Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border Volume I Part 18

"My merryemen's lives, my widowe's teirs-- There lies the pang that pinches me!

When I am straught in bluidie eard, Yon castell will be right dreirie.

"Auld Halliday, young Halliday, Ye sall be twa to gang wi' me; Andrew Murray, and Sir James Murray, We'll be nae mae in c.u.mpanie."

When that they cam befor the king, They fell befor him on their kne-- "Grant mercie, mercie, n.o.bil king!

E'en for his sake that dyed on trie."

"Sicken like mercie sall ye have; On gallows ye sall hangit be!"

"Over G.o.d's forbode," quoth the Outlaw then, "I hope your grace will bettir be!

Else, ere ye come to Edinburgh port, I trow thin guarded sall ye be:

"Thir landis of Ettricke Foreste feir, I wan them from the enemie; Like as I wan them, sae will I keep them, Contrair a' kingis in Christentie."

All the n.o.bilis the king about, Said pitie it were to see him die-- "Yet graunt me mercie, sovereign prince!

Extend your favour unto me!

"I'll give thee the keys of my castell, Wi' the blessing o' my gaye ladye, Gin thoul't mak me sheriffe of this Foreste, And a' my offspring after me."

"Wilt thou give me the keys of thy castell, Wi' the blessing of thy gaye ladye?

I'se mak thee sheriffe of Ettricke Foreste, Surely while upwards grows the trie; If you be not traitour to the king, Forfaulted sall thou nevir be."

"But, prince, what sall c.u.m o' my men?

When I gae back, traitour they'll ca' me.

I had rather lose my life and land, E'er my merryemen rebuked me."

"Will your merryemen amend their lives?

And a' their pardons I graunt thee-- Now, name thy landis where'er they lie, And here I RENDER them to thee."

"Fair Philiphaugh is mine by right, And Lewinshope still mine shall be; Newark, Foulshiells, and Tinnies baith, My bow and arrow purchased me.

"And I have native steads to me, The Newark Lee and Hangingshaw; I have mony steads in the Foreste shaw, But them by name I dinna knaw."

The keys o' the castell he gave the king, Wi' the blessing o' his feir ladye; He was made sheriffe of Ettricke Foreste, Surely while upwards grows the trie; And if he was na traitour to the king, Forfaulted he suld nevir be.

Wha ever heard, in ony times, Sicken an Outlaw in his degre, Sick favour get befor a king, As did the OUTLAW MURRAY of the Foreste frie?

[Footnote 106: Brow.]

[Footnote 107: Southern, or English.]

[Footnote 108: Afraid.]

[Footnote 109: A ford on the Tweed, at the mouth of the Caddon Burn, near Yair.]

NOTES ON THE SANG OF THE OUTLAW MURRAY.

_Then spak the Lord, hight Hamilton_.--P. 86. v. 4.

This is, in most copies, the _earl_ hight Hamilton, which must be a mistake of the reciters, as the family did not enjoy that t.i.tle till 1503.

_James Boyd (the Earl of Arran his brother), &c._--P. 87. v. 2.

Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran, was forfeited, with his father and uncle, in 1469, for an attempt on the person of James III. He had a son, James, who was restored, and in favour with James IV. about 1482. If this be the person here meant, we should read "The Earl of Arran his _son_ was he." Glenriddel's copy reads, "A highland laird I'm sure was he." Reciters sometimes call the messenger, the laird of Skene.

_Down Birkendale Brae when that he cam_.--P. 88, v. 2.

Birkendale Brae, now commonly called _Birkendailly_, is a steep descent on the south side of Minch-Moor, which separates Tweeddale from Ettrick Forest; and from the top of which you have the first view of the woods of Hangingshaw, the castle of Newark, and the romantic dale of Yarrow.

_The laird of the Corehead, &c._--P. 93. v. 1.

This is a place at the head of Moffat-water, possessed of old by the family of Halliday.

_To Andrew Murray of c.o.c.kpool_.--P. 94. v. 1.

This family were ancestors of the Murrays, earls of Annandale; but the name of the representative, in the time of James IV. was William, not Andrew. Glenriddel's MS. reads, "the country-keeper."

_To Sir James Murray of Traquair_.--P. 94. v. 3.

Before the barony of Traquair became the property of the Stewarts, it belonged to a family of Murrays, afterwards Murrays of Black-barony, and ancestors of Lord Elibank. The old castle was situated on the Tweed. The lands of Traquair were forfeited by Willielmus de Moravia, previous to 1464; for, in that year, a charter, proceeding upon his forfeiture, was granted by the crown "Willielmo Douglas de Cluny." Sir James was, perhaps, the heir of William Murray. It would farther seem, that the grant in 1464 was not made effectual by Douglas; for, another charter from the crown, dated the 3d February, 1478, conveys the estate of Traquair to James Stewart, Earl of Buchan, son to the black knight of Lorne, and maternal uncle to James III., from whom is descended the present Earl of Traquair. The first royal grant not being followed by possession, it is very possible that the Murrays may have continued to occupy Traquair long after the date of that charter.

Hence, Sir James might have reason to say, as in the ballad, "The king has gifted my lands lang syne."

_James Hop Pringle of Torsonse_.--P. 97. v. 1.

The honourable name of Pringle, or Hoppringle, is of great antiquity in Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire. The old tower of Torsonse is situated upon the banks of the Gala. I believe the Pringles of Torsonse are now represented by Sir James Pringle of St.i.tch.e.l.l. There are three other ancient and distinguished families of this name; those of Whitebank, Clifton, and Torwoodlee.

_He bids ye mete him at Permanscore_.--P. 98. v. 1.

Permanscore is a hollow on the top of a high ridge of hills, dividing the vales of Tweed and Yarrow, a little to the east-ward of Minch-Moor. It is the outermost point of the lands of Broadmeadows.

The Glenriddel MS., which, in this instance, is extremely inaccurate as to names, calls the place of rendezvous "_The Poor Man's house_,"

and hints, that the Outlaw was surprised by the treachery of the king:--

"Then he was aware of the king's coming, With hundreds three in company, I wot the muckle deel * * * * *

He learned kings to lie!

For to fetch me here frae amang my men, Here like a dog for to die."

I believe the reader will think, with me, that the catastrophe is better, as now printed from Mrs. c.o.c.kburn's copy. The deceit supposed to be practised on the Outlaw, is unworthy of the military monarch, as he is painted in the ballad; especially if we admit him to be King James IV.

_Fair Philiphaugh is mine by right_.--P. 101. v. 1.

In this and the following verse, the ceremony of feudal invest.i.ture is supposed to be gone through, by the Outlaw resigning his possessions into the hands of the king, and receiving them back, to be held of him as superior. The lands of Philiphaugh are still possessed by the Outlaw's representative. Hangingshaw and Lewinshope were sold of late years. Newark, Foulshiels and Tinnies, have long belonged to the family of Buccleuch.