O whan he came to broken briggs,

He bent his bow and swam;

And whan he came to the green grass growin', He slack'd his shoon and ran.

And when he came to Lord William's yeats, 85 He badena to chap or ca';

But set his bent bow to his breast,

And lightly lap the wa';

And, or the porter was at the yeat,

The boy was in the ha'.

"O is my biggins broken, boy? Or is my towers won?

Or is my lady lighter yet,

O' a dear daughter or son?"

"Your biggin isna broken, sir,
Nor is your towers won;
But the fairest lady in a' the land
This day for you maun burn."

"O saddle to me the black, the black, Or saddle to me the brown;

Or saddle to me the swiftest steed

That ever rade frae a town."

Or he was near a mile awa',

She heard his weir-horse sneeze;

90

"Mend up the fire, my fause brother, It's nae come to my knees."

O whan he lighted at the yeat,
She heard his bridle ring :

"Mend up the fire, my fause brother;
It's far yet frae my chin.

"Mend up the fire to me, brother,

Mend up the fire to me;

For I see him comin' hard and fast,
Will soon men't up for thee.

105

110

"O gin my hands had been loose, Willy, 115 Sae hard as they are boun',

I wadd hae turn'd me frae the gleed,
And casten out your young son."

"O I'll gar burn for you, Maisry,
Your father and your mother;
And I'll gar burn for you, Maisry,
Your sister and your brother;

"And I'll gar burn for you, Maisry,

kin ;

The chief o' a' your
And the last bonfire that I come to,
Mysell I will cast in.”

120

1:25

FAIR ANNIE OF LOCHROYAN.

Or this beautiful piece a complete copy was first published by Scott, another afterwards by Jamieson. Both are here given, the latter, as in some respects preferable, having the precedence. The ballad is found almost entire in Herd's Scottish Songs, i. 206, a short fragment in Johnson's Museum, p. 5, and a more considerable one, called Love Gregory, in Buchan's collection, ii. 199. This last has been unnecessarily repeated in a very indifferent publication of the Percy Society, vol. xvii. Dr. Wolcot, Burns, and Jamieson have written songs on the story of Fair Annie, and Cunningham has modernized Sir Walter Scott's version, after his fashion, in the Songs of Scotland, i. 298.

Of his text, Jamieson remarks, "it is given verbatim from the large MS. collection, transmitted from Aberdeen, by my zealous and industrious friend, Professor Robert Scott of that university. I have every reason to believe, that no liberty whatever has been taken with the text, which is certainly more uniform than

any copy heretofore published. It was first written down many years ago, with no view towards being committed to the press; and is now given from the copy then taken, with the addition only of stanzas twenty-two and twenty-three, which the editor has inserted from memory." Popular Ballads, i. 36.

Lochryan is a beautiful, though somewhat wild and secluded bay, which projects from the Irish Channel into Wigtonshire, having the little seaport of Stranraer situated at its bottom. Along its coast, which is in some places high and rocky, there are many ruins of such castles as that described in the ballad." CHAMBERS.

"O WHA will shoe my fair foot,
And wha will glove my han'?
And wha will lace my middle jimp
Wi' a new-made London ban'?

"Or wha will kemb my yellow hair
Wi' a new-made silver kemb?
Or wha'll be father to my young bairn,
Till love Gregor come hame?"

"Your father'll shoe your fair foot,
Your mother glove your han';
Your sister lace your middle jimp

Wi' a new-made London ban';

5

10

"Your brethren will kemb your yellow hair

Wi' a new-made silver kemb;

And the king o' Heaven will father your

bairn,

Till love Gregor come hame.”

"O gin I had a bonny ship,

And men to sail wi' me,

It's I wad gang to my true love,
Sin he winna come to me!"

Her father's gien her a bonny ship,
And sent her to the stran';

She's taen her young son in her arms,
And turn'd her back to the lan'.

She hadna been o' the sea sailin'
About a month or more,

Till landed has she her bonny ship

Near her true-love's door.

The nicht was dark, and the wind blew cald, And her love was fast asleep,

And the bairn that was in her twa arms

15

20

25

30

Fu' sair began to greet.

Lang stood she at her true love's door,

And lang tirl'd at the pin;
At length up gat his fause mother,

Says, "Wha's that wad be in?"

35