THOMAS THE RHYMER.

He shewd him or they went to soupereForestes, parkes, ful of wilde dere;Ther saw he hartes with hir hornes hie,The gretest that were ever seen with eie:He saw of hem an hundred slain with houndes,And some with arwes blede of bitter woundes:He saw, when voided were the wilde dere,Thise fauconers upon a fair rivere,That with hir haukes han the heron slain:Tho saw he knightes justen on a plain;And after this he did him swiche plesance,That he him shewd his lady on a dance,On which himselven danced, as him thought:And whan this maister that this magike wrought,Saw it was time, he clapt his handes two,And farewell! all the revel is ago.And yet remued they never out of the house,While they saw all thise sights merveillous:But in his studie ther his bookes be,They saten still and no wight but this three.

Ibidem.

Our modern professors of themagic naturalwould likewise have been sorely put down by theJoguloursandEnchantoursof theGrete Chan; "for they maken to come in the air the sone and the mone, beseminge to every mannes sight; and aftre, they maken the nyght so dirke, that no man may se no thing; and aftre, they maken the day to come agen, fair and plesant, with bright sone to every mannes sight; and than, they bringin in daunces of the fairest damyselles of the world, and richest arrayed; and after, they maken to comen in other damyselles, bringing coupes of gold, fulle of mylke of diverse bestes; and geven drinke to lordes and to ladyes; and than they maken knyghtes to justen in arms fulle lustyly; and they rennen togidre a gret randoun, and they frusschen togidere full fiercely, and they broken her speres so rudely, that the trenchouns flen in sprotis and pieces alle aboute the halle; and than they make to come in hunting for the hert and for the boor, with houndes renning with open mouthe: and many other things they dow of her enchauntements, that it is marveyle for to se."—SirJohn Mandeville'sTravels, p. 285. I question much, also, if the most artfulilluminatusof Germany could have matched the prodigies exhibited by Pacolet and Adramain. "Adonc Adramain leva une cappe par dessus une pillier, et en telle sort, qu'il sembla a ceux qui furent presens, que parmi la place couroit, une riviere fort grande et terrible. Et en icelle riviere sembloit avoir poissons en grand abondance, grands et petits. Et quand ceux de palaís virent l'eau si grande, ils commencerent tous a lever leur robes et a crier fort, comme sils eussent eu peur d'estre noye; et Pacolet, qui l'enchantement regarda, commenca a chanter, et fit un sort si subtil en son chant qui sembla a tous ceux de lieu que parmy la riviere couroit un cerf grand et cornu, qui jettoit et abbatoit a terre tout ce que devant lui trouvoit, puis leur fut advis que voyoyent chasseurs et veneurs courir apris le Cerf, avec grande puissance de levriers et des chiens. Lors y eut plusieurs de la compagnie qui saillirent au devant pour le Cerf attraper et cuyder prendre; mais Pacolet fist tost le Cerf sailler. "Bien avez joué," dit Orson, "et bien scavez vostre art user."—L'Histoire des Valentin et Orson, a Rouen, 1631. The receipt, to prevent the operation of these deceptions, was, to use a sprig of four-leaved clover. I remember to have heard (certainly very long ago, for, at the time, I believed the legend), that a gypsey exercised hisglamourover a number of people at Haddington, to whom he exhibited a common dung-hill cock, trailing, what appeared to the spectators, a massy oaken trunk. An old man passed with a cart of clover; he stopped, and picked out a four-leaved blade; the eyes of the spectators were opened, and the oaken trunk appeared to be a bulrush.

I have tar-barrell'd mony a witch.—P.159. v. 1.

Human nature shrinks from the brutal scenes, produced by the belief in witchcraft. Under the idea, that the devil imprinted upon the body of his miserable vassals a mark, which was insensible to pain, persons were employed to run needles into the bodies of the old women who were suspected of witchcraft. In the dawning of common sense upon this subject, a complaint was made before the Privy Council of Scotland, 11th September, 1678, by Catherine Liddell, a poor woman, against the baron-bailie of Preston-Grange, and David Cowan (a professed pricker), for having imprisoned, and most cruelly tortured her. They answered, 1st, She was searched by her own consent,et volenti non fit injuria; 2d, The pricker had learned his trade from Kincaid, a famed pricker; 3d, He never acted, but when called upon by magistrates or clergymen, so what he did wasauctore prætore; 4th, His trade was lawful; 5th, Perkins, Delrio, and all divines and lawyers, who treat of witchcraft, assert the existence of the marks, orstigmata sagarum; and, 6thly, Were it otherwise,Error communis facit jus.—Answered, 1st, Denies consent; 2d, Nobody can validly consent to their own torture; for,Nemo est dominus membrorum suorum; 3d, The pricker was a common cheat. The last arguments prevailed; and it was found, that inferior judges "might not use any torture, by pricking, or by with-holding them from sleep;" the council reserving all that to themselves, the justices, and those acting by commission from them. But Lord Durie, a lord of session, could have no share in these inflictions.

FOOTNOTES:[31]For his pedigree, the reader may consult the Appendix to the ballad of Johnie Armstrong, Vol. I.[32]It stands upon the water of Dryfe, not far from Moffat.[33]Gray Mare's Tail—A cataract above Moffat, so called.[34]"He took bread and salt by this light, that he would never open his lips."The Honest Whore, act 5, scene 12.[35]Lair'd—Bogged.[36]Far yaud.The signal made by a shepherd to his dog, when he is to drive away some sheep at a distance. From Yoden, to go.Ang. Sax.[37]Brock—Badger.

[31]For his pedigree, the reader may consult the Appendix to the ballad of Johnie Armstrong, Vol. I.

[32]It stands upon the water of Dryfe, not far from Moffat.

[33]Gray Mare's Tail—A cataract above Moffat, so called.

[34]"He took bread and salt by this light, that he would never open his lips."The Honest Whore, act 5, scene 12.

[35]Lair'd—Bogged.

[36]Far yaud.The signal made by a shepherd to his dog, when he is to drive away some sheep at a distance. From Yoden, to go.Ang. Sax.

[37]Brock—Badger.

IN THREE PARTS.

Few personages are so renowned in tradition as Thomas of Erceldoune, known by the appellation ofThe Rhymer. Uniting, or supposed to unite, in his person, the powers of poetical composition, and of vaticination, his memory, even after the lapse of five hundred years, is regarded with veneration by his countrymen. To give any thing like a certain history of this remarkable man, would be indeed difficult; but the curious may derive some satisfaction from the particulars here brought together.

It is agreed, on all hands, that the residence, and probably the birth-place, of this ancient bard, was Erceldoune, a village situated upon the Leader, two miles above its junction with the Tweed. The ruins of an ancient tower are still pointed out as the Rhymer's castle. The uniform tradition bears, that his sirname was Lermont, or Learmont; and that the appellation ofThe Rhymerwas conferred on him in consequence of his poetical compositions. There remains, nevertheless, some doubt upon this subject. In a charter, which is subjoined at length,[38]the son of our poet designs himself "Thomas of Ercildoun, son and heir of Thomas Rymour of Ercildoun," which seems to imply, that the father did not bear the hereditary name of Learmont; or, at least, was better known and distinguished by the epithet, which he had acquired by his personal accomplishments. I must, however, remark, that, down to a very late period, the practice of distinguishing the parties, even in formal writings, by the epithets which had been bestowed on them from personal circumstances, instead of the proper sirnames of their families, was common, and indeed necessary, among the border clans. So early as the end of the thirteenth century, when sirnames were hardly introduced in Scotland, thiscustom must have been universal. There is, therefore, nothing inconsistent in supposing our poet's name to have been actually Learmont, although, in this charter, he is distinguished by the popular appellation ofThe Rhymer.

We are better able to ascertain the period at which Thomas of Ercildoune lived, being the latter end of the thirteenth century. I am inclined to place his death a little farther back than Mr Pinkerton, who supposes that he was alive in 1300 (List of Scottish Poets); which is hardly, I think, consistent with the charter already quoted, by which his son, in 1299, for himself and his heirs, conveys to the convent of the Trinity of Soltre, the tenement which he possessed by inheritance (hereditarie) in Ercildoun, with all claim which he, or his predecessors, could pretend thereto. From this we may infer, that the Rhymer was now dead; since we find his son disposing of the family property. Still, however, the argument of the learned historian will remain unimpeached, as to the time of the poet's birth. For if, as we learn from Barbour, his prophecies were held in reputation[39]as early as 1306, when Bruce slew the Red Cummin, the sanctity, and (let me add to Mr Pinkerton's words) the uncertainty of antiquity, must have already involved his character and writings. In a charter of Peter de Haga de Bemersyde, which unfortunately wants a date, the Rhymer, a near neighbour,and, if we may trust tradition, a friend of the family, appears as a witness.—Cartulary of Melrose.

It cannot be doubted, that Thomas of Ercildoun was a remarkable and important person in his own time, since, very shortly after his death, we find him celebrated as a prophet, and as a poet. Whether he himself made any pretensions to the first of these characters, or whether it was gratuitously conferred upon him by the credulity of posterity, it seems difficult to decide. If we may believe Mackenzie, Learmont only versified the prophecies delivered by Eliza, an inspired nun, of a convent at Haddington. But of this there seems not to be the most distant proof. On the contrary, all ancient authors, who quote the Rhymer's prophecies, uniformly suppose them to have been emitted by himself. Thus, in Wintown'sChronicle,

Of this fycht quilum spak ThomasOf Ersyldoune, that sayd in Derne,Thare suld meit stalwartly, starke and sterne.He sayd it in his prophecy;But how he wist it wasferly.

BookVIII.chap.32.

There could have been noferly(marvel) in Wintown's eyes, at least, how Thomas came by his knowledge of future events, had he ever heard of the inspired nun of Haddington; which, it cannot be doubted, would have been a solution of the mystery, much to the taste of the prior of Lochleven.[40]

Whatever doubts, however, the learned might have, asto the source of the Rhymer's prophetic skill, the vulgar had no hesitation to ascribe the whole to the intercourse between the bard and the queen of Faëry. The popular tale bears, that Thomas was carried off, at an early age, to the Fairy Land, where he acquired all the knowledge, which made him afterwards so famous. After seven years residence, he was permitted to return to the earth, to enlighten and astonish his countrymen by his prophetic powers; still, however, remaining bound to return to his royal mistress, when she should intimate her pleasure.[41]Accordingly, while Thomas was making merry with his friends, in the tower of Ercildoun, a person came running in, and told, with marks of fear and astonishment, that a hart and hind had left the neighbouring forest, and were, composedly and slowly, parading the street of the village.[42]The prophet instantly arose, left his habitation, and followed the wonderful animals to the forest, whence he was never seen to return. According to the popularbelief, he still "drees his weird" in Fairy Land, and is one day expected to revisit earth. In the meanwhile, his memory is held in the most profound respect. The Eildon Tree, from beneath the shade of which he delivered his prophecies, now no longer exists; but the spot is marked by a large stone, called Eildon Tree Stone. A neighbouring rivulet takes the name of the Bogle Burn (Goblin Brook) from the Rhymer's supernatural visitants. The veneration paid to his dwelling place, even attached itself in some degree to a person, who, within the memory of man, chose to set up his residence in the ruins of Learmont's tower. The name of this man was Murray, a kind of herbalist; who, by dint of some knowledge in simples, the possession of a musical clock, an electrical machine, and a stuffed aligator, added to a supposed communication with Thomas the Rhymer, lived for many years in very good credit as a wizard.

It seemed to the editor unpardonable to dismiss a person, so important in border tradition as the Rhymer, without some farther notice than a simple commentary upon the following ballad. It is given from a copy, obtained from a lady, residing not far from Ercildoun, corrected and enlarged by one in Mrs Brown's MSS. The formercopy, however, as might be expected, is far more minute as to local description. To this old tale the editor has ventured to add a Second Part, consisting of a kind of Cento, from the printed prophecies vulgarly ascribed to the Rhymer; and a Third Part, entirely modern, founded upon the tradition of his having returned with the hart and hind, to the land of Faërie. To make his peace with the more severe antiquaries, the editor has prefixed to the second part some remarks on Learmont's prophecies.

True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank;A ferlie he spied wi' his e'e;And there he saw a ladye bright,Come riding down by the Eildon Tree.Her shirt was o' the grass-green silk,Her mantle o' the velvet fyne;At ilka tett of her horse's mane,Hang fifty siller bells and nine.True Thomas, he pull'd aff his cap,And louted low down to his knee,"All hail, thou mighty queen of heav'n!"For thy peer on earth I never did see.""O no, O no, Thomas," she said;"That name does not belang to me;"I am but the queen of fair Elfland,"That am hither come to visit thee."Harp and carp, Thomas," she said;"Harp and carp along wi' me;"And if ye dare to kiss my lips,"Sure of your bodie I will be.""Betide me weal, betide me woe,"That weird[43]shall never danton me."Syne he has kissed her rosy lips,All underneath the Eildon Tree."Now, ye maun go wi' me," she said;"True Thomas ye maun go wi' me;"And ye maun serve me seven years,"Thro' weal or woe as may chance to be."She mounted on her milk-white steed;She's ta'en true Thomas up behind;And aye, whene'er her bridle rung,The steed flew swifter than the wind.O they rade on, and farther on;The steed gaed swifter than the wind;Until they reached a desart wide,And living land was left behind."Light down, light down, now, true Thomas,"And lean your head upon my knee:"Abide and rest a little space,"And I will shew you ferlies three."O see ye not yon narrow road,"So thick beset with thorns and briers?"That is the path of righteousness,"Though after it but few enquires."And see not ye that braid braid road,"That lies across that lily leven?"That is the path of wickedness,"Though some call it the road to heaven."And see not ye that bonny road,"That winds about the fernie brae?"That is the road to fair Elfland,"Where thou and I this night maun gae."But, Thomas, ye maun hold your tongue,"Whatever ye may hear or see;"For, if you speak word in Elflyn land,"Ye'll ne'er get back to your ain countrie."O they rade on, and farther on,And they waded through rivers aboon the knee,And they saw neither sun nor moon,But they heard the roaring of the sea.It was mirk mirk night, and there was nae stern light,And they waded through red blude to the knee;For a' the blude, that's shed on earth,Rins through the springs o' that countrie.Syne they came on to a garden green,And she pu'd an apple frae a tree—"Take this for thy wages, true Thomas;"It will give thee the tongue that can never lie.""My tongue is mine ain," true Thomas said;"A gudely gift ye wad gie to me!"I neither dought to buy nor sell,"At fair or tryst where I may be."I dought neither speak to prince or peer,"Nor ask of grace from fair ladye.""Now hold thy peace!" the lady said,"For, as I say, so must it be."He has gotten a coat of the even cloth,And a pair of shoes of velvet green;And, till seven years were gane and past,True Thomas on earth was never seen.

True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank;A ferlie he spied wi' his e'e;And there he saw a ladye bright,Come riding down by the Eildon Tree.

Her shirt was o' the grass-green silk,Her mantle o' the velvet fyne;At ilka tett of her horse's mane,Hang fifty siller bells and nine.

True Thomas, he pull'd aff his cap,And louted low down to his knee,"All hail, thou mighty queen of heav'n!"For thy peer on earth I never did see."

"O no, O no, Thomas," she said;"That name does not belang to me;"I am but the queen of fair Elfland,"That am hither come to visit thee.

"Harp and carp, Thomas," she said;"Harp and carp along wi' me;"And if ye dare to kiss my lips,"Sure of your bodie I will be."

"Betide me weal, betide me woe,"That weird[43]shall never danton me."Syne he has kissed her rosy lips,All underneath the Eildon Tree.

"Now, ye maun go wi' me," she said;"True Thomas ye maun go wi' me;"And ye maun serve me seven years,"Thro' weal or woe as may chance to be."

She mounted on her milk-white steed;She's ta'en true Thomas up behind;And aye, whene'er her bridle rung,The steed flew swifter than the wind.

O they rade on, and farther on;The steed gaed swifter than the wind;Until they reached a desart wide,And living land was left behind.

"Light down, light down, now, true Thomas,"And lean your head upon my knee:"Abide and rest a little space,"And I will shew you ferlies three.

"O see ye not yon narrow road,"So thick beset with thorns and briers?"That is the path of righteousness,"Though after it but few enquires.

"And see not ye that braid braid road,"That lies across that lily leven?"That is the path of wickedness,"Though some call it the road to heaven.

"And see not ye that bonny road,"That winds about the fernie brae?"That is the road to fair Elfland,"Where thou and I this night maun gae.

"But, Thomas, ye maun hold your tongue,"Whatever ye may hear or see;"For, if you speak word in Elflyn land,"Ye'll ne'er get back to your ain countrie."

O they rade on, and farther on,And they waded through rivers aboon the knee,And they saw neither sun nor moon,But they heard the roaring of the sea.

It was mirk mirk night, and there was nae stern light,And they waded through red blude to the knee;For a' the blude, that's shed on earth,Rins through the springs o' that countrie.

Syne they came on to a garden green,And she pu'd an apple frae a tree—"Take this for thy wages, true Thomas;"It will give thee the tongue that can never lie."

"My tongue is mine ain," true Thomas said;"A gudely gift ye wad gie to me!"I neither dought to buy nor sell,"At fair or tryst where I may be.

"I dought neither speak to prince or peer,"Nor ask of grace from fair ladye.""Now hold thy peace!" the lady said,"For, as I say, so must it be."

He has gotten a coat of the even cloth,And a pair of shoes of velvet green;And, till seven years were gane and past,True Thomas on earth was never seen.

She pu'd an apple frae a tree, &c.—P.176. v. 5.

The traditional commentary upon this ballad informs us, that the apple was the produce of the fatal Tree of Knowledge, and that the garden was the terrestrial paradise. The repugnance of Thomas to be debarred the use of falsehood, when he might find it convenient, has a comic effect.

The reader is here presented, from an old, and unfortunately an imperfect MS., with the undoubted original of Thomas the Rhymer's intrigue with the queen of Faëry. It will afford great amusement to those who would study the nature of traditional poetry, and the changes effected by oral tradition, to compare this ancient romance with the foregoing ballad. The same incidents are narrated, even the expression is often the same; yet the poems are as different in appearance, as if the older tale had been regularly and systematically modernized by a poet of the present day.

Incipit Prophesia Thomæ de Erseldoun.

In a lande as I was lent,In the gryking of the day,Ay alone as I went,In Huntle bankys me for to play:I saw the throstyl, and the jay,Ye mawes movyde of her song,Ye wodwale sange notes gay,That al the wod about range.In that longyng as I lay,Undir nethe a dern tre,I was war of a lady gay,Come rydyng ouyr a fair le;Zogh I suld sitt to domysday,With my tong to wrabbe and wry,Certenly all hyr aray,It beth neuyr discryuyd for me.Hyr palfra was dappyll gray,Sycke on say neuer none,As the son in somers day,All abowte that lady shone;Hyr sadyl was of a rewel bone,A semly syght it was to se,Bryht with many a precyous stone,And compasyd all with crapste;Stones of oryens gret plente,Her hair about her hede it hang,She rode ouer the farnyle.A while she blew a while she sang,Her girths of nobil silke they were,Her boculs were of beryl stone,Sadyll and brydil war——:With sylk and sendel about bedone,Hyr patyrel was of a pall fyne,And hyr croper of the arase,Hyr brydil was of gold fyne,On euery syde forsothe hong bells thre,Hyr brydil reynes—-A semly syzt——Crop and patyrel—-In every joynt——She led thre grew houndes in a leash,And ratches cowpled by her ran;She bar an horn about her halse,And undir her gyrdil mene flene.Thomas lay and sa—-In the bankes of——He sayd yonder is Mary of Might,That bar the child that died for me,Certes bot I may speke with that lady bright,Myd my hert will breke in three;I schal me hye with all my might,Hyr to mete at Eldyn Tree.Thomas rathly up he rase,And ran ouer mountayn hye,If it be sothe the story says,He met her euyn at Eldyn Tre.Thomas knelyd down on his kneUndir nethe the grenewood spray,And sayd, lovely lady thou rue on me,Queen of heaven as you well may be;But I am a lady of another countrie,If I be pareld most of prise,I ride after the wild fee,My ratches rinnen at my devys.If thou be pareld most of prise,And rides a lady in strang foly,Lovely lady as thou art wise,Giue you me leue to lige ye by.Do way Thomas, that wert foly,I pray ye Thomas late me be,That sin will forde all my bewtie:Lovely ladye rewe on me,And euer more I shall with ye dwell,Here my trowth I plyght to thee,Where you beleues in heuin or hell.Thomas, and you myght lyge me by,Undir nethe this grene wode spray,Thou would tell full hastely,That thou had layn by a lady gay.Lady I mote lyg by the,Under nethe the grene wode tre,For all the gold in chrystenty,Suld you neuer be wryede for me.Man on molde you will me marre,And yet bot you may haf you will,Trow you well Thomas, you cheuyst ye warre;For all my bewtie wilt you spill.Down lyghtyd that lady bryzt,Undir nethe the grene wode spray,And as ye story sayth full ryzt,Seuyn tymes by her he lay.She seyd, man you lyste thi play,What berde in bouyr may dele with thee,That maries me all this long day;I pray ye Thomas lat me be.Thomas stode up in the stede,And behelde the lady gay,Her heyre hang down about hyr hede,The tone was blak, the other gray.Her eyn semyt onte before was gray,Her gay clethyng was all away,That he before had sene in that stede;Hyr body as blow as ony bede.Thomas sighede, and sayd allas,Me thynke this a dullfull syght,That thou art fadyd in the face,Before you shone as son so bryzt.Tak thy leue Thomas, at son and mone,At gresse, and at euery tre.This twelmonth sall you with me gone,Medyl erth you sall not se.Alas he seyd, ful wo is me,I trow my dedes will werke me care,Jesu my sole tak to ye,Whedir so euyr my body sal fare.She rode furth with all her myzt,Undir nethe the derne lee,It was as derke as at mydnizt,And euyr in water unto the kne;Through the space of days thre,He herde but swowyng of a flode;Thomas sayd, ful wo is me,Nowe I spyll for fawte of fode;To a garden she lede him tyte,There was fruyte in grete plente,Peyres and appless ther were rype,The date and the damese,The figge and als fylbert tre;The nyghtyngale bredyng in her neste,The papigaye about gan fle,The throstylcok sang wold hafe no rest.He pressed to pulle fruyt with his handAs man for faute that was faynt;She seyd, Thomas lat al stand,Or els the deuyl wil the ataynt.Sche said, Thomas I the hyzt,To lay thi hede upon my kne,And thou shalt see fayrer syght,Than euyr sawe man in their kintre.Sees thou, Thomas, yon fayr way,That lyggs ouyr yone fayr playn?Yonder is the way to heuyn for ay,Whan synful sawles haf derayed their payne.Sees thou, Thomas, yon secund way,That lygges lawe undir the ryse?Streight is the way sothly to say,To the joyes of paradyce.Sees thou, Thomas, yon thyrd way,That ligges ouyr yone how?Wide is the way sothly to say,To the brynyng fyres of hell.Sees thou, Thomas, yone fayr castell,That standes ouyr yone fayr hill?Of town and tower it beereth the belle,In middell erth is non like theretill.Whan thou comyst in yone castell gaye,I pray thu curteis man to be;What so any man to you say,Soke thu answer non but me.My lord is servyd at yche messe,With xxx kniztes feir and fre;I sall say syttyng on the dese,I toke thy speche beyonde the le.Thomas stode as still as stone,And behelde that ladye gaye;Than was sche fayr and ryche anone,And also ryal on hir palfreye.The grewhoundes had fylde them on the dere,The raches coupled, by my fay,She blewe her horn Thomas to chere,To the castell she went her way.The ladye into the hall went,Thomas folowyd at her hand;Thar kept hyr mony a lady gent,With curtasy and lawe.Harp and fedyl both he fande,The getern and the sawtry,Lut and rybid ther gon gan,Thair was al maner of mynstralsy.The most fertly that Thomas thoght,When he com emyddes the flore,Fourty hertes to quarry were broght,That had ben befor both long and store.Lymors lay lappyng blode,And kokes standyng with dressyng knyfe,And dressyd dere as thai wer wode,And rewell was thair wonderKnyghtes dansyd by two and thre,All that leue long day.Ladyes that wer gret of gre,Sat and sang of rych aray.Thomas sawe much more in that place,Than I can descryve,Til on a day alas, alas,My lovelye ladye sayd to me,Busk ye Thomas you must agayn,Here you may no longer be:Hy then zerne that you were at hame,I sal ye bryng to Eldyn Tre.Thomas answerd with heuy cher,And sayd, lowely ladye lat me be,For I say ye certenly hereHaf I be bot the space of dayes three.Sothely Thomas as I telle ye,You hath ben here thre yeres,And here you may no longer be;And I sal tele ye a skele,To-morowe of helle ye foule fendeAmang our folke shall chuse his fee;For you art a larg man and an hende,Trowe you wele he will chuse thee.Fore all the golde that may be,Fro hens unto the worldes ende,Sall you not be betrayed for me,And thairfor sall you hens wend.She broght hym euyn to Eldon Tre,Undir nethe the grene wode spray,In Huntle bankes was fayr to be,Ther breddes syng both nyzt and day.Ferre ouyr yon montayns gray,Ther hathe my facon;Fare wele, Thomas, I wende my way.

[The elfin queen, after restoring Thomas to earth, pours forth a string of prophecies, in which we distinguish references to the events and personages of the Scottish wars of Edward III. The battles of Duplin and Halidon are mentioned, and also Black Agnes, Countess of Dunbar. There is a copy of this poem in the museum in the cathedral of Lincoln, another in the collection in Peterborough, but unfortunately they are all in an imperfect state. Mr Jamieson, in his curious Collection of Scottish Ballads and Songs, has an entire copy of this ancient poem, with all the collations, which is now in the press, and will be soon given to the public. Thelacunæof the former edition have been supplied from his copy.]

FOOTNOTES:[38]From the Chartulary of the Trinity House of Soltra, Advocates' Library, W. 4. 14.ERSYLTON.Omnibus has literas visuris vel audituris Thomas de Ercildoun filius et heres Thomæ Rymour de Ercildoun salutem in Domino.—Noveritis me per fustem et baculum in pleno judicio resignasse ac per presentes quietem clamasse pro me et heredibus meis Magistro domus Sanctæ Trinitatis de Soltre et fratribus ejusdem domus totam terram meam cum omnibus pertinentibus suis quam in tenemento de Ercildoun hereditarie tenui renunciando de toto pro me et heredibus meis omni jure et clameo que ego seu antecessores mei in eadem terra alioque tempore de perpetua habuimus sive de futuro habere possumus. In cujus rei testimonio presentibus his sigillum meum apposui data apud Ercildoun die Martis proximo post festum Sanctorum Apostolorum Symonis et Jude Anno Domini Millessimo cc. Nonagesimo Nono.[39]The lines alluded to are these:—I hope that Tomas's prophesie,Of Erceldoun, shall truly be.In him, &c.[40]Henry the Minstrel, who introduces Thomas into the history of Wallace, expresses the same doubt as to the source of his prophetic knowledge:Thomas Rhymer into the faile was thanWith the minister, which was a worthy man.He used oft to that religious place;The people deemed of wit he meikle can,And so he told, though that they bless or ban,Which happened sooth in many divers case;I cannot say by wrong or righteousness.In rule of war whether they tint or wan:It may be deemed by division of grace, &c.History of Wallace, Book II.[41]See the Dissertation on Fairies, prefixed toTamlane, Vol. II. p. 109.[42]There is a singular resemblance betwixt this tradition, and an incident occurring in the life of Merlin Caledonius, which, the reader will find a few pages onward.[43]That weird, &c.—That destiny shall never frighten me.

[38]From the Chartulary of the Trinity House of Soltra, Advocates' Library, W. 4. 14.ERSYLTON.Omnibus has literas visuris vel audituris Thomas de Ercildoun filius et heres Thomæ Rymour de Ercildoun salutem in Domino.—Noveritis me per fustem et baculum in pleno judicio resignasse ac per presentes quietem clamasse pro me et heredibus meis Magistro domus Sanctæ Trinitatis de Soltre et fratribus ejusdem domus totam terram meam cum omnibus pertinentibus suis quam in tenemento de Ercildoun hereditarie tenui renunciando de toto pro me et heredibus meis omni jure et clameo que ego seu antecessores mei in eadem terra alioque tempore de perpetua habuimus sive de futuro habere possumus. In cujus rei testimonio presentibus his sigillum meum apposui data apud Ercildoun die Martis proximo post festum Sanctorum Apostolorum Symonis et Jude Anno Domini Millessimo cc. Nonagesimo Nono.

[38]From the Chartulary of the Trinity House of Soltra, Advocates' Library, W. 4. 14.

ERSYLTON.

Omnibus has literas visuris vel audituris Thomas de Ercildoun filius et heres Thomæ Rymour de Ercildoun salutem in Domino.—Noveritis me per fustem et baculum in pleno judicio resignasse ac per presentes quietem clamasse pro me et heredibus meis Magistro domus Sanctæ Trinitatis de Soltre et fratribus ejusdem domus totam terram meam cum omnibus pertinentibus suis quam in tenemento de Ercildoun hereditarie tenui renunciando de toto pro me et heredibus meis omni jure et clameo que ego seu antecessores mei in eadem terra alioque tempore de perpetua habuimus sive de futuro habere possumus. In cujus rei testimonio presentibus his sigillum meum apposui data apud Ercildoun die Martis proximo post festum Sanctorum Apostolorum Symonis et Jude Anno Domini Millessimo cc. Nonagesimo Nono.

[39]The lines alluded to are these:—I hope that Tomas's prophesie,Of Erceldoun, shall truly be.In him, &c.

[39]The lines alluded to are these:—

I hope that Tomas's prophesie,Of Erceldoun, shall truly be.In him, &c.

[40]Henry the Minstrel, who introduces Thomas into the history of Wallace, expresses the same doubt as to the source of his prophetic knowledge:Thomas Rhymer into the faile was thanWith the minister, which was a worthy man.He used oft to that religious place;The people deemed of wit he meikle can,And so he told, though that they bless or ban,Which happened sooth in many divers case;I cannot say by wrong or righteousness.In rule of war whether they tint or wan:It may be deemed by division of grace, &c.History of Wallace, Book II.

[40]Henry the Minstrel, who introduces Thomas into the history of Wallace, expresses the same doubt as to the source of his prophetic knowledge:

Thomas Rhymer into the faile was thanWith the minister, which was a worthy man.He used oft to that religious place;The people deemed of wit he meikle can,And so he told, though that they bless or ban,Which happened sooth in many divers case;I cannot say by wrong or righteousness.In rule of war whether they tint or wan:It may be deemed by division of grace, &c.

History of Wallace, Book II.

[41]See the Dissertation on Fairies, prefixed toTamlane, Vol. II. p. 109.

[42]There is a singular resemblance betwixt this tradition, and an incident occurring in the life of Merlin Caledonius, which, the reader will find a few pages onward.

[43]That weird, &c.—That destiny shall never frighten me.

ALTERED FROM ANCIENT PROPHECIES.

The prophecies, ascribed to Thomas of Ercildoune, have been the principal means of securing to him remembrance "amongst the sons of his people." The author ofSir Tristremwould long ago have joined, in the vale of oblivion, Clerk of Tranent, who wrote the adventure of "Schir Gawain," if, by good hap, the same current of ideas respecting antiquity, which causes Virgil to be regarded as a magician by the Lazaroni of Naples, had not exalted the bard of Ercildoune to the prophetic character. Perhaps, indeed, he himself affected it during his life. We know at least, for certain, that a belief in his supernatural knowledge was current soon after his death. His prophecies are alluded to by Barbour, by Wintoun, and by Henry the Minstrel, orBlind Harry, as he is usually termed. None of these authors, however, give the words of any of the Rhymer's vaticinations, but merely narrate, historically, his having predicted the events of which they speak. The earliest of the prophecies ascribed to him, which is now extant, is quoted by Mr Pinkertonfrom a MS. It is supposed to be a response from Thomas of Ercildoune, to a question from the heroic Countess of March, renowned for the defence of the castle of Dunbar against the English, and termed, in the familiar dialect of her time,Black Agnesof Dunbar. This prophecy is remarkable, in so far as it bears very little resemblance to any verses published in the printed copy of the Rhymer's supposed prophecies. The verses are as follows:

"La Countesse de Donbar demande a Thomas de Essedoune quant la guerre d'Escoce prendreit fyn. E yl l'a repoundy et dyt,

"When man is mad a kyng of a capped man;"When man is lever other mones thyng than is owen;"When londe thouys forest, ant forest is felde;"When hares kendles o' the her'ston;"When Wyt and Wille weres togedere:"When mon makes stables of kyrkes; and steles castels with styes;"When Rokesboroughe nys no burgh ant market is at Forwyleye:"When Bambourne is donged with dede men;"When men ledes men in ropes to buyen and to sellen;"When a quarter of whaty whete is chaunged for a colt of ten markes;"When prude (pride) prikes and pees is leyd in prisoun;"When a Scot ne me hym hude ase hare in forme that the English ne shall hym fynde;"When rycht ant wronge astente the togedere;"When laddes weddeth lovedies;"When Scottes flen so faste, that for faute of shep, hy drowneth hemselve;"When shall this be?"Nouther in thine tyme ne in mine;"Ah comen ant gone"Withinne twenty winter ant one."

Pinkerton's Poems, from Maitland's MSS. quoting from Harl. Lib. 2253. F. 127.

As I have never seen the MS. from which Mr Pinkerton makes this extract, and as the date of it is fixed by him (certainly one of the most able antiquaries of our age), to the reign of Edward I. or II., it is with great diffidence that I hazard a contrary opinion. There can, however, I believe, be little doubt, that these prophetic verses are a forgery, and not the production of our Thomas the Rhymer. But I am inclined to believe them of a later date than the reign of Edward I. or II.

The gallant defence of the castle of Dunbar, by Black Agnes, took place in the year 1337. The Rhymer died previous to the year 1299 (see the charter, by his son, in the introduction to the foregoing ballad). It seems, therefore, very improbable, that the Countess of Dunbar could ever have an opportunity of consulting Thomas the Rhymer, since that would infer that she was married, or at least engaged in state matters, previous to 1299; whereas she is described as a young, or a middle-aged, woman, at the period of her being besieged in the fortress, which she so well defended. If the editor might indulge a conjecture, he would suppose, that the prophecy was contrived for the encouragement of the English invaders, during the Scottish wars; and that the names of the Countess of Dunbar, and of Thomas of Ercildoune, were used for the greater credit of the forgery. According to this hypothesis,it seems likely to have been composed after the siege of Dunbar, which had made the name of the Countess well known, and consequently in the reign of Edward III. The whole tendency of the prophecy is to aver, "that there shall be no end of the Scottish war (concerning which the question was proposed), till a final conquest of the country by England, attended by all the usual severities of war. When the cultivated country shall become forest—says the prophecy;—when the wild animals shall inhabit the abode of men;—when Scots shall not be able to escape the English, should they crouch as hares in their form—all these denunciations seem to refer to the time of Edward III., upon whose victories the prediction was probably founded." The mention of the exchange betwixt a colt worth ten markes, and a quarter of "whaty (indifferent) wheat," seems to allude to the dreadful famine, about the year 1388. The independence of Scotland was, however, as impregnable to the mines of superstition, as to the steel of our more powerful and more wealthy neighbours. The war of Scotland is, thank God, at an end; but it is ended without her people having either crouched, like hares, in their form, or being drowned in their flight "for faute of ships,"—thank God for that too. The prophecy, quoted in p. 179., is probably of the same date, and intended for the same purpose. A minute search of the records of the time would, probably, throw additional light upon the allusions contained in these ancient legends. Among various rhymes of prophetic import,which are at this day current amongst the people of Teviotdale, is one, supposed to be pronounced by Thomas the Rhymer, presaging the destruction of his habitation and family:

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