Hill" mentioned by Lane, in bis Progress of Queen
Elizabeth into Warwickshire, as forming part of
Captain Cox's collection, so much envied by the
blackletter antiquaries of the present day. — Dugdale's
Warwickshire, p. 1G6. The same ballad is quoted by
one of the personages, in a " very merry and pythie
comedie," called " The longer thou livest, the more
Fool thou art." See Ritson's Dissertation prefixed to
Ancient Songs, p. lx. " Brume brume on hill " is also
mentioned in the Gomplaynt of Scotland. See
Leyden's edition, p. 100.
THE SCOTTISH BOEDER. 29
THE BEOOMFIELD HILL.
There was a knight and a lady bright
Had a true tryst 1 at the broom ;
The ane ga'ed early in the morning,
The other in the afternoon.
And aye she sat in her mother's bower door,
And aye she made her mane,
'• whether should I gang to the Broomfield hill
Or should I stay at hame 1
" For if I gang to the Broomfield hill,
My maidenhead is gone ;
And if I chance to stay at hame,
My love will ca' me mansworn." —
Up then spake a witch woman,
Aye from the room aboon ;
" O, ye may gang to Broomfield hill
And yet come maiden hame.
1 Tryst— Assignation.
30 MINSTRELSY OF
" Fur when ye come to the Broomfiehl hill,
Ye'll find your love asleep,
With a silver belt about his head,
And a broom-cow 1 at his feet.
" Take ye the blossom of the broom ;
The blossom it smells sweet,
And strew it at your true love's head,
And likewise at his feet.
" Take ye the rings off your fingers,
Put them on his right hand,
To let him know, when he doth awake,
His love was at his command." —
She pu'd the broom flower on Hive-hill,
And strew'd on's white hals bane, 2
And that was to be wittering true,
That maiden she had gane.
" O where were ye, my milk-white steed.
That I hae coft 3 sae dear,
That wadna watch and waken me,
When there was maiden here ?" —
1 A Iroom-cow — A bush of liroom.
2 Hals — Neck. (German.)
* Coft — Bought. From the same root, are the old English
cheap, i.e. market ; German, Kauffmun, i.e. merchant ; Kopen-
kagen, the merchant's haven, &c. &c.
THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 3]
** I stamped wi' my foot, master,
And gar'd my bridle ring ;
But nae kin' thing wald waken ye,
Till she was past and gane." —
" And wae betide ye, my gay goss hawk,
That I did love sae dear,
That wadna watch and waken me,
When there was maiden here." —
" I clapped wi' my wings, master,
And aye my bells I rang,
And aye cry'd, Waken, waken, master,
Before the ladye gang." —
' But haste and haste, my gude white steed,
To come the maiden till,
Or a' the birds of gude green wood
Of your flesh shall have their fill." —
" Ye needna burst your gude white steed,
Wi' racing o'er the howm ; l
Nae bird flies faster through the wood,
Than she fled through the broom."
1 Howm, or holm — a flat ground by a river.
32 iMINSTKELSY OP
PKOUD LADY MARGARET.
7'his ballad was communicated to the Editor by Mb Hamilt'if,
Music-seller, Edinburgh, v:ith whose mother it had been a
favourite. Two verses arid one line were wanting, which art
here supplied from a different Ballad, having a plot some-
what similar. These verses are the 6th and 9th.
'Twas on a night, an evening bright,
When the dew began to fa',
Lady Margaret was walking up and down,
Looking o'er her castle wa\
o
She looked east, and she looked west,
To see what she could spy,
When a gallant knight came in her sight,
And to the gate drew nigh.
" You seem to be no gentleman,
You wear your boots so wide ;
But you seem to be some cunning hunter
You wear the horn so syde." — '
1 Syde — Long or low.
THE SCOTTISH BORDETl 33
"I am no cunning hunter," he said,
" Nor ne'er intend to be ;
But I am come to this castle
To seek the love of thee ;
And if you do not grant me love,
This night for thee I'll die."—
" If you should die for me, sir knight,
There's few for you will mane,
For mony a better has died for me,
Whose graves are growing green.
" But ye maun read my riddle," she said,
" And answer me questions three ;
And but ye read them right," she said,
" Gae stretch ye out and die.
" Now what is the flower, the ae first flower,
Springs either on moor or dale ;
And what is the bird, the bonnie bonnie bird.
Sings on the evening gale 1 " —
" The primrose is the ae first flower
Springs either on moor or dale ;
And the tbristlecock is the bonniest bird
Sings on the evening gale." —
" But what's the little coin," she said.
" Wali buy my castle bound?
VOL Til. C
31 MINSTi:i:).sY OF
And what's the little boat," she sail,
" Can sail the world all round 1 " —
" hey, how mony small pennies
Make thrice thr^e thousand pound 1
Or hey, how mony small fishes
Swim a' the salt sea round 1 " —
" I think ye maun be my match," she said,
" Mv match and something mair,
You are the first e'er got the grant
Of love frae my father's heir.
" My father was lord of nine castles,
My mother lady of three ;
My father was lord of nine castles,
And there's nane to heir but me.
" And round about a' thae castles,
You may baith plow and saw,
And on the fifteenth day of May
The meadows they will maw." —
"0 hald your tongue, Lady Margaret," he stil,
" For loud I hear you lie !
Your father was lord of nine castles,
Your mother was lady of three ;
Your father was lord of nine castles,
But ye fa' heir to but three.
THE SCOTTISH BORDER. M)
" And round about a' thae castles,
You may baith plow and saw,
But on the fifteenth, day of May
The meadows will not maw.
" I am your brother Willie," he said,
" I trow ye ken na me ;
I came to humble your haughty heart,
Has gar'd sae mony die." —
" If ye be my brother Willie," she said,
" As I trow weel ye be,
This night I'll neither eat nor drink.
But gae alang wi' thee." —
" hald your tongue, Lady Margaret," he said,
" Again I hear you lie ;
For ye've unwashen hands, and ye've unwashen feet, 1
To gae to clay wi' me.
" For the wee worms are my bedfellows,
And cauld clay is my sheets ;
And when the stormy winds do blow,
My body lies and sleeps." 2
1 Unwashen hands and umcashen feet — Alluding to the
custom of washing and dressing dead bodies.
2 [In Mr Buchan's Collection, vol. i. p. 31, there is a north -
country edition of this ballad, under the title of ' ' The Courteous
Knight." His is, as usual, a coarse and vulgar version ; but it
30 M I Ns i i; t I - » 01
contains many more stanzas than that in the text ; ami the
knight's farewell speech runs into an edifying lecture on ail
sister's vanity of dress : c. g,
"My body's buried in DumfennUne,
And far beyont the sea,
I :nt day nor night nae rest could
All for the pride o' thee :
"When ye are in the gude kirk set.
The gowd pins in your hair.
Ye tak mair delight in your ftiikless areas
Than ye do in the morning-prayer," ic. — Bo.]
THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 37
THE
ORIGINAL BALLAD
OP
THE BROOM OF COWDENKNOWS.
The beautiful air of Cowdenknows is well lcnoion and popular.
In- Ettrick Forest the following words are uniformly adapted
to the tune, and seem to be the original ballad. An edition
of this pastoral tale, differing considerably from the present
copy, was published by Mr Herd, in 1772. Cowdenknows
is situated upon the Leader, about four miles from Melrose,
and is now the property of Dr Home.
O THE broom, and the bonny bonny broom,
And the broom of the Cowdenknows !
And aye sae sweet as the lassie sang,
I' the bought, milking the ewes.
The hills were high on ilka side,
An' the bought i' the lirk* o' the hill,
And aye, as she sang, her voice it rang,
Out o'er the head o' yon hill.
1 Lirk— Hollow.
10
38 MIN-TI.I I -V OF
There was a troop o' gentlemen
Came riding menilie by,
And one of them has rode out o' the
To the bought to the bonny may.
" Weel may ye save an' see, bonny lass,
An' weel may ye save an' see. v —
"An' sac wi' you, ye weel-bred knight,
And what's your will wi' me ? " —
" The night is misty and mirk, fair may,
And I have ridden astray,
And will you be so kind, fair may,
As come out and point my way?" —
' ; Ride out, ride out, ye ramp rider !
Your steed's baith stout and strong ;
For out of the bought I dare na come,
For fear 'at ye do me wrang." —
" winna ye pity me, bonny lass,
O winna ye pity me ?
An' winna ye pity my poor steed,
Stands trembling at yon tree?" —
" I wadna pity your poor steed,
Though it were tied to a thorn :
For if ye wad gain my love the niu'ht,
Ye wad slight me ere the morn.
THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 39
"For I ken you by your weel-busket hat r
And your ruerrie twinkling ee,
That ye're the Laird o' the Oakland hills,
An' ye may weel seem for to be." —
" But I am not the Laird o' the Oakland hills,
Ye're far mista'en o' me ;
But I'm ane o' the men about his house,
An' right aft in his companie." —
He's ta'en her by the middle jimp,
And by the grass-green sleeve ;
He's lifted her over the fauld-dyke,
And speer'd at her sma' leave.
he's ta'en out a purse o' gowd,
And streek'd her yellow hair,
" Now, take ye that, my bonny may,
Of me till you hear mair." —
he's leapt on his berry-brown steed,
An' soon he's o'erta'en his men ;
And ane and a' cried out to him,
" master, ye've tarry'd lang ! " —
"01 hae been east, and I hae been west,
An' I hae been far o'er the knowes,
But the bonniest lass that ever I saw
Is i' the bought, milking the ewes." — •
I" MINSTUiaSY OP
She Bet the cog 1 upon her head,
An' she's gane winging hame —
O where hae ye been, my ae daughter ?
Ye hae na been your lane." —
"O naebody was wi' me, father,
O naebody has been wi' me ;
The night is misty and mirk, father,
Yee may gang to the door and Bee.
" Cut wae be to your ewe-herd, father,
And an ill deed may he die ;
He bug 2 the bought at the back o' the knowe,
And a tod 3 has fritrhted me.
o
'There came a tod to the bought door,
The like I never saw ;
And ere he had ta'en the lamb he did,
I had lourd 4 he had ta'en them a'." —
O whan fifteen weeks was come and gane,
Fifteen weeks and three,
That lassie began to look thin and pale,
An' to long for his merry twinkling ee.
it fell on a day, on a het simmer day,
She was ca'ing out her father's kye,
1 Cog— Milking-pale.— 2 Bug— Built.— 3 7W Pi *.
* Lourd— Li> f r
THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 4 |
Bye came a troop o' gentlemen,
A' merrilie ruling bye.
" Weel may ye save an' see, bonny may,
Weel may ye save and see !
Weel I wat, ye be a very bonny may,
But whae's aught that babe ye are wi' { : ' —
Never a word could that lassie say,
For never a ane could she blame,
An' never a word could the lassie say,
But " I have a gudeman at hame." —
" Ye lied, ye lied, my very bonny may,
Sae loud as I hear you lie ;
For dinna ye mind that misty night
I was i' the bought wi' thee?
" I ken you by your middle sae jimp,
An' your merry twinkling ee,
Thatye're the bonny lass i' the Cowdenknow,
An' ye may weel seem for to bo." —
Then he's leapt off his berry-brown steed,
An' he's set that fair may on —
" Ca' out your kye, gude father, yourselh
For she's never ca' them out asain.
•Ill 1HN8TBELBI 01
" I am the Laird of the Oakland hills,
I hae thirty plows ami three ;
An' I hae gotten the bonniest lass
That's in a' the south eountru-."
THE SCOTTISH BOK.DER. 43
LORD EANDAL.
Tiiere is a beautiful air to this old ballad. The
hero is more generally termed Lord Ronald ; but 1
willingly follow the authority of an Ettrick Forest
copy for calling bim Randal; because, though the
circumstances are so very different, I think it uot im-
possible, that the ballad may have originally regarded
the death of Thomas Randolph, or Randal, Earl of
Murray, nephew to Robert Bruce, and governor of
Scotland. This great warrior died at Musselburgh,
1332, at the moment when his services were most
necessary to his country, already threatened by an
English army. For this sole reason, perhaps, our
historians obstinately impute his death to poison. See
The Bruce, Book xx. Fordun repeats, and Boece
echoes, this story, both of whom charge the murder on
Edward III. But it is combated successfully by Lord
Kailes, in his Remarks on the History of Scotland.
The substitution of some venomous reptile for food,
or putting it into liquor, was anciently supposed to be
a common mode of administering poison ; as appears
from the following curious account of the death of
44 minstkki.-y Of
King John, extracted from a MS. Chronicle of Eng-
land, penes John Clerk, Esq. advocate. 1 " And, in the
same tyme, the pope sente into Englond a legate, that
men cald Bwalfl, and he was prest cardinal of Rome,
for to mayntene King Johnes cause agens the barons
of Englond ; but the barons had so much pte [poustie,
i.e. power] through Lewys, the kinges eone of Fraunce,
that Kinge Johne wist not wher for to wend ne gone :
and so hitt fell, that he wold have gone to SuchoM
and as he went thedurward, he come by the abbey of
Swinshed, and ther he abode n dayes. And, as he sate
at meat, he askyd a monke of the house, how moche a
lofe was worth, that was before hym sete at the table 1
and the monke sayd that loffe was worthe bot ane half-
penny. ' ! ' quod the Kyng, ' this is a grette cheppe
of brede ; now,' said the king, ' and yff I may, such a
loffe shall be worth xxd. or half a yer be gone :' and
when he said the word, muche he thought, and ofte
tyines sighed, and nome and ete of the bred, and said,
' By Code, the word that I have spokyn shall besothe.'
The monke, that stode before the kyng, was ful sory
in his hert; and thought rather he wold himself suffer
peteous deth; and thought yff he myght ordeyn ther-
fore sum remedy. And anon the monke went unto
his abbott, and was schryvydof him, and toldthe abbott
all that the kyng said, and prayed his abbott to a
1 [Mr Clerk became a judge of the Court of Session by the
title of Lord EMin, and died in 1831.— Ek.]
THE SCOTTISH BOEDER. 45
him, for he wold gyffe the kyng such a v.assayle, that
all Er gland shuld be glad and joyful thereof. Tho
went the monke into a gardene, and fonde a todetherin ;
and toke her upp, and put hyr in a cuppe, and filled
it with good ale, and pryked hyr in every place, in the
cuppe, till the venonie come out in every place ; an
brought hitt befor the kyng, and knelyd, and said,
' Sir, wassayle ; for never in your lyfe drancke ye of
such a cuppe.' — 'Begyne, monke,' quod the king; and
the monke dranke a gret draute, and toke the kyng the
cuppe, and the kyng also drank a grett draute, and set
downe the cuppe. — The monke anon went to the Far-
marye, and ther dyed anone, on whose soule God have
mercy, Amen. And v monkes syng for his soule
especially, and shall while the abbey stondith. The
kyng was anon ful evil at ese, and comaunded to re-
move the table, and askyd aftur the monke ; and men
told him that he was ded, for his wombe was broke
in sondur. When the king herd this tidyng, he
comaundyd for to trusse ; but all hit was for nought,
for his bely began to swelle for the drink that he
dranke, that he dyed within n days, the moro aftur
Seynt Luke's day."
A different account of the poisoning of King John
is given in a MS. Chronicle of England, written in the
minority of Edward III., and contained in the Auchin-
leck MS. of Edinburgh. Though not exactly to our
present purpose, the passage is curious, and I shall
quote it without apology. The author has mentioned
46 MlNSI'KKI.sY < li-
the interdict laid on John's kingdom by the Pope, anil
continues thus : —
" He was ful wroth and grim,
For no prest wald sing for him.
He made tho his parlement,
And swore his croy de veramcnt,
That he shuld make such asaut,
To fede all Inglonde with a spand,
And eke with a white lof,
Therefore I hope 1 he was God-loth.
A monk it herd of Swines heued,
And of his wordes he was adred,
He went hym to his fere,
And seyd to hem in this maner :
' The King has made a sori oth,
That he schal with a white lof
Fede all Inglonde, and with a spand,
Y wis it were a sori saut
And better is that we die to,
Than all Inglond be so wo.
Ye schul for me belles ring,
And after wordes rede and sing ;
So helpe you God, heven King,
Granteth me alle now min asking,
And Ichim wil with puseoun slo,
Ne shall he never Inglond do wo.'
"His brethren him graunt alle his Ixmo,
ne let him shrive swithe sone,
To make his soule fair and clene,
To for our leued i heven queen,
1 Hope, for think.
THE SCOTTISH BOEDER. 47
That sche schuld for him be,
To for her son in trinite.
" Dansimond zede and gadred frut,
For sotbe were plommes white,
The steles 1 he puld out evirichon,
Puisoun he dede therin anon,
And sett the steles al ogen,
That the gile schuld nought be sen.
He dede hem in a coupe of gold,
And went to the kinges bord ;
On knes he him sett,
The king full fair he grett ;
' Sir,' he said, 'by Seynt Austin,
This is frout of our garden,
And gif that your wil be,
Assayet herof after me.'
Pansimond ete frut, on and on,
And al tho other ete King Jon ;
The monk aros, and went his way,
God gif his soule wel gode day ;
He gaf King Jon ther his puisoun,
Himself had that ilk doun,
He dede, it is nouther for mirthe ne ond,
Bot for to save al Inglond.
"The King Jon sate at mete,
His wombe to wex grete ;
He swore his oath, per la croyde,
His wombe wald brest a thre ;
He wald have risen fram the bord
Ac he ne spake never more word :
Thus ended his time,
Y wis he had an evil fine."
» <Kefe*-Stalks.
46 M1N8TEB] -V <>K
Shakspeare, from such old Chronicles, has drawn
his authority for the last fine scone in King John,
But lie probably had it from Caxton, who uses nearly
the words of the prose chronicle. Hemingford tells
the same tale with the metrical historian. It is
certain, that John increased the flux, of which he died,
by the intemperate use of peaches and of ale, which
may have given rise to the story of the poison. — S«
Matthew Paris.
To return to the ballad; there is a very similar song,
in which, apparently to excite greater interest in the
nursery, the handsome young hunter is exchanged for
a little child, poisoned by a false step-mother. 1
1 [This nursery-song is probably that inserted 'n Buclian :.
Collection, 1828, vol. ii. p. 179—" Willie Don," i e. dot*.
" Where liae ye been a' day,
Willie Doo, Willie Doo?
\Yhere h.ie ye been a' day,
Willi*', my duo?
" I've been to see my stepmother,
Mais my bed, lay me down ;
Male my bed, lay md down,
Die shall I now," Ax.— El. 1
THE SCOTTISH BOEDER. 49
LORD RANDAL.
K where hae ye been, Lord Randal, my son?
O where hae ye been, my handsome young man?" —
" I hae been to the wild wood ; mother, make my bed
soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down." —
" Where gat ye your dinner, Lord Randal, my son ?
Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?" —
"I dined wi' my true-love; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down." —
" What gat ye to your dinner, Lord Randal, my son ?
What gat ye to your dinner, my handsome young
man 1 " —
" I gat eels boil'd in broo; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down." —
" What became of your bloodhounds, Lord Randal.
my son?
What became of your bloodhounds, my handsome
young man?" —
VOL. III. D
50 MIN'sTKKt.SY OF
"0 they swell'd and they died; mother, make my bed
soon,
For I'm weary wf hunting, and fain wald lie down."—
"0 1 fear ye are poison'd, Lord Randal, my son!
O I fear ye are poisoned, my hands >me young man!" —
" yes! I am poison'd ; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wald lie down." 1
1 [In the edition of this ballad published by Mr Kinloch in
1827, the name of the hero is Lord Donald— very natural in a
north-country version. The youth is poisoned by B dish of toads,
served up as fish, to which the Editor thinks we owe the Scotch
phrase, of "getting frogs for fish"— i.e. foul play— introduced
in the subsequent ballad of Katharine Janfarie. The last
verse is —
"WTiat will ye leave to your true love, Lord Donald, my son 1
What will ye leave to your true love, my jollie young man f ' —
"The tow and the halter for to hang on yon tree,
AjJ let her hang there for the- poysoning o' me."— P. 113. -En.:
THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 5 I
SIR HUGH LE BLOND.
This ballad is a northern composition, and seems
to have been the original of the legend called Sh
Aldingar, which is printed in the Reliques of Ancient
Poetry. The incidents are nearly the same in both
ballads, excepting that, in Aldingar, an angel combats
for the Queen, instead of a mortal champion. The
names of Aldingar and Rodingham approach near to
each other in sound, though not in orthography, and
the one might, by reciters, be easily substituted for the
other. I think I have seen both the name and the
story in an ancient prose chronicle, but am unable to
make any reference in support of my belief.
The tradition, upon which the ballad is founded, is
universally current in the Mearns ; and the Editor is
informed, that, till very lately, the sword, with which
Sir Hugh le Blond was believed to have defended the
life and honour of the Queen, was carefully preserved
by his descendants, the Viscounts of Arbuthnot. That
Sir Hugh of Arbuthnot lived in the thirteenth century,
is proved by his having, 1282, bestowed the patronage
of the church of Garvoch upon the Monks of Aber-
52 MINSTRELSY OF
brotliwick, for the safety of his soul. — Register of
Aberbrothtoick, quoted l>y Crawford in Peerage. But
I find no instance in history, in which the honour of a
Queen of Scotland was committed to the chance of a
duel. It is true, that Mary, wife of Alexander II.,
was, about 1242, somewhat implicated in a dark story,
concerning the murder of Patrick, Earl of Athole,
burned in his lodging at Haddington, where he had
gone to attend a great tournament. The relations of
the deceased baron accused of the murder Sir "William
Bisat, a powerful nobleman, who appears to have
been in such high favour with the young Queen, that
she offered her oath, as a compurgator, to prove his
innocence. Bisat himself stood upon his defence, and
proffered the combat to his accusers ; but he was
obliged to give way to the tide, and was banished from
Scotland. This affair interested all the northern
barons ; and it is not impossible, that some . share,
taken in it by this Sir Hugh de Arbuthnot, may have
given a slight foundation for the tradition of the
country. — "Wintoun*, book vii. ch. 9. Or, if we
suppose Sir Hugh le Blond to be a predecessor of the
Sir Hugh who flourished in the thirteenth century, he
may have been the victor in a duel, shortly noticed
as having occurred in 1154, when one Arthur, accused
of treason, was unsuccessful in his appeal to the judg-
ment of God. Arthmus regem Malcolm proditunu
dih llo periit. Chron. Sanctaj Crucis, ap. Anglia
Sacra, vol. L p. 1G1.
THE SCOTTISH BOEDER. 53
But, true or false, the incident narrated in the
ballad, is in the genuine style of chivalry. Romances
abound with similar instances, nor are they wanting in
real history. The most solemn part of a knight's oath
was to defend " all widows, orphelines, and maidens of
gude fame." 1 — Lindsay's Heraldry, MS. The love
of arms was a real passion of itself, which blazed yet
more fiercely when united with the enthusiastic
admiration of the fair sex. The Knight of Chaucer
exclaims, with chivalrous energy,
" To fight for a lady ! a benedicite !
It were a lusty sight for to see."
It was an argument, seriously urged by Sir John of
Heinault, for making war upon Edward II. in behalf
of his banished wife, Isabella, that knights were bound
to aid, to their uttermost power, all distressed damsels,
hiving without counsel or comfort.
An apt illustration of the ballad would have been the
combat undertaken by three Spanish champions against
three Moors of Grenada, in defence of the honour of the
Queen of Grenada, wife to Mahommed Chiquito, the last
1 Such an oath is still taken by the Knights of the Bath ; but,
I believe, few of that honourable brotherhood will now consider
it quite so obligatory as the conscientious Lord Herbert of
Cherbury, who gravely alleges it as a sufficient reason for having
challenged divers cavaliers, that they had either snatched from
a lady her bouquet, or ribbon, or by some discourtesy of similar