Transcribed from the 1910 Chapman and Hall editionby David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

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A COLLECTION OF
BALLADS

EDITED, WITH INTRODUCTION
AND NOTES
BY
ANDREW LANG

LONDON
CHAPMAN AND HALL, LIMITED

First Published in 1897
Reprinted 1910

CONTENTS

PAGE
Introduction [ix]
Sir Patrick Spens [1]
Battle of Otterbourne [5]
Tam Lin [10]
Thomas the Rhymer [16]
“Sir Hugh; or the Jew’s Daughter” [19]
Son Davie! Son Davie! [22]
The Wife of Usher’s Well [24]
The Twa Corbies [26]
The Bonnie Earl Moray [27]
Clerk Saunders [30]
Waly, Waly [35]
Love Gregor; or, the Lass of Lochroyan [37]
The Queen’s Marie [41]
Kinmont Willie [45]
Jamie Telfer [52]
The Douglas Tragedy [59]
The Bonny Hind [62]
Young Bicham [65]
The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman [69]
The Bonnie House o’ Airly [73]
Rob Roy [75]
The Battle of Killie-Crankie [77]
Annan Water [79]
The Elphin Nourrice [81]
Cospatrick [82]
Johnnie Armstrang [87]
Edom o’ Gordon [92]
Lady Anne Bothwell’s Lament [98]
Jock o the Side [101]
Lord Thomas and Fair Annet [107]
Fair Annie [111]
The Dowie Dens of Yarrow [116]
Sir Roland [119]
Rose the Red and White Lily [123]
The Battle of Harlaw—Evergreen Version [131]
Traditionary Version [138]
Dickie Macphalion [142]
A Lyke-Wake Dirge [143]
The Laird of Waristoun [145]
May Colven [147]
Johnie Faa [150]
Hobbie Noble [152]
The Twa Sisters [157]
Mary Ambree [160]
Alison Gross [165]
The Heir of Lynne [167]
Gordon of Brackley [172]
Edward, Edward [175]
Young Benjie [177]
Auld Maitland [180]
The Broomfield Hill [189]
Willie’s Ladye [193]
Robin Hood and the Monk [196]
Robin Hood and the Potter [209]
Robin Hood and the Butcher [221]
Notes [227]

INTRODUCTION

When the learned first gave serious attention to popular ballads, from the time of Percy to that of Scott, they laboured under certain disabilities. The Comparative Method was scarcely understood, and was little practised. Editors were content to study the ballads of their own countryside, or, at most, of Great Britain. Teutonic and Northern parallels to our ballads were then adduced, as by Scott and Jamieson. It was later that the ballads of Europe, from the Faroes to Modern Greece, were compared with our own, with European Märchen, or children’s tales, and with the popular songs, dances, and traditions of classical and savage peoples. The results of this more recent comparison may be briefly stated. Poetry begins, as Aristotle says, in improvisation. Every man is his own poet, and, in moments of stronge motion, expresses himself in song. A typical example is the Song of Lamech in Genesis—