The Chandos Poets. The Legendary Ballads of England and Scotland. Compiled and edited by J. S. Roberts. ... With ... illustrations, etc

Preface

. When I assigned to myself the task of editing a collection of " Legen dary Poetry," the time at my disposal would not have admitted of my doing more than simply gathering into a garland the best readings of the more meritorious ballads. A period of enforced leisure, under cir cumstances which made it very desirable to forget in some genial employment many things which were extremely painful to me, led to my attempting something of greater magnitude and responsibility. Under any circumstances, in view of the many able men who have preceded me in this field, I would have hesitated before dealing with the subject at all, had not the early ballad poetry of my country been familiar to me from boyhood. Born in a rural district, where books were not plentiful, the cottage library consisting, in most cases, of a Brown's "Commentary and Dictionary of the Bible," a "Book of Devotion," a " Pilgrim's Progress," the "Works of Robert Burns," and " Ralph Erskine," a miscellaneous collection of songs in small books or in broadside, and a variety of the then popular "chap books," such as " Wise Willy and Witty Eppie," " Leper the Tailor," " Simple Jock Sandeman," " Geordie Buchanan, the King's Fool," &c, the long winter evenings were frequently spent in story-telling, &c. Even then, after the publication of " Scott's Minstrelsy," "Motherwell's" and."Buchan's" collections of Legendary Poetry, &c, many of the Ballads existed in the district in a traditionary shape (the printed versions, or even the fact that they were printed, being unknown), to be utterly forgotten by the humbler classes when the aged people to whom they had been known from childhood had passed away.

I can only indulge in vain regrets that I cannot now remember a hundredth part of the old stories, ballads, and songs with which I was then familiar. Removing early in life to a town, and living in a society where the modern newspaper, the "Waverley Novels," and the literature these had called into being, were the subject of universal attention, the humble Tales and Ballads which had delighted the fire sides of the Forfarshire cottages had almost passed from my remembrance, until a wider acauaintance with books surprised me into the

PREFACE.

. VI knowledge that many of them had become part and parcel of our literature. Snatches and stanzas of old and inedited rhymes still cling to me, but although I have made anxious inquiries in my native district for complete copies, or even presentable fragments, of Ballads which have never been printed in any collection, I have not succeeded in securing anything worthy of preservation, the spread of education, and the interest taken in cheap books and serials among the lower classes, having driven the unprinted literature which delighted their ancestors out of existence. Several years ago it began to be whispered in certain literary circles that the bulk of our "Legendary Ballad Poetry " was of no later date than the beginning of the last century, and Mr. Robert Chambers gave this heresy form and substance by the publication of a paper * on the subject in 1860.

According to Mr. Chambers, the better known romantic Ballads, such as "Sir Patrick Spens," "Gil Morrice," " Edward Edwards," " Edom o' Gordon," " Young Waters," " Mary Hamilton," "The Gay Goss-Hawk," "Johnnie o' Braidislee," "The Douglas Tragedy," "Young Huntin," "Burd Helen," and several others, were in all likelihood composed by Lady Wardlaw, of Pit reavie, who died in 1727, and who for a time had succeeded in palming aBallad entitled " Hardyknute" upon her contemporaries as a genuine antique. This Ballad, though highly spoken of by Sir Walter Scott and others, is a clumsy and laboured performance as compared with the Ballads Mr. Chambers endeavours to ascribe to her, on no stronger plea than that certain phrases in these occur in " Hardy knute." In his zeal he fails to notice that, as the authoress was avowedly imitating the antique Ballads, she would naturally adopt their phraseology and style.

He further argues that, because expres sions occur in the Ballads which could not have been in use beyond the commencement of last century, they must have been composed since, forgetting that, as they existed only in a traditionary form, the language would necessarily change with the altered habits and speech of the people. The best evidence as to the genuineness of our Ballad Poetry is the fact that they were current in various forms all over the country, incidents and names of heroes and heroines being altered to suit the loca lity of the reciter. That one or more writers during the last century produced these Ballads, and that the manuscripts passed from hand to hand, until they became thoroughly rooted in the memories of an entire people, and that more than one version of each — as many as four, five, and six of some — should exist simulta- * "The Romantic Scottish Ballads, their Epoch and Authorship." By Robert Chambers, F.R.S.E.

PREFACE.

. VII neously over the country, is one of those impossible theories which need not disquiet the most timid believer in the traditionary origin of our Ballad Poetry. That many of the Ballads have undergone some considerable tinkering before being printed need sur prise no one. The compilers of the various original collections were mostly poets, and the temptation to help a halting stanza, and complete a fragmentary specimen, was too great to be resisted ; and to one thoroughly familiar with the subject it would be easy to point to many instances where this has been done. One thing is certain, that no spurious Ballad has escaped detection for any great length of time : there is a ring about the genuine metal which cannot be imitated, although many an adept at Homer's craft has tried his hand at it.

In collating the various Ballads, I have, so far as my judgment could guide me, expunged all modern interpolations, and no Ballad which exists in more than one shape has passed from my hands into those of the printer until the various versions were thoroughly considered. To the composition of some of them as many as five versions, all dif fering in some respects, have contributed; and if it be conceded that all the copies had one common origin, the propriety of collating them, when the work of collection is finished, will be at once ad mitted. Professor Aytoun, in the Introduction to his admirable col lection,* has so thoroughly defended the propriety of collating the various versions, that I may safely consider the question settled, the only point of moment to me being whether I have executed my self imposed task with judgment and success.

Anyone who is at all acquainted with this kind of work will readily understand that, if conscientiously performed, it is no light duty, and that to the merely critical reader it will be easy to find fault with much that I have done, or left undone. I can only claim to have entered upon and carried through my task in a tender and loving spirit, doing nothing without anxious deliberation, the work of one day being frequently undone by that of the next, after a more careful examination of the existing authorities. Many readers may miss old favourites, and may quarrel with the appearance of others less worthy. The space at my disposal was pre scribed from the first, and within it I have included all those Ballads I held most worthy to appear in a " Popular Collection" which might lay claim to a completeness not hitherto attained by any publication of the kind issued in this country.

I have to confess my obligations to Mr. Francis James Child, of Boston, U.S., who, by the publication of his " English and Scottish Ballads," f has laid the lovers of Ballad * "The Ballads of Scotland." Edited by William Edmonstone Aytoun, D.C.L. 2 vols. f " English and Scottish Ballads." Edited by Francis James Child. 8 vols.

PREFACE.

. Literature under a deep debt of gratitude. Besides giving all the versions of each Ballad of any value, his volumes contain references to every known version, and to Ballads and traditions of other countries which are similar in incident to those of our own. Mr. Child's volumes have been a ready index, guiding at once to the page of the various collections where the Ballad under treatment occurs. Some modern editors and writers can still afford to look with contempt or patronage on our Ballad Literature. I have heard of one living editor who boasted that he had compiled his collection, &c, within the space of a fortnight ; and another more recently, in his Introduction, made merry over the care and trouble his predecessors had taken in providing materials for his use. No one who has any knowledge of the subject can afford to speak lightly of the value of the labours of such men as Percy, Herd, Ritson, Scott, Motherwell, Buchan, &c. &c. ; the service they have rendered in collecting, and illustrating them, is not to be estimated.

The popular novel or poem of this year may be forgotten the next, or may have the good fortune to live for a generation, but the bulk of our early Ballads must claim a more than passing attention as long as our Language and Literature endure. I have endeavoured as far as possible to explain all phrases which may not be understood by the general reader, and in doing this I have been more anxious to give the meaning conveyed by the context than the mere arbitrary rendering. No arrangement of the Ballads into classes has been attempted ; indeed, they are purposely printed without any arrangement, wiih the view of giving variety and interest. I have reproduced many Ballads which can lay no claim to Legendary origin ; the phrase, through frequent use or misuse, has become elastic enough to cover any kind of popular ancient poetry, whether preserved to us by tradition, or through the medium of the printer.

John S. Roberts. Duddingstone, Nov. _oth, 1867. INDEX TO CONTENTS. PAGE PAGE Adam Bell 565 Edward . . .' 92 A Famous Sei-fight between Captain Ward and the Rainbow . . . 450 Edom o' Gordon 4 Elore, Lo 475 Airlie, the Bonnie House o' . . . 308 Ercildoune, Thomas of .... 356 Alison Gross 380 A Little Geste of Robin Hood . . 582 Fair Annie 162 Allan-a-Maut 142 Fair Janet 260 Annan Water 529 Fair Helen 116 Annie Laurie 217 Fause Foodrage 294 Archie o' Cafield 437 Armstrang, Johnie 276 Auchteimuchty, the Wife of . . . 542 Auld Maitland ....... 262 Fine Flowers o' the Valley . . . 538 Flodden Field 304 Foodrage, Fause 294 Fordie, the Bonnie Banks o' . . . 194 Barbara Allen Gawaine, Sir, the Marriage of . 63 Geordie 44 Gernutus, the Jew of Venice . . 417 Barbara Allen 331 Balrinnes, the Battl; of .... 404 Bessie Bell and Mary Gray . . . 141 Binnorie 51?

Bonnie Geor»e Campbell .... 225 Gilderoy 330 Gil Morrice 336 Bonny John Seton 477 Glasgerion 30 Bothwell 231 Glasgow Peggie 310 Both well's, Lady Anne, Lament . 41 Glenkindie 26 Boyne Water, the ..... . 521 Glenlogie 257 Brave Lord W lloughby .... 383 Græme and Bewick 125 Braidislie, Johnie of 386 Gude Wallace 50 Bristowe, the Merchant's daughter of 19 Broomfield Hill, the 34° Harlaw, the Battle of .... 348 Burd H len 485 Harlaw, the Battle of, another version 348 Captain Wedderburn's Courtship 479 Helen of Kirkconnell 115 Chevy Chase, ancient version . . 178 Hobbie Noble 420 Chevy Chase, modern version . . 187 Hugh Græme 300 Hugh of Lincoln 536 Childe Waters 561 Hynde Etin 219 Clerk Saun ers 395 Hynde Horn 113 Corrichie, the Battle of .... 400 Cowdenknowes, the Broom of the . 196 Jamie Telfer 132 Jane Shore 462 Dick o' the Cow 549 Douglas, the Marchioness of . . . 343 Jew of Venice, the 417 Johnie Faa 510 Johnie of Braidislie 386 Earl Richard's Wedding ....