C.

Kinloch's MSS,I, 21, from Mary Barr, May, 1827, Clydesdale.

1A gentleman cam oure the sea,Fine flowers in the valleyAnd he has courted ladies three.With the light green and the yellow2One o them was clad in red:He asked if she wad be his bride.3One o them was clad in green:He asked if she wad be his queen.4The last o them was clad in white:He asked if she wad be his heart's delight.5'Ye may ga ask my father, the king:Sae maun ye ask my mither, the queen.6'Sae maun ye ask my sister Anne:And dinna forget my brither John.'7He has asked her father, the king:And sae did he her mither, the queen.8And he has asked her sister Anne:But he has forgot her brother John.9Her father led her through the ha,Her mither danced afore them a'.10Her sister Anne led her through the closs,Her brither John set her on her horse.11It's then he drew a little penknife,And he reft the fair maid o her life.12'Ride up, ride up,' said the foremost man;'I think our bride comes hooly on.'13'Ride up, ride up,' said the second man;'I think our bride looks pale and wan.'14Up than cam the gay bridegroom,And straucht unto the bride he cam.15'Does your side-saddle sit awry?Or does your steed ...16'Or does the rain run in your glove?Or wad ye chuse anither love?'17'The rain runs not in my glove,Nor will I e'er chuse anither love.18'But O an I war at Saint Evron's well,There I wad licht, and drink my fill!19'Oh an I war at Saint Evron's closs,There I wad licht, and bait my horse!'20Whan she cam to Saint Evron's well,She dought na licht to drink her fill.21Whan she cam to Saint Evron's closs,The bonny bride fell aff her horse.22'What will ye leave to your father, the king?''The milk-white steed that I ride on.'23'What will ye leave to your mother, the queen?''The bluidy robes that I have on.'24'What will ye leave to your sister Anne?''My gude lord, to be wedded on.'25'What will ye leave to your brither John?''The gallows pin to hang him on.'26'What will ye leave to your brither's wife?''Grief and sorrow a' the days o her life.'27'What will ye leave to your brither's bairns?''The meal-pock to hang oure the arms.'28Now does she neither sigh nor groan:She lies aneath yon marble stone.

1A gentleman cam oure the sea,Fine flowers in the valleyAnd he has courted ladies three.With the light green and the yellow

2One o them was clad in red:He asked if she wad be his bride.

3One o them was clad in green:He asked if she wad be his queen.

4The last o them was clad in white:He asked if she wad be his heart's delight.

5'Ye may ga ask my father, the king:Sae maun ye ask my mither, the queen.

6'Sae maun ye ask my sister Anne:And dinna forget my brither John.'

7He has asked her father, the king:And sae did he her mither, the queen.

8And he has asked her sister Anne:But he has forgot her brother John.

9Her father led her through the ha,Her mither danced afore them a'.

10Her sister Anne led her through the closs,Her brither John set her on her horse.

11It's then he drew a little penknife,And he reft the fair maid o her life.

12'Ride up, ride up,' said the foremost man;'I think our bride comes hooly on.'

13'Ride up, ride up,' said the second man;'I think our bride looks pale and wan.'

14Up than cam the gay bridegroom,And straucht unto the bride he cam.

15'Does your side-saddle sit awry?Or does your steed ...

16'Or does the rain run in your glove?Or wad ye chuse anither love?'

17'The rain runs not in my glove,Nor will I e'er chuse anither love.

18'But O an I war at Saint Evron's well,There I wad licht, and drink my fill!

19'Oh an I war at Saint Evron's closs,There I wad licht, and bait my horse!'

20Whan she cam to Saint Evron's well,She dought na licht to drink her fill.

21Whan she cam to Saint Evron's closs,The bonny bride fell aff her horse.

22'What will ye leave to your father, the king?''The milk-white steed that I ride on.'

23'What will ye leave to your mother, the queen?''The bluidy robes that I have on.'

24'What will ye leave to your sister Anne?''My gude lord, to be wedded on.'

25'What will ye leave to your brither John?''The gallows pin to hang him on.'

26'What will ye leave to your brither's wife?''Grief and sorrow a' the days o her life.'

27'What will ye leave to your brither's bairns?''The meal-pock to hang oure the arms.'

28Now does she neither sigh nor groan:She lies aneath yon marble stone.

Harris MS., p. 11 b, No 7.

1There waur three ladies in a ha,Hech hey an the lily geyBy cam a knicht, an he wooed them a'.An the rose is aye the redder aye2The first ane she was cled in green;'Will you fancy me, an be my queen?'3'You may seek me frae my father dear,An frae my mither, wha did me bear.4'You may seek me frae my sister Anne,But no, no, no frae my brither John.'5The niest ane she was cled in yellow;'Will you fancy me, an be my marrow?'6'Ye may seek me frae my father dear,An frae my mither, wha did me bear.7'Ye may seek me frae my sister Anne,But no, no, no frae my brither John.'8The niest ane she was cled in red:'Will ye fancy me, an be my bride?'9'Ye may seek me frae my father dear,An frae my mither wha did me bear.10'Ye may seek me frae my sister Anne,An dinna forget my brither John.'11He socht her frae her father, the king,An he socht her frae her mither, the queen.12He socht her frae her sister Anne,But he forgot her brither John.13Her mither she put on her goun,An her sister Anne preened the ribbons doun.14Her father led her doon the close,An her brither John set her on her horse.* * * * *15Up an spak our foremost man:'I think our bonnie bride's pale an wan.'* * * * *16'What will ye leave to your father dear?''My ... an my ... chair.'17'What will ye leave to your mither dear?''My silken screen I was wont to wear.'18'What will ye leave to your sister Anne?''My silken snood an my golden fan.'19'What will you leave to your brither John?''The gallows tree to hang him on.'

1There waur three ladies in a ha,Hech hey an the lily geyBy cam a knicht, an he wooed them a'.An the rose is aye the redder aye

2The first ane she was cled in green;'Will you fancy me, an be my queen?'

3'You may seek me frae my father dear,An frae my mither, wha did me bear.

4'You may seek me frae my sister Anne,But no, no, no frae my brither John.'

5The niest ane she was cled in yellow;'Will you fancy me, an be my marrow?'

6'Ye may seek me frae my father dear,An frae my mither, wha did me bear.

7'Ye may seek me frae my sister Anne,But no, no, no frae my brither John.'

8The niest ane she was cled in red:'Will ye fancy me, an be my bride?'

9'Ye may seek me frae my father dear,An frae my mither wha did me bear.

10'Ye may seek me frae my sister Anne,An dinna forget my brither John.'

11He socht her frae her father, the king,An he socht her frae her mither, the queen.

12He socht her frae her sister Anne,But he forgot her brither John.

13Her mither she put on her goun,An her sister Anne preened the ribbons doun.

14Her father led her doon the close,An her brither John set her on her horse.

* * * * *

15Up an spak our foremost man:'I think our bonnie bride's pale an wan.'

* * * * *

16'What will ye leave to your father dear?''My ... an my ... chair.'

17'What will ye leave to your mither dear?''My silken screen I was wont to wear.'

18'What will ye leave to your sister Anne?''My silken snood an my golden fan.'

19'What will you leave to your brither John?''The gallows tree to hang him on.'

Notes and Queries, 1st S.,VI, 53, 2d S.,V, 171. As sung by a lady who was a native of County Kerry, Ireland.

1There were three ladies playing at ball,Farin-dan-dan and farin-dan-deeThere came a white knight, and he wooed them all.With adieu, sweet honey, wherever you be2He courted the eldest with golden rings,And the others with many fine things.And adieu, etc.

1There were three ladies playing at ball,Farin-dan-dan and farin-dan-deeThere came a white knight, and he wooed them all.With adieu, sweet honey, wherever you be

2He courted the eldest with golden rings,And the others with many fine things.And adieu, etc.

Notes and Queries, 4th S.,V, 105. From Forfarshire, W.F.

There were three sisters playin at the ba,Wi a hech hey an a lillie gayThere cam a knicht an lookt ower the wa'.An the primrose springs sae sweetly.Sing Annet, an Marret, an fair Maisrie,An the dew hangs i the wood, gay ladie.

Gilbert's Ancient Christmas Carols, 2d ed., p. 68, as remembered by the editor. West of England.

1There did three knights come from the west,With the high and the lily ohAnd these three knights courted one lady.As the rose was so sweetly blown2The first knight came was all in white,And asked of her, if she'd be his delight.3The next knight came was all in green,And asked of her, if she'd be his queen.4The third knight came was all in red,And asked of her, if she would wed.5'Then have you asked of my father dear,Likewise of her who did me bear?6'And have you asked of my brother John?And also of my sister Anne?'7'Yes, I have asked of your father dear,Likewise of her who did you bear.8'And I have asked of your sister Anne,But I've not asked of your brother John.'9Far on the road as they rode along,There did they meet with her brother John.10She stooped low to kiss him sweet,He to her heart did a dagger meet.11'Ride on, ride on,' cried the serving man,'Methinks your bride she looks wondrous wan.'12'I wish I were on yonder stile,For there I would sit and bleed awhile.13'I wish I were on yonder hill,There I'd alight and make my will.'14'What would you give to your father dear?''The gallant steed which doth me bear.'15'What would you give to your mother dear?''My wedding shift which I do wear.16'But she must wash it very clean,For my heart's blood sticks in evry seam.'17'What would you give to your sister Anne?''My gay gold ring and my feathered fan.'18'What would you give to your brother John?''A rope and gallows to hang him on.'19'What would you give to your brother John's wife?''A widow's weeds, and a quiet life.'

1There did three knights come from the west,With the high and the lily ohAnd these three knights courted one lady.As the rose was so sweetly blown

2The first knight came was all in white,And asked of her, if she'd be his delight.

3The next knight came was all in green,And asked of her, if she'd be his queen.

4The third knight came was all in red,And asked of her, if she would wed.

5'Then have you asked of my father dear,Likewise of her who did me bear?

6'And have you asked of my brother John?And also of my sister Anne?'

7'Yes, I have asked of your father dear,Likewise of her who did you bear.

8'And I have asked of your sister Anne,But I've not asked of your brother John.'

9Far on the road as they rode along,There did they meet with her brother John.

10She stooped low to kiss him sweet,He to her heart did a dagger meet.

11'Ride on, ride on,' cried the serving man,'Methinks your bride she looks wondrous wan.'

12'I wish I were on yonder stile,For there I would sit and bleed awhile.

13'I wish I were on yonder hill,There I'd alight and make my will.'

14'What would you give to your father dear?''The gallant steed which doth me bear.'

15'What would you give to your mother dear?''My wedding shift which I do wear.

16'But she must wash it very clean,For my heart's blood sticks in evry seam.'

17'What would you give to your sister Anne?''My gay gold ring and my feathered fan.'

18'What would you give to your brother John?''A rope and gallows to hang him on.'

19'What would you give to your brother John's wife?''A widow's weeds, and a quiet life.'

a.Herd's MSS,I, 41.b.Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776,I, 88.

1There was three ladys in a ha,Fine flowers i the valleyThere came three lords amang them a',Wi the red, green, and the yellow2The first of them was clad in red:'O lady fair, will you be my bride?'3The second of them was clad in green:'O lady fair, will you be my queen?'4The third of them was clad in yellow:'O lady fair, will you be my marrow?'5'You must ask my father dear,Likewise the mother that did me bear.'6'You must ask my sister Ann,And not forget my brother John,'7'I have askt thy father dear,Likewise thy mother that did thee bear.8'I have askt thy sister Ann,But I forgot thy brother John.'9Her father led her through the ha,Her mother dancd before them a'.10Her sister Ann led her through the closs,Her brother John put her on her horse.11'You are high and I am low;Let me have a kiss before you go.'12She was louting down to kiss him sweet,Wi his penknife he wounded her deep.* * * * *13'O lead me over into yon stile,That I may stop and breath a while.14'O lead me over to yon stair,For there I'll ly and bleed ne mair.'15'O what will you leave your father dear?''That milk-white steed that brought me here.'16'O what will you leave your mother dear?''The silken gown that I did wear.'17'What will you leave your sister Ann?''My silken snood and golden fan.'18'What will you leave your brother John?''The highest gallows to hang him on.'19'What will you leave your brother John's wife?''Grief and sorrow to end her life.'20'What will ye leave your brother John's bairns?''The world wide for them to range.'

1There was three ladys in a ha,Fine flowers i the valleyThere came three lords amang them a',Wi the red, green, and the yellow

2The first of them was clad in red:'O lady fair, will you be my bride?'

3The second of them was clad in green:'O lady fair, will you be my queen?'

4The third of them was clad in yellow:'O lady fair, will you be my marrow?'

5'You must ask my father dear,Likewise the mother that did me bear.'

6'You must ask my sister Ann,And not forget my brother John,'

7'I have askt thy father dear,Likewise thy mother that did thee bear.

8'I have askt thy sister Ann,But I forgot thy brother John.'

9Her father led her through the ha,Her mother dancd before them a'.

10Her sister Ann led her through the closs,Her brother John put her on her horse.

11'You are high and I am low;Let me have a kiss before you go.'

12She was louting down to kiss him sweet,Wi his penknife he wounded her deep.

* * * * *

13'O lead me over into yon stile,That I may stop and breath a while.

14'O lead me over to yon stair,For there I'll ly and bleed ne mair.'

15'O what will you leave your father dear?''That milk-white steed that brought me here.'

16'O what will you leave your mother dear?''The silken gown that I did wear.'

17'What will you leave your sister Ann?''My silken snood and golden fan.'

18'What will you leave your brother John?''The highest gallows to hang him on.'

19'What will you leave your brother John's wife?''Grief and sorrow to end her life.'

20'What will ye leave your brother John's bairns?''The world wide for them to range.'

Herd's MSS,I, 44,II, 75; Scottish Songs, 1776,I, 90; appended toG.

She louted down to gie a kiss,With a hey and a lilly gayHe stuck his penknife in her hass.And the rose it smells so sweetly'Ride up, ride up,' cry'd the foremost man;'I think our bride looks pale and wan.'

She louted down to gie a kiss,With a hey and a lilly gay

He stuck his penknife in her hass.And the rose it smells so sweetly

'Ride up, ride up,' cry'd the foremost man;'I think our bride looks pale and wan.'

Kinloch's MSS,I, 27. From Mrs Bouchart, an old lady native of Forfarshire.

1There war three bonnie boys playing at the ba,Hech hey and a lily gayThere cam three ladies to view them a'.And the rose it smells sae sweetlie2The first ane was clad in red:'O,' says he, 'ye maun be my bride.'3The next o them was clad in green:'O,' says he, 'ye maun be my queen.'4The tither o them was clad in yellow:'O,' says he, 'ye maun be my marrow.'5'Ye maun gang to my father's bouer,To see gin your bride he'll let me be.'6Her father led her doun the stair,Her mither at her back did bear.7Her sister Jess led her out the closs,Her brother John set her on the horse.8She loutit doun to gie him a kiss;He struck his penknife thro her breist.9'Ride on, ride on,' says the foremaist man;'I think our bride looks pale and wan.'10'Ride on, ride on,' says the merry bridegroom;'I think my bride's blude is rinnin doun.'11'O gin I war at yon bonnie hill,I wad lie doun and bleed my fill!12'O gin I war at yon bonnie kirk-yard,I wad mak my testament there!'13'What will ye leave to your father dear?''The milk-white steed that brocht me here.'14'What will ye leave to your mother dear?''The bluidy robes that I do wear.'15'What will ye leave to your sister Ann?''My silken snood and gowden fan.'16'What will ye leave to your sister Jess?''The bonnie lad that I loe best.'17'What will ye leave to your brother John?''The gallows pin to hang him on.'18'What will ye leave to your brother John's wife?''Sorrow and trouble a' her life.'19'What will ye leave to your brother's bairns?''The warld's wide, and let them beg.'

1There war three bonnie boys playing at the ba,Hech hey and a lily gayThere cam three ladies to view them a'.And the rose it smells sae sweetlie

2The first ane was clad in red:'O,' says he, 'ye maun be my bride.'

3The next o them was clad in green:'O,' says he, 'ye maun be my queen.'

4The tither o them was clad in yellow:'O,' says he, 'ye maun be my marrow.'

5'Ye maun gang to my father's bouer,To see gin your bride he'll let me be.'

6Her father led her doun the stair,Her mither at her back did bear.

7Her sister Jess led her out the closs,Her brother John set her on the horse.

8She loutit doun to gie him a kiss;He struck his penknife thro her breist.

9'Ride on, ride on,' says the foremaist man;'I think our bride looks pale and wan.'

10'Ride on, ride on,' says the merry bridegroom;'I think my bride's blude is rinnin doun.'

11'O gin I war at yon bonnie hill,I wad lie doun and bleed my fill!

12'O gin I war at yon bonnie kirk-yard,I wad mak my testament there!'

13'What will ye leave to your father dear?''The milk-white steed that brocht me here.'

14'What will ye leave to your mother dear?''The bluidy robes that I do wear.'

15'What will ye leave to your sister Ann?''My silken snood and gowden fan.'

16'What will ye leave to your sister Jess?''The bonnie lad that I loe best.'

17'What will ye leave to your brother John?''The gallows pin to hang him on.'

18'What will ye leave to your brother John's wife?''Sorrow and trouble a' her life.'

19'What will ye leave to your brother's bairns?''The warld's wide, and let them beg.'

From Miss Margaret Reburn, as current in County Meath, Ireland, about 1860.

1There were three sisters playing ball,With the high and the lily OAnd there came three knights to court them all.With the rosey sweet, heigh ho2The eldest of them was drest in green:'I wish I had you to be my queen.'3The second of them was drest in red:'I wish I had you to grace my bed.'4The youngest of them was drest in white:'I wish I had you to be my wife.'5'Did ye ask my father brave?Or did ye ask my mother fair?6'Or did ye ask my brother John?For without his will I dare not move on.'7'I did ask your parents dear,But I did not see your brother John.'* * * * *8'Ride on, ride on,' said the first man,'For I fear the bride comes slowly on.'9'Ride on, ride on,' said the next man,'For lo! the bride she comes bleeding on.'* * * * *10'What will you leave your mother dear?''My heart's best love for ever and aye.'11'What will ye leave your sister Anne?''This wedding garment that I have on.'12'What will ye leave your brother John's wife?''Grief and sorrow all the days of her life.'13'What will ye leave your brother John?''The highest gallows to hang him on.'14'What will ye leave your brother John's son?''The grace of God to make him a man.'

1There were three sisters playing ball,With the high and the lily OAnd there came three knights to court them all.With the rosey sweet, heigh ho

2The eldest of them was drest in green:'I wish I had you to be my queen.'

3The second of them was drest in red:'I wish I had you to grace my bed.'

4The youngest of them was drest in white:'I wish I had you to be my wife.'

5'Did ye ask my father brave?Or did ye ask my mother fair?

6'Or did ye ask my brother John?For without his will I dare not move on.'

7'I did ask your parents dear,But I did not see your brother John.'

* * * * *

8'Ride on, ride on,' said the first man,'For I fear the bride comes slowly on.'

9'Ride on, ride on,' said the next man,'For lo! the bride she comes bleeding on.'

* * * * *

10'What will you leave your mother dear?''My heart's best love for ever and aye.'

11'What will ye leave your sister Anne?''This wedding garment that I have on.'

12'What will ye leave your brother John's wife?''Grief and sorrow all the days of her life.'

13'What will ye leave your brother John?''The highest gallows to hang him on.'

14'What will ye leave your brother John's son?''The grace of God to make him a man.'

Notes and Queries, 4th S.,IV, 517, as "sung in Cheshire amongst the people" in the last century. T. W.

1There were three ladies playing at ball,Gilliver, Gentle, and RosemaryThere came three knights and looked over the wall.Sing O the red rose and the white lilly2The first young knight, he was clothed in red,And he said, 'Gentle lady, with me will you wed?'3The second young knight, he was clothed in blue,And he said, 'To my love I shall ever be true.'4The third young knight, he was clothed in green,And he said, 'Fairest maiden, will you be my queen?'5The lady thus spoke to the knight in red,'With you, sir knight, I never can wed.'6The lady then spoke to the knight in blue,And she said, 'Little faith I can have in you.'7The lady then spoke to the knight in green,And she said, ''T is at court you must seek for a queen.'8The three young knights then rode away,And the ladies they laughed, and went back to their play.Singing, etc.

1There were three ladies playing at ball,Gilliver, Gentle, and RosemaryThere came three knights and looked over the wall.Sing O the red rose and the white lilly

2The first young knight, he was clothed in red,And he said, 'Gentle lady, with me will you wed?'

3The second young knight, he was clothed in blue,And he said, 'To my love I shall ever be true.'

4The third young knight, he was clothed in green,And he said, 'Fairest maiden, will you be my queen?'

5The lady thus spoke to the knight in red,'With you, sir knight, I never can wed.'

6The lady then spoke to the knight in blue,And she said, 'Little faith I can have in you.'

7The lady then spoke to the knight in green,And she said, ''T is at court you must seek for a queen.'

8The three young knights then rode away,And the ladies they laughed, and went back to their play.Singing, etc.

A. b.

62. oer young.102. spear at.172. the bonny.191. said.231. And what will ye.251. This fair lady.2. And a mass.Variations of Aytoun's copy, sts. 9-13, 16, 17, 20-24: 111omitsAnd; 121, 131omitdear; 132omitsAnd; 161,through halfforhalf thro; 172omitsFor, bonny; 212,pearlinforsilken; 221omitsAnd; 222,My silken gown that stands its lane; 232,shirtforcloaths; 241,And what; 242,The gates o hell to let him in.

62. oer young.

102. spear at.

172. the bonny.

191. said.

231. And what will ye.

251. This fair lady.

2. And a mass.

Variations of Aytoun's copy, sts. 9-13, 16, 17, 20-24: 111omitsAnd; 121, 131omitdear; 132omitsAnd; 161,through halfforhalf thro; 172omitsFor, bonny; 212,pearlinforsilken; 221omitsAnd; 222,My silken gown that stands its lane; 232,shirtforcloaths; 241,And what; 242,The gates o hell to let him in.

"I have seen a fragment of another copy in which [the burden is]

The red rose and the lilyAnd the roses spring fu sweetly."Kinloch, p. 19.

91. For on the road.

G. a.

1.Burden2.The red, green, etc.: afterwards,Wi the red, etc.22.MS. also, He askt of me if I'd be his bride.32.MS. also, He askt of me if I'd be his queen.42.MS. also, He askt me if I'd be his marrow.152.MS. also, The gold and silver that I have here.162.MS. also, The silken garment.172.MS. also, My satine hat.202,MS. also, The world wide, let them go beg.

1.Burden2.The red, green, etc.: afterwards,Wi the red, etc.

22.MS. also, He askt of me if I'd be his bride.

32.MS. also, He askt of me if I'd be his queen.

42.MS. also, He askt me if I'd be his marrow.

152.MS. also, The gold and silver that I have here.

162.MS. also, The silken garment.

172.MS. also, My satine hat.

202,MS. also, The world wide, let them go beg.

72. the mother.

141. into yon stair.Variations of Aytoun's copy, sts. 1-8, 14, 15, 18, 19 from Herd, 1776: 11, three sisters; 22, 32, 42omitfair; 51, O ye maun; 61, And ye; 71, O I have; 81, And I have ask'd your sister; 82, your brother; 142, Give me a kiss; 152, When wi his knife.

141. into yon stair.

Variations of Aytoun's copy, sts. 1-8, 14, 15, 18, 19 from Herd, 1776: 11, three sisters; 22, 32, 42omitfair; 51, O ye maun; 61, And ye; 71, O I have; 81, And I have ask'd your sister; 82, your brother; 142, Give me a kiss; 152, When wi his knife.

"I have heard this song, to a very good tune not in any collection, with the above variations—the chorus, of the whole as in the above two verses."Herd's note in his MSS.

FOOTNOTES:[143]Aytoun, 1-8 == Herd, 1776, 1-8: 9-13 == Jamieson, 11-15: 14, 15 == Herd, 11, 12: 16, 17 == Jamieson, 18, 19: 18, 19 == Herd, 13, 14: 20-24 == Jamieson, 21-25.

[143]Aytoun, 1-8 == Herd, 1776, 1-8: 9-13 == Jamieson, 11-15: 14, 15 == Herd, 11, 12: 16, 17 == Jamieson, 18, 19: 18, 19 == Herd, 13, 14: 20-24 == Jamieson, 21-25.

A.From a manuscript copy, probably of the beginning of this century.B.'Lord Donald,' Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 110.C.Motherwell's MS., p. 69.D.Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, 1803,III, 292.E.Halliwell's Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales, p. 261.F.'Lord Ronald, my Son,' Johnson's Museum, No 327, p. 337.G.Illustrations of Northern Antiquities, p. 319.H.From recitation, 1881.I.'Tiranti, my Son.'a.Communicated by a lady of Boston,b.By an aunt of the same.c.By a lady of New Bedford.d.By a lady of Cambridge.e,f,g. By ladies of Boston.J.'The Bonnie Wee Croodlin Dow,' Motherwell's MS., p. 238.K. a.'The Croodlin Doo,' Chambers, Scottish Ballads, p. 324.b.'The Wee Croodlen Doo,' Chambers, Popular Rhymes, 1842, p. 53.c.Johnson's Museum, by Stenhouse and Laing,IV, 364*.L.'Willie Doo,' Buchan's MSS,II, 322, and Ballads,II, 179.M.'The Croodin Doo,' Chambers, Popular Rhymes, 1870, p. 51.N.Kinloch MSS,V, 347.O.'The Croodlin Doo.' From a manuscript belonging to the Fraser-Tytler family.

A.From a manuscript copy, probably of the beginning of this century.

B.'Lord Donald,' Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 110.

C.Motherwell's MS., p. 69.

D.Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, 1803,III, 292.

E.Halliwell's Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales, p. 261.

F.'Lord Ronald, my Son,' Johnson's Museum, No 327, p. 337.

G.Illustrations of Northern Antiquities, p. 319.

H.From recitation, 1881.

I.'Tiranti, my Son.'a.Communicated by a lady of Boston,b.By an aunt of the same.c.By a lady of New Bedford.d.By a lady of Cambridge.e,f,g. By ladies of Boston.

J.'The Bonnie Wee Croodlin Dow,' Motherwell's MS., p. 238.

K. a.'The Croodlin Doo,' Chambers, Scottish Ballads, p. 324.b.'The Wee Croodlen Doo,' Chambers, Popular Rhymes, 1842, p. 53.c.Johnson's Museum, by Stenhouse and Laing,IV, 364*.

L.'Willie Doo,' Buchan's MSS,II, 322, and Ballads,II, 179.

M.'The Croodin Doo,' Chambers, Popular Rhymes, 1870, p. 51.

N.Kinloch MSS,V, 347.

O.'The Croodlin Doo.' From a manuscript belonging to the Fraser-Tytler family.

The title 'Lord Randal' is selected for this ballad because that name occurs in one of the better versions, and because it has become familiar through Scott's Minstrelsy. Scott says that the hero was more generally termed Lord Ronald: but in the versions that have come down to us this is not so. None of these can be traced back further than a century.FandDwere the earliest published. Jamieson remarks with respect toG(1814): "An English gentleman, who had never paid any attention to ballads, nor ever read a collection of such things, told me that when a child he learnt from a playmate of his own age, the daughter of a clergyman in Suffolk, the following imperfect ditty."I, a version current in eastern Massachusetts, may be carried as far back as any.a,bderive from Elizabeth Foster, whose parents, both natives of eastern Massachusetts, settled, after their marriage, in Maine, where she was born in 1789. Elizabeth Foster's mother is remembered to have sung the ballad, and I am informed that the daughter must have learned it not long after 1789, since she was removed in her childhood from Maine to Massachusetts, and continued there till her death. 'Tiranti' ['Taranti'] may not improbably be a corruption of Lord Randal.

The copy in Smith's Scottish Minstrel,III, 58, is Scott's altered. The first four stanzas are from the Border Minstrelsy, except the last line of the fourth, which is from Johnson's Museum. The last two stanzas are a poor modern invention.

Three stanzas which are found in A. Cunningham's Scottish Songs,I, 286 f, may be given for what they are worth. 'The house of Marr,' in the first, is not to be accepted on the simple ground of its appearance in his pages. The second is inserted in his beautified edition of Scott's ballad, and has its burden accordingly; but there is, besides this, no internal evidence against the second, and none against the third.

'O where have you been, Lord Ronald, my son?O where have you been, my handsome young man?''At the house of Marr, mother, so make my bed soon,For I'm wearied with hunting, and fain would lie down.''O where did she find them, Lord Randal, my son?O where did she catch them, my handsome young man?''Neath the bush of brown bracken, so make my bed soon,For I'm wae and I'm weary, and fain would lie down.''O what got your bloodhounds, Lord Ronald, my son?O what got your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?''They lapt the broo, mother, so make my bed soon,I am wearied with hunting, and fain would lie down.'

'O where have you been, Lord Ronald, my son?O where have you been, my handsome young man?''At the house of Marr, mother, so make my bed soon,For I'm wearied with hunting, and fain would lie down.'

'O where did she find them, Lord Randal, my son?O where did she catch them, my handsome young man?''Neath the bush of brown bracken, so make my bed soon,For I'm wae and I'm weary, and fain would lie down.'

'O what got your bloodhounds, Lord Ronald, my son?O what got your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?''They lapt the broo, mother, so make my bed soon,I am wearied with hunting, and fain would lie down.'

A pot-pourri or quodlibet, reprinted in Wolff's Egeria, p. 53, from a Veronese broadside of the date 1629, shows that this ballad was popular inItalymore than 250 years ago; for the last but one of the fragments which make up the medley happens to be the first three lines of 'L'Avvelenato,' very nearly as they are sung at the present day, and these are introduced by a summary of the story:

"Io vo' finire con questad'un amanteTradito dall' amata.Oh che l'è sì garbataA cantarla in ischiera:'Dov' andastu iersera,Figliuol mio ricco, savio e gentile?Dov' andastu iersera'?"[144]

The ballad was first recovered in 1865, by Dr G. B. Bolza, who took it down from the singing of very young girls at Loveno. Since then good copies have been found at Venice.A, 'L'Avvelenato,' Bolza, Canzoni popolari comasche, No 49, Sitzungsberichte of the Vienna Academy (philos. histor. class),LIII,668, is of seventeen stanzas, of seven short lines, all of which repeat but two: the 8th and 10th stanzas are imperfect.[145]A mother inquires of her son where he has been. He has been at his mistress's, where he has eaten part of an eel; the rest was given to a dog, that died in the street. The mother declares that he has been poisoned. He bids her send for the doctor to see him, for the curate to shrive him, for the notary to make his will. He leaves his mother his palace, his brothers his carriage and horses, his sisters a dowry, his servants a free passage to mass ("la strada d'andà a messa" == nothing), a hundred and fifty masses for his soul; for his mistress the gallows to hang her.B,C, 'L'Avvelenato,' Bernoni, Nuovi Canti popolari veneziani, 1874, No 1, p. 5, p. 3, have twelve and eighteen four-line stanzas, the questions and answers in successive stanzas, and the last three lines of the first pair repeated respectively throughout.[146]B, which is given as a variant ofC, agrees withAas to the agent in the young man's death. It is his mistress inB, but inCit is his mother. In both, as inA, he has eaten of an eel. The head he gave to the dogs, the tail to the cats (C). He leaves to his stewards (castaldi) his carriages and horses (C); to his herdsmen his cows and fields; to the maids his chamber furnishings; to his sister the bare privilege of going to mass (C, as inA); to his mother [wife,C] the keys of his treasure. "La forca per picarla" is inBas inAthe bequest to his false love, instead of whom we have his mother inC.

The correspondingGermanballad has been known to the English for two generations through Jamieson's translation. The several versions, all from oral tradition of this century, show the same resemblances and differences as the English.

A,B, 'Schlangenköchin,' eight stanzas of six lines, four of which are burden,A, Liederhort, p. 6, No 2a, from the neighborhood of Wilsnack, Brandenburg,B, Peter,I, 187, No 6, from Weidenau, Austrian Silesia, run thus: Henry tells his mother that he has been at his sweetheart's (but not a-hunting); has had a speckled fish to eat, part of which was given to the dog [cat,B], which burst. Henry wishes his father and mother all blessings, and hell-pains to his love,A6-8. His mother,B8, asks where she shall make his bed: he replies, In the church-yard.C, 'Grossmutter Schlangenköchin,' first published in 1802, in Maria's (Clemens Brentano's) romance Godwi,II, 113, afterward in the Wunderhorn,I, 19 (ed. 1819,I, 20, ed. 1857), has fourteen two-line stanzas, or seven of four lines, one half burden. The copy in Zuccalmaglio, p. 217, No 104, "from Hesse and North Germany," is the same thing with another line of burden intercalated and two or three slight changes. Maria has been at her grandmother's, who gave her a fish to eat which she had caught in her kitchen garden; the dog ate the leavings, and his belly burst. The conclusion agrees withB, neither having the testament.D, 'Stiefmutter,' seven stanzas of four short lines, two being burden, Uhland, No 120, p. 272; excepting one slight variation, the same as Liederhort, p. 5, No 2, from the vicinity of Bückeburg, Lippe-Schaumburg. A child has been at her mother's sister's house, where she has had a well-peppered broth and a glass of red wine. The dogs [and cats] had some broth too, and died on the spot. The child wishes its father a seat in heaven, for its mother one in hell.E,'Kind, wo bist du denn henne west?' Reiffenberg, p. 8, No 4, from Bökendorf, Westphalia, four stanzas of six lines, combining question and answer, two of the six burden. A child has been at its step-aunt's, and has had a bit of a fish caught in the nettles along the wall. The child gives all its goods to its brother, its clothes to its sister, but three devils to its [step-]mother.F, 'Das vergiftete kind,' seven four-line stanzas, two burden, Schuster, Siebenbürgisch-sächsische V. L., p. 62, No 58, from Mühlbach. A child tells its father that its heart is bursting; it has eaten of a fish, given it by its mother, which the father declares to be an adder. The child wishes its father a seat in heaven, its mother one in hell.

A,Bare nearer to 'Lord Randal,' and have even the name Henry which we find in EnglishC.C-Fare likeJ-O, 'The Croodlin Doo.'

Dutch.'Isabelle,' Snellaert, p. 73, No 67, seven four-line stanzas, the first and fourth lines repeated in each. Isabel has been sewing at her aunt's, and has eaten of a fish with yellow stripes that had been caught with tongs in the cellar. The broth, poured into the street, caused the dogs to burst. She wishes her aunt a red-hot furnace, herself a spade to bury her, her brother a wife like his mother.

Swedish.A, 'Den lillas Testamente,' ten five-line stanzas, three lines burden, Afzelius,III, 13, No 68; ed. Bergström,I, 291, No 55. A girl, interrogated by her step-mother, says she has been at her aunt's, and has eaten two wee striped fishes. The bones she gave the dog; the stanza which should describe the effect is wanting. She wishes heaven for her father and mother, a ship for her brother, a jewel-box and chests for her sister, and hell for her step-mother and her nurse.B, Arwidsson,II, 90, No 88, nine five-line stanzas, two lines burden. In the first stanza, evidently corrupt, the girl says she has been at her brother's. She has had eels cooked with pepper, and the bones, given to the dogs, made them burst. She gives her father good corn in his barns, her brother and sister a ship, etc., hell to her step-mother and nurse.

Danish.Communicated by Prof. Grundtvig, as obtained for the first time from tradition in 1877; five stanzas of five lines, three lines repeating. Elselille, in answer to her mother, says she has been in the meadow, where she got twelve small snakes. She wishes heavenly joy to her father, a grave to her brother, hell torment to her sister.

Magyar.'Der vergiftete Knabe,' Aigner, Ungarische Volksdichtungen, 2eAuflage, p. 127, in nine six-line stanzas, four being a burden. Johnnie, in answer to his mother, says he has been at his sister-in-law's, and has eaten a speckled toad, served on her handsomest plate, of which he is dying. He bequeaths to his father his best carriage, to his brothers his finest horses, to his sister his house furniture, to his sister-in-law everlasting damnation, to his mother pain and sorrow.

Wendish.'Der vergiftete Knabe,' Haupt u. Schmaler,I, 110, No 77, twelve four-line stanzas, combining question and answer, the first and last line repeating. Henry has been at the neighbor's, has eaten part of a fish caught in the stable with a dung-fork; his dog ate the rest, and burst. There is no testament. His mother asks him where she shall make his bed; he replies, In the churchyard; turn my head westward, and cover me with green turf.

The numerous forms of this story show a general agreement, with but little difference except as to the persons who are the object and the agent of the crime. These are, according to the Italian tradition,—which is 250 years old, while no other goes back more than a hundred years, and far the larger part have been obtained in recent years,—a young man and his true-love; and in this account unite two of the three modern Italian versions, EnglishA-G, GermanA,B. Scott suggests that the handsome young sportsman (whom we find in EnglishA,C,D,E,F,H) may have been exchanged for a little child poisoned by a step-mother, to excite greater interest in the nursery. This seems very reasonable. What girl with a lover, singing the ballad, would not be tempted to put off the treacherous act on so popular, though most unjustly popular, an object of aversion? A mother, again,would scarcely allow "mother" to stand, as is the case in ItalianCand GermanF, and a singer who considered that all blood relations should be treated as sacred would ascribe the wickedness to somebody beyond that pale, say a neighbor, as the Wendish ballad does, and Zuccalmaglio's reading of GermanC. The step-mother is expressly named only in EnglishJ,K c,L,M,N,O, and in four of these,J,K c,M,O, the child has a mammie,[147]which certainly proves analibifor the step-mother, and confirms what Scott says. There is a step-aunt in GermanEand SwedishA, and the aunt in GermanDand the Dutch ballad, and the grandmother in EnglishI,K a,b, GermanC, are perhaps meant (as the brother in SwedishBcertainly is) to be step-relations and accommodating instruments.

The poisoning is shifted to a wife in EnglishH, to an uncle in EnglishI d, and to a sister-in-law in the Magyar version.

There is all but universal consent that the poisoning was done by serving up snakes for fish. The Magyar says a toad, EnglishMa four-footed fish,[148]GermanDa well-peppered broth and a glass of red wine. EnglishLadds a drink of hemlock stocks to the speckled trout;F,Hhave simply poison. The fish are distinctively eels in the Italian versions, and in EnglishA,D,E,G,I, SwedishB. EnglishA,J,K,M,N,O, GermanA-D, the Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Wendish versions, and by implication EnglishC,D,Ealso, concur in saying that a part of the fish was given to a dog [dogs, cat, cats], and that death was the consequence. Bursting or swelling is characteristic of this kind of poisoning: GermanA,B,C,F, EnglishD,E, and the Dutch and Wendish versions.

The dying youth or child in many cases makes a nuncupative will, or declares his last wishes, upon a suggestion proceeding from the person who is by him, commonly from the mother: EnglishA,B,C,H,I: GermanA,D,E,F: the Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Magyar versions. The bequest to the poisoner is the gallows in EnglishB,C,H,I, ItalianA,B,C; hell, EnglishA, GermanA,D,F, SwedishA,B, Danish; and an equivalent in GermanE, the Dutch and the Magyar copy. 'The Cruel Brother,' No 11, and 'Edward,' No 13, have a will of this same fashion.

In all the English versions the burden has the entreaty "Make my bed," and this is addressed to the mother in all butL,N. InH, an Irish copy, andI, an American one, the mother asks where the bed shall be made; and the answer is, In the churchyard. This feature is found again in GermanB,Cand in the Wendish version.

The resemblance in the form of the stanza in all the versions deserves a word of remark. For the most part, the narrative proceeds in sections of two short lines, or rather half lines, which are a question and an answer, the rest of the stanza being regularly repeated. EnglishL,N, as written (Lnot always), separate the question and answer; this is done, too, in ItalianB,C. GermanE, on the contrary, has two questions and the answers in each stanza, and is altogether peculiar. SwedishBvaries the burden in part, imagining father, brother, sister, etc., to ask what the little girl will give to each, and adapting the reply accordingly, "Faderen min," "Broderen min."

A Bohemian and a Catalan ballad which have two of the three principal traits of the foregoing, the poisoning and the testament, do not exhibit, perhaps have lost, the third, the employment of snakes.

The story of the first is that a mother who dislikes the wife her son has chosen attempts to poison her at the wedding feast. She sets a glass of honey before the son, a glass of poison before the bride. They exchange cups. The poison is swift. The young man leaves four horses to his brother, eight cows to his sister, his fine house to his wife. "Andwhat to me, my son?" asks the mother. A broad mill-stone and the deep Moldau is the bequest to her. Waldau, Böhmische Granaten,II, 109, cited by Reifferscheid, p. 137 f.

The Catalan ballad seems to have been softened at the end. Here again a mother hates her daughter-in-law. She comes to the sick woman, "com qui no 'n sabès res," and asks What is the matter? The daughter says, You have poisoned me. The mother exhorts her to confess and receive the sacrament, and then make her will. She gives her castles in France to the poor and the pilgrims [and the friars], and to her brother Don Carlos [who, in one version is her husband]. Two of the versions remember the Virgin. "And to me?" "To you, my husband [my cloak, rosary], that when you go to mass you may remember me." In one version the mother asks the dying woman where she will be buried. She says At Saint Mary's. Milà, Observaciones, p. 103 f, No 5, two versions: Briz y Saltó,II, 197 f, two also, the first nearly the same as Milà's first.

Poisoning by giving a snake as food, or by infusing the venom in drink, is an incident in several other popular ballads.

Donna Lombarda attempts, at the instigation of a lover, to rid herself of her husband by pounding a serpent, or its head, in a mortar, and mixing the juice with his wine [in one version simply killing the snake and putting it in a cask]: Nigra, Canzoni del Piemonti, in Rivista Contemporanea,XII, 32 ff, four versions; Marcoaldi, p. 177, No 20; Wolf, Volkslieder aus Venetien, p. 46, No 72; Righi, Canti popolari veronesi, p. 37, No 100*; Ferraro, C. p. monferrini, p. 1, No 1; Bernoni, C. p. veneziani, PuntataV, No 1. In three of Nigra's versions and in Ferraro's the drink is offered when the husband returns from hunting. The husband, rendered suspicious by the look of the wine, or warned of his danger, forces his wife to drink first. So in a northern ballad, a mother who attempts to destroy her sons [step-sons] with a brewage of this description is obliged to drink first, and bursts with the poison: 'Eiturbyrlunar kvæði,' Íslenzk Fornkv.,II, 79, No 43 A; 'Fru Gundela,' Arwidsson,II, 92, No 89; 'Signelill aa hennes synir,' Bugge, p. 95, NoXX, the last half.

In one of the commonest Slavic ballads, a girl, who finds her brother an obstacle to her desires, poisons him, at the instigation and under the instruction of the man she fancies, or of her own motion, by giving him a snake to eat, or the virus in drink. The object of her passion, on being informed of what she has done, casts her off, for fear of her doing the like to him. Bohemian: 'Sestra travička,' Erben, P. n. w Čechách, 1842,I, 9, No 2, Prostonárodni české P., 1864, p. 477, No 13; Swoboda, Sbírka č. n. P., p. 19; German translations by Swoboda, by Wenzig, W. s. Märchenschatz, p. 263, I. v. Düringsfeld, Böhmische Rosen, p. 176, etc. Moravian: Sušil, p. 167, No 168. Slovak, Čelakowsky, Slowanské n. P.,III, 76. Polish: Kolberg, P. L. p.,I, 115, No 8, some twenty versions; Wojcicki, P. L. białochrobatow, etc.,I, 71, 73, 232, 289; Pauli, P. L. polskiego, p. 81, 82: Konopka, P. L. krakowskiego, p. 125. Servian: Vuk,I, 215, No 302, translated by Talvj,II, 192, and by Kapper, Gesänge der Serben,II, 177. Russian: Čelakowsky, as above,III, 108. Etc. The attempt is made, but unsuccessfully, in Sacharof, P. russkago N.,IV, 7.

A version given by De Rada, Rapsodie d'un poema albanese, p. 78, canto x, resembles the Slavic, with a touch of the Italian. A man incites a girl to poison her brother by pounding the poison out of a serpent's head and tail and mixing it with wine.

In a widely spread Romaic ballad, a mother poisons the bride whom her son has just brought home,—an orphan girl in some versions, but in one a king's daughter wedding a king's son. The cooks who are preparing the feast are made to cook for the bride the heads of three snakes [nine snakes' heads, a three-headed snake, winged snakes and two-headed adders]. In two Epirote versions the poisoned girl bursts with the effects. "Τα κακα ρεθερικα," Passow, p. 335, No 456, nearly == Zambelios, p. 753, No 41; Passow, p. 337, No 457; Tommaseo, Canti popolari,III, 135; Jeannaraki,p. 127, No 130[149]; Chasiotis (Epirote), p. 51, No 40,"Ἡ βουργαροπουλα και ἡ κακη πεθερα;" p. 103, No 22, "Ὁ Διονυς και ἡ κακἡ πεθερα." (Liebrecht, Volkskunde, p. 214.)

An Italian mother-in-law undertakes to poison her son's wife with a snake-potion. The wife, on her husband's return from the chase, innocently proposes to share the drink with him. Her husband no sooner has tasted than he falls dead. (Kaden, Italien's Wunderhorn, p. 85).

Scott cites in his preface to 'Lord Randal' a passage from a MS. chronicle of England, in which the death of King John is described as being brought about by administering to him the venom of a toad (cf. the Magyar ballad). The symptoms—swelling and rupture—are found in the Scandinavian and Epirote ballads referred to above, besides those previously noticed (p. 155). King John had asked a monk at the abbey of Swinshed how much a loaf on the table was worth. The monk answered a half-penny. The king said that if he could bring it about, such a loaf should be worth twenty pence ere half a year. The monk thought he would rather die than that this should come to pass. "And anon the monk went unto his abbot and was shrived of him, and told the abbot all that the king said, and prayed his abbot to assoil him, for he would give the king such a wassail that all England should be glad and joyful thereof. Then went the monk into a garden, and found a toad therein, and took her up, and put her in a cup, and filled it with good ale, and pricked her in every place, in the cup, till the venom came out in every place, and brought it before the king, and kneeled, and said: 'Sir, wassail: for never in your life drank ye of such a cup.' 'Begin, monk,' said the king: and the monk drank a great draught, and took the king the cup, and the king also drank a great draught, and set down the cup. The monk anon went to the firmary, and there died anon, on whose soul God have mercy, amen. And five monks sing for his soul especially, and shall while the abbey standeth. The king was anon full evil at ease, and commanded to remove the table, and asked after the monk; and men told him that he was dead, for his womb was broke in sunder. When the king heard this tiding, he commanded for to truss: but all it was for nought, for his belly began to swell from the drink that he drank, that he died within two days, the morrow after Saint Luke's day." Minstrelsy,III, 287 f. The same story in Eulogium Historiarum, ed. Haydon,III, 109 f.

BandK care translated by Grundtvig, Engelske og skotske Folkeviser, p. 284, 286.D, by W. Grimm, 3 Altschottische Lieder, p. 3; by Schubart, p. 177; Arndt, p. 229; Doenniges, p. 79; Gerhardt, p. 83; Knortz, L. u. R. Alt-Englands, p. 174.K aby Fiedler, Geschichte der volksthümlichen schottischen Liederdichtung,II, 268. GermanCis translated by Jamieson, Illustrations, p. 320: SwedishAby W. and M. Howitt, Literature and Romance of Northern Europe,I, 265.

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