“I had my musicke every day "But now, alas! my husband's dead, And fetching many a tender sigh, The king, who had a huntinge gone, 90 95 100 Turn'd on the sudden home againe : And when he reach'd his statelye tower, 105 Hearing one sing within his bower, He stopt to listen, and to see Thus heard he everye word I sed, 110 Then stepping in, Faire ladye, rise, A crimson dye my face orespred, But to be briefe, his royall grace Grewe so enamour'd of my face, The richest gifts he proffered mee, Ah! no, my liege, I firmlye sayd, And though your grace hath won my heart, 115 120 125 Faire ladye, pardon me, sayd hee, Thy virtue shall rewarded bee, 130 And since it is soe fairly tryde Thou shalt become my royal bride. Then strait to end his amorous strife, 135 XVIII. GIL MORRICE. A SCOTTISH BALLAD. The following piece hath run through two editions in Scotland: the second was printed at Glasgow in 1755, 8vo. Prefixed to them both is an advertisement, setting forth that the preservation of this poem was owing" to a lady, who favoured the printers with a "copy, as it was carefully collected from the mouths "of old women and nurses;" and "any reader that "can render it more correct or complete," is desired to oblige the public with such improvements. In consequence of this advertisement, sixteen additional verses have been produced and handed about in manuscript, which are here inserted in their proper places: (these are from ver. 109 to ver. 121, and from ver. 124 to ver. 129, but are perhaps, after all, only an ingenious interpolation.) As this poem lays claim to a pretty high antiquity, we have assigned it a place among our early pieces: though, after all, there is reason to believe it has received very considerable modern improvements: for in the Editor's ancient MS. collection is a very old imperfect copy of the same ballad: wherein though the leading features of the story are the same, yet the colouring here is so much improved and heightened, and so many additional strokes are thrown in, that it is evident the whole has undergone a revisal. N. B. The Editor's MS. instead of "lord Barnard," has "John Stewart;" and instead of "Gil Morrice," CHILD MAURICE, which last is probably the original title. See above, p. 95. 134 GIL Morrice was an erlès son, His name it waxed wide; Nor zet his mickle pride; Bot it was for a lady gay, That livd on Carron side. Quhair sall I get a bonny boy, That will win hose and shoen; 5 10 And ze maun rin my errand, Willie ; And ze may rin wi' pride; Quhen other boys gae on their foot, On horse-back ze sall ride. O no! Oh no! my master dear! 15 I'll no gae to the bauld baròns, For to triest furth his wife. My bird Willie, my boy Willie ; My dear Willie, he sayd: How can ze strive against the stream ? For I sall be obeyd. Bot, O my master dear! he cryd, In grene wod ze're zour lain; Ver. 11. something seems wanting here. 20 Gi owre sic thochts, I walde ze rede, If ze refuse my heigh command, Gae bid hir take this gay mantèl, 'Tis a' gowd bot the hem; Bid hir cum to the gude grene wode, And bring nane bot hir lain: And there it is, a silken sarke, Yes, I will gae zour black errand, In it ze sall find frost. He neir could bide to taunt, As ze will see before its nicht, How sma' ze hae to vaunt. 45 And sen I maun zour errand rin Ver. 32, and 68. perhaps, 'bout the hem. |