Oct. 6. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



257 



LONDON. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6. 1835. 

 MARRYING TO SAVE LIFE. 



In " JS". & Q.," Vol. vii., p. 84., there is an ex- 

 tract from the Life of Gustavus Vassa^ the African, 

 stating that at New York, in 1784, 



"A malefactor was to be executed on a gallows, but with 

 a condition that if any woman, having nothing on but 

 her shift, married the man under the gallows, his life was 

 to be saved. This extraordinary privilege was claimed ; 

 a woman presented herself, and the marriage ceremony 

 was performed." 



Vassa was a credulous self-taught negro, and, 

 with the best intentions of telling the truth, may 

 have been Barnumised with this apocryphal story. 

 For it is very doubtful whether such a circum- 

 stance occurred at the time and place mentioned ; 

 though it is most probable that at some period and 

 some places condemned criminals were pardoned 

 in this manner ; and with the view of ventilating 

 a curious subject, I beg leave to allude to two 

 notices of it. 



In the Roxburgh Ballads, there is a black-letter 

 one, of the earlier part of the seventeenth century, 

 entitled " A most sweet Song of an English Mer- 

 chant borne at Chichester," which commences 

 thus: 



" A rich merchant-man, 



That was both grave and wise. 

 Did kill a man at Emden towne, 

 Through quarrels that did rise. 

 Through qUarrels that did rise, 



The German hee was dead, 

 And for the fact the merchant-man 

 Was judg'd to lose his head." 



When on the scaffold, the merchant-man's " last 

 speech " 



" Was no sooner spoke 

 But that, to stint his griefe, 

 Ten goodly maids did proffer him 



For love to beg his life. 

 ' This is our law,' quoth thej', 



' We may your death remove, 

 If you, in lieu of our good will. 

 Will grant to us your love.' "^ 



The merchant declining the good offices of the 

 maids, says to the executioner : 



" ' And now, thou man of death, 

 Unto thy weapon stand,' — 

 ' Ah nay ! ' anotlier damsel cried, 

 ' Sweet headsman, hold thy hand,' " 



Mollified by the last appeal of this unfortunate 

 damsel, the Englishman consents to live : 



" ' Then beg my life,' quoth hee, 

 ' And I will be thine owne ; 

 If I should seek the world for love. 

 More love could not be showne.' 

 The people, on that word, 



Did give a joyful cry. 

 And said it had great pity been 

 So sweet a man should die. 

 No. 310.] 



" ' I goe, my love,' she said, 



' I run, I fly for thee ; 

 And, gentle headsman, spare awhile 



My lover's life for me.' 

 Unto the duke she went, 



Who did her griefe remove ; 

 And with an hundred maidens more, 



She went to fetch her love. 



" With musicke sounding sweete, 



The foremost of the traine. 

 This gallant maiden, like a bride, 



Did fetch him back againe. 

 Yea, hande in hande they went 



Unto the church that day. 

 And they were married presently 



In sumptuous rich array." 



The woodcut at the head of the ballad repre- 

 sents the " gallant maiden," in " sumptuous rich 

 array," handing the " merchant-man " down from 

 the scaffold, evidently to the great disgust of the 

 " gentle headsman." 



The other allusion to this curious custom is 

 historical. I find it in Chastellain's Chronique 

 des Dues de Bourgogne, printed in that invaluable 

 and interesting collection, Choix de Chroniques et 

 Memoires sur VHistoire de France, xv'' Steele^ 

 Paris, 1837. It appears that in 1468, Hernoul, 

 son of John de la Hamaide, lord of Haudion and 

 Mainvault, cruelly murdered a citizen, because a 

 canon, the brother of the murdered man, had given 

 an adverse decision on a disputed point at the 

 game of tennis. Charles the Bold, Duke of Bur- 

 gundy and Count of Flanders, caused Hernoul 

 to be arrested, and swore by St. George that he 

 should die for his crime, " long or court " — by 

 the rope or axe. In spite of the most powerful 

 intercessions, Charles adhered to his resolution, 

 and at the time when Bruges was crowded with 

 visitors, to witness the arrival of Margaret of 

 York, sister to our fourth Edtvard, Hernoul was 

 led out to be executed. Chastellain, a cotempo- 

 rary, and probably an eye-witness of the scene, 

 tells us that the criminal was bound on a cart with 

 cords, and dressed as richly as if he were going to 

 a wedding. The cart was followed by a great 

 crowd, and, to use the chronicler's own words, — 



" Entr' aultres, y avoit multitude de povre folles femmes 

 qui le sievoient, et qui crioient et ploroient pituesement 

 sur ly, et demandoient avoir en marriage, qui toutesfois 

 leur fut escondit. Car n'eust-on ose, parpeur du Prince, 

 ja-soit-ce que Ton eust bien volu avoir faculte de le povoir 

 faire ; car n'y avoit cely de la loy, qui meismes ne plorast 

 de la pite du cas." 



W. PiNKERTON. 



Hammersmith. 



ANCIENT CHATTEL PROPEBTT IN IRELAND. 



The following Notes afford some information 

 relating to the prices of cattle, corn, household 

 utensils, &c., in Ireland in the fourteenth and 

 fifteenth centuries. These notes have been made 



