Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

He was a braw gallant,

And he play'd at the ba'; And the bonny Earl of Murray Was the flower among them a'.

He was a braw gallant,

And he play'd at the gluve; And the bonny Earl of Murray, Oh! he was the Queenes luve.

Oh! lang will his lady

Luke owre the castle Downe, Ere she see the Earl of Murray Cum sounding throw the towne.

NOTES

ON

THE BONNIE EARL O' MURRAY.

He was a bra gallant,

And he rid at the ring.—St. III. p. 81. That is, bore away the ring on his lance at tilting; a feat of surpassing address. Although “chivalry was no more" at this period, in Scotland, its usages were recollected, and its language common.

And he play'd at the glave.—St. V. p. 82.

Playing at the glove seems to have been anciently a kind of game. Mr Pennant, in his "Tour through Scotland," has strangely perplexed the meaning of the passage, by explaining gluve, glaive, a sword.

4

1

Look owre the castle Downe.-St. VI. p. 82.

I had conjectured this to be the true reading, before I was aware that a friend of Mr Pinkerton had anticipated me. It has always, before the present edition, been printed, "Look owr the castle downe," which

is hardly sense.

The castle of Downe gives the title of viscount to the eldest son of the Earl of Murray.

EDOM O' GORDON.

LORD HAILES, well known for many valua→ ble publications on the subject of Scottish literature, first published this ballad in 1755, as he obtained it from the recitation of a lady. The subject, as given by Bishop Percy, from Spotswood's History of the Church of Scotland, is as follows: "Anno 1571. In the north parts of Scotland, Adam Gordon (who was deputy for his brother, the Earl of Huntly) did keep a great știr; and, under colour of the queen's authority, committed divers oppressions, especially upon the Forbeses;

having killed Arthur Forbes, brother to the Lord Forbes.-Not long after he sent to summon the house of Tavoy (Towie), pertaining to Alexander Forbes. The lady refusing to yield without direction from her husband, he put fire unto it, and burnt her therein, with children and servants, being twentyseven persons in all. This inhuman and barbarous cruelty made his name odious, and stained all his former doings; otherwise, he was held very active and fortunate in his enterprizes." Crawfurd, in his Memoirs, p. 213, makes the number of persons burnt amount to thirty-seven. Simson, who writes Short Annals of the Church of Scotland, also briefly mentions the event. "Hoc anno Forbosii et Gordonii manus consererunt magnis copiis undique convocatis apud Crabsteane Abredonia loco vicino, ubi Forbesii non sine magna strage pulsi ceciderunt. Ubi etiam Arthurus Forbosius cecidit. Eodemque anno Joanna Forbosia Tow

[graphic]
« AnteriorContinuar »