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The Tayl of the Yong Tamlene is mentioned in the Complaynt of Scotland, (1548,) and the dance of Thom of Lyn is noticed in the same work. A considerable fragment of this ballad was printed by Herd, (vol. i. 215,) under the title of Kertonha', a corruption of Carterhaugh; another is furnished in Maidment's New Book of Old Ballads, (p. 54,) and a nearly complete version in Johnson's Museum, (p. 423,) which, with some alterations, was inserted in the Tales of Wonder, (No. 58.) The present edition, prepared by Sir Walter Scott from a collation of various copies, is longer than any other, but was originally disfigured by several supposititious stanzas here omitted. Another version, with Maidment's fragment, will be found in the Appendix to this volume.

"Carterhaugh is a plain, at the conflux of the Ettrick and Yarrow in Selkirkshire, about a mile above Selkirk, and two miles below Newark Castle; a romantic ruin which overhangs the Yarrow, and which is said to have been the habitation of our heroine's father, though others place his residence in the tower of Oakwood. The peasants point out, upon the plain, those electrical rings, which vulgar credulity supposes to be traces of the Fairy revels. Here, they say, were placed the stands of milk, and of water, in which Tamlane was dipped, in order to effect the disenchantment; and upon these spots, according to their mode of expressing themselves, the grass will never grow. Miles Cross, (perhaps a corruption of Mary's Cross,) where fair Janet awaited the arrival of the Fairy train, is said to have stood near the Duke of Buccleuch's seat of Bow-hill, about half a mile from Carterhaugh."—(SCOTT'S Minstrelsy, ii. 334, at the end of a most interesting essay, introductory to this tale, on the Fairies of Popular Superstition.)

"O I forbid ye, maidens a',

That wear gowd on your hair,

To come or gae by Carterhaugh,

For young Tamlane is there.

5 "There's nane that gaes by Carterhaugh,

But maun leave him a wad,

Either gowd rings, or green mantles,

Or else their maidenheid.

"Now gowd rings ye may buy, maidens,

10 Green mantles ye may spin;

But, gin ye lose your maidenheid,

Ye'll ne'er get that agen."—

But up then spak her, fair Janet,

The fairest o' a' her kin;

15 "I'll cum and gang to Carterhaugh;

And ask nae leave o' him."—

Janet has kilted her green kirtle,

A little abune her knee;

And she has braided her yellow hair,

20 A little abune her bree.

And when she came to Carterhaugh,

She gaed beside the well;

And there she fand his steed standing,

But away was himsell.

25 She hadna pu'd a red red rose,

A rose but barely three;

Till up and starts a wee wee man,

At lady Janet's knee.

Says—"Why pu' ye the rose, Janet?

30 What gars ye break the tree?

Or why come ye to Carterhaugh,

Withouten leave o' me?"—

Says—"Carterhaugh it is mine ain;

My daddie gave it me;

35 I'll come and gang to Carterhaugh,

And ask nae leave o' thee."

He's ta'en her by the milk-white hand,

Among the leaves sae green;

And what they did, I cannot tell—

40 The green leaves were between.

He's ta'en her by the milk-white hand,

Among the roses red;

And what they did, I cannot say—

She ne'er return'd a maid.

45 When she cam to her father's ha',

She looked pale and wan;

They thought she'd dreed some sair sickness,

Or been with some leman.

She didna comb her yellow hair,

50 Nor make meikle o'er her head;

And ilka thing that lady took,

Was like to be her deid.

It's four and twenty ladies fair

Were playing at the ba';

55 Janet, the wightest of them anes,

Was faintest o' them a'.

Four and twenty ladies fair

Were playing at the chess;

And out there came the fair Janet,

60 As green as any grass.

Out and spak an auld grey-headed knight,

Lay o'er the castle wa'—

"And ever, alas! for thee, Janet,

But we'll be blamed a'!"—

65 "Now haud your tongue, ye auld grey knight!

And an ill deid may ye die;

Father my bairn on whom I will,

I'll father nane on thee."—

Out then spak her father dear,

70 And he spak meik and mild—

"And ever, alas! my sweet Janet,

I fear ye gae with child."—

"And if I be with child, father,

Mysell maun bear the blame;

75 There's ne'er a knight about your ha'

Shall hae the bairnie's name.

"And if I be with child, father,

'Twill prove a wondrous birth;

For weel I swear I'm not wi' bairn

80 To any man on earth.

"If my love were an earthly knight,

As he's an elfin grey,

I wadna gie my ain true love

For nae lord that ye hae."

85 She prink'd hersell and prinn'd hersell,

By the ae light of the moon,

And she's away to Carterhaugh,

To speak wi' young Tamlane.

And when she came to Carterhaugh,

90 She gaed beside the well;

And there she saw the steed standing,

But away was himsell.

She hadna pu'd a double rose,

A rose but only twae,

95 When up and started young Tamlane,

Says—"Lady, thou pu's nae mae!

"Why pu' ye the rose, Janet,

Within this garden grene,

And a' to kill the bonny babe,

100 That we got us between?"

"The truth ye'll tell to me, Tamlane;

A word ye mauna lie;

Gin e'er ye was in haly chapel,

Or sained in Christentie?"

105 "The truth I'll tell to thee, Janet,

A word I winna lie;

A knight me got, and a lady me bore,

As well as they did thee.

"Randolph, Earl Murray, was my sire,

110 Dunbar, Earl March, is thine;

We loved when we were children small,

Which yet you well may mind.

"When I was a boy just turn'd of nine,

My uncle sent for me,

115 To hunt, and hawk, and ride with him,

And keep him companie.

"There came a wind out of the north,

A sharp wind and a snell;

And a deep sleep came over me,

120 And frae my horse I fell.

"The Queen of Fairies keppit me,

In yon green hill to dwell;

And I'm a fairy, lyth and limb;

Fair ladye, view me well.

125 "Then would I never tire, Janet,

In Elfish land to dwell;

But aye, at every seven years,

They pay the teind to hell;

And I am sae fat and fair of flesh,

130 I fear 'twill be mysell.

"This night is Hallowe'en, Janet,

The morn is Hollowday;

And, gin ye dare your true love win,

Ye hae nae time to stay.

135 "The night it is good Hallowe'en,

When fairy folk will ride;

And they that wad their true-love win,

At Miles Cross they maun bide."

"But how shall I thee ken, Tamlane?

140 Or how shall I thee knaw,

Amang so many unearthly knights,

The like I never saw?"

"The first company that passes by,

Say na, and let them gae;

145 The next company that passes by,

Sae na, and do right sae;

The third company that passes by,

Then I'll be ane o' thae.

"First let pass the black, Janet,

150 And syne let pass the brown;

But grip ye to the milk-white steed,

And pu' the rider down.

"For I ride on the milk-white steed,

And aye nearest the town;

155 Because I was a christen'd knight,

They gave me that renown.

"My right hand will be gloved, Janet,

My left hand will be bare;

And these the tokens I gie thee,

160 Nae doubt I will be there.

"They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,

An adder and a snake;

But had me fast, let me not pass,

Gin ye wad buy me maik.

165 "They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,

An adder and an ask;

They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,

A bale that burns fast.

"They'll turn me in your arms, Janet,

170 A red-hot gad o' airn;

But haud me fast, let me not pass,

For I'll do you no harm.

"First dip me in a stand o' milk,

And then in a stand o' water;

175 But had me fast, let me not pass—

I'll be your bairn's father.

"And, next, they'll shape me in your arms,

A tod, but and an eel;

But had me fast, nor let me gang,

180 As you do love me weel.

"They'll shape me in your arms, Janet,

A dove, but and a swan;

And, last, they'll shape me in your arms

A mother-naked man:

185 Cast your green mantle over me—

I'll be myself again."—

Gloomy, gloomy, was the night,

And eiry was the way,

As fair Janet, in her green mantle,

190 To Miles Cross she did gae.

Betwixt the hours of twelve and one,

A north wind tore the bent;

And straight she heard strange elritch sounds

Upon that wind which went.

195 About the dead hour o' the night,

She heard the bridles ring;

And Janet was as glad o' that

As any earthly thing.

Will o' Wisp before them went,

200 Sent forth a twinkling light;

And soon she saw the Fairy bands

All riding in her sight.

And first gaed by the black black steed,

And then gaed by the brown;

205 But fast she gript the milk-white steed,

And pu'd the rider down.

She pu'd him frae the milk-white steed,

And loot the bridle fa';

And up there raise an erlish cry—

210 "He's won amang us a'!"—

They shaped him in fair Janet's arms,

An esk, but and an adder;

She held him fast in every shape—

To be her bairn's father.

215 They shaped him in her arms at last,

A mother-naked man:

She wrapt him in her green mantle,

And sae her true love wan!

Up then spake the Queen o' Fairies,

220 Out o' a bush o' broom—

"She that has borrow'd young Tamlane,

Has gotten a stately groom."—

Up then spake the Queen o' Fairies,

Out o' a bush o' rye—

225 "She's ta'en awa the bonniest knight

In a' my cumpanie.

"But had I kenn'd, Tamlane," she says,

"A lady wad borrow'd thee—

I wad ta'en out thy twa grey een,

230 Put in twa een o' tree.

"Had I but kenn'd, Tamlane," she says,

"Before ye came frae hame—

I wad ta'en out your heart o' flesh,

Put in a heart o' stane.

235 "Had I but had the wit yestreen

That I hae coft the day—

I'd paid my kane seven times to hell

Ere you'd been won away!"

130. See Thomas of Ersseldoune, (p. 107,) v. 225, 226.

V. 157–168, v. 208–214. The same process of disenchantment is found in the Danish ballad Nattergalen, st. 20–22, Grundtvig, No. 57 (also Svenska Folk-visor, No. 41). The comparison with the transformations of Proteus is curious.

ἀμφὶ δὲ χεῖρας

βάλλομεν· οὐδ' ὁ γέρων δολίης ἐπελήθετο τέχνης·

ἀλλ' ἤτοι πρώτιστα λέων γένετ' ἠϋγένειος,

αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα δράκων καὶ πόρδαλις ἠδὲ μέγας σῦς·

γίγνετο δ' ὑγρὸν ὕδωρ καὶ δένδρεον ὑψιπέτηλον.

ἡμεῖς δ' ἀστεμφέως ἔχομεν τετληότι θυμῷ.

Odyssey, iv. 454–59.

Verum ubi correptum manibus vinclisque tenebis,

Tum variæ eludent species atque ora ferarum:

Fiet enim subito sus horridus atraque tigris,

Squamosusque draco, et fulva cervice leæna,

Aut acrem flammæ sonitum dabit, atque ita vinclis

Excidet, aut in aquas tenues dilapsus abibit.

Sed quanto ille magis formas se vertet in omnes,

Tanto, nate, magis contende tenacia vincla.

Georgics, iv. 405–12.