that Sir Walter Scott in the version he has given in the
minstrelsy has mixed up two ballads "The Dowie Dens," and
"Willie's Drowned in Yarrow." He says "The second ballad
is on a totally different subject, and of another class, but
exquisitely simple and pathetic. The two ballads being in the
same measure were naturally enough confounded by the
reciters ; and it seems to have escaped the notice of Sir Walter
THE DOWIE DENS OF YARROW.
Scott that the distinguishing peculiarity of the other ballad is
the uniformity of the rhyme in every stanza, the word ' Yarrow'
16 THE DOW1E DENS OF YARROW.
being throughout repeated. I therefore think that his fine in-
troductory verse,
" Late at e'en drinking the wine,
And ere they paid the lawing,
They set a combat them between
To tight it in the dawing,"
cannot be genuine. And he has further introduced a verse
which evidently belongs to the other ballad :
" O gentle wind that bloweth south,
From where my love repaireth,
Convey a kiss from his dear mouth,
And tell me how he fareth."
There is another point in connection with the note appended to
this ballad in the Minstrelsy, to which attention may be called.
Sir Walter says: "In ploughing 'Annan's Treat/ a huge
monumental stone with an inscription was discovered ; but
being rather scratched than engraved, and the lines being run
through each other, it is only possible to read one or two Latin
words. It probably records the event of the combat. The
person slain was the male ancestor of the present Lord Napier.
" Tradition affirms that the hero of the song (be he who he
may) was murdered by the brother, either of his wife or
betrothed bride. The alleged cause of malice was the lady's
father having proposed to endow her with half of his property,
upon her marriage with a warrior of such renown. The name
of the murderer is said to have been Annan, and the place
of combat is still called Annan's Treat. It is a low moor
lying to the west of Yarrow Kirk. Two tall unhewn masses of
stone are erected, about eighty yards from each other, and the
THE DOW IE DENS OF YAK ROW. 17
least child that can herd a cow will tell the passenger that there
lie ' the two lords who were slain in single combat.' "
The place where this monumental stone was discovered is
not known as Annan's Treat, but as Annan Street. The
inscription on the stone bears that it was erected by Liberalis
to the memory of his two sons. The following is the
translation given by Dr Smith : " Here Memor Lies of
Loinrisnus (The Son) Princes (or Chieftains of) Cnudus (and)
Dumnogenus. Here lie in the Tumulus, two sons of Liberalis."
Professor Rhys, the well-known Celtic scholar, is of opinion
that this interesting monumental slab dates back to the fifth
or sixth century of our era, and by no stretch of the imagination
can it be supposed to have had any connection with "The
Tragedy of the Dowie Dens." There are really four stones
standing about two hundred yards apart. The first is at the
side of the Whitehope burn, a few yards from the entrance to
the church; the second at the shepherd's house, called "The
Warrior's Rest ; " the third, which tradition has fixed upon as
the scene of tragedy, in the glebe ; the fourth " the inscribed
stone " in a field on the farm of Whitehope. That a great
battle had been fought in this neighbourhood is highly probable.
The name given to the place, "Warrior's Rest," is in itself
suggestive ; but proof of a more convincing nature was forth-
coming when the Rev. Dr. Robert Russell, the father of the
late genial and gifted author of Reminiscences of Yarrow,
enclosed the fields to the west of the church. On removing
various heaps of stones he found considerable quantities of
1 8 THE DOW IE DENS OF YARROW.
bone dust, clearly enough indicating that here, in this primitive
fashion, many bodies had been buried. Several stone cists,
full of remains, have been discovered in this region, one of
which has been exposed to observation near the shepherd's
house.
The ballad of "The Dowie Dens" was first published in
Scott's Border Minstrelsy, and though it bears evident traces of
interpolation, it has, through this medium, become so well
known, and is otherwise of such distinguished merit, that it is
to be preferred to the more accurate, but less picturesque form
of the ballad which Professor Aytoun has published in
his Ballads of Scotland. Professor Veitch, a recognised
authority on all subjects pertaining to the history and poetry of
the Borders, justly remarks that " for brevity, directness, and
graphic turn of narrative, vivid picturing, and the image of
passionate devotion to the dead, there are few ballads in any
language that match its strains."
LATE at e'en, drinking the wine,
And ere they paid the lawing,
They set a combat them between,
To fight it in the dawing.
" O stay at hame, my noble lord !
O stay at hame, my marrow !
My cruel brother will you betray,
On the dowie houms of Yarrow.
THE DOWIE DENS OF YARROW. 19
" O fare ye weel, my ladye gaye !
fare ye weel, my Sarah !
For I maun gae, though I ne'er return
Frae the dowie banks o' Yarrow. "-
She kiss'd his cheek, she kaim'd his hair,
As oft she had done before, O ;
She belted him with his noble brand,
And he's away to Yarrow.
As he gaed up the Tennies bank,
1 wot he gaed \vi' sorrow,
Till, down in a den, he spied nine arm'd men,
On the dowie houms of Yarrow.
" O come ye here to part your land,
The bonnie Forest thorough ?
Or come ye here to wield your brand,
On the dowie houms of Yarrow ?"-
" I come not here to part my land,
And neither to beg nor borrow ;
I come to wield my noble brand,
On the bonnie banks of Yarrow."
If I see all, ye're nine to ane,
And that's an unequal marrow,
Yet will I fight, while lasts my brand,
On the bonnie banks o' Yarrow.
C2
20 THE DOWIE DENS OF YARROW.
Four has he hurt, and five has slain,
On the bloody braes of Yarrow,
Till that stubborn knight came him behind,
And ran his body thorough.
" Gae hame, gae hame, good-brother John,
And tell your sister Sarah,
To come and lift her leafu' lord ;
He's sleepin' sound on Yarrow."
Yestreen I dream'd a dolefu' dream ;
I fear there will be sorrow !
I dream'd I pu'd the heather green,
Wi' my true love on Yarrow.
" But in the glen strive armed men ;
They've wrought me dole and sorrow ;
They've slain the comliest knight they've slain-
He bleeding lies on Yarrow.
As she sped down yon high high hill,
She gaed wi' dole and sorrow,
And in the den spied ten slain men,
On the dowie banks of Yarrow.
She kissed his cheek, she kaim'd his hair,
She searched his wounds all thorough,
She kiss'd them till her lips grew red,
On the dowie houms of Yarrow.
THE DOW IE DENS OF YARROW. 21
" Now baud your tongue, my daughter dear
For a' this breeds but sorrow ;
I'll wed ye to a better lord,
Than him ye lost on Yarrow."
" O baud your tongue, my father dear !
Ye mind me but of sorrow ;
A fairer rose did never bloom
Than now lies cropp'd on Yarrow."
22
WILLIE'S DROWNED IN YARROW.
WILLIE'S DROWNED IN YARROW.
THIS ballad from its touching sentiment and natural pathos
has always been popular. It has frequently been
printed with variations, but Professor Aytoun is of opinion that
WILLIE'S DROWNED IN YARROW. 23
the version given by him in The Ballads of Scotland is genuine,
and on the authority of that learned and conscientious compiler
we have given it here.
" WILLIE'S rare and Willie's fair,
And Willie's wondrous bonny,
And Willie's hecht to marry me,
Gin e'er he married ony.
" Yestreen I made my bed fu' braid,
This night I'll make it narrow,
For a' the live long winter night
I'll lie twin'd of my marrow.
" O gentle wind that bloweth south,
From where my love repaireth,
Convey a kiss from his dear mouth,
And tell me how he fareth.
" O tell sweet Willie to come doun,
And bid him no be cruel,
And tell him no to break the heart
Of his love and only jewel.
" O tell sweet Willie to come doun,
And hear the mavis singing ;
And see the birds on ilka bush,
And leaves around them hinging.
24 WILLIE'S DROWNED IN YARROW.
" O cam' ye by yon water side ?
Pu'd ye the rose or lily?
Or cam' ye by yon meadow green ?
Or saw ye my sweet Willie ?"
She sought him east, she sought him west,
She sought him braid and narrow ;
Syne, in the cleaving of a craig,
She fand him drown'd in Yarrow.
T AM LANE. 25
TAMLANE.
THE scene of this ballad is laid at Carterhaugh, a plain at
the confluence of the Yarrow and the Ettrick, two miles
above Selkirk. The young Tamlane, who describes himself as
a son of Randolph, Earl Murray, having been sent for when just
turned nine, to keep his uncle company in hunting, hawking,
and riding, was, while on his journey, thrown by a sharp north
wind into a dead sleep, and fell from his horse, when the Queen
of Fairies carried him off for herself. His experiences in
fairyland, the reason why he wished to leave it, and the manner
in which his rescue was to be effected, are all graphically
described. The ballad is undoubtedly of great antiquity. It is
referred to in The Complqynt of Scotland, a book which was
printed at St. Andrews in 1549. The version given is from
Aytoun's Ballads of Scotland.
" O I forbid ye, maidens a',
That bind in snood your hair,
To come or gae by Carterhaugh,
For young Tamlane is there."
Fair Janet sat within her bower,
Sewing her silken seam,
And fain would be at Carterhaugh,
Amang the leaves sae green.
26 TAMLANE.
She's prink'd hersell, and preen'd hersell,
By the ae light o' the moon,
And she's awa to Carterhaugh,
As fast as she could gang.
She hadna pu'd a red red rose,
A rose but barely three,
When up and starts the young Tamlane,
Says, " Lady, let a-be !
" What gars ye pu' the rose, Janet ?
What gars ye break the tree ?
Or why come ye to Carterhaugh,
Without the leave o' me ?"
" O I will pu' the flowers," she said,
" And I will break the tree ;
For Carterhaugh it is my ain,
I'll ask nae leave of thee."
He took her by the milk-white hand,
And by the grass-green sleeve,
And laid her down upon the flowers,
Nor ever asked her leave.
" Now ye maun tell the truth," she said,
" A word ye maunna lie ;
O, were ye ever in haly chapel,
Or sained in Christentie ?''
TAMLANE. 27
" The truth I'll tell to thee, Janet,
A word I winna lie ;
I was ta'en to the good church-door,
And sained as well as thee.
" Randolph, Earl Murray, was my sire,
Dunbar, Earl March, was thine ;
We loved when we were children small,
Which still you yet may mind.
" When I was a boy just turned of nine,
My uncle sent for me,
To hunt, and hawk, and ride with him,
And keep him companie.
" There came a wind out of the north,
A sharp wind and a snell,
And a dead sleep came over me,
And frae my horse I fell ;
The Queen of Fairies she was there,
And took me to hersell.
" And never would I tire, Janet,
In fairy-land to dwell,
But aye, at every seven years,
They pay the teind to hell ;
And I'm sae fat and fair of flesh,
I fear 'twill be mysell !
28 TAMLANE.
" The morn at e'en is Hallowe'en,
Our fairy court will ride,
Through England and through Scotland baith,
And through the warld sae wide,
And if that ye wad borrow me,
At Miles Cross ye maun bide.
" And ye maun gae to the Miles Moss,
Between twelve hours and one,
Tak' haly water in your hand,
And cast a compass roun'."
" And how shall I ken thee, Tamlane ?
And how shall I thee knaw,
Amang the throng o' fairy folk,
The like I never saw ?"
" The first court that comes along,
Ye'll let them a' pass by ;
The neist court that comes along
Salute them reverently.
" The third court that comes along
Is clad in robes o' green,
And it's the head court of them a',
And in it rides the Queen.
" And I upon a milk-white steed,
Wi' a gold star in my crown ;
Because I am a christened man,
They give me that renown.
T AM LANE. 29
" Ye'll seize upon me with a spring,
And to the ground I'll fa',
And then ye' 11 hear an elrish cry
That Tamlane is awa'.
" They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,
An adder and a snake ;
But haud me fast, let me not pass,
Gin ye wad be my maik.
" They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,
An adder and an aske,
They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,
A bale that burns fast.
" They'll shape me in your arms, Janet,
A dove, but and a swan,
And last they'll shape me in your arms
A mother-naked man :
Cast your green mantle over me
And sae shall I be wan !"
Gloomy, gloomy was the night,
And eerie was the way,
As fair Janet, in her green mantle,
To Miles Cross she did gae.
There's haly water in her hand,
She casts a compass round ;
And straight she sees a fairy band
Come riding o'er the mound.
30 TAMLANE.
And first gaed by the black, black steed,
And then gaed by the brown ;
But fast she gript the milk-white steed,
And pu'd the rider down.
She pu'd him frae the milk-white steed,
And loot the bridle fa' ;
And up their raise an elrish cry :
" He's won amang us a' !"
They shaped him in fair Janet's arms,
An aske, but and an adder;
She held him fast in every shape,
To be her ain true lover.
They shaped him in her arms at last
A mother-naked man,
She cuist her mantle over him,
And sae her true love wan.
Up then spake the Queen o' Fairies,
Out of a bush o' broom :
" She that has borrowed young Tamlane,
Has gotten a stately groom !"
Up then spake the Queen o' Fairies
Out of a bush of rye :
" She's ta'en away the bonniest knight
In a' my companie !
TAMLANE. 31
" But had I kenned, Tamlane," she says,
" A lady would borrow thee,
I wad hae ta'en out thy twa grey e'en,
Put in twa e'en o' tree !
" Had I but kenned, Tamlane," she says,
" Before ye came frae hame,
I wad hae ta'en out your heart of flesh,
Put in a heart o' stane !
" Had I but had the wit yestreen
That I hae coft this day,
I'd hae paid my kane seven times to hell
Ere you'd been won away !"
32 THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.
THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.
THIS interesting historical ballad was composed during the
reign of James V. The tragic event which it com-
memorates took place betwixt a Scottish monarch and an
ancestor of the family of Murray of Philiphaugh, in the county
of Selkirk. It would seem that the Murrays, like other Border
clans in that age, were in a lawless state. They had no proper
title to their lands, but held them, like all the proprietors in
Ettrick Forest, merely by occupancy. Such a condition of
affairs was not favourable to the public peace. There was
constant confusion and disturbance. The kings of Scotland
were sometimes unable, owing to the weakness of their own
position, to hold in check the more powerful and daring among
their often rebellious subjects. The result was that they had
not infrequently to compromise matters, and accept terms not
fully in harmony with the assumed dignity of their position.
James at one time was under the painful necessity of entering
into a kind of league with Johnnie Faa, the King of the Gipsies.
There is therefore nothing improbable in the tradition which
has been handed down in this song. The likelihood is that it
had some considerable foundation in fact.
THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY. 33
The popular opinion is that the scene of the ballad was
Newark, an old Border stronghold, standing on the banks of the
Yarrow, four miles above Selkirk. But as Sir Walter Scott has
pointed out, this supposition is extremely improbable, as Newark
was always a royal fortress. The seat of the Murray family for
many generations was the Tower of Hangingshaw, a stronghold
situated in a commanding position, two miles west from
Newark, at the base of the Lewinshope Ridge. A finer situation
for a fortress could hardly be conceived. In those days when
the surrounding hills were covered with copse it must have been
all but impregnable. The Hangingshaw estate has been for
many years in the possession of the Johnstones of Alva, an old
and well-known Scottish family. The old castle has entirely
disappeared, not one stone being left to mark the place where it
stood.
According to tradition, the Outlaw was a man of prodigious
strength, and with his baton laid waste the country for miles
around. How he met with his death is not accurately known.
One tradition speaks of him as having been slain by Buccleuch,
or one of his clan ; another bears that he was shot by Scott of
Haining near to the house of the Duke of Buccleuch's game-
keeper, beneath the Castle of Newark.
ETTRICKE Foreste is a feir foreste,
In it grows manie a semelie tree ;
There's hart and hynd, and dae and rae,
And of a' wild bestis grete plentie.
34 THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.
There's a feir castelle, bigged wi' lime and stane,
O ! gin it stands not pleasauntlie !
In the fore front o' that castelle feir,
Twa unicorns are bra' to see ;
There's the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright,
And the grene hollin abune their brie.
There an Outlaw kepis five hundred men ;
He keepis a royalle cumpanie !
His merryemen are a' in ae liverye clad,
O' the Lincome grene sae gaye to see ;
He and his ladye in purple clad,
O ! gin they lived not royallie !
Word is gane to our nobil King,
In Edinburgh where that he lay,
That there was an Outlaw in Ettricke Foreste
Counted him nought, nor a' his courtrie gay.
" I make a vowe," then the gude King said,
" Unto the man that deir bought me,
I'se either be King of Ettricke Foreste,
Or King of Scotlande that Outlaw sail be !"
Then spake the lord hight Hamilton,
And to the nobil King said he,
" My sovereign prince, some counsell take,
First at your nobilis, syne at me.
THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY. 35
" I redd ye, send yon braw Outlaw till,
And see gif your man cum will he :
Desyre him cum and be your man,
And hold of you, yon Foreste frie.
" Gif he refuses to do that,
We'll conquess baith his landis and he !
Or else, we'll throw his castelle down,
And make a widow o' his gaye ladye."
The King then call'd a gentleman,
James Boyd (the Earle of Arran his brother was he;)
When James he cam before the King,
He knelit before him on his kne".
" Wellcum, James Boyd !" said our nobil King,
" A message ye maun gang for me ;
Ye maun hye to Ettricke Foreste
To yon Outlaw, where bydeth he :
" Ask him of whom he haldis his landis,
Or man, wha may his master be,
And desyre him cum, and be my man,
And hold of me yon Foreste frie.
" To Edinburgh to cum and gang,
His safe warrant I sail gie ;
And gif he refuses to do that,
We'll conquess baith his landis and he.
D2
36 THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.
" Thou mayst vow I'll cast his castell down,
And mak a widowe o' his gaye ladye ;
I'll hang his merryemen, payr by payr,
In ony frith where I may them see."
James Boyd tuik his leave o' the nobil King,
To Ettricke Foreste feir cam he ;
Down Birkendale Brae when that he cam,
He saw the feir Foreste wi' his ee.
Baith dae and rae, and harte and hinde,
And of a' wild bestis great plentie ;
He heard the blows that bauldly ring,
And arrows whidderan' hym near bi.
Of that feir castell he got a sight ;
The like he neir saw wi' his ee 1
On the fore front of that castell feir,
Twa unicorns were gaye to see ;
The picture of a knight, and ladye bright,
And the grene hollin abune their brie.
Thereat he spyed five hundred men,
Shuting with bows on Newark Lee ;
They were a' in ae livery clad,
O' the Lincome grene sae gaye to see.
His men were a' clad in the grene,
The knight was armed capapie,
With a bended bow, on a milk-white steed ;
And I wot they rank'd right bonnilie.
THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY. 37
Thereby Boyd kend he was master man,
And served him in his ain degre*
" God mot thee save, brave Outlaw Murray !
Thy ladye, and all thy chyvalrie ! "
" Marry, thou's wellcum, gentlemen,
Some king's messenger thou seemis to be."
" The King of Scotlonde sent me here,
And, gude Outlaw, I am sent to thee ;
I wad wot of whom ye hald your landis,
O man, who may thy master be ?"
"Thir landis are MINE!" the Outlaw said;
" I ken nae King in Christentie ;
Frae Soudron I this Foreste wan,
When the King nor his knightis were not to see."
" He desyres you'l cum to Edinburgh,
And hauld of him this Foreste fre ;
And, gif ye refuse to do this,
He'll conquess baith thy landis and thee.
He hath vow'd to cast thy castell down,
And mak' a widowe o' thy gaye ladye."
" He'll hang thy merryemen, payr by payr,
In ony frith where he may them finde."
"Ay, by my troth!" the Outlaw said,
" Than wauld I think me far behinde.
38 THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.
" Ere the King my feir countrie get,
This land that's nativest to me !
Mony o' his nobilis sail be cauld,
Their ladyes sail be right wearie."
Then spak his ladye, feir of face,
She seyd, " Without consent of me,
That an Outlaw suld cum before a king ;
I am right rad of treasonrie.
Bid him be gude to his lordis at hame,
For Edinburgh my lord sail nevir see."
James Boyd tuik his leave o' the Outlaw kene,
To Edinburgh boun is he ;
When James he cam before the King,
He knelit lowlie on his kne".
" Welcum, James Boyd !" seyd our nobil King ;
"What foreste is Ettricke Foreste frie ?"
" Ettricke Foreste is the feirest foreste
That evir man saw wi' his ee.
" There's the dae, the rae, the hart, the hynde,
And of a' wild bestis grete plentie ;
There's a pretty castell of lyme and stane,
O ! gif it standis not pleasauntlie !
" There's in the fore front o' that castell,
Twa unicorns, sae bra' to see,
There's the picture of a knight, and a ladye bright,
Wi' the grene hollin abune their brie.
THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY. 39
" There the Outlaw keepis five hundred men,
He keepis a royalle companie !
His merryemen in ae livery clad,
O' the Lincome grene sae gaye to see :
He and his ladye in purple clad ;
O ! gin they live not royallie !
" He says yon Foreste is his awin ;
He wan it frae the Southronie ;
Sae as he wan it, sae will he keep it,
Contrair all kingis in Christentie !
" Gar warn me Perthshire, and Angus baith ;
Fife up and downe, and Louthians three,
And graith my horse !" said our nobil King,
" For to Ettricke Foreste hie will I me."
Then word is gane the Outlaw till,
In Ettricke Foreste, where dwelleth he,
That the King was cuming to his cuntrie,
To conquess baith his landis and he.
" I mak a vow," the Outlaw said,
" I mak a vow, and that trulie,
Were there but three men to tak my pairt,
Your King's cuming full deir suld be !"
Then messengers he called forth,
And bade them hie them speedilye
" Ane of ye gae to Halliday,
The Laird of the Corehead is he."
40 THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.
" He certain is my sister's son ;
Bid him cum quick and succour me !
The King cums on for Ettricke Foreste,
And landless men we a' will be."
" What news ? What news ?" said Halliday ;
" Man, frae thy master unto me ?"
" Not as ye wad ; seeking your aide ;
The King's his mortal enemie."
" Ay, by my troth!" said Halliday,
" Even for that it repenteth me ;
For gif he lose feir Ettricke Foreste,
He'll tak feir Moffatdale frae me."
" I'll meet him wi' five hundred men,
And surely mair, if mae may be ;
And before he gets the Foreste feir,
We a' will die on Newark Lee!"
The Outlaw call'd a messenger,
And bid him hie him speedilye,
To Andrew Murray of Cockpoole
" That man's a deir cousin to me ;
Desyre him cum, and make me aide,
With a' the power that he may be."
" It stands me hard," Andrew Murray said,
" Judge gif it stand na hard wi' me ;
To enter against a King wi' crown,
And set my landis in jeopardie !
Yet, if I cum not on the day,
Surely at night he sail me see."
THE SONG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY. 41
To Sir James Murray of Traquair,
A message came right speedilye
" What news ? What news ?" James Murray said,
" Man, frae thy master unto me ?"
" What neids I tell ? for weel ye ken
The King's his mortal enemie ;
And now he is cuming to Ettricke Foreste,
And landless men ye a' will be."
" And, by my trothe," James Murray said,
" Wi' that Outlaw will I live and die ;
The King has gifted my landis lang syne
It cannot be nae warse wi' me."
The King was cuming thro' Caddon Ford,
And full five thousand men was he ;
They saw the derke Foreste them before,
They thought it awsome for to see.
Then spak the Lord, hight Hamilton,
And to the nobil King said he,
" My sovereign liege, sum council tak,
First at your nobilis, syne at me.
" Desyre him mete thee at Permanscore