Transcriber's Notes
This book contains material in multiple languages, and numerous examples
of archaic, non-standard and dialect forms of English. Therefore no
attempts to standardize spelling would be appropriate. The only changes
to the text are to resolve typographical errors etc. which are listed at
the end of the book. Minor corrections to format or punctuation have
been made without comment.
This Plain Text version of the e-book includes unicode (UTF-8)
characters and diacritics which should appear in the following list:
ā macron
ă ĭ breve
ć ń ś ẃ acute accent
Č č ě Ř ř Š š ž caron/hacek
ȝ yogh
ł l with stroke (Polish etc.)
Œ œ oe-ligature
ş cedilla
† dagger or upright cross symbol
αβγδε Greek script
[a'] and ['s] denote editorial insertions of contracted forms, not
special characters: e.g. on page 299 [a'] is an editorial insertion of
"a'" (for "all"); on page 309 ['s] is an editorial insertion of "'s"
(for "has"?).
_underscore symbols_ represent italic typeface
~tilde symbols~ represent roman typeface within italics
ALL CAPS represent small caps typeface
#number signs# represent bold typeface
$dollar symbols$ represent gesperrt (s p a c e d o u t) text
^x or ^{x, y} represents superscript text
_x or _{xyz} represents subscript text
Bold mark-up is widely used to denote the distinctive font used by the
author for ballad version references.
Some sections of ballads are set in differently sized type and indicated
in the introductions. Usually this is smaller type, but in the case of
ballad 39, larger. These passages are indicated by means of further
indentation and side-lining (|) in the left margin. Ballad 53 versions M
and N are entirely in smaller type, but without explanation.
Footnotes have been numbered from [1] to [427] sequentially throughout
the whole volume, but are presented at the end of each ballad or section
to which they refer.
A line of 7 spaced dots indicates a missing line of poetry. A line of 7
spaced asterisks indicates missing poetry material of one or more
stanzas; this is distinct from a "thought break" or sub-section
separator of 5 widely spaced asterisks such as follow these notes.
* * * * *
THE ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH
POPULAR BALLADS
[Illustration]
THE
ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH
POPULAR BALLADS
EDITED BY
FRANCIS JAMES CHILD
IN FIVE VOLUMES
VOLUME I
NEW YORK
DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.
This Dover edition, first published in 1965, is an
unabridged and unaltered republication of the work
originally published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company, as
follows:
Vol. I--Part I, 1882; Part II, 1884
Vol. II--Part III, 1885; Part IV, 1886
Vol. III--Part V, 1888; Part VI, 1889
Vol. IV--Part VII, 1890; Part VIII, 1892
Vol. V--Part IX, 1894; Part X, 1898.
This edition also contains as an appendix to Part X an
essay by Walter Morris Hart entitled "Professor Child and
the Ballad," reprinted _in toto_ from Vol. XXI, No. 4,
1906 [New Series Vol. XIV, No. 4] of the _Publications of
the Modern Language Association of America_.
_Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-24347_
Manufactured in the United States of America
Dover Publications, Inc.
180 Varick Street
New York, N.Y. 10014
_To_
_FREDERICK J. FURNIVALL, ESQ._
_OF LONDON_
_MY DEAR FURNIVALL_:
_Without the Percy MS. no one would pretend to make a collection of the
English Ballads, and but for you that manuscript would still, I think,
be beyond reach of man, yet exposed to destructive chances. Through your
exertions and personal sacrifices, directly, the famous and precious
folio has been printed; and, indirectly, in consequence of the same, it
has been transferred to a place where it is safe, and open to
inspection. This is only one of a hundred reasons which I have for
asking you to accept the dedication of this book from_
_Your grateful friend and fellow-student_,
_F. J. CHILD._
_Cambridge, Mass., December 1, 1882._
ADVERTISEMENT TO PART I
NUMBERS 1-28
It was my wish not to begin to print The English and Scottish Popular
Ballads until this unrestricted title should be justified by my having
at command every valuable copy of every known ballad. A continuous
effort to accomplish this object has been making for some nine or ten
years, and many have joined in it. By correspondence, and by an
extensive diffusion of printed circulars, I have tried to stimulate
collection from tradition in Scotland, Canada, and the United States,
and no becoming means has been left unemployed to obtain possession of
unsunned treasures locked up in writing. The gathering from tradition
has been, as ought perhaps to have been foreseen at this late day,
meagre, and generally of indifferent quality. Materials in the hands of
former editors have, in some cases, been lost beyond recovery, and very
probably have lighted fires, like that large cantle of the Percy
manuscript, _maxime deflendus_! Access to several manuscript collections
has not yet been secured. But what is still lacking is believed to bear
no great proportion to what is in hand, and may soon come in, besides:
meanwhile, the uncertainties of the world forbid a longer delay to
publish so much as has been got together.
Of hitherto unused materials, much the most important is a large
collection of ballads made by Motherwell. For leave to take a copy of
this I am deeply indebted to the present possessor, Mr Malcolm Colquhoun
Thomson, of Glasgow, who even allowed the manuscript to be sent to
London, and to be retained several months, for my accommodation. Mr J.
Wylie Guild, of Glasgow, also permitted the use of a note-book of
Motherwell's which supplements the great manuscript, and this my
unwearied friend, Mr James Barclay Murdoch, to whose solicitation I owe
both, himself transcribed with the most scrupulous accuracy. No other
good office, asked or unasked, has Mr Murdoch spared.
Next in extent to the Motherwell collections come those of the late Mr
Kinloch. These he freely placed at my disposal, and Mr William Macmath,
of Edinburgh, made during Mr Kinloch's life an exquisite copy of the
larger part of them, enriched with notes from Mr Kinloch's papers, and
sent it to me across the water. After Mr Kinloch's death his collections
were acquired by Harvard College Library, still through the agency of Mr
Macmath, who has from the beginning rendered a highly valued assistance,
not less by his suggestions and communications than by his zealous
mediation.
No Scottish ballads are superior in kind to those recited in the last
century by Mrs Brown, of Falkland. Of these there are, or were, three
sets. One formerly owned by Robert Jamieson, the fullest of the three,
was lent me, to keep as long as I required, by my honored friend the
late Mr David Laing, who also secured for me copies of several ballads
of Mrs Brown which are found in an Abbotsford manuscript, and gave me a
transcript of the Glenriddell manuscript. The two others were written
down for William Tytler and Alexander Fraser Tytler respectively, the
former of these consisting of a portion of the Jamieson texts revised.
These having for some time been lost sight of, Miss Mary Fraser Tytler,
with a graciousness which I have reason to believe hereditary in the
name, made search for them, recovered the one which had been obtained by
Lord Woodhouselee, and copied it for me with her own hand. The same lady
furnished me with another collection which had been made by a member of
the family.
For later transcriptions from Scottish tradition I am indebted to Mr J.
F. Campbell of Islay, whose edition and rendering of the racy West
Highland Tales is marked by the rarest appreciation of the popular
genius; to Mrs A. F. Murison, formerly of Old Deer, who undertook a
quest for ballads in her native place on my behalf; to Mr Alexander
Laing, of Newburgh-upon-Tay; to Mr James Gibb, of Joppa, who has given
me a full score; to Mr David Louden, of Morham, Haddington; to the late
Dr John Hill Burton and Miss Ella Burton; to Dr Thomas Davidson.
The late Mr Robert White, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, allowed me to look
through his collections in 1873, and subsequently made me a copy of such
things as I needed, and his ready kindness has been continued by Mrs
Andrews, his sister, and by Miss Andrews, his niece, who has taken a
great deal of trouble on my account.
In the south of the mother-island my reliance has, of necessity, been
chiefly upon libraries. The British Museum possesses, besides early
copies of some of the older ballads, the Percy MS., Herd's MSS and
Buchan's, and the Roxburgh broadsides. The library of the University of
Cambridge affords one or two things of first-rate importance, and for
these I am beholden to the accomplished librarian, Mr Henry Bradshaw,
and to Professor Skeat. I have also to thank the Rev. F. Gunton, Dean,
and the other authorities of Magdalen College, Cambridge, for permitting
collations of Pepys ballads, most obligingly made for me by Mr Arthur S.
B. Miller. Many things were required from the Bodleian library, and
these were looked out for me, and scrupulously copied or collated, by Mr
George Parker.
Texts of traditional ballads have been communicated to me in America by
Mr W. W. Newell, of New York, who is soon to give us an interesting
collection of Children's Games traditional in America; by Dr Huntington,
Bishop of Central New York; Mr G. C. Mahon, of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Miss
Margaret Reburn, of New Albion, Iowa; Miss Perine, of Baltimore; Mrs
Augustus Lowell, Mrs L. F. Wesselhoeft, Mrs. Edward Atkinson, of Boston;
Mrs Cushing, of Cambridge; Miss Ellen Marston, of New Bedford; Mrs
Moncrieff, of London, Ontario.
Acknowledgments not well despatched in a phrase are due to many others
who have promoted my objects: to Mr Furnivall, for doing for me
everything which I could have done for myself had I lived in England; to
that master of old songs and music, Mr William Chappell, very specially;
to Mr J. Payne Collier; Mr Norval Clyne, of Aberdeen; Mr Alexander
Young, of Glasgow; Mr Arthur Laurenson, of Lerwick, Shetland; Mr J.
Burrell Curtis, of Edinburgh; Dr Vigfusson, of Oxford; Professor Edward
Arber, of Birmingham; the Rev. J. Percival, Mr Francis Fry, Mr J. F.
Nicholls, of Bristol; Professor George Stephens, of Copenhagen; Mr R.
Bergström, of the Royal Library, Stockholm; Mr W. R. S. Ralston, Mr
William Henry Husk, Miss Lucy Toulmin Smith, Mr A. F. Murison, of
London; Professor Sophocles; Mr W. G. Medlicott, of Longmeadow; to Mr M.
Heilprin, of New York, Mme de Maltchycé, of Boston, and Rabbi Dr Cohn,
for indispensable translations from Polish and Hungarian; to Mr James
Russell Lowell, Minister of the United States at London; to Professor
Charles Eliot Norton, for such "pains and benefits" as I could ask only
of a life-long friend.
In the editing of these ballads I have closely followed the plan of
Grundtvig's Old Popular Ballads of Denmark, a work which will be prized
highest by those who have used it most, and which leaves nothing to be
desired but its completion. The author is as much at home in English as
in Danish tradition, and whenever he takes up a ballad which is common
to both nations nothing remains to be done but to supply what has come
to light since the time of his writing. But besides the assistance which
I have derived from his book, I have enjoyed the advantage of Professor
Grundtvig's criticism and advice, and have received from him unprinted
Danish texts, and other aid in many ways.
Such further explanations as to the plan and conduct of the work as may
be desirable can be more conveniently given by and by. I may say here
that textual points which may seem to be neglected will be considered in
an intended Glossary, with which will be given a full account of
Sources, and such indexes of Titles and Matters as will make it easy to
find everything that the book may contain.
With renewed thanks to all helpers, and helpers' helpers, I would invoke
the largest coöperation for the correction of errors and the supplying
of deficiencies. To forestall a misunderstanding which has often
occurred, I beg to say that every traditional version of a popular
ballad is desired, no matter how many texts of the same may have been
printed already.
F. J. CHILD.
[DECEMBER, 1882.]
ADVERTISEMENT TO PART II
NUMBERS 29-53
I have again to express my obligations and my gratitude to many who have
aided in the collecting and editing of these Ballads.
To Sir Hugh Hume Campbell, for the use of two considerable manuscript
volumes of Scottish Ballads.
To Mr Allardyce, of Edinburgh, for a copy of the Skene Ballads, and for
a generous permission to print such as I required, in advance of a
possible publication on his part.
To Mr Mansfield, of Edinburgh, for the use of the Pitcairn manuscripts.
To Mrs Robertson, for the use of Note-Books of the late Dr Joseph
Robertson, and to Mr Murdoch, of Glasgow, Mr Lugton, of Kelso, Mrs
Alexander Forbes, of Edinburgh, and Messrs G. L. Kittredge and G. M.
Richardson, former students of Harvard College, for various
communications.
To Dr Reinhold Köhler's unrivalled knowledge of popular fiction, and his
equal liberality, I am indebted for valuable notes, which will be found
in the Additions at the end of this volume.
The help of my friend Dr Theodor Vetter has enabled me to explore
portions of the Slavic ballad-field which otherwise must have been
neglected.
Professors D. Silvan Evans, John Rhys, Paul Meyer, and T. Frederick
Crane have lent me a ready assistance in literary emergencies.
The interest and coöperation of Mr Furnivall and Mr Macmath have been
continued to me without stint or weariness.
It is impossible, while recalling and acknowledging acts of courtesy,
good will, and friendship, not to allude, with one word of deep personal
grief, to the irreparable loss which all who are concerned with the
study of popular tradition have experienced in the death of Svend
Grundtvig.
F. J. C.
JUNE, 1884.
CONTENTS
VOLUME I
BALLAD PAGE
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF PROFESSOR CHILD xvii
1. RIDDLES WISELY EXPOUNDED 1
(Additions and Corrections: I, 484; II, 495; III, 496;
IV, 439; V, 205, 283.)
2. THE ELFIN KNIGHT 6
(Additions and Corrections: I, 484; II, 495; III, 496;
IV, 439; V, 205, 284.)
3. THE FAUSE KNIGHT UPON THE ROAD 20
(Additions and Corrections: I, 485; II, 496; III, 496;
IV, 440.)
4. LADY ISABEL AND THE ELF-KNIGHT 22
(Additions and Corrections: I, 485; II, 496; III, 496;
IV, 440; V, 206, 285.)
5. GIL BRENTON 62
(Additions and Corrections: I, 489; II, 498; III, 497;
IV, 442; V, 207, 285.)
6. WILLIE'S LADY 81
(Additions and Corrections: II, 498; III, 497; V, 207,
285.)
7. EARL BRAND 88
(Additions and Corrections: I, 489; II, 498; III, 497;
IV, 443; V, 207, 285.)
8. ERLINTON 106
(Additions and Corrections: III, 498; IV, 445.)
9. THE FAIR FLOWER OF NORTHUMBERLAND 111
(Additions and Corrections: I, 493; II, 498; III, 499;
V, 207.)
10. THE TWA SISTERS 118
(Additions and Corrections: I, 493; II, 498; III, 499;
IV, 447; V, 208, 286.)
11. THE CRUEL BROTHER 141
(Additions and Corrections: I, 496; II, 498; III, 499;
IV, 449; V, 208, 286.)
12. LORD RANDAL 151
(Additions and Corrections: I, 498; II, 498; III, 499;
IV, 449; V, 208, 286.)
13. EDWARD 167
(Additions and Corrections: I, 501; II, 499; III, 499;
V, 209, 287.)
14. BABYLON; OR, THE BONNIE BANKS O FORDIE 170
(Additions and Corrections: I, 501; II, 499; III, 499;
IV, 450; V, 209, 287.)
15. LEESOME BRAND 177
(Additions and Corrections: I, 501; II, 499; III, 500;
IV, 450; V, 209, 287.)
16. SHEATH AND KNIFE 185
(Additions and Corrections: II, 499; III, 500; IV, 450;
V, 210.)
17. HIND HORN 187
(Additions and Corrections: I, 502; II, 499; III, 501;
IV, 450; V, 210, 287.)
18. SIR LIONEL 208
(Additions and Corrections: II, 500; IV, 451.)
19. KING ORFEO 215
(Additions and Corrections: II, 500; III, 502; IV, 451;
V, 211.)
20. THE CRUEL MOTHER 218
(Additions and Corrections: I, 504; II, 500; III, 502;
IV, 451; V, 211, 287.)
21. THE MAID AND THE PALMER (THE SAMARITAN WOMAN) 228
(Additions and Corrections: II, 501; III, 502; IV, 451;
V, 212, 288.)
22. ST. STEPHEN AND HEROD 233
(Additions and Corrections: I, 505; II, 501; III, 502;
IV, 451; V, 212, 288.)
23. JUDAS 242
(Additions and Corrections: V, 288.)
24. BONNIE ANNIE 244
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 452.)
25. WILLIE'S LYKE-WAKE 247
(Additions and Corrections: I, 506; II, 502; III, 503;
IV, 453; V, 212, 289.)
26. THE THREE RAVENS 253
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 454; V, 212.)
27. THE WHUMMIL BORE 255
(Additions and Corrections: V, 212.)
28. BURD ELLEN AND YOUNG TAMLANE 256
(Additions and Corrections: I, 507; III, 503.)
29. THE BOY AND THE MANTLE 257
(Additions and Corrections: I, 507; II, 502; III, 503;
IV, 454; V, 212, 289.)
30. KING ARTHUR AND KING CORNWALL 274
(Additions and Corrections: I, 507; II, 502; III, 503;
V, 289.)
31. THE MARRIAGE OF SIR GAWAIN 288
(Additions and Corrections: I, 507; II, 502; IV, 454;
V, 213, 289.)
32. KING HENRY 297
(Additions and Corrections: II, 502; IV, 454; V, 289.)
33. KEMPY KAY 300
(Additions and Corrections: V, 213, 289.)
34. KEMP OWYNE 306
(Additions and Corrections: II, 502; III, 504; IV, 454;
V, 213, 290.)
35. ALLISON GROSS 313
(Additions and Corrections: III, 504; V, 214.)
36. THE LAILY WORM AND THE MACHREL OF THE SEA 315
(Additions and Corrections: V, 214, 290.)
37. THOMAS RYMER 317
(Additions and Corrections: II, 505; III, 504; IV, 454,
290.)
38. THE WEE WEE MAN 329
39. TAM LIN 335
(Additions and Corrections: I, 507; II, 505; III, 504;
IV, 455; V, 215, 290.)
40. THE QUEEN OF ELFAN'S NOURICE 358
(Additions and Corrections: II, 505; III, 505; IV, 459;
V, 215, 290.)
41. HIND ETIN 360
(Additions and Corrections: I, 508; II, 506; III, 506;
IV, 459; V, 215.)
42. CLERK COLVILL 371
(Additions and Corrections: II, 506; III, 506; IV, 459;
V, 215, 290.)
43. THE BROOMFIELD HILL 390
(Additions and Corrections: I, 508; II, 506; III, 506;
IV, 459, 290.)
44. THE TWA MAGICIANS 399
(Additions and Corrections: II, 506; III, 506; IV, 459;
V, 216, 290.)
45. KING JOHN AND THE BISHOP 403
(Additions and Corrections: I, 508; II, 506; IV, 459;
V, 216, 291.)
46. CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN'S COURTSHIP 414
(Additions and Corrections: II, 507; III, 507; IV, 459;
V, 216, 291.)
47. PROUD LADY MARGARET 425
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 460; V, 291.)
48. YOUNG ANDREW 432
49. THE TWA BROTHERS 435
(Additions and Corrections: II, 507; III, 507; IV, 460;
V, 217, 291.)
50. THE BONNY HIND 444
(Additions and Corrections: V, 218.)
51. LIZIE WAN 447
52. THE KING'S DOCHTER LADY JEAN 450
53. YOUNG BEICHAN 454
(Additions and Corrections: II, 508; III, 507; IV, 460;
V, 218, 291.)
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS 484
VOLUME II
54. THE CHERRY-TREE CAROL 1
(Additions and Corrections: II, 509; V, 220.)
55. THE CARNAL AND THE CRANE 7
(Additions and Corrections: II, 509; III, 507; IV. 462;
V, 220.)
56. DIVES AND LAZARUS 10
(Additions and Corrections: II, 510; III, 507; IV, 462;
V, 220, 292.)
57. BROWN ROBYN'S CONFESSION 13
(Additions and Corrections: II, 510; III, 508; IV, 462;
V, 220, 292.)
58. SIR PATRICK SPENS 17
(Additions and Corrections: II, 510; V, 220.)
59. SIR ALDINGAR 33
(Additions and Corrections: II, 510; III, 508; IV, 463;
V, 292.)
60. KING ESTMERE 49
(Additions and Corrections: II, 510; III, 508; IV, 463.)
61. SIR CAWLINE 56
(Additions and Corrections: II, 511; III, 508; IV, 463.)
62. FAIR ANNIE 63
(Additions and Corrections: II, 511; IV, 463; V, 220.)
63. CHILD WATERS 83
(Additions and Corrections: II, 511; III, 508; IV, 463;
V, 220.)
64. FAIR JANET 100
(Additions and Corrections: III, 508; IV, 464; V, 222,
292.)
65. LADY MAISRY 112
(Additions and Corrections: III, 508; IV, 466; V, 222,
292.)
66. LORD INGRAM AND CHIEL WYET 126
(Additions and Corrections: II, 511; III, 508; V, 223,
292.)
67. GLASGERION 136
(Additions and Corrections: II, 511; III, 509; IV, 468;
V, 293.)
68. YOUNG HUNTING 142
(Additions and Corrections: II, 512; III, 509; IV, 468;
V, 223.)
69. CLERK SAUNDERS 156
(Additions and Corrections: II, 512; III, 509; IV, 468;
V, 223, 293.)
70. WILLIE AND LADY MAISRY 167
71. THE BENT SAE BROWN 170
(Additions and Corrections: III, 509; IV, 469; V, 223.)
72. THE CLERKS'S TWA SONS O OWSENFORD 173
(Additions and Corrections: II, 512; III, 509; IV, 469;
V, 293.)
73. LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET 179
(Additions and Corrections: II, 512; III, 509; IV, 469;
V, 223, 293.)
74. FAIR MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM 199
(Additions and Corrections: V, 224, 293.)
75. LORD LOVEL 204
(Additions and Corrections: II, 512; III, 510; IV, 471;
V, 225, 294.)
76. THE LASS OF ROCH ROYAL 213
(Additions and Corrections: III, 510; IV, 471; V, 225,
294.)
77. SWEET WILLIAM'S GHOST 226
(Additions and Corrections: II, 512; IV, 474; V, 225,
294.)
78. THE UNQUIET GRAVE 234
(Additions and Corrections: II, 512; III, 512; IV, 474;
V, 225, 294.)
79. THE WIFE OF USHER'S WELL 238
(Additions and Corrections: III, 513; V, 294.)
80. OLD ROBIN OF PORTINGALE 240
(Additions and Corrections: II, 513; III, 514; IV, 476;
V, 225, 295.)
81. LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND LADY BARNARD 242
(Additions and Corrections: II, 513; IV, 476; V, 225.)
82. THE BONNY BIRDY 260
83. CHILD MAURICE 263
(Additions and Corrections: III, 514; IV, 478.)
84. BONNY BARBARA ALLAN 276
(Additions and Corrections: III, 514.)
85. LADY ALICE 279
(Additions and Corrections: III, 514; V, 225.)
86. YOUNG BENJIE 281
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 478.)
87. PRINCE ROBERT 284
(Additions and Corrections: V, 295.)
88. YOUNG JOHNSTONE 288
89. FAUSE FOODRAGE 296
(Additions and Corrections: II, 513; III, 515; IV, 479.)
90. JELLON GRAME 302
(Additions and Corrections: II, 513; III, 515; IV, 479;
V, 226, 295.)
91. FAIR MARY OF WALLINGTON 309
(Additions and Corrections: II, 513; III, 515; IV, 479;
V, 227.)
92. BONNY BEE HOM 317
(Additions and Corrections: V, 229.)
93. LAMKIN 320
(Additions and Corrections: II, 513; III, 515; IV, 480;
V, 229, 295.)
94. YOUNG WATERS 342
(Additions and Corrections: III, 516.)
95. THE MAID FREED FROM THE GALLOWS 346
(Additions and Corrections: II, 514; III, 516; IV, 481;
V, 231, 296.)
96. THE GAY GOSHAWK 355
(Additions and Corrections: III, 517; IV, 482; V, 234,
296.)
97. BROWN ROBIN 368
98. BROWN ADAM 373
99. JOHNIE SCOT 377
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 486; V, 234.)
100. WILLIE O WINSBURY 398
(Additions and Corrections: II, 514; III, 517; IV, 491;
V, 296.)
101. WILLIE O DOUGLAS DALE 406
(Additions and Corrections: III, 517; V, 235.)
102. WILLIE AND EARL RICHARD'S DAUGHTER 412
(Additions and Corrections: III, 518.)
103. ROSE THE RED AND WHITE LILY 415
104. PRINCE HEATHEN 424
(Additions and Corrections: V, 296.)
105. THE BAILIFF'S DAUGHTER OF ISLINGTON 426
(Additions and Corrections: III, 518; V, 237.)
106. THE FAMOUS FLOWER OF SERVING-MEN 428
(Additions and Corrections: III, 518; IV, 492.)
107. WILL STEWART AND JOHN 432
(Additions and Corrections: V, 237.)
108. CHRISTOPHER WHITE 439
109. TOM POTTS 441
(Additions and Corrections: III, 518.)
110. THE KNIGHT AND SHEPHERD'S DAUGHTER 457
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 492; V, 237.)
111. CROW AND PIE 478
112. THE BAFFLED KNIGHT 479
(Additions and Corrections: III, 518; IV, 495; V, 239,
296.)
113. THE GREAT SILKIE OF SULE SKERRY 494
(Additions and Corrections: III, 518; IV, 495.)
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS 495
VOLUME III
114. JOHNIE COCK 1
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 495.)
115. ROBYN AND GANDELEYN 12
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY 14
(Additions and Corrections: III, 518; IV, 496; V, 297.)
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE 39
(Additions and Corrections: III, 519; IV, 496; V, 240,
297.)
118. ROBIN HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE 89
119. ROBIN HOOD AND THE MONK 94
120. ROBIN HOOD'S DEATH 102
(Additions and Corrections: V, 240, 297.)
121. ROBIN HOOD AND THE POTTER 108
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 497.)
122. ROBIN HOOD AND THE BUTCHER 115
123. ROBIN HOOD AND THE CURTAL FRIAR 120
(Additions and Corrections: V, 297.)
124. THE JOLLY PINDER OF WAKEFIELD 129
125. ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN 133
(Additions and Corrections: V, 297.)
126. ROBIN HOOD AND THE TANNER 137
127. ROBIN HOOD AND THE TINKER 140
128. ROBIN HOOD NEWLY REVIVED 144
129. ROBIN HOOD AND THE PRINCE OF ARAGON 147
130. ROBIN HOOD AND THE SCOTCHMAN 150
131. ROBIN HOOD AND THE RANGER 152
132. THE BOLD PEDLAR AND ROBIN HOOD 154
(Additions and Corrections: V, 240.)
133. ROBIN HOOD AND THE BEGGAR, I 155
134. ROBIN HOOD AND THE BEGGAR, II 158
135. ROBIN HOOD AND THE SHEPHERD 165
136. ROBIN HOOD'S DELIGHT 168
137. ROBIN HOOD AND THE PEDLARS 170
138. ROBIN HOOD AND ALLEN A DALE 172
139. ROBIN HOOD'S PROGRESS TO NOTTINGHAM 175
140. ROBIN HOOD RESCUING THREE SQUIRES 177
141. ROBIN HOOD RESCUING WILL STUTLY 185
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 497.)
142. LITTLE JOHN A BEGGING 188
143. ROBIN HOOD AND THE BISHOP 191
144. ROBIN HOOD AND THE BISHOP OF HEREFORD 193
145. ROBIN HOOD AND QUEEN KATHERINE 196
146. ROBIN HOOD'S CHASE 205
147. ROBIN HOOD'S GOLDEN PRIZE 208
(Additions and Corrections: III, 519.)
148. THE NOBLE FISHERMAN, OR, ROBIN HOOD'S PREFERMENT 211
149. ROBIN HOOD'S BIRTH, BREEDING, VALOR AND MARRIAGE 214
150. ROBIN HOOD AND MAID MARIAN 218
(Additions and Corrections: III, 519.)
151. THE KING'S DISGUISE, AND FRIENDSHIP WITH ROBIN HOOD 220
152. ROBIN HOOD AND THE GOLDEN ARROW 223
(Additions and Corrections: V, 241.)
153. ROBIN HOOD AND THE VALIANT KNIGHT 225
154. A TRUE TALE OF ROBIN HOOD 227
155. SIR HUGH, OR, THE JEW'S DAUGHTER 233
(Additions and Corrections: III, 519; IV, 497; V, 241,
297.)
156. QUEEN ELEANOR'S CONFESSION 257
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 498; V, 241, 297.)
157. GUDE WALLACE 265
(Additions and Corrections: V, 242.)
158. HUGH SPENCER'S FEATS IN FRANCE 275
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 499; V, 243.)
159. DURHAM FIELD 282
(Additions and Corrections: V, 297.)
160. THE KNIGHT OF LIDDESDALE 288
161. THE BATTLE OF OTTERBURN 289
(Additions and Corrections: III, 520; IV, 499; V,
243, 297.)
162. THE HUNTING OF THE CHEVIOT 303
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 502; V, 244, 297.)
163. THE BATTLE OF HARLAW 316
(Additions and Corrections: V, 245.)
164. KING HENRY FIFTH'S CONQUEST OF FRANCE 320
(Additions and Corrections: V, 245.)
165. SIR JOHN BUTLER 327
166. THE ROSE OF ENGLAND 331
167. SIR ANDREW BARTON 334
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 502; V, 245.)
168. FLODDEN FIELD 351
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 507; V, 298.)
169. JOHNIE ARMSTRONG 362
(Additions and Corrections: III, 520; IV, 507; V,
298.)
170. THE DEATH OF QUEEN JANE 372
(Additions and Corrections: V, 245, 298.)
171. THOMAS CROMWELL 377
172. MUSSELBURGH FIELD 378
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 507.)
173. MARY HAMILTON 379
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 507; V, 246, 298.)
174. EARL BOTHWELL 399
(Additions and Corrections: V, 247.)
175. THE RISING IN THE NORTH 401
176. NORTHUMBERLAND BETRAYED BY DOUGLAS 408
(Additions and Corrections: V, 299.)
177. THE EARL OF WESTMORELAND 416
(Additions and Corrections: V, 299.)
178. CAPTAIN CAR, OR, EDOM O GORDON 423
(Additions and Corrections: III, 520; IV, 513; V,
247, 299.)
179. ROOKHOPE RYDE 439
180. KING JAMES AND BROWN 442
181. THE BONNY EARL OF MURRAY 447
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 515.)
182. THE LAIRD O LOGIE 449
(Additions and Corrections: III, 520; IV, 515; V,
299.)
183. WILLIE MACINTOSH 456
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 516.)
184. THE LADS OF WAMPHRAY 458
(Additions and Corrections: III, 520.)
185. DICK O THE COW 461
186. KINMONT WILLIE 469
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 516.)
187. JOCK O THE SIDE 475
188. ARCHIE O CAWFIELD 484
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 516.)
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS 496
VOLUME IV
189. HOBIE NOBLE 1
190. JAMIE TELFER OF THE FAIR DODHEAD 4
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 518; V, 249, 300.)
191. HUGHIE GRAME 8
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 518; V, 300.)
192. THE LOCHMABEN HARPER 16
(Additions and Corrections: V, 300.)
193. THE DEATH OF PARCY REED 24
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 520.)
194. THE LAIRD OF WARISTON 28
195. LORD MAXWELL'S LAST GOODNIGHT 34
(Additions and Corrections: V, 251.)
196. THE FIRE OF FRENDRAUGHT 39
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 521; V, 251, 301.)
197. JAMES GRANT 49
(Additions and Corrections: V, 251.)
198. BONNY JOHN SETON 51
(Additions and Corrections: V, 251.)
199. THE BONNIE HOUSE O AIRLIE 54
(Additions and Corrections: V, 252.)
200. THE GYPSY LADDIE 61
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 522; V, 252, 301.)
201. BESSY BELL AND MARY GRAY 75
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 522; V, 253.)
202. THE BATTLE OF PHILIPHAUGH 77
203. THE BARON OF BRACKLEY 79
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 522; V, 253.)
204. JAMIE DOUGLAS 90
205. LOUDON HILL, OR, DRUMCLOG 105
206. BOTHWELL BRIDGE 108
207. LORD DELAMERE 110
208. LORD DERWENTWATER 115
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 522; V, 254.)
209. GEORDIE 123
210. BONNIE JAMES CAMPBELL 142
211. BEWICK AND GRAHAM 144
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 522.)
212. THE DUKE OF ATHOLE'S NURSE 150
213. SIR JAMES THE ROSE 155
214. THE BRAES O YARROW 160
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 522; V, 255.)
215. RARE WILLIE DROWNED IN YARROW, OR, THE WATER O GAMRIE 178
(Additions and Corrections: V, 256.)
216. THE MOTHER'S MALISON, OR, CLYDE'S WATER 185
(Additions and Corrections: V, 256, 301.)
217. THE BROOM OF COWDENKNOWS 191
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 523; V, 257.)
218. THE FALSE LOVER WON BACK 209
219. THE GARDENER 212
(Additions and Corrections: V, 258.)
220. THE BONNY LASS OF ANGLESEY 214
221. KATHARINE JAFFRAY 216
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 523; V, 260.)
222. BONNY BABY LIVINGSTON 231
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 523; V, 261.)
223. EPPIE MORRIE 239
(Additions and Corrections: V, 262.)
224. THE LADY OF ARNGOSK 241
225. ROB ROY 243
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 523; V, 262.)
226. LIZIE LINDSAY 255
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 524; V, 264.)
227. BONNY LIZIE BAILLIE 266
(Additions and Corrections: V, 265.)
228. GLASGOW PEGGIE 270
(Additions and Corrections: V, 266.)
229. EARL CRAWFORD 276
(Additions and Corrections: V, 301.)
230. THE SLAUGHTER OF THE LAIRD OF MELLERSTAIN 281
231. THE EARL OF ERROL 282
(Additions and Corrections: V, 267.)
232. RICHIE STORY 291
(Additions and Corrections: V, 270.)
233. ANDREW LAMMIE 300
234. CHARLIE MACPHERSON 308
(Additions and Corrections: V, 301.)
235. THE EARL OF ABOYNE 311
(Additions and Corrections: V, 270, 301.)
236. THE LAIRD O DRUM 322
(Additions and Corrections: V, 272.)
237. THE DUKE OF GORDON'S DAUGHTER 332
(Additions and Corrections: V, 273.)
238. GLENLOGIE, OR, JEAN O BETHELNIE 338
(Additions and Corrections: V, 273, 302.)
239. LORD SALTOUN AND AUCHANACHIE 347
(Additions and Corrections: V, 273.)
240. THE RANTIN LADDIE 351
(Additions and Corrections: V, 274.)
241. THE BARON O LEYS 355
(Additions and Corrections: V, 275.)
242. THE COBLE O CARGILL 358
243. JAMES HARRIS (THE DÆMON LOVER) 360
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 524.)
244. JAMES HATLEY 370
245. YOUNG ALLAN 375
(Additions and Corrections: V, 275.)
246. REDESDALE AND WISE WILLIAM 383
(Additions and Corrections: V, 276.)
247. LADY ELSPAT 387
248. THE GREY COCK, OR, SAW YOU MY FATHER? 389
(Additions and Corrections: V, 302.)
249. AULD MATRONS 391
250. HENRY MARTYN 393
(Additions and Corrections: V, 302.)
251. LANG JOHNNY MORE 396
(Additions and Corrections: IV, 524.)
252. THE KITCHIE-BOY 400
(Additions and Corrections: V, 277.)
253. THOMAS O YONDERDALE 409
254. LORD WILLIAM, OR, LORD LUNDY 411
255. WILLIE'S FATAL VISIT 415
256. ALISON AND WILLIE 416
257. BURD ISABEL AND EARL PATRICK 417
(Additions and Corrections: V, 278.)
258. BROUGHTY WA'S 423
259. LORD THOMAS STUART 425
(Additions and Corrections: V, 279.)
260. LORD THOMAS AND LADY MARGARET 426
261. LADY ISABEL 429
262. LORD LIVINGSTON 431
263. THE NEW-SLAIN KNIGHT 434
(Additions and Corrections: V, 279.)
264. THE WHITE FISHER 435
265. THE KNIGHT'S GHOST 437
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS 439
VOLUME V
266. JOHN THOMSON AND THE TURK 1
(Additions and Corrections: V, 279.)
267. THE HEIR OF LINNE 11
268. THE TWA KNIGHTS 21
269. LADY DIAMOND 29
(Additions and Corrections: V, 303.)
270. THE EARL OF MAR'S DAUGHTER 38
271. THE LORD OF LORN AND THE FALSE STEWARD 42
(Additions and Corrections: V, 280.)
272. THE SUFFOLK MIRACLE 58
(Additions and Corrections: V, 303.)
273. KING EDWARD THE FOURTH AND A TANNER OF TAMWORTH 67
(Additions and Corrections: V, 303.)
274. OUR GOODMAN 88
(Additions and Corrections: V, 281, 303.)
275. GET UP AND BAR THE DOOR 96
(Additions and Corrections: V, 281, 304.)
276. THE FRIAR IN THE WELL 100
277. THE WIFE WRAPT IN WETHER'S SKIN 104
(Additions and Corrections: V, 304.)
278. THE FARMER'S CURST WIFE 107
(Additions and Corrections: V, 305.)
279. THE JOLLY BEGGAR 109
280. THE BEGGAR-LADDIE 116
(Additions and Corrections: V, 305.)
281. THE KEACH I THE CREEL 121
282. JOCK THE LEG AND THE MERRY MERCHANT 126
283. THE CRAFTY FARMER 128
284. JOHN DORY 131
285. THE GEORGE ALOE AND THE SWEEPSTAKE 133
286. THE SWEET TRINITY (THE GOLDEN VANITY) 135
(Additions and Corrections: V, 305.)
287. CAPTAIN WARD AND THE RAINBOW 143
(Additions and Corrections: V, 305.)
288. THE YOUNG EARL OF ESSEX'S VICTORY OVER THE EMPEROR OF
GERMANY 145
289. THE MERMAID 148
290. THE WYLIE WIFE OF THE HIE TOUN HIE 153
291. CHILD OWLET 156
(Additions and Corrections: V, 305.)
292. THE WEST-COUNTRY DAMOSEL'S COMPLAINT 157
293. JOHN OF HAZELGREEN 159
294. DUGALL QUIN 165
(Additions and Corrections: V, 305.)
295. THE BROWN GIRL 166
296. WALTER LESLY 168
297. EARL ROTHES 170
298. YOUNG PEGGY 171
299. TROOPER AND MAID 172
(Additions and Corrections: V, 306.)
300. BLANCHEFLOUR AND JELLYFLORICE 175
301. THE QUEEN OF SCOTLAND 176
302. YOUNG BEARWELL 178
303. THE HOLY NUNNERY 179
304. YOUNG RONALD 181
305. THE OUTLAW MURRAY 185
(Additions and Corrections: V, 307.)
FRAGMENTS 201
(Additions and Corrections: V, 307.)
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS 205, 283
GLOSSARY 309
SOURCES OF THE TEXTS 397
INDEX OF PUBLISHED AIRS 405
BALLAD AIRS FROM MANUSCRIPT:
3. The Fause Knight upon the Road 411
9. The Fair Flower of Northumberland 411
10. The Twa Sisters 411
11. The Cruel Brother 412
12. Lord Randal 412
17. Hind Horn 413
20. The Cruel Mother 413
40. The Queen of Elfan's Nourice 413
42. Clerk Colvill 414
46. Captain Wedderburn's Courtship 414
47. Proud Lady Margaret 414
53. Young Beichan 415
58. Sir Patrick Spens 415
61. Sir Colin 415
63. Child Waters 415
68. Young Hunting 416
75. Lord Lovel 416
77. Sweet William's Ghost 416
84. Bonny Barbara Allan 416
89. Fause Foodrage 416
95. The Maid freed from the Gallows 417
97. Brown Robin 417
98. Brown Adam 417
99. Johnie Scot 418
100. Willie o Winsbury 418
106. The Famous Flower of Serving-Men 418
144. Johnie Cock 419
157. Gudo Wallace 419
161. The Battle of Otterburn 419
163. The Battle of Harlaw 419
164. King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France 420
169. Johnie Armstrong 420
173. Mary Hamilton 421
182. The Laird o Logie 421
222. Bonny Baby Livingston 421
226. Lizie Lindsay 421
228. Glasgow Peggie 422
235. The Earl of Aboyne 422
247. Lady Elspat 422
250. Andrew Bartin 423
256. Alison and Willie 423
258. Broughty Wa's 423
278. The Farmer's Curst Wife 423
281. The Keach i the Creel 424
286. The Sweet Trinity 424
299. Trooper and Maid 424
INDEX OF BALLAD TITLES 425
TITLES OF COLLECTIONS OF BALLADS, OR BOOKS CONTAINING BALLADS,
WHICH ARE VERY BRIEFLY CITED IN THIS WORK 455
INDEX OF MATTERS AND LITERATURE 469
BIBLIOGRAPHY 503
CORRECTIONS TO BE MADE IN THE PRINT 567
APPENDIX: PROFESSOR CHILD AND THE BALLAD 571
FRANCIS JAMES CHILD
Francis James Child was born in Boston on the first day of February,
1825. He was the third in a family of eight children. His father was a
sailmaker, "one of that class of intelligent and independent mechanics,"
writes Professor Norton, "which has had a large share in determining the
character of our democratic community, as of old the same class had in
Athens and in Florence." The boy attended the public schools, as a
matter of course; and, his parents having no thought of sending him to
college, he went, in due time, not to the Latin School, but to the
English High School of his native town. At that time the head master of
the Boston Latin School was Mr Epes Sargent Dixwell, who is still
living, at a ripe old age, one of the most respected citizens of
Cambridge. Mr Dixwell had a keen eye for scholarly possibilities in
boys, and, falling in with young Francis Child, was immediately struck
with his extraordinary mental ability. At his suggestion, the boy was
transferred to the Latin School, where he entered upon the regular
preparation for admission to Harvard College. His delight in his new
studies was unbounded, and the freshness of it never faded from his
memory. "He speedily caught up with the boys who had already made
considerable progress in Greek and Latin, and soon took the first place
here, as he had done in the schools which he had previously attended."
Mr Dixwell strongly advised his father to permit him to continue his
studies, and made arrangements by which his college expenses should be
provided for. The money Professor Child repaid, with interest, as soon
as his means allowed. His gratitude to Mr. Dixwell and the friendship
between them lasted through his life.
In 1842 Mr Child entered Harvard College. The intellectual condition of
the college at that time and the undergraduate career of Mr Child have
been admirably described by his classmate and lifelong friend, Professor
Norton, in a passage which must be quoted in full[1]:--
"Harvard was then still a comparatively small institution, with no
claims to the title of University; but she had her traditions of good
learning as an inspiration for the studious youth, and still better she
had teachers who were examples of devotion to intellectual pursuits, and
who cared for those ends the attainment of which makes life worth
living. Josiah Quincy was approaching the close of his term of service
as President of the College, and stood before the eyes of the students
as the type of a great public servant, embodying the spirit of
patriotism, of integrity, and of fidelity in the discharge of whatever
duty he might be called to perform. Among the Professors were Walker,
Felton, Peirce, Channing, Beck, and Longfellow, men of utmost variety of
temperament, but each an instructor who secured the respect no less than
the gratitude of his pupils.
"The class to which Child belonged numbered hardly over sixty. The
prescribed course of study which was then the rule brought all the
members of the class together in recitations and lectures, and every man
soon knew the relative standing of each of his fellows. Child at once
took the lead and kept it. His excellence was not confined to any one
special branch of study; he was equally superior in all. He was the best
in the classics, he was Peirce's favorite in mathematics, he wrote
better English than any of his classmates. His intellectual interests
were wider than theirs, he was a great reader, and his tastes in reading
were mature. He read for amusement as well as for learning, but he did
not waste his time or dissipate his mental energies over worthless or
pernicious books. He made good use of the social no less than of the
intellectual opportunities which college life affords, and became as
great a favorite with his classmates as he had been with his
schoolfellows.
"The close of his college course was marked by the exceptional
distinction of his being chosen by his classmates as their Orator, and
by his having the first part at Commencement as the highest scholar in
the class. His class oration was remarkable for its maturity of thought
and of style. Its manliness of spirit, its simple directness of
presentation of the true objects of life, and of the motives by which
the educated man, whatever might be his chosen career, should be
inspired, together with the serious and eloquent earnestness with which
it was delivered, gave to his discourse peculiar impressiveness and
effect."
Graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1846, Mr Child
immediately entered the service of the college, in which he continued
till the day of his death. From 1846 to 1848 he was tutor in
mathematics. In 1848 he was transferred, at his own request, to a
tutorship in history and political economy, to which were annexed
certain duties of instruction in English. In 1849 he obtained leave of
absence for travel and study in Europe. He remained in Europe for about
two years, returning, late in 1851, to receive an appointment to the
Boylston Professorship of Rhetoric and Oratory, then falling vacant by
the resignation of Professor Edward T. Channing.
The tutorships which Mr Child had held were not entirely in accordance
with his tastes, which had always led him in the direction of literary
and linguistic study. The faculty of the college was small, however, and
it was not always possible to assign an instructor to the department
that would have been most to his mind. But the governors of the
institution were glad to secure the services of so promising a scholar;
and Mr Child, whose preference for an academic career was decided, had
felt that it was wise to accept such positions as the college could
offer, leaving exacter adjustments to time and circumstances. Meantime
he had devoted his whole leisure to the pursuit of his favorite studies.
His first fruits were a volume entitled Four Old Plays[2] published in
1848, when he was but twenty-three years old. This was a remarkably
competent performance. The texts are edited with judgment and accuracy;
the introduction shows literary discrimination as well as sound
scholarship, and the glossary and brief notes are thoroughly good. There
are no signs of immaturity in the book, and it is still valued by
students of our early drama.
The leave of absence granted to Mr Child in 1849 came at a most
favorable moment. His health had suffered from close application to
work, and a change of climate had been advised by his physicians. His
intellectual and scholarly development, too, had reached that stage in
which foreign study and travel were certain to be most stimulating and
fruitful. He was amazingly apt, and two years of opportunity meant much
more to him than to most men. He returned to take up the duties of his
new office a trained and mature scholar, at home in the best methods and
traditions of German universities, yet with no sacrifice of his
individuality and intellectual independence.
While in Germany Mr Child studied at Berlin and Göttingen, giving his
time mostly to Germanic philology, then cultivated with extraordinary
vigor and success. The hour was singularly propitious. In the three or
four decades preceding Mr Child's residence in Europe, Germanic
philology (in the wider sense) had passed from the stage of "romantic"
dilettantism into the condition of a well-organized and strenuous
scientific discipline, but the freshness and vivacity of the first half
of the century had not vanished. Scholars, however severe, looked
through the form and strove to comprehend the spirit. The ideals of
erudition and of a large humanity were not even suspected of
incompatibility. The imagination was still invoked as the guide and
illuminator of learning. The bond between antiquity and mediævalism and
between the Middle Ages and our own century was never lost from sight.
It was certainly fortunate for American scholarship that at precisely
this juncture a young man of Mr Child's ardent love of learning, strong
individuality, and broad intellectual sympathies was brought into close
contact with all that was most quickening in German university life. He
attended lectures on classical antiquity and philosophy, as well as on
Germanic philology; but it was not so much by direct instruction that he
profited as by the inspiration which he derived from the spirit and the
ideals of foreign scholars, young and old. His own greatest contribution
to learning, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, may even, in a
very real sense, be regarded as the fruit of these years in Germany.
Throughout his life he kept a picture of William and James Grimm on the
mantel over his study fireplace.
Mr Child wrote no "dissertation," and returned to Cambridge without
having attempted to secure a doctor's degree. Never eager for such
distinctions, he had been unwilling to subject himself to the
restrictions on his plan of study which candidacy for the doctorate
would have imposed. Three years after, however, in 1854, he was
surprised and gratified to receive from the University of Göttingen the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy, accompanied by a special tribute of
respect from that institution. Subsequently he received the degree of
LL. D. from Harvard (in 1884) and that of L. H. D. from Columbia (in
1887); but the Göttingen Ph. D., coming as it did at the outset of his
career, was in a high degree auspicious.
The Boylston Professorship of Rhetoric and Oratory, to which, as has
been already mentioned, Mr Child succeeded on his return to America
toward the end of 1851, was no sinecure. In addition to academic
instruction of the ordinary kind, the duties of the chair included the
superintendence and criticism of a great quantity of written work, in
the nature of essays and set compositions prepared by students of all
degrees of ability. For twenty-five years Mr Child performed these
duties with characteristic punctuality and devotion, though with
increasing distaste for the drudgery which they involved. Meantime a
great change had come over Harvard: it had developed from a provincial
college into a national seminary of learning, and the introduction of
the "elective system"--corresponding to the "Lernfreiheit" of
Germany--had enabled it to become a university in the proper sense of
the word. One result of the important reform just referred to was the
establishment of a Professorship of English, entirely distinct from the
old chair of Rhetoric. This took place on May 8, 1876, and on the 20th
of the next month Mr Child was transferred to the new professorship. His
duties as an instructor were now thoroughly congenial, and he continued
to perform them with unabated vigor to the end. In the onerous details
of administrative and advisory work, inseparable, according to our
exacting American system, from the position of a university professor,
he was equally faithful and untiring. For thirty years he acted as
secretary of the Library Council, and in all that time he was absent
from but three meetings. As chairman of the Department of English and of
the Division of Modern Languages, and as a member of many important
committees, he was ever prodigal of time and effort. How steadily he
attended to the regular duties of the class-room, his pupils, for fifty
years, are the best witnesses. They, too, will best understand the
satisfaction he felt that, in the fiftieth year of his teaching, he was
not absent from a single lecture. No man was ever less a formalist; yet
the most formal of natures could not, in the strictest observance of
punctilio, have surpassed the regularity with which he discharged, as it
were spontaneously, the multifarious duties of his position.
Throughout his service as professor of rhetoric, Mr Child, hampered
though he was by the requirements of his laborious office, had pursued
with unquenchable ardor the study of the English language and
literature, particularly in their older forms, and in these subjects he
had become an authority of the first rank long before the establishment
of the English chair enabled him to arrange his university teaching in
accordance with his tastes. Soon after he returned from Germany he
undertook the general editorial supervision of a series of the 'British
Poets,' published at Boston in 1853 and several following years, and
extending to some hundred and fifty volumes. Out of this grew, in one
way or another, his three most important contributions to learning: his
edition of Spenser, his Observations on the Language of Chaucer and
Gower, and his English and Scottish Popular Ballads.