and Lady Barnard,’ ‘Glasgerion,’ and many others.  Another group of ballads, represented by the ‘Baron of Brackley’ and ‘Captain Car,’ give a faithful picture of the feuds and ceaseless warfare in Scotland and on the border.  A few fine ballads—­’Sweet William’s Ghost,’ ’The Wife of Usher’s Well’—­touch upon the supernatural.  Of the romantic ballads, ‘Childe Waters’ shows us the higher, and ‘Young Beichan’ the lower, but still sound and communal type.  Incipient dramatic tendencies mark ‘Edward’ and ‘Lord Randal’; while, on the other hand, a lyric note almost carries ‘Bonnie George Campbell’ out of balladry.  Finally, it is to be noted that in the ‘Nut-Brown Maid,’ which many would unhesitatingly refer to this class of poetry, we have no ballad at all, but a dramatic lyric, probably written by a woman, and with a special plea in the background.

[Illustration:  Signature:  F.B.  Gummere]

ROBIN HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE[8]

1.  When shawes[9] beene sheene[10], and shradds[11] full fayre,
And leeves both large and longe,
It is merry, walking in the fayre forrest,
To heare the small birds’ songe.

2.  The woodweele[12] sang, and wold not cease,
Amongst the leaves a lyne[13];
And it is by two wight[14] yeomen,
By deare God, that I meane.

* * * * *

3.  “Me thought they[15] did me beate and binde,
And tooke my bow me fro;
If I bee Robin alive in this lande,
I’ll be wrocken[16] on both them two.”

4.  “Sweavens[17] are swift, master,” quoth John,
“As the wind that blowes ore a hill;
For if it be never soe lowde this night,
To-morrow it may be still.”

5.  “Buske ye, bowne ye[18], my merry men all,
For John shall go with me;
For I’ll goe seeke yond wight yeomen
In greenwood where they bee.”

6.  They cast on their gowne of greene,
A shooting gone are they,
Until they came to the merry greenwood,
Where they had gladdest bee;
There were they ware of a wight yeoman,
His body leaned to a tree.

7.  A sword and a dagger he wore by his side,
Had beene many a man’s bane[19],
And he was cladd in his capull-hyde[20],
Topp, and tayle, and mayne.

8.  “Stand you still, master,” quoth Litle John,
“Under this trusty tree,
And I will goe to yond wight yeoman,
To know his meaning trulye.”

9.  “A, John, by me thou setts noe store,
And that’s a farley[21] thinge;
How offt send I my men before,
And tarry myselfe behinde?”

10.  “It is noe cunning a knave to ken,
And a man but heare him speake;
And it were not for bursting of my bowe,
John, I wold thy head breake.”

11.  But often words they breeden bale,
That parted Robin and John;
John is gone to Barnesdale,
The gates[22] he knowes eche one.

12.  And when hee came to Barnesdale,
Great heavinesse there hee hadd;
He found two of his fellowes
Were slaine both in a slade[23],