be the object of so warm a passion as this elegy supposes. He has been since informed, that it entirely refers to a private story: A young lady of the name of Bothwell, or rather Boswell, having been, together with her child, deserted by her husband or lover, composed these affecting lines herself, which here are given from a copy in the Editor's folio MS. corrected by another in Allan Ramsay's Miscellany.'1 BALOW, my babe, lye still and sleipe! It grieves me sair to see thee weipe : Balow, my babe, ly stil and sleipe, Whan he began to court my luve, 5 10 Balow, &c. 15 Lye still, my darling, sleipe a while, Balow, &c. 20 1 She was daughter of a Bishop of Orkney, who also had the title of Lord Holyroodhouse. Her lover was Sir Alex. Erskine, third son of John Earl of Marr. He is said to have perished at Dunglass Castle, Aug. 1640, and the lady died broken-hearted.ED.-2 When sugar was first imported into Europe, it was a very great dainty; and therefore the epithet sugred is used by all our old writers metaphorically to express extreme and delicate sweetness. (See above, No. XI. v. 10.) Sugar at present is cheap and common; and therefore suggests now a coarse and vulgar idea. I cannae chuse, but ever will Be luving to thy father still: Balow, &c. . Bot doe not, doe not, prettie mine, Balow, &c. Bairne, sin thy cruel father is gane, He'll comfort me when cares doe grieve: Balow, &c. Fareweil, fareweil, thou falsest youth, XIV. THE MURDER OF THE KING OF SCOTS. The catastrophe of Henry Stewart, lord Darnley, the unfortunate husband of Mary Q. of Scots, is the subject of this ballad. It is here related in that partial imperfect manner, in which such an event would naturally strike the subjects of another kingdom; of which he was a native. Henry appears to have been a vain, capricious, worthless young man, of weak understanding, and dissolute morals. But the beauty of his person, and the inexperience of his youth, would dispose mankind to treat him with an indulgence, which the cruelty of his murder would afterwards convert into the most tender pity and regret and then imagination would not fail to adorn his memory with all those virtues he ought to have possessed. This will account for the extravagant elogium bestowed upon him in the first stanza, &c. Henry lord Darnley was eldest son of the Earl of Lennox, by the lady Margaret Douglas, niece of Henry VIII. and daughter of Margaret queen of Scotland by the Earl of Angus, whom that princess married after the death of James IV. Darnley, who had been born and educated in England, was but in his twenty-first year, when he was murdered, Feb. 9, 1567-8. This crime was perpetrated by the E. of Bothwell, not out of respect to the memory of Rizzio, but in order to pave the way for his own marriage with the queen. This ballad (printed, with a few corrections, from the Editor's folio MS.) seems to have been written soon after Mary's escape into England in 1568, see v. 65. It will be remembered at v. 5, that this princess was Queen dowager of France, having been first married to Francis II. who died Dec. 4, 1560. WOE worth, woe worth thee, false Scotlande! The queene of France a letter wrote, And sealed itt with harte and ringe; 5 And bade him come Scotland within, And shee wold marry and crowne him kinge. To be a king is a pleasant thing, To bee a prince unto a peere: But you have heard, and soe have I too, A man may well buy gold too deare. 10 There was an Italyan in that place, Chamberlaine to the queene was hee. If the king had risen forth of his place, Altho the kinge had beene present there. Some lords in Scotlande waxed wroth, Twelve daggers were in him att once. 15 20 When the queene saw her chamberlaine was slaine, 25 And made a vowe for a yeare and a day Then some of the lords they waxed wrothe, With gun-powder they strewed his roome, To bedd the king he made him bowne; He was noe sooner cast on sleepe, Ver. 15, sic MS. 30 35 40 Up he lope, and the window brake, 'Who have wee here?' lord Bodwell sayd. King Henry the eighth my uncle was; 'Who have we here?' lord Bodwell sayd, 'Now answer me when I doe speake.' 'Ah, lord Bodwell, I know thee well; Some pitty on me I pray thee take.' 'Ile pitty thee as much,' he sayd, 'And as much favor show to thee, Through halls and towers the king they ledd, Through an arbor into an orchard, There on a peare-tree hanged him hye. When the governor of Scotland heard He pèrsued the queen so bitterlye, That in Scotland shee dare not remaine. But she is fledd into merry England, And here her residence hath taine; And through the queene of Englands grace, 1 Pronounced after the northern manner dee. 45 50 55 60 65 |