And out cam his bonnie bride Rivin' her hair. Saddled and bridled And booted rade he; Toom hame cam the saddle, 15 20 LAMKIN. THE following is believed to be a correct account of the various printed forms of this extremely popular ballad. In the second edition of Herd's Scottish Songs (1776) appeared a fragment of eighteen stanzas, called Lammikin, embellished in a puerile style by some modern hand. Jamieson published the story in a complete and authentic shape in his Popular Ballads, in 1806. Finlay's collection (1808) furnishes us with two more copies, the first of which (ii. 47) is made up in part of Herd's fragment, and the second (ii. 57) taken from a MS. "written by an old lady." Another was given, from recitation, in Motherwell's Minstrelsy, (1827,) with the more intelligible title of Lambert Linkin. An English fragment, called Long Lonkin, taken down from the recitation of an old woman, is said to have been inserted by Miss Landon, in the Drawing-Room Scrap-Book, for 1837. This was republished in Richardson's Borderer's Table-Book, 1846, vol. viii. 410, and the editor of that miscellany, who ought to have learned to be skeptical in such matters, urges the circumstantial character of local tradition as strong evidence that the real scene of the cruel history was in Northumberland. Lastly, we have to note a version resembling Motherwell's, styled Bold Rankin, printed in A New Book of Old Ballads, (p. 73,) and in Whitelaw's Book of Scottish Ballads, (p. 246,) and an imperfect ballad (Long Lankyn) in Notes and Queries, New Series, ii. 324. We have printed Jamieson's, Motherwell's, the longer of Finlay's versions, and the English fragment: the last two in the Appendix. The following is from "This piece was Jamieson's Popular Ballads, i. 176. transmitted to the Editor by Mrs. Brown.” "O PAY me now, Lord Wearie; "O gin ye winna pay me, I here sall mak a vow, Before that ye come hame again, Lord Wearie got a bonny ship, To sail the saut sea faem ; Bade his lady weel the castle keep, But the nourice was a fause limmer As e'er hung on a tree; She laid a plot wi' Lamkin, Whan her lord was o'er the sea. 5 10 15 She laid a plot wi' Lamkin, When the servants were awa'; Loot him in at a little shot window, And brought him to the ha'. "O whare's a' the men o' this house, That ca' me Lamkin?" "They're at the barn well thrashing, "Twill be lang ere they come in." "And whare's the women o' this house, That ca' me Lamkin?" "They're at the far well washing; "Twill be lang ere they come in.” "And whare's the bairns o' this house, That ca' me Lamkin?" "They're at the school reading; 'Twill be night or they come hame." O whare's the lady o' this house, "She's up in her bower sewing, But we soon can bring her down." Then Lamkin's tane a sharp knife, 20 25 30 35 Then Lamkin he rocked, And the fause nourice sang, Then out it spak the lady, As she stood on the stair, "O still my bairn, nourice; O still him wi' the pap!" “He winna still, lady, "O still my bairn, nourice; "O still him wi' the wand!" "He winna still, lady, For a' his father's land." "O still my bairn, nourice, O still him wi' the bell!" "He winna still, lady, Till ye come down yoursel." O the firsten step she steppit, 45 50 35 60 |