Part 8
[Annotations: 2.1,2: ‘White’: so in the MS.; perhaps should be ‘while’ in each case. ‘washed’ is _washee_ in the MS. 9.1: ‘Three,’ Percy’s emendation of _They_ in the MS. 9.2: ‘leade,’ vat. 10.1: ‘yon’: MS. _won_. 10.2: ‘&’ for _and_=]
LADY ISABEL AND THE ELF-KNIGHT
+The Text+ is taken from Buchan’s _Ballads of the North of Scotland_, where it is entitled _The Gowans sae gay_. This ballad is much better known in another form, _May Colvin_ (_Collin_, _Collean_).
+The Story.+--Professor Child says, ‘Of all ballads this has perhaps obtained the widest circulation,’ and devotes thirty-two pages to its introduction. Known in the south as well as in the north of Europe, the Germans and Scandinavians preserve it in fuller and more ancient forms than the Latin nations.
In the still popular Dutch ballad _Halewijn_, Heer Halewijn sings so sweetly that the king’s daughter asks leave to go to him. Her father, mother, and sister remind her that those who have gone to him have never returned; her brother says he does not care where she goes, if she retains her honour. She makes an elaborate toilet, takes the best horse in the king’s stables, and joins Halewijn in the wood. They ride till they come to a gallows with many women hanged upon it. Halewijn offers her the choice of the means of her death, because she is fairest of all. She says she will choose the sword, but that Halewijn had better take off his coat, as it would be a pity to splash it with her blood. As he takes it off, she cuts off his head, which, however, continues to talk, suggesting she should blow his horn to warn his friends. She does not fall into this rather obvious trap, nor will she agree to his suggestion that she should rub his neck with a certain ointment. As she rides home, she meets Halewijn’s mother, and tells her he is dead. She is received back with great honour and affection in her father’s castle.
This is the best form of the story, but many others only a little less full are found in Flanders, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Germany (nearly thirty variants which fall into three main divisions found respectively in North-West, South, and North-East Germany), Poland (where it is extraordinarily common), Bohemia, Servia, France, North Italy, Spain, and Portugal; and a Magyar ballad bears a certain resemblance. On the whole, the English ballad here printed (but not _May Colvin_) and the Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian ballads, would seem to be the best preserved, on account of their retention of the primary notion, that the maid first charms the knight to sleep and then binds him. In _May Colvin_ and many of the other European versions, the knight bids her strip off her gown; she asks him to turn away his face as she does so, and when he is not looking, she pushes him into the river or sea.
The remarkable likeness existing between the names of the knight in the many languages, _e.g._ Halewijn (_Dutch_), Ulver, Olmar, Hollemen (_Danish_), Olbert (_German_), and Elf-knight in English, has caused some speculation as to a common origin. Professor Bugge has gone so far as to conjecture that the whole story is an offshoot of the tale of Judith and Holofernes, the latter name being the originals of the variants given above. While this hypothesis is perhaps too startling to be accepted without further evidence, it must be allowed that there are resemblances in the two stories; and as for the metamorphosis of Holofernes into Halewijn or Olbert, it is at once apparent that such changes are quite within the possibilities of phonetic tradition; and any one who is unwilling to credit this should recollect the Scottish ‘keepach’ and ‘dreeach’ (used together or separately), which are derived, almost beyond belief, from ‘hypochondriac.’
_May Colvin_ is one of the few ancient ballads still kept in print in broadside form.
LADY ISABEL AND THE ELF-KNIGHT
1. Fair lady Isabel sits in her bower sewing, _Aye as the gowans grow gay_ There she heard an elf-knight blawing his horn. _The first morning in May_
2. ‘If I had yon horn that I hear blawing, And yon elf-knight to sleep in my bosom.’
3. This maiden had scarcely these words spoken, Till in at her window the elf-knight has luppen.
4. ‘It’s a very strange matter, fair maiden,’ said he, ‘I canna blaw my horn but ye call on me.
5. ‘But will ye go to yon greenwood side? If ye canna gang, I will cause you to ride.’
6. He leapt on a horse, and she on another, And they rode on to the greenwood together.
7. ‘Light down, light down, Lady Isabel,’ said he, ‘We are come to the place where you are to die.’
8. ‘Hae mercy, hae mercy, kind sir, on me, Till ance my dear father and mother I see.’
9. ‘Seven king’s-daughters here hae I slain, And ye shall be the eight o’ them.’
10. ‘O sit down a while, lay your head on my knee, That we may hae some rest before that I die.’
11. She stroak’d him sae fast, the nearer he did creep, Wi’ a sma’ charm she lull’d him fast asleep.
12. Wi’ his ain sword-belt sae fast as she ban him, Wi’ his ain dag-durk sae sair as she dang him.
13. ‘If seven king’s-daughters here ye hae slain, Lye ye here, a husband to them a’.’
[Annotations: 10.1: ‘yon’: MS. _won_. 10.2: ‘&’ for _and_ = 12.1: ‘ban,’ bound. 12.2: ‘dag-durk,’ dagger.]
A NOBLE RIDDLE WISELY EXPOUNDED
+The Text+ is from a broadside of the seventeenth century from the press of Coles, Vere, Wright, and Clarke, now preserved in the Rawlinson collection in the Bodleian Library.
+The Story+ of this ballad is one of the common class of riddle-ballads. Some of these riddles are found also in _Captain Wedderburn_.
It is not clear why in 18.1 ‘poyson is greener than the grass.’ In _Captain Wedderburn_ (17.1) it is ‘death’ that is greener than the grass, which is equally inexplicable. A variant of the latter gives ‘virgus’ [= verjuice], a kind of vinegar, which obviously means ‘green juice.’ It is possible that this might come to be regarded as a synonym for ‘poyson’; and the next step is to substitute ‘death’ for ‘poyson.’
A NOBLE RIDDLE WISELY EXPOUNDED
1. There was a lady of the North Country, _Lay the bent to the bonny broom_ And she had lovely daughters three. _Fa la la la, fa la la la ra re_
2. There was a knight of noble worth Which also lived in the North.
3. The knight, of courage stout and brave, A wife he did desire to have.
4. He knocked at the ladie’s gate One evening when it was late.
5. The eldest sister let him in, And pin’d the door with a silver pin.
6. The second sister she made his bed, And laid soft pillows under his head.
7. The youngest daughter that same night, She went to bed with this young knight.
8. And in the morning, when it was day, These words unto him she did say:
9. ‘Now you have had your will,’ quoth she, ‘I pray, sir knight, will you marry me?’
10. The young brave knight to her replyed, ‘Thy suit, fair maid, shall not be deny’d:
11. ‘If thou canst answer me questions three, This very day will I marry thee.’
12. ‘Kind sir, in love, O then,’ quoth she, ‘Tell me what your three questions be.’
13. ‘O what is longer than the way, Or what is deeper than the sea?
14. ‘Or what is louder than the horn, Or what is sharper than a thorn?
15. ‘Or what is greener than the grass, Or what is worse than a woman was?’
16. ‘O love is longer than the way, And hell is deeper than the sea.
17. ‘And thunder is louder than the horn, And hunger is sharper than a thorn.
18. ‘And poyson is greener than the grass, And the Devil is worse than woman was.’
19. When she these questions answered had, The knight became exceeding glad.
20. And having truly try’d her wit, He much commended her for it.
21. And after, as it is verifi’d, He made of her his lovely bride.
22. So now, fair maidens all, adieu, This song I dedicate to you.
23. I wish that you may constant prove Vnto the man that you do love.
[Annotation: 5.1: The broadsides all give ‘youngest’ for ‘eldest.’]
CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN
+The Text+ is from Kinloch’s MSS., where it was written down from the recitation of Mary Barr: it is entitled ‘The Earl of Rosslyn’s Daughter.’
+The Story+ is the converse of _A Noble Riddle Wisely Expounded_, in which the maid wins a husband by riddles; in the present one the captain out-riddles the maid. Similar tales are very popular in many lands, being found in Persia, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Turkey, Lithuania, East Siberia, etc.
Most of the lady’s riddles are found in an old English song, and its traditional derivatives. The song, which is given below, is found in Sloane MS. 2593, which contains other carols and ballads (see pp. 123-8)[A]. From this is derived the nursery song beginning--
‘I had four brothers over the sea’
(with many variations:-- ‘four sisters,’ ‘six lovers,’ ‘a true lover’), and with a curious half-Latin refrain which varies between
_Para-mara, dictum, domine,_
and
_Peri-meri, dixi, domine._
The following is the song referred to above. It was twice printed by T. Wright from the fifteenth-century MS.
[[A] Transcriber’s Note: Pp. 123-128: “Adam” (123) and “Saint Stephen and King Herod” (125).]
1. I have a yong suster fer beyondyn the se; Many be the drowryis that che sente me.
2. Che sente me the cherye, withoutyn ony ston, And so che dede [the] dowe, withoutyn ony bon.
3. Sche sente me the brere, withoutyn ony rynde, Sche bad me love my lemman withoute longgyng.
4. How xuld ony cherye be withoute ston? And how xuld ony dowe ben withoute bon?
5. How xuld any brere ben withoute rynde? How xuld I love my lemman without longyng?
6. Quan the cherye was a flour, than hadde it non ston; Quan the dowe was an ey, than hadde it non bon.
7. Quan the brere was onbred, than hadde it non rynd; Quan the mayden hayt that che lovit, che is without longing.
[Annotations: 1.3: ‘drowryis’ = druries, keepsakes. 2.3: ‘dowe,’ dove. 3.1: ‘brere,’ brier: here perhaps the ‘hip’ of the dog-rose (see 7.1). 3.3: ‘lemman,’ sweetheart. 4.1: etc. ‘xuld’ = should. 6.3: ‘ey,’ egg. 7.3: ‘hayt that che lovit,’ has what she loves.]
CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN
1. The Lord of Rosslyn’s daughter gaed through the wud her lane, And there she met Captain Wedderburn, a servant to the king. He said unto his livery man, ‘Were ’t na agen the law, I wad tak her to my ain bed, and lay her at the wa’.’
2. ‘I’m walking here my lane,’ she says, ‘amang my father’s trees; And ye may lat me walk my lane, kind sir, now gin ye please. The supper-bell it will be rung, and I’ll be miss’d awa’; Sae I’ll na lie in your bed, at neither stock nor wa’.’
3. He said, ‘My pretty lady, I pray lend me your hand, And ye’ll hae drums and trumpets always at your command; And fifty men to guard ye wi’, that weel their swords can draw; Sae we’ll baith lie in ae bed, and ye’ll lie at the wa’.’
4. ‘Haud awa’ frae me, kind sir, I pray lat go my hand; The supper-bell it will be rung, nae langer maun I stand. My father he’ll na supper tak, gif I be miss’d awa’; Sae I’ll na lie in your bed, at neither stock nor wa’.’
5. ‘O my name is Captain Wedderburn, my name I’ll ne’er deny, And I command ten thousand men, upo’ yon mountains high. Tho’ your father and his men were here, of them I’d stand na awe, But should tak ye to my ain bed, and lay ye neist the wa’.’
6. Then he lap aff his milk-white steed, and set the lady on, And a’ the way he walk’d on foot, he held her by the hand; He held her by the middle jimp, for fear that she should fa’; Saying, ‘I’ll tak ye to my ain bed, and lay thee at the wa’.’
7. He took her to his quartering-house, his landlady looked ben, Saying, ‘Monie a pretty ladie in Edinbruch I’ve seen; But sic ’na pretty ladie is not into it a’: Gae, mak for her a fine down-bed, and lay her at the wa’.’
8. ‘O haud awa’ frae me, kind sir, I pray ye lat me be, For I’ll na lie in your bed till I get dishes three; Dishes three maun be dress’d for me, gif I should eat them a’, Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa’.
9. ‘Tis I maun hae to my supper a chicken without a bane; And I maun hae to my supper a cherry without a stane; And I maun hae to my supper a bird without a gaw, Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa’.’
10. ‘Whan the chicken’s in the shell, I’m sure it has na bane; And whan the cherry’s in the bloom, I wat it has na stane; The dove she is a genty bird, she flees without a gaw; Sae we’ll baith lie in ae bed, and ye’ll be at the wa’.’
11. ‘O haud awa’ frae me, kind sir, I pray ye give me owre, For I’ll na lie in your bed, till I get presents four; Presents four ye maun gie me, and that is twa and twa, Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa’.
12. ‘Tis I maun hae some winter fruit that in December grew, And I maun hae a silk mantil that waft gaed never through; A sparrow’s horn, a priest unborn, this nicht to join us twa, Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa’.’
13. ‘My father has some winter fruit that in December grew; My mither has a silk mantil the waft gaed never through; A sparrow’s horn ye soon may find, there’s ane on ev’ry claw, And twa upo’ the gab o’ it, and ye shall get them a’.
14. ‘The priest he stands without the yett, just ready to come in; Nae man can say he e’er was born, nae man without he sin; He was haill cut frae his mither’s side, and frae the same let fa’: Sae we’ll baith lie in ae bed, and ye’se lie at the wa’.’
15. ‘O haud awa’ frae me, kind sir, I pray don’t me perplex, For I’ll na lie in your bed till ye answer questions six: Questions six ye maun answer me, and that is four and twa, Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa’.
16. ‘O what is greener than the gress, what’s higher than thae trees? O what is worse than women’s wish, what’s deeper than the seas? What bird craws first, what tree buds first, what first does on them fa’? Before I lie in your bed, at either stock or wa’.’
17. ‘Death is greener than the gress, heaven higher than thae trees; The devil’s waur than women’s wish, hell’s deeper than the seas; The cock craws first, the cedar buds first, dew first on them does fa’; Sae we’ll baith lie in ae bed, and ye’se lie at the wa’,’
18. Little did this lady think, that morning whan she raise, That this was for to be the last o’ a’ her maiden days. But there’s na into the king’s realm to be found a blither twa, And now she’s Mrs. Wedderburn, and she lies at the wa’.
[Annotations: 2.4: The ‘stock’ of a bed is the outer side, and the ‘wa’’ (= wall) the inner. Ancient beds were made like boxes with the outer side cut away. 7.1: ‘quartering-house,’ lodging-house. 9.3: ‘gaw,’ gall. It is an ancient superstition that the dove or pigeon has no gall, the fact being that the gall-bladder is absent. See Sir Thomas Browne’s _Pseudodoxia Epidemica_, iii. 3. 10.3: ‘genty,’ neat, limber. --Jamieson. 14.1: ‘yett,’ gate.]
THE ELPHIN KNIGHT
+The Text+ is from a broadside in black letter in the Pepysian Library at Cambridge; bound up at the end of a book published in 1673.
+The Story+ of this ballad but poorly represents the complete form of the story as exhibited in many German and other ballads, where alternate bargaining and riddling ensues between a man and a maid. This long series of ballads is akin to the still longer series in which the person upon whom an impossible task is imposed is considered to have got the mastery by retaliating with another impossible task.
The opening stanzas of this ballad correspond closely with those of _Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight_.
THE ELPHIN KNIGHT
_My plaid awa, my plaid awa,_ _And ore the hill and far awa,_ _And far awa to Norrowa,_ _My plaid shall not be blown awa._
1. The elphin knight sits on yon hill, _Ba, ba, ba, lilli-ba_ He blaws his horn both lowd and shril. _The wind hath blown my plaid awa_
2. He blowes it east, he blowes it west, He blowes it where he lyketh best.
3. ‘I wish that horn were in my kist, Yea, and the knight in my armes two.’
4. She had no sooner these words said, When that the knight came to her bed.
5. ‘Thou art over young a maid,’ quoth he, ‘Married with me thou il wouldst be.’
6. ‘I have a sister younger than I, And she was married yesterday.’
7. ‘Married with me if thou wouldst be, A courtesie thou must do to me.
8. ‘For thou must shape a sark to me, Without any cut or heme,’ quoth he.
9. ‘Thou must shape it knife-and-sheerlesse, And also sue it needle-threedlesse.’
10. ‘If that piece of courtesie I do to thee, Another thou must do to me.
11. ‘I have an aiker of good ley-land, Which lyeth low by yon sea-strand.
12. ‘For thou must eare it with thy horn, So thou must sow it with thy corn.
13. ‘And bigg a cart of stone and lyme, Robin Redbreast he must trail it hame.
14. ‘Thou must barn it in a mouse-holl, And thrash it into thy shoe’s soll.
15. ‘And thou must winnow it in thy looff, And also seek it in thy glove.
16. ‘For thou must bring it over the sea, And thou must bring it dry home to me.
17. ‘When thou hast gotten thy turns well done, Then come to me and get thy sark then.’
18. ‘I’ll not quite my plaid for my life; It haps my seven bairns and my wife.’ _The wind shall not blow my plaid awa_
19. ‘My maidenhead I’l then keep still, Let the elphin knight do what he will.’ _The wind’s not blown my plaid awa_
[Annotations: 3.1: ‘kist,’ chest. 8.1: ‘sark,’ shirt. 12.1: ‘eare,’ plough. 13.1: ‘bigg,’ build. 15.1: ‘looff,’ palm. 15.2: ‘seek,’ sack.]
KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT
+The Text+ here printed is taken from Percy’s _Reliques_ (1765), vol. ii. p. 302, etc. He compiled his ballad from a broadside and another copy, _Kinge John and Bishoppe_, that he found in his Folio MS.; and since he made it a much more readable ballad than either of his originals, it is reproduced here.
+The Story.+--Riddles asked by a monarch of one of his dependants, and answered by a third person assuming the guise of the person questioned, form the subject of many ancient tales. In Sacchetti’s _Novelle_ we find both the abbot and his representative, a miller, who answers Bernabò Visconti the four questions, How far is it to heaven? How much water is there in the sea? What is going on in hell? What is the value of my person? The answers to the first two of these are given simply in large numbers and Bernabò told to measure for himself if he does not believe them. The value of Bernabò’s person is estimated, as in our ballad, at one piece less than our Lord.
Another favourite question in these ballads is, Where is the centre of the earth? The answer is given by the man planting his staff and saying, ‘Here: prove it wrong if you can.’
In the Percy Folio version, the shepherd is the half-brother of the abbot.
KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT OF CANTERBURY
1. An ancient story Ile tell you anon Of a notable prince, that was called King John; And he ruled England with maine and with might, For he did great wrong, and maintein’d little right.
2. And Ile tell you a story, a story so merrye, Concerning the Abbot of Canterbùrye; How for his house-keeping, and high renowne, They rode post for him to London towne.
3. An hundred men, the king did heare say, The abbot kept in his house every day; And fifty golde chaynes, without any doubt, In velvet coates waited the abbot about.
4. ‘How now, father abbot, I heare it of thee, Thou keepest a far better house than mee, And for thy house-keeping and high renowne, I feare thou work’st treason against my crown.’
5. ‘My liege,’ quo’ the abbot, ‘I would it were knowne, I never spend nothing but what is my owne; And I trust, your grace will do me no deere, For spending of my owne true-gotten geere.’
6. ‘Yes, yes, father abbot, thy fault it is highe, And now for the same thou needest must dye; For except thou canst answer me questions three, Thy head shall be smitten from thy bodìe.
7. ‘And first,’ quo’ the king, ‘when I’m in this stead, With my crowne of golde so faire on my head, Among all my liege-men so noble of birthe Thou must tell me to one penny what I am worthe.
8. ‘Secondlye, tell me, without any doubt, How soone I may ride the whole world about; And at the third question thou must not shrink, But tell me here truly what I do think.’
9. ‘O, these are hard questions for my shallow witt, Nor I cannot answer your grace as yet; But if you will give me but three weekes space, Ile do my endeavour to answer your grace.’
10. ‘Now three weeks space to thee will I give. And that is the longest time thou hast to live; For if thou dost not answer my questions three, Thy lands and thy livings are forfeit to mee.’
11. Away rode the abbot all sad at that word, And he rode to Cambridge, and Oxenford; But never a doctor there was so wise, That could with his learning an answer devise.
12. Then home rode the abbot of comfort so cold, And he mett his shepheard a going to fold: ‘How now, my lord abbot, you are welcome home; What newes do you bring us from good king John?’
13. ‘Sad newes, sad newes, shepheard, I must give; That I have but three days more to live: For if I do not answer him questions three, My head will be smitten from my bodìe.
14. ‘The first is to tell him there in that stead, With his crowne of golde so fair on his head, Among all his liege men so noble of birth, To within one penny of what he is worth.
15. ‘The seconde, to tell him, without any doubt, How soone he may ride this whole world about: And at the third question I must not shrinke, But tell him there truly what he does thinke.’
16. ‘Now cheare up, sire abbot, did you never hear yet, That a fool he may learn a wise man witt? Lend me horse, and serving-men, and your apparel. And I’ll ride to London to answere your quarrel.
17. ‘Nay frowne not, if it hath been told unto mee, I am like your lordship as ever may bee: And if you will but lend me your gowne, There is none shall knowe us at fair London towne.’
18. ‘Now horses, and serving-men thou shalt have, With sumptuous array most gallant and brave; With crozier, and miter, and rochet, and cope, Fit to appeare ’fore our fader the pope.’
19. ‘Now welcome, sire abbot,’ the king he did say, ‘’Tis well thou’rt come back to keepe thy day; For an if thou canst answer my questions three, Thy life and thy living both saved shall be.
20. ‘And first, when thou seest me here in this stead, With my crown of golde so fair on my head, Among all my liege-men so noble of birthe, Tell me to one penny what I am worth.’
21. ‘For thirty pence our Saviour was sold Amonge the false Jewes, as I have bin told; And twenty nine is the worth of thee, For I thinke, thou art one penny worser than he.’
22. The king he laughed, and swore by St. Bittel, ‘I did not think I had been worth so littel! --Now secondly tell me, without any doubt, How soone I may ride this whole world about.’
23. ‘You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same, Until the next morning he riseth againe; And then your grace need not make any doubt, But in twenty-four hours you’ll ride it about.’
24. The king he laughed, and swore by St. Jone, ‘I did not think it could be gone so soone! --Now from the third question thou must not shrinke, But tell me here truly what I do thinke.’