Ancient Ballads Traditionally Sung in New England, Volume 3: Child Ballads 95-243 9781512820911

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e f f i c i e n t jQ5affa8$ Traditionally Sung in New England

Traditionally Sung in New England From the Helen Hartness Flanders Ballad Collection Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont

*

Compiled and Edited by

HELEN HARTNESS FLANDERS # Correlated with the numbered Francis James Child Collection

VOLUME III • Ballads 95-243 * Critical Analyses by

Tristram P. Coffin

Music Annotations by

Bruno Nettl

Philadelphia • University of Pennsylvania Press

© 1963 by Helen Hartness Flanders All Rights Reserved Published in Great Britain, India, and Pakistan by the Oxford University Press London, Bombay, and Karachi Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: M59-1030

7377 Printed in the United States of America

Contents Transcribers Abbreviations

of Tunes 7 Used in the Headnotes

Abbreviations notations

Used to Refer 11

The

to Tune

to the Ballads Collections

9

in the Musical

An-

Ballads

THE MAID FREED FROM THE GALLOWS (95) THE GAY GOSHAWK (96) JOHNNY SCOT (99) WILLIE O WINSBURY (100) THE BAILIFF S DAUGHTER OF ISLINGTON (105) THE FAMOUS FLOWER OF SERVINGMEN (106) THE BAFFLED KNIGHT (112) THE BOLD PEDLAR AND ROBIN HOOD (132) ROBIN HOOD RESCUING T H R E E SQUIRES (140) ROBIN HOOD AND T H E BISHOP (143) SIR HUGH, or THE J E W S DAUGHTER (155) QUEEN ELEANOR'S CONFESSION (156) GUDE WALLACE (157) THE HUNTING OF THE CHEVIOT, or CHEVY CHASE (162) KING HENRY THE FIFTH'S CONQUEST OF FRANCE (164) THE ROSE OF ENGLAND (166) JOHNIE ARMSTRONG (169) THE DUKE OF BEDFORD (170) MARY HAMILTON (173) NORTHUMBERLAND BETRAYAL BY DOUGLAS (176) CAPTAIN CAR, or EDOM O GORDON (178) THE BONNIE EARL OF M U R R A Y (181) THE BONNIE HOUSE OF AIRLIE (199) THE GYPSY LADDIE (200)

5

15 43 45 57 67 77 89 101 107 117 119 127 133 135 145 149 153 159 163 171 173 185 191 193

6

CONTENTS

GEORDIE (209) BONNIE JAMES CAMPBELL (210) SIR JAMES T H E ROSS (213) T H E BRAES OF YARROW (214) T H E SQUIRE OF EDINBOROUGHTOWN (221) LIZIE LINDSAY (226) H U N T I N G T O W E R (232) JOHNNY DOYLE (239) JAMES HARRIS, or T H E DAEMON LOVER (243) Index

323

Geographical Index

325

231 237 239 255 261 269 273 279 287

Transcribers of Tunes Transcribers are identified by initial: M. O.—Marguerite Olney H. E. F. B.—Elizabeth Flanders Ballard P. B.—Phillips Barry G. B.—George Brown H. H. F.—Helen Hartness Flanders All tunes in Volume III were transcribed by M. O. except as noted below: Child Number 95 95 95 95 95 95 100 105 105 132 155 164 170 173 200 200 200 221

Version A B2 E1 E2 F G B A B B B A C B N P A 7

Transcriber G. B. H. E. F. B. H. E. F. B. H. E. F. B. H. E. F. B. G. B. H. E. F. B. G. B. and M. O. P. B. G. B. G. B. P. B. G. B. H. E. F. B. H. E. F. B. H. E. F. B. P. B. H. E. F. B.

8

Child Number 243 243 243 243 243 243 243

ANCIENT BALLADS

Version A D E1 I J L N1

H. H. H. H. H. G. P.

Transcriber H. F. E. F. B. E. F. B. E. F. B. E. F. B. B. B.

Abbreviations Used in the Headnotes to the Ballads Books Aarne-Thompson: Aarne, Antti and Thompson, Stith. Types of the Folk-Tale (Folklore Fellows Communications 74, Helsinki, 1928). Barry: Barry, Phillips and others. British Ballads from Maine (New Haven, 1929). Belden: Belden, H. M. Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folklore Society (University of Missouri studies, XV, Columbia, Mo., 1940). Boggs: Boggs, Ralph. Index of Spanish Tales (Folklore Fellows Communications 90, Helsinki, 1930). Child: Child, Francis J. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (5 vols.; Boston, 1882-1898). Coffin: Coffin, Tristram P. The British Traditional Ballad in North America (Philadelphia, 1950). Dean-Smith: Dean-Smith, Margaret. A Guide to English Folk Song Collections, 1822-1952 (Liverpool, 1954). Greig and Keith: Greig, Gavin and Keith, Alexander. Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads, etc. (Aberdeen, 1925). Laws, ABBB: Laws, G. Malcolm. American Balladry from British Broadsides (Philadelphia, 1957). Ord: Ord, John. The Bothy Songs and Ballads of Aberdeen, Banff, and Moray, etc. (Paisley, 1930). 9

10

ANCIENT

BALLADS

Periodicals BFSSNE: Bulletin of the Folk-Song Society of the Northeast, I-XII (Cambridge, Mass., 1930-37). FFC: Folklore Fellows Communications (Helsinki, 1922 ). HFQ: Hoosier Folklore Quarterly (Bloomington, Indiana, 1942-50). JAF: Journal of American Folklore (Philadelphia, 1888 ). JFSS: Journal of the Folk-Song Society (London, 18991936). MLN: Modern Language Notes (Baltimore, 1886 ). NYFQ: New York Folklore Quarterly (Ithaca, New York, 1945 ). PMLA: Publications of the Modern Language Association (Baltimore, 1886 ). SFQ: Southern Folklore Quarterly (Gainesville, Florida, 1937 ). WF: Western Folklore (Berkeley, California, 1942 ). Other books are given with complete title, date, and place of publication, and other pertinent information when mentioned in the headnotes. References to previous publications by Mrs. Flanders are given by the title of the book. Ballads Migrant in New England (with M. OIney [New York, 1953]). Country Songs of Vermont (with H. Norfleet [New York, 1937]). A Garland of Green Mountain Song (with H. Norfleet [Boston, 1934]). The New Green Mountain Songster (with E. Ballard, P. Barry, and G. Brown [New Haven, 1939]). Vermont Folk-Songs & Ballads (with G. Brown [Brattleboro, Vt„ 1931]).

Abbreviations Used to Refer to Tune Collections in the Musical Annotations AA

Arnold, Byron, Folksongs of Alabama (University, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1950). BC1 Bronson, Bertrand Harris, The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1959) Vol. I. BES Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, British Ballads from Maine (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1929). BF Barry, Phillips, Folk Music in America (New York: National Service Bureau, 1939). BI Brewster, Paul G., Ballads and Songs of Indiana (Bloomington: Indiana University, 1940). BM Beiden, Henry M., Ballads and Songs Collected by the Missouri Folk-Lore Society (Columbia: University of Missouri, 1940). BP Bayard, Samuel P., "The British Folk Tradition" in George Korson (ed.), Pennsylvania Songs and Legends (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1949). CNS Creighton, Helen, Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia (Toronto: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1932). CS Cox, John Harrington, Folk-Songs of the South (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1925). CWV Cox, John Harrington, Folk-Songs mainly from West Virginia (New York: National Service Bureau, 1939). DV Davis, Arthur Kyle, Traditional Ballads of Virginia (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1929). EO Eddy, Mary Olive, Ballads and Songs from Ohio (New York: J . J . Augustin, 1939).

12

ANCIENT

BALLADS

FCB4

The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, Vol. IV, "The Music of the Ballads" (ed.) Jan P. Schinhan (Durham, N.C.; Duke University Press, 1958). GCM Gardner, Emelyn E. and Chickering, Geraldine J., Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1939). GN Greenleaf, Elisabeth B. (ed.), Ballads and Songs of Newfoundland (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1933). LNE Linscott, Eloise H., Folk Songs of Old New England (New York: Macmillan, 1939). MF Morris, Alton C., Folksongs of Florida (Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1950). MK McGill, Josephine, Folk Songs of the Kentucky Mountains (New York: Bossey, 1917). ROl Randolph, Vance, Ozark Folksongs, Vol. I (Columbia; The State Historical Society of Missouri, 1946-1950). SAA Smith, Reed, American Anthology of Old World Ballads (New York: J. Fisher & Bro., 1937). Sharp 1 Sharp, Cecil James, English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, Vol. I (2nd and enlarged edition; London, New York: Oxford University Press, 1952). SSC Smith, Reed, South Carolina Ballads (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1928). W B T Wells, Evelyn K„ The Ballad Tree (New York: Ronald Press Co., 1950). Child Ballads 13, 14 C, 45 B s , 53 F, 79 A, 105 A, 140 A 2 , and 278 L are to be found on the long-playing record, New England Folksong Series No. 1, issued and distributed by Middlebury College.

Traditionally Sung in New England

The Maid Freed from the Gallows (Child 95)

"The Maid Freed from the Gallows" has been studied as thoroughly as any Child ballad: perhaps because it is known all over the Western world, perhaps because it is a sort of model folk song with its simple plot, question and answer structure, and incremental repetition. The original story probably involved a girl who was captured by pirates. The brigands, eager for ransom, take her to her father, mother, brother, sister, and so forth, seeking gold. They all refuse, until finally her sweetheart (or husband) says he'd rather lose all his wealth than lose her. Later, when her father, mother, brother, etc., die, she dresses in gaudy colors, saying only her sweetheart is worthy of black. This plot is usually much abridged in Britain and America, and the scene is shifted to a gallows tree where the girl is to be hung for an unknown crime or for losing a golden comb, key, or ball that some scholars have associated with her virginity. In these versions, a judge or hangman is addressed at the opening, and the "gaudy colors for mourning" portion is left out. Erich Pohl's monograph in FFC, No. 105, 1-265, gives a detailed history of the song, as does Iivar Kemppinen's Lunastettava neito (Helsinki, 1957). For other interesting articles, see Child, II, 346 f., where the European analogues are summarized; Sager's essay in Modern Philology, XXVIII, 129 f.; Reed Smith, South Carolina Ballads (Cambridge, Mass., 1928), Chapter 8; Dorothy Scarborough, On the Trail of the Negro Folk-Song (Cambridge, Mass., 15

16

ANCIENT BALLADS

1925), 35 f.; Lucy Broadwood's remarks in JFSS, V, 231; George Lyman Kittredge's remarks in JAF, X X X , 319; Phillips Barry, British Ballads from Maine, 210-213; and Belden, 66. T h e famous treatment of the song by Kittredge in the one-volume Cambridge Edition of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (Boston and New York, 1904), xi-xxxi, is a museum piece also worth noting. T h e ballad, though quite consistent throughout its many travels, has been used in a number of different ways—as a lyric, a game, a drama, a play-party dance, a cantefable, a folktale. Coffin, 98-99, opens a fairly extensive list of references for each of these developments. He also treats the plot oddities (the man at the gallows, the mother's rescue of her son, the hanging of the maid, etc.) that have occurred in America. T h e Flanders texts of the song are rather unusual. T h e normal opening: "Hangsman, Hangsman, hold your rope awhile," known all over America, was not collected for the Archive, although Barry, op. cit., 206, gives an example from Maine. T h e A text, from Ireland, is of course of much the same general sort as Barry's find, as may well be the Midwestern variants B 1 and B 2 with their "mellow tree" burden. B 1 and B 2 are quite typical of the most common New World forms in all except the burden. The golden ball, mentioned in A, is not extremely unusual in America (see Barry, op. cit., 207), but is more popular in Britain and in the West Indian cantefables. T h e C - G series, called "James Derry," or " T h e Streets of Derry," is listed by Barry, op. cit., 389393, as a "secondary form" of Child 95. This is an Irish rewriting of " T h e Maid Freed from the Gallows" that may be connected to the uprisings of 1798. It is a fine example of balladry and well worth inclusion in the extensive canon of the famous plot. For bibliographical material on the texts of Child 95,

T H E MAID FREED FROM T H E GALLOWS

17

refer to Coffin, 96-99 (American); Dean-Smith, 86, and Belden, 66 (English). References to European analogues can be had through the citations in Child, the FFC monograph, Kemppinen's book, and the Modern Philology article mentioned above. See also Paul Brewster, Ballads and Songs of Indiana (Indiana University Publications, Folklore Series, No. 1, 1940), 125 (Hungarian); NYFQ, II, 139 (Italian); and SFQ, V, 25 (Rumanian). A fragment from a "Derry" text is given in JAF,XXVl, 175.

T h e eight tunes for Child 95 can be divided into one large group (Hayes, Luther, Robie, Finnemore, and possibly Halvosa) and three separate, apparently unrelated ones (Sullivan, Coffin, Merrill). Even though many tunes for Child 95 are included in the standard American collections, it is difficult to find tunes related to those in this collection. A The fullest version of this song came from the memory of Mrs. Ellen M. Sullivan in Springfield, Vermont. Mrs. Sullivan said she was seventy-five years old, and she remembered this from her childhood in County Cork, Ireland. H. H. F., Collector August 15,1932 Structure: A B 1 B2 C (4,4,4,6); Rhythm C; Contour: arclike, with pendulum movement; Scale: hexatonic

t.c. G. For mei. rei., see R O l , 143; possibly SSC, 37.

18

ANCIENT BALLADS

Lord James P

I l / lg>

"Oh,

stop your hand, Lord James, Oh,

while.

^ J

moth - er,

par - don

tee

JI J

J

J

I

I

see

think

J* i J J

Com - ing

%

Tr. G. B.

the

Did you

get

for

a

moth - er.

#—f 4 = 1 f = * = i 0 » a

J = r '=J=1

a - long

my

stop it

stile.

my

from

the Queen,

hung

Up - on

O moth - er, dear - est

gold - en

Or

ball

Or

did you come

my

to

1 me

Lord.

this

wil - low

tree?"

James

"Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while. I think I see my mother Coming along the stile. "O mother, dearest mother, Did you get my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?" 1 'Mrs. Sullivan remarked that a willow tree in England grows immense and is the choice for gallows.

T H E MAID FREED FROM T H E CALLOWS

"I have not got your golden ball Or your pardon from the Queen, But I came to see you hung Upon this willow tree." "Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while; I think I see my father Coming along the stile. "O father, dearest father, Did you find my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?" "I have not got your golden ball Or your pardon from the Queen, But I came to see you hung Upon this willow tree." "Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while. I think I see my brother Coming along the stile. "O brother, dearest brother, Have you got my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?" "I have not got your golden ball Or your pardon from the Queen, But I came to see you hung Upon this willow tree." "Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while.

19

20

ANCIENT BALLADS

I think I see my sister Coming along the stile. " O sister, dearest sister, Have you got my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?" " I have not got your golden ball Or your pardon from the Queen, But I came to see you hung Upon this willow tree." "Oh, stop your hand, Lord James, Oh, stop it for a while. I think I see my true love Coming along the stile. " O true love, dearest true love, Have you got my golden ball Or my pardon from the Queen, Or did you come to see me hung Upon this willow tree?" " I . . . found your golden ball And your pardon from the Queen, And I did not come to see you hung Upon this willow tree." B1 Sung by Dr. Robert P. Tristram Coffin of Brunswick, Maine. He learned this from a man in Indianapolis, who in turn learned it from a Negro. M. Olney, Collector October 27, 1943

21

T H E MAID FREED FROM T H E GALLOWS

Structure: A B C D (1,1,1,1); Rhythm divergent; Contour: arc; Scale: hexatonic

$

£

t.c. G. Note the small range (minor sixth) For mei. rei., see possibly R O l , 145.

Under the Creep-0 Mellow Tree

Tr. M. O.

T^ffi—P

?

—F

"Moth - er,

For

rrnti—*

faster

For

»

-JZ*

C K

set

to —ß—

am

I

Slowly

—0—

^ mi

Un - der

F 1 V

V

moth - er,

Faster

Little

I*

the

bring

me

gold,

f>

me

free,

go - ing

creep -

*

f

(

m.

?

f r -

o,

— t : to

m

: be

0—

mei - low

Under the Creep-O Mellow

Tree

"Mother, mother, bring me gold, For to set me free, For I am going to be hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "No, Georgie, no, I've brung no gold, For to set you free, For I have come to see you hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree."

-

J-

I

M

:

hung» r>

tree."

il

22

ANCIENT

BALLADS

"Father, father, bring me gold, For to set me free, For I am going to be hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "No, Geòrgie, no, I've brung no gold, For to set you free, For I have come to see you hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "Sister, sister, bring me gold, For to set me free, For I am going to be hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "No, brother, no, I've brung no gold, For to set you free, For I have come to see you hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "Uncle, uncle, bring me gold, For to set me free, For I am going to be hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "No, nephew, no, I've brung no gold, For to set you free. For I have come to see you hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "Grandma, grandma, bring me gold, For to set me free, For I am going to be hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "No, Geòrgie, no, I've brung no gold, For to set you free,

T H E MAID FREED FROM T H E

CALLOWS

23

For I have come to see you hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "Cousin, cousin, bring me gold, For to set me free, For I am going to be hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "No, cousin, no, I've brung no gold, For to set you free, For I have come to see you hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "Sweetheart, sweetheart, bring me gold, For to set me free, For I am going to be hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree." "Yes, Georgie, yes, I've brung the gold, For to set you free. I could not bear to see you hung, Under the creep-o, mellow tree."

52 As sung by Mrs. Peggy Coffin Halvosa of Barre, Vermont, formerly of Brunswick, Maine. She said: "My father was Robert Peter Tristram Coffin, the poet, of Brunswick, Maine. This is one I learnt very early. It is a song about a man who was put in prison. He's going to be hung on this day, and his folks come to see him. He keeps asking different people if they have brought the money to set him free, and this is the way it goes:" H. H. F., Collector July 27,1957

24

ANCIENT

BALLADS

Structure: A ' B C ' D A 2 Eb C2 F" (2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2); Rhythm E; Contour: each half an arc; Scale: major =5N r

f * 1—1

«

J -

=i -

i

N

-

t.c. F. For mel. rel., see possibly ROl, 146 (for last portion); and possibly GCM, 146, at the beginning of our tune.

The Weep-O Mellow Tree

Tr. H. E. F. B.

I» U

gjHj» J

ß V

u

&

*

'O moth - er, moth - er, bring me gold

J free, m

For

to-day

weep - o - mel - low

n -44=— 0 F* *j

4 For

see you hun-

in

•

•0-—

P

ver - y

rj

'•

i

a

d

fin - est

V

"N"

'

Yes - ter - day was

#

T r . M. O.

J-

play

J-

at

ball,

ball,

Went

fr-

/

to

play

at

ball.

ANCIENT BALLADS

Little Harry

Huston

Yesterday was a very fine day, The finest day in the year, year, When little Harry Huston and schoolboys all Went out to play at ball, ball, Went out to play at ball. The first little tip Harry Huston gave the ball, It was not good at all, all, The second little tip Harry Huston gave the ball, He broke the window all, all, He broke the window all. A Jewess, she came down the stairs And she all dressed in green, green, Saying, "Little Harry Huston, if you come here"

'Tll not go back, and I won't go back And 1*11 not go back at all, all, For if my mama came to know She would" She coaxed him back with an apple so red And with a cherry so sweet, sweet, And took him to her own dressing room Where she slew him like a sheep, sheep, Where she slew him like a sheep. She rolled him up in a winding sheet; It was her own winding sheet, sheet, And she took him to Saint Simon's well Which was seven fathoms deep, deep, Which was seven fathoms deep.

SIR HUGH, OR T H E J E W ' S DAUGHTER

Five o'clock was past and gone, And all schoolboys gone home, home; Every mama had her boy; Harry Huston's mama had none, none, Harry Huston's mama had none. When she went to the Jewess* house And kneels down on a stone, stone, Saying, "Little Harry Huston, if you be there, Will you pity your mama's moan, moan, Will you pity your mama's moan?" "He is not here, nor he was not here And he's not been here all day, day, But if you go to Saint Simon's Well You might have seen him there, there, You might have seen him there." She went unto Saint Simon's Well And knelt down on a stone, stone, Saying, "Little Harry Huston, if you be there, Will you pity your mama's moan, moan, Will you pity our mama's moan?" "How can I pity your moan, mama, When I am here so long, long? The little penknife she stuck through my heart; The Jewess, she did me wrong, wrong, The Jewess, she did me wrong. "But come tonight at twelve o'clock And there you'll see my ghost, ghost; Place my schoolbooks at my feet And my Bible at my head That my schoolmates they may read, read, That my schoolmates they may read."

124

ANCIENT BALLADS

B Retake by H. H. F. as Josiah S. Kennison, now of Searsburg, formerly of Townshend, Vermont, sang "The Jew's Daughter" in Springfield, Vermont. Phillips Barry, Collector1 April 6,1932 Retake by H. H. F. May 9,1939 Verse 1: A 1 A2 B C (2,2,2,2)—note the change from 3/4 to 2/4; Rhythm E and C; Contour: undulating; Scale: pentachordal Verse 3: Structure: A 1 A 2 A 1 A2; Rhythm C. -SI y—= irn

1

t.c. D. For mel. rel., see Sharp 1, 227 (possibly for verse 3); BP, 37.

The Jew's Daughter J* J A

\ p l

t>

p

lit - tie

]

J

-

JI

. a

i

ji

boy

r

J

broke

J.

stag - ing

s

—

*

r u n , And then he 1

j

JI

j.

a - bout five years

old,

j ql « J I*J

J

—

j

J

T r . G. B.

' J I J

win- dow,

—

u p and

J

And

J then

J

J

H e came and

J - — J — m he

up

4 a - 5 —11 J T JU^L é é

•9 run.

She

^

took an

and h

J

J

^

ap-ple

T h e earlier version has minor verbal variations. See BFSSNE, V, 6; the Springfield, Mass., Republican [Barry Collection], October 16, 1932; or The New Green Mountain Songster, 254.

SIR HUGH, OR T H E J E W ' S DAUGHTER

Mh Lfl"

s — N — . . fi —3s—13—r8! h — ; r»/ J J .—;—«Lr * J-— on the ground; The from her pock - et, And laid it

P\\ * gl" J

J

*

J

lit - tie to"

125

boy

stooped ^ y

*

^

j

caught

him

by

the

The Jew's

to

pick

» it

— d — J — li

-

r

ly - white

up; J

1

hand.

Daughter

A little boy about five years old, Came up and broke a staging window, And then he up and run, And then he up and run. "Come back, come back, my little boy, And play your game of ball." "I won't, I shan't come back And play my game of ball." "For if your mother was here, She would make it a bloody ball." She took an apple from her pocket And laid it on the ground. The little boy stooped to pick it up; She caught him by the lily-white hand. She led him from room to room; She led him into a little dark room Where none could hear him call. She took a penknife from her pocket And laid it to his heart; A little fresh blood came trinkling down, So cold in death he sleeps.

(>— She J — u

126

ANCIENT

BALLADS

"Go dig my grave on yonders hill And there you may bury me, Put my Bible at my head, My prayer book at my feet. "And swing my little bow-arrow to my side; On yonders hill you may bury me."

Queen Eleanor's Confession (Child 156)

Child 156 is not sung in the New World, but there is evidence to suggest that it was once known in New England and the Carolinas. In a letter written to T . P. Coffin about 1949, H. M. Belden stated that " 'Queen Eleanor's Confession' is not now in the collection (the Frank C. Brown Collection) but it seems clear Brown found it there (in North Carolina) but failed to take down the text." Also, Phillips Barry, British Ballads from Maine, 462, reported an Isleford woman who recognized the Child A text. The Charms of Melody ballad is a close copy of this same text, but with enough variation (see stanzas 2 and 3, for example) to make one certain it was not merely printed from one of the source books Child knew. The song uses a motif that is well known in fabliau literature, the situation in which the husband takes a friar's place to hear his wife's confession. In many tales the wife sees through the disguise, which complicates the whole matter. It is unlikely that there is any truth in this story as it is associated with Eleanor of Aquitaine, although no effort will be wasted here to defend the fidelity of that vigorous lady to Henry II—or to defend Henry's fidelity to her. Rosamund Clifford of Woodstock was the King's mistress, and supposedly she was poisoned by Eleanor, but these tales seem to have originated too late to be based on any sort of historical evidence. Eloise Linscott, Folk-Songs of Old New England (New 127

128

ANCIENT

BALLADS

York, 1939), 193, prints a ballad, "Fair Rosamund," which is a version of "Rosamund's Overthrow" and is related to the story matter of "Queen Eleanor's Confession." Both songs were in a number of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century collections, although the Child ballad goes back to printed versions of the seventeenth century and probably to oral versions before that. Neither song is listed in Dean-Smith. However, "Queen Eleanor's Confession" is in Greig and Keith, 100-101. Copied literatim et punctatim by H. H. F. from a compilation of four hundred pages of numbered issues of T h e Charms of Melody: or Siren Medley, printed by J. & J. Carrick, Bachelor's Walk, Dublin. The watermark on the title page reads G R E A T N E W T O N , with the date 1818. Copies are available at the Boston Athenaeum; the John Hay Library at Brown University (60 pages, dated 1824, beginning with Volume 1, page 2); and at the Library of Congress. H. H. F., Collector August 1, 1958 Queen

Eleanor.

Eleanor, the daughter and heirefs of William Duke of Guienne, and Earl of PoiEtou, had been married fixteen years to Louis VII. king of France, and had attended him in a croifade, in which that monarch commanded againft the infidels; but having loft the affections of her hufband, and even fallen under fome fufpicions of gallantry, with a handiome Saracen, Louis, more delicate than polite, procured a divorce from her, and reftored her thofe rich provinces, which by her marriage fhe had annexed to the crown of France. T h e young count of Anjou, afterwards Henry II, king of England, though at that time but in his nineteenth year, neither difcouraged by the difparity of age, nor by the

QUEEN ELEANOR'S CONFESSION

129

reports of Eleanor's gallantry, made fuch fuccefsful courtfhip to that princefs, that he married her fix weeks after her divorce, and got poffeffion of all her dominions as a dowry. A marriage thus founded upon intereft was not likely to be very happy: it happened accordingly, Eleanor, who had difgufted her firft hufband by her gallantries, was no lefs offenfive to her fecond by her jealoufy: thus carrying to extremity, in the different parts of her life, every circumftance of female weaknefs. She had feveral fons by Henry, whom fhe fpirited up to rebel againft him; and endeavouring to efcape to them in men's apparel in 1173, fhe was difcovered and thrown into a confinement, which feems to have continued till the death of her husband in 1189. She however furvived him many years: dying in 1204, in the fixth year of the reign of her fon John. It is needlefs to obferve, that the following ballad is altogether fabulous; whatever gallantries Eleanor encouraged in the time of her firft hufband, none are imputed to her in that of her fecond. QUEEN Eleanor was a fick woman, And afraid that fhe would die; Then fhe fent for two friars of France T o fpeak with her fpeedily. The king call'd down his nobles all, By one, by two, by three; "Earl Marfhall, I'll go fhrive the queen, "And thou fhall wend with me." "A boon, a boon," quoth Earl Marfhall," And fell on his bended knee; "That whatfoever queen Eleanor fays, "No harm thereof fhall be." "I'll pawn my lands," the king then cry'd, "My fcepter, crown, and all,

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" T h a t whatfoever queen, Eleanor fays, "No harm thereof ihall fall. "Do thou put on a friar's coat, "And I'll put on another; "And we will to queen Eleanor go, "Like friar and his brother." Thus both attired, then they go: When they came unto White-hall, T h e bells did ring, and the quirifter fing, And the torches did light them all. When that they came before the queen They fell on their bended knee; "A boon, a boon, our gracious queen, " T h a t you fent fo haftily." "Are you two friars of France," fhe faid, "As I fuppofe you be? " B u t if you are two Englifh friars "You fhall hang on the gallows tree." " W e are two friars of France," they faid, "As you fuppofe we be, " W e have not been at any mafs, "Since we came from the fea." " T h e firft thing that e'er I did, " I will to you unfold; "Earl Marfhall had my maidenhead, "Beneath this cloth of gold." "That's vile fin," then faid the king, "May God forgive it thee!" "Amen, amen," quoth Earl Marfhall, With a heavy heart fpoke he.

QUEEN

ELEANOR'S

CONFESSION

"The vileft thing that e'er I did, "To you I'll not deny; "I made a box of poifon ftrong, "To poifon King Henry." "That's vile fin," then faid the king, "May God forgive it thee!" "Amen, amen," quoth Earl Marfhall, "And I wish it fo may be." "The next vile thing that e'er I did, "To you I will difcover; "I poifoned fair Rofamond, "All in fair Woodftock bower." "That's vile fin," then faid the king, "May God forgive it thee!" "Amen, amen," quoth Earl Marfhal, "And I wifh it fo may be." "Do you fee yonder little boy, "A toffing of the ball? "That is Earl Marfhall's eldeft fon, "And I love him the beft of all. "Do you fee yonder little boy, "A catching of the ball? "That is King Henry's youngeft fon, "And I love him the worft of all. "His head is fafhion'd like a bull, "His nofe is like a boar." "No matter for that," King Henry cry'i "I love him the better therefore." The king pull'd off his friar's coat, And appeared all in red;

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She fhriek'd, and cry'd, and wrung her hands, And faid fhe was betray'd. T h e king look'd o'er his left fhoulder, And a grim look looked he, "Earl marfhall," he faid, "but for my oath, "Now hanged thou fhouldft be."

Gude Wallace (Child 157)

This ballad, in Child, dates from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but it is probably older than that among the folk. T h e story is based on an incident used in Blind Harry's Wallace (before 1488, c. 1465), Book V, lines 1080—1119. William Wallace, the Scottish outlaw, meets a woman while traveling with a comrade. She informs him that there are English soldiers at a nearby hostel drinking and on the lookout for Wallace. T h e two outlaws go directly to the inn, where they get into a fight. Wallace slays the English captain, and with his friend's aid disposes of the rest of the soldiers. Sometimes this material is prefaced by an incident taken from Book IV, lines 704-787, in which Wallace comes to the house of his lady only to discover she has sold him to the English. She, however, repents and by disguising him in her clothes and sending him to the well as one of her maids enables him to escape the ambush. T h e ballad is virtually unknown in modern England and America. Phillips Barry, British Ballads from Maine, 465, did locate a widely read Captain Donovan who recognized the story, but the Edwards fragment is the only text actually collected in the New World. This scrap of a song is clearly close to print. There are no stanzas in Child that resemble the lines Edwards recalled. Moreover, his fragment suggests a continuation of the incident from Book IV that is not normally found in the "Gude Wallace" texts. In May, IBS

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1297, Wallace and thirty followers burnt Lanark and killed Hezelrig, the English sheriff there. Legend attributes his action to his desire for revenge. Hezelrig had earlier executed Marion Bradfute of Lamington, Wallace's beloved, because she had concealed Wallace from the English and had also spurned the Englishman's son's hand in marriage. At any rate, Wallace's slaying of Hezelrig really marked the beginning of his reputation as a brigand and is the only specific charge to be leveled against him at his indictment at Westminster.

Found November 4, 1940, in notes sent to Phillips Barry on October 9, 1933, made when talking with George Edwards in Burlington, Vermont. Edwards knew only this fragment. H. H. F., Collector Gude

Wallace

At Ellerie mid Scotland's hills T h e r e stands a castle high. Behind it gently flows a rill And murmurs sweetly by. It was here the noble Wallace dwelt Full many years gone by, When England his great power felt And he their laws defied. (1Wallace's wife would not betray the hiding place of her Lord) And here the lovely Marian fell By the cruel sword (Hesserige killed her)

The Hunting of the Cheviot, or Chevy Chase (Child 162)

"Chevy Chase" was once familiar to New England because of its popularity with the broadside presses. A Revolutionary parody, "The Cow Chase," was based on it, and earlier its tune had flourished with verses celebrating the capture of Louisbourg in 1745. Nevertheless, the song has had limited circulation in American oral tradition, being found only in Arthur K. Davis's Traditional Ballads of Virginia (Cambridge, Mass., 1929), 416, and in Phillips Barry's British Ballads from Maine, 243. Both these texts, like The Charms of Melody text, follow the Percy MS, Child B, version. The two from oral tradition are somewhat abbreviated and distorted, the one from print is close to its source with but a few spelling and vocabulary changes. The ballad is, of course, a most distinguished one. Texts of it found great favor in the eyes of Jonson, Addison, and possibly Sidney. It presents an account of the battle fought at Otterburn on August 19, 1388, in which Scottish raiders under the Earl of Douglas were set upon by a party under Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. Douglas lost his life, but the Scots came off with a victory and managed to capture Hotspur. Both this ballad and its sister song, "The Battle of Otterburn" (Child 161), distort these events. It is certain that Percy and Douglas did not engage in personal conflict; Douglas may even have been slain by his own troops, and Hotspur, who scarcely distinguished himself in 135

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the engagement, lived to die at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. For bibliographical references to American texts and broadsides, see Coffin, 112-113. For England, Dean-Smith lists "Chevy Chase" on pages 57-58 and "The Battle of Otterburn," page 51. Copied literatim et punctatim by H. H. F. from, a compilation of four hundred pages of numbered issues of The Charms of Melody: or Siren Medley, printed by J. & J. Carrick, Bachelor's Walk, Dublin. The watermark on the titled page reads GREAT NEWTON, with the date 1818. Copies are available at the Boston Athenaeum; the John Hay Library at Brown University (60 pages, dated 1824, beginning with Volume 1, page 1)\ and at the Library of Congress. H. H. F., Collector August 1,1958 Chevy Chafe. The fine heroic fong of Chevy Chafe has ever been admired by competent judges. Thofe genuine ftrokes of nature and artlefs paffion, which have endeared it to the moft fimple readers, have recommended it to the moft refined: and it has equally been the amufement of our childhood, and the favourite of our riper years. God profper long our noble king, Our lives and fafeties all; A woeful hunting once there did In Chevy Chafe befal. T o drive the deer with hound and horn, Earl Percy took his way; The child may rue that is unborn The hunting of that day.

THE HUNTING OF T H E CHEVIOT, OR CHEVY CHASE

The ftout earl of Northumberland A vow to God did make, His pleafure in the Scottifh woods Three fummers days to take; The chiefeft harts in Chevy Chafe T o kill and bear away; Thefe tidings to earl Douglas came, In Scodand, where he lay; Who fent earl Percy prefent word, He would prevent his fport: The Englifh earl, not fearing this, Did to the woods refort, With fifteen hundred bow men bold; All chofen men of might, Who knew full well in time of need, T o aim their fhafts aright. The gallant grey-hounds fwif tly ran, T o chafe the fallow deer; On Monday they began to hunt, When day-light did appear. And long before high-noon they had An hundred fat bucks flain: Then having din'd, the drovers went T o rouze them up again. The bowmen mufter'd on the hills, Well able to endure; Their back-fides all with fpecial care, That day were guarded fure. The hounds ran fwiftly through the woods, The nimble deer to take, And with their cries the hills and dales An echo fhrill did make.

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Lord Percy to the quarry went, T o view the flaughter'd deer: Quoth he, earl Douglas promifed This day to meet me here; But if I thought he would not come, No longer would I ftay; With that a brave young gentleman Thus to the earl did fay: "Lol yonder doth earl Douglas come "His men in armour bright, "Full twenty hundred Scottifh fpears, "All marching in our fight. "All men of pleafant Tividale, "Faft by the river Tweed." "Then ceafe your fport," earl Percy faid, "And take your bows with fpeed: "And now with me, my countrymen, "Your courage forth advance; "For never was there champion yet "In Scotland or in France, "That ever did on horfeback come, "But if my hap it were, "I durft encounter man for man, "With him to break a fpear." Earl Douglas on a milk-white fteed, Moft like a baron bold, Rode foremoft of the company, Whofe armour fhone like gold. "Show me," faid he, "whofe men you be, "That hunt fo boldly here, "That, without my content do chafe, "And kill my fallow deer."

T H E HUNTING O F T H E CHEVIOT, OR CHEVY CHASE

The man that firft did anfwer make, Was noble Percy, he; Who faid, "we lift not to declare, "Nor fhew whofe men we be: "Yet we will fpend our deareft blood, "The chiefeft harts to flay." Then Douglas fwore a folemn oath, And thus in rage did fay: "E'er thus I will out-braved be, "One of us two fhall die: "I know thee well, an earl thou art. "Lord Piercy, fo am I. "But truft me, Piercy, pity 'twere, "And great offence to kill "Any of thefe, our harmlefs men, "For they have done no ill; "Let thou and I the battle try, "And fet our men afide:" "Accurft be he," lord Percy faid, "By whom it is denied." Then ftept a gallant fquire forth, Whitherington was his name, Who faid, I would not have it told To Henry our king, for fhame; "That e'er my captain fought on foot, "And I ftood looking on: "You be two earls," faid Witherington, "And I a fquire alone: "I'll do the beft that do I may, "While I have ftrength to ftand; "While I have pow'r to wield my fword 'Til fight with heart and hand."

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Our Englifh archers bent their bows, Their hearts were good and true; At the firft flight of arrows fent, Full threescore Scots they flew. T o drive the deer with hound and horn Earl Douglas had the bent; A captain mov'd with mickle pride, T h e fpears to fhivers fent. They clos'd full faft on ev'ry fide, No flacknefs there was found, And many a gallant gentleman Lay gafping on the ground. O, Chriftl it was great grief to fee, And likewife for to hear, T h e cries of men lying in their gore, And fcatter'd here and there. At laft thefe two ftout earls did meet, Like captains of great might; Like lions mov'd, they laid on load, And made a cruel fight. They fought until they both did fweat, With fwords of temper'd fteel, Until their blood, like drops of rain, They, trickling down, did feel. "Yield thee, lord Percy," Douglas faid, "In faith I will thee bring, "Where thou fhalt high advanced be, "By James our Scottifh king. "Thy ranfom I will freely give, "And thus report of thee; "Thou art the moft courageous knight, "That ever I did fee."

T H E HUNTING O F T H E CHEVIOT, OR CHEVY CHASE

"No, Douglas," quoth earl Percy then, "Thy proffer I do icorn; "I will not yield to any Scot "That ever yet was born." With that, there came an arrow keen Out of an Englifh bow, Which ftruck earl Douglas to the heart A deep and deadly blow. Who never fpoke more words than thefe, "Fight on, my merry men all; "For why, my life is at an end; "Lord Percy fees me fall." Then leaving life, earl Percy took The dead man by the hand, And faid, "earl Douglas, for thy life "Would I had loft my land. "O Chriftl my very heart doth bleed "With forrow for thy fake; "For fure, a more renowned knight "Such mifchance ne'er did take." A knight among the Scots there was, Which faw earl Douglas die, And in his wrath did vow revenge Upon the earl Percy. Sir Hugh Montgomery was he call'd, Who, with a fpear moft bright, Well mounted on a gallant fteed, Ran fiercely through the fight; And paft the Englifh archers all, Without all dread or fear, And through earl Percy's body then He thruft his hateful fpear;

ANCIENT BALLADS

With fuch vehement force and might He did his body gore, The fpear went through the other fide A large cloth-yard and more. So thus did both thefe nobles die, Whofe courage none could ftain; An Englifh archer then perceiv'd The noble earl was flain: He had a bow bent in his hand, Made of a trufty tree; An arrow of a cloth-yard long Up to the head drew he: Againft Sir Hugh Montgomery So right the fhaft he fet, The grey-goofe wing that was thereon In his heart-blood was wet. This fight did laft from break of day, 'Till fetting of the fun; For when they rung the ev'ning bell, The batde fcarce was done. With the earl Percy there was flain, Sir John of Ogerton, Sir Robert Ratcliff, and Sir John, Sir James that bold baron. And with Sir George and good Sir James, Both knights of good account, Good Sir Ralph Raby there was flain, Whofe prowefs did furmount. For Whitherington needs muft I wail, As one in doleful dumps: For when his legs were fmitten off, He fought upon his ftumps.

THE HUNTING OF THE CHEVIOT, OR CHEVY CHASE

And with earl Douglas there was flain, Sir Hugh Montgomery, Sir Charles Currel, that from the field One foot would never fly. Sir Charles Murrel, of Ratcliffe, too, His fifter's fon was he; Sir David Lamb, fo well efteem'd, Yet faved could not be. And the lord Maxwell, in likewife Did with earl Douglas die; Of twenty hundred Scottifh fpears, Scarce fifty-five did fly. Of fifteen hundred Englifh men, Went home but fifty three: The reft were flain in Chevy Chafe Under the green-wood tree. Next day did many widows come, Their hufbands to bewail; They wafh'd their wounds in brinifh tears, But all would not prevail. Their bodies bath'd in purple blood, They bore with them away; They kifs'd them dead a thoufand times, When they were clad in clay. This news was brought to Edinburgh, Where Scotland's king did reign, That brave earl Douglas fuddenly Was with an arrow flain. "O heavy news," king James did fay, "Scotland can witnefs be, "I have not any captain more "Of fuch account as he."

ANCIENT BALLADS

Like tidings to king Henry came, Within as fhort a fpace, That Percy, of Northumberland, Was flain in Chevy Chafe. "Now God be with him," faid our king, "Sith 'twill no better be, "I truft I have within my realm "Five hundred good as he. "Yet fhall not Scot nor Scotland fay, "But I will vengeance take, "And be revenged on them all, "For brave lord Percy's fake." This vow full well the king perform'd After, on Humbledown; In one day, fifty knights were flain, With lords of high renown. And of the reft, of fmall account Did many hundreds die: Thus ended the hunting of Chevy Chafe, Made by the earl Percy. God fave the king, and bleft the land In plenty, joy, and peace; And grant, henceforth, that foul debate "Twixt noblemen may ceafe.

King Henry the Fifth's Conquest of France (Child 164)

The battle at Agincourt was written about and sung about from the fifteenth century on and was popular in broadsides as late as the eighteenth century. The American text— and it has been found only twice, once in Tennessee and once in Vermont—are much like the ones known in England. All are close to print. A bibliography for American texts of the song, such as the one in Coffin, 113, appears a good bit more extensive than it actually is. Mellinger Henry and Mrs. Flanders have both printed their versions three or four times. The incident of the tennis balls, found in a few English chronicles, and the references to the eventual victor's tender years are not historically sound, as similar events and remarks occur in stories about Alexander, Miles Standish, and a host of other heroes. Also Henry was twenty-seven and the Dauphin but nineteen at the time of Agincourt. For a discussion of these incidents, particularly in their connection to the Alexander romance matter, see The New Green Mountain Songster, 195, and Child, III, 322. Dean-Smith does not list the song at all. Recorded in Springfield, Vermont, from the singing of E. C. Green, born in 1858, as remembered from the singing of his grandmother, Annie Mason, who lived her ninety-eight years near Turner, Maine. Her father, Hunter Barker, settled on the Androscoggin River in the town of Greene, above Lewiston, when Lewiston was still a wilderness. Printed in The 145

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N e w Green Mountain Songster, 192; BFSSNE, IV, 10; Country Songs of Vermont, 36; and the Springfield, Mass., Republican, August 30, 1931. H. H. F., Collector August 20, 1931 Structure: A B C A (2,2,2,2); Rhythm E; Contour: arc; Scale: hexatonic

t.c. A.

King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France

Tr. P. B.

Poco rubato

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A king was sit • ting on

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his throne, And on

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trib-ute

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be-thought him - self

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due, Been due in France so man-y S

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Stanza 12.

d' ' j j

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of

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years.

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etc.

And the next that spoke was the king of France, say- ing, Variations:

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KING HENRY T H E F I F T H ' S CONQUEST O F

King Henry Fifth's Conquest

of

FRANCE

France

A king was sitting on his throne, And on his throne was sitting he. He bethought himself of a tribute due, Been due in France so many years. Then he called up his little page, His little page then call-ed he, Saying, "You must go to the King of France And demand that tribute due to me." Away, away went this little page; Away, away and away went he Until he came to the King of France; Then he fell down on his bended knee. "My master's great, as well as you, My master's great as well as you; He demands that tribute, tribute due, Been due in France so many years." "Your master's young, of tender age, Not fit to come to my degree; T o him I send five tennis balls That in French land, he dare not me see." Away, away went that little page; Away, away, and away went he Until he came to his master dear; Then he fell down on his bended knee. "What news, what news, my little page, What news, what news do you bring to me?" "Such news, such news, my master dear— T h e King and you will not agree." T h e king he numbered up his men, One by two and two by three,

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Until he got thirty thousand men— A noble jolly bold company. "No married man, no widow's son, A widow's son can't follow me. No married man, no widow's son, A widow's son can't follow me." Now he marched on to the King of France, With drums and trumpets so merrily, And the first that spoke was the King of France, Saying, "Yonder comes proud King Henry." T h e first broadside those Frenchmen gave, They slew our men most bitterly; And the next broadside our English gave, They killed five thousand and thirty-three. Then up spoke the King of France1 Saying, "Lord have mercy on my men and me. {When Mr. Green could not remember the next two lines, he told me he would have to go home and chew peppermints.) "Now if you'll march back from whence you came With drums and trumpets so merrily, T h e finest flower in all French land, Five tons of gold shall be your fee." Now he's marched back from whence he came With drums and trumpets so merrily, And the finest flower in all French land And five tons of gold now is his fee. ' I n the Springfield, Mass., Republican for August 30, 1931, this line was: And the next that spoke was the King of France.

The Rose of England (Child 166)

T h e subject of this ballad is a basically accurate account of the winning of the English crown by Henry VII from Richard III. In the ballad, the Red Rose of Lancaster was rooted up by a White Boar, Richard, who it was felt had murdered Henry VI and his son Edward. The Earl of Richmond, the seed of the Rose, is meant to have been taken to Latham and protected by Lord Stanley. Later, in 1471, his uncle, the Earl of Pembroke, fled with him to Brittany. In 1485 he returned to begin the campaign that was to lead him to the crown. He brought with him the Blue Boar, the Earl of Oxford, who with fortune and much aid defeated the White Boar and enabled the Red Rose to bloom again. The informant, George Edwards, told this bit of history to Mrs. Flanders in 1933 when she collected the two stanzas below. He called Pembroke, Granby, and Oxford Saxon but otherwise knew the story as it is in the ballad well. His two stanzas are exactly like those that begin the Child text. T h e song has no modern oral tradition, although its title was quoted in John Fletcher's Monsieur Thomas (1639), III, 3.

George Edwards of Burlington, Vermont, recalled this song from the singing of his grandfather, William H. Edwards of Seaton, East Riding, Yorkshire, England. He said his grand149

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father never read history but told it to him as a child and sang it in the ballads. Published in Ballads Migrant in New England, 91. H. H. F., Collector November 1, 1933 The Rose of England Throughout a garden green and gay A seemly sight it was to see. T h e flowers flourished, fresh and gay, And birds did sing melodiously. In the midst of the garden there sprung a tree Which tree was of a mickle price. Thereupon sprang a rose so red, T h e goodliest that e'er sprung on.

Sir Andrew Barton (Child 167)

See Henry Martyn (Child 250).

151

Johnie Armstrong (Child 169)

John Armstrong, with three thousand men at his back, was a powerful and arrogant lord of the disputed Border region. In 15S0, James V of Scotland took an army and attempted to bring him and other independent clan leaders into submission. This was no easy task, and the King had little luck with Johnie until he lured him into his presence with promises of safe conduct, captured him, and had him executed. This bit of treachery has been recorded by a number of chroniclers and exactly what happened has faded into the mists of legend. In the ballad, Johnie is the wronged outlaw who is innocent and brave but tricked by the subtleties of the courtiers. He dies after an amazing resistance against overwhelming odds and, in some texts, after his efforts to bribe the King have failed. The ballad has never been collected from oral tradition in America and probably never will be. The Charms of Melody text is a very accurate copy of Child B, a London broadside that dates from the seventeenth century, which presents the hero in a particularly favorable light. Copied literatim et punctatim by H. H. F. from a compilation of four hundred pages of numbered issues of T h e Charms of Melody: or Siren Medley, printed by J. ir J. Carrick, Bachelor's Walk, Dublin. The watermark on the. title page reads GREAT NEWTON, with the date 1818. 153

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Copies are available at the Boston Athenaeum; the John Hay Library at Brown University (60 pages, dated 1824, beginning with Volume 1, page 1)\ and at the Library of Congress. H. H. F., Collector August 1, 1958 Johnny

Armftrong.

The hero of the following ballad's habitation, was at no great diftance from the river Ewfe; there he had a ftrong body of men under his command, and all his neighbours, even the neareft Englifh, ftood in awe of him, and paid him tribute. When James V. reigned in Scotland, and Henry III. in England, the former, willing to fupprefs all robbers, levied a fmall army, marched out againft the banditti, and pitched his tents hard by the river Ewfe. At this Johnny Armftrong became fenfible of his danger, and would willingly have made his peace. Some of the king's officers finding him in this difpofition, fecretly perfuaded him to make his fubmiffion; adding, that they durft affure him he would be kindly received. Armftrong followed their counfel, and with fixty horfemen unarmed, haftened to the king, but imprudently forgot to provide himfelf with paffes, and a fafe conduct. Thofe who had given him this advice, fenfible of his error, lay in ambufh for, furprized and took him, with his fixty men, and carried them all to the king, pretending that they had taken him prifoner. Nor was he accufed of robbing only, but of having alio formed a defign of delivering up that part of the country to the Englifh; and being condemned, he, with fifty-four of his companions, was hanged; the other fix were referved as hoftages, to deter their fellows from being guilty of the like crime. Our poet poffibly thought, that the gallows was too low a death for his hero, and therefore rather chofe to let him die bravely fight-

JOHNIE ARMSTRONG

155

ing. Inftead of three, he gives him a retinue of eight-fcore men, and lays the fcene in Edinburgh.

IS there ever a man in all Scotland, From the higheft ftate, to the loweft degree, That can fhew himfelf before our king, Scotland's fo full of treachery? Yes, there is a man in Weftmoreland, And Johnny Armftrong they do him call; He has no lands, or rents coming in, Yet keeps eightfcore men within his hall. He has horfes and harnefs for them all, And goodly fteeds that be milk-white, With their goodly belts about their necks, With hats and feathers all alike. The king he writes a loving letter, And with his own hand, fo tenderly, And hath fent it unto Johnny Armftrong, To come and fpeak with him fpeedily. When John he look'd this letter upon, He look'd as blithe as a bird in a tree, "I was never before a king in my life, "My father, my grandfather, none of us three. "But feeing we muft go before the king, "Lord, we will go moft gallantly, "Ye fhall ev'ry one have a fcarlet coat, "Laid down with golden laces three. "And ev'ry one fhall have a fcarlet cloak, "Laid down with filver laces-five,

ANCIENT

BALLADS

"With your golden belts about your waifts, "Hats and feathers all alike." But when Johnny went from Giltnock-hall, T h e wind it blew hard, and fait it did rain, "Now, fare thee well, thou Giltnock-hall, "I fear I'll ne'er fee thee again." Now Johnny is to Edenborough gone, With his eightfcore men fo gallantly, And ev'ry one of them on a milk-white fteed, With bucklers and fwords hanging to their knee. But when John came before the king, With his eightfcore men fo gallant to fee, T h e king he mov'd his bonnet to him, He thought he'd been a king as well as he. "O, pardon, pardon, my fovereign leigh, "Pardon my eightfcore men and me; "For my name it is Johnny Armftrong, "A fubject of your's, my leigh," faid he. "Away with thee, thou falfe traitor, " N o pardon will I grant to thee, "But to-morrow morn, by eight of the clock, "I'll hang thy eightfcore men and thee." Then Johnny looks o'er his left fhoulder, And to his merry men thus faid he, "I've afk'd grace of a gracelefs face, "No pardon there's for you and me." Then John pull'd out his good broad fword, That was made of the mettle fo free; Had the king not mov'd his foot as he did, John had taken his head from his body. "Come, follow me, my merry men all, " W e will fcorn one foot to fly,

J O H N I E ARMSTRONG

"It fhall ne'er be faid, we were hang'd like dogs; "We'll fight it out moft manfully." T h e n they fought on like champions bold, For their hearts were fturdy, ftout and free, Till they had kill'd all the king's guard; None left alive but two or three. But then rofe up all Edenborough, They rofe up by thoufands three, A cowardly Scot came John behind, And run him thro' the fair body. Said John, "fight on, my merry all, "I am a little wounded, but am not flain, "I'll lay me down, and bleed awhile, "Then I'll rife and fight with you again." T h e n they fought like madmen all, Till many lay dead upon the plain, For they refolv'd before they'd yield, T h a t ev'ry man would there be flain. So there they fought courageoufly, Till moft of them lay dead, and flain, But little Mufgrave, that was his foot page, With his bonny Griffel got 'way unta'en. But when he came to Giltnock-hall, T h e lady fpy'd him prefently, "What news, what news, thou little foot page, "From thy matter and his company?" "My news is bad, lady," he faid, "Which I do bring, as you may fee; "My mafter, John Armftrong, is flain, "And all his gallant company." "Yet thou art welcome, my bonny Griffel, "Oft thou'ft been fed with corn and hay,

ANCIENT BALLADS

"Thou Chall be fed with bread and wine, "Thy fides fhall ne'er be fpur'd, I fay." O then befpoke his little fon, As he fat on his nurfe's knee, "If e'er I live to be a man, "My father's death reveng'd fhall be.

The Duke of Bedford (Containing lines from Child 170)

Child 170, " T h e Death of Queen Jane," is a ballad which tells a legendary story of the birth of Prince Edward and the death of Jane Seymour in the year 1537. In the song, the Q u e e n is in labor "for six weeks and more." She tells the doctors to cut her open and save the child, but King Henry refuses to sacrifice her to get a baby. Finally, she dies anyhow and the boy baby is saved. A funeral and a christening are held simultaneously. T h e song in this general form, in versions where Jane is merely a neighbor and not a queen, and in versions mixed with material from the American texts of " T h e Brown Girl" (see Child 295), is pretty well known in the Southeastern and Northeastern states. T h e Flanders Collection does not, however, include a version of " T h e Death of Queen Jane." There are two related fragments from a British song, " T h e Duke of Bedford," which include lines from Child 170 D. In Flanders A, the first two lines of Child D, stanza 5, and the last two lines of Child D, stanza 6, are used to round out the funeral scene. Coffin, 115-116 (American); Dean-Smith, 63 (English); and Greig and Keith, 106-107 (Scottish), give references to Child 170. Dean-Smith, 64, lists a bibliography for " T h e Duke of Bedford" which seems to derive from a seventeenth-century broadside concerning the Duke of Grafton, who died in battle in 1690. Lucy Broadwood, JFSS, III, 170-190, has discussed the tradition of this song in some 159

160

ANCIENT bALLADS

detail and attempts to relate it to the death and burial of William de Poole, Duke of Suffolk. The two tunes for Child 170 may possibly be part of the same tune family, but if so, they are relatively distant. A Recorded in Bennington, Vermont; words remembered by Fanny Harrington, fourteen; tune sung by her mother, as remembered from Mrs. Sharon Harrington, Fanny's grandmother. Identical recording September 30, 1930, from the singing of Mrs. Ralph Harrington in Bennington as she learned it from her mother. Published in Vermont Folksongs & Ballads, 219, and Country Songs of Vermont, 12. George Brown, Collector September 13, 1930 Structure: A B (4,4); Rhythm A; Contour: undulating; Scale: major

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t.c. E. For mel. Tel., see Sharp 1,230. Duke of Bedford Two dukes were a-walking down by the seaside. They found a dead body washed away by the tide. Great illustrations and thus they did say, "It's the great Duke of Cotton has now cast away." They took out his bowels and stretched forth his feet And embalm-ed his body with spices so sweet.

161

T H E DUKE O F BEDFORD

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Six dukes went before him, six bore him to the ground; Six maidens followed after in their black velvet gowns. Black was their mourning and white was their bands, And yellow were their pinbows which they carried in their hands. In Westminster Abbey he lies in cold clay, And the royal Queen Mary goes weeping away. B Sung by Mrs. Maude Parks, a doctor's daughter, who grew up in Roxbury, Vermont, as learned from, her mother, Mrs. Marian Averill. Published in Ballads Migrant in New England, 78. H. H. F., Collector February 19, 1948 Structure: A B C D (2,2,2,2); Rhythm E but divergent; Contour: arc; Scale: anhemitonic pentatonic

t.c. F. FOT mel. rel., see Sharp 1, 231.

ANCIENT

162

BALLADS

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Mary Hamilton (Child 173)

T h e story behind the ballad of "Mary Hamilton" has baffled scholars. It is known that Mary Stuart had four maids-inwaiting named Mary, who went with her to France in 1548 and returned with her in 1561. Their last names were Seaton, Beaton, Livingston, and Fleming—not Seaton, Beaton, Carmichael, and Hamilton as the song would tell us. All eventually left the Queen's service and married, excepting Mary Seaton, who became a nun. No scandal has been associated with any of the four. It is also known that a French girl and an apothecary of the Queen had an affair about 1565. T h e girl was executed in December of that year for killing her newborn baby. Finally, there is an account of a similar event that occurred in the court of Peter of Russia in 1718-1719. Mary Hamilton, a Scottish lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine, fell in love with Ivan Orlof, an aide-decamp. Mary, accused of killing an illegitimate child born of this indiscretion, was executed on March 14, 1719, and Orlof was exiled to Siberia. Exactly how these pieces fit together may never be known. Andrew Lang, Blackwood's Magazine, September, 1895; Child, III, 380 f.; and A. H. Tolman, PMLA, XLII, 422, have tried to come up with a suitable answer. It may well be that all three situations have contributed to the folksong—the four Maries and the fate of the French girl fusing, the ballad later adopting the name Hamilton from the parallel Russian event. 163

164

ANCIENT BALLADS

"Mary Hamilton" has been collected from time to time in America, but it is rare here and in Britain. Josiah Combs, Folk-Songs des États-Unis (Paris, 1926), 141, found a full variant of Child A, but usually the song is collected as a lyric lament of a girl on a gallows with little of the story retained. This is the form the song took when it was printed in J. P. McCaskey's Franklin Square Song Collection and in other songsters. It is also the form typical of New England, as given by Phillips Barry in British Ballads from Maine, 258. T h e Flanders A and B texts are copies of the version of the ballad that was sung at David Kennedy's Scottish Entertainments by Marjory Kennedy in the early 1880's. T h e final two stanzas of this form of the song were supposedly written by "a lady resident in Dundee"; however, an Edinburgh broadside printed by J. Sanderson, Canongate, contains the same two stanzas, and similar lines can be found in Child BB and the Greig and Keith B version. In Flanders C, Mr. Campbell is probably mistaken in associating his additional lines with his "Mary Hamilton" fragment. See Coffin, 116-117 (American), and Greig and Keith, 108-109 (Scottish), for a start on a bibliography. T h e Child A text and the Barry A fragment are used in a discussion of ballad poetry in JAF, LXX, 208-214.

T h e three tunes for Child 173 are almost identical. For melodic relationship to the entire group see DV, p. 590, No. 36 (almost identical); BES, p. 258 (very close); and R O l , p. 152 (not so close). A As sung by Mrs. Frances Kilbride of Brookline, Massachusetts, who learned it from hearing her father and mother sing it. Mr. MacGregor, Mrs. Kilbride's father, was born in Scotland and came to this country with his daughter, who

165

MARY HAMILTON

was twenty-four years of age at the time. Mrs. Kilbride was born in Glasgow. When three months old, she was taken by her parents to the North Coast (outside of Aberdeen), at which place she remained until coming to America. M. Olney, Collector September 21, 1953 Structure: A B C D (2,2,2,2); Rhythm B; Contour: arc; Scale: major i

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166

ANCIENT

BALLADS

Oh, little did my mither think, When first she cradled me, That I would dee sae far frae hame Or die on a gallus tree. They'll tie a napkin roun' my een And they'll ne'er let me see to dee; And they'll ne'er let on to my faither and mither, But I'm avva' o'er the sea. I wish I could lie in our ain kirk-yard Aneath the auld yew-tree, Where we pu'd the gowans and thread the rowans, My brothers, my sisters, and me. But little care I for a nameless grave, If I've hope for eternity; So I'll pray that the faith o' the deein' thief May be granted thro' grace unto me. B As sung by Mrs. Charles Lansing of Melrose, Massachusetts, who says: "I have known this for a number of years; seems as though I have always known it." Published in Ballads Migrant in New England, 19. M. Olney, Collector August, 30, 1944 Structure: A B C D (2,2,2,2); Rhythm B; Contour: arc; Scale: major

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