Volume I Part 10 (2/2)

The lord of Nachtane, schire William The Hay, a knycht than of gud fame, Mad schire Gilberte the Hay, knycht.

_Cronykil_, B. IX. c. 27.

I apprehend we should read ”How Hay of Nachton _slew_ in Madin Land.”

Perhaps Madin is a corruption for Maylin, or Milan Land.]

The descendant of Auld Maitland, Sir Richard of Lethington, seems to have been frequently complimented on the popular renown of his great ancestor. We have already seen one instance; and in an elegant copy of verses in the Maitland MSS., in praise of Sir Richard's seat of Lethingtoun, which he had built, or greatly improved, this obvious topic of flattery does not escape the poet. From the terms of his panegyric we learn, that the exploits of auld Sir Richard with the gray beard, and of his three sons, were ”sung in many far countrie, albeit in rural rhyme;” from which we may infer, that they were narrated rather in the shape of a popular ballad, than in a _romance of price_. If this be the case, the song, now published, may have undergone little variation since the date of the Maitland MSS.; for, divesting the poem, in praise of Lethington, of its antique spelling, it would run as smoothly, and appear as modern, as any verse in the following ballad. The lines alluded to, are addressed to the castle of Lethington:

And happie art thou sic a place, That few thy mak ar sene: But yit mair happie far that race To quhome thou dois pertene.

Quha dais not knaw the Maitland bluid, The best in all this land?

In quhilk sumtyme the honour stuid And wors.h.i.+p of Scotland.

Of auld Sir Richard, of that name, We have hard sing and say; Of his triumphant n.o.bill fame, And of his auld baird gray.

And of his n.o.bill sonnis three, Quhilk that tyme had no maik; Quhilk maid Scotland renounit be, And all England to quaik.

Quhais luifing praysis, maid trewlie, Efter that simple tyme, Ar sung in monie far countrie, Albeit in rural rhyme.

And, gif I dar the treuth declair, And nane me fleitschour call, I can to him find a compair, And till his barnis all.

It is a curious circ.u.mstance, that this interesting tale, so often referred to by ancient authors, should be now recovered in so perfect a state; and many readers may be pleased to see the following sensible observations, made by a person, born in Ettrick Forest, in the humble situation of a shepherd. ”I am surprised to hear, that this song is suspected by some to be a modern forgery; the contrary will be best proved, by most of the old people, hereabouts, having a great part of it by heart. Many, indeed, are not aware of the manners of this country; till this present age, the poor illiterate people, in these glens, knew of no other entertainment, in the long winter nights, than repeating, and listening to, the feats of their ancestors, recorded in songs, which I believe to be handed down, from father to son, for many generations; although, no doubt, had a copy been taken, at the end of every fifty years, there must have been some difference, occasioned by the gradual change of language. I believe it is thus that many very ancient songs have been gradually modernised, to the common ear; while, to the connoisseur, they present marks of their genuine antiquity.”--_Letter to the Editor from Mr. James Hogg_. To the observations of my ingenious correspondent I have nothing to add, but that, in this, and a thousand other instances, they accurately coincide with my personal knowledge.

AULD MAITLAND.

There lived a king in southern land, King Edward hight his name; Unwordily he wore the crown, Till fifty years were gane.

He had a sister's son o's ain, Was large of blood and bane; And afterward, when he came up, Young Edward hight his name.

One day he came before the king, And kneel'd low on his knee-- ”A boon, a boon, my good uncle, ”I crave to ask of thee!

”At our lang wars, in fair Scotland, ”I fain hae wished to be; ”If fifteen hundred waled[90] wight men ”You'll grant to ride wi' me.”

”Thou sail hae thae, thou sail hae mae; ”I say it sickerlie; ”And I mysell, an auld gray man, ”Array'd your host sall see.”

King Edward rade, King Edward ran-- I wish him dool and pyne!

Till he had fifteen hundred men a.s.sembled on the Tyne.

And thrice as many at Berwicke[91]

Were all for battle bound, _Who, marching forth with false Dunbar, A ready welcome found_.

They lighted on the banks of Tweed, And blew their coals sae het, And fired the Merse and Teviotdale, All in an evening late.

As they fared up o'er Lammermore, They burned baith up and down, Until they came to a darksome house; Some call it Leader-Town.

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