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A Scottish Ballad,

Was printed at Glasgow, by Robert and Andrew Foulis, MDCCLV. 8vo. 12 pages. We are indebted for its publication (with many other valuable things in these volumes) to Sir David Dalrymple, Bart., who gave it as it was preserved in the memory of a lady that is now dead.

The reader will here find it improved and enlarged with several fine stanzas, recovered from a fragment of the same ballad, in the Editor's folio MS. It is remarkable that the latter is entitled Captain Adam Carre, and is in the English idiom. But whether the author was English or Scotch, the difference originally was not great. The English Ballads are generally of the North of England, the Scottish are of the South of Scotland, and of consequence the country of ballad-singers was sometimes subject to one crown, and sometimes to the other, and most frequently to neither. Most of the finest old Scotch songs have the scene laid within twenty miles of England, which is indeed all poetic ground, green hills, remains of woods, clear brooks. The pastoral scenes remain: of the rude chivalry of former ages happily nothing remains but the ruins of the castles, where the more daring and successful robbers resided. The house or castle of the Rodes stood about a measured mile south from Duns, in Berwickshire: some of the ruins of it may be seen to this day. The Gordons were anciently seated in the same county: the two villages of East and West Gordon lie about ten miles from the castle of the Rodes.647 The fact, however, on which the ballad is founded, happened in the north of Scotland,648 yet it is but too faithful a specimen of the violences practised in the feudal times in every part of this Island, and indeed all over Europe.

From the different titles of this ballad, it should seem that the old strolling bards or minstrels (who gained a livelihood by reciting these poems) made no scruple of changing the names of the personages they introduced, to humour their hearers. For instance, if a Gordon's conduct was blameworthy in the opinion of that age, the obsequious minstrel would, when among Gordons, change the name to Car, whose clan or sept lay further west, and vice versâ. The foregoing observation, which I owed to Sir David Dalrymple, will appear the more perfectly well founded, if, as I have since been informed (from Crawford's Memoirs), the principal Commander of the expedition was a Gordon, and the immediate agent a Car, or Ker; for then the reciter might, upon good grounds, impute the barbarity here deplored, either to a Gordon or a Car, as best suited his purpose. In the third volume the reader will find a similar instance. See the song of Gil Morris, wherein the principal character introduced had different names given him, perhaps from the same cause.

It may be proper to mention that, in the folio MS., instead of the "Castle of the Rodes," it is the "Castle of Bittons-borrow," and also "Dractons-borrow," and "Capt. Adam Carre" is called the "Lord of Westerton-town." Uniformity required that the additional stanzas supplied from that copy should be clothed in the Scottish orthography and idiom: this has therefore been attempted, though perhaps imperfectly.

[Percy's note, which goes to prove that the historical event referred to in this ballad occurred in the north of Scotland, negatives the view which is expressed just before, that the borders are the exclusive country of the ballad singers, at all events in this particular instance. Sir David Dalrymple appears to have altered the place of action from Towie to Rodes under a misconception. An extract from Crawford's Memoirs (an. 1571, p. 240, ed. 1706), is a proper companion to the passage from Spotswood, and explains the title in the folio MS. The person sent was "one Captain Ker with a party of foot. … Nor was he ever so much as cashiered for this inhuman action, which made Gordon share in the scandal and the guilt." Gordon, in his History of the Family of Gordon, informs us that, in the true old spirit of Scottish family feuds, the Forbes's afterwards attempted to assassinate Gordon in the streets of Paris.

Percy showed good taste in rejecting the termination given in Dalrymple's version, which certainly does not improve the ballad, and has moreover a very modern flavour. The husband is there made to end his days as follows:—

"And round and round the wa's he went

Their ashes for to view.

At last into the flames he flew

And bad the world adieu."

This ballad is found in various versions, which proves how wide-spread was the popularity of the striking story which it relates. In the version given from the Cotton MS. by Ritson in his Ancient Songs (vol. ii. p. 38, ed. 1829) the husband takes no vengeance on Captain Car. Another version, entitled Loudoun Castle, is reprinted in Child's English and Scottish Ballads (vol. vi. p. 254), from the Ballads and Songs of Ayrshire, where the scene is changed to Loudoun Castle, which is supposed to have been burnt about three hundred and sixty years ago by the clan Kennedy. In Ritson's version the castle is called Crechcrynbroghe, and in the Genealogy of the Forbes, by Matthew Lumsden, of Tullikerne, written in 1580 (Inverness, 1819, p. 44), the name is changed to Cargaffe. From this latter source we learn that the lady of Towie was Margaret Campbell, daughter of Sir John Campbell, of Calder, and that the husband, far from flying into the flames, married a second wife, a daughter of Forbes of Reires, who bare him a son named Arthur.]

It fell about the Martinmas,

Quhen the wind blew shril and cauld,

Said Edom o' Gordon to his men,

We maun draw till a hauld.649

And quhat a hauld sall we draw till,5

My mirry men and me?

We wul gae to the house o' the Rodes,

To see that fair ladìe.

The lady stude on hir castle wa',

Beheld baith dale and down:10

There she was ware of a host of men

Cum ryding towards the toun.650

O see ye nat, my mirry men a'?

O see ye nat quhat I see?

Methinks I see a host of men:15

I marveil quha they be.

She weend651 it had been hir luvely lord, As he cam ryding hame; It was the traitor Edom o' Gordon, Quha reckt nae sin nor shame.20

She had nae sooner buskit652 hirsel, And putten on hir goun, But Edom o' Gordon and his men Were round about the toun.

They had nae sooner supper sett,25

Nae sooner said the grace,

But Edom o' Gordon and his men,

Were light about the place.

The lady ran up to hir towir head,

Sa fast as she could hie,30

To see if by hir fair speechès

She could wi' him agree.

But quhan he see this lady saif,

And hir yates653 all locked fast, He fell into a rage of wrath,35 And his look was all aghast.

Cum doun to me, ye lady gay,

Cum doun, cum doun to me:

This night sall ye lig654 within mine armes, To-morrow my bride sall be.40

I winnae655 cum doun, ye fals Gordòn, I winnae cum doun to thee; I winnae forsake my ain dear lord, That is sae far frae me.

Give owre your house, ye lady fair,45

Give owre your house to me,

Or I sall brenn656 yoursel therein, Bot and657 your babies three.

I winnae give owre, ye false Gordòn,

To nae sik traitor as yee;50

And if ye brenn my ain dear babes,

My lord sall make ye drie.658

But reach my pistoll, Glaud, my man,659 And charge ye weil my gun:659 For, but an660 I pierce that bluidy butcher,55 My babes we been undone.

She stude upon hir castle wa',

And let twa bullets flee:659 She mist that bluidy butchers hart, And only raz'd his knee.60

Set fire to the house, quo' fals Gordòn,

All wood wi' dule661 and ire: Fals lady, ye sail rue this deid, As ye bren in the fire.

Wae worth,662 wae worth ye, Jock my man,65 I paid ye weil your fee; Quhy pu' ye out the ground-wa' stane.663 Lets in the reek664 to me?

And ein665 wae worth ye, Jock my man, I paid ye weil your hire;70 Quhy pu' ye out the ground-wa stane, To me lets in the fire?

Ye paid me weil my hire, lady;

Ye paid me weil my fee:

But now I'm Edom o' Gordons man,75

Maun either doe or die.

O than bespaik hir little son,

Sate on the nurses knee:

Sayes, Mither deare, gi' owre this house,

For the reek it smithers me.80

I wad gie a' my gowd,666 my childe, Sae wald I a' my fee, For ane blast o' the western wind, To blaw the reek frae thee.

O then bespaik hir dochter dear,85

She was baith jimp667 and sma: O row668 me in a pair o' sheits, And tow me669 owre the wa.

They rowd hir in a pair o' sheits,

And towd hir owre the wa:90

But on the point of Gordons spear,

She gat a deadly fa.

O bonnie bonnie was hir mouth,

And cherry were hir cheiks,

And clear clear was hir yellow hair,95

Whereon the reid bluid dreips.

Then wi' his spear he turnd hir owre,

O gin hir face was wan!670 He sayd, ye are the first that eir I wisht alive again.100

He turnd hir owre and owre againe,

O gin hir skin was whyte!670 I might ha spared that bonnie face To hae been sum mans delyte.

Busk and boun,671 my merry men a',105 For ill dooms I doe guess; I cannae luik in that bonnie face, As it lyes on the grass.

Thame, luiks to freits, my master deir,672 Then freits wil follow thame:672110 Let it neir be said brave Edom o' Gordon Was daunted by a dame.

But quhen the ladye see the fire

Cum flaming owre hir head,

She wept and kist her children twain,115

Sayd, Bairns, we been but dead.

The Gordon then his bougill673 blew, And said, Awa', awa'; This house o' the Rodes is a' in flame, I hauld it time to ga'.120

O then bespyed hir ain dear lord,

As hee cam owr the lee;

He sied674 his castle all in blaze Sa far as he could see.

Then sair, O sair his mind misgave,125

And all his hart was wae;

Put on, put on, my wighty men,

So fast as ye can gae.

Put on, put on, my wighty675 men, Sa fast as ye can drie;676130 For he that is hindmost of the thrang, Sall neir get guid o' me.

Than sum they rade, and sum they rin,

Fou fast out-owr the bent;677 But eir the foremost could get up,135 Baith lady and babes were brent.

He wrang his hands, he rent his hair,

And wept in teenefu' muid:678 O traitors, for this cruel deid Ye sall weep teirs o'bluid.140

And after the Gordon he is gane,

Sa fast as he might drie;679 And soon i' the Gordon's foul hartis bluid, He's wroken680 his dear ladie.

⁂

[The following is the version of the ballad in the Percy Folio, which is entitled Captaine Carre. Bishop Percy's Folio MS., ed. J. W. Hales and F. J. Furnivall, 1867, vol. i., pp. 79–83.

ffaith, Master, whither you will,

whereas you like the best,

Unto the castle of Bittons borrow,

and there to take your rest.

But yonder stands a Castle faire,

is made of lyme and stone,

Yonder is in it a fayre lady,

her lord is ridden and gone.

The lady stood on her castle wall,

she looked upp and downe,

She was ware of an hoast of men

came rydinge towards the towne.

See you not my merry men all,

and see you not what I doe see?

Methinks I see a hoast of men

I muse who they shold be.

She thought it had beene her lovly Lord,

he had come ryding home:

it was the traitor, Captaine Carre

the Lord of Westerton towne

They had noe sooner super sett,

and after said the grace

but the traitor Captaine Carre

was light about the place.

Give over thy house, thou lady gay

I will make thee a band [i.e. bond] all night within mine armes thoust lye, to-morrow be the heyre of my land.

Ile not give over my house, shee said

neither for ladds nor man,

nor yet for traitor Captaine Carre,

Untill my lord come home.

But reach me my pistoll pee [i.e. piece] and charge you well my gunne, Ile shoote at the bloody bucher the lord of westerton.

She stood uppon her castle wall

and let the bulletts flee,

and where shee mist. …

Half a page missing.]

But then bespake the little child

that sate on the nurses knee,

saies, mother deere, give ore this house

for the smoake it smoothers me.

I wold give all my gold, my childe,

soe wold I doe all my fee,

for one blast of the westerne wind

to blow the smoke from thee.

But when shee saw the fier

came flaming ore her head,

She tooke them upp her children two

Sayes, babes we all beene dead!

But Adam then he fired the house,

a sorrowfull sight to see:

now hath he burned this lady faire

and eke her children three

Then Captain Carre he rode away,

he staid noe longer at that tide,

he thought that place it was to warme

soe neere for to abide

He calld unto his merry men all

bidd them make hast away

for we have slaine his children three

all, and his lady gay.

Word came to lovly loudon[1]

to loudon681 wheras her lord lay, his castle and his hall was burned all and his lady gay.

Soe hath he done his Children three,

More dearer unto him

then either the silver or the gold

that men soe faine wold win.

But when he looket this writing on,

Lord in is hart he was woe!

saies, I will find thee, Captain Carre,

wether thou ryde or goe!

Buff yee, bowne yee, my merry men all

with tempered swords of steele,

for till I have found out Captaine Carre,

My hart it is nothing weele.

But when he came to dractons Borrow,

soe long ere it was day,

and ther he found him, Captaine Carre;

that night he ment to stay.]

Half a page missing.]