Now let us all for the Percy praye To bryng his sowle to the blysse of heven, 165 afterwards. (Fuller, 313.) In Nicholson this name is spelt Da Lovel, p. 305. This seems to be the ancient family of Delavel, of Seaton Delavel, in Northumberland, whose ancestor was one of the twenty-five barons appointed to be guardians of Magna Charta. Most of the names in the two preceding ballads, are found to have belonged to families of distinction in the North, as may be made appear from authentic records. Thus in THE ANCIENT BALLAD OF CHEVY CHASE. Ver. 112, Agerstone.] The family of HAGGERSTON of Haggerston, near Berwick, has been seated there for many centuries, and still remains. Thomas Haggerston was among the commissioners returned for Northumberland in 12 Hen. VI., 1433. (Fuller's Worthies, p. 310.) The head of this family at present is Sir Thomas Haggerston, Bart. of Haggerston above mentioned. N. B. The name is spelt Agerstone, as in the text, in Leland's Itinerary, vol. vii. p. 54. Ver. 113, Hartly.] Hartley is a village near the sea in the barony of Tinemouth, about 7 miles from North Shields. It probably gave name to a family of note at that time. Ver. 114, Hearone.] This family, one of the most ancient, was long of great consideration, in Northumberland. Haddeston, the Caput Baronia of Heron, was their ancient residence. It descended, 25 Edw. I., to the heir general Emiline Heron, afterwards Baroness Darcy.-Ford, &c. and Bockenfield (in. com. eodum) went at the same time to Roger Heron, the heir male; whose descendants were summoned to Parliament: Sir William Heron, of Ford Castle, being summoned 44 Edw. III. Ford Castle hath descended by heirs general to the family of Delaval (mentioned in the next article.)-Robert Heron, Esq., who died at Newark, in 1753 (father of the Right Hon. Sir Richard Heron, Bart.), was heir male of the Herons of Bockenfield, a younger branch of this family.--Sir Thomas Heron Middleton, Bart., is heir male of the Herons of Chip-chase, another branch of the Herons of Ford Castle. Ver. 115, Lovele.] Joh. de Lavale, miles, was sheriff of Northumberland, 34 Hen. VII. Joh. de Lavale, mil., in the 1 Edw. VI. and V. 165, Percyes, Harl. MS. Ver. 117, Rugbè.] The ancient family of Rokeby, in Yorkshire, seems to be here intended. In Thoresby's Ducat. I eod. p. 253. fol. is a genealogy of this house, by which it appears that the head of the family, about the time when this ballad was written, was Sir Ralph Rokeby, Knt. Ralph being a common name of the Rokebys. Ver. 119, Wetharrington.] Rog. de Widrington was sheriff of Northumberland in 36 of Edw. III. (Fuller, p. 311.) Joh. de Widrington in 11 of Hen. IV., and many others of the same name afterwards. Nicholson, p. 331. Of this family was the late Lord Witherington. See also Ver. 101, Mentaye.] At the time of this battle, the Earldom of Menteith was possessed by Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife, third son of King Robert II., who, according to Buchanan, commanded the Scots that entered by Carlisle. But our minstrel had probably an eye to the family of Graham, who had this earldom when the ballad was written. See Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, 1764, fol. Ver. 103, Huntleye.] This shows this ballad was not composed before 1449; for in that year Alexander Lord of Gordon and Huntley was created Earl of Huntley by King James II. Ver. 105, Bowghan.] The Earl of Buchan at that time was Alexander Stewart, fourth son of King Robert II. Ver. 107.. Jhonstone-Maxwell.] These two families of Johnstone, Lord of Johnston, and Maxwell, Lord of Maxwell, were always very powerful on the borders. Of the former family was Johnston Marquis of Annandale; of the latter was Maxwell Earl of Nithsdale. I cannot find that any chief of this family was named Sir Hugh; but Sir Herbert Maxwell was about this time much distinguished. (See Doug.) This might have been originally written Sir H. Maxwell, and by transcribers converted into Sir Hugh. So above, in No I. v. 90, Richard is contracted into Ric. Ver. 109, Swynton,] i. e. The Laird of Swintone; a small village within the Scottish border, 3 miles from Norham. This family still subsists, and is very ancient. Ver. 112, Agurstone.] The seat of this family was sometimes subject to the Kings of Scotland. Thus Richardus Hagerstoun, miles, is one of the Scottish knights who signed a treaty with the English in 1249, temp. Hen. III. (Nicholson, p. 2, note.) It was the fate of many parts of Northumberland often tc change their masters, according as the Scottish or English arms prevailed. Ver. 129, Morrey.] The person here meant was probably Sir Charles Murray of Cockpoole, who flourished at that time, and was ancestor of the Murrays some time Earls of Annandale. See Doug. Peerage. Ver. 139, Fitz-hughe.] Dugdale (in his Baron, vol. i. p. 403) informs us that John, son of Henry Lord Fitzhugh, was killed at the battle of Otterbourne. This was a Northumberland family. Vid. Dugd. p. 403, col. 1, and Nicholson, pp. 33, 60. Ver. 111, Scotte.] The illustrious family of Scot, ancestors of the Duke of Buccleugh, always made a great figure on the borders. Sir Walter Scot was at the head of this fam- Ver. 141, Harebotell.] Harbottle is a vilily when the battle was fought; but his great-lage upon the river Coquet, about 10 miles grandson, Sir David Scot, was the hero of west of Rothbury. The family of Harbottle that house when the ballad was written. was once considerable in Northumberland. (See Fuller, pp. 312, 313.) A daughter of Guischard Harbottle, Esq., married Sir Thomas Percy, knt., son of Henry, the fifth, and father of Thomas, the seventh, Earls of Northumberland. Ibid. Stewarde.] The person here designed was probably Sir Walter Stewart, Lord of Dalswinton and Gairlies, who was eminent at that time. (See Doug.) From him is descended the present Earl of Galloway. III. The Jew's Daughter, A SCOTTISH BALLAD, Is founded upon the supposed practice | petrators, and the inadequate motives they of the Jews in crucifying or otherwise mur- could have to excite them to a crime of so thering Christian children, out of hatred to much horror; we may reasonably conclude the religion of their parents; a practice which the whole charge to be groundless and malihath been always alleged in excuse for the cious. cruelties exercised upon that wretched people, but which probably never happened in a single instance. For, if we consider, on the one hand, the ignorance and superstition of the times when such stories took their rise, the virulent prejudices of the monks who record them, and the eagerness with which they would be catched up by the barbarous populace as a pretence for plunder; on the other hand, the great danger incurred by the per The following ballad is probably built upon some Italian Legend, and bears a great resemblance to the Prioresse's Tale in Chaucer: the poet seems also to have had an eye to the known story of Hugh of Lincoln, a child said to have been there murthered by the Jews in the reign of Henry III. The conclusion of this ballad appears to be wanting: what it probably contained may be seen in Chaucer. As for Mirryland Toun, it is pro bably a corruption of Milan (called by the Dutch Meylandt) Town: the Pa is evidently the river Po, although the Adige, not the Po, runs through Milan. And laughing said, Gae nou and pley Scho rowd him in a cake of lead, Printed from a MS. copy sent from Scotland. Scho cast him in a deip draw-well, Was fifty fadom deip. THE rain rins doun through Mirry-land toune, Quhan bells wer rung, and mass was sung, Than out and cam the Jewis dochter, Said, Will ye cum in and dine? "I winnae cum in, I cannae cum in, Without my play-feres nine." Scho powd an apple reid and white And scho has taine out a little pen-knife, And every lady went hame: 5 Scho rowd hir mantil hir about, 10 Scho has twin'd the zong thing and his life; A word he nevir spak mair. My bonny Sir Hew, my pretty Sir Hew, "O lady, rinn to the deip draw-well, Lady Helen ran to the deip draw-well, And knelt upon her kne: 25 30 35 40 My bonny Sir Hew, and ze be here, 15 And out and cam the thick thick bluid, A keen pen-knife sticks in my hert, Scho laid him on a dressing borde, And drest him like a swine, And at the back o' Mirry-land toun IV. Sir Cauline. THIS old romantic tale was preserved in the Editor's folio MS., but in so very defective and mutilated a condition (not from any chasm in the MS., but from great omission in the transcript, probably copied from the faulty recitation of some illiterate minstrel), and the whole appeared so far short of the perfection it seemed to deserve, that the Editor was tempted to add several stanzas in the first part, and still more in the second, to connect and complete the story in the manner which appeared to him most interesting and affecting. There is something peculiar in the metre of this old ballad: it is not unusual to meet with redundant stanzas of six lines; but the occasional insertion of a double third or fourth line, as ver. 31, &c., is an irregularity I do not remember to have seen elsewhere. It may be proper to inform the reader before he comes to Pt. 2, v. 110, 111, that the Round Table was not peculiar to the reign of King Arthur, but was common in all the ages of Chivalry. The proclaiming a great tournament (probably with some peculiar solemnities) was called "holding a Round Table." Dugdale tells us that the great baron Roger de Mortimer "having procured the honour of knighthood to be conferred on his thre sons' by K. Edw. I., he, at his own costs, caused a tourneament to be held at Kenilworth; where he sumptuously entertained an hundred knights, and as many ladies, for three days; the like whereof was never be fore in England; and there began the Round Table (so called by reason that the place wherein they practised those feats was environed with a strong wall made in a round form:) And upon the fourth day, the golden lion, in sign of triumph, being yielded to him; he carried it (with all the company) to Warwick.”—It may further be added, that Matthew Paris frequently calls justs and tournaments Hastiludia Mensa Rotunda. As to what will be observed in this ballad of the art of healing being practised by a young princess; it is no more than what is usual in all the old romances, and was conformable to real manners: it being a practice derived from the earliest times among all the Gothic and Celtic nations, for women even of the highest rank, to exercise the art of surgery. In the Northern Chronicles we always find the young damsels stanching the wounds of their lovers, and the wives those of their husbands. And even so late as the time of Queen Elizabeth, it is mentioned among the accomplishments of the ladies of her court, that the "eldest of them are skilful in surgery." See Harrison's Description of England, prefixed to Hollingshed's Chronicle, &c. THE FIRST PART. IN Ireland, ferr over the sea, There dwelleth a bonnye kinge; And with him a yong and comlye knighte, Men call him Syr Cauline. See Northern Antiquities, &c., vol. i. p. 318, vol. ii. p. 100, Mémoires de la Chevalerie, tom. i. p. 44. |