VOL. II.
55. The Carnal and the Crane.
P. 7, 509 b, III, 507 b. The Sower. Add: Legeay, Noëls Anciens, Première Série, 1875, ‘Saint Joseph avec Marie,’ No 34, p. 68; Daymard, Vieux Chants p. rec. en Quercy, ‘La Fuite en Egypte,’ p. 333; Soleville, Ch. p. du Bas-Quercy, ‘Lou Bouiaje,’ p. 126; La Tradition, IV, 139.
56. Dives and Lazarus.
P. 10, III, 507 b. ‘Le mauvais riche,’ Daymard, Vieux Chants p. rec. en Quercy, p. 282.
57. Brown Robyn’s Confession.
P. 13. Swedish. ‘Herr Päders Sjöresa,’ Lagus, Nyländska Folkvisor, I, 56, No 14, a, b.
Danish. ‘Jon Rimaardsens Sejlads,’ Kristensen, Jyske Folkeminder, X, 296, No 73, A-D.
13 ff., II, 510, also No 20, I, 244. While Prince Lundarasena is on a voyage, a great hurricane arises. An offering of jewels is made to the sea, but does not quiet it. Lundarasena says: “It is through my demerits in former births that this day of doom has suddenly come upon you.” He flings himself into the water; the wind falls immediately and the sea becomes calm. (He is not drowned.) Kathá Sarit Ságara, Tawney’s translation, II, 375.
A ship stopped. Cf. the story told by Henry of Huntingdon, viii, 22, of one Reiner, a follower of Geoffrey Mandeville (Gaufridus de Magna Villa).
“Princeps autem peditum suorum, Reinerus nomine, cujus officium fuerat ecclesias frangere vel incendere, dum mare cum uxore sua transiret, ut multi perhibuerunt, navis immobilis facta est. Quod monstrum nautis stupentibus, sorte data rei causam inquirentibus, sors cecidit super Reinerum. Quod cum ille nimirum totis contradiceret nisibus, secundo et tertio sors jacta in eum devenit. Positus igitur in scapha est, et uxor ejus, et pecunia scelestissime adquisita, et statim navis cursu velocissimo ut prius fecerat pelagus sulcat, scapha vero cum nequissimis subita voragine circumducta in æternum absorpta est.” This was in the year 1144. Henrici Archidiaconi Huntendunensis Historia Anglorum, ed. Arnold, Rolls Series, 1879, p. 278. (G. L. K.)
“Audivi a fratre Galtero de Leus quod, cum quedam mulier, mare transiens, pulcritudine sua omnes qui erant in navi ita attraxisset ut omnes qui erant ibi fere cum ea peccassent vel per actum aut consensum, et non evitaret patrem aut filium, sed indifferenter omnibus, licet occulte, se exponeret, facta in mari tempestate et navi periclitante, cepit clamare coram omnibus omnia peccata sua et confiteri ea, credens quod alii propter ea deberent periclitari. Tunc, aliis confitentibus, cessavit mare a furore suo. Facta tranquillitate, nullus potuit scire que esset illa mulier aut cognoscere eam.” Anecdotes historiques, Légendes et Apologues tirés du Recueil inédit d’Étienne de Bourbon, ed. Lecoy de la Marche, 1877, p. 160. (G. L. K.)
A merchant is making a voyage to Mount Athos with a cargo of wax and incense. St Nicolas freezes the ship in, and will not thaw it out until the master makes a vow to present the cargo to the monastery there. Bulgarian, Miladinof, p. 56, No 50. A ship in which Milica is captive is stopped by her tears and plaints until she and her brother are released. Servian, Karadžić, I, 556, No 729. (W. W.)
16. ‘Captain Glen.’ Christie’s Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 241, from recitation. As Christie remarks, some verses of the ballad are introduced into Scott’s Pirate, ch. 36.
59. Sir Aldingar.
P. 33 f. The child champion in A. (Compare also the notes to No 90, II, 513 b, III, 515 b.) Children who distinguish themselves by valorous exploits, and even get the better of heroes, are especially common in Bulgarian epos. A child of three days kills a monster that stops the way of a marriage-train, and then requires the guests to come to its baptism: Miladinof, p. 79, No 59. Marko Kraljević is vanquished by one of these, seven years old: Miladinof, p. 173, No 121; Kačanofskij, pp. 341–55, Nos 151–55. In Kačanofskij, p. 355, No 156, the child is but seven months old. More of this extravagance in Miladinof, p. 266, No 173; Sbornik of the Ministry of Instruction, I, 59, No 4. (W. W.)
35, note. In The Order of Combats for Life in Scotland, Spalding Club Misc., II, 387 (of uncertain date), the second oath to be proposed to the parties is, that they have not brought into the lists other armor or weapons than was allowed, neither any engine, charm, herb, or enchantment, etc.
60. King Estmere.
P. 50 b, the last paragraph. It might have been remarked that ‘King Estmere’ resembles in a general way a series of German poems of adventure, in which a young king (or his guardians) is nice about a wife, and the princess proposed to him is won only with great difficulty: König Rother (ed. Rückert, v. 13 ff.); Ortnit (Ortnit und die Wolfdietriche, ed. Amelung und Jänicke, I, 4, st. 8 ff.); Hugdietrich (the same, p. 168, st. 9 ff.); Oswald (Sant Oswaldes Leben, ed. Ettmüller, p. 6, v. 140 ff); Orendel (ed. Berger, p. 8, v. 192 ff.); Dietwart (Dietrichs Flucht, ed. Martin, Heldenbuch, IIr Teil, p. 68, v. 785 ff.). To which may be added Fore, in Salman und Marolf (ed. Vogt, p. 5, str. 24 ff.), and Tsar Vasily, in Russian byliny (see Vogt, p. XLII).
61. Sir Cawline.
P. 60, III, 508 b. Cucúlin pulls liver and lights out of the throats of two lions: Curtin, Myths and Folk-Lore of Ireland, p. 317.
62. Fair Annie.
P. 65 a. Swedish. ‘Skön Anna,’ ‘Skön Anna och Herr Peder,’ Lagus, Nyländska Folkvisor, I, 13, No 4, a, b. The bride throws down one half of a gold ring, Fair Annie the other; the parts run together: a 23, b 16.
67. The romance of Galerent follows the story of Marie’s lai, and is thought to be founded on it: Le Roman de Galerent, Comte de Bretagne, par le trouvère Renaut, A. Boucherie, 1888. (G. L. K.)
68, note. The story is in Coryat’s Crudities, 1611, p. 646 f.; III, 81 f., of the ed. of 1776. (G. L. K.)
63. Child Waters.
P. 84 b, III, 508 b. Add: Skattegraveren, 1888, II, 135, Nos 408–11.
64. Fair Janet.
P. 101 b. Danish. ‘Kong Valdemar og hans Søster,’ Kristensen, Jyske Folkeminder, X, 75, 378, No 23.
102 b. Breton ballad. After Luzel, II, 6–15, add 558, the page of the third ballad.
Quellien, Chansons et Danses des Bretons, p. 73, is a fourth version. This ballad, says Quellien, is widely spread, and has various titles, one of which is ‘Le Comte de Poitou.’
103 ff. “Scotch Ballads, Materials for Border Minstrelsy,” Abbotsford, No 25. In the handwriting of William Laidlaw; “from Jean Scott.”
1
Young Janet sits in her garden,
Makin a heavie maen,
Whan by cam her father dear,
Walkin himself alane.
2
‘It’s telld me in my bower, Janet,
It’s telld me in my bed,
That ye’re in love wi Sweet Willie;
But a French lord ye maun wed.’
3
‘In it be telld ye in yer bower, father,
In it be telld ye in your bed,
That me an Willie bears a love,
Yet a French lord I maun wed,
But here I mak a leel, leel vow
He’s neer come in my bed.
4
‘An for to please my father dear
A French lord I will wed;
But I hae sworn a solemn oth
He’s neer come in my bed.’
5
Young Janet’s away to her bower-door,
As fast as she can hie,
An Willie he has followd her,
He’s followd speedilie.
6
An whan he cam to her bowr-door
He tirlt at the pin:
‘O open, open, Janet love,
Open an let me in.’
7
‘It was never my mother’s custm, Willie,
It never sal be mine,
For a man to come the bower within
When a woman’s travelin.
8
‘Gae yer ways to my sisters’ bower,
Crie, Meg, Marion an Jean,
Ye maun come to yer sister Janet,
For fear that she be gane.’
9
Sae he gaed to her sisters’ bower,
Cry’d, Meg, Marion an Jean,
Ye maun come to yer sister Janet,
For fear that she be gane.
10
Some drew to their silk stokins,
An some drew to their shoon,
An some drew to their silk cleadin,
For fear she had been gane.
11
When they cam to her bower-door
They tirlt at the pin;
For as sick a woman as she was,
She raise an loot them in.
12
They had na the babie weel buskit,
Nor her laid in her bed,
Untill her cruel father cam,
Cried, Fye, gar busk the bride!
13
‘There a sair pain in my back, father,
There a sair pain in my head,
An sair, sair is my sidies to;
This day I downa ride.’
14
‘But I hae sorn a solemn oath,
Afore a companie,
That ye sal ride this day, Janet,
This day an ye soud die.
15
‘Whae’ll horse ye to the kirk, Janet?
An whae will horse ye best?’
‘Whae but Willie, my true-love?
He kens my mister best.’
16
‘Whae’ll horse ye to the kirk, Janet?
An whae will horse ye there?’
‘Whae but Willie, my true-love?
He neer will doo ‘d nae maer.
17
‘Ye may saddle a steed, Willie,
An see that ye saddle ‘t soft;
Ye may saddle a steed, Willie,
For ye winna saddle ‘t oft.
18
‘Ye may saddle a steed, Willie,
An see that ye saddle ‘t side;
Ye may saddle a steed, Willie;
But I thought to have been yer bride.’
19
When they war a’ on horse-back set,
On horse-back set sae hie,
Then up spak the bold bridegroom,
An he spak boustresslie.
20
Up then spak the bold bridegroom,
An he spak loud an thrawn;
‘I think the bride she be wi bairn,
She looks sae pale an wan.’
21
Then she took out her bible-book,
Swoor by her fingers five
That she was neither wi lad nor lass
To no man was alive.
22
Then she took out her bible-book,
Swoor by her fingers ten
An ever she had born a bairn in her days
She had born ‘d sin yestreen:
Then a’ the ladies round about
Said, That’s a loud leesin.
23
Atween the kitchin an the kirk
It was a weel-met mile;
It was a stra’d i the red roses,
But than the camomile.
24
When the war a’ at dener set,
Drinkin at the wine,
Janet could neither eat nor drink
But the water that ran so fine.
25
Up spak the bride’s father,
Said, Bride, will ye dance wi me?
‘Away, away, my cruel father!
There nae dancin wi me.’
26
Up then spak the bride’s mother,
Said, Bride, will ye dance wi me?
‘Away, away, my mother dear!
There nae dancin wi me.’
27
Up then spak the bride’s sisters, etc.
28
Up then spak the bride’s brother, etc.
29
Then up spak the bold bridegroom, [etc.]
30
Up then spak the Sweet Willie,
An he spak wi a vance;
‘An ye’ll draw of my boots, Janet,
I’ll gie a’ yer lassies a dance.’
31
‘I seen ‘t other ways, Willie,
An sae has mae than me,
When ye wad hae danced wi my fair body,
An leten a’ my maidens be.’
32
He took her by the milk-white hand,
An led her wi mickle care,
But she drapit down just at his feet,
And word spak little mair.
33
‘Ye may gae hire a nurse, Willie,
An take yer young son hame;
Ye may gae hire a nurse, Willie,
For bairn’s nurse I’ll be nane.’
34
She’s pu’d out the keys o her coffer,
Hung leugh down by her gair;
She said, Gie thae to my young son,
Thrae me he’ll neer get mair.’
35
Up then spak the bold bridegroom,
An he spak bousterouslie;
‘I’ve gien you the skaeth, Willie,
But ye’ve gien me the scorn;
Sae there’s no a bell i St Mary’s kirk
Sall ring for her the morn.’
36
‘Ye’ve gien me the skaeth, bridegroom,
But I’ll gee you the scorn;
For there’s no a bell i St Marie’s kirk
But sal ring for her the morn.
37
‘Gar deal, gar deal at my love’s burial
The wheat-bread an the wine,
For or the morn at ten o clock
Ye’ll deal ‘d as fast at mine.’
38
Then he’s drawn out a nut-brown sword,
Hang leugh down by his gair,
He’s thrust it in just at his heart,
An word spak never mair.
39
The taen was buried i St Mary’s kirk,
The tother i St Mary’s queer,
An throw the taen there sprang a birk,
Throw the tother a bonnie brier.
40
Thae twae met, an thae twae plaet,
An ay they knitit near,
An ilka ane that cam thereby
Said, There lies twa lovers dear.
41
Till by there came an ill French lord,
An ill death may he die!
For he pu’d up the bonnie brier,
. . . . . . . .
51. Away struck out, and on written over.
91. An at the beginning struck out.
101,2,3. drew to them their? Cf. A 10.
114. The fourth verse is written as the second (it for in), but struck out.
121. bukit.
133. Changed, by striking out, to An sair, sair my side. An sair, sair is my side should probably be the second line.
Cf. A 17, C 12.
152. An whae I will.
164. He’ll neer will.
184. But struck out.
234. But an?
301. he Sweet Willie?
342. Hang? Cf. 382.
392. MS. queer Choir.
404. twa struck out.
65. Lady Maisry.
P. 112 b. I. “Mrs Baird says that this ballad was printed in the Saltmarket [Glasgow] by the Robertsons about seventy years ago.” Note by Motherwell in a copy of his Minstrelsy.
113, note §. ‘Galancina’ also in Munthe, Folkpoesi från Asturien, No 3, Upsala Universitets Årsskrift, 1887.