“ To prove she is come of noble degree,
Therefore let none flout at my pretty Bessee."
With that the lords and the company round
With a hearty laughter were ready to swound;
At last said the lords, "Full well we may see,
The bride and the bridegrooms beholden to thee."
With that the fair bride all blushing did rise,
With crystal water all in her bright eyes;
"Pardon my father, brave nobles," quoth she,
"That through blind affection thus doats upon me. ”

“ Or else into Scotland he shall carry me."
"Then you must get a noble gunner, my lord,
That can set well with his eye,
And sink his pinnace into the sea,
And soon then overcome will he be.
And when that you have done this,
If you chance Sir Andrew for to board,
Let no man to his topcastle go
And I will give you a glass, my lord.
"And then you need to fear no Scot,
Whether you sail by day or by night;
And to-morrow by seven of the clock,
You shall meet with Sir Andrew Barton, knight. ”

“ And an angry man was he:
"O if he had been twice as fair,
You might have excepted me."
"You're neither laird nor lord," she says,
"But the king that wears the crown;
There is not a knight in fair Scotland,
But to thee maun bow down." ”

“ Admired the Beggar of Bednall Green.
And those that had been her suitors before,
Their tender flesh for anger they tore.
Thus was the fair Bessee matched to a knight,
And made a lady in others' despite:
A fairer lady there never was seen
Than the Blind Beggar's daughter of Bednall Green. ”

“ He is the kind father of pretty Bessee.
"His marks and his token are knowen full well;
He always is led by a dog and a bell;
A poor silly old man, God knoweth, is he,
Yet he is the true father of pretty Bessee."
"Nay, nay," quoth the merchant, "thou art not for me;"
"She," quoth the innholder, "my wife shall not be;"
"I loathe," said the gentleman, "a beggar's degree,
Therefore, now farewell, my pretty Bessee."
"Why then," quoth the knight, "hap better or worse,
I weigh not true love by the weight of the purse,
And beauty is beauty in every degree ”

“ Yet he was never so courteous a knight,
To say, "Ellen, will you ride?"
But all this day Child Waters rode,
She ran barefoot through the broom,
Yet he was never so courteous a knight,
As to say, "put on your shoon."
"Ride softly," she said, "Child Waters
Why do you ride so fast?
The child, which is no man's but yours,
My body it will burst." ”

“ I am the knight, I come by night,
As secret as I can,
Saying 'Alas! thus standeth the case,
I am a banished man! '"
"And I your will for to fulfill
In this will not refuse,
Trusting to shew, in words few,
That men have an ill use,
To their own shame, women to blame,
And causeless them accuse:
Therefore to you I answer now,
All women to excuse,
'Mine own heart dear, with you what cheer?
I pray you tell anon:
For in my mind, of all mankind
I love but you alone.'"
"It standeth so: a deed is do
Whereof much harm shall grow. ”

“ Who seeing young Monford there gasping to die,
She saved his life through her charity.
"And then all our victuals in beggars' attire,
At the hands of good people we then did require;
At last into England, as now it is seen,
We came, and remained in Bednall Green.
"And thus we have lived in Fortune's despite,
Though poor, yet contented, with humble delight,
And in my old years, acomfort to me,
God sent me a daughter called pretty Bessee.
"And thus, ye nobles, my song I do end,
Hoping by the same no man to offend ”

“ My gown of green it is too straight;
Before, it was too wide."
"If the child be mine, fair Ellen," he said,
"Be mine, as you tell me,
Take you Cheshire and Lancashire both,
Take them your own to be. ”

“ And all his jewels, whatsoever they be,
And other rich gifts that I will not name,
For his good service he hath done me.
Horsley, right thou'st be a knight,
Lands and livings thou shalt have store ”

“ Original Size
THE CRUEL BROTHER There was three ladies play'd at the ba',
With a heigh-ho! and a lily gay;
There came a knight, and play'd o'er them a,
As the primrose spreads so sweetly.
The eldest was baith tall and fair,
But the youngest was beyond compare.
The midmost had a gracefu' mien,
But the youngest look'd like beauty's queen.
The knight bow'd low to a' the three,
But to the youngest he bent his knee.
The lady turned her head aside,
The knight he woo'd her to be his bride.
The lady blush'd a rosy red,
And said, "Sir knight, I'm too young to wed." ”

“ And yon elf-knight to sleep in my bosom."
This maiden had scarcely these words spoken,
Till in at her window the elf-knight has luppen.
"It's a very strange matter, fair maiden," said he,
"I canna blaw my horn, but ye call on me."
"But will ye go to yon greenwood side,
If ye canna' gang, I will cause you to ride."
He leapt on a horse, and she on another,
And they rode on to the greenwood together.
"Light down, light down, lady Isabel," said he,
"We are come to the place where ye are to die." ”

“ Till sae boldly she came to his bed-side.
"O, Earl Bran, fain wad I see
A pack of hounds let loose on the lea."
"O lady, I have no steeds but one,
And thou shalt ride, and I will run."
"O Earl Bran, my father has two,
And thou shalt have the best of them a'."
They have ridden o'er moss and moor,
And they met neither rich nor poor,
Until they met with old Carl Hood,
He comes for ill, but never for good.
"Earl Bran, if ye love me,
Seize this old carl, and gar him die."
"O lady fair, it wad be sair,
To slay an old man that has grey hair. ”

“ Original Size
THE NUTBROWN MAID Be it right or wrong, these men among
On women do complain,
Affirming this, how that it is
A labour spent in vain
To love them weel, for never a deal
They love a man again:
For let a man do what he can
Their favour to attain,
Yet if a new do them pursue,
Their first true lover than
Laboureth for nought, and from her thought
He is a banished man. ”

“ Passing over the obsolete sense of "a popular song specially celebrating or scurrilously attacking some person or institution," we may note that Dr Johnson calls a ballad "a song," and quotes a statement from Watts that it once "signified a solemn and sacred song as well as a trivial, when Solomon's Song was called the 'The Ballad of Ballads,' but now it is applied to nothing but trifling verse."
Ballad-collectors, however, have never strictly regarded any one of these definitions, and to me their catholicity seems worthy of imitation. ”

“ And ever where the bridges were broke,
He laid him down to swim.
"Asleep, or wake! thou lord Barnard,
As thou art a man of life;
For little Musgrave is at Bucklesfordbery,
Abed with thy own wedded wife." ”

“ Without men's hands were rung;
And a' the books o' merry Lincoln,
Were read without man's tongue;
And ne'er was such a burial
Sin Adam's days begun.
Original Size
SIR PATRICK SPENCE The king sits in Dumferling toun,
Drinking the blude-red wine:
"O where will I get guid sailor,
To sail this ship of mine?"
Up and spak an eldern knight,
Sat at the kings right knee:
"Sir Patrick Spence is the best sailor,
That sails upon the sea." ”

“ But Robin he hied him towards Little John,
He thought he would loose him belive:
The sheriff and all his company
Fast after him did drive.
"Stand aback, stand aback," said Robin,
"Why draw you me so near?
It was never the use in our country,
Ones shrift another should hear."
steven, voice. belive, quickly.
But Robin pulled forth an Irish knife,
And loosed John hand and foot,
And gave him Sir Guy's bow in his hand,
And bade it be his boot. ”

“ I have demanded no more of a ballad than that it should be a simple spirited narrative; and, though excluding the pure lyrics and metrical romances found in Percy's Reliques or elsewhere, I have been guided in doubtful cases rather by intuition than by rule. I have included poems written in every variety of metre except blank verse, and even the latter may seem to be represented by Blake's Fair Elinor. ”

“ A poor beggar's daughter a lady sha'nt be;
Then take thy adieu of thy pretty Bessee."
As soon then as it was break of the day,
The knight had from Rumford stole Bessee away;
The young men of Rumford, so sick as may be,
Rode after to fetch again pretty Bessee.
As swift as the wind to ride they were seen,
Until they came near unto Bednall Green,
And as the knight lighted most courteously,
They fought against him for pretty Bessee. ”

“ That bloody knight was ta en."
"Lie still, lie still, my dear Johnstone,
Lie still and take a sleep;
For thy enemies are past and gone,
And carefully I will thee keep."
But young Johnstone had a little wee sword,
Hung low down by his gair,
And he stabbed it in fair Annet's breast,
A deep wound and a sair.
"What aileth thee now, dear Johnstone?
What aileth thee at me?
Hast thou not got my father's gold,
But and my mither's fee?"
"Now live, now live, my dear Lady,
Now live but half an hour,
And there's no a leech in a' Scotland
But what shall be in thy bower." ”

“ Sir Gyles he was the foremost man,
So well he knew that gin.
Old Robin with a bright brown sword,
Sir Gyles' head he did win;
So did he all those twenty-four
Never a one went quick out [agen] .
Original Size
None but one little foot-page,
Crept forth at a window of stone;
And he had two arms when he came in,
And [when he went out he had none] .
Up then came that lady gay,
With torches burning bright;
She thought to have brought Sir Gyles a drink,
But she found her own wed knight. ”

“ Were in your counsel than;
Wherefore I to the wood will go
Alone, a banished man."
"Full well know ye that women be
Full feeble for to fight;
No womanhead is it indeed,
To be bold as a knight. ”

“ Here may ye see that women be
In love meek, kind, and stable:
Let never man reprove them than,
Or call them variable;
But rather pray God, that we may
To them be comfortable,
Which sometime proveth such as loveth,
If they be charitable;
For sith men would that women should
Be meek to them each one,
Much more ought they to God obey,
And serve but Him alone.
Original Size
ROBIN HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE
Original When shaws been sheen, and shrads full fair,
And leaves both large and long,
It is merry walking in the fair forrèst,
To hear the small bird's song. ”

“ For he hath slain Robin Hood.
"For yonder I hear Sir Guys horn blow,
It blows so well in tide,
For yonder comes that wight yeoman,
Clad in his capull hide.
lowef, small hill.
"Come hither, thou good Sir Guy,
Ask of me what thou wilt:"
"I'll have none of thy gold," says Robin Hood,
"Nor I'll none of it have.
"But now I have slain the master," he said,
"Let me go strike the knave;
This is all the reward I ask,
Nor no other will I have."
"Thou art a madman," said the sheriff,
"Thou shouldest have had a knight's fee ”

“ The Laird's Jock's gotten up fu' high;
And down the stair, him, irons and a',
Wi' nae sma' speed and joy brings he.
"Now, Jock, I wot," quo' Hobie Noble,
"Part o' the weight ye may lay on me;"
"I wot weel no!" quo' the Laird's Jock,
"I count him lighter than a flea."
Sae out at the gates they a' are gane,
The pris'ner's set on horseback high;
And now wi' speed they've tane the gate,
While ilk ane jokes fu' wantonly.
"O Jock, sae winsomely's ye ride,
Wi' baith your feet upo' ae side!
Sae weel's ye're harness'd, and sae trig,
In troth, ye sit like ony bride!" ”

“ For the Peasant Ballads one text is seldom more authoritative than another, and minor differences have to be settled by personal judgment. The versions here offered, have, in many cases, been prepared from those popular in different parts of England. They are believed to represent the most poetical form of the songs which were the favourites of the elder generation, and which are being now superseded by the shorter and more sensational effusions of the music-hall. ”

“ Original Size THE THREE RAVENS There were three ravens sat on a tree,
Downe, a downe, hay downe, hay downe,
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
With a downe,
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
They were as black as they might be,
With a downe, derrie, derrie, derrie, downe, downe.
The one of them said to his mate,
"Where shall we our breakfast take?"—
"Down in yonder green field,
There lies a knight slain under his shield.
"His hounds they lie down at his feet,
So well they can their master keep. ”

“ Irish ballads, written in English, are comparatively modern, but they belong to the traditionary manner and, whether the work of ballad-mongers or of poets, need not be separated from the few translations from the Irish which have been thought suitable for this collection. ”