liminary Dissertation to the late Mr Ritson's edition of the songs respecting this memorable outlaw. The game of Robin Hood was usually acted in May; and he was associated with the morricedancers, on whom so much illustration has been bestowed by the commentators on Shakspeare. A very lively picture of these festivities, containing a great deal of curious information on the subject of the private life and amusements of our ancestors, was thrown, by the late ingenious Mr Strutt, into his romance entitled Queen-ho Hall, published after his death, in 1808, Indifferent as to archer wight, The Monarch gave the arrow bright.-S. xxII. The Douglas of the poem is an imaginary person, a supposed uncle of the Earl of Angus. But the King's behaviour during an unexpected interview with the Laird of Kilspindie, one of the banished Douglases, under circumstances similar to those in the text, is imitated from a real story told by Hume of Godscroft. I would have availed myself more fully of the simple and affecting circumstances of the old history, had they not been already woven into a pathetic ballad by my friend Mr Finlay.* "His (the king's) implacability (towards the family of Douglas) did also appear in his carriage towards Archibald of Kilspindy, whom he, when he was a child, loved singularly well for his ability of body and was wont to call him his Gray-Steil. Archibald being banished into England, could not well comport with the humour of that na tion, which he thought to be too proud, and that they had too high a conceit of themselves, joined with a contempt and despising of all others. Wherefore, being wearied of that life, and remembering the king's favour of old towards him, he determined to try the king's mercifulness and clemency. So he comes into Scotland, and taking occasion of the king's hunting in the park at Stirling, he casts himself to be in his way, as he was coming home to the castle. So soon as the king saw him afar off, ere he came near, he guessed it was he, and said to one of his courtiers, Yonder is my Gray Steill, Archibald of Kilspindy, if he be alive. The other answered, that it could not be he, and that he durst not come into the king's presence. The king approaching, he fell upon his knees, and craved pardon, and promised from thenceforward to abstain from meddling in public affairs, and to lead a quiet and private life. The king went by, without giving him any answer, and trotted a good round pace up the hill. Kilspindy followed, and, though he wore on him a secret, or shirt of mail, for his particular enemies, was as soon at the castle gate as the king. There he sat him down upon a stone without, and entreated some of the king's servants for a cup of drink, being weary and thirsty; but they, fearing the king's displeasure, durst give him none. When the king was set at his dinner, he asked what he had done, what he had said, and whither he had gone? It was told him that he had desired a cup of drink, and had gotten none. The king reproved them very sharply for their discourtesy, and told them, that if he had not taken an oath that no Douglas should ever serve him, he would have received him into his service, for he had seen him See Scottish Historical and Romantic Ballads. Giasgow. 1808. vol. ii. p. 117. A champion of popular romance. See ELLIS's Romances, vol. iii some time a man of great ability. Then he sent him word to go to Leith, and expect his further pleasure. Then some kinsman of David Falconer, the canonier, that was slain at Tantallon, began to quarrel with Archibald about the matter, wherewith the king showed himself not well pleased when he heard of it. Then he commanded him to go to France for a certain space, till he heard further from him. And so he did, and died shortly after. This gave occasion to the king of England (Henry VIII.) to blame his nephew, alleging the old saying, That a king's face should give grace. For this Archibald (whatsoever were Angus's or Sir George's fault) had not been principal actor of anything, nor no counsellor nor stirrer up, but only a follower of his friends, and that noways cruelly disposed.”— HUME of Godscroft, II. 107. Prize of the wrestling match, the King To Douglas gave a golden ring.-S. xxIII. The usual prize of a wrestling was a ram and a ring, but the animal would have embarrassed my story. Thus in the Cokes Tale of Gamelyn, ascribed to Chaucer: There happed to be there beside Tryid a wrastiling; And therefore there was y-setten Again the litil geste of Robin Hood: By a bridge was a wrastling, A full fayre game there was set up, A great courser with sadle and brydie, What man bereth him best I wis, RITSON'S Robin Hood, vol. i. CANTO VI. These drew not for their fields the sword, Nor own'd the patriarchal claim Of chieftain in their leader's name; The Scottish armies consisted chiefly of the nobility and barons, with their vassals, who held lands under them, for military service by themselves and their tenants. The patriarchal influence exercised by the heads of clans in the Highlands and Borders was of a different nature, and sometimes at variance with feudal principles. It flowed from the Patria Potestas, exercised by the chieftain as representing the original father of the whole name, and was often obeyed in contradiction to the feudal superior. James V. seems first to have introduced, in addition to the militia furnished from these sources the service of a small number of mercenaries, who formed a body-guard, called the Foot-Band. The satirical poet, Sir David Lindsay (or the person who wrote the prologue to his play of the "Three Estaites"), has introduced Finlay of the Foot-Band, who, after much swaggering upon the stage, is at length put to flight by the fool, who terrifies him by means of a sheep's skull upon a pole. I have rather chosen to give them the harsh features of the mercenary soldiers of the period, than of this Scottish Thraso. These partook of the character of the Adventurous Companions of Froissart, or the Condottieri of Italy. One of the best and liveliest traits of such manners is the last will of a leader, called Geffroy Tete Noir, who having been slightly wounded in a skirmish, his intemperance brought on a mortal disease. When he found himself dying, he summoned to his bed-side the adventurers whom he commanded, and thus addressed them: "Fayre sirs, quod Geffray, I knowe well ye have alwayes served and honoured me as men ought to serve their soveraygne and capitayne, and I shal be the gladder if ye will agre to have to your capitayne one that is descended of my blode. Behold here Aleyne Roux, my cosyn, and Peter his brother, who are men of armes and of my blode. I require you to make Aleyne your capitayne, and to swere to him faythe, obeysaunce, love, and loyalte, here in my presence, and also to his brother: howe be it, I will that Aleyne have the soverayne charge. Sir, quod they, we are well content, for ye hauve ryght well chosen. There all the companyons made theym servyant to Aleyne Roux and to Peter his brother. Whan all that was done, then Geffraye spake agayne, and sayde: Nowe, sirs, ye hauve obeyed to my pleasure, I canne you great thanke; wherefore, sirs, I wyll ye have parte of that ye have holpen to conquere. I say unto you, that in yonder chest that ye se stande yonder, therin is to the some of xxx thousande frankes,-I wyll give them accordynge to my conscyence. Wyll ye all be content to fulfyl my testament; how saye ye? Sir, quod they, we be ryght well contente to fuiryl your commaundement. Thane firste, quod he, I wyll and give to the chapell of Saynt George, here in this castell, for the reparacions thereof, a thousand and five hundrede frankes: and 1 give to my lover, who hath truly served me, two thousand and five hundrede frankes: and also I give to Aleyne Roux, your newe capitayne, foure thousande frankes: also to the varlettes of my chambre I gyve fyve hundrede frankes. To mine offycers I gyve a thousand and five hundred frankes. The rest I give and bequeth as I shall shew you. Ye be upon a thirtie companyons all of one sorte: ye ought to be bretherne, and all of one alyaunce, without debate, ryotte, or stryfe among you. All this that I have shewed you ye shall fynde in yonder cheste. I wvll that yo departe all the resydue equally and truelly bitwene you thyrtie. And if ye be nat thus contente, but that the devylle wyll set debate bytwene you, than beholde yonder is a strong axe, breke up the coffer, and gette it who can. To those words every man ansuered and said, Sir, and dere maister, we are and shall be all of one accorde Sir, we have so moche loved and doubted you, that we will breke no coffer, nor breke no poynt of that ye have ordayned and commanded." -LORD BERNERS' Froissart. Thou now hast glee-maiden and harp; Get thee an ape, and trudge the land, The jongleurs, or jugglers, as we learn from the elaborate work of the late Mr Strutt, on the sports and pastimes of the people of England, used to call in the aid of various assistants, to render these performances as captivating as possible. The glee- maiden was a necessary attendant. Her duty was tumbling and dancing; and therefore the Anglo-Saxon version of Saint Mark's Gospel states Herodias to have vaulted or tumbled before King Herod. In Scotland, these poor creatures seem, even at a late period, to have been bonds-women to their masters, as appears from a case reported by Fountainhall "Reid the mountebank pursues Scot of Harden and nis lady, for stealing away from him a little girl, called the tumbling-lassie, that danced upon his stage; and he claimed damages, and produced a contract, whereby he bought her from her mother for 30%, Scots. But we have no slaves in Scotland, and mothers cannot sell their bairns; and physicians attested, the employment of tumbling would kill her; and her joints were now grown stuff, and she declined to return; though she was at least a 'prentice, and so could not run away from her master: yet some cited Moses's law, that if a servant shelter himself with thee, against his master's cruelty, thou shalt surely not deliver him up The lords, renitente cancellario, assoilzied Harden, on the 27th of January (1687)"-FOUNTAINHALL'S Decisions, vol. i. p. 439.* The facetious qualities of the ape soon rendered him an acceptable addition to the strolling band of the jongleur. Ben Jonson, in his splenetic introduction to the comedy of "Bartholomew Fair," is at pains to inform the audience "that he has ne'er a sword and buckler man in his fair, nor a juggler, with a well-educated ape, to come over the chaine for the king of England, and back again for the prince, and sit still on his haunches for the pope and the king of Spaine." That stirring air that peals on high, O'er Dermid's race our victory There are several instances, at least in tradition, of persons so much attached to particular tunes, as to require to hear them on their death-bed. Such an anecdote is inentioned by the late Mr *Though less to my purpose, I cannot help noticing a circumstance respecting another of this Mr Reid's attendants, which occurred during James II.'s zeal for catholic proselytism, and is told by Fountainhall, with dry Scottish irony." "January 17th, 1687.-Reid, the mountebank, is received into the popish church, and one of his blackamores was persuaded to accept of baptism from the popish priests, and to turn Christian papist; which was a great trophy: he was called James, after the king and chancellor, and the apostle James." -Ibid. p. 440. Riddell of Glenriddel, in his collection of Border tunes, respecting an air called the "Dandling of the bairus," for which a certain Gallovidian laird is said to have evinced this strong mark of par tiality. It is popularly told of a famous freebooter, that he composed the tune known by the name of Macpherson's Rant, while under sentence of death, and played it at the Gallowstree. Some spirited words have been adapted to it by Burns. A similar story is recounted of a Welsh bard, who composed and played on his death-bed the air called Dafyddy Garregg Wen. But the most curious example is given by Brantome, of a maid of honour at the court of France, entitled Mademoiselle de Limeuil. "Durant sa maladie, dont e le trespassa, jamais elle ne cessa, aits causa tousjours; car elle estoit fort grande parleuse, brocardeuse, et très-bien et fort à propos, et très-belle avec cela. Quand l'heure de sa fin fut venue, elle fit venir a soy son valet (ainsi que les filles de la cour en ont chacune un), qui s'appelloit Julien, et scavoit très-bien jouer du violon. Julien, luy dit-elle, prenez vostre violon, et sonnez moy tousjours jusques a ce que me voyez morte (car je m'y en vais,) la défaite des Suisses, et le mieux que vous pourrez, et quand vous serez sur le mot: Tout est perdu,' sonnez le par quatre ou cinq fois, le plus piteusement que vous pourrez ;' ce qui fit l'autre, et elle-mesme luy aidoit de la voix, et quand ce vint tout est perdu,' elle le rèïtera par deux fois; et se tournant de l'autre costé du chevet, elle dit à ses compagnes: 'Tout est perdu à ce coup, et à bone scient;' et ainsi décéda. Voilà une morte joyeuse et plaisante. Je tiens ce conte de deux de ses compagnes, dignes da foi, qui virent jouer ce mystere."-Oeuvres de Brantome, III. 507. The tune to which this fair lady chose to make her final exit was composed on the defeat of the Swiss at Marignano. The burden is quoted by Panurge, in Rabelais, and consists in these words, imitat ing the jargon of the Swiss, which is a mixture of French and German: Tout est verlore La Tintelore, Tout est verlore bi Go! Battle of Beal' an Duine.-S. xv. A skirmish actually took place at a pass thus called in the Trosachs, and closed with the remarkable incident mentioned in the text. It was greatly posterior in date to the reign of James V. "In this roughly-wooded island, the country people secreted their wives and children and their most valuable effects, from the rapacity of Cromwell's soldiers, during their inroad into his country, in the time of the republic. These invaders, not venturing to ascend by the ladders, along the side of the lake, took a more circuitous road, through the heart of the Trosachs, the most frequented path at that time, which penetrated the wilderness about half way between Binean and the lake, by a tract called Yea-chailleach, or the Old Wife's Bog. "In one of the defiles of this by-road, the men of the country at That at the eastern extremity of Loch-Katrine so often men tioned in the text. |