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INTRODUCTION
In all ages, and by all nations of the
world, even in a rude and a barbarous state, lias the voice of song been
cherished, and made to express the natural feelings of a grateful, a joyful,
a brave, and a generous heart. Much has been written on the nature and
composition of Song, but it all tends to shew that it had its origin in love
and gratitude. Love to the Supreme Creator first inspired the muse to tune
the heart to sing his praises, and the wonders of indefinite creation, and
gratitude continued the song. When man was taught the duties he owed to a
Deity, and the obligations he was daily under for his preservation, he
testified the same in the fulness of his heart, by the adoration given in
his morning and evening songs. Reli-gion and love are synonymous, and
expressed in the sweet and delightful cadence of poetical imagery and
numbers. When the dawn of nature first began to spread its benign influence
over the infant mind of man, and the light of religion dispel the dense
mists of heathen darkness, it was like the bursting of a raoid river from
its channelled course; the longer it ran the wider the breach, and the
deeper the stream the smoother the current.—Such was the case regarding
poetical refinement ; and such was the happiness of man, when the first rays
of light broke through the dark and almost impenetrable clouds of ignorance
and superstition. Poetical sublimity has paved the way to the cultivation of
man’s taste, and the refinement of his manners and morals. Previous to the
art or discovery of writing and printing, the religion, the laws, and the
histories of times, families, and particular events, were preserved and
handed down from one generation to another, by a race of people called
Druids, Bards, Scalds, Senachies, Minstrels, &c. who were wont to sing their
themes of religion, love, friendship, war, or history. They were in great
esteem both amongst the Gauls and Britons. Their function and name doth yet
remain among all those nations which use the old British tongue : and so
much honour was given to them in many places, that their persons were
accounted sacred, and their houses sanctuaries: nay, in the height of their
enmities, when they managed the cruellest wars one against another, and used
their victories as severely, yet these Bards and their retinue had free
liberty to pass and repass at their pleasure. The nobles, when they came to
them, received them honourably, and dismissed them with gifts. They made
cantos, and these not inelegant, which the rhapsodists recited, either to
the better sort, or else to the vulgar, who were very desirous to hear them;
and sometimes they sung to musical instruments. They were often maintained
by the chief of the ancient clans, and by some wealthy men, kept on purpose
to commemorate their ancestors, and first of their families, in genealogics
which they got by heart. In this case, many fly to the Bards and Senachies,
as the preservers of ancient records. Tacitus says, that the songs of the
German Bards were their only annals. And Joannes Magnus, Archbishop of Upsal,
acknowledges, that in compiling the History of the Ancient Goths, he had no
other records but the songs of the Bards. As these songs made an illustrious
figure at every festival, they were conveyed in every family by parents to
their children, and in that manner were kept alive before writing was known.
It is to this vanity alone, that we owe the preservation and the remains of
ancient poesy.
The Bards made an early appearance in Scotland; for, "beneath the
moss-covered rock of Lona, near his own loud stream, gray in his locks of
age, dwells Clon-mal, king of harps.” They delivered their mysterious
doctrines in verses entrusted entirely to memory, which, as a part of their
education, their pupils were taught to repeat. They were the oracles,
prophets, priests, philosophers, poets, lawgivers, judges, physicians, and
teachers of the Gauls; as their Bards, like the German Scalds, were, more
especially, their poets, historians or annalists, and musicians: those
communicated their knowledge and precepts also in verse; and these “sung the
battles of heroes, and the heaving bosoms of love.” The first traditional
records and compositions of all nations were poetical; and that verse, from
custom, was continued, as most impressive and memorable, on subjects thought
worthy of preservation. America has; Asia, Greece, and Italy had their
Bards, as well as Gaul; and the Scalds of the North were equally honoured
and famous in Germany. And till of late. there were itinerant Bards, or
strolling Minstrels, who-performed upon harps, and sung and recited heroic
and other ballads. To these rural Minstrels, I am convinced, we are indebted
for the preservation of many of our fine old ballads and songs ; many of
which will be found to enrich this Collection, culled with the greatest
industry and care from among the sons and daughters of the North.
Poetry has been long and justly esteemed as the noblest ebullition of the
human soul. Its uses are as various as its power is unbounded; and let not
the vulgar mind ridicule and abuse its votaries as troublesome and useless
members of society. But I speak not to those whose faculties are contracted
within the narrow sphere of sordid gain; but to those whose ideas are
extended, whose minds are refined, and who can cultivate a taste for polite
literature amid the more weighty concerns of business. In the first ages,
poetry was generally used to perpetuate the memory of some great event, to
sing the praises of heroes, and to honour the remains of those who fell in
battle. Some nations (as the Arabians do at present) distinguished the
various genealogies of their tribes and families in verse, which was
conveyed from father to child as a sort of patrimony. The ideas of the
ancient Bards were generally simple and sublime, and expressed in language
at once natural, nervous and fiery; every sentiment sprung from real
feeling, and every word (such was their conciseness) seemed indispensably
necessary to the harmony of the whole. And, although many of these bards, or
minstrels, were both untutored and unlettered, their songs are the language
of the heart. and speak the sentiments of the soul, in familiar verse.
It becomes us then, as the advocates of a national concern, not to weary in
this honoured labour of love; but to strain every nerve, to preserve from
the fast decaying1 hand of time, a remnant of those wild flowers which have
garnished the antique halls of an ancient race of warriors, now long
forgotten except in the sweet voice of magic song. And, although much has
been done, still much remains undone, in collecting those mutilated
fragments of our early ancestors;—those graphic relics of antiquity, which
delineate men and manners, kings and heroes, things natural and
supernatural, not as they exist now, but as they were once believed to be.
It must therefore be gratifying to every liberal-minded man of taste, and
every lover of his country, to find there are still labourers who delight to
glean in the vineyard of traditionary song, and snatch from the beds of
oblivion, what have at one time contributed to the greatness of kings, the
pleasures of the commons, the inspiration of heroes, and been the wonder and
delight of ages. Even to the man of letters, as well as the literary
antiquary, they become interesting.
No one has yet conceived, nor has it entered the mind of man, what patience,
perseverance, and general knowledge are necessary for an editor of a
Collection of Ancient Ballads; nor what mountains of difficulties he has to
overcome ; what hosts of enemies he has to encounter; and what myriads of
little-minded quib-blers he has to silence. The writing of explanatory notes
is like no other species of literature. History throws little light upon
their origin, or the cause which gave rise to their composition. He has to
grope his way in the dark; like Bunyan’s pilgrim, on crossing the valley of
the shadow of death, he hears sounds and noises, but cannot, to a certainty,
tell from whence they come, nor to what place they proceed. The one time, he
has to treat of fabulous ballads in the most romantic shape ; the next
legendary, with all its exploded, obsolete, and forgotten superstitions ;
also history, tragedy, comedy, love, war, and so on; all, perhaps, within
the narrow compass of a few hours,—so varied must his genius and talents be.
The Ballads themselves are faithfully and honestly transcribed, and given as
taken down from the months of the reciters: they have suffered no change
since they fortunately were consigned to me by their foster parents. There
are many of them, however, much like those already published, but under
different names: of these I have been careful to advise my reader; also,
when and where I have found such likeness. From such proceedings, it will
then be seen that I have acted as candid and upright a part as within the
compass of the power of any one situated under similar circumstances. I have
spared neither money nor trouble, in procuring the most genuine and best
authenticated copies of all the Ancient Ballads in the following pages, and
flatter myself I have succeeded beyond any of my cotemporarics. I have also
been able to complete many of the very best pieces hitherto only found in
mutilated fragments, even in popular and esteemed collections; and trust
they will form a valuable acquisition to the libraries of all those
interested in the history of Scottish literature. But, as perfection has not
yet been the lot of man, no one will expect that such a work as this can be
altogether free of faults, and that it is impossible to please every reader:
as this is the case, my great ambition is to gratify those of a kindred
spirit, whose ears are ever open to the recital of the tales of other years;
of their country and its inhabitants, their loves and wars, joys and woes,
as depicted by worthies, who once, like themselves, filled an honourable
situation in life; who shared in the festivities of their day; but who are
now, unless in the songs of their mirth and sadness, exploded from the
memories of a forgetful world. Yet a remnant shall be saved ; the lovers of
Ancient Minstrelsy will find many of those ditties that gladdened the hearts
of their ancestors, and cheered the warlike halls of their ancient and noble
possessors, to enrich the work now before them. Although the labourers in
this field of traditionary Song have, of late, proved abundant, and their
gleanings made with pious care, their works will show how thin their harvest
has been. And, I may add, every year is making it more and more so, by the
demise of some worthy matron, or hoary-headed sire, who is silently sliding
away at the command of ruthless death, to where the sons of the morning sing
together in endless concert. There are still, though now few, some beautiful
and sweet morsels of the olden times, to be found among the aged and
venerated people of the North, that have escaped the most diligent
researches of these modern reapers. As much of our traditionary history,
particularly local, is blended with the family exploits of the times, as
recorded in the olden ballads, their preservation becomes necessary, and a
profitable source of useful information and delight, not only to the
antiquary, but to every one who feels an interest in the decayed memories of
their forefathers—who wish to cherish a national spirit, and who are anxious
to support the time-worn structure, and falling towers of Ancient Scottish
National Song. Let them then rouse each latent feeling, and encourage those
who make such studies their delight, and who take pleasure in preserving
them.
As man has a thinking principle within him, he is conscious that nothing in
this world can perfect his happiness, so that he flies from one object to
another, with a view of lessening his misery, or increasing his pleasure;
and, as times and ages change, so do his manners, feeling, and dispositions;
what was his joy today, may become his sorrow to-morrow. He has at length
discovered, that, in recovering the vestiges of the olden times, he
anticipates a mental satisfaction rarely arising from the pursuits of vice.
The literature of past ages has engrossed the study and attention of almost
every civilized and learned man. He can judge from the works of imagination,
the state of the minds of his ancestors, and the manners and characters of a
rude, or an enlightened people, in their native colour and dress. And, as of
late years, there has been more than an ordinary enquiry after the poetical
reliques of our early history, much has been preserved from the wreck of
ages—old things have become new, and a re-novation of our Scottish
literature seems to have taken place in all the plenitude of its strength
and beauty. The darksome ages that gave birth to the mental atchievements of
our forefathers, are now forgot; and that spirit only which lay sleeping in
the tomb of forgetfulness, arises with the vigour it was wont to show in its
chivalric deeds : And, although the age of knight-errantry and chivalry have
passed entirely away, those emotions of heroic feeling are still alive in
the breasts of many. The human heart still retains the same sentiments of
honour, and the lofty magnanimity of the glory of past ages.
To these kindred spirits, do I then offer the pride of my toils ;—the only
legitimate history of the superstitions and times in which they were
conceived. In them, the lives and actions of kings, nobles, and commons,
will be found delineated with the artless and unassuming pen of nature :
their ancestors pourtrayed in their true colours, and a display of those
deeds which gave rise to their first ambition and greatness. Should, then,
the following volumes meet with that encouragement which I anticipate, I
will not eat the bread of idleness, but still persevere in culling and
garnering up for the sons of Scotsmen yet unborn, those sweetly variegated
blossoms which bloom in the straw-covered cot, among the silvery-headed
monuments of living antiquity, in the North of my native Isle.
Long, and perhaps tiresome, as this Introduction has been to many of my
readers, I must still add a few words more, partly by way of showing my
fervent gratitude, and partly by way of explanation of what follows.—In the
first place, it is necessary to say by what means I became possessed of so
many valuable reliques as adorn the following pages, as some of my sceptical
readers may think them forgeries; but as it is impossible for me to satisfy
every person, I must adopt the shortest method, by saying, that the greater
part of them was taken down by myself during the last ten or twelve years,
from the singing and recitation of old men and women, in various parts of
Scotland, but chiefly in Aberdeenshire : others were sent me by ladies and
gentlemen of the highest respectability, on whose words, as to their
authenticity, I could safely depend; but as it would be too tedious to name
them all, although to all my thanks are due, I shall only particularize Hugh
Irvine, Esq. Drum; Malvina, a young lady in Aberdeen; and Mr James Nicol,
Strichen. I must also mention that I was much indebted to the recitation of
James Rankin, an old man, blind from his birth, with a most retentive
memory, and who is at this moment gathering for me what can be gleaned
within the circle of a large and extensive acquaintance; as it is my most
earnest wish, and greatest pleasure, to preserve every fragment and literary
monument of our early ancestors, that can illustrate the history and times
in which they had their existence on this terrestrial ball, however much and
unjustly I may be reprobated, as of late I have been, by ignorant persons,
under a false show of modesty and grace. And, although this is the first
attempt of the kind that was ever made in the North, I trust it will not be
the last; for among our heath-clad hills the roses as well as the thistles
grow—in the glens, sprigs of the willow are to be found, and the harp of
Apollo often heard!
My best acknowledgments are not less due to John Richardson, Esq. of Pitfour,
Pitfour Castle, Perthshire, for the loan of a curious and interesting
old^MS. volume of Poems. On the first page of this MS. is written — “This
Buick perteens to a verie honourable womane, Margarat Robertsoune, relict of
vmquhile Alexander Steuart of Bonskeid, Anno Domini 1630.” I am informed she
belonged to the Lude family, and the Poems are those referred to by General
Stewart of Garth, in his Sketches of the Highlands, as containing proofs of
the advanced state of literature in the Highlands in the 17th century. Of
this collection I intended to have given freely ; but on arriving at
Edinburgh, I found the work so far advanced in the printing as to prevent me
from giving more than two pieces as a specimen, which will be found at the
end of this Introduction. However, in a forthcoming volume, which has
already been called for, as my Ballad-store is not yet exhausted, I will
then avail myself of its contents, and draw upon it largely.
I shall now close this Introduction by observing, that, among the many
gentlemen of rank and respectability, who have interested themselves not a
little in the success of this publication, am 1 indebted to Charles
Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esquire, Edinburgh, and to whom I beg to offer, with
every sense of respect and esteem, my most sincere thanks for the trouble he
has taken in revising the proof-sheets of the Ballads as they emanated from
the press, as my living at such a distance from Edinburgh prevented my own
corrections. No one, however, that knows the refined taste and superior
judgment of this gentleman, in every thing connected with Ancient Scottish
Literature, will regret my absence. The Introduction and Notes are as they
came from my pen. A tribute of grateful respect is also due to all those who
have encouraged the work by their friendly patronage, as without patrons all
my labours would have been lost.
To avoid the imputation of vanity, I am anxious to state, that the Portrait
prefixed to this volume has been given at the special request of some of my
friends in Edinburgh, who have taken an interest in the publication.
PETER BUCHAN.
Peterhead, October 1828.
Volume
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