"I winnae cum doun, ze fals Gordon, "Give owre zour house, ze lady fair, Or I sall brenn yoursel therein, "I winnae give owre, ze false Gordòn, And if ze brenn my ain dear babes, 45 50 But reach my pistoll, Glaud, my man,* For, but an I pierce that bluidy butcher, 55 She stude upon hir castle wa', She mist that bluidy butchers hart, And only raz'd his knee. "Set fire to the house!" quo' fals Gordòn, All wood wi' dule and ire: "Fals lady, ze sall rue this deid, As ze bren in the fire." "Wae worth, wae worth ze, Jock my man, I paid ze weil zour fee; Quhy pu' ze out the ground-wa' stane. 60 65 And ein wae worth ze, Jock my man, 70 Quhy pu' ze out the ground-wa stane, These three lines are restored from Foulis's edition, and the fol. MS. which last reads "the bullets," in ver. 58. "Ze paid me weil my hire, lady; Ze paid me weil my fee: But now I'm Edom o' Gordons man, Maun either doe or die." O, than bespaik hir little son, Sate on the nurses knee : Sayes, "Mither deare, gi' owre this house, "I wad gie a' my gowd, my childe, For ane blast o' the western wind, O, then bespaik hir dochter dear, They rowd hir in a pair o' sheits, And towd hir owre the wa : O, bonnie bonnie was hir mouth, Then wi' his spear he turnd hir owre, He turnd hir owre and owre againe, "I might ha spared that bonnie face V. 98, 102, "O gin," &c. a Scottish idiom to express great admiration. Busk and boun, my merry men a', I cannae luik in that bonnie face, "Thame, luiks to freits, my master deir, Then freits wil follow thame : Let it neir be said brave Edom o' Gordon But quhen the ladye see the fire The Gordon then his bougill blew, And said, "Awa', awa'! 105 110 115 This house o' the Rodes is a' in flame, 120 I hauld it time to ga'." O, then bespyed hir ain dear lord, As hee cam owr the lee ; He sied his castle all in a blaze Sa far as he could see. Then sair, O. sair, his mind misgave, And all his hart was wae ; "Put on, put on, my wighty men, So fast as ze can gae. 125 Put on, put on, my wighty men, Sa fast as ze can drie ; 130 For he that is hindmost of the thrang, Sall neir get guid o' me." Than sum they rade, and sum they rin, But eir the foremost could get up, Baith lady and babes were brent. 135 V. 109, 110." Thame," &c. i. e. Them that look after omens of ill luck, ill luck will follow. He wrang his hands, he rent his hair, And after the Gordon he is gane, Sa fast as he might drie; And soon i' the Gordon's foul hartis bluid, 140 +++ Since the foregoing Ballad was first printed, the subject of it has been found recorded in Abp. Spotswood's History of the Church of Scotland, p. 259: who informs us, that "Anno 1771. In the north parts of Scotland, Adam Gordon (who was deputy for his brother the earl of Huntley) did keep a great stir; and under colour of the queen's authority, committed divers oppressions, especially upon the Forbes's Having killed Arthur Forbes, brother to the lord Forbes. Not long after he sent to summon the house of Tavoy pertaining to Alexander Forbes. The Lady refusing to yield without direction from her husband, he put fire unto it, and burnt her therein, with children and servants, being twenty-seven persons in all. This inhuman and barbarous cruelty made his name odious, and stained all his former doings; otherwise he was held very active and fortunate in his enterprizes." This fact, which had escaped the Editor's notice, was in the most obliging manner pointed out to him, by an ingenious writer who signs his name H. H. (Newcastle, May 9.) in the Gentleman's Magazine for May, 1775. THE END OF THE FIRST BOOK. Reliques OF ANCIENT POETRY, &c. SERIES THE FIRST.-BOOK II. BALLADS THAT ILLUSTRATE SHAKESPEARE. OUR great dramatic poet having occasionally quoted many ancient ballads, and even taken the plot of one, if not more, of his plays from among them, it was judged proper to preserve as many of these as could be recovered, and that they might be the more easily found, to exhibit them in one collective view. This Second Book is therefore set apart for the reception of such ballads as are quoted by Shakespeare, or contribute in any degree to illustrate his writings: this being the principal point in view, the candid reader will pardon the admission of some pieces, that have no other kind of merit. The design of this Book being of a Dramatic tendency, it may not be improperly introduced with a few observations on the origin of the English Stage, and on the conduct of our first Dramatic Poets: a subject, which though not unsuccessfully handled by several good writers already,* will yet perhaps admit of some further illustration. Bp. Warburton's Shakesp. vol. v. p. 338.-Pref. to Dodsley's Old Plays.-Riccoboni's Acct. of Theat. of Europe, &c. &c. These were all the Author had seen when he first drew up this Essay. |