REVIEWS ROMANTIC SCOTTISH BALLADS. 47 1 



The fainting corps of warriors lay, 



Ne'er to arise again ; 

 Ne'er to return to native land, 



Nae mair, with blithesome sounds, 

 To boast the glories of the day, 



And shaw their shining wounds. 



On Norway's coast, the widowed dame 



May wash the rock with tears, 

 May lang look o'er the shiplesa seas. 



Before her mate appears. 



' Cease, Emma, cease to hope in vain ; 



Thy lord lies in the clay ? 

 The valiant Scots nae rievers thole 



To carry life away.' 



I must now summon up, for a comparison with these specimens of the modern 

 antique in ballad lore, the famous and admired poem of Sir Patrick Spence. It has 

 come to ?U8 mainly through two copies — one comparatively short, published in 

 Percy's Reliques, as ' from two manuscript copies transmitted from Scotland ;' the 

 other, containing more details, in Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, also 

 • from two manuscript copies,' but ' collated with several verses recited by the 

 editor's friend, Robert Hamilton, Esq., advocate.' It is nowhere pretended that any 

 ancient manuscript of this poem has ever been seen or heard of. It acknowledgedly 

 has come to us from modern manuscripts, as it might be taken down from modern 

 reciters ; although Percy prints it in the same quasi antique spelling as that in 

 which Hardyknute had appeared, where being quhar ; sea, se ; come, cum; year, 

 zeir ; &c. It will be necessary here to reprint the whole ballad, as given originally 

 by Percy, introducing, however, within brackets the additional details of Scott's 

 copy : 



The king sits in Dunfermline town. 



Drinking the blude-red wine : 

 * whar will I get a gude sailor. 



To sail this ship of mine ?' 



Up and spak an eldern knight, 



Sat at the king's right knee : 

 ' Sir Patrick Spence is the best sailor 



That sails upon the sea.' 



The king has written a braid letter, 



And signed it with his hand. 

 And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence, 



"Was walking on the sand. 



