E V. EDWARD, EDWARD. A SCOTTISH BALLAD, From a MS. copy transmitted from Scotland. QUHY UHY dois zour brand sae drap wi' bluid, Quhy dois zour brand sae drap wi' bluid? O, I hae killed my hauke sae guid, Mither, mither: [0, I 54] 0, I hae killed my hauke sae guid; Zour haukis bluid was nevir sae reid; Edward, Edward. Zour haukis bluid was nevir sae reid; O, I hae killed my reid-roan steid, Mither, mither: O, I hae killed my reid-roan steid, That erst was sae fair and frie, O. Edward, Edward: Zour steid was auld, and ze hae gat mair, O, I hae killed my fadir deir, Mither, Mither: O, I hae killed my fadir deir Alas! and wae is mee, O! And quhatten penance wul ze drie for that? And quhatten penance will ze drie for that? Ile set my feit in zonder boat, Mither, mither: [Ile 55] Ile set my feit in zonder boat, And Ile fare ovir the sea, 0. And quhat wul ze doe wi' zour towirs and zour ha', 5 10 15 20 And quhat wul ze doe wi' zour towirs and zour ha', Ile let thame stand tul they doun fa', Mither, mither: Ile let thame stand tul they doun fa', For here nevir mair maun I bee, O. And quhat wul ze leive to zour bairns and zour wife, And quhat wul ze leive to zour bairns and zour wife, Mither, mither: The warldis room, let them beg thrae life, For thame nevir mair wul I see, O. And quhat wul ze leive to zour ain mither deir, And quhat wul ze leive to zour ain mither deir, The curse of hell frae me sall ze beir, Mither, mither: 55 [The 56] The curse of hell frae me sall ze beir, Sic counseils ze gave to me, O. VI. KING ESTMERE. 5 10 15 20 This old Romantic Legend, (which is preserved in the Edi- 25 tor's folio MS) bears marks of great antiquity, and perhaps ought to have taken place of any in this volume. It should seem to have been written while a great part of Spain was in the hands of the Saracens or Moors: whose empire there was not fully extinguished before the year 1491. The Ma- 30 hometans are spoken of in v. 49, &c. just in the same terms as in all other old romances. The author of the ancient Legend of SIR BEVIS represents his hero upon all occasions, breathing out defiance against "Mahound and Termagaunte ;" And so full of zeal for his religion, as to return the following polite message to a Paynim king's fair daughter, who had See at the end of this ballad, Note ††. 35 5 fallen in love with him, and sent two Saracen knights to invite him to her bower, "I wyll not ones stirre off this grounde, Indeed they return the compliment by calling him elswhere "a christen hounde*.” [This 57] This was conformable to the real manners of the 10 barbarous ages: perhaps the same excuse will hardly serve our bard for the situations in which he has placed some of his royal personages. That a youthful monarch should take a journey into another kingdom to visit his mistress incog. was a piece of gallantry paralleled in our own Charles I. but 15 that king Adland should be found lolling or leaning at his gate (v. 35.) may be thought perchance a little out of character. And yet the great painter of manners, Homer, did not think it inconsistent with decorum to represent a king of the Taphians rearing himself at the gate of Ulysses to inquire for 20 that monarch, when he touched at Ithaca as he was taking a voyage with a ship's cargo of iron to dispose in traffic. So little ought we to judge of ancient manners by our own. Before I conclude this article, I cannot help observing that the reader will see in this ballad, the character of the old 25 minstrels, (those successors of the bards) raised much higher than he has yet observed it (l. than he will elsewhere find it. corr.)||: here he will see one of them represented mounted on a fine horse, accompanied with an attendant to bear his harp after him, and to sing the poems of his composing. 30 Here he will see him mixing in the company of kings without ceremony: no mean proof of the great antiquity of this poem. The farther we carry our inquiries back, the greater respect we find paid to the professors of poetry and music among all the Celtic and Gothic nations. Their character was deemed 35 So sacred, that under its sanction our famous king Alfred made no scruple to enter the Danish camp, and found no difficulty to gain admittance to the king's headquarters*. † Sign. C. ij. b. * Sign. C. j. b. 40 Odyss. a. 105. See vol. 2. p. 163. *Even so late as the time of Froissart, we find minstrels and heralds mentioned together, as those who might securely go into an enemy's country. Cap. cxl. Our poet has suggested the same expedient to the heroes of this ballad. All the histories of the North are full of [the 58] the great reverence paid to that order of men. Harold Harfax, a celebrated king of Norway, was wont to seat them at his table above all the officers of his court: and we find 5 another Norwegian king placing five of them by his side in a day of battle, that they might be eye-witnesses of the great exploits they were to celebrate†. As to Estmere's riding into the hall while the kings were at table, this was usual in the ages of chivalry; and even to this day we see a relic of 10 this custom still kept up, in the champion's riding into Westminster hall during the coronation dinner. 5 10 Harken to me, gentlemen, Come and you shall heare; Ile tell you of two of the boldest brethren, The tone of them was Adler yonge, The were as bolde men in their deedes, As they were drinking ale and wine Within kyng Estmeres halle: Whan will ye marry a wyfe, brother, Then bespake him kyng Estmere, And answered him hastilee: 15 [I knowe 59] I knowe not that ladye in any lande, 20 * That is able to marry with mee. Kyng Adland hath a daughter, brother, Sayes, Reade me, reade me, deare brother, 15 20 25 30 † Mallet, Introd. a l'His. de Dannemarc, p. 240. Bartholini 35 Antiq. Dan. p. 173. *He means, fit, suitable. Where we might find a messenger Betweene us two to sende. Sayes, You shal ryde yourselfe, brother, 25 Ile beare you companèe; 5 Many throughe fals messengers are deceivde, Thus the renisht them to ryde Of twoe good renisht steedes, 30 10 And when they came to kyng Adlands halle, And whan the came to kyng Adlands halle Ther they found good kyng Adlànd Rearing himselfe theratt. 15 [Nowe 60] Nowe Christ thee save, good kyng Adland; Nowe Christ thee save and see. Sayd, you be welcome, kyng Estmere, Right hartilye unto mee. You have a daughter, sayd Adler yonge, My brother wold marrye her to his wiffe, Yesterdaye was at my deare daughter 35 40 45 Shee shall come downe once for your sake 60 |