heroine of that name takes a thoroughly Highland view of the
abduction. Robin Oig, in any case, was "nane the waur o' a

hanging," for he shot a Maclaren at the plough-tail, before the
Forty-Five. The trial of these sons of Alpen was published shortly

after Scott's ROB ROY.
KILLIECRANKIE

Fought on July 27, 1689. NOT on the haugh near the modern road by
the railway, but higher up the hill, in the grounds of Urrard

House. Two shelter trenches, whence Dundee's men charged, are
still visible, high on the hillside above Urrand. There is said,

by Mr. Child, to have been a contemporary broadside of the ballad,
which is an example of the evolution of popular ballads from the

old traditional model. There is another song, by, or attributed
to, Burns, and of remarkable spirit and vigour.

ANNAN WATER
From THE BORDER MINSTRELSY Scott says that these are the original

words of the tune of "Allan Water," and that he has added two
verses from a variant with a fortunateconclusion. "Allan Water"

is a common river name; the stream so called joins Teviot above
Branxholme. Annan is the large stream that flows into the Solway

Frith. The Gate-slack, in Annandale, fixes the locality.
THE ELPHIN NOURRICE

This curious poem is taken from the reprint of Charles Kirkpatrick
Sharpe's tiny BALLAD BOOK, itself now almost INTROUVABLE. It does

not, to the Editor's knowledge, occur elsewhere, but is probably
authentic. The view of the Faery Queen is more pleasing and

sympathetic than usual. Why mortal women were desired as nurses
(except to attend on stolenmortal children, kept to "pay the Kane

to hell") is not obvious. Irish beliefs are precisely similar; in
England they are of frequent occurrence.

JOHNNIE ARMSTRANG
Armstrang of Gilnockie was a brother of the laird of Mangertoun.

He had a kind of Robin Hood reputation on the Scottish Border, as
one who only robbed the English. Pitscottie's account of his

slaying by James V. (1529) reads as if the ballad were his
authority, and an air for the subject is mentioned in the COMPLAINT

OF SCOTLAND. In Sir Herbert Maxwell's HISTORY OF DUMFRIES AND
GALLOWAY is an excellent account of the historical facts of the

case.
EDOM O' GORDON

Founded on an event in the wars between Kingsmen and Queensmen, in
the minority of James VI., while Queen Mary was imprisoned in

England. "Edom" was Adam Gordon of Auchindown, brother of Huntley,
and a Queen's man. He, by his retainer, Car, or Ker, burned Towie

House, a seat of the Forbes's. Ker recurs in the long and more or
less literaryballad of THE BATTLE OF BALRINNES. In variants the

localities are much altered, and, in one version, the scene is
transferred to Ayrshire, and Loudoun Castle. All the ballads of

fire-raising, a very usual practice, have points in common, and
transference was easy.

LADY ANNE BOTHWELL'S LAMENT
Tradition has confused the heroine of this piece with the wife of

Bothwelhaugh, who slew the Regent Murray. That his motive was not
mere political assassination, but to avenge the ill-treatment and

death of his wife, seems to be disproved by Maidment. The affair,
however, is still obscure. This deserted Lady Anne of the ballad

was, in fact, not the wife of Bothwelhaugh, but the daughter of the
Bishop of Orkney; her lover is said to have been her cousin,

Alexander Erskine, son of the Earl of Mar. Part of the poem (Mr.
Child points out) occurs in Broome's play, THE NORTHERN LASS

(1632). Though a popular favourite, the piece is clearly of
literaryorigin, and has been severely "edited" by a literary hand.

This version is Allan Ramsay's.
JOCK O' THE SIDE

A Liddesdale chant. Jock flourished about 1550-1570, and is
commemorated as a receiver by Sir Richard Maitland in a poem often

quoted. The analogies of this ballad with that of "Kinmont Willie"
are very close. The reference to a punch-bowl sounds modern, and

the tale is much less plausible than that of "Kinmont Willie,"
which, however, bears a few obvious marks of Sir Walter's own hand.

A sceptical editor must choose between two theories: either Scott
of Satchells founded his account of the affair of "Kinmont Willie"

on a pre-existing ballad of that name, or the ballad printed by
Scott is based on the prose narrative of Scott of Satchells. The

former hypothesis, everything considered, is the more probable.
LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET

Published in Percy's RELIQUES, from a Scotch manuscript, "with some
corrections." The situation, with various differences in detail

and conclusion, is popular in Norse and Romaic ballads, and also in
many MARCHEN of the type of THE BLACK BULL OF NORRAWAY.

FAIR ANNIE
From THE BORDER MINSTRELSY. There are Danish, Swedish, Dutch, and

German versions, and the theme enters artisticpoetry as early as
Marie de France (LE LAI DEL FREISNE). In Scotch the Earl of Wemyss

is a recent importation: the earldom dates from 1633. Of course
this process of attaching a legend or MARCHEN to a well-known name,

or place, is one of the most common in mythological evolution, and
by itself invalidates the theory which would explain myths by a

philological analysis of the proper names in the tale. These may
not be, and probably are not, the original names.

THE DOWNIE DENS OF YARROW
From THE BORDER MINSTRELSY. Scott thought that the hero was Walter

Scott, third son of Thirlestane, slain by Scott of Tushielaw. The
"monument" (a standing stone near Yarrow) is really of a very

early, rather Post-Roman date, and refers to no feud of
Thirlestane, Oakwood, Kirkhope, or Tushielaw. The stone is not far

from Yarrow Krik, near a place called Warrior's Rest. Hamilton of
Bangour's version is beautiful and well known. Quite recently a

very early interment of a corpse, in the curved position, was
discovered not far from the standing stone with the inscription.

Ballad, stone, and interment may all be distinct and separate.
SIR ROLAND

From Motherwell's MINSTRELSY. The authenticity of the ballad is
dubious, but, if a forgery, it is a very skilled one for the early

nineteenth century. Poets like Mr. Swinburne, Mr. Rossetti, and
Mrs. Marriot Watson have imitated the genuine popular ballad, but

never so closely as the author of "Sir Roland."
ROSE THE RED AND WHITE LILY

From the Jamieson-Brown MS., originally written out by Mrs. Brown
in 1783: Sir Waiter made changes in THE BORDER MINSTRELSY. The

ballad is clearly a composite affair. Robert Chambers regarded
Mrs. Brown as the Mrs. Harris of ballad lore, but Mr. Norval

Clyne's reply was absolutely crushing and satisfactory.
THE BATTLE OF HARLAW

Fought on July 24, 1411. This fight broke the Highland force in
Scotland. The first version is, of course, literary, perhaps a

composition of 1550, or even earlier. The second version is
traditional, and was procured by Aytoun from Lady John Scott,

herself the author of some beautiful songs. But the best ballad on
the Red Harlaw is that placed by Scott in the mouth of Elspeth, in

THE ANTIQUARY. This, indeed, is beyond all rivalry the most
splendid modern imitation of the ancient popular Muse.

DICKIE MACPHALION
A great favourite of Scott's, who heard it sung at Miss

Edgeworth's, during his tour in Ireland (1825). One verse recurs
in a Jacobite chant, probably of 1745-1760, but the bibliography of

Jacobite songs is especially obscure.
A LYKE-WAKE DIRGE