Or, if it be my head bookes-man,

Aggrieved he shal bee:

For no man here within my howse,
Shall doe wrong unto thee.

O, it is not your head bookes-man,

Nor none of his degree:

But, on to-morrow ere it be noone

All deemed to die are yee.

45

And of that bethank your head steward,

And thank your gay ladie.

50

If this be true, my litle foot-page,

The heyre, of my land thoust bee.

No good death let me die.

If it be not true, my dear mastèr,

If it be not true, thou litle foot-page,

55

A dead corse shalt thou lie.

O call now downe my faire ladye,
O call her downe to mee:
And tell my ladye gay how sicke,

And like to die I bee.

Downe then came his ladye faire,

All clad in purple and pall:

The rings that were on her fingers,
Cast light thorow the hall.

Ver. 47. or to-morrow, MS. Ver. 56. bee, MS.

60

What is your will, my owne wed-lord?

What is your will with mee?

O see, my ladye deere, how sicke,

And like to die I bee.

And thou be sicke, my own wed-lord,

Soe sore it grieveth me:

But my five maydens and myselfe

Will watch thy' bedde for thee.

65

70

We will a hott drinke make:

And at the waking of your first sleepe,

And at the waking of your next' sleepe,

75

Your sorrowes we will slake.

He put a silk cote on his backe,

And mail of manye a fold:

And hee putt a steele cap on his head,

Was gilt with good red gold.

He layd a bright browne sword by his side,
And another att his feete:

80

And twentye good knights he placed at hand, To watch him in his sleepe.'

And about the middle time of the night,

Came twentye-four traitours inn:

Sir Giles he was the foremost man,

The leader of that ginn.

85

Ver. 72. make the, MS.

Ver. 75. first, MS.

Old Robin with his bright browne sword,

Sir Gyles head soon did winn: And scant of all those twenty-four, Went out one quick agenn.

None save only a litle foot page,

90

Crept forth at a window of stone:

And he had two armes when he came in,

95

And he went back with one.

Upp then came that ladie gaye

With torches burning bright:

She thought to have brought sir Gyles a drinke, Butt she found her owne wedd knight.

The first thinge that she stumbled on
It was sir Gyles his foote:

100

Sayes, Ever alacke, and woe is mee!

Here lyes my sweete hart-roote.

The next thinge that she stumbled on
It was sir Gyles his heade:

105

Sayes, Ever, alacke, and woe is me!
Heere lyes my true love deade.

Hee cutt the pappes beside her brest,

And did her body spille;

He cutt the eares beside her heade,

And bade her love her fille.

110

He called then up his litle foot-page,

And made him there his heyre;

And sayd, henceforth my worldlye goodes 115
And countrye I forsweare.

He shope the crosse on his right shouldèr,
Of the white clothe' and the redde,*

And went him into the holy land,

Wheras Christ was quicke and dead.

Ver. 118. fleshe, MS.

120

Every person, who went on a CROISADE to the Holy Land, usually wore a cross on his upper garment, on the right shoulder, as a badge of his profession. Different nations were distinguished by crosses of different colours: The English wore white; the French red, &c. This circumstance seems to be confounded in the ballad. [V. Spelman, Gloss.]

In the foregoing piece, Giles, steward to a rich old merchant trading to Portugal, is qualified with the title of Sir, not as being a knight, but rather, I conceive, as having received an inferior order of priesthood.

IX.

CHILD WATERS.

CHILD is frequently used by our old writers, as a Title. It is repeatedly given to Prince Arthur in the Faerie Queen and the son of a king is in the same poem called "Child Tristram." [B. 5. c. 11. st. 8. 13.-B. 6. c. 2. st. 36.-Ibid. c. 8. st. 15.] In an old ballad quoted in Shakespeare's King Lear, the hero of Ariosto is called Child Roland. Mr. Theobald supposes this use of the word was received along with their romances from the Spaniards, with whom Infante signifies a "Prince." A more eminent critic tells us, that "in the old times of chivalry, the noble "youth, who were candidates for knighthood, during "the time of their probation were called Infans, Var"lets, Damoysels, Bacheliers. The most noble of the "youth were particularly called Infans." [Vid. Warb. Shakesp.] A late commentator on Spenser observes, that the Saxon word cnihz knight, signifies also a "Child." [See Upton's Gloss. to the F. Q.]

The Editor's folio MS. whence the following piece is taken (with some corrections,) affords several other ballads, wherein the word CHILD Occurs as a title : but in none of these it signifies "Prince." See the song intitled Gill Morrice, in this volume.

It ought to be observed, that the word CHILD or CHIELD is still used in North Britain to denominate a Man, commonly with some contemptuous character affixed to him, but sometimes to denote Man in general.