and religious Enterludes of the barbarous ages; in which they were exhibited with geftures fo furious and frantie, as to become proverbial. Thus Skelton peaks of Wolfey, "Lyke Mahound in a play, "No man dare him withfaye." And Bale in his Acts of English Votaries, pt. 2d. Says"Grennyng like Termagauntes in a play."-Hence we may conceive the force of Hamlet's expreffion in Shakespeare, where condemning a ranting player he says, "I could have fuch a "fellow whipt for ore-doing TERMAGANT: it out-Herod's "Herod." A. 3. fc. 3. By degrees the word came to be applied to any outrageous turbulent perfon +, and at laft to a violent brawling woman only; and this the rather as, I fuppoje, the ancient figure of TERMAGANT was reprefented, after the Eastern mode, with long robes or petticoats. + So Mr. Johnf. in his Diet. VII. SIR PATRICK SPENCE, A SCOTTISH BALLAD, is given from two MS copies tranfmitted from Scotland. In what age the hero of this ballad lived, or when this fatal expedition happened that proved fo deftructive to the Scots nobles, I have not been able to difcover; yet am of opinion that their catastrophe is not altogether without foundation in hiftory, though it has escaped my researches. In the infancy of navigation, fuch as ufed the northern feas, were liable to fhipwreck in the wintry months: hence a law was enacted in the reign of fames the III, (a law which "That there be na was frequently repeated afterwards) "Schip frauchted out of the realm with ony flaple gudes, fra "the feast of Simons day and Jude, unto the feast of the "purification our Lady called Candelmefs." Fam. III. Parlt 2 Ch. 15. very F 4 In In home mucere copies, feat of Patrick Spence bath been frifices in name of Ear Euaresa i vod, a famous Scottifb almore was frer jord in the time of our Lant. I. but subje pory ic's missing in comment that of the ballad. As Wird over the mit med sommer of Scotland, it is probable that like the Torben Hercules, be back ergrifed the reROWN of other beries. HE king fits in Dumferling toune, Drinking the blude-reid wine : O quhar will I get guid failòr, To fail this fchip of mine? Mak hafte, mak hafte, my mirry men all, Our guid fchip fails the morne. O fay na fae, my mafter deir, For I feir a deadlie ftorme. Late late yeftreen I saw the new moone 25 O our Scots nobles wer richt laith 30 Olang, lang, may thair ladies fit Wi' thair fans into their hand, Or eir they se Sir Patrick Spence lang, lang, may the ladies ftand Waiting for thair ain deir lords, For they'll fe thame na mair. 35 40 Have owre, have owr to Aberdour, It's fiftie fadom deip: And thair lies guid Sir Patrick Spence, Wi' the Scots lords at his feit. VIII. N HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE ir has here a ballad of Robin Hood (from in MS) which was never before printed, and carmuch greater antiquity than any of the comman on this fubject. ty of thofe tyrannical foreft-laws, that were inour Norman kings, and the great temptation f Som by fuch as lived near the royal forefts, at a e yeomanry of this kingdom were every where is the long-bow, and excelled all other nations E beating, must conftantly have occafioned great atlares, and especially of fuch as were the be Ye naturally fied to the woods for shelter, into troops, endeavoured by their numbers to ves from the dreadful penalties of their delin» se ancient punishment for killing the king's deer, s and caftration: a punishment far worse than will easily account for the troops of banditti, y lurked in the royal forests, and from their suarchery and knowledge of all the recefjes of those ades, found it no difficult matter to refift or NO A atver. ere, none ever was more famous than the hero the beads of whofe fiory, as collected by Stow, [about the year 1190, in the reign of Riwe many robbers, and outlawes, among the 66 which 2 which Robert Hood, and Little John, renowned theeves, • continued in woods, difpoyling and robbing the goods of "the rich. They killed none but fuch as would invade "them, or by refiftance for their own defence. 66 "The faide Robert intertained an hundred tall men and good archers with fuch Spoiles and thefts as he got, upon "whom four hundred (were they never fo ftrong) durft not give the onfet. He juffered no woman to be oppreffed, vio"lated, or otherwife molefted: poore mens goods be spared, " aboundantlie relieving them with that, which by theft he got from abbeys and the houses of rich carles : "Maior (the hiftorian) blameth for his rapine and theft, "but of all theeves he affirmeth him to be the prince and the "most gentle theefe." Annals, p. 159. 66 The perfonal courage of this celebrated outlaw, his skill in archery, his humanity, and especially his levelling principle of taking from the rich and giving to the poor, have in all ages rendered him the favourite of the common people: who not content to celebrate his memory by innumerable fongs and ftories, have erected him into the dignity of an earl. Indeed it is not impoffible, but our hero, to gain the more respect from his followers, or they to derive the more credit to their profeffion, may have given rife to fuch a report themselves: for we find it recorded in an epitaph, which a late antiquary pretends was formerly legible on his tombstone near the nunnery of Kirk-lees in Yorkshire, where he is faid to have been bled to death by a treacherous nun to whom he applied for phlebotomy. Hear undernead dis laitl stean See Thorefby's Ducat. Leod. p. 576. Biog, Brit. VI. 3933. |