne ;
And, but thou yeelde him that fayre mayd,
Thy halls and towers must brenne.
" Thy head, syr king, must goe with mee, as
Or else thy daughter deere :
Or else within these lists soe broad,
Thou must finde him a peere."
- The king he turned him round aboute,
And in his heart was woe : 100
" Is there never a knighte of my round table
This matter will undergoe ?
" Is there never a knighte amongst yee all
Will fight for my daughter and mee ?
Whoever will fight yon grimme Soldan, los
Right fair his meede shall bee.
" For hee shall have my broad lay-lands.
And of my crowne be heyre ;
And he shall winne fayre Christabelle
To be his wedded fere." no
SIR CAULINE. 187
But every knighte of his round table
Did stand both still and pale ;
For, whenever they lookt on the grim Soldar,
It made their hearts to quail.
All woe-begone was that fayre ladye, us
When she sawe no helpe was nye :
She cast her thought on her owne true-love,
And the teares gusht from her eye.
Up then ,sterte the stranger knighte,
Sayd, " Ladye, be not affrayd ; 120
He fight for thee with this grimme Soldan,
Thoughe he be unmacklye made.
" And if thou wilt lend me the Eldridge sworde.
That lyeth within thy bowre,
I truste in Christe for to slay this fiende, 125
Thoughe he be stiff in stowre."
" Goe fetch him downe the Eldridge sworde,"
The kinge he cryde, " with speede :
Nowe, heaven assist thee, courteous knighte ;
My daughter is thy meede." 130
The gyaunt he stepped into the lists,
And sayd, " Awaye, awaye !
I sweare, as I am the hend Soldan,
Thou lettest me here all daye."
188 SIR CAULINE.
Then forthe the stranger knight he came, 135
In his blacke armoure dight :
The ladye sighed a gentle sighe,
" That this were my true knighte ! "
And nowe the gyaunt and knight be mett
Within the lists soe broad ; mo
And now, with swordes soe sharpe of Steele,
They gan to lay on load.
The Soldan strucke the knighte a stroke
That made him reele asyde :
Then woe-begone was that fayre ladye, us
And thrice she deeply sighde.
The Soldan strucke a second stroke,
And made the bloude to flowe :
All pale and wan was that ladye fajn-e,
And thrice she wept for woe. iso
The Soldan strucke a third fell stroke.
Which brought the knighte on his knee :
■ Sad sorrow pierced that ladyes heart,
And she shriekt loud shriekings three.
The knighte he leapt upon his feete, 155
All recklesse of the pain :
Quoth hee, " But heaven be now my speede.
Or else I shall be slaine."
SIR CAULINE. 189
He grasped his sworde with mayne and mighte,
And spying a secrette part, ico
He drave it into the Soldans syde,
And pierced him to ihe heart.
Then all the people gave a shoute,
"Whan they sawe the Soldan falle :
The ladye wept, and thanked Christ ifis
That had reskewed her from thrall.
And nowe the kinge, with all his barons,
Rose uppe from offe his seate,
And downe he stepped into the listes
That curteous knighte to greete. iro
But he, for payne and lacke of blonde.
Was fallen into a swounde,
And there, all walteringe in his gore.
Lay lifelesse on the grounde.
" Come downe, come downe, my daughter deare,
Thou art a leeche of skille ; i76
Farre lever had I lose halfe my landes
Than this good knighte sholde spille.*'
Downe then steppeth that fayre ladye.
To helpe him if she maye : lao
But when she did his beavere raise,
" It is my life, my lord ! " she sayes.
And shriekte and swound awaye.
190 SIR CAULINE.
Sir Cauline juste lifte up his eyes,
When he heard his ladye crye : i85
" O ladye, I am thine owne true love ;
For thee I wisht to dye."
Then giving her one partinge looke,
He closed his eyes in death,
Ere Christabelle, that ladye milde, i90
Begane to drawe her breathe.
But when she found her comelye knighte
Indeed was dead and gone.
She layde her pale, cold cheeke to his,
And thus she made her moane : us
" O staye, my deare and onlye lord.
For mee, thy faithfulle feere ;
'Tis meet that I shold foUowe thee.
Who hast bought my love so deare."
Then fayntinge in a deadlye swoune, 210
And with a deep-fette sighe
That burst her gentle heart in twayne,
Fayre Christabelle did dye.
FAIR ANNIE.
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 252.
The story of Fair Annie is widely disseminated.
The substance of it is found in the beautiful romance
of Marie de France, the Lai le Frein, of which an
ancient English translation is printed in Weber's
Metrical Romances, i. 357. The Swedish and Danish
ballads go under the same name of Fair Anna, and
may be seen in Arwidsson's SvensJca Fornsanger, i.
291 ; Geijer's Svenska Folk- Visor, i. 24 ; and Nyerup's
Danske Viser, iv. 59. Jamieson has rendered the
Danish ballad very skilfully, in the Scottish dialect,
from Sy v's edition of the Kjcempe Viser. In Dutch,
the characters are Maid Adelhaid and King Alewijn
(Hoffmann's Holldndische Volkslieder, 164.) The story
as we have found it in German is considerably changed.
See Die wiedergefundene Konigstochter, in Des Knaben
Wunderhorn, ii. 274, and Sudeli, Uhland's Volkslieder,
i. 273.
The Scottish versions of Fair Annie are quite
numerous. A fragment of eight stanzas was pub-
lished in Herd's collection, ( Wha will hake my bridal
bread, ed. 1776, i. 167.) Sir Walter Scott gave a
192 FAIR ANNIE.
complete copy, from recitation in the Minstrelsy of
the Scottish Border. Two other copies, also from oral
tradition, were inserted by Jamieson in the Appen-
dix to his Popular Ballads, (Lady Jane, ii. 371, Burd
Helen, ii. 376,) and from these he constructed the
edition of Lady Jane, printed at p. 73 of the same
volume. Motherwell {Minstrelsy') affords stUl another
variety, and Chambers has compiled a ballad from
all these sources and a manuscript furnished by Mr.
Kinloch, (Scottish Ballads, p. 186.)
In this collection we have adopted the versions of
Scott and Motherwell, giving Jamieson's translation
of Skjaen Anna in our Appendix.
" It's narrow, narrow, make your bed.
And learn to lie your lane ;
For I'm gaun o'er the sea. Fair Annie,
A braw bride to bring liame.
Wi' her I will get gowd and gear ;
Wi' you I ne'er got nane.
" But wha will bake my bridal bread.
Or brew my bridal ale ?
And wha will welcome my brisk bride,
That I bring o'er the dale ? "—
" It's I will bake ^our bridal bread,
And brew your bridal ale ;
And I will welcome your brisk bride,
That you bring o'er the dale." —
FAIR ANNIE. 193
" But she that welcomes my brisk bride w
Maun gang like maiden fair ;
She maun lace on her robe sae jimp,
And braid her yellow hair." —
" But how can I gang maiden-Uke,
When maiden I am nane ? -^
Have I not bom seven sons to thee,
And am with child again ? " —
She's ta'en her young son in her arms,
Another in her hand ;
And she's up to the highest tower, 25
To see him come to land.
" Come up, come up, my eldest son, .
And look o'er yon sea-strand,
And see your father's new-come bride,
Before she come to land." — so
" Come down, come down, my mother dear.
Come frae the castle wa' !
I fear, if langer ye stand there,
Ye'll let yoursell down fa'." —
And she gaed down, and farther down, j-o
Her love's ship for to see ;
And the topmast and the mainmast
Shone like the silver free.
VOL. III. ' 13
194 FAIR ANNIE.
And she's gane down, and farther down,
The bride's ship to behold ; 40
And the topmast and the mainmast
They shone just like the gold.
She's ta'en her seven sons in her hand ;
I wot she didna fail !
She met Lord Thomas and his bride, 4o
As they came o'er the dale.
"You're welcome to your house. Lord Thomas ;
You're welcome to your land ;
You're welcome, with your fair ladye,
That you lead by the hand. 50
" You're welcome to your ha's, ladye.
Your welcome to your bowers ;
You're welcome to your hame, ladye,
For a' that's here is yours." —
" I thank thee, Annie ; I thank thee, Annie ;
Sae dearly as I thank thee ; se
You're the likest to my sister Annie,
That ever I did see.
" There came a knight out o'er the sea,
And steal'd my sister away ; so
The shame scoup in his c6mpany,
And land where'er he gae ! " —
FAIR ANNIE. 195
She hang ae napkin at the door,
Another in the ha' ;
And a' to wipe the trickling tears, es
Sae fast as they did fa'.
And aye she served the lang tables
With white bread and with wine ;
And aye she drank the wan water,
To had her colour fine. 7o
And aye she served the lang tables.
With white bread and with brown ;
And ay she tum'd her round about,
Sae fast the tears fell down.
And he's ta'en down the silk napkin, 75
Hung on a silver pin ;
And aye he wipes the tear trickling
Adown her cheek and chin.
And aye he tum'd him round about.
And smiled amang his men, ao
Says — " Like ye best the old ladye,
Or her that's new come hame ? " —
When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' men bound to bed.
Lord Thomas and his new-come bride, 85
To their chamber they were gaed.
196 FAIR ANNIE.
Annie made her bed a little forbye,
To hear what they might say ;
" And ever alas ! " fair Annie cried,
" That I should see this day ! so
" Gin my seven sons were seven young rats,
Running on the castle wa',
And I were a grey cat mysell,
I soon would worry them a'.
" Gin my seven sons were seven young hares.
Running o'er yon lilly lee, 96
And I were a grew hound mysell,
Soon worried they a' should be." —
And wae and sad fair Annie sat,
And drearie was her sang ; loo
And ever, as she sobb'd and grat,
" Wae to the man that did the wrang ! " —
" My gown is on," said the new-come bride,
" My shoes are on my feet.
And I will to fair Annie's chamber, 105
And see what gars her greet.
" What ails ye, what ails ye, Fair Annie,
That ye make sic a moan ?
Has your wine barrels cast the girds,
Or is your white bread gone ? 11c
PAIR ANNIE. % 197
" O wha was't was your father, Annie,
Or wha was't was your mother ?
And had you ony sister, Annie,
Or had you ony brother ? " —
" The Earl of "Wemyss was my father, 115
The Countess of Wemyss my mother ;
And a' the folk about the house,
To me were sister and brother." —
" If the Earl of Wemyss was your father,
I wot sae was he mine ; 120
And it shall not be for lack o' gowd,
That ye your love sail tyne.
" For I have seven ships o' mine ain,
A' loaded to the brim ;
And I will gie them a' to thee, 125
Wi' four to thine eldest son.
But thanks to a' the powers in heaven
That I gae maiden hame ! "
FAIR ANNIE.
Motherwell's Minstrelgy, p. 327. Obtained from recitation.
" Learn to mak your bed, Annie,
And learn to lie your lane ;
For I maun owre the salt seas gang,
A brisk bride to bring hame.
" Bind up, bind up your yellow hair, s
And tye it in your neck ;
And see you look as maiden-like
As the day that we first met"
" O how can I look maiden-like,
When maiden I'll ne'er be ; lo
When seven brave sons I've bom to thee,
And the eighth is in my bodie ?
. " The eldest of your sons, my lord,
Wi' red gold shines his weed ;
FAIE ANNIE. 199
The second of your sons, my lord, w
Rides on a milk-white steed.
" And the third of your sons, my lord,
He draws your beer and wine ;
And the fourth of your sons, my lord.
Can serve you when you dine. 20
" And the fift of your sons, my lord,
He can both read and write ;
And the sixth of your sons, my lord.
Can do it most perfyte.
" And the sevent of your sons, my lord, 25
Sits on the nurse's knee :
And how can I look maiden-like.
When a maid I'll never be ?
" But wha will bake your wedding bread.
And brew your bridal ale ? so
Or wha will welcome your brisk bride
That you bring owre the dale ? "
" I'll put cooks in my kitchen,
And stewards in my hall,
And I'll have bakers for my bread, 35
And brewers for my ale ;
But you're to welcome my brisk bride
That I bring owre the dale."
200 PAIR ANNIE.
He set his feet into his ship,
And his cock-boat on the main ; «)
He swore it would be year and day
Or he returned again.
When year and day was past and gane,
, Fair Annie she thocht lang ;
And she is up to her bower head, «
To behold both sea and land.
" Come up, come up, my eldest son,
And see now what you see ;
O yonder comes your father dear.
And your stepmother to be." so
" Cast off your gown of black, mother.
Put on your gown of brown,
And I'll put off my mourning weeds.
And we'll welcome him home."
She's taken wine into her hand, 55
And 'she has taken bread,
And she is down to the water side
To welcome them indeed,
" You're welcome, my lord, you're welcome,
my lord.
You're welcome home to me ; eo
FAIR ANNIE. 201
So is every lord and gentleman
That is in your companie.
" You're welcome, my lady, you're welcome,
my lady,
You're welcome home to me ;
So is every lady and gentleman 66
That's in your companie."
" I thank you, my girl, I thank you, my girl,
I thank you heartily ;
If I live seven years about this house,
Rewarded you shall be." 70
She serv'd them up, she serv'd them down,
With the wheat bread and the wine ;
But aye she drank the eauld water,*
To keep her colour fine.
She serv'd them up, she serv'd them down.
With the wheat bread and the beer ; r«
But aye she drank the cauld water,
To keep her colour clear.
When bells were rung and mass was sung.
And all were boune for rest, »
Fair Annie laid her sons in bed,
And a sorrowfu' woman she was.
202 FAIR ANNIE.
" Will I go to the salt, salt seas,
And see the fishes swim ?
Or will I go to the gay green wood, 86
And hear the small birds sing ? "
Out and spoke an aged man,
That stood behind the door, —
" Ye will not go to the salt, salt seas,
To see the fishes swim ; so
Nor will ye go to the gay green wood.
To hear the small birds sing :
" But ye'll take a harp into your hand.
Go to their chamber door.
And aye ye'll harp and aye ye'll mum, as
With the salt tears falling o'er."
She's ta'en a harp into her hand.
Went to their chamber door,
• And aye she harped and aye she mum'd.
With the salt tears falling o'er. loo
Out and spak the brisk young bride,
In bride-bed where she lay, —
"I think I hear my sister Annie,
And I wish weel it may ;
For a Scotish lord staw her awa, los
And an iU death may he die."
FAIR ANNIE. 203
" Wlia was your father, my girl," she says,
" Or wha wak your mother ?
Or had you ever a sister dear,'
Or had you ever a brother ? " no
" King Henry was my father dear,
Queen Esther was my mother,
Prince Henry was my brother dear.
And Fanny Flower my sister."
" If King Henry was your father dear, us
And Queen Esther was your mother.
If Prince Henry was your brother dear,
Then surely I'm your sister.
" Come to your bed, my sister dear,
It ne'er was wrang'd for me, 120
Bot an ae kiss of his merry mouth,
As we cam owre the sea."
•
" Awa, awa, ye forenoon bride,
Awa, awa frae me ;
I wudna hear my Annie greet, las
For a' the gold I got wi' thee."
" There were five ships of gay red gold
Cam owre the seas with me ;
It's twa o' them will tak me hame.
And three I'll leave wi' thee. ii»
204 FAIR ANNIE.
" Seven ships o' white monie
Came owre the seas wi' me ;
Five o' them I'll leave wi' thee,
And twa will take me hame ;
And my mother will make my portion up, 135
When I return again."
CHILD WATERS.
First published by Percy from his folio MS., Re-
liques, iii. 94. Several traditionatry versions have since
been printed, of which we give Burd Ellen from Ja-
mieson's, and in the Appendix, Lady Margaret from
Kinloch's collection. Jamieson also furnishes a frag-
ment, and Buchan, ( Ballads of the North of Scotland,
ii. 30,) a complete copy of another version of Burd
^ZZen, and Chambers (^Scottish Ballads, 193,) makes
up an edition from all the copies, which we mention
here because he has taken some lines from a manu-
script supplied by Mr. Kinloch.
Childe Waters in his stable stoode
And stroakt his milke-white steede ;
To him a fayre yonge ladye came
As ever ware womans weede.
Sayes, " Christ you save, good Childe Waters,"
Sayes, " Christ you save and see ;
206 CHILD WATERS.
My girdle of gold that was too longe,
Is now too short for mee.
" And all is with one childe of yours
I feele sturre at my side ; lo
My gowne of greene it is too straighte ;
Before, it was too wide."
" If the child be mine, faire Ellen/' he sayd,
" Be mine, as you tell mee,
Then take you Cheshire and Lancashire both,
Take them your owne to bee. le
" If the childe be mine, faire Ellen," he sayd,
" Be mine, as you doe sweare,
Then take you Cheshire and Lancashire both,
And make that child your heyre." ao
Shee sayes, " I had rather have one kisse,
Childe Waters, of thy mouth.
Than I wolde have Cheshire and Lancashire
both.
That lye by north and southe,
" And I had rather have one twinkling, 25
Childe Waters, of thine ee.
Than I wolde have Cheshire and Lancashire
both.
To take them mine owne to bee."
13, MS. be iune.
CHILD WATERS. 207
" To morrowe, Ellen, I must forth ryde
Farr into the north countree ; 30
The fayrest lady that I can finde,
Ellen, must goe with mee."
" Thoughe I am not that ladye fayre.
Yet let me go with thee : "
And ever I pray you, Childe Waters, 35
Your foot-page let me bee."
" If you will my foot-page bee, Ellen,
As you doe tell to mee,
Then you must cut your gowne of greene
An inch above your knee : «
" Soe must you doe your yellowe lockes,
An inch above your ee ;
You myst tell no man what is my name ;
My foot-page then you shall bee."
Shee, all the long daye Childe "Waters rode, 45
Ran barefoote by his syde.
Yet was he never soe courteous a knighte,
To say, " Ellen, will you ryde ? "
Shee, all the long daye Childe Waters rode,
Ran barefoote thorow the broome, so
Yett was hee never soe courteous a knighte,
To say, " put on your shoone."
33, 34, supplied by Percy.
208 CHILD WATERS.
"Ride softlye," shee sayd, «0 ChUde Waters:
Why doe you ryde so fast ?
The childe, which is no mans but thine, 55
My bodye itt will brast."
Hee sayth, " seest thou yond water, Ellen,
That flows from banke to brimme ? "
" I trust to God, O Childe Waters,
You never will see me swimme." eo
But when shee came to the water side,
She sayled to the chinne :
" Now the Lord of heaven be my speede.
For I must leame to swimme."
The salt waters bare up her clothes, ec
Our Ladye bare up her chinne ;
Childe Waters was a woe man, good Lord,
To see faire Ellen swimme !
And when shee over the water was,
Shee then came to his knee : 70
Hee sayd, " Come hither, thou fayre Ellen,
Loe yonder what I see.
" Seest thou not yonder hall, Ellen ?
Of redd gold shines the yate :
Of twenty foure faire ladyes there, ?«
The fairest is my mate.
CHILD WATERS. 209
" Seest thou not yonder hall, Ellen ?
Of redd golde shines the towre :
There are twenty four fayre ladyes there,
The fayrest is my paramoure." »
" I see the hall now, Childe Waters,
Of redd golde shines the yate :
God give you good now of yourselfe,
And of your worldlye mate.
" I see the hall now, Childe Waters, »
Of redd golde shines the towre :
God give you good now of yourselfe.
And of your paramoure.'*
There twenty four fayre ladyes were
A playing at the ball, »
And Ellen, the fayrest ladye there,
Must bring his steed to the stall.
There twenty four fayre ladyes were
A playinge at the chesse.
And Ellen, the fayrest ladye there, 86
Must bring his horse to gresse.
And then bespake Childe Waters sister.
These were the wordes sayd shee :
" You have the prettyest page, brother.
That ever I did see ; ., loo
VOL. in. 14
210 CHILD WATERS.
" But that his bellye it is soe bigge,
His girdle stands soe hye ;
And ever, I pray you, Childe Waters,
Let him in my chamber lye."
" It is not fit for a little foot-page, los
That has run throughe mosse and myre.
To lye in the chamber of any ladye,
That weares soe riche attyre.
" It is more meete for a little foot-page.
That has run throughe mosse and myre, uo
To take his supper upon his knee,
And lye by the kitchen fyre."
Now when they had supped every one,
To bedd they tooke theyr waye :
He sayd, " Come hither, my little foot-page.
And hearken what I saye. ue
" Goe thee downe into yonder towne.
And lowe into the streete ;
The fayrest ladye that thou canst finde, ^
Hyre in mine armes to sleepe ; 120 ^
And take her up in thine armes twaine, '^
For filing of her feete." i
.
Ellen is gone into the towne.
And lowe into the streete ;
CHILD WATERS. 211
The fayrest ladye that shee colde finde, las
She hjred in his armes to sleepe ;
And tooke her up in her armes twayne,
For filing of her feete.
" I praye you nowe, good Childe Waters,
Let mee lye at your feete ;
For there is noe place about this house, lao
Where I may saye a sleepe."
He gave her leave, and faire Ellen
Down at his beds feet laye ;
This done the nighte drove on apace, laj
And when it was neare the daye,
Hee sayd, " Rise up, my little foot-page,
Give my steede come and haye ;
And give him nowe the good black oats,
To carry mee better awaye." i*)
Up then rose the faire Ellen,
And gave his steede corne and hay ;
And soe shee did the good black oates.
To carry him the better awaye.
She leaned her back to the manger side, j ^
And grievouslye did groane ;
She leaned her back to the manger side.
And there shee made her moane.
133, 134, supplied by Percy.
212 CHILD WATERS.
And that beheard his mother deare,
Shee heard her woefull woe : iso
Shee sayd, " Rise up, thou Child e "Waters,
And into thy stable goe.
" For in thy stable is a ghost,
That grievoaslye doth grone ;
Or else some woman laboures with childe, v^
Shee is so woe-begone."
Up then rose Childe Waters soone,
And did on his shirte of silke ;
And then he put on his other clothes,
On his bodye as white as milke. loo
And when he came to the stable dore,
Full still there hee did stand.
That hee mighte heare his fayre Ellen,
Howe shee made her monand.
She sayd, " LuUabye, mine own dear childe,
LuUabye, deare childe, deare ; lee
I wolde thy father were a kinge.
Thy mothere layd on a biere."
" Peace nowe," hee sayd, " good, faire Ellen,
Bee of good cheere, I praye ; im
And the bridale and the churchinge bothe
Shall bee upon one daye.
150, her woefull woe, Percy !
BURD ELLEN.
Printed from Mrs. Brown's recitation, in Janue-
son's Popular Ballads, i. 117. We have restored the
text by omitting some interpolations of the editor, and
three concluding stanzas by the same, which, contrary
to all authority, gave a tragic turn to the story.
Lord John stood in his stable door,
Said he was boun to ride ;
Burd Ellen stood in her bower door,
Said she'd rin by his side.
He's pitten on his cork-heel'd shoon.
And fast awa rade he ;
She's clad hersel in page array.
And after him ran she :
Till they came till a wan water,
And folks do call it Clyde ;
Then he's lookit o'er his left shoulder,
Says, " Lady, will ye ride ? "
214 BURD ELLEN.
"01 learnt it vvi' my bower woman,
And I learnt it for my weal,
Whanever I cam to wan water,
To swim like ony eel."
But the firsten stap the lady stappit,
The water came till her knee ;
" Ochon, alas ! " said the lady,
" This water's o'er deep for me.^'
The nexten stap the lady stappit.
The water came till her middle ;
And sighin says that gay lady,
" I've wat my gouden girdle."
The thirden stap the lady stappit.
The water came till her pap ;
And the bairn that was in her twa side;
For cauld began to quake.
" Lie still, lie stiU, my ain dear babe ;
Ye work your mother wae :
Your father rides on high horse back.
Cares little for us twae."
O about the midst o' Clyde's water
There was a yeard-fast stane ;
He lightly turn'd his horse about,
And took her on him behin.
BURD ELLEN. 215
" 0 tell me this now, good lord John,
And a word ye dinna lie,
How far it is to your lodgin,
Whare we this night maun be ? " *!
" 0 see na ye yon castell, EUen,
That shines sae fair to see ?
There is a lady in it, Ellen,
Will sinder you and me.
" There is a lady in that castell «
Will sinder you and I " —
" Betide me weal, betide me wae,
I sail gang there and try."
*' My dogs shall eat the good white bread,
And ye shall eat the bran ; so
Then will ye sigh, and say, alas !
That ever I was a man ! "
"01 shall eat the good white bread,
And your dogs shall eat the bran ;
And I hope to live to bless the day, 55
That ever ye was a man."
" 0 my horse shall eat the good white meal,
And ye sail eat the corn ;
Then will ye curse the heavy hour
That ever your love was born." oo
216 BURD ELLEN.
[" O I shall eat the good white meal,
And your horse shall eat the corn ;]
I ay sail bless the happy hour
That ever my love was born."
O four and twenty gay ladies as
Welcom'd lord John to the ha',
But a fairer lady than them a'
Led his horse to the stable sta.'
O four and twenty gay ladies
Welcom'd lord John to the green : to
But a fairer lady than them a'
At the manger stood alane.
When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' men boun to meat,
Burd Ellen was at the bye-table 75
Amang the pages set.
" O eat and drink, my bonny boy,
The white bread and the beer." —
" The never a bit can I eat or drink,
My heart's sae fu' o' feai'." so
" O eat and drink, my bonny boy.
The white bread and the wme." —
62, 63, according to Jamieson, the same as vv. 54, 55, but
here formed on their model, from 57, 58.
BUKD ELLEN. 217
" O how sail I eat or di'ink, master,
Wi' heart sae fu' o' pine ? "
But out and spak lord John's mother, 85
And a wise woman was she :
" Whare met ye wi' that bonny boy,
That looks sae sad on thee ?
Sometimes his cheek is rosy red.
And sometimes deadly wan ; 9o
He's liker a woman big wi' bairn,
Than a young lord's serving man."
" O it makes me laugh, my mother dear.
Sic words to hear frae thee ;
He is a squire's ae dearest son, as
That for love has followed me.
" Rise up, rise up, my bonny boy,
Gi'e my horse com and hay." —
" O that I will, my master dear.
As quickly as I may." loo
She's ta'en the hay under her arm,
The corn intiU her hand.
And she's gane to the great stable.
As fast as e'er she can.
" O room ye round, my bonny brown steeds,
O room ye near the wa' ; loo
218 BURD ELLEN.
For the pain that strikes me through my sides
Full soon will gar me fa'."
She lean'd her back against the wa' ;
Strong travel came her on ; no
And e'en amang the great horse feet
Burd Ellen brought forth her son.
Lord Johnis mither intill her bower'
Was sitting all alane,
When, in the silence o' the nicht, ns
She heard Burd Ellen's mane.
" Won up, won up, my son," she says,
" Gae see how a' does fare ;
For I think I hear a woman's groans,
And a bairnie greetin' sair." 120
O hastily he gat him up.
Staid neither for hose nor shoon.
And he's doen him to the 'stable- door
Wi' the clear Ught o' the moon.
He strack the door hard wi' his foot, i-o
Sae has he wi' his knee,
And iron locks and iron bars
Into the floor flung he :
*' Be not afraid, Burd Ellen," he says,
" There's nane come in but me. lao
BURD ELLEN. 219
" Tak up, tak up my bonny young son ;
Gar wash him wi' the milk ;
Tak up, tak up my fair lady,
Gar row her in the silk.
" And cheer thee up, Burd Ellen," he says,
" Look nae mair sad nor wae ; ise
For your marriage and your kirkin too
Sail baith be in ae day."
ERLINTON.
First published in the Minstrelsy of the Scottish
Border, ii. 351, — " from the collation of two copies
obtained from recitation."
Erlinton and The Child of Elle, as already re-
marked, (vol. ii. page 116,) may be considered as
varieties of the story of The Douglas Tragedy.
Erlinton had a fair daughter ;
I wat he weird her in a great sin,
For he has built a bigly bower,
An' a' to put that lady in.
An' he has warn'd her sisters six, s
An' sac has he her brethren se'en,
Outher to watch her a' the night,
Or else to seek her morn an e'en.
She hadna been i' that bigly bower,
Na not a night, but barely ane, lo
Till there was Willie, her ain true love,
Chapp'd at the door, cryin', " Peace within ! "
ERLINTON. 221
" O whae is this at my bower door,
That chaps sae late, or kens the gin ? "
" O it is Willie, your ain true love, w
I pray you rise an' let me in ! "
" But in my bower there is a wake,
An' at the wake there is a wane ;
But I'll come to the green-wood the mom,
Whar blooms the brier, by mornin' dawn." 20
Then she's gane to her bed again,
Where she has layen till the cock crew thrice,
Then she said to her sisters a',
" Maidens, 'tis time for us to rise."
She pat on her back her silken gowti, 25
An' on her breast a siller pin.
An' she's ta'en a sister in ilka hand.
An' to the green-wood she is gane.
She hadna walk'd in the green-wood,
Na not a mile but barely ane, ao
Till there was Wilhe, her ain true love,
Wha frae her sisters has her ta'en.
He took her sisters by the hand.
He kiss'd them baith, an' sent them hame,
An' he's ta'en his true love him behind, as
And through the green-wood they are gane.
222 ERLINTON.
They hadna ridden in the bonnie green-wood,
Na not a mile but barely ane,
When there came fifteen o' the boldest knights,
That ever bare flesh, blood, or bane. «
The foremost was an aged knight.
He wore the grey hair on his chin :
Says, " Yield to me thy lady bright,
An' thou shalt walk the woods within."
" For me to yield my lady bright «
To such an aged knight as thee.
People wad think I war gane mad,
Or a' the courage flown frae me."
But up then spake the second knight,
I wat he spake right boustouslie : ao
" Yield me thy Hfe, or thy lady bright.
Or here the tane of us shall die."
" My lady is my warld's meed ;
My life I winna yield to nane ;
But if ye be men of your manhead, 55
Ye'll only fight me ane by ane."
He lighted aff" his milk-white steed.
An' gae his lady him by the head,
Say'n, " See ye dinna change your cheer,
Untill ye see my body bleed." eu
ERLINTON. 223
He set his back unto an aik,
He set his feet against a stane,
An' he has fought these fifteen men,
An' kill'd them a' but barely ane ;
For he has left that aged knight, as
An' a' to carry the tidings hame.
When he gaed to his lady fair,
I wat he kiss'd her tenderlie :
" Thou art mine ain love, I have thee bought ;
Now we shall walk the green-wood free*" »o
THE CHILD OF ELLE.
" From a fragment in the Editor's folio MS., which,
though extremely defective and mutilated, appeared
to have so much merit, that it excited a strong desire
to attempt the completion of the story. The reader
will easily discover the supplemental stanzas by their
inferiority, and at the same time be inclined to pardon
it, when he considers how difficult it must be to imitate
the affecting simplicity and artless beauties of the
original." Percy, Reliques, i. 113.
It must be acknowledged that this truly modest
apology was not altogether uncalled for. So exten-
sive are Percy's alterations and additions, that the
reader will have no slight difficulty in detecting the
few traces that are left of the genuine composition.
Nevertheless, Sir Walter Scott avers that the correc-
tions are " in the true style of Gothic embellishment ! "
On yonder hill a castle standes,
With walles and towres bedight,
And yonder lives the Child of Elle,
A younge and comely knight e.
THE CHILD OF ELLE. 225
The Child of Elle to his garden wente, «
And stood at his garden pale,
Whan, lo ! he beheld fair Emmelines page
Come trippinge downe the dale.
The Child of Elle he hyed him thence,
Ywis he stoode not stille, w
And soone he mette faire Emmelines page
Come climbing up the hille.
" Nowe Christe thee save, thou little foot-page,
Now Christe thee save and see !
Oh telle me how does thy ladye gaye, u
And what may thy tydinges bee ? "
'• My lady shee is all woe-begone,
And the teares they falle from her eyne ;
And aye she laments the deadlye feude
Betweene her house and thine. «
" And here shee sends thee a silken scarfe,
Bedewde with many a teare.
And biddes thee sometimes thinke on her,
Who loved thee so deare.
" And here shee sends thee a ring of golde, 25
The last boone thou mayst have,
And biddes thee weare it for her sake,
Whan she is layde in grave.
VOL. in. 15
226 THE CHILD OF ELLE.
" For, ah ! her gentle heart is broke,
And in grave soone must shee bee, so
Sith her father hath chose her a new, new love,
And forbidde her to think of thee.
" Her father hath brought her a carlish knight.
Sir John of the north countrayc,
And within three dayes shee must him wedde.
Or he vowes he will her slaye." 36
" Nowe hye thee backe, thou little foot-page,
And greet thy ladye from mee,
And telle her that I, her owne true love,
Will dye, or sette her free. 40
" Nowe hye thee backe, thou little foot-page,
And let thy fair ladye know,
This night will I bee at her bowre-windowe.
Betide me weale or woe."
The boye he tripped, the boye he ranne, «
He neither stint ne stayd,
Untill he came to fair Emmelines bowre,
Whan kneeling downe he sayd :
" O ladye, Ive been with thy own true love,
And he greets thee well by mee ; so
This night will he bee at thy bowre-windowe,
And dye or sette thee free."
THE CHILD OF ELLE. 227
Nowe daye was gone, and night was come,
And all were fast asleepe,
All save the ladye Emmeline, 55
Who sate in her bowre to weepe :
And soone shee heard her true loves voice
Lowe whispering at the walle ;
" Awake, awake, my deare ladye,
Tis I, thy true love, call. w
" Awake, awake, my ladye deare,
Come, mount this faire palfraye i
This ladder of ropes will lette thee downe.
He carrye thee hence awaye."
" Nowe nay, nowe nay, thou gentle knight, es
Nowe nay, this may not bee ;
For aye sould I tint my maiden fame,
K alone I should wend with thee."
" 0 ladye, thou with a knight so true
Mayst safelye wend alone ; 70
To my ladye mother I will thee bringe.
Where marriage shall make us one."
" My father he is a baron bolde.
Of lynage proude and hye ;
And what would he saye if his daughter 75
Awaye with a knight should fly ?
228 THE CHILD OF ELLE.
" Ah ! well I wot, he never would rest,
Nor his meate should doe him no goode.
Till he had slayne thee. Child of Elle,
And seene thy deare hearts bloode." so
" O ladye, wert thou in thy saddle sette.
And a little space him fro,
I would not care for thy cruel father,
Nor the worst that he could doe.
" O ladye, wert thou in thy saddle sette, ss
And once without this walle,
I would not care for thy cruel father.
Nor the worst that might befalle."
Faire Emmeline sighed, faire Emmeline wept.
And aye her heart was woe : »
At length he seizde her lilly-white hand,
And downe the ladder he drewe.
And thrice he claspde her to his breste.
And kist her tenderlie :
The teares that fell from her fair eyes, os
Ranne like the fountayne free.
Hee mounted himselfe on his steede so talle.
And her on a faire palfraye.
And slung his bugle about his necke.
And roundlye they rode awaye. loo
THE CHILD OF ELLE. 229
All this beheard her owne damselle,
In her bed whereas shee ley ;
Quoth shee, " My lord shall knowe of this,
Soe I shall have golde and fee.
" Awake, awake, thou baron bolde ! i(w
Awake, my noble dame !
Your daughter is fledde with the Childe of Elle,
To doe the deede of shame."
The baron he woke, the baron he rose.
And called his merrye men all : no
" And come thou forth. Sir John the knighte ;
The ladye is carried to thraU."
Fair Emmeline scant had ridden a mile,
A mile forth of the towne.
When she was aware of her fathers men 115
Come galloping over the downe.
And foremost came the carlish knight,
Sir John of the north countraye :
" Nowe stop, nowe stop, thou false traitoure,
Nor carry that ladye awaye. i«
" For she is come of hye lynage,
And was of a ladye borne.
And ill it beseems thee, a false churles sonne,
To carrye her hence to scorne."
230 THE CHILD OF ELLE.
" Nowe loud thou lyest, Sir John the knight, 125
Nowe thou doest lye of mee ;
A knight mee gott, and a ladye me bore,
Soe never did none by thee.
" But light nowe downe, my ladye faire,
Light downe, and hold my steed, i3o
While I and this discourteous knighte
Doe trye this arduous deede.
" But light now downe, my deare ladye.
Light downe, and hold my horse ;
While I and this discourteous knight 135
Doe trye our valours force."
Fair Emmeline sighde, fair Emmeline wept.
And aye her heart was woe.
While twixt her love and the carlish knight
Past many a baleful blowe. 140
The Child of Elle hee fought soe well,
As his weapon he wavde amaine.
That soone he had slaine the carlish knight.
And layde him upon the plaine.
And nowe the baron, and all his men 145
Full fast approached nye :
Ah ! what may ladye Emmeline doe ?
Twere now no boote to flye.
J
THE CHILD OF ELLE. 231
Her lover he put his home to his mouth,
And blew both loud and shrill, iso
And soone he saw his owne merry men
Come ryding over the hill.
" Nowe hold thy hand, thou bold baron,
I pray thee, hold thy hand,
Nor ruthless rend two gentle hearts, iss
Fast knit in true loves band.
" Thy daughter I have dearly lovde
Full long and many a day ;
But with such love as holy kirke
Hath freelye sayd wee may. lao
" 0 give consent shee may be mine.
And blesse a faithfuU paire ;
My lands and livings are not small.
My house and lynage faire.
" My mother she was an earles daughter, i65
And a noble knyght my sire "
The baron he frownde, and turnde away
With mickle dole and ire.
Fair Emmeline sighde, faire Emmeline wept,
And did all tremblinge stand ; i7o
At lengthe she sprange upon her knee,
And held his lifted hand.
232 THE CHILD OF ELLE.
" Pardon, my lorde and father deare,
This faire yong knyght and mee :
Trust me, but for the carlish knyght, its
I never had fled from thee.
" Oft have you callde your Emmehne
Your darling and your joye ;
0 let not then your harsh resolves
Your Emmeline destroye." iso
The baron he stroakt his dark -brown cheeke,
And turnde his heade asyde,
To wipe awaye the starting teare.
He proudly strave to hyde.
In deepe revolving thought he stoode, iss
And musde a little space ;
Then raisde faire Emmeline from the grounde,
With many a fond embrace.
« Here take her, Child of Elle," he sayd,
And gave her lillye hand ; loo
" Here take my deare and only child,
And with her half my land.
" Thy father once mine honour wrongde,
In dayes of youthful pride ;
Do thou the injurye repayre . i95
In fondnesse for thy bride.
THE CHILD OF ELLE. 233
" And as thou love her and hold her deare,
Heaven prosper thee and thine ;
And nowe my blessing wend wi' thee,
My lovelye Emmeline." aoo
SIR ALDINGAR.
From the EeUques of English Poetry, ii. 53.
" This old fabulous legend is given from the Edit-
or's folio MS., with conjectural emendations, and the
insertion of some additional stanzas to supply and com-
plete the story. It has been suggested to the Editor
that the author of the poem seems to have had in his
eye the story of Gunhilda, who is sometimes called El-
eanor, and was married to the Emperor (here called
king) Henry." — Percy.
To Percy's version we annex that of Scott, which
the editor, without any reason, supposes to have been
" the original" of Sir Aldingar.
Our king he kept a false stewarde,
Sir Aldingar they him call ;
A falser steward than he was one,
Servde not in bower nor hall.
He wolde have layne by our comelye queene, «
Her deere worshippe to betraye ;
Our queene she was a good woman,
And evermore said him naye.
SIR ALDINGAE. 235
Sir Aldingar was wrothe in his mind,
With her hee was never content, lo
Till traiterous meanes he colde devyse.
In a fyer to have her brent.
There came a lazar to the kings gate,
A lazar both blinde and lame ;
He tooke the lazar upon his backe, 15
Him on the queenes bed has layne.
" Lye stUl, lazar, wheras thou lyest,
Looke thou goe not hence away ;
He make thee a whole man and a sound
In two howers of the day." ao
Then went him forth Sir Aldingar,
And hyed him to our king ;
" If I might have grace, as I have space.
Sad tydings I could bring."
" Say on, say on, Sir Aldingar, 25
Saye on the soothe to mee."
" Our queene hath chosen a new, new love,
And shee will have none of thee.
" If shee had chosen a right good knight.
The lesse had beene her shame ; 30
But she hath chose her a lazar man,
A lazar both blinde and lame."
236 SIR ALDINGAR.
" If this be true, thou Aldingar,
The tjding thou tellest to me,
Then will I make thee a rich, rich knight, £
Rich both of golde and fee.
" But if it be false. Sir Aldingar,
As God nowe grant it bee !
Thy body, I sweare by the holye rood,
Shall hang on the gallows tree." '■
He brought our king to the queenes chamber,
And opend to him the dore :
" A lodlye love," King Harry says,
" For our queene," dame Elinore !
" If thou were a man, as ihou art none.
Here on my sword thoust dye ;
But a payre of new gallowes shall be built
And there shalt thou hang on hye.
Forth then hyed our king, iwysse,
And an angry man was hee,
And soone he found queene Elinore,
That bride so bright of blee.
" Now Grod you save, our queene, madame,
And Christ you save and see !
Here you have chosen a newe, newe love,
And you will have none of mee.
SIR ALDINGAR. 237
" If you had chosen a right good knight,
The lesse had been your shame ;
But you have chose you a lazar man,
A lazar both blinde and lame. go
" Therfore a fyer there shall be built.
And brent all shalt thou bee." —
" Now out, alacke ! " said our comly queene,
" Sir Aldingar's false to mee.
" Now out, alacke ! " sayd our comlye queene, es
" My heart with griefe will brast ;
I had thought swevens had never been true,
I have proved them true at last.
" I dreamt in my sweven on Thursday eve.
In my bed wheras I laye, 7o
I dreamt a grype and a grimlie beast
Had carryed my crowne awaye ;
" My gorgett and my kirtle of golde.
And all my faire head-geere ;
And he wold worrye me with his tush, 75
And to his nest y-beare :
" Saving there came a little gray hawke,
A merlin him they call,
Which untiU the grounde did strike the grype,
That dead he downe did fall. en
238 SIR ALDINGAR.
" Giffe I were a man, as now I am none,
A battell wold I prove.
To fight with that traitor Aldingar :
Att him I cast my glove.
'' But seeing Ime able noe battell to make.
My liege, grant me a knight
To fight with that traitor, Sir Aldingar,
To maintaine me in my right."
'' Now forty dayes I will give thee
To seeke thee a knight therin :
If thou find not a knight in forty dayes,
Thy bodye it must brenn."
Then shee sent east, and shee sent west.
By north and south bedeene ;
But never a champion colde she find,
Wolde fight with that knight soe keene.
Now twenty dayes were spent and gone,
Noe helpe there might be had ;
JVIany a teare shed our comelye queene.
And aye her hart was sad.
Then came one of the queenes damselles.
And knelt upon her knee :
Cheare up, cheare up, my gracious dame,
I trust yet helpe may be.
SIR ALDINGAR. 239
" And here I will make mine avowe, los
And with the same me binde,
That never will I return to thee,
Till I some helpe may finde."
Then forth she rode on a faire palfraye,
Oer hill and dale about ; uo
But never a champion colde she finde,
Wolde fighte with that knight so stout.
And no we the daye drewe on apace.
When our good queene must dye ;
All woe-begone was that fair damselle, n«
When she found no helpe was nye.
All woe-begone was that faire damselle.
And the salt teares fell from her eye ;
When lo I as she rode by a rivers side,
She met with a tinye boye. 120
A tinye boy she mette, Grod wot.
All clad in mantle of golde ;
He seemed noe more in mans likenesse.
Then a childe of four yeere olde.
" Why grieve you, damselle faire ? " he sayd, 12s
" And what doth cause you moane ? "
The damsell scant wolde deigne a looke.
But fast she pricked on.
240 SIR A.LDINGAR.
" Yet tume againe, thou faire damselle,
And greete thy queene from mee ; iso
When bale is at hyest, boote is nyest ;
Nowe helpe enoughe may bee.
" Bid her remember what she dreamt,
In her bedd wheras shee laye ;
How when the grype and the grimly beast 135
Wolde have carried her crowne awaye,
" Even then there came the httle gray hawke,
And saved her from his clawes :
Then bidd the queene be merry at hart,
For heaven wiU fende her cause." 140
Back then rode that fair damselle,
And her hart it lept for glee :
And when she told her gracious dame,
A gladd woman then was shee.
But when the appointed day was come, 145
No helpe appeared nye ;
Then woeful woeful was her hart,
And the teares stood in her eye.
And nowe a fyer was built of wood.
And a stake was made of tree ; »"•'
And now queene Elinor forth was led,
A sorrowful sight to see.
SIR ALDTNGAR. 241
Three times the herault he waved his hand,
And three times spake on hye ;
" Giff any good knight will fende this dame, 155
Come forth, or shee must dye."
No knight stood forth, no knight there came.
No helpe appeared nye ;
And now the fyer was hghted up,
Queene Elinor she must dye. i6o
And now the fyer was lighted up,
As hot as hot might bee ;
When riding upon a little white steed,
The tinye boye they see.
" Away with that stake, away with those brands,
And loose our comelye queene : ice
I am come to fight with Sir Aldingar,
And prove him a traitor keene."
Forth then stood Sir Aldingar ;
But when he saw the chylde,
He laughed, and scoffed, and turned his backe.
And weened he had been beguylde.
" Now tume, now turne thee, Aldingar,
And eyther fighte or flee ;
I trust that I shall avenge the wronge, 175
Thoughe I am so small to see."
VOL. III. 16
242 SIR ALDINGAR.
The boye puUd forth a well good sworde,
So gilt it dazzled the ee ;
The first stroke stricken at Aldingar
Smote off his leggs by the knee. iso
" Stand up, stand up, thou false traitor.
And fighte upon thy feete,
For, and thou thrive as thou beginst,
Of height wee shall be meete."
" A priest, a priest," sayes Aldingar, las
" While I am a man alive ;
" A priest, a priest," sayes Aldingar,
" Me for to houzle and shrive.
" I wolde have laine by our comlie queene.
But shee wolde never consent ; m
Then I thought to betraye her unto our kinge.
In a fyer to have her brent.
" There came a lazar to the kings gates,
A lazar both bhnd and lame ;
I tooke the lazar upon my backe, las
And on her bedd had him layne.
" Then ranne I to our comlye king.
These tidings sore to tell :
But ever alacke ! " sayes Aldingar,
" Falsing never doth well. 2«»
Sm A.LDINGAR. 243
" Forgive, forgive me, queene, madame,
The short time I must live : "
" Nowe Christ forgive thee, Aldingar,
As freely I forgive."
" Here take thy queene, our King Harrye, 206
And love her as thy life,
For never had a king in Christentye
A truer and fairer wife."
King Harrye ran to claspe his queene,
And loosed her full sone ; ao
Then tumd to look for the tinye boye : —
The boye was vanisht and gone.
But first he had touchd the lazar man,
And stroakt him with his hand ;
The lazar under the gallowes tree as
All whole and sounde did stand.
The lazar under the gallowes tree
Was comelye, straight, and tall ;
King Henrye made him his head stewarde,
To wayte withinn his hall. 220
SIR HUGH LE BLOND.
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 51.
" This ballad is a northern composition, and seems
to have been the original of the legend called Sir Al-
dingar, which is printed in the Reliques of Ancient
Poetry. The incidents are nearly the same in both
ballads, excepting that, in Aldingar, an angel combats
for the queen, instead of a mortal champion. The
names of Aldingar and Rodingham approach near to
each other in sound, though not in orthography, and
the one might, by reciters, be easily substituted for the
other. I think I have seen both the name and the
story in an ancient prose chronicle, but am unable to
make any reference in support of my belief.
" The tradition, upon which the ballad is founded, is
universally current in the Meams ; and the Editor is
informed, that, till very lately, the sword, with which
Sir Hugh le Blond was believed to have defended the
life and honour of the Queen, was carefully preserved
by his descendants, the Viscounts of Arbuthnot. That
Sir Hugh of Arbuthnot lived in the thirteenth century,
is proved by his having, 1282, bestowed the patronage
of the church of Garvoch upon the Monks of Aber-
brothwick, for the safety of his soul. — Register of Aher-
brothwick, quoted by Craivford in Peerage. But I find
no instance in history, in which the honour of a Queen
of Scotland was committed to the chance of a duel. It
SIR HUGH LE BLOND. 245
is true that Mary, wife of Alexander II., was, about
1242, somewhat implicated in a dark story, concerning
the murder of Patrick, Earl of Athole, burned in his
lodging at Haddington, where he had gone to attend a
great tournament. The relations of the deceased baron
accused of the murder Sir William Bisat, a powerful
nobleman, who appears to have been in such high
favour with the young Queen, that she offered her
oath, as a compurgator, to prove his innocence. Bisat
himself stood upon his defence, and proffered the com-
bat to his accusers ; but he was obliged to give way to
the tide, and was banished from Scotland. This affair
interested all the northern barons ; and it is not impos-
sible, that some share, taken in it by this Sir Hugh do
Arbuthnot, may have given a slight foundation for the
tradition of the country. Wintoun, book vii. ch. 9.
Or, if we suppose Sir Hugh le Blond to be a prede-
cessor of the Sir Hugh who flourished in the thirteenth
century, he may have been the victor in a duel, shortly
noticed as having occurred in 1154, when one Arthur,
accused of treason, was unsuccessful in his appeal to
the judgment of God. Arthurus regem Malcolm prod-
iturus duello periit. Chron. Sanctae Crucis, ap. Anglia
Sacra, vol. i. p. 161.
" But, true or false, the incident narrated in the
ballad is in the genuine style of chivalry. Romances
abound with similar instances, nor are they wanting in
real history. The most solemn part of a knight's oath
was to defend ' all widows, orphelines, and maidens of
gude fame-' Lindsay's Heraldry, MS.
" I was favoured with the folloNving copy of Sir Hugh
le Blond, by K. Williamson Burnet, Esq. of Monboddo,
who wrote it down from the recitation of an old woman.
246 SIR HUGH LE BLOND.
long in the service of the Arbuthnot family. Of course,
the diction is very much humbled, and it has, in all
probability, undergone many corruptions ; but its anti-
quity is indubitable, and the story, though indifferently
told, is in itself interesting. It is believed that there
have been many more verses." Scott. ^
The birds sang sweet as ony bell,
The world had not their make,
The Queen she's gone to her chamber,
With Rodingham to talk.
" I love you well, my Queen, my dame, s
'Bove land and rents so clear,
And for the love of you, nay Queen,
Would thole pain most severe." —
" If well you love me, Rodingham,
I'm sure so do I thee : lo
I love you well as any "man,
Save the King's fair bodye." —
" I love you well, my Queen, my dame ;
'Tis truth that I do tell :
Ajid for to lye a night with you, is
The salt seas I would sail." —
<' Away, away, 0 Rodingham !
You are both stark and stoor ;
Would you defile the King's own bed,
And make his Queen a whore ? 20
SIR HUGH LE BLOND. 247
" To-morrow you'd be taken sure,
And like a traitor slain ;
And I'd be burned at a stake,
Although I be the Queen." —
He then stepp'd out at her room door, 25
All in an angry mood :
Until he met a leper-man,
Just by the hard way-side.
He intoxicate the leper-man,
With liquors very sweet : 30
And gave him more and more to drink,
Until he fell asleep.
He took him in his armis twa.
And carried him along.
Till he came to the Queen's own bed, 35
And there he laid him down.
He then stepp'd out of the Queen's bower.
As swift as any roe,
'Till he came to the very place
Where the King himself did go. i^
The King said unto Rodingham,
" What news have you to me ? " —
He said, " Your Queen's a false woman,
As I did plainly see." —
248 SIR HUGH LE BLOND.
He hasten'd to the Queen's chamber,
So costly and so fine,
Until he came to the Queen's own bed,
Where the leper-man was lain.
He looked on the leper-man.
Who lay on his Queen's bed ;
He lifted up the sn aw- white sheets,
And thus he to him said : —
" Plooky, plooky, are your cheeks,
And plooky is your chin.
And plooky are your armis twa.
My bonny Queen's layne in.
" Since she has lain into your arms,
She shall not lye in mine ;
Since she has kiss'd your ugsome mouth,
She never shall kiss mine." —
In anger he went to the Queen,
Who fell upon her knee ;
He said, " You false, unchaste woman,
What's this you've done to me ? "
The Queen then turn'd herself about.
The tear blinded her ee —
" There's not a knight in a' your court
Dare give that name to me."
SIR HUGH LE BLOND. 249
He said, " 'Tis true that I do say ;
For I a proof did make : "o
You shall be taken from my bower,
And burned at a stake.
" Perhaps I'll take my word again.
And may repent the same,
If that you'll get a Christian man ts
To fight that Rodingham."—
'* Alas ! alas ! " then cried our Queen,
" Alas, and woe to me !
There's not a man in all Scotland
Will fight with him for me." — so
She breathed unto her messengers,
Sent them south, east, and west ;
They could find none to fight with him,
Nor enter the contest.
She breathed on her messengers, 85
She sent them to the north ;
And there they found Sir Hugh le Blond,
To fight him he came forth.
When unto him they did unfold
The circumstance all right, 90
He bade them go and tell the Queen,
That for her he would fight.
250 SIR HUGH LE BLOND.
The day came on that was to do
That dreadful tragedy ;
Sir Hugh le Blond was not come up as
To fight for our ladye.
" Put on the fire," the monster said :
" It is twelve on the bell."
" 'Tis scarcely ten, now," said the King ;
" I heard the clock mysell." — loo
Before the hour the Queen is brought,
The burning to proceed ;
In a black velvet chair she's set,
A token for the dead.
She saw the flames ascending high, los
The tears blinded her ee :
" Where is the worthy knight," she said,
" Who is to fight for me ? "—
Then up and spak the King himsell,
" My dearest, have no doubt, no
For yonder comes the man himsell.
As bold as e'er set out." —
They then advanced to fight the duel
With swords of temper'd steel.
Till down the blood of Rodingham us
Came running to his heel.
SIR HUGH LE BLOXD. 251
Sir Hugh took out a lusty sword,
'Twas of the metal clear,
And he has pierced Rodingham
Till's heart-blood did appear. 120
^' Confess your treachery, now," he said,
" This day before you die ! " —
'" I do confess my treachery,
I shall no longer lye :
" I like to wicked Haman am, 125
This day I shall be slain." —
The Queen was brought to her chamber,
A good woman again.
The Queen then said unto the King,
" Arbattle's near the sea ; i3o
Give it unto the northern knight.
That this day fought for me."
Then said the King, " Come here. Sir Knight,
And drink a glass of wine ;
And, if Arbattle's not enough, 135
To it we'll Fordoun join."
135. Arbattle is the ancient name of the barony of Ar-
buthnot. Fordun has long been the patrimony of the same
family S.
THE KNIGHT, AND SHEPHERD'S DAUGH-
TER.
" This ballad (given from an old black-letter copy,
with some corrections) was popular in the time of
Queen Elizabeth, being usually printed with her pic-
ture before it, as Hearne informs us in his preface to
Gul. Neubrig, Hist. Ozon, 1719, 8vo. vol. i. p. Ixx.
It is quoted in Fletcher's comedy of the Pilgrim, act
4, sc. 2." Percy's Reliques, iii. 114.
The Scottish ballad corresponding to Percy's lias
been printed by KInloch, p. 25. Besides this, how-
ever, there are three other Scottish versions, superior
to the English in every respect, and much longer.
They are Earl Richard, Motherwell, p. 377 ; (also in
Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, ii. 81 ;) a
ballad with the same title in Kinloch's collection, p. 1 5 ;
and Earl Lithgow, Buchan, ii. 91. In all these, the
futile attempts of the knight to escape marrying the
lady, and the devices by which she aggravates his
reluctance to enter into the match, are managed with
no little humour. We give Motherwell's edition a place
next to Percy's, and refer the reader for Kinloch's to
the Appendix.
THE KNIGHT, AND SHEPHERD's DAUGHTER. 253
There was a shepherds daughter
Came tripping on the waye,
And there by chance a knighte shee mett.
Which caused her to staye.
" Good morrowe to you, beauteous maide,"
These words pronounced hee ;
"01 shall dye this daye," he sayd,
" If Ive not my wille of thee."
" The Lord forbid," the maide replyd,
" That you shold waxe so wode ! "
But for all that shee could do or saye,
He wold not be withstood.
" Sith you have had your wille of mee,
And put me to open shame.
Now, if yon are a courteous knighte,
Tell me what is your name ? "
" Some do call mee Jacke, sweet heart.
And some do call mee Jille ;
But when I come to the kings faire courte.
They calle me Wilfulle Wille."
]1, 12, Percy's.
■254: THE KNIGHT, AND SHEPHERD'S DAUGHTER.
He sett his foot into the stirrup,
And awaye then he did ride ;
She tuckt her girdle about her middle,
And ranne close by his side.
But when she came to the brode water, 25
She sett her brest and swamme ;
And when she was got out againe.
She tooke to her heels and ranne.
He never was the courteous knighte,
To saye, " Faire maide, will ye ride ? " 30
And she was ever too loving a maide
To saye, " Sir knighte, abide."
When she came to the kings faire courte.
She knocked at the ring ;
So readye was the king himself 35
To let this faire maide in.
" Now Christ you save, my gracious hege.
Now Christ you save and see ;
You have a knighte within your courte
This daye hath robbed mee." 40
" What hath he robbed thee of, sweet heart ?
Of purple or of pall ?
Or hath he took thy gaye gold ring
From off thy finger small ? " *
THE KNIGHT, AND SHEPHERD's DAUGHTER. 2o5
" He hath not robbed mee, my liege, 45
Of purple nor of pall ;
But he hath gotten my maidenhead.
Which grieves mee worst of all/'
" Now if he be a batchelor,
His bodye He give to thee ; w
But if he be a married man,
High hanged he shall bee."
He called downe his merrye men all,
By one, by two, by three ;
Sir William used to bee the first, »5
But nowe the last came hee.
He brought her downe full fortye pounde,
Tyed up withinne a glove :
" Faire maid, He give the same to thee ;
Go, seeke thee another love." fio
" 0 He have none of your gold," she sayde,
" Nor lie have none of your fee ;
But your faire bodye I must have,
The king hath granted mee."
Sir William ranne and fetchd her then «j
Five hundred pound in golde,
Saying, " Faire maide, take this to thee.
Thy fault will never be tolde."
" Tis not the gold that shall mee tempt,"
These words then answered shee,
" But your own bodye I must have,
The king hath granted mee."
" Would I had drunke the water cleare,
When I did drinke the wine.
Rather than any shepherds brat
Shold bee a ladye of mine !
" Would I had drank the puddle foule.
When I did drink the ale.
Rather than ever a shepherds brat
Shold tell me such a tale ! "
" A shepherds brat even as I was,
You mote have let mee bee ;
I never had come to the kings faire courte,
To crave any love of thee."
He sett her on a milk-white steede.
And himself upon a graye ;
He hung a bugle about his necke.
And soe they rode awaye.
But when they came unfo the place.
Where marriage-rites were done,
She proved herself a dukes daughter,
And he but a squires sonne.
THE KNIGHT, AND SHEPHERD's DAUGHTER. 257
" Now marrje me, or not, sir knight,
Your pleasure shall be free :
If -you make me ladye of one good towne, 95
He make you lord of three."
" Ah ! cursed bee the gold," he sayd ;
"If thou hadst not been trewe,
I shold have forsaken my sweet love,
And have changed her for a newe." 100
And now their hearts bfeing linked fast.
They joyned hand in hande :
Thus he had both purse, and person too.
And all at his commande.
VOL. HI. 17
EARL RICHARD.
Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 377. From recitation.
Earl Richard once on a day,
And all his valiant men so wight,
He did him down to Barnisdale,
Where all the land is fair and light.
He was aware of a damosel,
I wot fast on she did her bound,
With towers of gold upon her head.
As fair a woman as could be found.
He said, " Busk on you, fair ladye.
The white flowers and the red ;
For I would give my bonnie ship,
To get your maidenhead."
" I wish your bonnie ship rent and rive.
And drown you in the sea ;
EARL RICHARD. 259
For all this would not mend the miss ^3
That ye would do to me."
" The miss is not so great, ladye,
Soon mended it might be.
" I have four-and-twenty mills in Scotland,
Stands on the water Tay ; -'^
You'll have them, and as much flour
As they'll grind in a day."
" I wish your bonnie ship rent and rive,
And drown you in the sea ;
For all that would not mend the miss 25
That ye would do for me."
" The miss is not so great, lady,
Soon mended it will be.
" I have four-and-twenty milk-white cows.
All calved in a day ; 30
You'll have them, and as much hained grass
As they all on can gae."
" I wish your bonnie ship rent and rive,
And drown ye in the sea ;
For all that would not mend the miss "a
That ye would do to me."
" The miss is not so great, ladye.
Soon mended it might be.
260 EARL RICHARD.
" I have four-and-twenty milk-white steeds,
All foaled in one year ; «
You'll have them, and as much red gold
As all their backs can bear."
She turned her right and round about,
And she swore by the mold,
" I would not be your love," said she, 45
" For that church full of gold."
He turned him right and round about.
And he swore by the mass.
Says, — " Lady, ye my love shall be,
And gold ye shall have less." m
She turned her right and round about,
And she swore by the moon,
" I would not be your love," says she,
« For all the gold in Rome."
He turned him right and round about, «
And he swore by the moon.
Says, — " Lady, ye my love shall be,
And gold ye shall have none."
He caught her by the milk-white hand.
And by the grass-green sleeve ; co
And there has taken his will of her.
Wholly without her leave.
EARL RICHARD. 261
The lady frowned and sadly blushed,
And oh ! but she thought shame :
Says, — " If you are a knight at all, 65
You surely will tell me your name."
•' In some places they call me Jack,
In other some they call me John ;
But when into the Queen's Court,
Oh then Lithcock it is my name." ro
" Lithcock ! Lithcock ! " the lady said.
And oft she spelt it over again ;
" Lithcock ! it's Latin," the lady said,
" Richard's the English of that name."
The Knight he rode, the lady ran, 75
A live long summer's day ;
Till they came to the wan water
That all men do call Tay.
He set his horse head to the water,
Just thro' it for to ride ; so
And the lady was as ready as him
The waters for to wade.
For he had never been as kind-hearted
As to bid the lady ride ;
75 et seq. This passage has something in common with
Child Waters and Burd Ellen.
262 EARL RICHARD.
And she had never been so low-hearted
As for to bid him bide.
But deep into the wan water
There stands a great big stone ;
He turned his wight horse head about,
Said, " Lady fair, will ye loup on ? "
She's taken the wand was in her hand.
And struck it on the foam.
And before he got the middle stream,
The lady was on dry land.
" By help of God and our Lady,
My help lyes not in your hand.
" I learned it from my mother dear, —
Few is there that has learned better-
When I came to a deep water,
I can swim thro' like ony otter.
" I learned it from my mother dear, —
I find I learned it for my weel ;
When I came to a deep water,
I can swim thro' like ony eel." .
" Turn back, turn back, you lady fair,
You know not what I see ;
There is a lady in that castle,
That will burn you and me. "
EARL EICHARD. 263
" Betide me weal, betide me wae,
That ladj will I see." no
She took a ring from her finger,
And gave't the porter for his fee :
Says, " Tak you that, my good porter,
And bid the Queen speak to me."
And when she came before the Queen, uo
There she fell low down on her knee :
Says, " There is a knight into your court,
This day has robbed me."
" O has he robbed you of your gold.
Or has he robbed you of your fee ? " 120
" He has not robbed me of my gold.
He has not robbed me of my fee ;
He has robbed me of my maidenhead,
The fairest flower of my bodie."
" There is no knight in all my court, l^
That thus has robbed thee.
But you'll have the truth of his right hand,
Or else for your sake he'll die,
Tho' it were Earl Richard, my own brother ;
And oh forbid that it be ! " 13a
Then, sighing, said the lady fair,
" I wot the samen man is he."
264 EARL RICHARD.
The Queen called on her merry men,
Even fifty men and three ;
Earl Richard used to be the first man, 135
But now the hindmost was he.
He's taken out one hundred pounds,
And told it in his glove ;
Says, " Tak you that, my lady fair.
And seek another love." 1*0
" Oh no, oh no," the lady cried,
" That's what shall never be ;
I'll have the truth of your right hand.
The Queen it gave to me."
" I wish I had drunk of your water, sister, !«
When I did di'ink your wine ;
That for a cai'le's fair daughter.
It does gar me dree all this pine."
" May be I am a carle's daughter.
And may be never nane ; iso
When ye met me in the green wood.
Why did you not let me alane ? "
" Will you wear the short clothes.
Or will you wear the side ;
Or will you walk to your wedding, 155
Or will you till it ride ? "
EARL RICHARD. 26o
" I will not wear the short clothes,
But I will wear the side ;
I will not walk to my wedding,
But I to it will ride." leo
When he was set upon the horse,
The lady him behind.
Then cauld and eerie were the words
The twa had them between.
She said, " Good e'en, ye nettles tall, i65
Just there where ye grow at the dike ;
If the auld carline my mother was here,
Sae weel's she would your pateg pike.
" How she would stap you in her poke,
I wot at that she wadna fail ; i7o
And boil ye in her auld brass pan.
And of ye mak right gude kail.
" And she would meal you with millering
That she gathers at the mill.
And mak you thick as any daigh ; 175
And when the pan was brimful,
" Would mess you up m scuttle dishes,
Syne bid us sup till we were fou ;
Lay down her head upon a poke,
Then sleep and snore like any sow." iso
266 EARL RICHARD.
" Away ! away ! you bad woman,
For all your vile words grieveth me ;
When ye heed so little for yourself,
I'm sure ye'll heed far less for me.
" I wish I had drunk your water, sister, isa
When that I did drink of your wine ;
Since for a carle's fair daughter.
It aye gars me dree all this pine."
" May be I am a carle's daughter.
And may be never nane ; i9o
When ye met me in the good green wood,
Why did you not let me alane ?
" Gude e'en, gude e'en, ye heather berries.
As ye 're growing on yon hill ;
If the auld carle and his bags were here, 195
I wot he would get meat his fill.
" Late, late at night I knit our pokes.
With even four-and-twenty knots ;
And in the morn at breakfast time,
I'll carry the keys of an earl's locks. 200
" Late, late at night I knit our pokes.
With even four-and-twenty strings ;
And if you look to my white fingers.
They have as many gay gold rings."
I
EARL RICHARD. 267
" Away ! away ! ye ill woman, 205.
And sore your vile words grievetli me ;.
When you heed so little for yourself^.
I'm sure ye'll heed far less for me,
" But if you are a carle's daughter,
As I take you to be, 2hj
How did you get the gay clothing,
In green wood ye had on thee ? "
" My mother she's a poor woman.
She nursed earl's children three ;
And I got them from a foster sister, 215
For to beguile such sparks as thee."
'' But if you be a carle's daughter.
As I believe you be,
How did ye learn the good Latin,
In green wood ye spoke to me ? " 220
*' My mother she's a mean woman,
She nursed earl's children three ;
I learned it from their chapelain.
To beguile such sparks as ye."
When mass was sung, and bells were rung, 225
And all men boune for bed,
Then Earl Richard and this ladye
In ane bed they were laid.
268 EARL RICHARD.
He turned his face to the stock,
And she hers to the stane ; 230
And cauld and dreary was the luve
That was thir twa between.
Great was the mirth in the kitchen,
Likewise intill the ha' ;
But in his bed laj Earl Richard, 235
Wiping the tears awa'.
He wept till he fell fast asleep.
Then slept till licht was come ;
Then he did hear the gentlemen
That talked in the room : no
Said, — " Saw ye ever a fitter match,
Betwixt the ane and ither ;
The King o' Scotland's fair dochter.
And the Queen of England's brither ? "
"And is she the King o' Scotland's fair
dochter ? ' 2«
This day, oh, weel is me !
For seven times has my steed been saddled.
To come to court with thee ;
And with this witty lady fair.
How happy must I be ! " 260
THE GAY GOSS-HAWK.
From Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, iii. 151.
" This Ballad is published, partly from one under
this title, in Mrs. Brown's collection, and partly from
a MS. of some antiquity, penes Edit. The stanzas
appearing to possess most merit have been selected
from each copy." — Scott.
Annexed is another version from Motherwell's col-
lection. A third, longer than either, is furnished by
Buchan, Ballads of the North of Scotland, ii. 245, The
Scottish Squire.
" O WALY, waly, my gay goss-hawk,
Gin your feathering be sheen ! "
" And waly, waly, my master dear.
Gin ye look pale and lean !
" O have ye tint, at tournament, s
Your sword, or yet your spear ?
Or mourn ye for the southern lass.
Whom ye may not win near ? "
70 THE GAY GOSS-IIAWK.
-" I have not tint, at tournament,
Mj sword nor yet my spear ;
But sair I mourn for my true love,
Wi' mony a bitter tear.
" But weel's me on ye, my gay goss-hawk,
Ye can baith speak and flee ;
Ye sail carry a letter to my love,
Bring an answer back to me."
" But how sail I your true love find,
Or how suld I her know ?
I bear a tongue ne'er vn' her spake,
An eye that ne'er her saw."
" O weel sail ye my true love ken,
Sae sune as ye her see ;
For, of a' the flowers of fair England,
The fairest flower is she.
" The red, that's on my true love's cheek.
Is like blood-drops on the snaw ;
The white, that is on her breast bare.
Like the down o' the white sea-maw.
" And even at my love's bouer-door
There grows a flowering birk ;
And ye maun sit and sing thereon
As she gangs to the kirk.
THE GAY GOSS-HAWK. 271
" And four-and-tvventy fair ladyes
Will to the mass repair ;
But weel may ye my ladye ken, 33
The fairest ladye there."
Lord William has written a love-letter,
Put it under his pinion gray ;
And he is awa to southern land
As fast as wings can gae. 40
And even at the ladye's hour
There grew a flowering birk ;
And he sat down and sung thereon
As she gaed to the kirk.
And weel he kent that ladye fair «
Amang her maidens free ;
For the flower that springs in May morning
Was not sae sweet as she.
He lighted at the ladye's yate,
And sat him on a pin ; fo
And sang fu' sweet the notes o' love,
Till a' was cosh within.
And first he sang a low, low note,
And syne he sang a clear ;
And aye the o'erword o' the sang 53
Was — " Your love can no win here.'' —
272 THE GAT GOSS-HAWK.
" Feast on, feast on, my maidens a',
The wine flows you amang.
While I gang to my shot-window,
And hear yon bonny bird's sang. eo
" Sing on, sing on, my bonny bird.
The sang ye sung yestreen ;
For weel I ken, by your sweet singing,
Ye are frae my true love sen."
O first he sang a merry sang, es
And syne he sang a grave ;
And syne he pick'd his feathers gray.
To her the letter gave.
" Have there a letter from Lord William ;
He says he's sent ye three ; ro
He canna wait your love langer.
But for your sake he'll die." —
" Gae bid him bake his bridal bread,
And brew his bridal ale ;
And I shall meet him at Mary's kirk, 75
Lang, lang ere it be stale."
The lady's gane to her chamber.
And a moanfu' woman was she ;
As gin she had ta'en a sudden brash.
And were about to die. so
THE GAY GOSS-HAWK. 273
" A boon, a boon, my father deir,
A boon I beg of thee !" —
" Ask not that panghty Scottish lord.
For him you ne'er shall see :
" But, for your honest asking else, 85
Weel granted it shall be." —
" Then, gin I die in Southern land,
In Scotland gar bury me.
" And the first kirk that ye come to,
Ye's gar the mass be sung ; 90
And the next kirk that ye come to,
Ye's gar the bells be rung.
" And when you come to St. Mary's kirk,
Ye's tarry there till night."
And so her father pledg'd his word, as
And so his promise plight.
She has ta'en her to her bigly hour
As fast as she could fare ;
And she has drank a sleepy draught.
That she had mix'd wi' care. 100
And pale, pale, grew her rosy cheek.
That was sae bright of blee.
And she seem'd to be as surely dead
As any one could be.
VOL. III. 18
k
274 THE GAY GOSS-HAWK.
Then spake her cruel step-minnie,
" Tak ye the burning lead,
And drap a drap on her bosome,
To try if she be dead."
They took a drap o' boiling lead,
They drapp'd it on her breast ;
" Alas ! alas ! " her father cried,
" She's dead without the priest."
She neither chatter'd with her teeth,
Nor shiver'd with her chin ;
" Alas ! alas ! " her father cried,
" There is nae breath within."
Then up arose her seven brethren,
And hew'd to her a bier ;
They hew'd it frae the solid aik,
Laid it o'er wi' silver clear.
Then up and gat her seven sisters.
And sewed to her a kell ;
And every steek that they put in
Sewed to a siller bell.
The first Scots kirk that they cam to.
They garr'd the bells be rung ;
The next Scots kirk that they cam to,
They garr'd the mass be sung.
THE GAY GOSS-HAWK. 275
But when they cam to St. Mary's kirk,
There stude spearmen all on a raw ; iso
And up and started Lord William,
The chieftane amang them a.'
" Set down, set down the bier," he said,
" Let me look her upon : "
But as soon as Lord "William touch'd her hand,
Her colour began to come. mb
She brightened like the lily flower,
Till her pale colour was gone ;
With rosy cheek, and ruby lip.
She smiled her love upon. mo
" A morsel of your bread, my lord,
And one glass of your wine ;
For I hae fasted these three lang days,
All for your sake and mine. —
" Grae hame, gae hame, my seven bauld brothers,
Gae hame and blaw your horn ! i46
I trow ye wad hae gi'en me the skaith.
But I've gi*en you the scorn.
" Commend me to my grey father,
That wished my saul gude rest ; ieo
But wae be to my cruel step-dame,
Garr'd bum me on the breast."- —
276 THE GAY GOSS-HAWK.
" Ah ! woe to you, you light woman !
An ill death may ye die !
For we left father and sisters at hame
Breaking their hearts for thee."
V. 26. This simile resembles a passage in a MS. translation
of an Irish Fairy tale, called The Adventures of Faravla^
Princess of Scotland, and Carral O^Daly, Son of Donoglio More
O'JDaly, Chief Bard of Ireland. " Faravla, as she entered her
bower, cast her looks upon the earth, which was tinged with
the blood of a bird which a raven had newly killed: ' Like
that snow,' said Faravla, * was the complexion of my beloved,
his cheeks like the sanguine traces thereon ; whilst the raven
recalls to my memory the colour of his beautiful locks.' "
There is also some resemblance in the conduct of the story,
betwixt the ballad and the tale just quoted. The Princess
Faravla, being desperately in love with Carral O'Daly, de-
spatches in search of him a faithful confidante, who, by her
magical art, transforms herself into a hawk, and, perching
upon the windows of the bard, conveys to him information
of the distress of the Princess of Scotland. Scott.
THE JOLLY GOSHAWK.
Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 353.
" O WELL is me, my jolly goshawk,
That ye can speak and flee ;
For ye can carry a love-letter
To my true love from me."
" O how can I cariy a letter to her, «
When her I do not know ?
I bear the lips to her never spak,
And the eyes that her never saw."
" The thing of my love's face that's white
Is that of dove or maw ; ifi
The thing of my love's face that's red
Is like blood shed on snaw.
" And when you come to the castel.
Light on the bush of ash ;
278 THE JOLLY GOSHAWK.
Alid sit you there and sing our loves,
As she comes from the mass.
" And when she gaes into the house,
Sit ye upon the whin ;
And sit you there and sing our loves.
As she goes out and in."
And when he flew to that castel.
He lighted on the ash ;
And there he sat and sung their loves,
As she came from the mass.
And when she went into the house.
He flew unto the whin ;
And there -he sat and sung their loves.
As she went out and in.
" Come hitherward, my maidens all.
And sip red wine anon.
Till I go to my west window.
And hear a birdie's moan."
She's gane unto hei* west window,
And fainly aye it drew ;
And soon into her white silk lap
The bird the letter threw.
" Ye're bidden send your love a send
For he has sent you twa ;
THE JOLLY GOSHAWK. 279
And tell him where he can see you,
Or he cannot Uve ava." 40
" I send him the rings from my wHite fin-
gers,
The garlands off my hair ;
I send him the heart that's in my breast :
What would my love have mair ?
And at the fourth kirk in fau' Scotland, 43
Ye'U bid him meet me there."
She hied her to her father dear,
As fast as gang could she :
" An asking, an asking, ray father dear,
An asking ye grant me, — so
That, if I die in fair England,
In Scotland gar bury me.
" At the first kirk of fair Scotland,
You cause the bells be rung ;
At the second kirk of fair Scotland, w
You cause the mass be sung ;
" At the third kirk of fair Scotland,
You deal gold for my sake ;
And at the fourth kirk of fair Scotland,
Oh there you'll bury me at ! co
." And now, ray tender father dear,
This asking grant you me : "
280 THE JOLLY GOSHAWK.
" Your asking is but small," he said,
" Weel granted it shall be."
\_The lady asks the same boon and receives a
similar answer, Jlrst from her mother, then from
her sister, and lastly from her seven brothers.']
Then down as dead that lady drapp'd.
Beside her mother's knee ;
Then out it spak an auld witch wife,
By the fire-side sat she :
Says, — " Drap the het lead on her cheek.
And drap it on her chin, ro
And drap it on her rose red lips.
And she will speak again :
For much a lady young will do,
To her true love to win."
They drapp'd the het lead on her cheek, ro
So did they on her chin ;
They drapp'd it on her red rose lips,
But they breathed none again.
Her brothers they went to a room,
To make to her a bier ; fa
The boards of it were cedar wood.
And the plates on it gold so clear.
THE JOLLY GOSHAWK. 281
Her sisters they went to a room,
To make to her a sark ;
The cloth of it was satin fine, «>
And the steeking silken wark.
" But well is me, my jolly goshawk,
That ye can speak and flee ;
Come shew to me any love tokens
That you have brought to me." so
" She sends you the rings from her fingers,
The garlands from her hair ;
She sends you the heart within her breast :
And what would you have mair ?
And at the fourth kirk of fair Scotland, 95
She bids you meet her there."
" Come hither, all my merry young men.
And drink the good red wine ;
For we must on to fair England,
To free my love from pine»" wo
At the first kirk of fair Scotland,
They gart the bells be rung ;
At the second kirk of fair Scotland,
They gart the mass be sung.
At the third kirk of fair Scotland, 105
They dealt gold for her sake ;
282 THE JOLLY GOSHAWK.
And the fourth kirk of fair Scotland
Her true love met them at.
" Set down, set down the corpse," he said,
" Till I look on the dead ; no
The last time that I saw her face.
She ruddy was and red ;
But now, alas, and woe is me !
She's wallowed like a weed."
He rent the sheet upon her face, iis
A little aboon her chin ;
With lily white cheek, and lemin' eyne.
She lookt and laugh'd to him.
" Give me a chive of your bread, my love,
A bottle of your wine ; 120
For I have fasted for your love,
These weary lang days nine ;
There's not a steed in your stable.
But would have been dead ere syne.
" Gae hame, gae hame, my seven brothers, 125
Gae hame and blaw the horn ;
For you can say in the South of England,
Your sister gave you a scorn.
" I came not here to fair Scotland,
To lye amang the meal ; lao
F
THE JOLLY GOSHAWK. 283
But I came here to fair Scotland,
To wear the silks so weel.
" I came not here to fair Scotland,
To lye amang the dead ;
But I came here to feir Scotland, las
To wear the gold so red."
APPENDIX
k
L
YOUNG HUNTING. See p. 3.
From Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, i. 118.
Lady Maisry forth from her bower came,
And stood on her tower head ;
She thought she heard a bridle ring,
The sound did her heart guid.
She thought it was her first true love.
Whom she loved ance in time ;
But it was her new love, Hunting,
Come frae the hunting o' the hyn'.
" Gude morrow, gude morrow. Lady Maisry,
God make you safe and free !
I'm come to take my last farewell.
And pay my last visit to thee."
" O stay, O stay then, young Hunting,
O stay with me this night ;
Ye shall ha'e cheer, an' charcoal clear,
And candles burning bright.
" Have no more cheer, you lady fair,
An hour langer for me ;
288 YOUNG HUNTING.
I have a lady in Garmouth town
I love better than thee."
" O if your love be changed, my love,
Since better canno' be,
Nevertheless, for auld lang syne,
Ye'll stay this night wi' me.
" Silver, silver shall be your wage.
And gowd shall be your fee ;
And nine times nine into the year.
Your weed shall changed be.
" Will ye gae to the cards or dice.
Or to a tavern fine ?
Or will ye gae to a table forebye,
And birl baith beer and wine ? '*
" I winna gang to the cards nor dice,
Nor to a tavern fine ;
But I will gang to a table forebye,
And birl baith beer and wine."
Then she has drawn for young Hunting
The beer but and the wine,
Till she got him as deadly drunk
As ony unhallowed swine.
Then she's ta'en out a trusty brand,
That hang below her gare ;
Then she's wounded him, young Hunting,
A deep wound and a sair.
Then out it speaks her comrade.
Being in the companie :
YOUNG HUNTING. 289
" Alas ! this deed that ye ha'e done,
Will ruin baith you and me."
" Heal "well, heal well, you Lady Katharine,
Heal well this deed on me ; so
The robes that were shapen for my bodie,
They shall be sewed for thee. "
" Tho' I wou'd heal it never sae well,
And never sae well," said she,
" There is a God above us baith, ss
That can baith hear and see."
They booted him and spurred him,
As he'd been gaun to ride ;
A hunting-horn about his neck,
A sharp sword by his side. eo
And they rode on, and farther on.
All the lang summer's tide.
Until they came to wan watery
Where a' man ca's it Clyde.
The deepest pot in Clyde's water, 65
There they flang him in.
And put a turf on his breast bane.
To had young Hunting down.
O out it spd&ks a little wee bird.
As she sat on the brier : to
" Gae hame, gae hame, ye Lady Maisry,
'And pay your maiden's hire."
65, And the. 66, And there. See 133, 134.
VOL. III. 19
290 YOUNG HUNTING.
"01 will pay my maiden's hire,
And hire I'll gi'e to thee ;
If ye'll conceal this fatal deed, :
Ye's ha'e gowd for your fee."
Then out it speaks a bonny bird.
That flew aboon their head ;
" Keep well, keep well your green claithing
Frae ae drap o' his bluid." i
" O I'll keep well my green claithing
Frae ae drap o' his bluid,
Better than I'll do your flattering tongue.
That flutters in your head.
" Come down, come down, my bonny bird, i
Light down upon my hand ;
For ae gowd feather that's in your wing,
^ wou'd gi'e a' my land."
" How shall I come down, how can I come down.
How shall I come down to thee ? i
The things ye said to young Hunting,
The same ye're saying to me."
But it fell out on that same day.
The king was going to ride,
And he call'd for him, young Hunting, i
For to ride by his side.
Then out it speaks the little young son.
Sat on the nurse's knee,
" It fears me sair," said that young babe,
" He's in bower wi' yon ladie." "
YOUNG HUNTING. 291
Then they ha'e call'd her, Lady Katharine,
And she sware by the thorn,
That she saw not him, young Hunting,
Sin' yesterday at morn.
Then they ha'e call'd her, Lady Maisry, los
And she sware by the moon,
That she saw not him, young Hunting,
Sin' yesterday at noon.
" He was playing him at the Clyde's water,
Perhaps he has fa'en in : " no
The king he call'd his divers all,
To dive for his young son.
They div'd in thro' the wan burn-bank,
Sae did they out thro' the other :
" We'll dive nae mair," said these young men, us
" Suppose he were our brother."
Then out it spake a little bird,
That flew aboon their head :
" Dive on, dive on, ye divers all,
For there he lies indeed. lao
" But ye'll leave aff your day diving.
And ye'll dive in the night ;
The pot where young Hunting lies in.
The candles they'll burn bright.
" There are twa ladies in yon bower, 126
And even in yon ha'.
And they ha'e kill'd him, young Hunting,
And casten him awa'.
292 YOUNG HUNTING.
" They booted him and spurred him,
As he'd been gaun to ride ;
A hunting horn tied round his neck,
A sharp sword by his side.
" The deepest pot o' Clyde's water,
There they flang him in,
Laid a turf on his breast bane,
To had young Hunting down."
Now they left aff their day diving.
And they dived on the night ;
The pot that young Hunting lay in,
The candles were burning bright.
The king he call'd his hewers all.
To hew down wood and thorn,
For to put up a strong bale-fire,
These ladies for to burn.
And they ha'e ta'en her, Lady Katharine,
And they ha'e pitten her in ;
But it wadna light upon her cheek.
Nor wou'd it on her chin,
But sang the points o' her yellow hair,
For healing the deadly sin.
Then they ha'e ta'en her. Lady Maisry,
And they ha'e put her in :
First it lighted on her cheek,
And syne upon her chin.
And sang the points o' her yellow hair,
And she burnt like keckle-pin.
EARL RICHARD. See p. 3.
The following piece appeared in Scarce Ancient
Ballads, Alexander Laing, Aberdeen, 1822. The af-
fectation of antiquity in the spelling and style will not
prevent the reader from discovering that it is an en-
tirely modern composition, excepting only the twenty
lines of Herd's fragment, which are interwoven with a
story different from that of all the genuine versions.
In truips of two, and truips of tenne,
The ruthless rievers spredde,
And fro the noise, in wyld affraie,
The lawland chieftains fledde.
Tyll up and rose a bold baronne,
The brave Earl Richard he.
Who fyr'd at nicht the beacon bricht.
And rays'd the north countrie.
294 EARL RICHARB.
And cas'd in mayl fro helm to spur
The bold baronne march'd forthe,
And fro the Scotish swaird gar'd flee
The rievers of the Northe.
But whyles to worke his countrie's weil
He stuid in stalwart stowre,
And on the wyde heathe, bare and bleik,
Reik'd not the wyld wind's power,
A wyly knicht, whose faining fausse
Of mickle dule and care
Had freed his cowart heart, frae mang
The toilsom deeds of warre,
Aye in the painted bouir full fain.
With sacred words to muve.
And idlie loytering dale by dale,
Did winne his lady's luve.
And styll he strave her bonnie maidens
To his foule lure to gain,
And aye the lithere leman strave,
But a their toil was vain.
Earl Richard, when the ficht was o'er.
Did mount his trustie steid,
And onward rade o'er muir and mosse,
And rode wi spurs of speid,
Apparell'd all in courier's geir.
As he was wont to ryde,
A huntin home tyed round his waist,
A sharpe sword by his syde.
I
EARL RICHARD. 295
And he rode Easte and he rode Weste,
With mickle speld and pouir,
Untyll he came to the bredde stremme
That girt his stately touir. 40
" Thou warde, that on mie castel wa
Dost keip the watche soe late,
Unloeke the massie halle that shuts
Soe faste mie ironne gate."
The warde, that on the castel wa 45
Did keip the watche soe late,
Unlock'd the massie halle that shut
Soe faste the ironne gate.
With sacred words and luiks of luve,
(Ah foule deceivours theye !) so
His winsome dame sa faste approch'd,
Bedight in braive arraie.
Her lillie hand did beare a cuppe,
'Twas a gowd but the stem,
Full fayre and wroughte the burnish'd sydes, 65
Studded wyth mony a gem.
But straunge to say, a sicklie dew
O'erspredde the gems so sheen,
And chaung'd to pale the rubies red.
The emraud's vivid green. »•
She held it forthe to the bolde baronne,
(Her ain hand drugg'd the cuppe,)
He tuik the fraudfu' gift, and drunk
The lethal bevrage up.
296 EARL RICHARD.
But lest the deidly draucht should fayle,
Whiles lock'd in sleip he laie,
Her ain hand gave the deip wyde wounds,
Whence well'd his lyfe awaie.
Swifte was the streme and deip, that flow'd
The castel wa besyde,
And ther they threw that earl's bodie,
Deipe i the dashing tyde.
" Rin ye, rin to the braid, braid loch,
Soe faste as ye can drie,
And beir awa wi that grimme baronne,
A pain and greafe, frae me."
The river it rin to the braid, braid loch,
Soe faste as it could drie.
But did not beir wi that grimme baronne,
A pain and greafe frae thee.
For scarse sevin daies were gone, and a'
Were lock'd in sleip fu faste,
A tempest rose, and the foule fiende
Yrode the dreidfu' blaste.
And loud loud blew the westlin wind,
Sair shook the massie touir.
And the blue light'nings forky flash
Was shynand i the bouir.
The ladie waked wi trembling dreid.
And op'd her een sae wyde,
And ther she saw the earl's bodie,
Lay weltring by her syde.
I
EARL RICHARD. 297
She has called to her maidens,
She call'd them ane by ane ;
" There lyes a deid man i mi bouir, 95
I wish that he was gane."
They ha booted him and spurred him,
As he was wont to ryde,
A huntin horn ty'd round his waste,
A sharpe sword by his syde. loo
Then up it spak a bonnie bird,
That sat upon a trie :
" What ha ye don wi Earl Richard ?
Ye was his gaie ladie."
" Cum doun, cum doun, mi bonnie bird, 106
And licht upon my hand,
And ye sail ha a cage o gowd,
Wher ye ha but the wand."
" Awa, awa, ye ill woman ;
Nae cage o gowd for me ; no
As ye ha don to Earl Richard,
Sae wou'd ye doe to me."
She has call'd to her bouir maidens,
She has call'd them ane by ane :
" Ther lyes a deid man in mi bouir, us
1 wish that he was gane."
They ha booted him and spurred him.
As he was was wont to ryde,
A huntin horn ty'd round his waste,
A gharpe sword by his syde. 120
113, bonnie.
298' EARL RICHARD.
And up and spak the bouir woman,
And a wafu woman was she :
" These swevons cum of Earl Richard ;
Ye slue him, thou fausse ladie ! "
" Now say not soe, thou bouir woman, i25
I pray thee say not soe,
For thin the irefu kyth and kin
Would worck me meikle woe.
" And rU gie thee fee, and I'll gie thee land.
And silver and gowden arraie, i30
And thou shalt ha'e a tall, tall luve,
And be a ladie gale."
" I winna ha thie fee, and I winna ha thie land.
Nor thie silver and gowden arraie,
Nor sha't thou gie me a tall, tall luve, 135
Nor mak me a ladie gaie.
" But I wi ca Earl Richard's frendys a,
And rU ca the kyth and kin,
And I wi sound the grass green horn,
And lat a the merry men in." 140
And up and came that kyth and kin.
By ane, by twa and by three.
And " out alas ! " and-" wae worth !" thei cried,
" Ye ha slain him, thou fausse ladie ! "
And thei mounted the steid, nor blynn'd ther speid,
O'er muir, mosse, dell and doune, i46
Untyll thei came to the gude Scotch king,
As he sat in Edinburghe toune :
121, 125, bonnie. 127, For thei. 131, be a.
EARL RICHARD. 299
Untyll ttei cam to his castell so hlghe,
All as he sat at dyne, iso
With monie a knicht and bold baronne,
Drinking the bluid rede wyne.
" Justice, O justice, gude mie liege,
Agaynst ane ill woman ;
Earl Richard's wyfe a fausse ladie is she, 155
For her ain trew lord has she slaine."
Then up it spak our gude Scots kinge,
And ane angry man was he :
" Now hye ye bak to Earl Richard's castell.
And bren that fausse ladie." leo
And he has wrytten a braid letter,
, And sygn'd it we his hand :
" Now hye ye back to Earl Richard's castell,
And bren that fausse leman."
And hameward thei hy^d, the kith and kin, les
Thei did nae stop nae stand,
And when thei cam to Earl Richard's castell,
Thei brent that fausse leman.
And then the maining for Earl Richard
Sevin lang, lang dales thei keipt, iro
And a the kyth and kin wer ther,
And a the lawlands weipt.
And out and cam the gude frier.
And a waefu man was he ;
To our ladies kirk in Dunfernlyn toune, 175
Thei bore this Earl's bodie.
300 EARL RICHARD.
And the deathbell was rung, and masse was sung,
*Twas waefu wae to see ;
And ther he lyes by the kirke wa,
A under the braid yew tree. lao
YOUNG WATERS.
From Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, i. p. 15.
It fell about the gude Yule time,
When caps and stoups gaed roun',
Down it came him young Waters,
To welcome James, our king.
The great, the great, rade a' together,
The sma' came a' behin' ;
But wi' young Waters, that brave knight,
There came a gay gatherin'.
The horse young Waters rade upon,
It cost him hunders nine ;
For he was siller shod before,
And gowd graith had behin*.
At ilka tippit o* his horse mane
There hang a siller bell ;
The wind was loud, the steed was proud.
And they gae a sindry knell.
The king he lay ower's castle wa',
Beheld baith dale and down ;
And he beheld him, young Waters,
Come riding to the town.
302 ' YOUNG WATERS.
He turn'd him right and round about,
And to the queen said he, —
" Who is the bravest man, my dame,
That ever your een did see ? "
" I've seen lairds, and I've seen lords.
And knights o' high degree ;
But a braver man than young Waters
My e'en did never see."
He turn'd him right and roun* about.
And ane angry man was he ;
" O wae to you, my dame, the queen ;
Ye might ha'e excepted me ! "
" Ye are nae laird, ye are nae lord,
Ye are the king that wears the crow
There's nae a lord in fair Scotland,
But unto you maun a' bow down."
" O lady, for your love choicing.
Ye shall win to your will ;
The morn, or I eat or drink,
Young Waters I'll gar kill."
/ And nevertheless, the king cou'd say,
" Ye might ha'e excepted me ;
Yea for yea," the king cou'd say,
" Young Waters he shall die.
" Likewise for your ill-wyled words
Ye sail ha'e cause to mourn ;
Gin ye hadna been sae big wi' child,
Ye on a hill su'd burn."
YOUNG WATERS. 303
Young Waters came before the King,
Fell low down on his knee ; 50
" Win up, win up, young Waters,
What's this I hear o' thee ? "
" What ails the king at me, he said,
What ails the king at me ? "
" It is tauld me the day, sir knight, a
Ye've done me treasonie."
Liars will lie on sell gude men,
Sae will they do on me ;
I wudna wish to be the man
That Uars on wudna lie." 60
Nevertheless, the king cou'd say,
" In prison Strang gang ye ;
O yea for yea," the king cou'd say,
" Young Waters, ye shall die."
Syne they ha'e ta'en him, young Waters, 65
Laid him in prison Strang,
And left him there wi' fetters boun'.
Making a heavy mane.
" Aft ha'e I ridden thro' Striveling town
Thro' heavy wind and weet ; 70
But ne'er rade I thro' Striveling town
Wi' fetters on my feet.
" Aft ha'e I ridden thro' Striveling town,
Thro' heavy wind and rain ;
But ne'er rade I thro' Striveling town 75
But thought to ridden't asain."
304 YOUNG WATERS.
They brought him to the heading-hill,
His horse, hot and his saddle ;
And they brought to the heading-hill
His young son in his cradle.
And they brought to the heading-hill,
His hounds intill a leish ;
And they brought till the heading-hill,
His gos-hawk in a jess.
King James he then rade up the hill,
And mony a man him wi',
And called on his trusty page,
To come right speedilie.
'* Ye'll do' ye to the Earl o' Mar,
For he sits on yon hill ;
Bid him loose the brand frae his bodie,
Young Waters for to kill."
" O gude forbid," the Earl he said,
" The like su'd e'er fa' me.
My bodie e'er su'd wear the brand
That gars young Waters die."
Then he has loos'd his trusty brand.
And casten't in the sea ;
Says, " Never lat them get a brand.
Till it come back to me."
The scaffold it prepared was.
And he did mount it hie ;
And a' spectators that were there.
The saut tears blint their e'e.
YOUNG WATERS. SOo
*' O had your tongues, my brethren dear, los
And mourn nae mair for me ;
Ye're seeking grace frae a graceless face,
For there is nane to gie.
" Ye'll tak' a bit o' canvas claith,
And pit it ower my ee ; no
And Jack, my man, ye'll be at hand,.
The hour that I su'd die.
" Syne aff ye'll tak' my bluidy sark,.
Gie it fair Margaret Grahame ;
For she may curse the dowie dell 115
That brought King James him hame.
" Ye'll bid her mak' her bed narrow,
And mak' it naeways wide ;
For a brawer man than young Waters
Will ne'er streek by her side. 120
" Bid her do weel to my young son,
And gie him nurses three ;
For gin he Hve to be a man,
King James will gar him die."
He call'd upon the headsman then, 125
A purse o' gowd him gae ;
Says, " Do your office, headsman, boy,
And mak' nae mair delay."
" O head me soon, O head me clean,
And pit me out o' pine ; i«»
For it is by the king's command ;
Gang head me till his min'.
VOL. III. 20
306 YOUNG AVATERS.
" Tho' by him I'm condemn'd to die,
I'm lieve to his ain kin ;
And for the truth, I'll plainly tell,
I am his sister's son."
" " Gin ye're my sister's son," he said,
" It is unkent to me."
" O mindna ye on your sister Bess,
That lives in the French countrie ? "
" Gin Bess then be your mither dear,
As I trust well she be,
Gae hame, gae hame, young Waters,
Ye'se ne'er be slain by me."
But he lay by his napkin fine,
Was saft as ony silk,
And on the block he laid his neck.
Was whiter than the milk.
Says, " Strike the blow, ye headsman, boy,
And that right speedilie ;
It's never be said here gaes a knight,
Was ance condemn'd to die."
The head was ta'en frae young Waters,
And mony tears for him shed ;
But mair did mourn for fair Margaret,
As raving she lyes mad.
LAMMIKIN. See p. 94.
Finlay's Scottish BaUads, ii. 47.
Lammikin was as gude a mason
As ever hewed a stane ;
He biggit Lord Weire's castle,
But payment gat he nane.
" Sen ye winna gie me my guerdon, lord,
Sen ye winna gie me my hire,
This gude castle, sae stately built,
I sail gar rock wi' fire.
" Sen ye winna gie me my wages, lord,
Ye sail hae cause to rue : "
And syne he brewed a black revenge.
And syne he vowed a vow.
The Lammikin sair wroth, sair wroth,
Returned again to Downe ;
But or he gaed, he vow'd and vow'd.
The castle should sweep the ground.
308 LAMMIKIN.
" O byde at hame, my gude Lord Weire,
I weird ye byde at hame ;
Gang na to this day's hunting,
To leave me a* alane.
" Yae night, yae night, I dreamt this bower
0 red, red blude was fu' ;
Gin ye gang to this black hunting,
1 sail hae cause to rue."
" Wha looks to dreams, my winsome dame ?
Nae cause hae ye to fear : "
And syne he kindly kissed her cheek,
And syne the starting tear.
Now to the gude green-wood he's gane.
She to her painted bower ;
But first she closed the windows and doors
Of the castle, ha', and tower.
They steeked doors, they steeked yetts,
Close to the cheek and chin ;
They steeked them a' but a wee wicket,
And Lammikin crap in.
" Where are the lads o' this castle ? "
Says the Lammikin ;
" They are a' wi Lord Weire, hunting,"
The false nourice did sing.
" Where are the lasses o' this castle ? "
Says the Lammikin ;
" They are a' out at the washing,"
The false nourice did sing.
LAMMIKIX. 309
But where's the lady o* this castle ? " 45
Says the Lammikin ;
She is in her bower sewing,"
The false nourice did sing.
" Is this the bairn o' this house ? "
Says the Lammikin ;
" The only bairn Lord Weire aughts,"
The false nourice did sing.
Lanmiikin nipped the bonnie babe,
While loud false nourice sings ;
Lammikin nipped the bonnie babe,
Till high the red blude springs.
" Still my bairn, nourice,
O still him if ye can : "
" He will not still, madam,
For a' his father's Ian'."
" O gentle nourice, still my bairn,
O still him wi' the keys : "
" He will not still, fair lady,
Let me do what I please."
" O still my bairn, kind nourice,
O still him wi' the ring : "
" He will not still, my lady.
Let me do any thing."
" O still my bairn, gude nourice,
O still him wi' the knife : "
" He will not still, dear mistress mine.
Gin I'd lay down my life."
310
LAMMIKIX.
" Sweet nourice, loud, loud cries my bairn,
O still liim wi' the bell : "
" He will not still, dear lady,
Till ye cum down yoursell/'
The first step she stepped.
She stepped on a stane.
The next step she stepped,
She met the Lammikin.
And when she saw the red, red blude,
A loud skriech skrieched she :
" O monster, monster, spare my child,
Who never skaithed thee !
" O spare, if in your bluidy breast
Abides not heart of stane !
0 spare, an' ye sail hae o' gold
That ye can carry hame ! "
" I carena for your gold," he said,
" I carena for yoiir fee :
1 hae been wranged by your lord.
Black vengeance ye sail drie.
" Here are nae serfs to guard your haa's,
Nae trusty spearmen here ;
In yon green wood they sound the horn.
And chace the doe and deer.
" Tho merry sounds tlie gude green wood
Wi' huntsmen, hounds, and horn.
Your lord sail rue ere sets yon sun
He has done me skaith and scorn."
LAMMIKIN. 311
" O nourice, wanted ye your meat,
Or wanted ye your fee.
Or wanted ye for any thing,
A fair lady could gie ? "
" I wanted for nae meat, ladie, ifo
I wanted for nae fee ;
But I wanted for a liantle
A fair lady could gie."
Then Lammikin drew his red, red sword,
And sharped it on a stane, no
And through and through this fair ladie,
The cauld, cauld steel is gane.
Nor lang was't after this foul deed.
Till Lord Weire cumin' hame,
Thocht he saw his sweet bairn's bluid ii5
Sprinkled on a stane.
" I wish a' may be weel," he says,
" Wi' my ladie at hame ;
For the rings upon my fingers
Are bursting in twain." 12c
But mair he look'd, and dule saw he,
On the door at the trance,
Spots o' his dear ladys bluid
Shining like a lance.
" There's bluid in my nursery, 121
There's bluid in my ha'.
There's bluid in my fair lady's bower.
An' that's warst of a'."
312 LAMMIKIN.
() sweet, sweet sang the birdie,
Upon the bough sae hie,
But little cared false nourice for that.
For it was her gallows tree.
Then out he set, and his braw men
Rode a* the country roun' ;
Ere lang they faud the Lammikin
Had sheltered near to Downe.
They carried him a' airts o' wind.
And miekle pain had he,
At last before Lord Weire's gate
They hanged him on the tree.
LONG LONKIN. See p. 94.
From Richardson's Borderer's Table-Book, viii. 410.
The lord said to his ladie,
As he mounted his horse,
" Beware of Long Lonkin
That lies in the moss."
The lord said to his ladie,
As he rode away,
" Beware of Long Lonkin
That lies in the clay."
" What care I for Lonkin,
Or any of his gang ?
My doors are all shut
And my windows penned in.
There are six little windows,
And they were all shut,
But one little window,
And that was forgot.
314 LONG LONKIN.
*****
******
And at that little window
Long Lonkin crept in.
" ^Vhere's the lord of the hall ? "
Says the Lonkin ;
" He's gone up to London,"
Says Orange to him.
" Where's the men of the hall ? "
Says the Lonkin ;
" They're at the field ploughing,"
Says Orange to him.
" Where's the maids of the hall ? "
Says the Lonkin ;
" They're at the well washing,"
Says Orange to him.
" Where's the ladies of the hall ? "
Says the Lonkin ;
" They're up in their chambers,"
Says Orange to him.
" How shall we get them down ? "
Says the Lonkin ;
" Prick the babe in the cradle,"
Says Orange to him.
" Rock well my cradle,
And bee-ba my son ;
Ye shall have a new gown
When the lord he comes home."
LONG LONKIN. 315
Still she did prick it,
And bee-ba she cried ;
" Come down, dearest mistress, 45
And still your own child."
" O still my child. Orange,
Still him with a bell ; "
" I can't still him, ladie.
Till you come down yoursell." so
" Hold the gold basin,
For your heart's blood to run in,"
" To hold the gold basin.
It grieves me fuU sore ;
Oh kill me, dear Lonkin, ss
And let my mother go."
THE LAIRD OF WARISTOXJN. See p. 107.
" John Kincaid, Laird of Warlstoun, (an estate
situated between the city of Edinburgh and the sea,
towards Leith,) was murdered, on the 2d of July, 1600,
by a man named Robert "Weir, who was employed to
do so by his wife, Jean Livingstone, daughter of the
Laird of Dunipace. The unfortunate woman, who
thus became impUcated in a crime so revolting to hu-
manity, was only twenty-one years of age at the time.
It is probable from some circumstances, that her hus-
band was considerably older than herself, and also that
their marriage was any thing but one of love. It is
only alleged, however, that she was instigated to seek
his death by resentment for some bad treatment on his
part, and, in particular, for a bite which he had inflict-
ed on her arm. There was something extraordinary
in the deliberation with which this wretched woman
approached the awful gulf of crime. Having resolved
on the means to be employed in the murder, she sent
for a quondam servant of her father, Robert Weir,
who lived in the neighbouring city. He came to the
place of Waristoun, to see her ; but, for some unex-
plained reason was not admitted. She again sent for
him, and he again went Again he was not admitted.
f
THE LAIRD OF WARISTOUN. 317
At lenoth, on his beinor called a third time, he was
introduced to her presence. Before this time she had
found an accomplice in the nurse of her child. It was
then arranged, that Weir should be concealed in a
cellar till the dead of night, when he should come forth
and proceed to destroy the laird as he lay in his cham-
ber. The bloody tragedy was acted precisely in ac-
cordance with this plan. Wier was brought up, at
midnight, from the cellar to the hall by the lady her-
self, and afterwards went forward alone to the laird's
bedroom. As he proceeded to his bloody work, she
retired to her bed, to wait the intelligence of her hus-
band's murder. When Weir entered the chamber,
Waristoun awoke with the noise, and leant inquiringly
over the side of the bed. The murderer then leapt
upon him ; the unhappy man uttered a great cry ;
Weir gave him several dreadful blows on vital parts,
particularly one on the flank vein. But as the laird
was still able to cry out, he at length saw fit to take
more effective measures : he seized him by the throat
with both hands, and compressing that part with all
his force, succeeded, after a few minutes, in depriving
him of life. When the lady heard her husband's first
death-shout, she leapt out of bed, in an agony of min-
gled horror and repentance, and descended to the hall :
but she made no effort to countermand her mission of
destruction. She waited patiently till Weir came
down to inform her that all was over.
" Weir made an immediate escape from justice ; but
Lady Waristoun and the nurse were apprehended be-
fore the deed was half a day old. Being caught, as
the Scottish law terms it, red-hand, — that is, while
still bearing unequivocal marks of guilt, they were
318 THE LAIRD OF WARISTOUN.
immediately tried by the magistrates of Edinburgh,
and sentenced to be strangled and burnt at a stake.
The lady's father, the Laird of Dunipace, was a favour-
ite of King James VI., and he made all the interest
he could with his majesty to procure a pardon ; but
all that could be obtained from the king, was an order
that the unhappy lady should be executed by decapi-
tation, and that at such an early hour in the morning
as to make the affair as little of a spectacle as possible.
" The space intervening between her sentence and
her execution was only thirty-seven hours ; yet, in
that little time, Lady Waristoun contrived to become
converted from a blood-stained and unrelenting mur-
deress into a perfect saint on earth. One of the then
ministers of Edinburgh has left an account of her con-
version, which was lately published, and would be ex-
tremely amusing, were it not for the disgust which
seizes the mind on beholding such an instance of per-
verted religion. She went to the scaffold with a de-
meanour which would have graced a martyr. Her
lips were incessant in the utterance of pious exclama-
tions. She professed herself confident of everlasting
happiness. She even grudged every moment which
she spent in this world, as so much taken from that
sum of eternal felicity which she was to enjoy in the
next. The people who came to witness the last scene,
instead of having their minds inspired with salutary
horror for her crime, were engrossed in admiration of
her saintly behaviour, and greedily gathered up every
devout word which fell from her tongue. It would
almost appear from the narrative of the clergyman,
that her fate was rather a matter of envy than of any
other feeling. Her execution took place at four in
THE LAIRD OF WARISTOUN. 819
the morning of the 5th of July, at the Watergate, near
Holyroodhouse ; and at the same hour her imrse was
burnt on the castle-hill. It is some gratification to
know, that the actual murderer, Weir, was eventually
seized and executed, though not till four years after."
Chambers's Scottish Ballads, p. 129.
From Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, i. 56.
My mother was an ill woman.
In fifteen years she married me ;
I hadna wit to guide a man,
Alas ! ill counsel guided me.
0 Warriston, O Warriston, 5
I wish that ye may sink for sin ;
1 was but bare fifteen years auld.
Whan first I enter'd your yates within.
I hadna been a month married,
Till my gude lord went to the sea ; lo
I bare a bairn ere he came hame,
And set it on the nourice knee.
But it fell ance upon a day.
That ray gude lord return'd from sea ;
Then I did dress in the best array, is
As blythe as ony bird on tree.
I took my young son in my arms.
Likewise my nourice me forebye,
And I went down to yon shore side,
My gude lord's vessel I might spy. 20
320 THE LAIRD OF WARISTOUN.
My lord he stood upon the deck,
I wyte he hail'd me courteouslie ;
'•• Ye are thrice welcome, my lady gay,
Whase aught that bairn on your knee ? "
She turn'd her right and round about,
Says, " Why take ye sic dreads o' me ?
Alas ! I was too young married,
To love another man but thee."
" Now hold your tongue, my lady gay,
Nae mair falsehoods ye'U tell to me ;
This bonny bairn is not mine.
You've loved another while I was on sea.
In discontent then hame she went.
And aye the tear did blin' her e'e ;
Says, " Of this wretch I'll be revenged.
For these harsh words he's said to me."
She's counseU'd wi' her father's steward,
What way she cou'd revenged be ;
Bad was the counsel then he gave, —
It was to gar her gude lord dee.
The nourice took the deed in hand,
I wat she was well paid her fee ;
She kiest the knot, and the loop she ran.
Which soon did gar this young lord dee.
His brother lay in a room hard by,
Alas ! that night he slept too soun' ;
But then he waken'd wi a cry,
" I fear my brother's putten down.
THE LAIRD OF WARISTOUK. 321
" O get me coal and candle light,
And get me some gude companie ; " »
But before the light was brought,
Warriston he was gart dee.
They've ta'en the lady and fause nourice,
In prison strong they ha'e them boun' ;
The nourice she was hard o' heart, ss
But the bonny lady fell in swoon.
In it came her brother dear,
And aye a sorry man was he ;
" I wou'd gie a' the lands I heir,
O bonny Jean, to borrow thee." rn
" O borrow me brother, borrow me, —
0 borrow'd shall I never be ;
For I gart kill my ain gude lord,
And life is nae pleasure to me.'*
In it came her mother dear, w
1 wyte a sorry woman was she ;
" I wou'd gie my white monie and gowd,
O bonny Jean, to borrow thee."
" Borrow me mother, borrow me, —
0 borrow'd shall I never be ; 7o
For I gart kill my ain gude lord.
And life's now nae pleasure to me."
Then in it came her father dear,
1 wyte a sorry man was he ;
Says, " Ohon, alas ! my bonny Jean, is
If I had you at hame wi' me.
VOL. m. 21
322 THE LAIRD OF WARISTOUN.
" Seven daughters I ha'e left at hame,
As fair women as fair can be ;
But I wou'd gi'e them ane by ane,
O bonny Jean, to borrow thee." so
" O borrow me father, borrow me, —
O borrow'd shall I never be ;
I that is worthy o' the death.
It is but right that I shou'd dee."
Then out it speaks the king himsell, 85
; And aye as he steps i\^ the fleer ;
, Says, " I grant you your life, lady,
Because you are of tender year."
" A boon, a boon, my liege the king,
The boon I ask, ye'll grant to me : " flo
" Ask on, ask on, my bonny Jean,
Whate'er ye ask it's granted be."
" Cause take me out at night, at night,
Lat not the sun upon me shine ;
And take me to yon heading hill, m
Strike aff this dowie head o' mine.
" Ye'll take me out at night, at night.
When there are nane to gaze and see ;
And ha'e me to yon heading hill.
And ye'll gar head me speedilie." lOo
They've ta'en her out at nine at night,
Loot not the sun upon her shine ;
And had her to yon heading hill,
And headed her baith neat and fine.
THE LAIRD OF WARISTON. 323
Then out it speaks the king himsell, 106
I wyte a sorry man was he ;
" I've travell'd east, I've travell'd west,
And sailed far beyond the sea,
But I never saw a woman's face
I was sae sorry to see dee. no
" But Warriston was sair to blame,
For slighting o' his lady so ;
He had the wyte o' his ain death,
And bonny lady's overthrow.'*
MARY HAlVnLTON. See p. 113.
A " North Country " version from Kinloch's Ancient
Scottish Ballads, p. 252. The Editor furnishes the
two following stanzas of another copy : —
My father is the Duke of Argyle,
My mother's a lady gay,
And I mysel am a daintie dame,
And the king desired me.
He shaw'd me up, he shaw'd me doun,
He shaw'd me to the ha'.
He shaw'd me to the low cellars,
And that was warst of a'.
In one of Motherwell's copies, and in Buchan's, the
heroine calls herself daughter of the Duke of York.
" Whan I was a babe, and a very httle babe,
And stood at my mither's knee,
Nae witch nor warlock did unfauld
The death I was to dree.
r
MARY HAMILTON. 3^5
" But my mither was a proud woman, s
A proud woman and a bauld ;
And she hired me to Queen Mary's bouer
When scarce eleven years auld.
" O happy, happy, is the maid.
That's born of beauty free ! lo
It was my dimpling rosy cheeks
That's been the dule o' me ;
And wae be to that weirdless wicht,
And a' his witcherie."
Word's gane up and word's gane doun, m
And word's gane to the ha'.
That Mary Hamilton was wi' bairn,
And na body ken'd to wha.
But in and cam the Queen hersel,
Wi' gowd plait on her hair ; — 20
Says, " Mary Hamilton, whare is the babe
That I heard greet sae sair ? "
" There is na babe within my bouer,
And I hope there ne'er will be ;
But it's me wi' a sair and sick colic, 25
And I'm just like to dee."
But they looked up, they looked down,
Atween the bowsters and the wa',
It's there they got a bonnie lad-bairn.
But it's life it was awa'. ao
" Rise up, rise up, Mary Hamilton,
Rise up, and dress ye fine.
326 MARY HAMILTON.
For you maun gang to Edinbruch,
And stand afore the nine.
" Ye'll no put on the dowie black, as
Nor yet the dowie brown ;
But ye'll put on the robes o' red,
To sheen thro' Edinbruch town."
" I'll no put on the dowie black,
Nor yet the dowie brown ; 40
But I'll put on the robes o' red.
To sheen thro' Edinbruch town."
As they gaed thro' Edinbruch town,
And down by the Nether-bow,
There war monie a lady fair 45
Siching and crying, " Och how ! "
" O weep na mair for me, ladies.
Weep na mair for me ;
Yestreen I killed my ain bairn.
The day I deserve to dee. »
" What need ye hech ! and how ! ladies,
What need ye how ! for me ;
Ye never saw grace at a graceless face, —
Queen Mary has nane to gie."
" Gae forward, gae forward," the Queen she said,
" Gae forward, that ye may see ; «
34. Anciently the supreme criminal court of Scotland was
composed of nine members, viz. the Justiciar, or Justice Gen-
eral, and his eight Deputes. Kij^loch.
MARY HAMILTON. 327
For the very same words that ye hae said,
Sail hang ye on the gallows tree."
As she gaed up the Tolbooth stairs,
She gied loud lauchters three ; eo
But or ever she cam down again,
She was condemn'd to dee.
'■ O tak example frae me, Maries,
O tak example frae me,
Nor gie your luve to courtly lords, 65
Nor heed their witchin' ee.
" But wae be to the Queen hersel.
She micht hae pardon'd me ;
But sair she's striven for me to hang
Upon the gaUows tree. 7fl
" Yestreen the Queen had four Maries,
The nicht she'll hae but three ;
There was Mary Beatoun, Mary Seaton,
And Mary Carmichael, and me.
" Aft hae I set pearls in her hair, 7i
Ail hae I lac'd her gown,
And this is the reward I now get,
To be hang'd in Edinbruch town !
" O a' ye mariners, far and near,
That sail ayont the faem, «
O dinna let my father and mither ken,
But what I am coming hame.
" O a' ye mariners, far and near,
That sail ayont the sea,
828 MARY HAMILTON.
Let na my father and mither ken,
The death I am to dee.
" Sae, weep na mair for me, ladies,
Weep na mair for me,
The mithor that kills her ain bairn,
DeserA^es weel for to dee."
MAEY HAMILTON. See p 113.
Maidment's North Countrie Garland, p. 19.
Then down cam Queen Marie
Wi* gold links in her hair,
Saying, " Marie mild, where is the child.
That I heard greet sair sair ? "
" There was nae child wi* me, madam.
There was nae child wi' me ;
It was but me in a sair cholic,
When I was like to die."
" I'm not deceived," Queen Marie said,
" No, no, indeed, not I !
So Marie mild, where is the child ?
For sure I heard it cry."
She turned down the blankets fine,
Likewise the Holland sheet.
And underneath, there strangled lay
A lovely baby sweet.
330 > MARY HAMILTON.
" O cruel mother," smd the Queen,
" Some fiend possessed thee ;
But I will hang thee for this deed,
My Marie tho' thou be ! "
When she cam to the Nether-Bow Port,
She laugh't loud laughters three ;
But when she cam to the gallows foot,
The saut tear blinded her ee.
" Yestreen the Queen had four Maries,
The night she'll hae but three ;
There was Marie Seton, and Marie Beaton,
And Marie Carmichael and me.
" Ye mariners, ye mariners,
That sail upon the sea,
Let not my father or mother wit
The death that I maun die.
" I was my parents' only hope,
They ne'er had ane but me ;
They little thought when I left hame.
They should nae mair me see ! "
SIR HUGH, OR THE JEW'S DAUGHTER.
See p. 136.
From Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 51 ; taken down from re-
citation.
Yesterday was brave Hallowday,
And, above all days of the year,
The schoolboys all got leave to play,
And little Sir Hugh was there.
He kicked the ball with his foot, 6
And kepped it with his knee,
And even in at the Jew's window
He gart the bonnie ba' flee.
Out then came the Jew's daughter, —
" Will ye come in and dine ? " 10
" I winna come in and I canna come in
Till I get that ball of mine.
" Throw down that ball to me, maiden, .
Throw down the ball to me."
" I winna throw down your ball. Sir Hugh, 16
Till ye. come up to me."
She pu'd the apple frae the tree.
It was baith red and green.
She gave it unto little Sir Hugh,
With that his heart did win. ao
332 SIR HUGH.
She wiled him into ae chamber,
She wiled him into twa,
She wiled him into the third chamber,
And that was warst o't a'.
She took out a little penknife, • 26
Hung low down by her spare,
She twined this young thing o' his life.
And a word he ne'er spak mair.
And first came out the thick, thick blood.
And syne came out the thin, so
And syne came out the bonnie heart's blood, —
There was nae mair within.
She laid him on a dressing table,
She dress'd him like a swine.
Says, " Lie ye there, my bonnie Sir Hugh, S6
Wi' ye're apples red and green ! "
She put him in a case of lead.
Says, " Lie ye there and sleep ! "
She threw him into the deep draw-well
Was fifty fathom deep. «
A schoolboy walking in the garden
Did grievously hear him moan,
He ran away to the deep draw-well
And fell down on his knee.
Says, " Bonnie Sir Hugh, and pretty Sir Hugh, 45
I pray you speak to me ;
If you speak to any body in this world,
I pray you speak to me."
SIR HUGH. 333
When bells were rung and mass was sung,
And every body went liame, so
Then every lady had her son,
But Lady Helen had nane.
She rolled her mantle her about,
And sore, sore did she weep ;
She ran away to the Jew's castle, »
When all were fast asleep.
She cries, " Bonnie Sir Hugh, O pretty Sir Hugh,
I pray you speak to me ;
If you speak to any body in this world,
I pray you speak to me." 60
" Lady Helen, if ye want your son,
I '11 tell ye where to seek ;
Lady Helen, if ye want your son.
He 's in the well sae deep."
She ran away to the deep draw-well, 66
And she fell down on her knee ;
Saying, " Bonnie Sir Hugh, O pretty Sir Hugh,
I pray ye speak to me ;
If ye speak to any body in the world,
I pray ye speak to me." 70
" Oh ! the lead it is wondrous heavy, mother.
The well it is wondrous deep ;
The little penknife sticks in my throat.
And I downa to ye speak.
But lift me oat o' this deep draw-well, 75
And bury me in yon churchyard ;
334 SIR HUGH.
" Put a Bible at my head," he says,
" And a testament at my feet,
And pen and ink at every side,
And I '11 lie still and sleep.
" And go to the back of Maitland town,
Bring me my winding sheet ;
For it 's at the back of Maitland town
That you and I shall meet."
O the broom, the bonay, bonny broom,
The broom that makes full sore,
A woman's mercy is very little,
• But a man's mercy is more.
SIR HUGH. See p. 136.
From Hume's Sir Hugh of Lincoln, p. 35; obtained from
recitation, in Ireland.
Some scholars were playing at ball ;
When out came the Jew's daughter
And lean'd her back against the wall.
She said unto the fairest boy,
" Come here to me, Sir Hugh."
" No ! I will not," said he,
" Without my playfellows too."
She took an apple out of her pocket.
And trundled it along the plain ;
And who was readiest to Uft it,
Was little. Sir Hugh, again.
She took him by the milk-white han',
An' led him through many a hall.
Until they came to one stone chamber,
Where no man might hear his caU.
She sat him in a goolden chair.
And jagg'd him with a pin ;
And called for a goolden cup
To houl' his heart's blood in.
336 SIR HUGH.
She tuk him by the yellow hair,
An' also by the feet ;
An' she threw him in the deep draw well,
It was fifty fadom deep.
Day bein' over, the night came on,
And the scholars all went home ;
Then every mother had her son.
But little Sir Hugh's had none.
She put her mantle about her head,
Tuk a little rod in her han'.
An' she says, " Sir Hugh, if I fin' you here,
• I will bate you for stayin' so long.'
First she went to the Jew's door.
But they were fast asleep ;
An' then she went to the deep draw-well.
That was fifty fadom deep.
She says, " Sir Hugh, if you be here,
As I suppose you be,
If ever the dead or quick arose.
Arise and spake to me."
Yes, mother dear, I am here,
I know I have staid very long ;
But a little penknife was stuck in my heart,
Till the stream ran down full strong.
And mother dear, when you go home,
Tell my playfellows all.
That I lost my life by leaving them
When playing that game of ball.
SIR HUGH. SSI
And ere another day is gone,
My winding-sheet prepare, s(
And bury me in the green churchyard
Where the flowers are bloomin' fair.
Lay my Bible at my head.
My testament at my feet ;
The earth and worms shall be my bed, ^
Till Christ and I shall meet.
VOL. III. 22
SIR PATRICK SPENS. See p. 147.
From Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, i. 1.
The King sits in Dunfermline town,
A-drinking at the wine ;
Says, " Where will I get a good skipper
Will sail the saut seas fine ? "
Out it speaks an eldren knight
Amang the companie, —
" Young Patrick Spens is the best skipper
That ever saiM the sea."
The king he wrote a braid letter,
And seal'd it wi' his ring ;
Says, " Ye'll gi'e that to Patrick Spehs :
See if ye can him find."
He sent this, not wi' an auld man.
Nor yet a simple boy.
But the best o' nobles in his train
This letter did convoy.
When Patrick look'd the letter upon
A light laugh then ga'e he ;
But ere he read it till an end,
The tear blinded his e'e.
SIR PATRICK SPENS. 339
" Ye'U eat and drink, my merry men a',
An' see ye be weell thorn ;
For blaw it weet, or blaw it wind,
My guid ship sails the morn."
Then out it speaks a guid auld man, cs
A guid death mat he dee, —
" Whatever ye do, my guid master,
Tak' God your guide to bee.
" For late yestreen I saw the new moon.
The auld moon in her arm." so
" Ohon, alas ! " says Patrick Spens,
" That bodes a deadly storm.
" But I maun sail the seas the morn.
And likewise sae maun you ;
To Noroway, wi' our king's daughter, — S5
A chosen queen she's now.
" But I wonder who has been sae base,
^ tauld the king o' mee :
Even tho' hee ware my ae brither.
An ill death mat he dee." •»
Now Patrick he rigg'd out his ship.
And sailed ower the faem ;
But mony a dreary thought had hee.
While hee was on the main.
They hadna sail'd upon the sea 45
A day but barely three.
Till they came in sight o' Noroway,
It's there where they must bee.
340 SIR PATRICK SPEXS.
They hadna stayed into that place
A month but and a day,
Till he caus'd the flip in mugs gae roun',
And wine in cans sae gay.
The pipe and harp sae sweetly play'd,
The trumpets loudly soun' ;
In every hall where in they stay'd,
Wi' their mirth did reboun'.
Then out it speaks an auld skipper,
An inbearing dog was hee, —
" Ye've stay'd ower lang in Noroway,
Spending your king's monie."
Then out it speaks Sir Patrick Spens, —
" O how can a' this bee ?
I ha'e a bow o' guid red gowd
Into my ship wi' mee.
" But betide me well, betide me wae,
This day I'se leave the shore ;
And never spend my king's monie
'Mong Noroway dogs no more."
Young Patrick hee is on the sea,
And even on the faem,
Wi' five-an-fifty Scots lords' sons.
That lang'd to bee at hame.
They hadna sail'd upon the sea
A day but barely three,
Till loud and boistrous grew the wind.
And stormy grew the sea.
SIR PATRICK SPENS. 341
" O where will I get a little wee boy
Will tak' my helm in hand,
Till I gae up to my tapmast,
And see for some dry land ? '* so
He hadna gane to his tapmast
A step but barely three ;
Ere thro' and thro' the bonny ship's side,
He saw the green haw sea.
" There are five-an-fifty feather beds S5
Well packed in ae room ;
And ye'll get as muekle guid canvas
As wrap the ship a' roun' ;
" Ye'll pict her well, and spare her not,
And mak' her hale and soun'." oo
But ere he had the word well spoke
The bonny ship was down.
O laith, laith were our guid lords' sons
To weet their milk-white hands ;
But lang ere a' the play was ower 85
They wat their gowden bands.
,0 laith, laith were our Scots lords' sons
To weet their coal-black shoon ;
But lang ere a' the play was ower
They wat their hats aboon. loo
It's even ower by Aberdour
It's fifty fathoms deep,
And yonder lies Sir Patrick Spens,
And a's men at his feet.
342 STR PATRICK SPENS.
It's even ower by Aberdour,
There's mony a eraig and fin,
And yonder lies Sir Patrick Spens,
Wi' mony a guid lord's son.
Lang, lang wiU the ladyes look
Into their morning weed,
Before they see young Patrick Spens
Come sailing ower the fleed.
Lang, lang will the ladyes look
Wi' their fans in their hand.
Before they see him, Patrick Spens,
Come sailing to dry land.
LORD LIVINGSTON.
From Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, ii. 39.
It fell about the Lammas time,
When wightsmen won their hay ;
A' the squires in merry Linkura,
Went a' forth till a play.
They play'd until the evening tide, s
The sun was gaeing down ;
A lady thro' plain fields was bound,
A lily leesome thing.
Two squires that for this lady pledged.
In hopes for a renown ; lo
The one was call'd the proud Seaton,
The other Livingston.
" When will ye, Mlchaell o' Livingston,
Wad for this lady gay ? "
" To-morrow, to-morrow," said Livingston, 15
" To-morrow, if you may."
344 LORD LIVINGSTON.
Then they hae wadded their wagers,
And laid their pledges down ;
To the high castle o' Edinbro'
They made them ready boun'.
The chamber that they did gang in,
There it was daily dight ;
The kipples were like the gude red gowd,
As they stood up in hight ;
And the roof-tree like the siller white.
And shin'd like candles bright.
The lady fair into that ha'
Was comely to be seen ;
Her kirtle was made o' the pa',
Her gowns seem'd o' the green.
Her gowns seem'd like green, like green,
Her kirtle o' the pa' ;
A siller wand intill her hand,
She marshall'd ower them a'.
She gae every knight a lady bright.
And every squire a may ;
Her own sell chose him, Livingston,
They were a comely tway.
Then Seaton started till his foot.
The fierce flame in his e'e :
" On the next day, wi' sword in hand.
On plain fields, meet ye me. "
When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' man bound for bed ;
LORD LIVINGSTON. 345
Lord Livingston and his fair dame 45
In bed were sweetly laid.
The bed, the bed, where they lay in,
Was cover'd wi' the pa' ;
A covering o' the gude red gowd,
Lay nightly ower the twa. so
So they lay there, till on the morn
The sun shone on their feet ;
Then up it raise him, Livingston,
To draw to him a weed.
The first an' weed that he drew on, 55
Was o' the linen clear ;
The next an' weed that he drew on,
It was a weed o' weir.
The niest an' weed that he drew on,
Was gude iron and steel ; eo
Twa gloves o' plate, a gowden helmet.
Became that hind chiel weel.
Then out it speaks that lady gay,
A little forbye stood she ;
" I'll di-ess mysell in men's array, 65
Gae to the fields for thee."
" O God forbid," said Livingston,
" That e'er I dree the shame ;
My lady slain in plain fields,
And I coward knight at hame ! " r-a
He scarcely taavelled frae the town
A mile but barely twa,
346 LORD LIVINGSTON.
Till he met wi' a witch woman,
I pray to send her wae.
" This is too gude a day, my lord,
To gang sae far frae town ;
This is too gude a day, my lord,
On field to make you boun'.
" I dream'd a dream concerning thee,
O read ill dreams to guid !
Your bower was full o' milk-white swans,
Your bride's bed full o' bluid."
" O bluid is gude," said Livingston,
" To bide it whoso may ;
If I be frae yon plain fields,
Nane knew the pHght I lay."
Then he rade on to plain fields.
As swift 's his horse cou'd hie ;
And there he met the proud Seaton,
Come boldly ower the lee.
" Come on to me now, Livingston,
Or then take foot and flee ;
This is the day that we must try
Who gains the victorie."
Then they fought with sword in hand.
Till they were bluidy men ;
But on the point o' Seaton's sword
Brave Livingston was slain.
His lady lay ower castle wa',
Beholding dale and down,
LORD LIVINGSTON. 347
^ATien Blenchant brave, his gallant steed,
Came prancing to the town.
" O where is now my ain gude lord,
He stays sae far frae me ? "
" O dinna ye see your ain gude lord, 105
Stand bleeding by your knee ? "
" O live, O live. Lord Livingston,
The space o' ae half hour ;
There's nae a leech in Edinbro' town
But I'll bring to your door." 110
" Awa' wi' your leeches, lady," he said,
" Of them I'll be the waur ;
There's nae a leech in Edinbro' town,
That can strong death debar.
" Ye'll take the lands o' Livingston, 115
And deal them hberaUie ;
To the auld that may not, the young that cannot,
And bhnd that does na see ;
And help young maidens' marriages,
That has nae gear to gie." 120
" My mother got it in a book,
The first night I was born,
I wou'd be wedded till a knight,
And him slain on the morn.
" But I win do for my love's sake 125
What ladies woudna thole ;
Ere seven years shall hae an end,
Nae shoe 's gang on my sole.
348 LORD LIVINGSTON.
" There's never lint gang on my head,
Nor kame gang in my hair,
Nor ever coal nor candle light.
Shine in my bower mair."
When seven years were near an end,
The lady she thought lang ;
And wi' a crack her heart did brake.
And sae this ends my sang.
CLERK TAMAS.
Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotlcmd^ i. 43.
Clerk Tamas lov'd her, fair Annie,
As well as Mary lov'd her son ;
But now he hates her, fair Annie,
And hates the lands that she lives in. ^
"^ Ohon, alas ! " said fair Annie,
" Alas ! this day I fear I'll die \
But I wiU on to sweet Tamas,
And see gin he will pity me."
As Tamas lay ower his shott-window,
Just as the sun was gaen down,
There he beheld her, fair Annie,
As she came walking to the town
" O where are a' my well-wight men,
I wat that I pay meat and fee,
For to lat a' my hounds gang loose,
To hunt this vile whore to the sea ! "
350 CLERK TAMAS.
The hounds they knew the lady well,
And nane o* them they wou'd her bite ;
Save ane that is ca'd Gaudy-where,
I wat he did the lady smite.
" O wae mat worth ye, Gaudy-where,
An iU reward this is to me ;
For ae bit that I gae the lave,
I'm very sure I've gi'en you three.
" For me, alas ! there's nae remeid.
Here comes the day that I maun die ;
I ken ye lov'd your master well.
And sae, alas for me, did I ! "
A captain lay ower his ship window,
Just as the sun was gaen down ;
There he beheld her, fair Annie,
As she was hunted frae the town.
" Gin ye'll forsake father and mither.
And sae will ye your friends and kin,
Gin ye'll forsake your lands sae broad.
Then come and I wiU take you in."
" Yes, I'll forsake baith father and mither,
And sae will I my friends and kin.
Yes, I'll foi-sake my lands sae broad,
And come, gin ye will take me in."
Then a' thing gaed frae fause Tamas,
And there was naething byde him wi' ;
Then he thought lang for Ai-randella,
It was fair Annie for to see.
CLERK TAMAS. 351
" How do ye now, ye sweet Tamas ? 45
And how gaes a' in your countrie ? "
" I'll do better to you than ever I've done,
Fair Annie, gin ye'U come an' see."
" O Guid forbid," said fair Annie,
" That e'er the like fa' in my hand ; so
Wou'd I forsake my ain gude lord.
And follow you, a gae-through-land ?
" Yet nevertheless now, sweet Tamas,
Ye'U drink a cup o' wine wi' me ;
And nine times in the live lang day, ss
Your fair claithing shall changed be."
Fair Annie pat it till her cheek,
Sae did she till her milk-white chin,
Sae did she till her flattering lips,
But never a drap o' wine gaed in. eo
Tamas pat it till his cheek,
Sae did he till his dimpled chin ;
He pat it till his rosy lips.
And then the well o* wine gaed in.
" These pains," said he, " are ill to bide ; «
Here is the day that I maun die ;
O take this cup frae me, Annie,
For o' the same I am weary."
" And sae was I, o' you, Tamas,
When I was hunted to the sea ; ro
But I'se gar bury you in state.
Which is mair than ye'd done to me."
JOHN THOMSON AND THE TURK.
From Motherwell's Minstrelsy^ Appendix, p. ix. The same
in Buchan's collection, ii. 159.
John Thomson fought against the Turks
Three years, intill a far countrie ;
And all that time, and something mair,
Was absent from his gay ladie.
But it fell ance upon a time,
As this young chieftain sat alane,
He spied his lady in rich array.
As she walk'd ower a rural plain.
" What brought ye here, my lady gay,
So far awa from your ain countrie ?
I've thought lang, and very lang.
And all for your fair face to see."
For some days she did with him stay,
Till it fell ance upon a day,
" Fareweel, for a time," she said,
" For now I must boun hame away."
JOHN THOMSON AND THE TURK. 353
He's gl'en to her a jewel fine,
Was set with pearl and precious stane ;
Says, " My love, beware of these savages bold
That's in your way as ye gang hame. 20.
" Ye'U tdk the road, my lady fair,
That leads you fair across the lea :
That keeps you from wild Hind Soldan,
And likewise from base Violentrie."
Wi' heavy heart thir twa did pairt,. 25.
She mintet as she wuld gae hame ;
Hind Soldan by the Greeks was slain,.
But to base Violentrie she's gane.
When a twelvemonth had expired,
John Thomson he thought wondrous lang, so
And he has written a braid letter.
And sealed it weel wi' his ain hand.
He -sent it with a small vessel
That there was quickly gaun to sea ;
And sent it on to fair Scotland, se
To see about his gay ladie.
But the answer he received again, —
The lines did grieve his heart right sair :
Xane of her friends there had her seen.
For a twelvemonth and something mair. 40
Then he put on a palmer's weed.
And took a pike-staff in his hand ;
To Violentrie's castell he hied ;
But slowly, slowly he did gang.
VOL. III. 23
354 JOHN THOMSON AND THE TURK.
When within the hall he came,
He jooked and couch'd out ower his tree :
" If ye be lady of this hall,
Some of your good bountith gie me."
" What news, what news, palmer," she said,
" And from what countrle cam ye ? "
" I'm lately come from Grecian plains,
"Where lies some of the Scots armie."
" If ye be come from Grecian plains,
Some mair news I will ask of thee,—
Of one of the chieftains that lies there.
If he has lately seen his gay ladle."
" It is twa months, and something mair,
Since we did pairt on yonder plain ;
And now this knight has began to fear
One of his foes he has her ta'en."
" He has not ta'en me by force nor slight ;
^ It was a' by my ain free will ;
He may tarry into the fight,
For here I mean to tarry still.
" And if John Thomson ye do see.
Tell him I wish him silent sleep ;
His head was not so cozlely.
Nor yet sae weel, as lies at my feet."
With that he threw aff his strange disguise,
Laid by the mask that he had on ;
Said, " Hide me now, my lady fair.
For Violentrle will soon be hame."
JOHN THOMSON AND THE TURK. 355
" For the love I bore thee ance,
I'll strive to hide you, if I can : "
Then she put him down in a dark cellar 75
AVhere there lay many a new slain man.
But he hadna in the cellar been,
Not an hour but barely three,
Then hideous was the noise he heard,
When in at the gate cam Violentrie. 80
Says, " I wish you well, my lady fair.
It's time for us to sit to dine ;
Come, serve me with the good white bread,
And likewise with the claret wine.
" That Scots chieftain, our mortal fae, 85
Sae aft frae the field has made us flee.
Ten thousand zechins this day I'll give
That I his face could only see. "
" Of that same gift wuld ye give me.
If I wuld bring him unto thee ? 90
I fairly hokl you at your word ; —
Come ben, John Thomson, to my lord."
Then from the vault John Thomson came,
Wringing his hands most piteouslie :
" What would ye do," the Turk he cried, 95
'' If ye had me as I hae thee ? "
" If I had you as ye have me,
I'll tell ye what I'd do to thee ;
I'd hang you up in good greenwood,
And cause your ain hand wale the tree. 100
356 JOHN THOMSON AND THE TURK.
" I meant to stick you with my knife
For kissing my beloved ladie : "
" But that same weed ye've shaped for me,
It quickly shall be sewed for thee."
Then to the wood they baith are gane ;
John Thomson clamb frae tree to tree ;
And aye he sighed and said, " Och hone !
Here comes the day that I must die."
He tied a ribbon on every branch,
Put up a flag his men might see ;
But little did his false faes ken
He meant them any injurie.
He set his horn unto his mouth.
And he has blawn baith loud and schill :
And then three thousand armed men
Cam tripping all out ower the hill.
" Deliver us our chief," they all did cry ;
" It's by our hand that ye must die ; "
" Here is your chief," the Turk replied,
With that fell on his bended knee.
" O mercy, mercy, good fellows all,
Mercy I pray you'll grant to me ; "
" Such mercy as ye meant to give.
Such mercy we shall give to thee."
This Turk they in his castel burnt.
That stood upon yon hill so hie ;
John Thomson's gay ladie they took
And hanged her on yon greenwood tree.
LORD THOMAS STUART.
From Maidment's North Countrie Garland, p. 1.
Thomas Stuart was a lord,
A lord of mickle land ;
He used to wear a coat of gold,
But now his grave is green.
Now he has wooed the young countess,
The Countess of Balquhin,
An' given her for a morning gift,
Strathboggie and Aboyne.
But women's wit is aye willful,
Alas ! that ever it was sae ;
She longed to see the morning gift
That her gude lord to her gae.
When steeds were saddled an' weel bridled.
An' ready for to ride,
There came a pain on that gude lord,
His back, likewise his side.
He said, " Ride on, my lady fair,
May goodness be your guide ;
For I'm sae sick an' weary that
No farther can I ride."
358 LORD THOMAS STUART.
Now ben did come his father dear,
Wearing a golden band ;
Says, " Is there nae leech in Edinburgh,
Can cure my son from wrang ? "
" O leech is come, an' leech is gane,
Yet, father, I'm aye waur ;
There's not a leech in Edinbro'
Can death from me debar.
" But be a friend to my wife, father,
Restore to her her own ;
Restore to her my morning gift,
Strathboggie and Aboyne.
" It had been gude for my wife, father,
To me she'd born a son ;
He would have got my land an' rents,
Where they lie out an' in.
" It had been gude for my wife, father,
To me she'd born an heir ;
He would have got my land an' rents.
Where they lie fine an' fair."
The steeds they strave into their stables,
The boys could'nt get them bound ;
The hounds lay howling on the leech,
'Cause their master was behind.
" I dreamed a dream since late yestreen,
I wish it may be good,
That our chamber was full of swine,
An' our bed full of blood.
LORD THOMAS STUART.
359
" I saw a woman come from the West,
Full sore wringing her hands,
And aye she cried, ' Qhon alas !
' My good lord's broken bands.'
" As she came by my good lord's bower,
Saw mony black steeds an' brown ;
I'm feared it be mony unco lords
Havin' my love from town."
As she came by my gude lord's bower,
Saw mony black steeds an' grey ;
*' I'm feared its mony unco lords
Havin' my love to the clay."
THE SPANISH VIRGIN:
From Percy's Eeliques, iii. 316.
The three following pieces are here inserted merely
as specimens of a class of tales, horrible in their inci-
dents but feeble in their execution, of which whole
dreary volumes were printed and read about two cen-
turies ago. They were all of them, probably, founded
on Italian novels.
" The subject of this ballad is taken from a folio
collection of tragical stories, entitled, The Theatre of
God's Judgments^ by Dr. Beard and Dr. Taylor^ 1642.
Pt. 2, p. 89. The text is given (with corrections)
from two copies ; one of them in black-letter in the
Pepys Collection. In this every stanza is accompa-
nied with the following distich by way of burden :
Oh jealousie! thou art nurst in hell:
Depart from hence, and therein dwell."
All tender hearts, that ake to hear
Of those that suffer wrong ;
All you that never shed a tear,
Give heed unto my song.
Fair Isabella's tragedy 6
My tale doth far exceed :
Alas, that so much cruelty
In female hearts should breed !
THE SPANISH VIRGIN. 361
In Spain a lady liv'd of late,
Who was of high degree ; lo
Whose wayward temper did create
Much woe and misery.
Strange jealousies so filled her head
With many a vain surmize,
She thought her lord had wrong'd her bed, i.-.
And did her love despise.
A gentlewoman passing fair
Did on this lady wait ;
With bravest dames she might compare ;
Her beauty was compleat. .20
Her lady cast a jealous eye
Upon this gentle maid,
And taxt her with disloyaltye.
And did her oft upbraid.
In silence still this maiden meek 2.5
Her bitter taunts would bear,
While oft adown her lovely cheek
Would steal the falling tear.
In vain in humble sort she strove
Her fury to disarm ; 30
As well the meekness of the dove
The bloody hawke might charm.
Her lord, of humour light and gay.
And innocent the while,
As oft as she came in his way, 35
Would on the damsell smile.
362 THE SPANISH VIRGIN.
And oft before his lady's face,
As thinking her her friend,
He would the maiden's modest grace
And comeHness commend.
All which incens'd his lady so.
She burnt with wrath extreame ;
At length the fire that long did glow,
Burst forth into a flame.
For on a day it so befell,
When he was gone from home,
The lady all with rage did swell,
And to the damsell come.
And charging her with great offence
And many a grievous fault.
She bade her' servants drag her thence,
Into a dismal vault,
That lay beneath the common-shore, —
A dungeon dark and deep.
Where they were wont, in days of yore,
Offendei-s great to keep.
There never light of chearful day
Dispers'd the hideous gloom ;
But dank and noisome vapours play
Around the wretched room :
And adders, snakes, and toads therein.
As afterwards was known,
Long in this loathsome vault had bin.
And were to monsters grown.
THE SPANISH VIRGIN. 3G3
Into this foul and fearful place, 65
The fair one innocent
Was cast, before her lady's face ;
Her malice to content.
This maid no sooner enter'd is,
But strait, alas ! she hears 70
The toads to croak, and snakes to hiss :
Then grievously she fears.
Soon from their holes the vipers creep,
And fiercely her assail.
Which makes the damsel sorely weep, 75
And her sad fate bewail.
With her fair hands she strives in vain
Her body to defend ;
With shrieks and cries she doth complain,
But all is to no end. so
A servant listning near the door,
Struck with her doleful noise.
Strait ran his lady to implore ;
But she'll not hear his voice.
With bleeding heart he goes agen 8&
To mark the maiden's groans ;
And plainly hears, within the den.
How she herself bemoans.
Again he to his lady hies,
With all the haste he may ; 9C
She into furious passion flies,
And orders him aAvav.
364 THE SPANISH VIRGIN.
Still back again does he return
To hear her tender cries ;
The virgin now had ceas'd to mourn, 95
Which fiU'd him with surprize.
In grief, and horror, and affright.
He listens at the walls
But finding all was silent quite,
He to his lady calls. ifio
" Too sure, O lady," now quoth he,
" Your cruelty hath sped ;
Make haste, for shame, and come and see ;
I fear the virgin's dead."
She starts to hear her sudden fate, MS
And does with torches run ;
But all her haste was now too late,
For death his worst had done.
The door being open'd, strait they found
The virgin stretch'd along ; no
Two dreadful snakes had wrapt her round,
Which her to death had stung.
One round her legs, her thighs, her waist.
Had twin'd his fatal wreath ;
The other close her neck embrac'd, 115
And stopt her gentle breath.
The snakes being from her body thrust.
Their bellies were so fill'd,
That with excess of blood they burst,
Thus with their prey were kill'd. 120
THE SPANISH VIRGIN. 365
The wicked lady, at this sight,
AVith horror strait ran mad ;
So raving dy'd, as was most right,
'Cause she no pity had.
Let me advise you, ladies all, 125
Of jealousy beware :
It causeth many a one to fall.
And is the devil's snare.
THE LADY ISABELLA'S TRAGEDY.
" This ballad is given from an old black-letter copy
in the Pepys Collection, collated with another in the
British Museum, H. 263, folio. It is there entitled,
The Lady Isabella's Tragedy^ or the Step-Mother's Cru-
elty ; being a relation of a lamentable and cruel mur-
ther, committed on the body of the Lady Isabella, the
only daughter of a noble Duke, Sfc. To the tune of
The Lady's Fall. To some copies are annexed eight
more modern stanzas, entitled, The Dutchess's and
Cook's Lamentation." Percy's Reliques, iii. 199.
The copy in Durfey's Pills to Purge Melancholy,
V. 53, is nearly verbatim the same.
There was a lord of worthy fame,
And a hunting he would ride,
Attended by a noble traine
Of gentrye by his side.
And while he did in chase remaine, a
To see both sport and playe,
His ladye went, as she did feigne.
Unto the church to praye.
This lord he had a daughter deare,
AVhose beauty shone so bright, lo
She was belov'd, both for and ueare.
Of many a lord and knight.
THE LADY ISABELLA S TRAGEDY.
Fair Isabella was she call'd,
A creature faire was shee ;
She was her fathers only joye ;
As you shall after see.
Therefore her cruel step-mother
Did envye her so much,
That daye by daye she sought her life,
Her malice it was such.
She bargain'd with the master-cook
To take her life awaye ;
And taking of her daughter's book,
She thus to her did saye : —
" Go home, sweet daughter, I thee praye,
Go hasten presentlie.
And tell unto the master-cook
These wordes that I tell thee.
" And bid him dresse to dinner streight
That faire and milk-white doe
That in the parke doth shine so bright,
There's none so faire to showe."
This ladye fearing of no harme,
Obey'd her mothers will ;
And presentlye she hasted home.
Her pleasure to fulfill.
367
She streight into the kitchen went,
Her message for to tell ;
And there she spied the master-cook.
Who did with malice swell.
368 THE LADY ISABELLA'S TRAGEDY.
" No we, master-cook, it must be soe.
Do that which I thee tell :
You needes must dresse the milk-white doe,
Which you do knowe full well."
Then streight his cruell bloodye hands.
He on the ladye layd ;
Who quivering and shaking stands.
While thus to her he sayd :
" Thou art the doe that I must dresse ;
See here, behold my knife ;
For it is pointed presently
To ridd thee of thy life."
" O then," cried out the scuUion-boye,
As loud as loud might bee,
" O save her life, good master-cook.
And make your pyes of mee !
" For pityes sake do not destroye
My ladye with your knife ;
You know shee is her father's joye ;
For Christes sake save her life ! "
" I will not save her life," he sayd,
" Nor make my pyes of thee ;
Yet if thou dost this deed bewraye.
Thy butcher I will bee."
Now when this lord he did come home
For to sitt down and eat.
He called for his daughter deare.
To come and carve his meat.
THE LADY ISABELLA'S TRAGEDY. 369
" Now sit you downe," his ladye sayd,
" O sit you downe to meat ; 70
Into some nunnery she is gone ;
Your daughter deare forget."
Then solemnlye he made a vowe.
Before the companie,
That he would neither eat nor drinke, 75
Until he did her see.
0 then bespake the scullion-boye,
With a loud voice so hye ;
" If now you will your daughter see,
My lord, cut up that pye : 80
" Wherein her fleshe is minced small,
And parched with the fire ;
All caused by her step-mother.
Who did her' death desire.
" And cursed bee the master-cook, as
O cursed may he bee !
1 proffered him my own heart's blood,
From death to set her free."
Then all in blacke this lord did mourne.
And for his daughters sake, 90
He judged hej" cruell step-mother
To be burnt at a stake.
Likewise he judg'd the master-cook
In boiling lead to stand,
And made the simple scullion-boye as
The heire of all his land.
VOL. IIL 24
THE CRUEL BLACK.
A Collection of Old Ballads, (1723,) ii. 152: also
Evans's Old Ballads, iii. 232. A writer in the British
Bibliographer, (iv. 182,) has pointed out that this is
only one of Bandello's novels versified. The novel is
the 21st of the Third Part, (London, 1792.)
A lamentable Ballad of the tragical End of a gallant
Lord and virtuous Lady; together with the untimely
Death of their two Children : wickedly performed by a
Heathenish and Blood-thirsty Black-a-moor, their Sei'-
vant ; the like of which Cruelty and Murder was never
before heard of.
In Rome a nobleman did wed
A virgin of great fame ;
A fairer creature never did
Dame Nature ever frame :
By whom he had two children fair,
Whose beauty did excel ;
They were their parents only joy,
They lov'd them both so well.
The lord he lov'd to hunt the buck,
The tiger, and the boar :
THE CRUEL BLACK. 371
And still for swiftness always took
With him a black-a-moor :
Which black-a-moor within the wood
His lord he did offend,
For which he did him then correct, 15
In hopes he would amend.
The day it grew unto an end ;
Then homewards he did haste.
Where with his lady he did rest,
Until the night was past. so
Then in the morning he did rise,
And did his servants call ;
A hunting he provides to go ;
Straight they were ready all.
To cause the toyl the lady did ?s
Intreat him not to go :
" Alas, good lady," then quoth he,
" Why art thou grieved so ?
Content thyself, I will return
With speed to thee again." 30
" Good father," quoth the little babes,
" With us here still remain."
" Farewel, dear children, 1 will go
A fine thing for to buy ; "
But they, therewith nothing content, %
Aloud began to cry.
The mother takes them by the hand,
Saying, " Come, go with me
Unto the highest tower, where
Your father you shall see." «
372 THE CRUEL BLACK.
The black-a-moor, perceiving now,
Who then did stay behind,
His lord to be a hunting gone,
Began to call to mind :
" My master he did me correct,
My fault not being great ;
Now of his wife I'll be reveng'd,
She shall not me intreat."
The place was moated round about ;
The bridge he up did draw ;
The gates he bolted very fast ;
Of none he stood in awe.
He up into the tower went,
The lady being there ;
Who, when she saw his countenance grim,
She straight began to fear.
But now my trembling heart it quakes
To think what I must write ;
My senses all begin to fail.
My soul it doth affright
Yet must I make an end of this
Which here I have begun.
Which wUl make sad the hardest heart,
Before that I have done.
This wretch unto the lady went,
And her with speed did will,
His lust forthwith to satisfy.
His mind for to fulfil.
The lady she amazed was,
To hear the villain speak ;
THE CRUEL BLACK. 373
" Alas," quoth she, " \that shall I do ?
With grief my heart will break."
With that he took her in his arms ;
She straight for help did cry ;
" Content yourself, lady," he said, 75
" Your husband is not nigh :
The bridge is drawn, the gates are shut,
Therefore come lie with me,
Or else I do protest and vow.
Thy butcher I will be." , w
The crystal tears ran down her face,
Her children cried amain.
And sought to help their mother dear.
But all it was in vain ;
For that egregious filthy rogue 85
Her hands behind her bound.
And then perforce with all his might,
He threw her on the ground.
With that she shriek'd, her children cried.
And such a noise did make, . 90
That town-folks, hearing her laments.
Did seek their parts to take :
But all in vain ; no way was found
To help the lady's need,
Who cried to them most piteously, ge
" O help ! O help with speed ! "
Some i-un into the forest wide.
Her lord home for to call ;
374 THE CRUEL BLACK.
And tliey that stood still did lament
This gallant lady's fall.
With speed her lord came posting home ^
He could not enter in ;
His lady's cries did pierce his heart ;
To call he did begin :
" O hold thy hand, thou savage moor,
To hurt her do forbear.
Or else be sure, if I do hve,
Wild horses shall thee tear."
With that the rogue ran to the wall,
He having had his will.
And brought one child under his arm,
His dearest blo(Jd to spiU.
The child, seeing his father there,
To him for help did call :
" O father ! help my mother dear,
We shall be killed all."
Then fell the lord upon his knee.
And did the moor intreat,
To save the life of this poor child,
Whose fear was then so great.
But this vile wretch the little child
By both the heels did take
And dash'd his brains against the wall.
Whilst parent's hearts did ake :
That being done, straightway he ran
The other child to fetch,
And pluck'd it from the mother's breast.
Most like a cruel wretch.
THE CRUEL BLACK. 375
Within one hand a knife he brought,
The child within the other ; i30
And holding it over the wall,
Saying, " Thus shall die thy mother,"
With that he cut the throat of it ;
Then to the father he did call,
To look how he the head did cut, rv
And down the head did fall.
This done, he threw it down the wall
Into the moat so deep ;
Which made the father wring his hands,
And grievously to weep. 140
Then to the lady went this rogue,
Who was near dead with fear,
Yet this vile wretch most cruelly
Did drag her by the hair ;
And drew her to the very wall, 145
Which when her lord did see.
Then presently he cried out,
And fell upon his knee:
Quoth he, "If thou wilt save her life,
Whom I do love so dear, lao
I Avill forgive thee all is past.
Though they concern me near.
" O save her life, I thee beseech ;
O save her, I thee pray,
And I will grant thee what thou wilt vk
Demand of me this day."
" Well," quoth the moor, " I do regard
The moan that thou dost make :
376 THE CRUEL BLACK.
If* thou wilt grant me what I ask,
I'll save her for thy sake." lao
" O save her life, and then demand
Of me what thing thou wilt."
" Cut off thy nose, and not one drop
Of her blood shall be spilt."
With that the lord presently took i65
A knife within his hand.
And then his nose he quite cut off,
In place where he did stand.
" Now I have bought my lady's life,"
He to the moor did call ; '"o
" Then take her," quoth this wicked rogue,
And down he let her fall.
Which when her gallant lord did see.
His senses all did fail ;
Yet many sought to save his life, 175
But nothing could prevail.
When as the moor did see him dead.
Then did he laugh amain
At them who for their gallant lord
And lady did complain : 180
Quoth he, " I know you'll torture me.
If that you can me get,
But all your threats I do not fear.
Nor yet regard one whit.
" Wild horses shall my body tear, isj
I know it to be true.
THE CRUEL BLACK. 377
But I prevent you of that pain : "
And down himself he threw.
Too good a death for such a wretch,
A villain void of fear ! i90
And thus doth end as sad a tale
As ever man did hear.
BOOK IV
KING MAJ.COLM AND SIR COLVIN. See
p. 173.
From Bucban's Ballads of the North of Scotland, ii. 6.
There ance liv'd a king in fair Scotland,
King Malcolm called by name ;
Whom ancient history gives record,
For valour, worth, and fame. »
And it fell ance upon a day.
The king sat down to dine ;
And then he miss'd a favourite knight,
Whose name was Sir Colvin.
But out it speaks another knight,
Ane o' Sir Colvin's kin ;
" He's lyin' in bed, right sick in love,
All for your daughter Jean."
" O waes me," said the royal king,
" I'm sorry for the same ;
She maun take bread and wine sae red,
Give it to Sir Colvin."
KING MALCOLM AND SIR COLVIN. 379
Then gently did she bear the bread,
Her page did carry the wine,
And set a table at his bed ; —
" Sir Colvin, rise and dine." ao
" O well love I the wine, lady,
Come frae your lovely hand ;
But better love I your fair body.
Than all fair Scotland's strand."
" O hold your tongue now, Sir Colvin, 25
Let all your folly be ;
My love must be by honour won.
Or nane shall enjoy me.
" But on the head o' Elrick's hill.
Near by yon sharp hawthorn, a)
Where never a man with life e'er came.
Sin our sweet Christ was born ; —
" O ye'll gang there and walk a' night.
And boldly blaw your horn ;
With honour that ye do return, 85
Ye'll marry m*the morn."
Then up it raise him, Sir Colvin,
And dress'd in armour keen ;
And he is on to Elrick's hill.
Without light of the meen. 40
At midnight mark the meen upstarts ;
The knight walk'd up and down ;
While loudest cracks o' thunder roar'd.
Out ower the bent sae brown. ""
380 KING MALCOLM AND SIR COLVIN.
Then by the twinkling of an e'e
He spied an armed knight ;
A fair lady bearing his brand,
Wi' torches burning bright.
Then he cried high, as he came nigh,
" Coward, thief, I bid you flee !
There is not ane comes to this liill.
But must engage wi' me.
" Ye'U best take road before I come.
And best take foot and flee ;
Here is a sword baith sharp and broad.
Will quarter you in three."
Sir Colvin said, " I'm not afraid
Of any here I see ;
You hae not ta'en your God before ;
Less dread hae I o' thee."
Sir Colvin then he drew his sword,
His foe he drew his brand ;
And they fought there on Elrick's hill
Till they were bluidy men.
The first an' stroke the knight he strake,
Gae Colvin a slight wound ;
The next an' stroke Lord Colvin strake,
Brought 's foe unto the ground.
" I yield, I yield," the knight he said,
" I fairly yield to thee ;
Nae ane came e'er to Elrick-hill
E'er gain'd such victorie.
KING MALCOLM AND SIR COLVIN. 381
" I and my forbears here did haunt
Three hundred years and more ;
I'm safe to swear a solemn oath, 75
We were never beat before."
" An asking," said the lady gay,
" An asking ye'll grant me : "
" Ask on, ask on," said Sir Colvin,
" What may your asking be ? " so
" Ye'll gie me hame my wounded knight,
Let me fare on my way ;
And I'se ne'er be seen on Elrick's hill,
By night, nor yet by day ;
And to this place we'll come nae mair, 85
Cou'd we win safe away ;
" To trouble any Christian one
Lives in the righteous law,
We'll come nae mair unto this place,
Cou'd we win safe awa'." 90
" O ye'se get hame your wounded knight,
Ye shall not gang alane ;
But I maun hae a wad o' him,
Before that we twa twine."
Sir Colvin being a book-learn'd man, 95
Sae gude in fencing tee,
He's drawn a stroke behind his hand.
And followed in speedihe.
Sae fierce a stroke Sir Colvin's drawn,
And followed in speedilie, 100
382 KING MALCOLM AND SIR COLVIN.
The knight's brand and sword hand
In the air he gar'd them flee.
It flew sae high into the sky,
And lighted on the ground ;
The rings that were on these fingers
Were worth five hundred pound.
Up he has ta'en that bluidy hand,
Set it before the king ;
And the morn it was Wednesday,
When he married his daughter Jean.
SKICEN ANNA; FAIR ANNIE, See p. 191.
Translated in Jamieson's Popular Ballads, ii.
103, from Syv's Kjcempe Viser. See another copy in
Nyerup's Danske Viser, iv. 59.
The reivers they wad a stealing gang,
To steal sae far frae hame ;
And stown ha'e they the king's daughter,
Fair Annie hight by name.
They've carried her into fremmit lands, «
To a duke's son of high degree ;
And he has gie'n for Fair Annie
Mickle goud and white money.
And eight lang years o' love sae leal
Had past atween them twae ;
And now a bonny bairntime
O' seven fair sons had they.
That lord he was of Meckelborg land,
Of princely blood and stemme ;
And for his worth and curtesy
That lord a king became.
384 SKICEN ANNA ; FAIR ANNIE.
But little wist that noble king,
As little liis barons bald,
That it was the king of England's daughter.
Had sae to him been said ! ^
And eight lang years sae past and gane,
Fair Annie now may rue ;
For now she weets in fremmit lands
Anither bride he'll wooe.
Fair Annie's till his tnither gane ; 25
Fell low down on her knee ;
"A boon, a boon, now lady mither,
Ye grant your oys and me !
" If ever ye kist, if ever ye blest,
And bade them thrive and thee, 30
O save them now frae seaith and scorn,
0 save your oys and me !
" Their father's pride may yet relent ;
His mither's rede he'll hear ;
Nor for anither break the heart 35
That ance to him was dear.
" He had my love and maiden pride ;
1 had nae mair to gi'e ;
He well may fa' a brighter bride,
But nane that lo'es like me." -lo
"A brighter bride he ne'er can fa';
A richer well he may ;
But daughter dearer nor Fair Annie,
His mither ne'er can ha'e."
SKICEN A^NNA ; FAIR ANNIE. 385
That princess stood her son before : 45
" My lord the king," said she,
" Fy on the lawless life ye lead,
Dishonour'd as ye be !
" Its Annie's gude, and Annie's fair,
And dearly she lo'es thee ; bd
And the brightest gems in a' your crown
Your seven fair sons wad be.
" Her love, her life, her maiden fame,
Wi' you she shar'd them a' ;
Now share wi' her your bridal bed ; bb
Her due she well may fa'."
" To my bridal bed, my mither dear,
Fair Annie ne'er can win ;
I coft her out of fremmit lands,
Nor ken her kith or kin." flo
And he's gard write a braid letter,
His wedding to ordein ;
And to betrothe anither bride
To be his noble queen.
Fair Annie up at her bower window 86
Heard a' that knight did say :
" O God, my heavenly Father ! gif
My heart mat brast in twae ! "
Fair Annie stood at her bower window,
And heard that knight sae bald : ro
" O God, my heavenly Father ! gif
I mat my dearest hald ! "
A^OL. III. 25
386 SKICEN ANNA ; FAIR ANNIE.
That lord is to Fair Annie gane :
Says, " Annie, thou winsome may,
O whatten a gude gift will ye gi'e
My bride on her bridal day ? "
" I'll ^'e her a gift, and a very gude gift,
And a dear-bought gift to me ;
For I'll gi'e her my seven fair sous,
Her pages for to be."
" O that is a gift, but nae gude gift,
Frae thee. Fair Annie, I ween ;
And ye maun gi'e some richer gift
Befitting a noble queen."
" I'll gi'e her a gift, and a dear, dear gift,
And a gift I brook wi' care ;
For I'll gi'e her my dearest life,
That I dow brook nae mair."
" O that is a gift, but a dowie gift,
Now, Annie, thou winsome may ;
Ye maun gi'e her your best goud girdle.
Her gude will for to ha'e."
" Oh na, that girdle she ne'er shall fa' ;
That I can never bear ;
The luckless morn I gave you a'.
Ye gae me that girdle to wear."
That lord before his bride gan stand :
" My noble bride and queen !
O whatten a gift to my lemman Annie
Will now by you be gi'en ? "
SKICEN ANNA; FAIR ANNIE. 387
" I'll gi'e her a gift, and a very gude gift,
My lord the king," said she ;
" For I'll gi'e her my auld shoe to wear,
Best fitting her base degree."
" O that is a gift, but nae gude gift, 105
My noble bride and queen ;
And ye maiin gi'e her anither gift,
K you'll my favour win,"
" Then I'll gi'e her a very gude gift.
My lord the king," said she ; uo
" I'll gie her my millers seven, that Kg
Sae far ayont the sea.
" WeU are they fed, well are they clad,
And Uve in heal and weal ;
And well they ken to measure out im
The wheat, but and eaneel."
Fair Annie says, " My noble lord.
This boon ye grant to me ;
Let me gang up to the bridal bower,
Your young bride for to see." 120
" O gangna, Annie, gangna, there,
Nor come that bower within ;
Ye maunna come near that bridal bower.
Wad ye my favour win."
Fair Annie is till his mither gane : 125
" O lady mither," said she,
" May I gang to the bridal bower,
My lord's new bride to see ? "
388 SKICEN ANNA; FAIR ANNIE.
" That well ye may," his mither said ;
But see that ye're buskit bra',
And clad ye in your best cleading,
Wi' your bower maidens a'."
Fair Annie she's gaen to the bower,
Wi' heart fu' sair and sad ;
Wi' a' her seven sons her before,
In the red scarlet clad.
Fair Annie's taen a silver can.
Afore the bride to skink ;
And down her cheeks the tears ay run.
Upon hersell to think.
The bride gan stand her lord before :
" Now speak, and dinna spare ;
Whare is this fair young lady frae ?
, Whareto greets she sae sair ? "
" O hear ye now, dear lady mine,
The truth I tell to thee ;
It is but a bonny niece of mine,
That is come o'er the sea."
" O wae is me, my lord," she says,
" To hear you say sic wrang ;
It can be nane but your auld lemman ;
God rede whare she wiU gang ! "
" Then till her sorrow, and till her wae,
I'll tell the truth to thee ;
For she was said frae fremmit lands,
For mickle goud to me.
SKICEN ANNA ; FAIR ANNIE. 389
" Her bairntime a' stand her before,
Her seven young sons sae fair ;
And they maun now your pages be,
That maks her heart sae sair." iflo
" A little sister ance I had,
A sister that hight Ann ;
By reivers she was stown awa'.
And said in fremmit land.
" She was a bairn when she was stown, igb
Yet in her tender years ;
And sair her parents mourn'd for her,
Wi' mony sighs and tears.
" Art thou fair Annie, sister mine,
Thou noble violet flower ? 170
Her mither never smil'd again
Frae Annie left her bower !
" O thou art she ! a sister's heart
Wants nane that tale to tell !
And there he is, thy ain true lord ; wb
God spare ye lang and well ! "
And gladness through the palace spread,
Wi' mickle game and glee ;
And blythe were a' for fair Annie,
Her bridal day to see. iso
And now untill her father's land
This young bride she is gane ;
And her sister Annie's youngest son
She hame wi' her has ta'en.
LAPY MARGARET. See p. 205.
From Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 180.
" The corn is turning ripe, Lord John,
The nuts are growing fu',
And ye are bound for your ain countrie ;
Fain wad I go wi' you."
" Wi me, Marg'ret, wi me, Marg'ret,
What wad ye do wi' me V
I've mair need o' a pretty little boy,
To wait upon my steed."
•
" It's I will be your pretty little boy.
To wait upon your steed ;
And ilka town that we come to,
A pack of hounds I'll lead."
*' My hounds will eat o' the bread o' wheat.
And ye of the bread of bran :
And then you will sit and sigh.
That e'er ye loed a man."
LADY MARGARET. 391
The first water that they cam to,
I think they call it Clyde,
He saftly unto her did say, —
" Lady Marg'ret, will ye ride ? " 20
The first step that she steppit in.
She steppit to the knee ;
Says, " Wae be to ye, waefu' water,
For through ye I maun be."
The second step that she steppit in, 2fi
She steppit to the middle,
And sigh'd, and said, Lady Margaret,
" I've stain'd my gowden girdle."
The third step that she steppit in.
She steppit to the neck ; 80
The pretty babe within her sides.
The cauld it garr'd it squake.
" Lie still my babe, lie still my babe,
Lie still as lang's ye may.
For your father rides on horseback high, 35
Cares little for us twae."
It's whan she cam to the other side.
She sat doun on a stane ;
Says, " Them that made me, help me now,
For I am far frae hame. --
" How far is it frae your mither's bouer,
Gude Lord John tell to me ? "
" It's therty miles. Lady Margaret,
It's therty miles and three :
392 LADY JIARGARET.
And ye'se be wed to ane o' her serving men, 45
For ye'se get na mair o' me."
Then up bespak the wylie parrot,
As it sat on the tree ; —
" Ye lee, ye lee, Lord John," it said,
" Sae loud as I hear ye lee. bo
" Ye say it's thirty miles frae your mither's bouer,
Whan it's but barely three ;
And she'll ne'er be wed to a serving man,
For she'll be your ain ladie."
******
Monie a lord and fair ladie ss
Met Lord John in the closs.
But the bonniest face amang them a',
Was handing Lord John's horse.
Monie a lord and gay ladie
Sat dining in the ha', eo
But the bonniest face that was there,
Was waiting on them a'.
O up bespak Lord John's sister,
A sweet young maid was she :
" My brither has brought a bonnie young page,
His hke I ne'er did see ; 66
But the red flits fast frae his cheek,
And the tear stands in his ee."
But up bespak Lord John's mither.
She spak wi' meikle scorn : 70
LADY MARGARET. 393
" He's liker a woman gret wi' bairn,
Than onie waiting-man."
" It's ye'll rise up, my bonnie boy,
And gie my steed the hay : " —
" O that I will, my dear master, n
As fast as I can gae."
She took the hay aneath her arm.
The corn intil her hand ;
But atween the stable door and the staw,
Lady Marg'ret made a stand. 80
******
" O open the door. Lady Margaret,
O open and let me in ;
I want to see if my steed be fed,
Or my grey hounds fit to rin."
" I'll na open the door. Lord John," she said, 85
" I'll na open it to thee,
Till ye grant to me my ae request,
And a puir ane it's to me.
" Ye'll gie to me a bed in an outhouse,
For my young son and me, so
And the meanest servant in a' the place,
To wait on him and me."
" I grant, I grant, Lady Marg'ret," he said,
" A* that, and mair frae me,
The very best bed in a' the place
To your young son and thee : 96
And my mither, and my sister dear,
To wait on him and thee.
394 LADY MARGARET.
" And a' thae lands, and a' thae rents,
They sail be his and thine ;
Our wedding and our kirking day,
They sail be all in ane."
And he has tane Lady Margaret, '
And row'd her in the silk ;
And he has tane his ain young son,
And wash'd him in the milk.
EARL RICHARD. See p. 252.
From Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 15.
There was a shepherd's dochter
Kept sheep on yonder hill ;
B}'e cam a knicht frae the king's court,
And he wad hae his will.
Whan he had got his wills o' her,
His will as he has tane ;
" Wad ye be sae gnde and kind,
As tell to me your name ? "
" Some ca's me Jock, some ca's me John,
Some disna ken my name ;
But whan I'm in the king's court,
Mitchcock is my name."
" Mitchcock ! hey ! " the lady did say.
And spelt it oure again ;
" If that's your name in the Latin tongue.
Earl Richard is your name ! "
O jumpt he upon his horse,
And said he wad gae ride ;
Kilted she her green claithing,
And said she wad na bide.
396 EARL RICHARD.
And he was never sae discreet,
As bid her loup on and ride ;
And she was ne'er sae meanly bred,
As for to bid him bide.
And whan they cam to yon water,
It was running like a flude ;
" I've learnt it in my mither's bouer,
I've learnt it for my gude,
That I can soum this wan water.
Like a fish in a flude.
" I've learnt it in my father's bouer,
Ive learnt it for my better,
And I will soum this wan water.
As tho' I was ane otter."
" Jump on behind, ye weill-faur'd may,
Or do ye chuse to ride ? "
" No, thank ye, sir," the lady said,
" I wad rather chuse to wyde ; "
And afore that he was 'mid-water,
She was at the ither side.
" Turn back, turn back, ye weill-faur'd may,
My heart will brak in three ; "
" And sae did mine, on yon bonnie hill-side,
Whan ye wad na let me be."
" Whare gat ye that gay claithing.
This day I see on thee ? "
" My mither was a gude milk-nurse.
And a gude nourice was she.
EARL RICHARD.
She nurs'd the Earl o' Stockford's ae dochter,
And gat a' this to me." fio
Whan she cam to the king's court,
She rappit wi' a ring ;
Sae ready was the king himsel'
To lat the lady in.
" Gude day, gude day, my liege the king, «
Gude day, gude day, to thee ; "
" Gude day," quo' he, " my lady fair,
What is't ye want wi' me ? "
" There is a knicht into your court,
This day has robbed me ; ' ^
" O has he tane your gowd," he says,
" Or has he tane your fee ? "
" He has na tane my gowd," she says,
" Nor yet has he my fee ;
But he has tane my maiden-head, es
The flow'r o' my bodie."
" O gin he be a single man,
His body I'll gie thee ;
But gin he be a married man,
I'll hang him on a tree." 70
Then out bespak the queen hersel',
Wha sat by the king's knee :
" There's na a knicht in a' our court
Wad hae dune that to thee,
Unless it war my brither, Earl Richard,
And forbid it, it war he ! "
398 EARL RICHARD.
" Wad ye ken your fause love,
Amang a hundred men ? "
" I wad," said the bonnie ladie,
" Amang five hundred and ten." so
The king made a' his merry men pass,
By ane, loy twa, and three ;
Earl Richard us'd to be the first man.
But was hindmost man that day.
He cam hauping on ae fi)ot, 86
And winking wi' ae ee ;
" Ha ! ha ! " cried the bonnie ladie,
" That same young man are ye."
He has pou'd out a hundi-ed pounds,
Weel lockit in a glove ; 90
" Gin ye be a courteous may,
Ye'll chose anither love."
" What care I for your hundred pounds ?
Nae mair than ye wad for mine ;
What's a hundred pounds to me, 96
To a marriage wi' a king !
" I'll hae nane o' your gowd,
Nor either o' your fee ;
But I will hae your ain bodie,
The king has grantit me." 100
" O was ye gentle gotten, maid ?
Or was ye gentle born ?
Or hae ye onie gerss growin' ?
Or hae ye onie corn ?
EAKL KICHARD. 399
" Or hae ye onie lands or rents los
Lying at libertie ?
Or hae ye onie education,
To dance alang wi' me ? "
" I was na gentle gotten, madam,
Nor was I gentle born ; uo
Neither hae I gerss growin',
Nor hae I onie corn.
" I hae na onie lands or rents,
Lying at libertie ;
Nor hae I onie education, iis
To dance along wi' thee."
Whan the marriage it was oure.
And ilk ane took their horse, —
" It never sat a beggar's brat,
At na knicht's back to be." 120
He lap on ae milk-white steed,
And she lap on anither.
And syne the twa rade out the way
Like sister and like brither.
The ladie met wi' a beggar-wife, las
And gied her half o' crown —
" Tell a' your neebours whan ye gae hame.
That Earl Richard's your gude-son."
" O haud your tongue, ye beggar's brat.
My heart will brak in three ; " i30
" And sae did mine on yon bonnie hill-side,
Whan ye wad na lat me be."
400 EARL RICHARD.
Whan she cam to yon nettle-dyke —
" An my auld mither was here,
Sae Weill as she wad ye pou ; 135
She wad boil ye weill, and butter ye weill,
And sup till she war fou,
Syne laye her head upo' her dish doup,
And sleep like onie sow."
And whan she cam to Tyne's water, i4o
She wylilie did say —
" Fareweil, ye mills o' Tyne's water.
With thee I bid gude-day.
" Fareweil, ye mills o' Tyne's water,
To you I bid gude-een ; lis
Whare monie a time I've fill'd my pock,
At mid-day and at een."
" Hoch ! had I drank the well-water,
Whan first I drank the wine.
Never a mill-capon u»
Wad hae been a love o' mine."
Whan she cam to Earl Richard's house,
The sheets war Hollan' fine ;
" O baud awa thae linen sheets,
And bring to me the Unsey clouts, iss
I hae been best used in."
" O baud your tongue, ye beggar's brat.
My heart will brak in three ; "
" And sae did mine on yon bonnie hill-side,
Whan ye wadna lat me be." wo
EARL RICHARD. 401
" I wish I had drank the well-water,
Whan first I drank the beer ;
That ever a shepherd's dochter
Shou'd hae been my only dear ! "
" Ye'll turn about, Earl Richard, igb
And mak some mair o' me :
An ye mak me lady o' ae puir plow,
I can mak you laird o' three."
" If ye be the Earl o' Stockford's dochter,
As I've some thouchts ye be, i7o
Aft hae I waited at your father's yett.
But your face I ne'er could see."
"Whan they cam to her father's yett,
She tirled on the pin ;
And an auld belly-blind man was sittin' there,
As they were entering in : — its
" The meetest marriage," the belly-blind did
cry,
" Atween the ane and the ither ;
Atween the Earl o' Stockford's ae dochter.
And the Queen o' England's brither." i o
VOL. in. 26
GLOSSARY.
Q;^ Figures placed after words denote the pages in which
they occur.
aboon, aboun, abune, above;
151, above the surface of
the water.
ackward stroke, 84, 178, cross
or hack stroke.
acton, a leather jacket worn
under a coat of mail.
ae, only.
airts, quarters, points of the
compass.
an, one; an ae, one single.
aneath, beneath.
anes, once.
asking, boon.
aughts, oums.
aukeward stroke, 178, 84,
cross or back stroke.
auld son, 102. " Young Son
and Auld Son are phrases
used only to denote the
comparative ages of chil-
dren. The young son is per-
haps the child now in the
nurse's arms; the auld son,
he who has just begun
to walk without leading-
strings." — XJhambers.
ava, of all; 279, at all.
avowe, vow.
ayont, beyond.
baffled, disgraced.
bairntime, brood of children.
bale-fire, bonfire.
band, agreement.
bane-fire, bonfire.
bedeene, 238, immediately f
continuously ?
hed\ght, fmmshed.
beforne, before.
belive, soon.
belly blind. 365, stone blind.
ben, in.
bent, a field where the coarse
grass £0 named grows.
big, build; biggit, built. «
bigly, spacious, commodious.
hi\\\e, co?nrade, brot}ier,aierm
of affection.
binna, be noL
404
GLOSSARY.
birk, hirch.
birl, drink, pour out drink, ply
vnih drink.
blanne, stopped.
blee, complexion.
bleid, hlood.
blint, blinded.
bookin, bo'kin, bodMn, smcUl
dagger.
bookesman, clerk, $ecreiary.
bore, crevice, hole.
borrow, ransom.
bouer, chamber.
boun, 334, go.
boun, ready.
bountith, bounties.
boustouslie, tiireatemngfy.
bout, boU.
bow, bole, two bushels.
bower, chamber.
bowne, ready.
brae, hill-side.
bragged, dejied.
braid letter, an, open letter, or
letter patent.
brash, sickness.
bi^ast, burst.
braw, brave, handsome.
breast, 44, make a horse
spring tip or forward f
brechan, tartan, plead.
brenne, burn.
bricht, bright.
brodinge, 176, pricking.
bully, see billie.
burd, lady.
busk, dress, make ready ; busk
on, put on for dress ; buskit,
dressed.
but and, and also.
can, used as an auxiliary with
the infinitive mood, to form
an imperfect tense.
can eel, cinnamon.
cannie, handily, gently.
caps, 301, bowls.
carle, churl; carline, feminine
of churl, old woman.
carlish, churlish.
ch&mer, chamber.
chapp'd, rap, tapped.
cheer, countenance.
cheer, entertainment.
chive, 282, mauthfull?
cleiding, clothing.
close, enclosure.
coble, boat.
coffer^ coif, headrdress, cap i
coft, bought.
corbies, ravens.
cosh, quiet.
counsayl, secret.
craps, tops.
cryance, 177, apparently fot
recreance, cowardice.
cuist cavels, cast lots.
daigh, dough.
darna, dai-es not.
dawing, dawn ; daws, dawns,
decaye, 132, desti^ction.
dee,, die.
deemed, adjudged.
deid, death.
den, hollow, small valley.
descreeve, impart.
dight, 174, prepared fov.
GLOSSARY.
405
dill, dole, grief.
dinge, strike.
discreet, civil.
disna, does not.
dochter, daughter.
dole, grief.
doubte, dread.
douk, dive.
dounae, cannot.
doup, bottom.
dow, can ; downa; cannot.
dow, dove.
dowie, sad.
dree, dn^e, bear, suffer.
dyne, dinner.
eerie, 265, dreary, cheerles$.
eldern, old.
Eldridge, 170, (Elriche, El-
rick, &c.,) ghostly, spectral:
179, hill seems to be omitted.
even ower, half over.
fa', chtain as o»e'» lot.
fsiem, foam.
fail-dj'^ke, a wall built of sods.
faine, glad ; fainly, gladly.
farden, 185, fared, appeared.
fare, go.
fecht, fght.
fee, possessions, property.
feres, comrades.
fey fowk, 48, people doomed to
die.
fioht, fight.
fin, 342?
fitt, etrdin.
flatter'd, 156, fluttered, floated.
forbears, ancestors.
forbye, beyond, near.
fou, full.
frae, 353, yVom the time.
free, noble.
fremmit, foreign.
fund, found.
gae, gave.
gae-through-land, vagabond.
gane, suffice,
gar, cause, make.
gare, below her, below the
[gore in the edge of the]
skirt ?
gear, goods.
gen, against.
ger^, grass.
gif, if-
gin, if
gin, trick, snare ; 221, the rfe-
vice {necessary to open the
door).
girds, hoops.
glore, glory.
God before, GtxZ help me !
good-brother, 67, brother-in-
law.
gorgett, 237, a kerchief to
cover the bosom.
graith, caparisons; graith'd,
caparisoned.
gramarye, grammar, abstruse
or magical learning.
grat, cried, wept.
greeting, weeping, crying.
gresse, grass.
grew, gray.
grype, griffin.
gude-mother, mother-in-law.
406
GLOSSARY.
gude-son, son-in-law.
gurly, troubled, stormy.
ha', haU.
had, hold, keep.
had, taken.
hained, enclosed, surrounded
mth a hedge.
half-fou, half bushel.
hantle, much, great deai.
happ'd, covered.
hart-rote, 39, a term of en-
dearment, sweet-heart.
hand, hold.
haugh, low flat ground by a
river-side.
hauping, limping. •
hause, neck.
have owre, 151, half over.
haw, azure.
hawberke, cuirass, coat of
mail.
heading-hill, beheading hill.
heal, conceal.
heal, health.
hech, a forcible expiration of
breath, as in striking a heavy
blow.
heiding-hill, the beheading kill.
hend, gentle,
het, hot.
hewberke, cuirass, coat of
mail.
hichts, heights,.
hight, promised.
hind-chiel, young stripling..
hinging, hanging.
hollin, holly.
hooly, slowly, softly.
hour, hold.
houms, flat grounds near
water.
houzle, give the sacrament.
ilka, each.
inbesLung, forth-putting.
iwis, iwysse, certainly, truly.
jack, 81, a coat of mail.
jagged, pierced.
jess, a leather strap for a
hawk^s leg, by which it was
fastened to the leash.
jooked, bowed, made obeisance.
kail, broth.
kame, comb.
keckle-pin, 292, should be
heckle-pin, the tooth of a
heckle or flax-comh.
kell, a dress of net-work for a
Ufoman^s head.
keinpes, soldiers ; kemperye
man, 169, soMier-man.
kepped, keppit, intercepted^
received when falling..
kevils, lots.
kiest, cast.
kilted, tucked up.
kipples, rafters.
kirkin, churching.
kirk-shot, see shot^
knet, knitted.
knicht, knight.
knot, 266, tie up.
knowe, knoll.
lack, 85, loss.
[
GLOSSARY,
407
laigli, hw.
lake, 58, hollow place, grave?
lamer, amber.
lane, your lane, &c., alone.
lap, leapt ; 154, sprang.
lauch, laugh.
lauchters, laughters.
lave, rest.
lawing, reckoning.
lave, 180, law.
lay gowd. embi'oider in gold.
lay-land, lea-land, unploughed,
green sward.
leafu', lawful.
leal, loyal, true.
leech, leash.
leesome, pleasant, lovely.
lenain, gleaming.
lere, countenance.
lethal, deadly.
licht, light.
lieve, dear.
lift, air.
lift, carry off.
lig, lie.
lighter, delivered.
liramer , mean , scoundrel,
wretch.
linkin', riding hriMy.
linn, the pool beneath a cata-
ract.
lither, lazy, wicked.
lodlye, loathly.
loon, clown, rascal, low feUom.
loot, let. ,
louted, bowed, bent.
make, mate.
raane, moan, Irmienf.
raannot, nmy not.
maries, maids.
mark, murky.
maiTOw, mate, husband; 67,
antagonist., match.
mat, might.
mavis, thrush.
maw, mew.
may, maid.
meen, moon.
mell, 70, milt, spleeni
micht, might.
mill-capon, a poor person who
asks charity at mills from
those who have grain grind-
ing.
millering, 265, dust of the mill.
min', mind.
min', minnie, mother, love,
dear.
minged, 178, named, mentioned.
mintet, 335, took the direction-
or course.
mirk, dark.
monand, moaning.
moodie hill, 84, mole-hill.
morning-gift, the gift made a
wife by her husband, the
morning after marriage^
mun, must.
nee, nigh.
nicked of naye, 162, denied;:
should be with nnye.
niest, next.
nurice, nurse.
o'erAvord, refrain.
408
GLOSSARY.
olion, an exclamation of sor-
row, alas.
oubethought, 35, thought upon.
or, before.
out o'hand, at once.
owre, 151, or, ere.
oys, grandsons.
Pa, 144. Qy. Is this a con-
traction of pall, and is paU,
an aUey or mall in which
games of hall are played f
pall, a hind of rich cloth.
Pasche, Easter.
pat, put.
paughty, insolent.
pearlings, thread laces.
pict, pitch.
pike, pick.
pin, summit; gallows pin, top
of the gallows f
pine, sorrow.
pitten, put.
plat, interwove.
play-feres, play-fellows.
Tplight, pledge.
Tplooky, pimpled.
poin'd, seized.
poke, bag.
pot, a deep place scooped in a
rock or river-bed by the ed-
dies.
pou, pvll.
prestlye, quickly.
pricked, rode smartly.
prime, six o'clock.
prude, SI, proud?
put down, putten down,
executed, killed.
quair, choir.
quha, who.
quick, alive.
raw, row.
reade, advise.
reave, deprive.
removde, 174, stirred up, ex-
cited.
renish, renisht, 161, 167?
rievers, marauders, robbers.
rigg, ridge.
rive, riven.
roode, cross.
room, 217, make room.
roudes, haggard.
round tables, a game much
pilayed in the \Uh ^ 16th
century.
row, roll; rowd, rolled.
sackless, guiltless.
said, sold.
sark, shi7-t, sliifl.
sat, fitted.
saye, 211, essay, try.
scale, scatter, disperse.
scath, injury.
scoup, 194, go or fly.
scuttle dishes, 265, wooden
platters.
sea-maw, sea-mew.
see, (save and see,) protect.
sell, good; sell gude, right
good.
sen, 272, sent.
sen, since.
send, message.
shanna, shall not.
GLOSSARY.
409
shaw'd, showed.
sheen, bright.
sheut, disgraced, injured.
shope, 39, shaped, assumed.
shot, plot of land; also, a
place ichere fishermen lei oiU
their nets.
shot - window, a projected,
over-hanging loindow. *
sicker, sickerlj^ sure, surety.
side, long.
sindry, SOI, peculiar.
skeely, skilful.
skink, serve drink.
slode, slid, split.
sloe, slay ; slone, slain,
smit, a clashing noise.
soura, swim.
spare, the opening in a tooman's
gown.
spille, destroy, perish.
sta^, stall.
staf, stuff.
stark and stoor, 246, strong,
and brave ; here we may
say, rough and rude.
staw, stole.
steek, stitch, thread; steeking,
stitching.
steeked, fastened.
* It " meant a certain species of aperture, generally cir-
cular, which used to be common in the stair-cases of old wooden
houses in Scotland, and some specimens of which are yet
to be seen in the Old Town of Edinburgh. It was calculated
to save glass in those parts of the house where light was
required, but where there was no necessity for the exclusion
of the air." — Chambers.
Not always certainly, since persons are sometimes said to
be lying at the shot window.
step-minnie, step-mother.
sterte, started.
stickit, 139, cut the throat.
stock, the forepart of a bed.
stoups, flagons.
stour, stower, 171, fight, cS«-
turbance.
stown, stolen.
streekit, stretched, struck down.
stythe, 43, sty.
suld, should.
swaird, sword.
sweven, dream.
swith, quickly.
syne, then, afterwards; ere
syne, before now.
tee, too.
tein, suffering, grief.
thae, these.
theek, theekit, thatch, thatch-
ed.
think lang,yeeZ weary, ennuye.
thir, these.
thocht lang, grew loeary, felt
ennui.
thole, endure.
thorn, 339, (and thorn'd, ii.
335,) refreshed with food ?
410
GLOSSARY.
thouch, though.
thought la.ng,g7'ev} weary, felt
ennui.
thoust, tiwu shouldst,
thraw, ttdst.
tin, 170, entice.
till, to.
tine, 175, lose; tint, lost.
tint, 183, 227, apparently mis-
used by Percy, for tine,
lose.
tippit, bck {of hair).
tirled at the pin, trilled, or
rattled, at the door-latch.
tolbooth, prison.
tone, the one, (after the.)
toom, empty.
trattles, prattles, tattles.
trysted, made an appointment
with.
twig, twitch.
twine, part.
tyne, lose.
ugsome, disgusting, loathsome.
unco, strange.
unmacklye, 187, unshapely.
"wad, wager.
wad, would.
Avae, sad.
■wake, watch.
wale, choose.
wallowed, 282, withered.
waly, alas.
wan, darh, black, gloomy.
wand, wicher.
wane, 221, a number of people.
wantonly, 82, nimbly.
wap, tor op.
warlock, wizard
wat, hnow.
wat, wet.
wauked, watched.
waur, worse.
weary, causing trouble, sad.
wed-bed, marriage-bed.
weets, knows.
weil-heid, th^ vortex of a
whirlpool.
weill-faur'd, well-favored.
weir, war.
weird, 220, made liable to, ear-
posed to ; 302, apparently,
foretell that it is important.
weirdless, unlucky.
well-wight, right active.
westlin, westward.
whareto, wherefore.^
yfhin, furze.
wicht, wight.
wicker, tivist, from being too
tightly drawn.
wight, strong, active.
wightlye, bravely, quickly.
wightsmen, 325, husbandmen f
win, come, reach ; win near,
come near ; win up, get %qK
winsome, gay, comely.
win hay, dry or make.
wit, information.
wite, blame.
wode, mad.
woe, sad.
won up, 218, yet up; should
be win up.
wrocht, wrought.
wush, washed.
GLOSSARY. 411
wyde, wade. yiig? yo^ng.
wyte, 317, blame. young son, 105, see auld son.
wyte, know. y-rode, rode.
y-were, tcere.
yate, gate.
jeard-fastj^edin the earth. zechins, sequins. ^
yestreen, yesterdai^. zoung, young.
yett, gate. Zule, Yule, Chiistmas.
0
FR Child, Francis James
1181 English and Scottish
C5 ballads
1857
V.3
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