Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

Downe then steppeth that fayre ladyè,

To helpe him if she maye;
But when she did his beavere raise,
It is my life, my lord, fhe fayes,
And fhriekte and swound awaye.

Sir Cauline jufte lifte up his eyes

When he heard his ladye crye,

O ladye, I am thine owne true love.
For thee I wifht to dye.

Then giving her one partinge looke,

He closed his eyes in death,

180

185

Ere Christabelle, that ladye milde,
Begane to drawe her breathe.

190

But when she found her comelye knighte

Indeed was dead and gone,

She layde her pale cold cheeke to his,

And thus fhe made her moane.

O staye, my deare and onlye lord,
For mee thy faithfulle feere;
"Tis meet that I fhold followe thee,
Who haft bought my love foe deare.

Then fayntinge in a deadlye fwoune,

And with a deepe-fette fighe,

That burst her gentle hearte in twayne,
Fayre Christabelle did dye.

195

200

V. EDWARD,

V.

EDWARD, ED WAR D.

A SCOTTISH BALLAD.

From a MS. copy transmitted from Scotland.

UHY dois zour brand fae drap wi' bluid,
Edward, Edward ?

Quhy dois zour brand fae drap wi' bluid ?

And quhy fae fad gang zee, O?

O, I hae killed my hauke fae guid,

Mither, mither:

O, I hae killed my hauke fae guid:

And I had nae mair bot hee, O.

Zour haukis bluid was nevir fae reid,

Edward, Edward. Zour haukis bluid was nevir fae reid;

10

O, I hae killed my reid-roan steid,

O, I hae killed my reid-roan fteid,

My deir fon I tell the, O.

Mither, mither:

That erft was fae fair and frie, O.

Zour fteid was auld, and ze hae gat mair,

15

Edward, Edward:

Zour

Zour fteid was auld, and ze hae gat mair,

Sum other dule ze drie, O.

O, I hae killed my fadir deir,

O, I hae killed my fadir deir,

Mither, mither:

Alas! and wae is mee, O!

20

And quhatten penance wul ze drie for that,
Edward, Edward?

25

And quhatten penance will ze drie for that?

My deir fon, now tell me, O.

Ile fet my feit in zonder boat,

[blocks in formation]

And quhat wul ze doe wi' zour towirs and zour ha',

Edward, Edward ?

And quhat wul ze doe wi' zour towirs and zour ha', 35 That were fae fair to fee, O?

Ile let thame ftand til they doun fa',

Mither, mither:

Ile let thame ftand till they doun fa',

For here nevir mair maun I bee, O.

4o

And quhat wul ze leive to zour bairns and zour wife,

Edward, Edward ?

And

And quhat wul ze leive to zour bairns and your wife,
Quhan ze gang ovir the fea, O?

The warldis room, late them beg throw life,
Mither, mither:

The warldis room, let them beg throw life,

For thame nevir mair wul I fee, O.

And quhat wul ze leive to zour ain mither deir,

Edward, Edward?

And quhat wul ze leive to zour ain mither deir ?

My deir fon, now tell mee, O.

The curfe of hell frae me fall ze beir,

Mither, mither:

The curfe of hell frae me fall ze beir,
Sic counfeils ze gave to me, O.

45

50

55

VI.

KING EST MER E.

This old Romantic Legend, (which is given from two copies, one of them in the Editor's folio MS.) bears marks of great antiquity, and perhaps ought to have taken place of any in this volume. It should feem to have been written while a great part of Spain was in the hands of the Saracens or Moors: whofe empire there was not fully extinguished before the year 1491. The Mahometans are fpoken of in v. 49, &c. just in the same terms as in all other old romances. The author of the ancient Legend of SIR

BEVIS

BEVIS reprefents his hero, upon all occafions, breathing out defiance against

"Mabound and Termagaunte* ;"

And fo full of zeal for his religion, as to return the following polite melage to a Paynim king's fair daughter, who had fallen in love with him, and fent two Saraecn knights to invite him to her bower,

"I wyll not ones firre off this grounde,
"To Speake with an heathen bounde,
Unchriften houndes, I rede you fle,

66

"Or I your harte bloud shall fet.”

Indeed they return the compliment by calling him elfwhere "A chriften bounde."

This was conformable to the real manners of the barbarous ages: perhaps the fame excufe will hardly ferve our bard for the fituations in which he has placed fome of his royal perfonages. That a youthful monarch should take a journey into another kingdom to vifit bis miftrefs incog. was a piece of gallantry paralleled in our own Charles I. but that king Adland fould be found lolling or leaning at his gate (v. 35.) may be thought perchance a little out of character. And yet the great painter of manners, Homer, did not think it inconfiftent with decorum to reprefent a king of the Taphians rearing himself at the gate of Ulyffes to inquire for that monarch, when he touched at Ithaca as he was taking a voyage with a fhip's cargo of iron to difpofe in traffic ||• So little ought we to judge of ancient manners by our own.

Before I conclude this article, I cannot help obferving that the reader will fee in this ballad, the character of the old Minstrels (thofe fucceffors of the bards) placed in a very refpeciable light+: here he will fee one of them reprefented mounted on a fine horse, accompanied with an attendant to bear his harp after him, and to fing the poems

*See a fhort Memoir at the end of this ballad, pag. 74. ttt

Sign. C. ij. b.
Ody. a. 105.

Sign. C. j. b.
+ See vol. 2. p. 168.

« ПредишнаНапред »