He made him Sheriff of Ettrick Forrest, Surely while upward grows the tree; And if he was not a traitor to the crown, Forfaulted should he never be.

Wha ever heard in any time

Sic ane Outlaw in his degree,

Sic favour get before a king,

As did the Outlaw in the forrest frie?

THE BIRTH OF ROBIN HOOD.

Ir may surprise the English reader to find that there are ballads exclusively Scottish, referring to the famous and popular outlaw of Sherwood Forest. But his fame extended far beyond the Border; and among the favourite sports of the commonalty of Scotland in the sixteenth century, was the game of Robin Hood, which was conducted under the sanction of high official authority. It appears, from the Act of the Scottish Parliament, which was passed in 1555, for the purpose of suppressing the popular amusements, that, in each burgh, it was customary for the magistrates to elect a Robin Hood. "And gif ony Provest, Baillies, Councel, and Communitie, chuse sik ane personage as ROBERT HUDE, LITTLE JOHN, ABBOTIS OF UNREASON, or QUEENS OF MAY, the chusers of sik sall tine their freidome for the space of five yeires." Great popular discontent was excited, especially in Edinburgh, by these attempts to curtail the amusements of the people, and the magistrates were sometimes unable to enforce the provisions of the Act. In the year 1561, according to Arnot, the mob were so enraged at being disappointed in making a Robin Hood, that they rose in mutiny, and seized on the city gates; and, so late as the year 1592, we find the General Assembly complaining of the profanation of the Sabbath, by making of Robin Hood plays.

Mr Gutch, who has made an admirable collection of all the ditties pertaining to Robin Hood, quotes the words of Fordun, the Scottish historian, who, writing in 1340, says of the Sherwood outlaws, "of whom the foolish vulgar, in

comedies and tragedies, make lewd entertainment, and are delighted to hear the gestours and minstrels sing them, above all other ballads." Hector Boece says: "In Murray land is the kirk of Pette, quhare the banis of Lytill Johne remanis in gret admiratioun of pepill. He hes bene fourtene feet of hycht, with square membris effering thairto". a statement quite as credible as that which specifies Meigle, in Forfarshire, as the burial-place of Guenever or Vanora, the Queen of the British Arthur.

The following ballad was taken down by Mr Jamieson from recitation.

WILLIE'S large o' limb and lith,
And come o' high degree;

And he is gane to Earl Richard,
To serve for meat and fee.

Earl Richard had but ae daughter,

Fair as a lily flower;

And they made up their love-contract,

Like proper paramour.

It fell upon a simmer's night,

When the leaves were fair and green,

That Willie met his gay ladye

Intil the wood alane.

"O narrow is my gown, Willie,
That wont to be sae wide;
And gane is a' my fair colour,
That wont to be my pride.

"But gin my father should get word
What's past between us twa,

Before that he would eat or drink,
He'd hang ye o'er that wa'.

"But ye'll come to my bower, Willie,
Just as the sun gaes doun,
And kep me in your arms twa,
And let na me fa' doun."

O when the sun was now gane doun,
He's done him till her bower;
And there, by the lee light o' the moon,
Her window she looked o'er.

Intil a cloak o' red scarlet

She lap, nor fear'd for harm;

And Willie was large o' lith and limb,
And kepped her in his arm.

And they've gane to the gude green wood,

And ere the night was deen,

She's born to him a bonny young son

Amang the leaves sae green.

When night was gane, and day was come,

And the sun began to peep,

It's up and rase then Earl Richard,

Out o' his drowsy sleep.

He's ca'd upon his merry young men,
By ane, by twa, by three;

"O what has come o' my daughter dear,
That she hasna come to me?

"I dream'd a dreary dream last night,
God grant it come to gude!

VOL. II.

K

I dream'd I saw my daughter dear,
Drown in the saut sea flood.

"But gin my daughter be dead or sick,

Or yet be stown awa',

I mak' a vow,

and I'll keep it true,

I'll hang ye ane and a'."

They sought her back, they sought her fore,
They sought her up and doun,
They got her in the gude green wood,
Nursing her bonny young son.

He took the bonny boy in his arms,

And kist him tenderlie ;

Says, "Though I would your father hang,

Your mother's dear to me.'

He kist him o'er and o'er again,
"My grandson I thee claim;
And Robin Hood, in gude green wood,
It's that shall be your name."

And mony ane sings o' grass, o' grass,
And mony ane sings o' corn;
And mony ane sings o' Robin Hood,
Kens little where he was born.

It wasna in the ha', the ha',
Nor in the painted bower,

But it was in the gude green wood,
Amang the lily flower.