Now sell me, quoth hee, thy bryde soe gaye,

As shee sitts by thy knee,

And as many gold nobles I will give,

As leaves been on a tree.

And what wold ye doe with my bryde soe gay,
Iff I did sell her thee?

More seemelye it is for her fayre bodye
To lye by mee then thee.

He played agayne both loud and shrille,
And Adler he did syng,

"O ladye, this is thy owne true love;
"Noe harper, but a kyng.

"O ladye, this is thy owne true love,
"As playnlye thou mayest see;
"And fle rid thee of that foule paynìm,
Who partes thy love and thee."

66

The ladye looked, the ladye blushte,
And blushte and lookt agayne,
While Adler he hath drawne his brande,
And hath the Sowdan slayne.

Up then rose the kemperye men,
And loud they gan to crye:

Ah! traytors, yee have slayne our kyng,
And therefore yee shall dye.

Kyng Estmere threwe the harpe asyde,
And swith' he drew his brand;
And Estmere he, and Adler yonge
Right stiffe in stour can stand.

And aye their swordes soe sore can byte,
Throughe help of Gramaryè,

That soone they have slayne the kempery men,
Or forst them forth to flee.

Kyng Estmere tooke that fayre ladyè,
And marryed her to his wiffe,

And brought her home to merry England
With her to leade his life.

1 Swith-swiftly.

SIR PATRICK SPENCE.

A SCOTTISH BALLAD.

A COMPLETER copy of the Ballad is given in the "Minstrelsy of the Border." Haco, King of Norway, died at Orkney, after the battle of Largs, and his son Magnus" soon after gave his son Eric in marriage to Margaret, daughter of Alexander III. On the death of the Scottish monarch, in 1286, the crown descended to his grand-daughter, Margaret, called the Maiden of Norway, where she was detained till 1290. and died at Orkney, on her voyage to Scotland." Scott supposes that "the unfortunate voyage of Sir Patrick Spens may really have taken place for the purpose of bringing back the Maid of Norway to her own kingdom;" but Mr. Finlay regards the mention of hats and high-heeled shoon as indicating either the pen of an interpolator, or a comparatively modern date. A later conjecture ascribes the poem to the ingenious author of "Hardyknute." Coleridge called it a "grand old ballad."

THE king sits in Dumferling toune,
Drinking the blude-reid wine:
O quhar1 will I get guid sailòr,
To sail this schip of mine?

Up and spak an eldern knicht,
Sat at the king's richt kne:
Sir Patrick Spence is the best sailòr,
That sails upon the se.

The king has written a braid3 letter,
And signd it wi' his hand;
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence,
Was walking on the sand."

The first line that Sir Patrick red,
A loud lauch1 lauched he:
The next line that Sir Patrick red,
The teir blinded his ee.

O quha is this has don this deid,
This ill deid don to me;

To send me out this time o'the zeir,"
To sail upon the se?

1 Quhar-where.

* Richt-right.

3 Braid-an open letter, in opposition to close Rolls.

♦ Lauch lauched-laugh laughed.

Teir-tear.

• Quha-who.

7 Zeir-year.

Mak hast, mak haste, my mirry men all,
Our guid schip sails the morne.1
O say na sae, my master deir,
For I feir a deadlie storme.

Late late yestreen I saw the new moone
Wi' the auld moone in hir arme;
And I feir, I feir, my deir mastèr,
That we will com to harme.

O our Scots nobles wer richt laith

To weet their cork-heild schoone;
Bot lang owre a' the play wer playd,
Their hats they swam aboone.

O lang, lang, may thair ladies sit
Wi' thair fans into their hand,
Or eir they se Sir Patrick Spence
Cum sailing to the land.

O lang, lang, may the ladies stand
Wi' thair gold kems3 in their hair,
Waiting for thair ain deir lords,
For they'll se thame na mair.

Have owre, have owre to Aberdour,
It's fiftie fadom deip:

And thair lies guid Sir Patrick Spence,
Wi' the Scots lords at his feit.

ROBIN HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE.

THE stories of ROBIN HOOD Compose the Epic of our greenwoods. Stow says:-" In this time (about the year 1190, in the reign of Richard I.) were many robbers, and outlawes, among the which ROBIN HOOD and LITTLE JOHN, renowned theeves, continued in woods, despoiling and robbing the goods of the rich. They killed none but such as would invade them, or by resistance for their own defence. The said Robert entertained an hundred tall men and good archers with such spoiles and thefts as he got, upon whom 400 (were they ever so strong) durst not give the onset. He suffered no woman to be oppressed, or otherwise molested; poore men's goods he spared, abundantlie reliev

1 The morne-to-morrow morning.

3 Kems-combs.

2 Wet their cork-heeled shoes.

Percy calls Aberdour a village lying on the river Forth, the entrance to which is sometimes denominated De Mortuo Mari; but Mr. Finlay tells us that De Mortuo Mari is only the designation of a family (Mortimer) who were lords of Aberdour.

ing them with that which by theft he got from abbeys and the houses of rich carles." These are features of a popular hero, whose exploits ingenious writers have resolved into a romance, and the picturestories of the archer, into the inventions of the ballad-singer. This theory has been sternly withstood by Mr. Hunter, in his tract on "Robin ;" and the discovery of a "Robyn Hode's pension," from Edward II., is curious, and strengthens the conjecture which puts Robin Hood in that and the following reign. The same critic finds his birth-place either at Wakefield, or some neighbouring village, and believes him to have been an adherent of the Earl of Lancaster, the great baron of those parts, and whose overthrow drove Robin into Sherwood Forest, where he found protection and food. One fact, at least, is clear, that in the 14th century, if not earlier, Robin Hood had become the representative of the English outlaws, and was the favourite subject of the people's songs in the time of Edward III.

WHEN shaws' beene sheene, and shradds2 full fayre,
And leaves both large and longe,

Itt is merrye walking in the fayre forrèst
To heare the small birdes' songe.

The woodweele3 sang, and wold not cease,
Sitting upon the spraye,

So lowde, he wakened Robin Hood,
In the greenwood where he lay.

Now by my faye,' said jollye Robìn,
A sweaven' I had this night;
I dreamt me of tow wighty yemen,
That fast with me can fight.

Methought they did mee beate and binde,
And tooke my bow mee froe ;6
If I be Robin alive in this lande,
Ile be wroken? on them towe.

Sweavens are swift, master, quoth John,
As the wind that blowes ore a hill;
For if itt be never so loude this night,
To-morrow itt may be still.

Buske yee, bowne yee, my merry men all,
And John shall goe with mee,

For Ile goe seeke yond wight yeomen,
In greenwood where the bee.

1 Shaws, &c.-Woods are shining.

2 Shradds-perhaps swards-i. e., the surface of the ground; meaning, "when the fields are in their beauty."

3 Woodweele-a kind of thrush.

5 Sweaven-dream.

Faye-faith.

6 Mee froe-from me.

Wroken-revenged. 8 Buske yee, bowne yee-dress ye, get ye ready. ·

Then the cast on their gownes of grene,
And tooke theyr bowes each one;
And they away to the greene forrèst
A shooting forth are gone;

Until they came to the merry greenwood,
Where they had gladdest bee,

There were the ware of a wight yeomàn,
His body leaned to a tree.

A sword and a dagger he wore by his side,
Of manye a man the bane ;3

And he was clad in his capull hyde1
Topp and tayll and mayne.5

Stand you still, master, quoth Litle John,
Under this tree so grene,

And I will go to yond wight yeoman
To know what he doth meane.

Ah! John, by me thou settest noe store,
And that I farley" finde:

How offt send I my men beffore,

And tarry my selfe behinde?

It is no cunning a knave to ken,

And a man but heare him speake;

And itt were not for bursting of my oowe,
John, I thy head wold breake.

As often wordes they breeden bale,7
So they parted Robin and John;
And John is gone to Barnesdale :
The gates he knoweth eche one.

But when he came to Barnesdale,
Great heavinesse there hee hadd,
For he found tow of his owne fellowes
Were slain both in a slade.9

And Scarlette he was flyinge a-foote
Fast over stocke and stone,

For the sheriffe with seven score men
Fast after him is gone.

1 Were the ware-were they aware.

3 Bane-the curse.

6 Farley-wonder. 8 Gates-ways, or passes.

2 Wight-lusty.

Capull hyde-horse-hide. 5 Mayne-mane. 7 Breeden bale-breed mischief.

9 Slade-a valley between woods.