Chapter VII: Book I: The Boy and the Mantle (3)

The _Tayl of the Yong Tamlene_ is mentioned in the _Complaynt of Scotland_, (1548,) and the dance of _Thom of Lyn_ is noticed in the same work. A considerable fragment of this ballad was printed by Herd, (vol. i. 215,) under the title of _Kertonha'_, a corruption of Carterhaugh; another is furnished in Maidment's _New Book of Old Ballads_, (p. 54,) and a nearly complete version in Johnson's _Museum_, (p. 423,) which, with some alterations, was inserted in the _Tales of Wonder_, (No. 58.) The present edition, prepared by Sir Walter Scott from a collation of various copies, is longer than any other, but was originally disfigured by several supposititious stanzas here omitted. Another version, with Maidment's fragment, will be found in the Appendix to this volume.

"Carterhaugh is a plain, at the conflux of the Ettrick and Yarrow in Selkirkshire, about a mile above Selkirk, and two miles below Newark Castle; a romantic ruin which overhangs the Yarrow, and which is said to have been the habitation of our heroine's father, though others place his residence in the tower of Oakwood. The peasants point out, upon the plain, those electrical rings, which vulgar credulity supposes to be traces of the Fairy revels. Here, they say, were placed the stands of milk, and of water, in which _Tamlane_ was dipped, in order to effect the disenchantment; and upon these spots, according to their mode of expressing themselves, the grass will never grow. Miles Cross, (perhaps a corruption of Mary's Cross,) where fair Janet awaited the arrival of the Fairy train, is said to have stood near the Duke of Buccleuch's seat of Bow-hill, about half a mile from Carterhaugh."--(SCOTT'S _Minstrelsy_, ii. 334, at the end of a most interesting essay, introductory to this tale, on the Fairies of Popular Superstition.)

"O I forbid ye, maidens a',
That wear gowd on your hair,
To come or gae by Carterhaugh,
For young Tamlane is there.

"There's nane that gaes by Carterhaugh, 5
But maun leave him a wad,
Either gowd rings, or green mantles,
Or else their maidenheid.

"Now gowd rings ye may buy, maidens,
Green mantles ye may spin; 10
But, gin ye lose your maidenheid,
Ye'll ne'er get that agen."--

But up then spak her, fair Janet,
The fairest o' a' her kin;
"I'll cum and gang to Carterhaugh; 15
And ask nae leave o' him."--

Janet has kilted her green kirtle,
A little abune her knee;
And she has braided her yellow hair,
A little abune her bree. 20

And when she came to Carterhaugh,
She gaed beside the well;
And there she fand his steed standing,
But away was himsell.

She hadna pu'd a red red rose, 25
A rose but barely three;
Till up and starts a wee wee man,
At lady Janet's knee.

Says--"Why pu' ye the rose, Janet?
What gars ye break the tree? 30
Or why come ye to Carterhaugh,
Withouten leave o' me?"--

Says--"Carterhaugh it is mine ain;
My daddie gave it me;
I'll come and gang to Carterhaugh, 35
And ask nae leave o' thee."

He's ta'en her by the milk-white hand,
Among the leaves sae green;
And what they did, I cannot tell--
The green leaves were between. 40

He's ta'en her by the milk-white hand,
Among the roses red;
And what they did, I cannot say--
She ne'er return'd a maid.

When she cam to her father's ha', 45
She looked pale and wan;
They thought she'd dreed some sair sickness,
Or been with some leman.

She didna comb her yellow hair,
Nor make meikle o'er her head; 50
And ilka thing that lady took,
Was like to be her deid.

It's four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the ba';
Janet, the wightest of them anes, 55
Was faintest o' them a'.

Four and twenty ladies fair
Were playing at the chess;
And out there came the fair Janet,
As green as any grass. 60

Out and spak an auld grey-headed knight,
Lay o'er the castle wa',--
"And ever, alas! for thee, Janet,
But we'll be blamed a'!"--

"Now haud your tongue, ye auld grey knight! 65
And an ill deid may ye die;
Father my bairn on whom I will,
I'll father nane on thee."--

Out then spak her father dear,
And he spak meik and mild-- 70
"And ever, alas! my sweet Janet,
I fear ye gae with child."--

"And if I be with child, father,
Mysell maun bear the blame;
There's ne'er a knight about your ha' 75
Shall hae the bairnie's name.

"And if I be with child, father,
'Twill prove a wondrous birth;
For weel I swear I'm not wi' bairn
To any man on earth. 80

"If my love were an earthly knight,
As he's an elfin grey,
I wadna gie my ain true love
For nae lord that ye hae."--

She prink'd hersell and prinn'd hersell, 85
By the ae light of the moon,
And she's away to Carterhaugh,
To speak wi' young Tamlane.

And when she came to Carterhaugh,
She gaed beside the well; 90
And there she saw the steed standing,
But away was himsell.

She hadna pu'd a double rose,
A rose but only twae,
When up and started young Tamlane, 95
Says--"Lady, thou pu's nae mae!

"Why pu' ye the rose, Janet,
Within this garden grene,
And a' to kill the bonny babe,
That we got us between?" 100

"The truth ye'll tell to me, Tamlane;
A word ye mauna lie;
Gin e'er ye was in haly chapel,
Or sained in Christentie?"--

"The truth I'll tell to thee, Janet, 105
A word I winna lie;
A knight me got, and a lady me bore,
As well as they did thee.

"Randolph, Earl Murray, was my sire,
Dunbar, Earl March, is thine; 110
We loved when we were children small,
Which yet you well may mind.

"When I was a boy just turn'd of nine,
My uncle sent for me,
To hunt, and hawk, and ride with him, 115
And keep him companie.

"There came a wind out of the north,
A sharp wind and a snell;
And a deep sleep came over me,
And frae my horse I fell. 120

"The Queen of Fairies keppit me,
In yon green hill to dwell;
And I'm a fairy, lyth and limb;
Fair ladye, view me well.

"Then would I never tire, Janet, 125
In Elfish land to dwell;
But aye, at every seven years,
They pay the teind to hell;
And I am sae fat and fair of flesh,
I fear 'twill be mysell[L130]. 130

"This night is Hallowe'en, Janet,
The morn is Hollowday;
And, gin ye dare your true love win,
Ye hae nae time to stay.

"The night it is good Hallowe'en, 135
When fairy folk will ride;
And they that wad their true-love win,
At Miles Cross they maun bide."

"But how shall I thee ken, Tamlane?
Or how shall I thee knaw, 140
Amang so many unearthly knights,
The like I never saw?"

"The first company that passes by,
Say na, and let them gae;
The next company that passes by, 145
Sae na, and do right sae;
The third company that passes by,
Then I'll be ane o' thae.

"First let pass the black, Janet,
And syne let pass the brown; 150
But grip ye to the milk-white steed,
And pu' the rider down.

"For I ride on the milk-white steed,
And aye nearest the town;
Because I was a christen'd knight, 155
They gave me that renown.

"My right hand will be gloved, Janet,
My left hand will be bare;
And these the tokens I gie thee,
Nae doubt I will be there. 160

"They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,[L161]
An adder and a snake;
But had me fast, let me not pass,
Gin ye wad buy me maik.

"They'll turn me in your arms, Janet, 165
An adder and an ask;
They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,
A bale that burns fast.

"They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,
A red-hot gad o' airn; 170
But haud me fast, let me not pass,
For I'll do you no harm.

"First dip me in a stand o' milk,
And then in a stand o' water;
But had me fast, let me not pass-- 175
I'll be your bairn's father.

"And, next, they'll shape me in your arms,
A tod, but and an eel;
But had me fast, nor let me gang,
As you do love me weel. 180

"They'll shape me in your arms, Janet,
A dove, but and a swan;
And, last, they'll shape me in your arms
A mother-naked man:
Cast your green mantle over me-- 185
I'll be myself again."--

Gloomy, gloomy, was the night,
And eiry was the way,
As fair Janet, in her green mantle,
To Miles Cross she did gae. 190

Betwixt the hours of twelve and one,
A north wind tore the bent;
And straight she heard strange elritch sounds
Upon that wind which went.

About the dead hour o' the night, 195
She heard the bridles ring;
And Janet was as glad o' that
As any earthly thing.

Will o' Wisp before them went,
Sent forth a twinkling light; 200
And soon she saw the Fairy bands
All riding in her sight.

And first gaed by the black black steed,
And then gaed by the brown;
But fast she gript the milk-white steed, 205
And pu'd the rider down.

She pu'd him frae the milk-white steed,
And loot the bridle fa';
And up there raise an erlish cry--
"He's won amang us a'!"-- 210

They shaped him in fair Janet's arms,[L208]
An esk, but and an adder;
She held him fast in every shape--
To be her bairn's father.

They shaped him in her arms at last, 215
A mother-naked man:
She wrapt him in her green mantle,
And sae her true love wan!

Up then spake the Queen o' Fairies,
Out o' a bush o' broom-- 220
"She that has borrow'd young Tamlane,
Has gotten a stately groom."--

Up then spake the Queen o' Fairies,
Out o' a bush o' rye--
"She's ta'en awa the bonniest knight 225
In a' my cumpanie.

"But had I kenn'd, Tamlane," she says,
"A lady wad borrow'd thee--
I wad ta'en out thy twa grey een,
Put in twa een o' tree. 230

"Had I but kenn'd, Tamlane," she says,
"Before ye came frae hame--
I wad ta'en out your heart o' flesh,
Put in a heart o' stane.

"Had I but had the wit yestreen 235
That I hae coft the day--
I'd paid my kane seven times to hell
Ere you'd been won away!"

130, See _Thomas of Ersseldoune_, (p. 107,) v. 225, 226.

V. 161-172, v. 208-214. The same process of disenchantment is found in the Danish ballad _Nattergalen_, st. 20-22, Grundtvig, No. 57 (also _Svenska Folk-visor_, No. 41). The comparison with the transformations of Proteus is curious.

[Grk: amphi de cheiras
ballomen; oud' ho geron dolies epeletheto technes;
all' etoi protista leon genet' eugeneios,
autar epeita drakon kai pordalis ede megas sus;
gigneto d' hygron hydor kai dendreon hypsipetelon.
hemeis d' astempheos echomen tetleoti thymo.]
_Odyssey_, iv. 454-59.

Verum ubi correptum manibus vinclisque tenebis,
Tum variae eludent species atque ora ferarum:
Fiet enim subito sus horridus atraque tigris,
Squamosusque draco, et fulva cervice leaena,
Aut acrem flammae sonitum dabit, atque ita vinclis
Excidet, aut in aquas tenues dilapsus abibit.
Sed quanto ille magis formas se vertet in omnes,
Tanto, nate, magis contende tenacia vincla.
_Georgics_, iv. 405-12.

THE WEE WEE MAN.

This ballad will be found, in forms slightly varying, in Herd, (i. 156;) Caw's _Poetical Museum_, (p. 348;) Motherwell's _Minstrelsy_, (p. 343;) and Buchan's _Ancient Ballads_, (i. 263.) It bears some resemblance to the beginning of the remarkable poem, _Als Y Yod on ay Mounday_, (see Appendix). The present version is from the _Poetical Museum_.

As I was walking by my lane,
Atween a water and a wa,
There sune I spied a wee wee man,
He was the least that eir I saw.

His legs were scant a shathmont's length, 5
And sma and limber was his thie;
Atween his shoulders was ae span,[L7]
About his middle war but three.

He has tane up a meikle stane,
And flang't as far as I cold see; 10
Ein thouch I had been Wallace wicht,
I dought na lift it to my knie.

"O wee wee man, but ye be strang!
Tell me whar may thy dwelling be?"
"I dwell beneth that bonnie bouir, 15
O will ye gae wi me and see?"

On we lap, and awa we rade,
Till we cam to a bonny green;
We lichted syne to bait our steid,
And out there cam a lady sheen; 20

Wi four and twentie at her back,
A' comely cled in glistering green;
Thouch there the King of Scots had stude,
The warst micht weil hae been his queen.

On syne we past wi wondering cheir, 25
Till we cam to a bonny ha;
The roof was o the beaten gowd,
The flure was o the crystal a.

When we cam there, wi wee wee knichts[L29]
War ladies dancing, jimp and sma; 30
But in the twinkling of an eie,
Baith green and ha war clein awa.

7. Much better in Motherwell.

Between his een there was a span,
Betwixt his shoulders there were ells three.

29-32.

There were pipers playing in every neuk,
And ladies dancing, jimp and sma';
And aye the owreturn o' their tune
Was, "Our wee wee man has been lang awa!"--
MOTHERWELL.

THE ELFIN KNIGHT.

Reprinted from _A Collection of Curious Old Ballads and Miscellaneous Poetry_, Edinburgh. David Webster, 1824.

Other versions are given in Motherwell's _Minstrelsy_, (see the Appendix to this volume;) Kinloch's _Ancient Scottish Ballads_, (p. 145;) Buchan's _Ancient Ballads_, (ii. 296.)

Similar collections of impossibilities in _The Trooper and Fair Maid_, Buchan, i. 230; _Robin's Tesment_, _id._, i. 273, or Aytoun, 2d ed. ii. 197; _As I was walking under a grove_, _Pills to purge Melancholy_, v. 370. See also _post_, vol. ii. 224, 352, vol. iv. 132, 287; and in German, _Von eitel unmoeglichen Dingen_, Erk's _Liederhort_, p. 334-37; Uhland, _Eitle Dinge_, No. 4, A, B; _Wunderhorn_, ii. 410.

The Elfin knight sits on yon hill,
_Ba, ba, ba, lillie ba._
He blaws his horn baith loud and shrill.
_The wind hath blawn my plaid awa._

He blaws it east, he blaws it west,
He blaws it where he liketh best.

"I wish that horn were in my kist, 5
Yea, and the knight in my arms niest."

She had no sooner these words said,
Than the knight came to her bed.

"Thou art o'er young a maid," quoth he,
"Married with me, that thou would'st be." 10

"I have a sister, younger than I,
And she was married yesterday."

"Married with me if thou would'st be,
A curtisie thou must do to me.

"It's ye maun mak a sark to me, 15
Without any cut or seam," quoth he;

"And ye maun shape it, knife-, sheerless,
And also sew it needle-, threedless."

"If that piece of courtisie I do to thee,
Another thou must do to me. 20

"I have an aiker of good ley land,
Which lyeth low by yon sea strand;

"It's ye maun till't wi' your touting horn,
And ye maun saw't wi' the pepper corn;

"And ye maun harrow't wi' a thorn, 25
And hae your wark done ere the morn;

"And ye maun shear it wi' your knife,
And no lose a stack o't for your life;

"And ye maun stack it in a mouse hole,
And ye maun thrash it in your shoe sole; 30

"And ye maun dight it in your loof,
And also sack it in your glove;

"And ye maun bring it over the sea,[L33]
Fair, and clean, and dry to me;

"And when that ye have done your wark, 35
Come back to me, and ye'll get your sark."

"I'll not quite my plaid for my life;
It haps my seven bairnes and my wife."

"My maidenhead I'll then keep still,
Let the Elfin knight do what he will. 40

"My plaid awa, my plaid away,
And owre the hills and far awa,
And far awa to Norowa',
My plaid shall not be blawn awa."

33, thou must.

THE BROOMFIELD HILL.

A fragment of this ballad was printed in Herd's Collection, ("_I'll wager, I'll wager_," i. 226.) The present version is from the _Border Minstrelsy_, (iii. 28,) and we have added another from Kinloch's _Ancient Scottish Ballads_. A somewhat longer copy is given in Buchan's _Ballads_, (ii. 291,) and a modernized English one, of no value, (_The West Country Wager_,) in _Ancient Poems_, &c., Percy Society, vol. xvii. p. 116.

_Brume, brume on hil_, is mentioned in the _Complaynt of Scotland_, and formed part of Captain Cox's well-known collection.

A Danish ballad exhibits the same theme, though differently treated: _Soevnerunerne_, Grundtvig, No. 81.

There was a knight and a lady bright,
Had a true tryst at the broom;
The ane ga'ed early in the morning,
The other in the afternoon.

And aye she sat in her mother's bower door, 5
And aye she made her mane,
"O whether should I gang to the Broomfield hill,
Or should I stay at hame?

"For if I gang to the Broomfield hill,
My maidenhead is gone; 10
And if I chance to stay at hame,
My love will ca' me mansworn."--

Up then spake a witch woman,
Aye from the room aboon;
"O, ye may gang to Broomfield hill, 15
And yet come maiden hame.

"For when ye come to the Broomfield hill,
Ye'll find your love asleep,
With a silver belt about his head,
And a broom-cow at his feet. 20

"Take ye the blossom of the broom,
The blossom it smells sweet,
And strew it at your true love's head,
And likewise at his feet.

"Take ye the rings off your fingers, 25
Put them on his right hand,
To let him know, when he doth awake,
His love was at his command."--

She pu'd the broom flower on Hive-hill,
And strew'd on's white hals bane, 30
And that was to be wittering true,
That maiden she had gane.

"O where were ye, my milk-white steed,
That I hae coft sae dear,
That wadna watch and waken me, 35
When there was maiden here?"--

"I stamped wi' my foot, master,
And gar'd my bridle ring;
But nae kin' thing wald waken ye,
Till she was past and gane."-- 40

"And wae betide ye, my gay goss hawk,
That I did love sae dear,
That wadna watch and waken me,
When there was maiden here."--

"I clapped wi' my wings, master, 45
And aye my bells I rang,
And aye cry'd, Waken, waken, master,
Before the ladye gang."--

"But haste and haste, my gude white steed,
To come the maiden till, 50
Or a' the birds of gude green wood
Of your flesh shall have their fill."--

"Ye needna burst your gude white steed,
Wi' racing o'er the howm;
Nae bird flies faster through the wood, 55
Than she fled through the broom."

LORD JOHN.

From Kinloch's _Ancient Scottish Ballads_, (p. 195.)

"I'll wager, I'll wager," says Lord John,
"A hundred merks and ten,
That ye winna gae to the bonnie broom-fields,
And a maid return again."--

"But I'll lay a wager wi' you, Lord John, 5
A' your merks oure again,
That I'll gae alane to the bonnie broom-fields,
And a maid return again."

Then Lord John mounted his grey steed,
And his hound wi' his bells sae bricht, 10
And swiftly he rade to the bonny broom-fields,
Wi' his hawks, like a lord or knicht.

"Now rest, now rest, my bonnie grey steed,
My lady will soon be here;
And I'll lay my head aneath this rose sae red, 15
And the bonnie burn sae near."

But sound, sound, was the sleep he took,
For he slept till it was noon;
And his lady cam at day, left a taiken and away,
Gaed as licht as a glint o' the moon. 20

She strawed the roses on the ground,
Threw her mantle on the brier,
And the belt around her middle sae jimp,
As a taiken that she'd been there.

The rustling leaves flew round his head, 25
And rous'd him frae his dream;
He saw by the roses, and mantle sae green,
That his love had been there and was gane.

"O whare was ye, my gude grey steed,
That I coft ye sae dear; 30
That ye didna waken your master,
Whan ye ken'd that his love was here."--

"I pautit wi' my foot, master,
Garr'd a' my bridles ring;
And still I cried, Waken, gude master, 35
For now is the hour and time."--

"Then whare was ye, my bonnie grey hound,
That I coft ye sae dear,
That ye didna waken your master,
Whan ye kend that his love was here."-- 40

"I pautit wi' my foot, master,
Garr'd a' my bells to ring;
And still I cried, Waken, gude master,
For now is the hour and time."--

"But whare was ye, my hawks, my hawks, 45
That I coft ye sae dear,
That ye didna waken your master,
Whan ye ken'd that his love was here."--

"O wyte na me, now, my master dear,
I garr'd a' my young hawks sing, 50
And still I cried, Waken, gude master,
For now is the hour and time."--

"Then be it sae, my wager gane!
'T will skaith frae meikle ill;
For gif I had found her in bonnie broom-fields, 55
O' her heart's blude ye'd drunken your fill."

* * * * *

The stanzas below are from an American version of this ballad called _The Green Broomfield_, printed in a cheap song-book. (Graham's _Illustrated Magazine_, Sept. 1858.)

"Then when she went to the green broom field,
Where her love was fast asleep,
With a gray _goose_-hawk and a green laurel bough,
And a green broom under his feet.

"And when he awoke from out his sleep,
An angry man was he;
He looked to the East, and he looked to the West,
And he wept for his sweetheart to see.

"Oh! where was you, my gray _goose_-hawk,
The hawk that I loved so dear,
That you did not awake me from out my sleep,
When my sweetheart was so near!"

KEMPION.

This ballad was first printed in the _Border Minstrelsy_, (vol. iii. p. 230,) "chiefly from Mrs. Brown's MS. with corrections from a recited fragment." Motherwell furnishes a different version, from recitation, (_Minstrelsy_, p. 374,) which is subjoined to the present, and the well-known ditty of the _Laidley Worm of Spindleston-Heugh_, upon the same theme, will be found in the Appendix to this volume.

"Such transformations as the song narrates," remarks Sir Walter Scott, "are common in the annals of chivalry. In the 25th and 26th cantos of the second book of the _Orlando Inamorato_, the Paladin, Brandimarte, after surmounting many obstacles, penetrates into the recesses of an enchanted palace. Here he finds a fair damsel, seated upon a tomb, who announces to him, that, in order to achieve her deliverance, he must raise the lid of the sepulchre, and kiss whatever being should issue forth. The knight, having pledged his faith, proceeds to open the tomb, out of which a monstrous snake issues forth, with a tremendous hiss. Brandimarte, with much reluctance, fulfils the _bizarre_ conditions of the adventure; and the monster is instantly changed into a beautiful Fairy, who loads her deliverer with benefits."

_Jomfruen i Ormeham_, in Grundtvig's _Danmarks Gamle Folkeviser_, ii. 177, is essentially the same ballad as _Kempion_. The characteristic incident of the story (a maiden who has been transformed by her step-mother into a snake or other monster, being restored to her proper shape by the kiss of a knight) is as common in the popular fiction of the North as Scott asserts it to be in chivalrous romance. For instances, see Grundtvig, l. l., and under the closely related _Lindormen_, ii. 211.

The name _Kempion_ is itself a monument of the relation of our ballads to the _Kaempeviser_. Pollard of Pollard Hall, who slew "a venomous serpent which did much harm to man and beast," is called in the modern legend a _Champion_ Knight.

"Cum heir, cum heir, ye freely feed,
And lay your head low on my knee;
The heaviest weird I will you read,
That ever was read to gay ladye.

"O meikle dolour sall ye dree, 5
And aye the salt seas o'er ye'se swim;
And far mair dolour sall ye dree
On Estmere crags[L8], when ye them climb.

"I weird ye to a fiery beast,
And relieved sall ye never be, 10
Till Kempion, the kingis son,
Cum to the crag, and thrice kiss thee."--

O meikle dolour did she dree,
And aye the salt seas o'er she swam;
And far mair dolour did she dree 15
On Estmere crag, when she them clamb.

And aye she cried for Kempion,
Gin he would but come to her hand:
Now word has gane to Kempion,
That sicken a beast was in his land. 20

"Now, by my sooth," said Kempion,
"This fiery beast I'll gang and see."--
"And by my sooth," said Segramour,
"My ae brother, I'll gang wi' thee."

Then bigged hae they a bonny boat, 25
And they hae set her to the sea;
But a mile before they reach'd the shore,
Around them she gar'd the red fire flee.

"O Segramour, keep the boat afloat,
And let her na the land o'er near; 30
For this wicked beast will sure gae mad,
And set fire to a' the land and mair."--

Syne has he bent an arblast bow,
And aim'd an arrow at her head;
And swore if she didna quit the land, 35
Wi' that same shaft to shoot her dead.

"O out of my stythe I winna rise,
(And it is not for the awe o' thee,)
Till Kempion, the kingis son,
Cum to the crag, and thrice kiss me."-- 40

He has louted him o'er the dizzy crag,
And gien the monster kisses ane;
Awa she gaed, and again she cam.
The fieryest beast that ever was seen.

"O out o' my stythe I winna rise, 45
(And not for a' thy bow nor thee,)
Till Kempion, the kingis son,
Cum to the crag, and thrice kiss me."--

He's louted him o'er the Estmere crags,
And he has gi'en her kisses twa: 50
Awa she gaed, and again she cam,
The fieryest beast that ever you saw.

"O out of my den I winna rise,
Nor flee it for the fear o' thee,
Till Kempion, that courteous knight, 55
Cum to the crag, and thrice kiss me."--

He's louted him o'er the lofty crag,
And he has gi'en her kisses three:
Awa she gaed, and again she cam,
The loveliest ladye e'er could be! 60

"And by my sooth," says Kempion,
"My ain true love, (for this is she,)
They surely had a heart o' stane,
Could put thee to such misery.

"O was it warwolf in the wood? 65
Or was it mermaid in the sea?
Or was it man or vile woman,
My ain true love, that mis-shaped thee?"--

"It wasna warwolf in the wood,
Nor was it mermaid in the sea: 70
But it was my wicked step-mother,
And wae and weary may she be!"--

"O, a heavier weird shall light her on,
Than ever fell on vile woman;
Her hair shall grow rough, and her teeth grow lang, 75
And on her four feet shall she gang.
"None shall take pity her upon;
In Wormeswood she aye shall won;
And relieved shall she never be,
Till St. Mungo come over the sea."-- 80
And sighing said that weary wight,
"I doubt that day I'll never see!"

8. If by Estmere Crags we are to understand the rocky cliffs of
Northumberland, in opposition to Westmoreland, we may bring our
scene of action near Bamborough, and thereby almost identify the
tale of _Kempion_ with that of the _Laidley Worm of Spindleston_, to
which it bears so strong a resemblance.--SCOTT.

But why should we seek to do this?

KEMP OWYNE.

Kemp Owyne, says Motherwell, "was, no doubt, the same Ewein or Owain, ap Urien the king of Reged, who is celebrated by the bards, Taliessin and Llywarch-Hen, as well as in the Welsh historical Triads. In a poem of Gruffyd Llwyd, A.D. 1400, addressed to Owain Glyndwr, is the following allusion to this warrior. 'Thou hast travelled by land and by sea in the conduct of thine affairs, like Owain ap Urien in days of yore, when with activity he encountered the black knight of the water.'[C] His mistress had a ring esteemed one of the thirteen rarities of Britain, which, (like the wondrous ring of Gyges) would render the wearer invisible." _Minstrelsy_, p. lxxxiii.

[C] "On sea, on land, thou still didst brave
The dangerous cliff and rapid wave;
Like _Urien_, who subdued the knight,
And the fell dragon put to flight,
Yon moss-grown fount beside;
The grim, black warrior of the flood,
The dragon, gorged with human blood,
The waters' scaly pride."
Jones's _Welsh Bards_, i. 41.

The copy of Kemp Owyne printed in Buchan's _Ancient Ballads_, (ii. 78,) is the same as the following.

Her mother died when she was young,
Which gave her cause to make great moan;
Her father married the warst woman
That ever lived in Christendom.

She served her with foot and hand, 5
In every thing that she could dee;
Till once, in an unlucky time,
She threw her in ower Craigy's sea.

Says, "Lie you there, dove Isabel,
And all my sorrows lie with thee; 10
Till Kemp Owyne come ower the sea,
And borrow you with kisses three,
Let all the warld do what they will,
Oh borrowed shall you never be."

Her breath grew strang, her hair grew lang, 15
And twisted thrice about the tree,
And all the people, far and near,
Thought that a savage beast was she;
This news did come to Kemp Owyne,
Where he lived far beyond the sea. 20

He hasted him to Craigy's sea,
And on the savage beast look'd he;
Her breath was strang, her hair was lang,
And twisted was about the tree,
And with a swing she came about: 25
"Come to Craigy's sea, and kiss with me.

"Here is a royal belt," she cried,
"That I have found in the green sea;
And while your body it is on,
Drawn shall your blood never be; 30
But if you touch me, tail or fin,
I vow my belt your death shall be."

He stepped in, gave her a kiss,
The royal belt he brought him wi';
Her breath was strang, her hair was lang, 35
And twisted twice about the tree,
And with a swing she came about:
"Come to Craigy's sea, and kiss with me.

"Here is a royal ring," she said,
"That I have found in the green sea; 40
And while your finger it is on,
Drawn shall your blood never be;
But if you touch me, tail or fin,
I swear my ring your death shall be."

He stepped in, gave her a kiss, 45
The royal ring he brought him wi';
Her breath was strang, her hair was lang,
And twisted ance around the tree,
And with a swing she came about:
"Come to Craigy's sea, and kiss with me. 50

"Here is a royal brand," she said,
"That I have found in the green sea;
And while your body it is on,
Drawn shall your blood never be;
But if you touch me, tail or fin, 55
I swear my brand your death shall be."

He stepped in, gave her a kiss,
The royal brand he brought him wi';
Her breath was sweet, her hair grew short,
And twisted nane about the tree; 60
And smilingly she came about,
As fair a woman as fair could be.

KING HENRY.

A modernized copy of King Henry was published in the _Tales of Wonder_, (No 57,) under the title of _Courteous King Jamie_. It first appeared in an ancient dress in the _Border Minstrelsy_, (iii. 274,) but a version preferable in some respects was given by Jamieson in his _Popular Ballads_, (ii. 194,) which is here printed, without the editor's interpolations. For a notice of similar legends, see the _Marriage of Sir Gawaine_, at page 28 of this volume.

Lat never a man a wooing wend,
That lacketh thingis three;
A routh o' gould, an open heart,
Ay fu' o' charity.

As this I speak of King Henry, 5
For he lay burd-alane;
And he's doen him to a jelly hunt's ha',
Was far frae ony town.

He chas'd the deer now him before,
And the roe down by the den, 10
Till the fattest buck in a' the flock
King Henry he has slain.

O he has doen him to his ha',
To mak him bierly cheer;
And in it cam a grisly ghost, 15
Staed stappin' i' the fleer.

Her head hat the roof-tree o' the house,
Her middle ye mat weel span;--
He's thrown to her his gay mantle;
Says,--"Ladie, hap your lingcan." 20

Her teeth was a' like leather stakes,
Her nose like club or mell;
And I ken nae thing she 'pear'd to be,
But the fiend that wons in hell.

"Some meat, some meat, ye King Henry; 25
Some meat ye gie to me."
"And what meat's in this house, Ladie?
And what ha'e I to gi'e?"
"Its ye do kill your berry-brown steed,
And ye bring him here to me." 30

O whan he slew his berry-brown steed,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She ate him a' up, flesh and bane,
Left naething but hide and hair.

"Mair meat, mair meat, ye King Henry, 35
Mair meat ye bring to me."
"And what meat's in this house, Ladie?
And what hae I to gi'e?"
"O ye do kill your good grey hounds,
And ye bring them in to me." 40

O whan he killed his good grey hounds,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She ate them a' up, flesh and bane,
Left naething but hide and hair.

"Mair meat, mair meat, ye King Henry, 45
Mair meat ye bring to me."
"And what meat's in this house, Ladie?
And what hae I to gi'e?"
"O ye do kill your gay goss hawks,
And ye bring them here to me." 50

O whan he kill'd his gay goss hawks,
Wow but his heart was sair!
She ate them a' up, skin and bane,
Left naething but feathers bare.

"Some drink, some drink, now, King Henry; 55
Some drink ye bring to me."
"O what drink's in this house, Ladie,
That ye're nae welcome tee?"
"O ye sew up your horse's hide,
And bring in a drink to me." 60

And he's sew'd up the bloody hide,
A puncheon o' wine put in;
She drank it a' up at a waught,
Left na ae drap ahin'.

"A bed, a bed, now, King Henry, 65
A bed ye mak to me;
For ye maun pu' the heather green,
And mak a bed to me."

And pu'd has he the heather green,
And made to her a bed; 70
And up he's ta'en his gay mantle,
And o'er it has he spread.

"Tak aff your claiths, now, King Henry,
And lye down by my side;"
"O God forbid," says King Henry, 75
"That ever the like betide;
That ever the fiend that wons in hell,
Should streek down by my side."

* * * * *

Whan nicht was gane, and day was come,
And the sun shone thro' the ha', 80
The fairest lady that ever was seen
Lay atween him and the wa'.

"O weel is me!" says King Henry;
"How lang'll this last wi' me?"
Then out it spake that fair lady,-- 85
"E'en till the day you die.

"For I've met wi' mony a gentle knicht,
That gae me sic a fill;
But never before wi' a curteis knicht,
That gae me a' my will." 90

COSPATRICK.

(_Border Minstrelsy_, iii. 263.)

This ballad, which is still very popular, is known under various other names, as _Bothwell_, _Child Brenton_, _Lord Dingwall_, _We were Sisters_, _We were Seven_, &c. Scott's version was derived principally from recitation, but some of the concluding stanzas were taken from Herd's. Herd's copy, which must be regarded as a fragment, is given in connection with the present, and Buchan's in the Appendix to this volume. Another edition, of a suspicious character, may be seen in Cromek's _Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song_, (p. 205.) All the principal incidents of the story are found in _Ingefred og Gudrune, Danske Viser_, No. 194, translated by Jamieson, _Illustrations_ p. 340. More or less imperfect versions of the same are _Riddar Olle, Svenska Folk-Visor_, ii. p. 217, 59, 56, 215, and _Herr Aester och Froeken Sissa_, p. 50. The substitution of the maid-servant for the bride, occurs also in _Torkild Trundesoen, Danske V._, No. 200, or _Thorkil Troneson_, Arwidsson, No. 36. This idea was perhaps derived from _Tristan and Isold_: see Scott's _Sir Tristrem_, II. 54, 55.

Cospatrick has sent o'er the faem;
Cospatrick brought his ladye hame;
And fourscore ships have come her wi',
The ladye by the grene-wood tree.

There were twal' and twal' wi' baken bread, 5
And twal' and twal' wi' gowd sae reid,
And twal' and twal' wi' bouted flour,
And twal' and twal' wi' the paramour.

Sweet Willy was a widow's son,
And at her stirrup he did run; 10
And she was clad in the finest pall,
But aye she let the tears down fall.

"O is your saddle set awrye?
Or rides your steed for you ower high?
Or are you mourning, in your tide, 15
That you suld be Cospatrick's bride?"

"I am not mourning, at this tide,
That I suld be Cospatrick's bride;
But I am sorrowing in my mood,
That I suld leave my mother good. 20

"But, gentle boy, come tell to me,
What is the custom of thy countrie?"--
"The custom thereof, my dame," he says,
"Will ill a gentle laydye please.

"Seven king's daughters has our lord wedded, 25
And seven king's daughters has our lord bedded;
But he's cutted their breasts frae their breast-bane,
And sent them mourning hame again.

"Yet, gin you're sure that you're a maid,
Ye may gae safely to his bed; 30
But gif o' that ye be na sure,
Then hire some damsell o' your bour."--

The ladye's call'd her bour maiden,
That waiting was into her train;
"Five thousand merks I'll gie to thee, 35
To sleep this night with my lord for me."--

When bells were rang, and mass was sayne,
And a' men unto bed were gane,
Cospatrick and the bonny maid,
Into a chamber they were laid. 40

"Now, speak to me, blankets, and speak to me, bed,
And speak, thou sheet, enchanted web;
And speak up, my bonny brown sword, that winna lie,
Is this a true maiden that lies by me?"--

"It is not a maid that you hae wedded, 45
But it is a maid that you hae bedded;
It is a leal maiden that lies by thee,
But not the maiden that it should be."--

O wrathfully he left the bed,
And wrathfully his claes on did; 50
And he has ta'en him through the ha',
And on his mother he did ca'.

"I am the most unhappy man,
That ever was in Christen land!
I courted a maiden, meik and mild, 55
And I hae gotten naething but a woman wi' child."--

"O stay, my son, into this ha',
And sport ye wi' your merry men a';
And I will to the secret bour,
To see how it fares wi' your paramour."-- 60

The carline she was stark and sture,
She aff the hinges dang the dure;
"O is your bairn to laird or loun,
Or is it to your father's groom?"--

"O hear me, mother, on my knee, 65
Till my sad story I tell to thee:
O we were sisters, sisters seven,
We were the fairest under heaven.

"It fell on a summer's afternoon,
When a' our toilsome task was done, 70
We cast the kevils us amang,
To see which suld to the grene-wood gang.

"Ohon! alas, for I was youngest,
And aye my wierd it was the hardest!
The kevil it on me did fa', 75
Whilk was the cause of a' my woe.

"For to the grene-wood I maun gae,
To pu' the red rose and the slae;
To pu' the red rose and the thyme,
To deck my mother's bour and mine. 80

"I hadna pu'd a flower but ane,
When by there came a gallant hende,
Wi' high-coll'd hose and laigh-coll'd shoon,
And he seem'd to be sum kingis son.

"And be I a maid, or be I nae, 85
He kept me there till the close o' day;
And be I a maid, or be I nane,
He kept me there till the day was done.

"He gae me a lock o' his yellow hair,
And bade me keep it ever mair; 90
He gae me a carknet o' bonny beads,
And bade me keep it against my needs.

"He gae to me a gay gold ring,
And bade me keep it abune a' thing."--
"What did ye wi' the tokens rare, 95
That ye gat frae that gallant there?"--

"O bring that coffer unto me,
And a' the tokens ye sall see."--
"Now stay, daughter, your bour within,
While I gae parley wi' my son."-- 100

O she has ta'en her thro' the ha',
And on her son began to ca';
"What did ye wi' the bonny beads
I bade you keep against your needs?

"What did you wi' the gay gold ring 105
I bade you keep abune a' thing?"--
"I gae them to a ladye gay,
I met on grene-wood on a day.

"But I wad gie a' my halls and tours,
I had that ladye within my bours; 110
But I wad gie my very life,
I had that ladye to my wife."--

"Now keep, my son, your ha's and tours,
Ye have the bright burd in your bours;
And keep, my son, your very life, 115
Ye have that ladye to your wife."--

Now, or a month was come and gane,
The ladye bare a bonny son;
And 'twas weel written on his breast-bane,
"Cospatrick[L120] is my father's name." 120
"O row my lady in satin and silk,
And wash my son in the morning milk."

120, Cospatrick, _Comes Patricius_, was the designation of the Earl of Dunbar, in the days of Wallace and Bruce.--SCOTT.

BOTHWELL.

From Herd's _Scottish Songs_, (i. 143.)

As Bothwell was walking in the lowlands alane,
_Hey down, and a down_,
He met six ladies sae gallant and fine,
_Hey down, and a down._

He cast his lot amang them a', 5
And on the youngest his lot did fa'.

He's brought her frae her mother's bower,
Unto his strongest castle and tower.

But ay she cry'd and made great moan,
And ay the tear came trickling down. 10

"Come up, come up," said the foremost man,
"I think our bride comes slowly on."

"O lady, sits your saddle awry,
Or is your steed for you owre high?"

"My saddle is not set awry, 15
Nor carries me my steed owre high;

"But I am weary of my life,
Since I maun be Lord Bothwell's wife."

He's blawn his horn sae sharp and shrill,
Up start the deer on every hill; 20

He's blawn his horn sae lang and loud,
Up start the deer in gude green wood.

His lady mother lookit owre the castle wa',
And she saw them riding ane and a'.

She's called upon her maids by seven, 25
To mak his bed baith saft and even:

She's called upon her cooks by nine,
To make their dinner fair and fine.

When day was gane and night was come,
"What ails my love on me to frown? 30

"Or does the wind blow in your glove,
Or runs your mind on another love?"

"Nor blows the wind within my glove,
Nor runs my mind on another love;"

"But I not maid nor maiden am, 35
For I'm wi' bairn to another man."

"I thought I'd a maiden sae meek and sae mild,
But I've nought but a woman wi' child."

His mother's taen her up to a tower,
And lockit her in her secret bower: 40

"Now doughter mine, come tell to me,
Wha's bairn this is that you are wi'."

"O mother dear, I canna learn
Wha is the father of my bairn.

"But as I walk'd in the lowlands my lane, 45
I met a gentleman gallant and fine;

"He keepit me there sae late and sae lang,
Frae the ev'ning late till the morning dawn;

"And a' that he gied me to my propine,
Was a pair of green gloves, and a gay gold ring, 50

"Three lauchters of his yellow hair,
In case that we shou'd meet nae mair."

His lady mother went down the stair:
"Now son, now son, come tell to me,
Where's the green gloves I gave to thee?" 55

"I gied to a lady sae fair and so fine,
The green gloves and a gay gold ring:

"But I wad gie my castles and towers,
I had that lady within my bowers:

"But I wad gie my very life, 60
I had that lady to be my wife."

"Now keep, now keep your castles and towers,
You have that lady within your bowers:

"Now keep, now keep your very life,
You have that lady to be your wife." 65

"O row my lady in sattin and silk,
And wash my son in the morning milk."

WILLIE'S LADYE.

Printed from Mrs. Brown's MS., in the _Border Minstrelsy_, vol. iii. p. 170. Another copy is given in Jamieson's _Popular Ballads_, (ii. 367,) and versions, enlarged and altered from the ancient, in the same work, (ii. 179,) and in _Tales of Wonder_, No. 56. This ballad bears a striking resemblance to _Sir Stig and Lady Torelild_, translated from the Danish by Jamieson, _Illustrations of Northern Antiquities_, p. 344. This is the eighth (marked H) of nine Danish ballads given by Grundtvig, under the title _Hustru og Mands Moder_, vol. ii. 404. Three Swedish versions have been printed: two in Arwidsson's _Fornsanger, Liten Kerstins Foertrollning_, ii. 252, and another (Grundtvig) in Cavallius and Stephens's _Svenska Folksagor_.

"Those who wish to know how an incantation, or charm, of the distressing nature here described, was performed in classic days, may consult the story of Galanthis's Metamorphosis, in Ovid, or the following passage in Apuleius: 'Eadem (saga, scilicet, quaedam) amatoris uxorem, quod in eam dicacule probrum dixerat, jam in sarcinam praegnationis, obsepto utero, et repigrato f[oe]tu, perpetua praegnatione damnavit. Et ut cuncti numerant, octo annorum onere, misella illa, velut elephantum paritura, distenditur.' APUL. _Metam._ lib. i.

"There is a curious tale about a Count of Westeravia, whom a deserted concubine bewitched upon his marriage, so as to preclude all hopes of his becoming a father. The spell continued to operate for three years, till one day, the Count happening to meet with his former mistress, she maliciously asked him about the increase of his family. The Count, conceiving some suspicion from her manner, craftily answered, that God had blessed him with three fine children; on which she exclaimed, like Willie's mother in the ballad, "May heaven confound the old hag, by whose counsel I threw an enchanted pitcher into the draw-well of your palace!" The spell being found, and destroyed, the Count became the father of a numerous family. _Hierarchie of the Blessed Angels_, p. 474." SCOTT.

Willie's ta'en him o'er the faem,
He's wooed a wife, and brought her hame;
He's wooed her for her yellow hair,
But his mother wrought her meikle care;

And meikle dolour gar'd her dree, 5
For lighter she can never be;
But in her bower she sits wi' pain,
And Willie mourns o'er her in vain.

And to his mother he has gane,
That vile rank witch, o' vilest kind! 10
He says--"My ladie has a cup,
Wi' gowd and silver set about;
This gudely gift sall be your ain,
And let her be lighter o' her young bairn."--

"Of her young bairn she's never be lighter, 15
Nor in her bour to shine the brighter:
But she sall die, and turn to clay,
And you sall wed another may."--

"Another may I'll never wed,
Another may I'll never bring hame:"-- 20
But, sighing, said that weary wight--
"I wish my life were at an end!

"Yet gae ye to your mother again,
That vile rank witch, o' vilest kind!
And say, your ladye has a steed, 25
The like o' him's no in the land o' Leed.

"For he is silver shod before,
And he is gowden shod behind;
At every tuft of that horse mane,
There's a golden chess, and a bell to ring. 30
This gudely gift sall be her ain,
And let me be lighter o' my young bairn."--

"Of her young bairn she's ne'er be lighter,
Nor in her bour to shine the brighter;
But she sall die, and turn to clay, 35
And ye sall wed another may."--

"Another may I'll never wed,
Another may I'll never bring hame:"--
But, sighing, said that weary wight--
"I wish my life were at an end!-- 40

"Yet gae ye to your mother again,
That vile rank witch, o' rankest kind!
And say your ladye has a girdle,
It's a' red gowd to the middle;

"And aye, at ilka siller hem 45
Hang fifty siller bells and ten;
This gudely gift sall be her ain,
And let me be lighter o' my young bairn."--

"Of her young bairn she's ne'er be lighter,
Nor in your bour to shine the brighter; 50
For she sall die, and turn to clay,
And thou sall wed another may."--

"Another may I'll never wed,
Another may I'll never bring hame;"--
But, sighing, said that weary wight-- 55
"I wish my days were at an end!"--

Then out and spak the Billy Blind,[L57]
(He spak aye in good time:)
"Yet gae ye to the market-place,
And there do buy a loaf of wace; 60
Do shape it bairn and bairnly like,
And in it twa glassen een you'll put;

"And bid her your boy's christening to,
Then notice weel what she shall do;
And do you stand a little away, 65
To notice weel what she may say."

[L67]He did him to the market-place,
And there he bought a loaf[L68] o' wax;
He shaped it bairn and bairnly like,
And in twa glazen een he pat; 70

He did him till his mither then,
And bade her to his boy's christnin;
And he did stand a little forbye,
And noticed well what she did say.

"O wha has loosed the nine witch knots, 75
That were amang that ladye's locks?
And wha's ta'en out the kaims o' care,
That were amang that ladye's hair?

"And wha has ta'en down that bush o' woodbine,
That hung between her bour and mine? 80
And wha has kill'd the master kid,[L81]
That ran beneath that ladye's bed?
And wha has loosed her left foot shee,
And let that ladye lighter be?"

Syne, Willy's loosed the nine witch knots, 85
That were amang that ladye's locks;
And Willie's ta'en out the kaims o' care,
That were into that ladye's hair;

And he's ta'en down the bush o' woodbine,
Hung atween her bour and the witch carline; 90
And he has kill'd the master kid,
That ran beneath that ladye's bed;

And he has loosed her left foot shee,
And latten that ladye lighter be;
And now he has gotten a bonny son, 95
And meikle grace be him upon.

57. _Billy Blind_--A familiar genius, or propitious spirit, somewhat similar to the _Brownie_.

67-74. Inserted from Jamieson's copy.

68. _leaf_, Jamieson.

81. The witch's chief familiar, placed in the chamber of the sick woman in the form of a kid.

ALISON GROSS.

Jamieson's _Popular Ballads_, ii. 187.

FROM THE RECITATION OF MRS. BROWN.

The beginning is to be compared with _Lindormen_, the whole ballad with _Jomfruen i Ormeham_, Grundtvig's _Folkeviser_, ii. 213, 177.

O Alison Gross, that lives in yon tower,
The ugliest witch in the north countrie,
Has trysted me ae day up till her bower,
And mony fair speech she made to me.

She straiked my head, and she kembed my hair, 5
And she set me down saftly on her knee,
Says,--"Gin ye will be my lemman sae true,
Sae mony braw things as I would you gi'e."

She shaw'd me a mantle o' red scarlet,
Wi' gouden flowers and fringes fine, 10
Says "Gin ye will be my lemman sae true,
This goodly gift it sall be thine."

"Awa, awa, ye ugly witch,
Haud far awa, and lat me be;
I never will be your lemman sae true, 15
And I wish I were out of your company."

She neist brocht a sark o' the saftest silk,
Weel wrought wi' pearls about the band;
Says,--"Gin ye will be my ain true love,
This goodly gift ye sall command." 20

She shaw'd me a cup o' the good red goud,
Weel set wi' jewels sae fair to see;
Says,--"Gin ye will be my lemman sae true,
This goodly gift I will you gie."