He cutt the pappes beside her brest,
And didd her body spille;

110

He cutt the eares beside her heade,

And bade her love her fille.

He called then up his litle foot page,

And made him there his heyre;

And sayd, "Henceforth my worldlye goodes
And countrye I forsweare."

115

He shope the crosse on his right shouldèr,
Of the white clothe' and the redde,1

And went him into the Holy Land,

Wheras Christ was quicke and dead.

V. 118, fleshe. MS.

120

1 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 Queene: and the son of a king is in the same poem called Child Tristram [b. v. c. 11, st. 8, 13,—b. vi. c. 2. st. 36,-ibid. c. 8. st. 15]. In an old ballad quoted in Shakspeare'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, Varlets, l'amoysels, Bacheliers. The most noble of the youth were particularly called Infans." [Vide Warb. Shakesp.] A late commentator on Spenser observes, that the Saxon word cnihz knight, signifies also a Child. [See Upton's Gloss. to the Faerie Queene.]

The Editor's MS. collection, whence the following piece is taken, affords several other ballads, wherein the word Child occurs as a title : but in none of these it signifies Prince.-See the song entitled Gil 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.

CHILDE WATERS in his stable stoode

And stroakt his milke-white steede ;

To him a fayre yonge ladye came
As ever ware womans weede.

Sayes, "Christ you save, good Childe Waters,"
Sayes, "Christ you save and see;

My girdle of gold that was too longe,

Is now too short for mee.

"And all is with one childe of yours

I feele sturre at my side;

5

10

My gowne of greene it is too straighte;
Before, it was too wide."

"If the childe be mine, faire Ellen," he sayd,
"Be mine, as you tell mee,

Then take you Cheshire and Lancashire both,
Take them your owne to bee.

15

"If the childe be mine, faire Ellen," he sayd,

"Be mine, as you doe sweare,

Then take you Cheshire and Lancashire both,
And make that childe your heyre."

20

Shee sayes, "I had rather have one kisse,

Childe Waters, of thy mouth,

That lye by north and southe.

Than I wolde have Cheshire and Lancashire both,

"And I had rather have one twinkling,

25

Childe Waters, of thine ee,

Than I wolde have Cheshire and Lancashire both,

To take them mine owne to bee."

Ver. 13, be inne, MS.

"To-morrowe, Ellen, I must forth ryde
Farr into the north countree;
The fayrest ladye that I can finde,
Ellen, must goe with mee."

"Thoughe I am not that ladye fayre,
Yet let me goe with thee:'
And ever I pray you, Childe Waters,
Your foot-page let me bee."

"If you will my foot-page bee, Ellen,

As doe tell to mee,

you

Then you must cut your gowne of greene

An inch above your knee:

40

"Soe must you doe your yellowe lockes,

An inch above your ee;

You must tell no man what is my name;

My foot-page then you shall bee."

Shee, all the longe daye Childe Waters rode,
Ran barefoote by his syde,

45

Yet was he never soe courteous a knighte,

To say, "Ellen, will you ryde?"

Shee, all the long daye Childe Waters rode,
Ran barefoote thorow the broome,

50

Yet was hee never soe courteous a knighte,
To say, "put on your shoone."

"Ride softlye," shee sayd, "O Childe Waters, Why doe you ryde so fast?

The childe, which is no mans but thine,

55

My bodye itt will brast."

Hee sayth, "Seest thou yonder water, Ellen,

That flows from banke to brimme? "

“I trust in God, O Childe Waters,

You never will see 1 me swimme."

But when shee came to the water side,

She sayled to the chinne:

"Nowe the Lord of heaven be my speede, For I must learne to swimme."

1 i. e. permit, suffer, &c.

60

The salt waters bare up her clothes;

65

Our Ladye bare up her chinne;

Childe Waters was a woe man, good Lord,

To see faire Ellen simme!

And when shee over the water was,

Shee then came to his knee:

70

Hee sayd, "Come hither, thou fayre Ellen,

There are twenty-four fayre ladyes there,
The fayrest is my paramoure."

80

And then bespake Childe Waters sister,
These were the wordes sayd shee:

"You have the prettyest page, brother, That ever I did see;

100

Ver. 84, worldly. MS.

"It is more meete for a little foot-page,

That has run throughe mosse and myre,

110

To take his supper upon his knee,
And lye by the kitchen fyre."

Now when they had supped every one,

To bedd they tooke theyr waye:

He sayd, "Come hither, my little foot-page,
And hearken what I saye.

115

"Goe thee downe into yonder towne,

And lowe into the streete;

The fayrest ladye that thou canst finde,

Hyre in mine armes to sleepe;

120

And take her up in thine armes twaine,
For filing 2 of her feete."

Ellen is gone into the towne,

And lowe into the streete;

The fayrest ladye that shee colde finde
She hyred in his armes to sleepe ;

125

And tooke her up in her armes twaine,

For filing of her feete.

"I praye you nowe, good Childe Waters,
Let mee lye at your feete ;

130

For there is noe place about this house,
Where I may 'saye a sleepe."

'He

gave her leave, and fair Ellen
'Down at his beds feet laye;

This done the nighte drove on apace,
And when it was neare the daye,

V. 132, i. e. essay, attempt.

2 i. e. defiling. See Warton's Observ. vol. ii. p. 158.

VOL. II.

L

135