Chapter I: Front Matter

[Transcriber's Note:

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The printed text used small capitals for emphasis. These have been replaced with +marks+ where appropriate. Missing lines were shown by rows of widely spaced dots (single lines) or asterisks (longer sections). They are shown here in groups of three:

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All brackets are in the original, except footnotes and similar material. Sidenote references in the Appendix are unchanged from the original. Errors are listed at the end of the e-text.]

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_Uniform with this Volume_

POPULAR BALLADS OF THE OLDEN TIME

FIRST SERIES. Ballads of Romance and Chivalry.

'It forms an excellent introduction to a sadly neglected source of poetry.... We ... hope that it will receive ample encouragement.' --_Athenæum_.

'It will certainly, if carried out as it is begun, constitute a boon to the lover of poetry.... We shall look with anxiety for the following volumes of what will surely be the best popular edition in existence.' --_Notes and Queries_.

'There can be nothing but praise for the selection, editing, and notes, which are all excellent and adequate. It is, in fine, a valuable volume of what bids fair to be a very valuable series.' --_Academy_.

'The most serviceable edition of the ballads yet published in England.' --_Manchester Guardian_.

[Transcriber's Note:
The First Series is available from Project Gutenberg as e-text
20469. All references to "First Series" are to this volume.
The Third Series (not listed here) is "Ballads of Scottish
Tradition and Romance", e-text 20624. The Fourth Series, "Ballads
of Robin Hood and other Outlaws", is in preparation.]

POPULAR BALLADS
OF THE OLDEN TIME
SELECTED AND EDITED
BY FRANK SIDGWICK

Second Series. Ballads of
Mystery and Miracle and
Fyttes of Mirth

'Gar print me ballants weel, she said,
Gar print me ballants many.'

A. H. BULLEN
47 Great Russell Street
London. MCMIV

'What man of taste and feeling can endure
_rifacimenti_, harmonies, abridgments,
expurgated editions?'

Macaulay.

CONTENTS
Page

Preface ix
Ballads in the Second Series x
Additional Note on Ballad Commonplaces xvi

Thomas Rymer 1
The Queen of Elfan's Nourice 6
Allison Gross 9
The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea 12
Kemp Owyne 16
Willie's Lady 19
The Wee Wee Man 24
Cospatrick 26
Young Akin 32
The Unquiet Grave 41
Clerk Colven 43
Tam Lin 47
The Clerk's Twa Sons o' Owsenford 56
The Wife of Usher's Well 60
The Great Silkie of Sule Skerrie 63
Clerk Sanders 66
Young Hunting 74
The Three Ravens 80
The Twa Corbies 82
Young Benjie 83
The Lyke-Wake Dirge 88
The Bonny Earl of Murray 92
Bonnie George Campbell 95
The Lament of the Border Widow 97
Bonny Bee Ho'm 100
The Lowlands of Holland 102
Fair Helen of Kirconnell 104
Sir Hugh, or The Jew's Daughter 107
The Dæmon Lover 112
The Broomfield Hill 115
Willie's Fatal Visit 119
Adam 123
Saint Stephen and King Herod 125
The Cherry-Tree Carol 129
The Carnal and the Crane 133
Dives and Lazarus 139
Brown Robyn's Confession 143
Judas 145
The Maid and the Palmer 152
Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight 155
A Noble Riddle Wisely Expounded 159
Captain Wedderburn 162
The Elphin Knight 170
King John and the Abbot 173
The Fause Knight upon the Road 180
The Lord of Learne 182
The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington 202
Glenlogie 205
King Orfeo 208
The Baffled Knight 212
Our Goodman 215
The Friar in the Well 221
The Knight and the Shepherd's Daughter 224
Get Up and Bar the Door 231

Appendix 235
The Grey Selchie of Shool Skerry 235
The Lyke-wake Dirge 238
Index of Titles 245
Index of First Lines 247