Chapter 12

17. 'O still my bairn, nourice, O still him wi' the bell!' 'He winna still, lady, Till ye come down yoursel'.'

18. O the firsten step she steppit, She steppit on a stane; But the neisten step she steppit, She met him Lamkin.

19. 'O mercy, mercy, Lamkin, Hae mercy upon me! Though you've ta'en my young son's life, Ye may let mysel' be.'

20. 'O sall I kill her, nourice, Or sall I lat her be?' 'O kill her, kill her, Lamkin, For she ne'er was good to me.'

21. 'O scour the bason, nourice, And mak' it fair and clean, For to keep this lady's heart's blood, For she's come o' noble kin.'

22. 'There need nae bason, Lamkin, Lat it run through the floor; What better is the heart's blood O' the rich than o' the poor?'

23. But ere three months were at an end, Lord Wearie came again; But dowie, dowie was his heart When first he came hame.

24. 'O wha's blood is this,' he says, 'That lies in the chamer?' 'It is your lady's heart's blood; 'T is as clear as the lamer.'

25. 'And wha's blood is this,' he says, 'That lies in my ha'?' 'It is your young son's heart's blood; 'Tis the clearest ava.'

26. O sweetly sang the black-bird That sat upon the tree; But sairer grat Lamkin, When he was condemn'd to die.

27. And bonny sang the mavis Out o' the thorny brake; But sairer grat the nourice, When she was tied to the stake.

[Annotations: 6.1: 'limmer,' wretch, rascal. 7.3: 'shot-window': see special section of the Introduction. 12.2: 'gaire'; _i.e._ by his knee: see special section of the Introduction. 13.3: 'bore,' hole, crevice. 14.4: 'greeting,' crying. 23.3: 'dowie,' sad. 24.2: 'chamer,' chamber. 24.4: 'lamer,' amber. 25.4: 'ava,' at all. 26.3: 'grat,' greeted, wept.]

FAIR MARY OF WALLINGTON

+The Text+ is from _Lovely Jenny's Garland_, as given with emendations by Professor Child. There is also a curiously perverted version in Herd's manuscript, in which the verses require rearrangement before becoming intelligible.

+The Story+ can be gathered from the version here given without much difficulty. It turns on the marriage of Fair Mary, who is one of seven sisters fated to die of their first child. Fair Mary seems to be a fatalist, and, after vowing never to marry, accepts as her destiny the hand of Sir William Fenwick of Wallington. Three-quarters of a year later she sends to fair Pudlington for her mother. Her mother is much affected at the news (st. 22), and goes to Wallington. Her daughter, in travail, lays the blame on her, cuts open her side to give birth to an heir, and dies.

In a Breton ballad Pontplancoat thrice marries a Marguerite, and each of his three sons costs his mother her life.

In the Scottish ballad, a 'scope' is put in Mary's mouth when the operation takes place. In the Breton ballad it is a silver spoon or a silver ball. 'Scope,' or 'scobs' as it appears in Herd, means a gag, and was apparently used to prevent her from crying out. But the silver spoon and ball in the Breton ballad would appear to have been used for Marguerite to bite on in her anguish, just as sailors chewed bullets while being flogged.

FAIR MARY OF WALLINGTON

1. When we were silly sisters seven, Sisters were so fair, Five of us were brave knights' wives, And died in childbed lair.

2. Up then spake Fair Mary, Marry woud she nane; If ever she came in man's bed, The same gate wad she gang.

3. 'Make no vows, Fair Mary, For fear they broken be; Here's been the Knight of Wallington, Asking good will of thee.'

4. 'If here's been the knight, mother, Asking good will of me, Within three quarters of a year You may come bury me.'

5. When she came to Wallington, And into Wallington hall, There she spy'd her mother dear, Walking about the wall.

6. 'You're welcome, daughter dear, To thy castle and thy bowers'; 'I thank you kindly, mother, I hope they'll soon be yours.'

7. She had not been in Wallington Three quarters and a day, Till upon the ground she could not walk, She was a weary prey.

8. She had not been in Wallington Three quarters and a night, Till on the ground she coud not walk, She was a weary wight.

9. 'Is there ne'er a boy in this town, Who'll win hose and shun, That will run to fair Pudlington, And bid my mother come?'

10. Up then spake a little boy, Near unto a-kin; 'Full oft I have your errands gone, But now I will it run.'

11. Then she call'd her waiting-maid To bring up bread and wine; 'Eat and drink, my bonny boy, Thou'll ne'er eat more of mine.

12. 'Give my respects to my mother, She sits in her chair of stone, And ask her how she likes the news, Of seven to have but one.

13. 'Give my respects to my mother, As she sits in her chair of oak, And bid her come to my sickening, Or my merry lake-wake.

14. 'Give my love to my brother William, Ralph, and John, And to my sister Betty fair, And to her white as bone:

15. 'And bid her keep her maidenhead, Be sure make much on 't, For if e'er she come in man's bed, The same gate will she gang.'

16. Away this little boy is gone, As fast as he could run; When he came where brigs were broke, He lay down and swum.

17. When he saw the lady, he said, 'Lord may your keeper be!' 'What news, my pretty boy, Hast thou to tell to me?'

18. 'Your daughter Mary orders me, As you sit in a chair of stone, To ask you how you like the news, Of seven to have but one.

19. 'Your daughter gives commands, As you sit in a chair of oak, And bids you come to her sickening, Or her merry lake-wake.

20. 'She gives command to her brother William, Ralph, and John, [And] to her sister Betty fair, And to her white as bone.

21. 'She bids her keep her maidenhead, Be sure make much on 't, For if e'er she came in man's bed, The same gate woud she gang.'

22. She kickt the table with her foot, She kickt it with her knee, The silver plate into the fire, So far she made it flee.

23. Then she call'd her waiting-maid To bring her riding-hood, So did she on her stable-groom To bring her riding-steed.

24. 'Go saddle to me the black, [the black,] Go saddle to me the brown, Go saddle to me the swiftest steed That e'er rid [to] Wallington.'

25. When they came to Wallington, And into Wallington hall, There she spy'd her son Fenwick, Walking about the wall.

26. 'God save you, dear son, Lord may your keeper be! Where is my daughter fair, That used to walk with thee?'

27. He turn'd his head round about, The tears did fill his e'e: ''Tis a month' he said, 'since she Took her chambers from me.'

28. She went on . . . And there were in the hall Four and twenty ladies, Letting the tears down fall.

29. Her daughter had a scope Into her cheek and into her chin, All to keep her life Till her dear mother came.

30. 'Come take the rings off my fingers, The skin it is so white, And give them to my mother dear, For she was all the wite.

31. 'Come take the rings off my fingers, The veins they are so red, Give them to Sir William Fenwick, I'm sure his heart will bleed.'

32. She took out a razor That was both sharp and fine, And out of her left side has taken The heir of Wallington.

33. There is a race in Wallington, And that I rue full sare; Tho' the cradle it be full spread up The bride-bed is left bare.

[Annotations: 1.1: 'silly,' simple. 1.4: 'lair,' lying-in. 2.4: 'gate,' way. 5.3: 'her mother' is, of course, her mother-in-law. 9.2: 'shun' = shoon, shoes. 13: This stanza is not in the original, but is supplied from the boy's repetition, st. 19. 13.4: 'lake-wake' = lyke-wake: watching by a corpse. 22: This, in ballads, is a customary method of giving expression to strong emotion. 29.1: 'scope,' a gag. 30.4: 'wite,' blame: _i.e._ her mother was the cause of all her trouble.]

END OF THE FIRST SERIES

INDEX OF TITLES

Page

Barbara Allan 150 Brown Adam 100 Brown Robin 158

Child Maurice 165 Child Waters 37

Earl Brand 44 Edward 189

Fair Annie 29 Fair Annie of Rough Royal 179 Fair Janet 94 Fair Margaret and Sweet William 63 Fair Mary of Wallington 201 Fause Footrage 172

Glasgerion 1

Hind Horn 185

Johney Scot 128

Lady Alice 163 Lady Maisry 70 Lamkin 196 Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard 19 Lord Ingram and Chiel Wyet 135 Lord Lovel 67 Lord Randal 193 Lord Thomas and Fair Annet 54

Old Robin of Portingale 13

The Bonny Birdy 25 The Boy and the Mantle 119 The Brown Girl 60 The Child of Ell 52 The Cruel Brother 76 The Cruel Mother 35 The Douglas Tragedy 49 The Gay Goshawk 153 The Marriage of Sir Gawaine 107 The Nutbrown Maid 80 The Twa Sisters o' Binnorie 141

Willie o' Winsbury 104

Young Bekie 6 Young Waters 146

INDEX OF FIRST LINES Page

About Yule, when the wind blew cule 147 As it fell one holy-day 19 As it fell out on a long summer's day 63

Be it right, or wrong, these men among 81

Child Maurice hunted ithe siluer wood 166 Childe Watters in his stable stoode 37

Glasgerion was a king's own son 2 God! let neuer soe old a man 13

'I am as brown as brown can be 60 In Scotland there was a babie born 186 In the third day of May 120 It's Lamkin was a mason good 196 'It's narrow, narrow, make your bed 30 It was in and about the Martinmas time 150

Kinge Arthur liues in merry Carleile 109 King Easter has courted her for her gowd 173

Lady Alice was sitting in her bower-window 163 Lord Ingram and Chiel Wyet 135 Lord Lovel he stood at his castle-gate 68 Lord Thomas and Fair Annet 54

O Johney was as brave a knight 129 'O well's me o' my gay goss-hawk 153 'O wha will shoe my fu' fair foot? 180 O wha woud wish the win' to blaw 101 'O where hae ye been, Lord Randal, my son? 194 'Oh did ye ever hear o' brave Earl Bran'? 46

'Rise up, rise up now, Lord Douglas,' she says 49

Sayes, 'Christ thee saue, good child of Ell 52 She leaned her back unto a thorn 35

The king but an' his nobles a' 158 The king he hath been a prisoner 104 The young lords o' the north country 70 There was a knight, in a summer's night 25 There was three ladies play'd at the ba' 77 There were twa sisters sat in a bour 141

When we were silly sisters seven 202 'Why dois your brand sae drap wi' bluid 190

'Ye maun gang to your father, Janet 94 Young Bekie was as brave a knight 7

Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty at the Edinburgh University Press

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Errata:

Introduction:

[Footnote 3: _Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard_ (see p. 19, etc.).] _footnote marker missing from text_ [Footnote 5: For the most recent discussions, see Bibliography, p. lii.] _footnote marker missing or invisible_ carefully balanced antitheses, and all the mechanical devices _text reads "aud"_ Coleridge's _annus mirabilis_ was 1797 _"Cole/ridge's" printed at line break without visible hyphen_ his friend Humphrey Pitt of Shifnal, in Shropshire, _text has extra close quote after "Shropshire,"_ 1794. _Joseph Ritson._ Scotish Song. 2 vols. London. _spelling unchanged_

Ballads:

The Douglas Tragedy [Stanza 5.] 'Light down, light down, Lady Margret,' he said, _close quote after "Lady Margret," not visible_ [Annotation to 8.3] 'dighted,' dressed. _reference "8.3" missing in text_ Lord Lovel [Introduction] Of the former the commonest is _Der Ritter und die Maid_ _spelling unchanged_ Fair Annie of Rough Royal [Introduction] 'Lochryan,' says Scott, 'lies in Galloway; _text has extra close quote after "Galloway"_ Lord Randal [Stanza 2.] 'Where gat ye your dinner, Lord Randal, my son? Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?' _text has empty line where "man?'" is expected_

End of Project Gutenberg's Ballads of Romance and Chivalry, by Frank Sidgwick