,A.4 THE ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH POPULAR BALLADS EDITED BY FRANCIS JAMES CHILD PART I. rg» 04*-~ O&Kslst^+y **e~>^ &%~-jp^ 6s^**^ dr -/&^— *~^e_ *^<#^j £*~ <C- sS?C^£^ pry, ait/at- ^^_^^ ^s**j/£-4. (P^^SL *v H fo*tfV> . a^jj^±^J^^U/iy^^/<^^ ".RE AT STANHOPE STREE" MAY FAIR. N. Uun iu^u^^u A^/S Ojsfcu* kt £&?<?* /lif( fhui k *u tnii. /.fUr ??r^&&£ fr^z>t<- /^£ yk^y /Jit /k /^ v ^ & Ifox „ ^zz, ^ f ^ ' ^-> lc*jZl /^ ^~ ^ ^^^ o*^ A* \6.l£ IwA yw- tfou & ^'( ^^ / n fl<2.CvH^ /a*<^*^f+ . ^^ ^^ 4£*~*y>Ze -sr £. * ^ J <^T^ &£ £&- y Travellers' Club, Pall Mall, S.W. ^^<?%5^~ — * » & «^£' <y'fc&^+/ ^'A<tc&e~ ^:, ^^ <^*»&*¥ /* * *> ^^ tie c£/ysi i • . ^_— 7-— ^ <y£ f*-^"*? <;tj,c*<~r..— CdT^- CJ^rci^k <zcc^ <r p? *? j*y c^zz&^& ? ^^> P^< <^^* e &* ,/tty ^ *z*r /£ /est <? c c "'1:^. S^Se^ Wit v U4*x& f CM '/& X1 '4- THE ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH POPULAR BALLADS EDITED BY FRANCIS JAMES CHILD PART I BOSTON HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY new york: 11 east seventeenth street London : Henry Stevens, 4 Trafalgar Square •One Ctiounaiift Copies Prmtrtr. No. *Zi / &7 Copyright, 1882, by F. J. Child. All rights reserved. The Riverside Press, Cambridge: Printed by II. O. Houghton and Company. PROSPECTUS OF The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Edited by FRANCIS J. CHILD, Professor in Harvard College. THE Popular Ballads existing in the English language, though their surpass- ing merit has been amply recognized, have never been collected into one Dody. The sequestration of the Percy Folio forbade, until lately, the thought of ;uch an undertaking. That treasury of the English ballads is now open to the A'orld ; but Scottish collections still remain in the seclusion of manuscript, among :hem that of Motherwell, second only in importance to the Percy. Besides un- published collections, there are scattered ballads preserved in private copies. Not only a large portion of the remains of the ballads of the English people is jnprinted ; the texts of much that is in print are vitiated by editorial changes. Percy's free treatment of his texts is notorious. When the Folio was published Dy Messrs Hales and Furnivall, we gained as much through the restoration of genuine readings as by the discovery of pieces till then unknown. Scott and [amieson were less arbitrary than Percy, but they were far from scrupulous, as Scott in later days confessed and regretted. It cannot be said even of Kinloch ind Motherwell that they followed the only right rule, that of making no un- icknowledged changes in the text delivered them. It is almost superfluous to add that not even the already known and published r ersions of the English and Scottish ballads have ever been brought together, to be tudied in conjunction with each other and with kindred ballads of other nations. It is now proposed to publish the English and Scottish Popular Ballads, so far s is possible, in their entirety and their purity. The collection will embrace very accessible independent version of every ballad, with the important variations if copies which appear to be of the same proximate derivation. -All the manuscript ollections or texts that exist in public libraries, and most (it is hoped all) of those hat are known to be in private hands, all printed texts, and also a certain number >f copies recently obtained from recitation, will be combined. No text will be aken at second hand, where it is possible to go back to the source, and an abso- ute fidelity to the best procurable text will be maintained. Each ballad will have a proper preface, and in the case of those ballads which he English have in common with other nations, an account will be given of re- ated traditions. A general introduction will be prefixed to the first volume, and n the last there will be a careful glossary and full indexes. The work will be issued in about Eight Parts, each Part containing about two lundred and fifty pages. It will be printed in the best style of the Riverside Press, >n extra laid paper. The edition will be limited to one thousand copies, each of which will be num- >ered, and the name of its purchaser recorded. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads will be published by subscription nly. American subscribers are reqiiested to send their orders to Houghton, Mifflin k Co., 4 Park Street, Boston. Subscribers in England and on the Continent can '.ddress Henry Stevens, 4 Trafalgar Square, London. 4 Park Street, Boston, 1882. To FREDERICK % FURNIVALL, ESQ., of london. My Dear Furnivall : Without the Percy MS. no one would pretend to make a collection of the English Ballads, and but for you that manuscript would still, I think, be beyond reach of man, yet exposed to destructive chances. Through your exertions and personal sacrifices, directly, the famous and precious folio has been printed; and, indirectly, in consequence of the same, it has been transferred to a place where it is safe, and open to inspection. This is only one of a hundred reasons which I have for askingyou to accept the dedication of this book from Your grateful friend andfellow-student, F. J. CHILD. Cambridge, Mass., December i, iSSi. ADVERTISEMENT It was my wish not to begin to print The Eng- freely placed at my disposal, and Mr William Mac- lish and Scottish Popular Ballads until this unre- math, of Edinburgh, made during Mr Kinloch's life stricted title should be justified by my having at an exquisite copy of the larger part of them, en- command every valuable copy of every known bal- riched with notes from Mr Kinloch's papers, and lad. A continuous effort to accomplish this object sent it to me across the water. After Mr Kinloch's has been making for some nine or ten years, and death his collections were acquired by Harvard Col- many have joined in it. By correspondence, and lege Library, still through the agency of Mr Mac- by an extensive diffusion of printed circulars, I have math, who has from the beginning rendered a highly tried to stimulate collection from tradition in Scot- valued assistance, not less by his suggestions and land, Canada, and the United States, and no becom- communications than by his zealous mediation. ing means has been left unemployed to obtain pos- No Scottish ballads are superior in kind to those session of unsunned treasures locked up in writing. recited in the last century by Mrs Brown, of Falk- The gathering from tradition has been, as ought land. Of these there are, or were, three sets. One perhaps to have been foreseen at this late day, formerly owned by Robert Jamieson, the fullest meagre, and generally of indifferent quality. Ma- of the three, was lent me, to keep as long as I re- terials in the hands of former editors have, in some quired, by my honored friend the late Mr David cases, been lost beyond recovery, and very probably Laing, who also secured for me copies of several have lighted fires, like that large cantle of the Percy ballads of Mrs Brown which are found in an Ab- manuscript, mcad/me deflendiis ! Access to several botsford manuscript, and gave me a transcript of manuscript collections has not yet been secured. the Glenriddell manuscript. The two others were But what is still lacking is believed to bear no great written down for William Tytler and Alexander proportion to what is in hand, and may soon come Fraser Tytler respectively, the former of these con- in, besides : meanwhile, the uncertainties of the sisting of a portion of the Jamieson texts revised. world forbid a longer delay to publish so much as These having for some time been lost sight of, Miss has been got together. Mary Fraser Tytler, with a graciousness which I Of hitherto unused materials, much the most im- have reason to believe hereditary in the name, made portant is a large collection of ballads made by search for them, recovered the one which had been Motherwell. For leave to take a copy of this I am obtained by Lord Woodhouselee, and copied it for deeply indebted to the present possessor, Mr Mal- me with her own hand. The same lady furnished colm Colquhoun Thomson, of Glasgow, who even me with another collection which had been made allowed the manuscript to be sent to London, and by a member of the family. to be retained several months, for my accommoda- For later transcriptions from Scottish tradition I tion. Mr J. Wylie Guild, of Glasgow, also per- am indebted to Mr J. F. Campbell of Islay, whose mitted the use of a note-book of Motherwell's which edition and rendering of the racy West Highland supplements the great manuscript, and this my un- Tales is marked by the rarest appreciation of the friend, wearied Mr James Barclay Murdoch, to popular genius ; to Mrs A. F. Murison, formerly whose solicitation I owe both, himself transcribed of Old Deer, who undertook a quest for ballads in with the most scrupulous accuracy. No other good her native place on my behalf ; to Mr Alexander office, asked or unasked, has Mr. Murdoch spared. Laing, of Newburgh-upon-Tay ; to Mr James Gibb, Next in extent to the Motherwell collections of Joppa, who has given me a full score ; to Mr come those of the late Mr Kinloch. These he David Louden, of Morham, Haddington ; to the V| ADVERTISEMENT late Dr John Hill Burton and Miss Ella Burton ; sun, of Lerwick. Shetland; Mr J.