But light nowe downe, my ladye faire, But light now downe, my deare ladyè, Fair Emmeline fighde, fair Emmeline wept, aye her heart was woe, And While twixt her love, and the carlish knight Paft many a baleful blowe. The Child of Elle hee fought foe well, As his weapon he wavde amaine, That foone he had flaine the carlish knight, 130 135 140 Her lover he put his horne to his mouth, And blew both loud and fhrill, 150 * Nowe "Nowe hold thy hand, thou bold baròn, I pray thee, hold thy hand, Nor ruthless rend two gentle hearts, Faft knit in true loves band. Fair Emmeline fighde, faire Emmeline wept, And did all tremblinge ftand: At lengthe she sprange upon her knee, And held his lifted hand. Pardon, my lorde and father deare, This faire yong knyght and mee : Truft me, but for the carlifh knyght, I ne'er had fled from thee. 155 160 165 170 175 Oft Oft have you callde your Emmeline Your darling and your joye; O let not then your harsh resolves Your Emmeline destroye. The baron he ftroakt his dark-brown cheeke, And turnde his heade afyde To whipe awaye the starting teare, He proudly ftrave to hyde. In deepe revolving thought he ftoode, And mufde a little space; Then raisde faire Emmeline from the grounde, With many a fond embrace. 180 185 Here take her, child of Elle, he fayd, And gave her lillye hand, 190 Here take my deare and only child, And with her half my land: Thy father once mine honour wrongde In dayes of youthful pride; Do thou the injurye repayre In fondneffe for thy bride. And as thou love her, and hold her deare, And nowe my bleffing wend wi' thee, 195 200 was printed at Glasgow, by Robert and Andrew Foulis, MDCCLV. 8vo. 12 pages. We are indebted for its publication (with many other valuable things in thefe volumes) to Sir David Dalrymple Bart. who gave it as it was preferved in the memory of a lady, that is now dead. The reader will here find it improved, and enlarged with feveral fine ftanzas, recovered from a fragment of the fame ballad, in the Editor's folio MS. It is remarkable that the latter is intituled CAPTAIN ADAM CARRE, and is in the English idiom. But whether the author was English or Scotch, the difference originally was not great. The English Ballads are generally of the North of England, the Scottish are of the South of Scotland, and of confequence the country of Ballad-fingers was fometimes fubject to one crown, and fometimes to the other, and most frequently to neither. Moft of the finest old Scotch Songs have the fcene laid within 20 miles of England; which is indeed all poetic ground, green hills, remains of woods, clear brooks. The paftoral Scenes remain : Of the rude chivalry of former ages happily nothing remains but the ruins of the caftles, where the more daring and fuccessful robbers refided. The Castle of the Rhodes is fixed by tradition in the neighbourhood of Dunje in Berwickshire. The Gordons were anciently feated in the fame county. Whether this ballad bath any foundation in fact, we have not been able to dif cover. It contains however but too just a picture of the violences practifed in the feudal times all over Europe. H 2 From Cum doun to me, ze lady gay, Cum doun, cum doun to me: This night fall ye lig within mine armes, To morrow my bride fall be. I winnze cum doun, ze fals Gordòn, I winnae fortake my ain dear lord, That is the far frae me. 40 Give wre zour houfe, ze lady fair, 45 Bue and zour babies three. I winna give owre, ze false Gordòn, 50 And we brenn my ain dear babes, My bord sall make ze drie. But reach my piftol, Glaud, my man, For, but if I pierce that bluidy butcher, 55 My babes we been undone. She ftude upon hir caftle wa, And let twa bullets flee: She mift that bluidy butchers hart, And only raz'd his knee. 4 60 Set |