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HE HEIRE OF LINNE. This ballad we copy from the "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry." Dr. Percy states that he "found it" in his folio MS.; and that he had inserted "supplemental stanzas," necessary in consequence of the "breaches and defects" which existed in his fragment. "These," he adds, "it is hoped the reader will pardon, as, indeed, the completion of the story was suggested by a modern ballad on a similar subject." It is much to be lamented that the "modern ballad" has not been more distinctly pointed out; it does not appear in any collection; nor are we acquainted with the copy to which reference is made. Dr. Percy considers that, "from the Scottish phrases here and there, it would seem to have been originally composed beyond the Tweed;" and, he observes, "the Heir of Linne seems not to have been a Lord of Parliament, but a laird, whose title went along with the estate." O the Scottish origin of the ballad, there can be little doubt. Mr. R. Chambers, indeed, prints three stanzas of a homely version, still current in Scotland:

The bonnie heir, the weel faured heir,
And the weary heir of Linne;
Yonder he stands at his father's gate,
And naebody bids him come in :

O see where he stands, and see where he gangs,
The weary heir o' Linne!

O see where he stands on the cauld causey,
Some ane wald taen him in.

But if he had been his father's heir,

Or yet the heir o' Linne,

He wadna stand on the cauld causey,
Some ane wald taen him in.

All readers of the " Reliques of Ancient English Poetry" will regret that the learned "Editor" -for so he has chosen to call himself-left us in ignorance as to the extent of the alterations to which he subjected the "fragments" he found in his "folio MS." The fault, however, is not attributable to him; for, when attacked by Ritson with a degree of bitterness that approached ferocity, and when the existence of the original source was somewhat more than doubted, by less ungenerous commentators, the book was left for "a whole year" at the house of Mr. Nicholls, where "it was examined, with more or less attention, by many gentlemen of eminence in literature." In an advertisement to the fourth edition of the "Reliques," Dr. Percy thus describes the volume: "The MS, is a long narrow folio volume, containing 195 Sonnets, Ballads, Historical Songs and Metrical Romances, either in the whole or in part, for many of them are extremely mutilated and imperfect. The first and last leaves are wanting; and of fifty-four pages near the beginning, half of every leaf hath been torn away, and several others are injured towards the end; besides that, through a great part of the volume, the top or bottom line, and sometimes both, have been cut off in the binding. In this state is the MS. itself: and even where the leaves have suffered no injury, the transcripts, which seem to have been all made by one person (they are, at least, all in the same kind of hand), are sometimes extremely incorrect and faulty, being in such instances probably made from defective copies, or the imperfect recitation of illiterate singers; so that a considerable portion of the song or narrative is sometimes omitted: and miserable trash or nonsense not unfrequently introduced into pieces of considerable merit."

A reprint of this singular collection might be an invaluable gift to the public, from one of the "Societies"- the object in forming which is to extend the knowledge to be derived from "scarce books," not sufficiently interesting to the "mass," to justify their republication through the ordinary channels. And if, at the same time, a selection were given from the Pepysian collection, a vast addition would be made to our national store of veritable ancient Ballads. The Pepysian volumes -five in number - omitting those that are merely political, and such as ought not to be reprinted. would, however, supply very few important additions to the wealth of which we are at present possessed.

This fragment of the ancient ballad — probably the original out of which Percy formed his more complete work—is all that Mr. Chambers was able to obtain. But Mr. Buchanan indefatigable collector of old ballads, from the lips of aged crones — procured a much more perfect copy of the poem, of which Mr. Chambers has given a fragment.* It consists of but fourteen stanzas; and the incidents bear only a general resemblance to those recorded by Dr. Percy; the spendthrift youth asks and receives bread and wine from a "nourice," whom he promises to repay when he is Heir of Linne; and the straits to which he has been reduced, are indicated by his begging charity from gentlemen at feasts, and fishermen at market. The change that takes place in his fortune is thus described:

In later editions of the "Reliques," Dr. Percy restored several "ancient readings from the folio MS." In the absence of more satisfactory evidence, these changes are interesting, as affording, in some degree, the means of judging as to the nature and extent of the "emendations" which occur, more or less, in every ballad printed by the accomplished prelate. The curious in such matter will, therefore, perhaps, not consider our space ill-occupied in noticing some of them. In the first edition of the "Reliques," we read in line 59 of Part II, "stint ne stayed" for "ceasd ne blanne;" in line 63, "at the bordes end" for "upon a rowe; " in lines 65, 66,

And then bespake the Heire of Linne,
To John o' the Scales then louted he.'

The last verse but two does not appear in the first edition, and the ballad, in that edition, thus concludes:

'When next I want to sell my land,

Good John o' the Scales, I'le come to thee.'

* Mr. Buchan's Ballad "The Weary Heir of Linne," is not yet published; it forms one of a large and singular collection he has prepared for the Press, and which we hope will be given to the world at no very remote period. Of his printed collection—“ Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland, hitherto unpublished "-Sir Walter Scott has spoken in the highest terms; describing it as "the most complete collection that has yet appeared;" and characterising the collector as "a person of indefatigable research,"_" whose industry has been crowned with the most successful results."