Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland, Hitherto
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1 ifl ANCIENT OF THE NOETH OF SCOTLAND, HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED. explanatory notes, By peter BUCHAN, COKRESFONDING ME3IBER OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. " The ancient spirit is not dead,— " Old times, wc trust, are living here.' VOL. ir. EDINBURGH: PRINTED 1011 W. & D. LAING, ANI> J, STEVENSON ; A. BllOWN & CO. ABERDEEN ; J. WYLIE, AND ROBERTSON AND ATKINSON, GLASGOW; D. MORISON & CO. PERTH ; AND J. DARLING, LONDON. MDCCCXXVIII. j^^nterct! in -Stationers i^all*] TK CONTENTS V.'Z OF THK SECOND VOLUME. Ballads. N'olcs. The Birth of Robin Hood Page 1 305 /King Malcolm and Sir Colvin 6 30G Young Allan - - - - 11 ib. Sir Niel and Mac Van 16 307 Lord John's Murder 20 ib. The Duke of Athole's Nurse 23 ib. The Laird of Southland's Courtship 27 308 Burd Helen ... 30 ib. Lord Livingston ... 39 ib. Fause Sir John and IMay Colvin 45 309 Willie's Lyke Wake 61 310 JSTathaniel Gordon - - 54 ib. Lord Lundy ... 57 312 Jock and Tarn Gordon 61 ib. The Bonny Lass o' Englessie's Dance 63 313 Geordie Downie . - 65 314 Lord Aboyne . 66 ib. Young Hastings ... 67 315 Reedisdale and Wise William 70 ib. Young Bearwell ... 75 316 Kemp Owyne . 78 ib. Earl Richard, the Queen's Brother 81 318 Earl Lithgow .... 91 ib. Bonny Lizie Lindsay ... 102 ib. The Baron turned Ploughman 109 319 Donald M'Queen's Flight wi' Lizie Menzie 117 ib. The Millar's Son - - - - 120 320 The Last Guid-night ... 127 ib. The Bonny Bows o' London 128 ib. The Abashed Knight 131 321 Lord Salton and Auchanachie 133 ib. The Death of John Seton 136 ib. Walter Lesly .... 139 322 O'er the Water to Charlie 143 ib. The Baron o' Leys ... 144 ib. The Duke of Argyle's Courtship 148 ib. The Laird o' Meldrum and Peggy Douglas 151 323 IV Ballads. Notes. Johnny, Lad ... Page 153 323 Donald of the Isles 1 J5 324 Portmore .... 158 ib. John Thomson and the Turk 159 ib. Jock the Leg and the INIerry Merchant 1C5 325 Captain Johnstoun's Last Farewell 170 ib. Lizie Baillie ... 173 326 The Countess of Errol 17« ib. WilHe Doo 179 327 The Earl of Douglas and Dame Oliphant 181 ib. The Gardener Lad 187 328 Warenston and the Duke of York's Daughtercr u;o ib. Tlie Laird o' Drum 194 ib. Love Gregory . - - 198 330 The Water o' ^Vearie's Well 201 331 The Braes o' Yarrow 203 ib. Lady Diamond, the King's Daughter 206 ib. The Betrayed Lady 208 ib. The Haughs o' Yarrow 211 332 Lord Thomas of Winesbcrry and the King'ss Daughter . - 212 ib. The Virginian Maid's Lament 215 ib. The ^Minister's Daughter of New York 217 335 The Gordons and the Grants 22a ib. The Cuckold SaUor 221 337 The Cruel Mother 222 338 The Lady's Gown 225 __ Wallace and his Leman 226 338 ChU Ether 228 May-a-Roe ... 231 339 Auld Matrons 238 ib. The Rigwoodie Carlin 241 340 The Scottish Squire 245 ib. John o' Hazelgreen 253 341 Willie's Fatal Visit 259 ib. Hynd Hasting 2G2 342 Bondsey and Maisry 265 lb. 268 , Hynd Horn The Twa Knights 271 343 Young llonald 282 344 Broonifield Hills 291 345 The Fairy Knight 296 346 Brown Eobyn and Mally 299 ib. ANCIENT BALLADS AND SONGS OF THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND. f^lje Birti) of EoIjiu Sjooti. MoNY ane talks o"* the grass, the grass. And mony ane o' the corn, And mony ane talks o"* gude Robin Hood, Kens little whar he was born. He was gotten in a eai'Fs ha\ And in a lady's bower ; And born into gude greenwood, Thro' raony cauld winter's shower. His father was the earl's own steward. Sprung frae sma* pedigree ; His mother, Earl Huntingdon's ae daughter- For he had nane else but she. VOL. II. B ; - ; When nine months were near an end. And eight months they were gone The lady's cheeks wi' tears were wet, And thus she made her moan : — What shall I say, my love, Archibald, This day for you and me ? I will be laid in cauld irons, And ye'll be hanged on tree. What aileth my love Clementina ? What gars you mourn sae sair ? You know, said she, I'm with child to thee, These eight lang months and mair. Will ye gae to my mother's bower. Stands on yon stately green ? Or will ye gae to the gude greenwood. Where ye will not be seen ? I winna gang to your mother's bower, Stands on yon stately green ; But I will on to gude greenwood. For I will not be seen. He's girt his sword down by his side, Took his lady by the hand And they are on thro' gude greenwood, As fast as they could gang. ; ; With slowly steps these couple walk'd, About miles scarcely three When this lady, being sair wearied out, Lay down beneath a tree. O for a few of yon junipers, To cheer my heart again ; And likewise for a gude midwife. To ease me of my pain. I'll bring to you yon junipers. To cheer your heart again ; And I'll be to you a gude midwife, To ease you of your pain. Had far awa' frae me, Archibald, For this will never dee ; That's nae the fashion o' our land. And its nae be used by me. Ye'll take your small sword by your side. Your buckler and your bow And ye'll gae down thro' gude greenwood. And hunt the deer and roe. You will stay in gude green wood. And with the chase go on ; Until yon white hind pass you by, Then straight to me ye'll come. ! ; He's girt his sword then by his side, His buckler and his bow ; And he is on thro' gude greenwood, To hunt the deer and roe. And in the greenwood he did stay, And with the chase gaed on ; Until the white hind passed him by. Then to his love he came. He girt his sword then by his side. Fast thro' greenwood went he ; And there he found his love lie dead. Beneath the green oak tree. The sweet young babe that she had bom. Right lively seemed to be ; Ohon, alas ! said young Archibald, A mournful scene to me Altho' my sweet babe is alive. This does increase my woe How to nourish a motherless babe. Is mair than I do know. He looked east, he looked west. To see what he could see ; Then spied the Earl o' Huntingdon, And mony a man him wi'. ; ; Then Archibald fled from the earPs face, Among the leaves sae green, That he might hear what might be said, And see, and nae be seen. The earl straight thro"* the greenwood came. Unto the green oak tree ; And there he saw his daughter dead, Her living child her wi'. Then he's taen up the little boy, Rowed him in his gown sleeve ; Said, Tho' your father's to my loss, Your mother's to me leave.* And if ye live until I die, My bowers and lands ye'se heir You are my only daughter's child, But her I never had mair. Ye'se hae all kinds of nourishment, And likewise nurses three If I knew where the fause knave were. High hanged should he be. His daughter he buried in gude church-yard, All in a mournful mood ; And brought the boy to church that day, And christen'd him Robin Hood. * Leave, near of kin, or sib. ; This boy was bred in the earl's ha'. Till he became a man ; But loved to hunt in gude greenwood, To raise his noble fame. i^itt0 fitakolm Axib ^it Colbiiu There ance liv'd a king in fair Scotland, King Malcolm called by name ; Whom ancient history gives record, For valour, worth, and fame. And it fell ance upon a day, The king sat down to dine ; And then he miss'd a favourite knight, Whose name was Sir Colvin. But out it speaks another knight, Ane o' Sir Colvin's kin ; He's lyin' in bed right sick in love. All for your daughter Jean. O waes me, said the royal king, I'm sorry for the same She maun take bread and wine sae red, Give it to Sir Colvin. — ; Then gently did she bear the bread, Her page did carry the wine And set a table at his bed, Sir Colvin, rise and dine. O well love I the wine, lady, Come frae your lovely hand ; But better love I your fair body. Than all fair Scotland's strand. O hold your tongue now. Sir Colvin, Let all your folly be ; My love must be by honour won. Or nane shall enjoy me. But on the head o' Elrick's hill, Near by yon sharp hawthorn. Where never a man with life e''er came Sin' our sweet Christ was born ; O ye'll gang there and walk a' night, And boldly blaw your horn ; With honour that ye do return, Ye'll marry me the morn. Then up it raise him, Sir Colvin, And dress'd in armour keen ; And he is on to Elrick's hill, Without light o' the meen. ;; ; 8 At midnight mark the mcen upstarts, The knight walk'd up and down ; ^^'^hile loudest cracks o"" thunder roared. Out ower the bent sae brown. Then by the twinkhng of an e'e, He spied an armed knight A fair lady bearing his brand, Wi' torches burning bright.