I

Kinloch's MSS, V, 20, in the handwriting of Mr James Beattie, 1820, and from the recitation of one of the Miss Beatties, his aunts, native in The Mearns: also Kinloch MS., VII, 61, and Kinloch's Scottish Ballads, p. 25.

1There was a shepherd's daughter,Kept sheep on yonder hill;There came a knight o courage bright,And he wad have his will. Diddle, &c.2He's taen her by the milk-white hand,Gien her a gown o green;'O take you that, fair may,' he says,'There's nae mair o me to be seen.'3'Since ye have taen your wills o me,Your wills o me you've taen,Since ye have taen your wills o me,Pray tell to me your name.'4'O some they call me Jack, lady,And others call me John;But when I'm in the king's court,Sweet William is my name.'5She's kilted up her green clothingA little below her knee,And she is to the king's court,As fast as she could gae.6And when she came unto the king,She knelt low on her knee:'There is a man into your courtThis day has robbed me.'7'Has he robbd you of your gold,' he says,'Or of your white monie?Or robbd you of the flowery branch,The flower of your bodie?'8'He has not robbd me of my gold,' she says,'Nor of my white monie,But he's robbd me of the flowery branch,The flower of my bodie.'9'O if he be a bond-man,High hanged shall he be;But if he be a free man,He'se well provide for thee.'10The king's called on his nobles all,By thirty and by three;Sweet William should have been the foremost man,But the hindmost man was he.11'Do you not mind yon shepherd's daughter,You met on yonder hill?When a' her flocks were feeding round,Of her you took your will.'12And he's taen out a purse o gold,And tied up in a glove;'Take you that, fair may,' he says,'And choice for you a love.'13O he's taen out three hundred pounds,Tied up in a purse;'See, take you that, fair may,' he says,'And that will pay the nurse.'14'I'll neither have your gold,' she says,'Nor yet your white monie,But I will have the king's grant,That he has granted me.'15Then he's taen her on a milk-white steed,Himsell upon another,And to his castle they have rode,Like sister and like brother.16O ilka nettle that they came to,'O well mote you grow!For mony a day's my minny and mePilkit at your pow.'17O ilka mill that they came to,'O well mote you clack!For monie a day's my minnie and meBuckled up our lap.'* * * * *18'You're the king of England's ae brother,I trust well that you be;I'm the Earl of Stampford's ae daughter,And he has nae mair but me.'19O saw you eer such a near marriage,Between the one and the other,The Earl of Stampford's ae daughter,And the King of England's brother!

1There was a shepherd's daughter,Kept sheep on yonder hill;There came a knight o courage bright,And he wad have his will. Diddle, &c.

2He's taen her by the milk-white hand,Gien her a gown o green;'O take you that, fair may,' he says,'There's nae mair o me to be seen.'

3'Since ye have taen your wills o me,Your wills o me you've taen,Since ye have taen your wills o me,Pray tell to me your name.'

4'O some they call me Jack, lady,And others call me John;But when I'm in the king's court,Sweet William is my name.'

5She's kilted up her green clothingA little below her knee,And she is to the king's court,As fast as she could gae.

6And when she came unto the king,She knelt low on her knee:'There is a man into your courtThis day has robbed me.'

7'Has he robbd you of your gold,' he says,'Or of your white monie?Or robbd you of the flowery branch,The flower of your bodie?'

8'He has not robbd me of my gold,' she says,'Nor of my white monie,But he's robbd me of the flowery branch,The flower of my bodie.'

9'O if he be a bond-man,High hanged shall he be;But if he be a free man,He'se well provide for thee.'

10The king's called on his nobles all,By thirty and by three;Sweet William should have been the foremost man,But the hindmost man was he.

11'Do you not mind yon shepherd's daughter,You met on yonder hill?When a' her flocks were feeding round,Of her you took your will.'

12And he's taen out a purse o gold,And tied up in a glove;'Take you that, fair may,' he says,'And choice for you a love.'

13O he's taen out three hundred pounds,Tied up in a purse;'See, take you that, fair may,' he says,'And that will pay the nurse.'

14'I'll neither have your gold,' she says,'Nor yet your white monie,But I will have the king's grant,That he has granted me.'

15Then he's taen her on a milk-white steed,Himsell upon another,And to his castle they have rode,Like sister and like brother.

16O ilka nettle that they came to,'O well mote you grow!For mony a day's my minny and mePilkit at your pow.'

17O ilka mill that they came to,'O well mote you clack!For monie a day's my minnie and meBuckled up our lap.'

* * * * *

18'You're the king of England's ae brother,I trust well that you be;I'm the Earl of Stampford's ae daughter,And he has nae mair but me.'

19O saw you eer such a near marriage,Between the one and the other,The Earl of Stampford's ae daughter,And the King of England's brother!

Communicated by Dr Thomas Davidson, from his own recollection; Aberdeenshire.

1There was a shepherd's daughter,Kept flocks on yonder hill,And by there cam a courteous knight,Wud fain and hae his will.* * * * *2'Some do ca me Jock,' he said,'And some do ca me John,But when I do ride i the king's high court,Gulelmus is my name.'* * * * *3And when she came to the kinges courtShe tirled at the pin,And wha was there but the king himsel,To lat this fair maid in!4'Now Christ you save, my lord,' she said,'Now Christ you save and see;There is a knicht into your courtThis day has robbed me.5'He's na robbed me o my silken purse,Nor o my white money,But he's robbed me o my maidenheid,The flower o my bodie.'6'O gin he be a single man,Weel married sall ye be,But an he be a married man,He's hang upon a tree.'7Then he called up his merry men a',By one, by two, and by three,And William should a been the first,But the hindmost man was he.8And he cam hirplin on a stick,And blin upon an ee,But sighand said that gay ladie,That same man robbed me.* * * * *9'Gin I had drunk the wan water,When I did drink the wine,A cairdman's daughterShould never be a true-love o mine.'10'Maybe I'm a cairdman's daughter,And maybe I am nane;But when ye did come to good green wood,Ye sud hae latten me alane.'11She set upon a milk-white steed,An himsel on a dapple grey,An she had as much lan in fair Scotlan'S ye cud ride in a lang simmer's day.

1There was a shepherd's daughter,Kept flocks on yonder hill,And by there cam a courteous knight,Wud fain and hae his will.

* * * * *

2'Some do ca me Jock,' he said,'And some do ca me John,But when I do ride i the king's high court,Gulelmus is my name.'

* * * * *

3And when she came to the kinges courtShe tirled at the pin,And wha was there but the king himsel,To lat this fair maid in!

4'Now Christ you save, my lord,' she said,'Now Christ you save and see;There is a knicht into your courtThis day has robbed me.

5'He's na robbed me o my silken purse,Nor o my white money,But he's robbed me o my maidenheid,The flower o my bodie.'

6'O gin he be a single man,Weel married sall ye be,But an he be a married man,He's hang upon a tree.'

7Then he called up his merry men a',By one, by two, and by three,And William should a been the first,But the hindmost man was he.

8And he cam hirplin on a stick,And blin upon an ee,But sighand said that gay ladie,That same man robbed me.

* * * * *

9'Gin I had drunk the wan water,When I did drink the wine,A cairdman's daughterShould never be a true-love o mine.'

10'Maybe I'm a cairdman's daughter,And maybe I am nane;But when ye did come to good green wood,Ye sud hae latten me alane.'

11She set upon a milk-white steed,An himsel on a dapple grey,An she had as much lan in fair Scotlan'S ye cud ride in a lang simmer's day.

Dr Joseph Robertson's Journal of Excursions, No 7. Taken down from a man in the parish of Leochel, Aberdeenshire, February 12, 1829.

* * * * *1'Some ca'ss me James, some ca'as me John,I carena what they ca me,But when I [am] at hame in my ain country,It's Lispcock that they ca me.'2The lassie being well beuk-learned,She spelled it ower again;Says, Lispcock in a Latin beukSpells Erl Richard in plain.3. . . . . . .. . . . . . .The lassie kilted up her green claithing,And fast, fast followed on.4Till they cam till a wide water,. . . . . . .He's turned his hie horse head about,Says, Lassie will ye ride?5'I learned it in my mother's bower,I wish I'd learned it better,Whanever I cam to any wide water,To soum like ony otter.'6The laird he chused the ford to ride,The ladie the pot to swim,And or the laird was half water,The ladie was on dry lan.7O he rade on to yon hie castell,He rade it richt and roun about;The laird gaed in at ae back-door,But the ladie beet to knock.8O out it cam the proud porter,Wi his hat into his han,. . . . . . .. . . . . . .9She's pitten her hand in her pocket,Pulld out guineas three,And that she's given to the proud porter,To cause her to get entrance there.10The proud porter ran up the stair,O fifteen steps he made but three:'The prettiest lady stands at yer yettsThat ever my een did see.'11. . . . . . .. . . . . . .'Goe doun, goe doun, you proud porter,Cause her to cum up to me.'12When she gaed in before the queen,She fell low down on her knee:'There is a man into your courtsThis day has robbed me.'13'Has he robbed you o your fine clothing,Or o your white monie?Or taen frae you your maidenhead,The flower o your bodie?'14'He hasna robbed me o my fine clothing,Nor o my white monie,But he's taen frae me my maidenhead,The flower o my bodie.'15'O gin he be a married man,High hanged sall he be;And gin he be a batchelere,Well wedded shall ye be.'16O she has called in her merry young men,By thirties and by threes;Earl Richard should hae been the foremost man,But the hindmost man was he.17He cam limpin on a staff,And blinkin on an ee,And sichand says that gay ladie,That samen man is he.* * * * *

* * * * *

1'Some ca'ss me James, some ca'as me John,I carena what they ca me,But when I [am] at hame in my ain country,It's Lispcock that they ca me.'

2The lassie being well beuk-learned,She spelled it ower again;Says, Lispcock in a Latin beukSpells Erl Richard in plain.

3. . . . . . .. . . . . . .The lassie kilted up her green claithing,And fast, fast followed on.

4Till they cam till a wide water,. . . . . . .He's turned his hie horse head about,Says, Lassie will ye ride?

5'I learned it in my mother's bower,I wish I'd learned it better,Whanever I cam to any wide water,To soum like ony otter.'

6The laird he chused the ford to ride,The ladie the pot to swim,And or the laird was half water,The ladie was on dry lan.

7O he rade on to yon hie castell,He rade it richt and roun about;The laird gaed in at ae back-door,But the ladie beet to knock.

8O out it cam the proud porter,Wi his hat into his han,. . . . . . .. . . . . . .

9She's pitten her hand in her pocket,Pulld out guineas three,And that she's given to the proud porter,To cause her to get entrance there.

10The proud porter ran up the stair,O fifteen steps he made but three:'The prettiest lady stands at yer yettsThat ever my een did see.'

11. . . . . . .. . . . . . .'Goe doun, goe doun, you proud porter,Cause her to cum up to me.'

12When she gaed in before the queen,She fell low down on her knee:'There is a man into your courtsThis day has robbed me.'

13'Has he robbed you o your fine clothing,Or o your white monie?Or taen frae you your maidenhead,The flower o your bodie?'

14'He hasna robbed me o my fine clothing,Nor o my white monie,But he's taen frae me my maidenhead,The flower o my bodie.'

15'O gin he be a married man,High hanged sall he be;And gin he be a batchelere,Well wedded shall ye be.'

16O she has called in her merry young men,By thirties and by threes;Earl Richard should hae been the foremost man,But the hindmost man was he.

17He cam limpin on a staff,And blinkin on an ee,And sichand says that gay ladie,That samen man is he.

* * * * *

Motherwell's MS., p. 226. From the recitation of Widow McCormick, Westbrae, Paisley, 1825; learned of an old woman in Dumbarton, thirty or forty years before.

1There was a shepherd's daughter,Kept sheep on yonder hill;O by comes a courtier,And fain wud hae his will.We'll go no more a roving,A roving in the night,We'll go no more a roving,Let the moon shine neer so bright.O we'll go [no] more a roving.2He took her by the middle so small,And by the grass-green sleeve;He bended her body unto the ground,And of her parents he askd no leave.3'Now since you've got your will o me.And brought my fair bodie to shame,All the request I ask of you is,Pray tell me what's your name.'4'O some do call me Jack,' he says,'And some do call me John,But when I am in the king's court,My name is Sweet William.'5She took her petticoats by the band,Her mantle oer her arm,And she's awa to the king's court,As fast as she could run.6When she came to the king's court,She tinkled at the ring;Who was so ready as the king himselTo let this fair maid in!7And when she came before the king,She kneeled low by his knee;'What's this? what's this, fair maid,' he says,'What's this you ask of me?'8. . . . . . .. . . . . . .'There is a knight into your courtThis day has robbed me.'9'If he robbed you of your gold,' he said,'It's hanged he must be;If he's robbed you of your maidenhead,His body I grant to thee.'10'He's not robbed me of my gold,' she said,'Nor of my white money,But he's robbed me of my maidenhead,The flower of my bodie.'11He's called down his merry men all,By one, by two, by three;John used to be the foremost man,But the hindmost man was he.12He took a long purse of goldAnd wrapped it in a glove:'Here's to thee, my dearest dear,Go seek some other love.'13'I'll have none of your gold,' she says,'Nor any of your white money,But I'll just have your own bodieThe king has granted to me.'14'I wish I was drinking the well-waterWhen I drank of the ale,Before a shepherd's daughterWould tell me such a tale.'15He got her on a milk-white steed,Himself upon a grey,Then on a day ...This couple rode away.16It's when they were coming by the nettle-bush,She said, So well may you grow!For many a day my mammy and meHae pickled at your pow.17When they cam by the mill-door, she said,So well may you clatter!For many a day my mammy and mePickled at your happer.18When they came to the king's court,They reckoned up their kin;She was a king's one dochter,And he but a blacksmith's son.

2He took her by the middle so small,And by the grass-green sleeve;He bended her body unto the ground,And of her parents he askd no leave.

3'Now since you've got your will o me.And brought my fair bodie to shame,All the request I ask of you is,Pray tell me what's your name.'

4'O some do call me Jack,' he says,'And some do call me John,But when I am in the king's court,My name is Sweet William.'

5She took her petticoats by the band,Her mantle oer her arm,And she's awa to the king's court,As fast as she could run.

6When she came to the king's court,She tinkled at the ring;Who was so ready as the king himselTo let this fair maid in!

7And when she came before the king,She kneeled low by his knee;'What's this? what's this, fair maid,' he says,'What's this you ask of me?'

8. . . . . . .. . . . . . .'There is a knight into your courtThis day has robbed me.'

9'If he robbed you of your gold,' he said,'It's hanged he must be;If he's robbed you of your maidenhead,His body I grant to thee.'

10'He's not robbed me of my gold,' she said,'Nor of my white money,But he's robbed me of my maidenhead,The flower of my bodie.'

11He's called down his merry men all,By one, by two, by three;John used to be the foremost man,But the hindmost man was he.

12He took a long purse of goldAnd wrapped it in a glove:'Here's to thee, my dearest dear,Go seek some other love.'

13'I'll have none of your gold,' she says,'Nor any of your white money,But I'll just have your own bodieThe king has granted to me.'

14'I wish I was drinking the well-waterWhen I drank of the ale,Before a shepherd's daughterWould tell me such a tale.'

15He got her on a milk-white steed,Himself upon a grey,Then on a day ...This couple rode away.

16It's when they were coming by the nettle-bush,She said, So well may you grow!For many a day my mammy and meHae pickled at your pow.

17When they cam by the mill-door, she said,So well may you clatter!For many a day my mammy and mePickled at your happer.

18When they came to the king's court,They reckoned up their kin;She was a king's one dochter,And he but a blacksmith's son.

Motherwell's Note-Book, p. 1, recited by Miss Brown, of Glasgow, after a blind aunt.

* * * * *1'I learned it in my father's bower,And I learned it for the better,That every water I coudna wade,I swam it like an otter.With my low silver ee.2'I learned it in my father's bower,And I learned it for my weel,That every water I coudna wade,I swam it like an eel.'* * * * *3And he cam hirpling on a stick,And leaning on a tree:'Be he cripple, or be he blind,The same man is he.'

* * * * *

1'I learned it in my father's bower,And I learned it for the better,That every water I coudna wade,I swam it like an otter.With my low silver ee.

2'I learned it in my father's bower,And I learned it for my weel,That every water I coudna wade,I swam it like an eel.'

* * * * *

3And he cam hirpling on a stick,And leaning on a tree:'Be he cripple, or be he blind,The same man is he.'

A. a.

The beautifull Shepherdesse of Arcadia. A new pastorell Song of a courteous young Knight and a supposed Shepheard's Daughter. To a gallant tune, called the Shepheards Delight... London, Printed for William Gilbertson.Gilbertson published 1640-63: Chappell. Dated 1655 in the Museum Catalogue.

4, 6.BurdenTrang dang.73. abeut.101. cour.124. fingets.184. faults.242. rights.271.Perhapsto linked.Some trivial errors of the press have been corrected.

4, 6.BurdenTrang dang.

73. abeut.

101. cour.

124. fingets.

184. faults.

242. rights.

271.Perhapsto linked.

Some trivial errors of the press have been corrected.

The Beautiful Shepherdess of Arcadia: A new Pastoral Song of a courteous young Knight and a supposed Shepherd's Daughter of Arcadia, in Peloponnesus. To the Tune of The Shepherd's Daughter, &c. London: Printed for A. M., W. O., and T. Thackeray, at the sign of the Angel in Duck [Lane].Dated 1680? in the Catalogue.

33. yongwanting.41. about the middle.42. downwanting.43. had got.51. kind sir.52. thuswanting.61. menwanting.63. fair court.71. into the.72. he did.73. her girdle.93. was never.101. Butwanting.111. save you.113. gotwanting.121. of, sweet-heart.124. finger.132. or of.134. most of.153. waswanting.162. within.183. to thee.184. fault.19. not thy.22.wanting, in my transcript.242. rites was.252. will be.254. make thee.263. should a.271. being linked so.272. joyned.

33. yongwanting.

41. about the middle.

42. downwanting.

43. had got.

51. kind sir.

52. thuswanting.

61. menwanting.

63. fair court.

71. into the.

72. he did.

73. her girdle.

93. was never.

101. Butwanting.

111. save you.

113. gotwanting.

121. of, sweet-heart.

124. finger.

132. or of.

134. most of.

153. waswanting.

162. within.

183. to thee.

184. fault.

19. not thy.

22.wanting, in my transcript.

242. rites was.

252. will be.

254. make thee.

263. should a.

271. being linked so.

272. joyned.

233. tak he.

CandDwere derived from the recitation of Jenny Watson of Lanark and Mrs Charles of Torry, but which from which we are not distinctly told. An incidental expression of Kinloch's, MSS, VII, 59, may warrant the assigning ofCto Mrs Charles.Cis written on the right hand of the MS. andDon the left, except that the last two stanzas ofDare written on the right, and a few readings ofDare written above those ofC. (The ink ofDis blacker.)

6.omitted byKinlochin printing.74. wadealtered towyde,according to the pronunciation.84, 214. nais wanting.141. Kinlochprintsyour fause love:in MS.[fause].25.inserted at p. 23 ofKinloch'sinterleaved copy of hisAncient Scottish Ballads.

6.omitted byKinlochin printing.

74. wadealtered towyde,according to the pronunciation.

84, 214. nais wanting.

141. Kinlochprintsyour fause love:in MS.[fause].

25.inserted at p. 23 ofKinloch'sinterleaved copy of hisAncient Scottish Ballads.

13. frae the king's court.34. Earl Richard is my name.111. anie.144.Altered toAt midday and.163. cried the.171. He powd out a hundred punds.172. Weel lockit in a glove.271. Hoch! had I drank the wan water.273. That... a mill-capon.

13. frae the king's court.

34. Earl Richard is my name.

111. anie.

144.Altered toAt midday and.

163. cried the.

171. He powd out a hundred punds.

172. Weel lockit in a glove.

271. Hoch! had I drank the wan water.

273. That... a mill-capon.

E. a.

64. for me:see44, 84.164. Oh.34.wanting, supplied from the MS.443, 4, 503, 4.unlesshideis forheed,readheed,as inb.

64. for me:see44, 84.

164. Oh.

34.wanting, supplied from the MS.

443, 4, 503, 4.unlesshideis forheed,readheed,as inb.

11. on a.133. ye shall be.184. does.221. wand she had in.224. on the.226. help does not lye.231. omits it.232. is there that has.233. to a.243. came.256. will I.262.omitsit.304. samen.311. men all.314.omitsman.34.omitted ina.432. we be.

11. on a.

133. ye shall be.

184. does.

221. wand she had in.

224. on the.

226. help does not lye.

231. omits it.

232. is there that has.

233. to a.

243. came.

256. will I.

262.omitsit.

304. samen.

311. men all.

314.omitsman.

34.omitted ina.

432. we be.

443, 4.When you heed so little of yourself,I'm sure ye'll heed far less nor me.

473, 4.If the auld carle and his bags were here,I wot he would get meat his fill.

481, 491. last night.

50.Away, away, you evil woman,How sore your vile words grieve me!When you heed so little on yourself,I know you will heed less on me.

524. as ye.531. you are.551. was rung.553. the ladye.554. In one.561. face to.564. thir twa.571. Great was the mirth.572. into.574. And wiping.604. at thee.The variations inbare probably Motherwell's improvements. He does not adopt all of them in printing, but makes still other slight changes.

524. as ye.

531. you are.

551. was rung.

553. the ladye.

554. In one.

561. face to.

564. thir twa.

571. Great was the mirth.

572. into.

574. And wiping.

604. at thee.

The variations inbare probably Motherwell's improvements. He does not adopt all of them in printing, but makes still other slight changes.

F. b.

"An epitome (eleven eight-line stanzas) of Buchan's version, with some slight alterations from the way the editor has heard the ballad sung."

151. The lady to the queen's court gaed.153. And ready was.162. And gae him gowd sae free.192. He lout doun.232. She lout doun.302. And blind.331, 371. I will not hae your purse o gowd.334. And other.392. Nor will I hae.413. And when they came to St. Mary's kirk.623. My husband.

151. The lady to the queen's court gaed.

153. And ready was.

162. And gae him gowd sae free.

192. He lout doun.

232. She lout doun.

302. And blind.

331, 371. I will not hae your purse o gowd.

334. And other.

392. Nor will I hae.

413. And when they came to St. Mary's kirk.

623. My husband.

12.Var.Kept hogs.83. sigh and.

12.Var.Kept hogs.

83. sigh and.

33. in,perhaps, foron.3, 4; 8, 9; 11, 12.Written without division in the MS.173. sich &.

33. in,perhaps, foron.

3, 4; 8, 9; 11, 12.Written without division in the MS.

173. sich &.

41. Oh.174. Haeadded later; pickledaltered frompircled.

41. Oh.

174. Haeadded later; pickledaltered frompircled.

FOOTNOTES:[172]And Douce, says Mr Chappell. A Tewkesbury copy, not dated, is mentioned by Halliwell, Notes on Fugitive Tracts, etc., Percy Society, vol. xxix, p. 16, No 9.[173]There was a shepherd's daughterCame triping on the way,And there she met a courteous knight,Which caused her to stay.Sing trang dil do lee[174]He called down his merry men all,By one, by two, by three;William would fain have been the first,But now the last is he.Act IV, Sc. 2, Dyce, VIII, 66.In Beaumont and Fletcher's 'Knight of the Burning Pestle,' we have the following stanza, which resemblesA23, but may equally well belong to 'The Douglas Tragedy:' see No 7,B10,C9,D9:He set her on a milk-white steed,And himself upon a grey;He never turned his face again,But he bore her quite away.Act II, Sc. 8, Dyce, II, 172.[175]Already remarked by Motherwell, Minstrelsy, p. 378.[176]A queen is arbiter in Gower and Chaucer; so here in versionsE,F,G,J.[177]InK, a vulgar copy, the man is absurdly made a blacksmith's son, though a courtier. Similarly in an old stall copy of which the last stanza is cited by Buchan, II, 318:O when she came to her father's yetts,Where she did reckon kin,She was the queen of fair Scotland,And he but a goldsmith's son.[178]This is a commonplace, as observed already, I, 446. It occurs also in 'Malfred og Sadelmand,' st. 8, Kristensen, I, 259, No. 99. Ebbe Galt is translated by Prior, II, 87.[179]Danske Viser, No 186, Grundtvig'sA, is translated by Dr Prior, who notes the resemblance and the contrast to our ballad, III, 144.

[172]And Douce, says Mr Chappell. A Tewkesbury copy, not dated, is mentioned by Halliwell, Notes on Fugitive Tracts, etc., Percy Society, vol. xxix, p. 16, No 9.

[173]There was a shepherd's daughterCame triping on the way,And there she met a courteous knight,Which caused her to stay.Sing trang dil do lee

[173]

There was a shepherd's daughterCame triping on the way,And there she met a courteous knight,Which caused her to stay.Sing trang dil do lee

[174]He called down his merry men all,By one, by two, by three;William would fain have been the first,But now the last is he.Act IV, Sc. 2, Dyce, VIII, 66.In Beaumont and Fletcher's 'Knight of the Burning Pestle,' we have the following stanza, which resemblesA23, but may equally well belong to 'The Douglas Tragedy:' see No 7,B10,C9,D9:He set her on a milk-white steed,And himself upon a grey;He never turned his face again,But he bore her quite away.Act II, Sc. 8, Dyce, II, 172.

[174]

He called down his merry men all,By one, by two, by three;William would fain have been the first,But now the last is he.

Act IV, Sc. 2, Dyce, VIII, 66.

In Beaumont and Fletcher's 'Knight of the Burning Pestle,' we have the following stanza, which resemblesA23, but may equally well belong to 'The Douglas Tragedy:' see No 7,B10,C9,D9:

He set her on a milk-white steed,And himself upon a grey;He never turned his face again,But he bore her quite away.

Act II, Sc. 8, Dyce, II, 172.

[175]Already remarked by Motherwell, Minstrelsy, p. 378.

[176]A queen is arbiter in Gower and Chaucer; so here in versionsE,F,G,J.

[177]InK, a vulgar copy, the man is absurdly made a blacksmith's son, though a courtier. Similarly in an old stall copy of which the last stanza is cited by Buchan, II, 318:O when she came to her father's yetts,Where she did reckon kin,She was the queen of fair Scotland,And he but a goldsmith's son.

[177]InK, a vulgar copy, the man is absurdly made a blacksmith's son, though a courtier. Similarly in an old stall copy of which the last stanza is cited by Buchan, II, 318:

O when she came to her father's yetts,Where she did reckon kin,She was the queen of fair Scotland,And he but a goldsmith's son.

[178]This is a commonplace, as observed already, I, 446. It occurs also in 'Malfred og Sadelmand,' st. 8, Kristensen, I, 259, No. 99. Ebbe Galt is translated by Prior, II, 87.

[179]Danske Viser, No 186, Grundtvig'sA, is translated by Dr Prior, who notes the resemblance and the contrast to our ballad, III, 144.

MS. Rawlinson, C. 813, fol. 27 b, beginning of the sixteenth century. Halliwell's Nugæ Poeticæ, p. 42.

This is not a purely popular ballad, but rather of that kind which, for convenience, may be called the minstrel-ballad. It has, however, popular features, and markedly in stanzas 13, 14; for which see pp. 444, 446 of the first volume, and the ballad preceding this,A5, 6,B3, 4, etc.; also Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 144, 'The Baron o Leys.'

1Throughe a forest as I can ryde,To take my sporte yn an mornyng,I cast my eye on euery syde,I was ware of a bryde syngynge.2I sawe a faire mayde come rydyng;I speke to hur of loue, I trowe;She answered me all yn scornyng,And sayd, The crowe shall byte yow.3'I pray yow, damesell, scorne me nott;To wyn yourloue ytt ys my wyll;For yourloue I haue dere bought,And I wyll take good hede thertyll.'4'Nay, for God, ser, that I nyll;I tell the, Jenken, as I trowe,Thow shalt nott fynde me suche a gyll;Therfore the crowe shall byte yow.'5He toke then owt a good golde ryng,A purse of velweytt, that was soo fyne:'Haue ye thys, my dere swetyng,With that ye wylbe lemman myn.'6'Be Cryst, I dare nott, for my dame,To dele with hym þat I doo nott knowe;For soo I myght dyspyse my name;Therfore the crow shall byte yow.'7He toke hur abowte the mydell small,That was soo faire of hyde and hewe;He kyssed hur cheke as whyte as whall,And prayed hur þat she wolde vpon hym rewe.8She scornyd hym, and callyd hym Hew;His loue was as a paynted blowe:'To-day me, to-morowe a newe;Therfore the crow shall byte yow.'9He toke hur abowte the mydell small,And layd hur downe vpon the grene;Twys or thrys he served hur soo withall,He wolde nott stynt yet, as I wene.10'But sythe ye haue i-lyen me bye,Ye wyll wedde me now, as I trowe:''I wyll be aduysed, Gyll,' sayd he,'For now the pye hathe peckyd yow.'11'But sythe ye haue i-leyn me by,And brought my body vnto shame,Some of yourgood ye wyll part with me,Or elles, be Cryst, ye be to blame.'12'I wylbe aduysed,' he sayde;'Þe wynde ys wast Þat thow doyst blowe;I haue a-noderþat most be payde;Therfore the pye hathe pecked yow.'13'Now sythe ye haue i-leyn me bye,A lyttle thyng ye wyll tell;In case that I with chylde be,What ys yourname? Wher doo ye dwell?'14'At Yorke, at London, at Clerkenwell,At Leycester, Cambryge, at myrye Brystowe;Some call me Rychard, Robart, Jacke, and Wyll;For now the pye hathe peckyd yow.15'But, all medons, be ware be rewe,And lett no man downe yow throwe;For and yow doo, ye wyll ytt rewe,For then Þe pye wyll pecke yow.'16'Farewell, corteor, ouerthe medoo,Pluke vp yourhelys, I yow beshrew!Yourtrace, wher so euerye ryde or goo,Crystes curse goo wythe yow!17'Thoughe a knave hathe by me layne,Yet am I noderdede nor slowe;I trust to recouermy harte agayne,And Crystescurse goo wythe yow!'

1Throughe a forest as I can ryde,To take my sporte yn an mornyng,I cast my eye on euery syde,I was ware of a bryde syngynge.

2I sawe a faire mayde come rydyng;I speke to hur of loue, I trowe;She answered me all yn scornyng,And sayd, The crowe shall byte yow.

3'I pray yow, damesell, scorne me nott;To wyn yourloue ytt ys my wyll;For yourloue I haue dere bought,And I wyll take good hede thertyll.'

4'Nay, for God, ser, that I nyll;I tell the, Jenken, as I trowe,Thow shalt nott fynde me suche a gyll;Therfore the crowe shall byte yow.'

5He toke then owt a good golde ryng,A purse of velweytt, that was soo fyne:'Haue ye thys, my dere swetyng,With that ye wylbe lemman myn.'

6'Be Cryst, I dare nott, for my dame,To dele with hym þat I doo nott knowe;For soo I myght dyspyse my name;Therfore the crow shall byte yow.'

7He toke hur abowte the mydell small,That was soo faire of hyde and hewe;He kyssed hur cheke as whyte as whall,And prayed hur þat she wolde vpon hym rewe.

8She scornyd hym, and callyd hym Hew;His loue was as a paynted blowe:'To-day me, to-morowe a newe;Therfore the crow shall byte yow.'

9He toke hur abowte the mydell small,And layd hur downe vpon the grene;Twys or thrys he served hur soo withall,He wolde nott stynt yet, as I wene.

10'But sythe ye haue i-lyen me bye,Ye wyll wedde me now, as I trowe:''I wyll be aduysed, Gyll,' sayd he,'For now the pye hathe peckyd yow.'

11'But sythe ye haue i-leyn me by,And brought my body vnto shame,Some of yourgood ye wyll part with me,Or elles, be Cryst, ye be to blame.'

12'I wylbe aduysed,' he sayde;'Þe wynde ys wast Þat thow doyst blowe;I haue a-noderþat most be payde;Therfore the pye hathe pecked yow.'

13'Now sythe ye haue i-leyn me bye,A lyttle thyng ye wyll tell;In case that I with chylde be,What ys yourname? Wher doo ye dwell?'

14'At Yorke, at London, at Clerkenwell,At Leycester, Cambryge, at myrye Brystowe;Some call me Rychard, Robart, Jacke, and Wyll;For now the pye hathe peckyd yow.

15'But, all medons, be ware be rewe,And lett no man downe yow throwe;For and yow doo, ye wyll ytt rewe,For then Þe pye wyll pecke yow.'

16'Farewell, corteor, ouerthe medoo,Pluke vp yourhelys, I yow beshrew!Yourtrace, wher so euerye ryde or goo,Crystes curse goo wythe yow!

17'Thoughe a knave hathe by me layne,Yet am I noderdede nor slowe;I trust to recouermy harte agayne,And Crystescurse goo wythe yow!'

14. bryde:qy, bryd?82. blewe.162. be shrew yow.172. nor sleyne.Andfor&.Final double1,though crossed, has been printed without addinge.

14. bryde:qy, bryd?

82. blewe.

162. be shrew yow.

172. nor sleyne.

Andfor&.Final double1,though crossed, has been printed without addinge.

A. a.Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia, or, The Second Part of Musicks Melodie, or Melodious Musicke, London, 1609. 'The Over Courteous Knight,' Ritson's Ancient Songs, 1790, p. 159.b.Pills to Purge Melancholy, III, 37, 1719.B.Pills to Purge Melancholy, V, 112, 1719.C. a.'The Baffled Knight, or, The Lady's Policy.' A Collection of Old Ballads, III, 178, 1725.b.'The Lady's Policy, or, The Baffled Knight,' Three Parts (the first fifty stanzas), Pepys Ballads, V, Nos 162-164.c.Douce Ballads, III, fol. 52b.d.'The Baffled Knight, or, The Lady's Policy,' Roxburghe Ballads, III, 674.D. a.'The Shepherd's Son,' Herd's Ancient and Modern Scots Songs, p. 328, 1769.b.'Blow the Winds, Heigh ho!' Dixon, Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England, p. 123, Percy Society, vol. xvii; Bell, p. 80.E.'The Knight and Lady,' Motherwell's MS., p. 410.

B.Pills to Purge Melancholy, V, 112, 1719.

C. a.'The Baffled Knight, or, The Lady's Policy.' A Collection of Old Ballads, III, 178, 1725.b.'The Lady's Policy, or, The Baffled Knight,' Three Parts (the first fifty stanzas), Pepys Ballads, V, Nos 162-164.c.Douce Ballads, III, fol. 52b.d.'The Baffled Knight, or, The Lady's Policy,' Roxburghe Ballads, III, 674.

D. a.'The Shepherd's Son,' Herd's Ancient and Modern Scots Songs, p. 328, 1769.b.'Blow the Winds, Heigh ho!' Dixon, Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England, p. 123, Percy Society, vol. xvii; Bell, p. 80.

E.'The Knight and Lady,' Motherwell's MS., p. 410.

A bis in the first volume of the editions of 1698, 1707: Chappell, Popular Music, p. 62.Bis in the third volume of the edition of 1707, and is also printed in A Complete Collection of Old and New English and Scotch Songs, 8vo, 1735, which I have not seen: Chappell, p. 520.

The original story, represented byA,B, andC1-17, appears to have been revived at the end of the seventeenth century, and to have been so much relished as to encourage the addition of a Second, Third, and Fourth Part, all of which were afterwards combined, as inC a,c,d.[180]

Percy inserted a version ofC, abridged to forty-five stanzas, in his Reliques, 1765, III, 238, 1767, II, 339, which was "given, with some corrections,[181]from a MS. copy, and collated with two printed ones in Roman character in the Pepys collection." Although "MS. copy" in Percy's case may mean nothing, while "some corrections" may signify much, it has been thought best to reprint Percy's ballad in an Appendix.

Dis repeated in Johnson's Museum, p. 490, No 477, with a slight change in the first line. It probably belongs to the first half of the eighteenth century.

Eis, in all probability, a broadside copy modified by tradition. InE, as in two stanzas appended toB(see notes), and in a rifacimento immediately to be mentioned, the all but too politic maid would certainly seem to be encouraging the knight at first.[182]

'The Politick Maid,' Roxburghe Ballads, I, 306 f, Ballad Society reprint, II, 281, is an edition, after Percy's fashion, of some old form of the ballad, by Richard Climsell (Chappell). It was printed for Thomas Lambert, whose date, according to Mr. Chappell, is 1636-41, and is, therefore, considerably earlier than any known copy of the First Part ofC. For the sake of such portions of the original as it preserves, it is given in an Appendix.

There is a Scottish ballad in which the tables are turned upon the maid in the conclusion. This, as being of comparatively recent, and not of popular, but of low literary origin, cannot be admitted here. It can be found in Kinloch's Ballad Book, 'Jock Sheep,' p. 16, and the Kinloch MSS, I, 229, communicated by James Beattie as taken down from the recitation of Miss E. Beattie, Mearnsshire. Other versions are, in the Campbell MSS, 'Dernie Hughie,' II, 233; 'Jock Sheep, or, The Maiden Outwitted,' Buchan MSS, 1, 155. Another ballad, brief and silly, in which a maid ties a gentleman's hands with her apron strings, 'The Abashed Knight,' Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, II, 131, is rejected on similar grounds.

The important points inA,B, and the first part ofCare that a knight, coming upon a damsel at a distance from her home, desires to have his will of her. She asks him to take her to her father's hall, where he shall be gratified. Reaching the house, she slips in and leaves the knight without. She jeers at him for not using his opportunity.

A similar story occurs in many European ballads.

Spanish. A.'De Francia partió la niña,' "Cancionero de Romances, s. a., fol. 259, Can. de Rom. 1550, fol. 274, Silva de 1550, I, fol. 184;" 'La Infantina,' Duran, I, 152, No 284, Wolf y Hofmann, Primavera, II, 82, No 154. A damsel on the way to Paris has lost the road, and is waiting under a tree for an escort. A knight rides by, and she asks him to take her along. He puts her on the crupper, and, when midway, asks foramores. The damsel tells him that she is a leper (hija de un malato y de una malatía), which frightens the knight to silence. As they are entering Paris the damsel laughs, and the knight asks why; she laughs at the knight's want of spirit. He proposes to go back for something which he has forgotten. She will not turn back; she is daughter to the king of France, and any man who should touch her would pay dearly for it.B.Another copy, from a broadside of the sixteenth century, Duran, I, 152, No 285, Primavera, II, 83, No 154 a, blends the story with that of a princess who has been made to pass seven years in a wood by a fairy's spell, 'A cazar va el caballero,' 'La Infanta encantada,' Duran, I, 159, No 295, Primavera, II, 74, No 151.C.'El Caballero burlado,' from Asturian tradition, Amador de los Rios, Historia de la Litteratura española, VII, 442.

Portuguese. A.'A Infeitiçada,' Almeida-Garrett, II, 31.B,C,D. Romances da filha do rei de França, 'O caçador e á donzilla,' 'Donzella encantada,' Braga, Cantos p. do Archipelago açoriano, Nos 1, 2, 3, pp. 183-191.E,F. Romances da Infanta de França, 'A Encantada,' Braga, Romanceiro Geral, Nos 10, 11, pp. 26-29.G.'Infantina' (defective), Coelho, Zeitschrift für romanische Philologie, III, 62.[183]In all the Portuguese versions the proper story is mixed with that of the Hunter and the Enchanted Princess ('O Caçador,' Almeida-Garrett, II, 17), and in all butFthe lady is discovered to be the sister of the knight, a frequent catastrophe in ballads,[184]certainly a false one in the present instance. InAthe damsel represents herself as having been bewitched before baptism, and any man who should come near her would becomemalato.[185]InB,C,Dshe says she is daughter of amalato, and any man approaching her would becomemalato.[186]This feature is wanting inE,F,G.

French.A.Gasté, Chansons normandes du XVesiècle, p. 72, No 43, 'Et qui vous passera le bois?' Vaux-de-vire d'Olivier Basselin, etc., Du Bois, p. 190, No 30, Le Bibliophile Jacob, p. 225; Wolff, Altfranzösische Volkslieder, p. 81.B. a.'La Filho doou Ladre,' Arbaud, II, 90.b.'La Fille du Lepreux,' Poésies pop. de la France, MS., III, fol. 261.C.'En allant au bois,' Bujeaud, I, 244.D.'En revenant de Saint-François,' Guillon, p. 103.E.'Margueridette,' Bladé, Poésies pop. de l'Armagnac, etc., p. 76. A damsel who is afraid to pass a wood is taken through by a knight,B. Midway he makes love to her; she advises him to keep off; she is the daughter of a leper. When out of the wood she laughs, and, the man asking why, says, because she has come out a maid. He proposes to return, which she will not hear of; he should have plucked his bird while he had it in hand. She declares herself daughter of the king,D; of the seigneur,E; of the chief burgher of the city,A. The knight ofBis an officer inE, who takes the maid up on his horse, and inEshe feigns to be the hangman's daughter, not a leper's. Inferior copies of the same type are given by Legrand, Romania, X, 392, No 43, Lovell, Chansons Canadiennes, p. 30, Gagnon, p. 92 (much corrupted).

In a variation of this story an orange-girl delivers herself from her predicament by feigning an ague-fit: 'La Marchande d'Oranges,' Rolland, p. 258, No 127,d; Poésies pop. de la France, IV, fol. 166, fol. 213 (a fragment at fol. 286 is the latter half of the same copy); Bujeaud, I, 249, and 251 (marchande de pommes). Other copies give the story a different turn.

In another version the man yields to the girl's tears, and is laughed at in the conclusion: 'Le galant maladroit,' Poésies pop. de la France, MS., III, fol. 139, fol. 141; 'La fille bien avisée,' fol. 524; IV, fol. 350, 'Il était un chasseur;' VI, 119=Rolland, I, 23, No 4, c; Gerard de Nerval, La Bohème Galante, p. 96, ed. 1866=Les Faux Saulniers, Œuvres complètes, 1868, IV, 398; Buchon, p. 76, No 2; Beaurepaire, p. 33 f; Guillon, p. 101; Tarbé, 'L'honnête Garçon,' II, 137; Rolland, 'L'Occasion manquée,' I, 23, No 4 b; Puymaigre, 'La Rencontre,' p. 113, 2d ed. I, 154. The "moral" is wanting in very few of these.

Still other varieties, with omissions, additions, or changes which need not be particularized, are: 'L'Amant discret,' Puymaigre, p. 112, I, 153; Guillon, pp. 29, 273; 'L'autre jour,' Bladé, P. p. de l'Armagnac, p. 114; 'Praube Moussu,' Bladé, Poésies pop. de la Gascogne, II, 66, Moncaut, p. 356; Rolland, I, 23, No 4, a; 'Lou Pastre,' Bladé, II, 114;Bujeaud, I, 254; 'Lou Pastour et la Pastouro,' Daymard, Collection de vieilles chansons recueillies à Serignac, p. 16, which last I have not seen.

Italian.'La figlia del re,' Ferraro, Canti p. monferrini, p. 76, No 55. A damsel lost in a wood asks a cavalier to show her the way. He takes her on his horse. She, for a reason not given, but to be gathered from the other southern ballads, tells him that she is daughter of a poor man who has had seven years of sickness. Get down from the horse, he says, and I will show you the way. At the end of the wood she tells him she is daughter of a rich merchant, proprietor of many farms. He solicits her to mount again. No; he has had the quail and let it fly; yonder is the castle of her father the king.

Danish.'I Rosenslund,' Grundtvig, IV, 357, No 230, four copies:A, previously in Levninger, II, 51, No 9,C, "Tragica, No 14," 1657, Danske Viser, III, 94, No 122.Dhas a false conclusion. InA, the best copy, from MSS of the seventeenth century, a knight who is hawking and hunting finds a damsel in a wood. She has been there all night, she says, listening to the birds. He says, Not so, it is a tryst with a knight; and she owns that this is the case. He proposes that she shall throw over this lover and accept him. She will not give her faith to two, and asks him for his honor's sake to convey her to her bower. She rides, he walks; and when they come to the bower she locks him out, wishing him ill night and laughing as he rides away.

'Den dyre Kaabe,' Grundtvig, IV, 362, No 231, two copies, from MSS of the seventeenth century. A maid and a young man meet in a wood or mead. She invites him to spread both of their cloaks on the ground for a bed. His new scarlet cloak cost him fifteen mark in Stockholm, and he will not spoil it by laying it in the dew. If he will wait, she will go home to her mother's, not far, and bring a bolster. She goes off laughing and leaves him expecting her all that day and the next, but she does not come back. Eight weeks after he meets her at the church door and asks an explanation. He may thank his cloak of scarlet new for his disappointment; had she been a young man and met a maid, she would not have spared her cloak though it were cloth of gold. The reference to Stockholm points to a Swedish origin for this ballad, but it is not, says Grundtvig, extant in Swedish.

German.'Das Mäntelein,' "Frankfurter Liederbuch 1584, No 150," Uhland, p. 245, No 106, Mittler, No 32. A young man and maid go out into the green three hours before day. After rebuffing him, she strangely asks him, as if she knew that he would not consent, to spread his cloak on the grass. His cloak cost him fifty pound, and would be spoiled. In the evening, as she stands in her tower, the young man passes and greets her. She answers, The angels above will requite your cloak for my coming off a maid.

The artifice by which the lady disembarrasses herself in the Third Part of the broadside ballad, by pulling off the knight's boots half-way, is a very familiar story, found also in a modern German ballad, Walter, p. 94, No 64. See Les cent nouvelles Nouvelles, 1432 and earlier, No 24, ed. Wright, Paris, 1858, I, 128; Hondorff, Promptuarium Exemplorum, "1572, fol. 310," 1586, 362 b; Kirchhof, Wendunmuth, 1562, ed. Oesterley, III, 228, and other places, besides these, cited by Oesterley, IV, 101.

A modern French ballad, attributed to Favart, which may very probably have had a basis in popular tradition, celebrates thefille d'honneurwho escapes from the importunity of her seigneur by distracting his attention (as the lady does in the second adventure in EnglishC), and leaping on to the horse from which he had dismounted to make love to her, in some versions taking his valise with her: 'La villageoise avisée,' from Recueil de romances historiques, tendres et burlesques, tant anciennes et modernes, par M. D. L**, 1767, I, 299, in Hoffmann und Richter, Schlesische Volkslieder, p. 354; 'La Bergère rusée,' Puymaigre, pp. 119, 121, or I, 160, 162; Poésies pop. de la France, MS., III, fol. 37, 284, 294, 522, VI, 472; Wolff, Altfranzösische Volkslieder, p. 142; Tarbé, 'La Fille d'Honneur,' II, 147; 'Le Cavalier,' Guillon, p. 175. Onthis French ballad is founded 'Junkernlust und Mädchenlist,' Hoffmann u. Richter, p. 156, No 132, 'Der Junker und das Mädchen,' Erk u. Irmer, iv, 66, No 60, 'Die Verschmitzte,' Zuccalmaglio, p. 195, No 93. Somewhat similar are 'List der Bedrukte,' Willems, Oude vlaemsche Liederen, p. 215, No 88; 'The Scotchman Outwitted,' Old Ballads, 1723, I, 211, and Ritson's Select Collection of English Songs, 1783, II, 286; 'The Courtier and Country Maid,' Pills to Purge Melancholy, I, 128, ed. 1719.

In a Romaic ballad a maid makes a youngster who solicits her carry her over a river, then holds him off by promises while they cross field and meadow, and when they reach a hamlet sets the dogs at him:Ἡ Απατη, "Xanthopoulos, Trapezountia, inΦιλολογικος Συνεκδημος, 1849, p. 436;" Kind, Anthologie, 1861, p. 86, Passow, No 481. (Without the dogs, in Ioannidis, p. 276, No 4.)

There is a French ballad in which a maid who is rowing a man over a piece of water receives amorous proposals from him, exacts a large sum of money, lands the gallant, and pushes off: 'La Batelière,' 'La jolie Batelière,' 'La Batelière rusée,' Puymaigre, p. 145, or I, 186, p. 147; Fleury, Littérature orale de la Basse-Normandie, p. 308; Poésies pop. de la France, MS., III, 137; Bujeaud, II, 307; Decombe, p. 323.

Percy's copy is translated by Bodmer, I, 94; by Bothe, 425.

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