Of nine thousand Englishe mene
Fyve hondred came awaye :

The other weare flayne in the feeld,
Chrifte keepe thear fowles from wo,
Seeinge thear was fo fewe frendes
Against fo manye foo.

Then one the morowe they made them beeres

Of byrche, and haselle graye; Many a wydowe with weepinge teeres

Their maks they fette away.

This fraye begane at Otterborne
Betweene the nighte and the daye :-
Theare the Dowglas lofte his lyfe,
And the Percye was leade away*.

Then was theare a Scottyfhe prisonere tane,
Sir Hughe Mongomerye was his name,
For foothe as I you faye

He borowed the Percye home agayne.

Nowe let us all for the Percye praye

To Jeafue mofte of might,

To bringe his fowle to the blyfs of heven,

For he was a gentle knight.

210

215

220

225

V. 213. one, i. e. on. fc. captive, F. 225. Percyes. MS.

III.

THE JEW's DAUGHTER,

A SCOTTISH BALLAD,

Is founded upon the supposed practice of the Jews in crucifying or otherwife murthering Chriftian children, out of hatred to the religion of their parents: a practice, which bath been always alledged in excufe for the cruelties exercifed upon that wretched people, but which probably never happened in a fingle inftance. For if we confider, on the one hand, the ignorance and fuperftition of the times when fuch ftories took their rife, the virulent prejudices of the monks who record them, and the eagerness with which they would be catched up by the barbarous populace as a pretence for plunder; on the other hand, the great danger incurred by the perpetrators, and the inadequate motives they could have to excite them to a crime of fo much horror, we may reasonably conclude the whole charge to be groundless and malicious.

The following ballad is probably built upon fome Italian Legend, and bears a great refemblance to the Prioreffe's Tale in Chaucer: the p:et Jeems alfo to have had an eye to the known fory of HUGH OF LINCOLN, a child faid to have been there murthered by the Jews in the reign of Henry III. The conclufion of this ballad appears to be wanting: what it probably contained may be feen in Chaucer. As for MIRRYLAND TOWN, it is probably a corruption of MILAN (called by the Dutch MEYLANDT) TOUN; fince the PA is evidently the river Po.

Printed from a MS. copy fent from Scotland.

THE

HE rain rins doun through Mirry-land toune,

TH

Sae dois it doune the Pa:

Sae dois the lads of Mirry-land toune,

Quhan they play at the ba'.

Than out and cam the Jewis dochtèr,
Said, Will ye cum in and dine?
I winnae cum in, I cannae cum in,
Without my play-feres nine.

Scho powd an apple reid and white
To intice the zong thing in:
Scho powd an apple white and reid,

And that the fweit bairne did win.

And scho has taine out a little pen-knife,

And low down by her gair,

Scho has twin'd the zong thing and his life;
A word he nevir spak mair.

15

And out and cam the thick thick bluid,

And out and cam the thin;

And out and cam the bonny herts bluid:

20

Thair was nae life left in.

Scho laid him on a dreffing borde,

And dreft him like a swine,

And laughing said, Gae nou and pley
With zour sweit play-feres nine.

VOL. III.

D

Scho

Scho rowd him in a cake of lead,

25

Bade him lie ftil and fleip.

Scho caft him in a deip draw-well,

Was fifty fadom deip.

Quhan bells wer rang, and mafs was fung,

And every lady went hame :

30

Than ilka lady had her zong fonne,

Bot lady Helen had nane.

Scho rowd hir mantil hir about,

And fair fair gan fhe weip:

And she ran into the Jewis caftèl,
Quhan they wer all asleip.

My bonny fir Hew, my pretty fir Hew,

Lady Helen ran to the deip draw-well,

35

40

Gae hame, gae hame, my mither deir,

This old Romantic tale was preserved in the Editor's folio MS, but in fo defective and mutilated a condition that it was necessary to supply feveral ftanzas in the first part, and ftill more in the fecond, to connect and compleat the ftory.

There is fomething peculiar in the metre of this old ballad: it is not unusual to meet with redundant ftanzas of fix lines but the occafional infertion of a double third or fourth line, as per. 31, 44, &c. is an irregularity I do not remember to bave feen elsewhere.

It may be proper to inform the reader before he comes to Pt. 2. v. 106. that the ROUND TABLE was not peculiar to the reign of K. Arthur, but was common in all the ages of Chivalry. Any king was faid to hold a round table" when he proclaimed a tournament attended with some peculiar folemnities. See Mr. Warton's Obfervations, Vol. 2. p. 44. As to what will be obferved in this ballad of the art of healing being practifed by a young princess; it is no more than what is ufual in all the old Romances, and was con· formable to real manners: it being a practice derived from

D 2

the