Page:The Book of Scottish Song.djvu/13

Rh hither to woo,' and 'The joly day now dawis.' All these are lost, unless a fragment preserved in the Fairfax MS., beginning,

belong to the latter. 'The day dawes' was long a popular tune in Scotland. In 1549 was printed at St. Andrews a curious work entitled 'Vedderburn's Complainte of Scotlande,' in which are preserved the titles of no less than thirty-seven songs. We are tempted to quote these, although pressed for room; for a melancholy interest, we consider, attaches itself to even the titles of lays that charmed or cheered our ancestors three hundred years ago.—'Pastance vitht gude companye,' 'The breir byndes me soir,' 'Still vnder the leyuis grene,' 'Cou thou me the raschis grene,' 'Allace I vyit zour tua fayr ene' 'Code zou gude day vil boy,' 'Lady help zour prisoneir,' 'King Vilzamis note,' 'The lang noune nou,' 'The cheapel valk,' 'Faytht is there none,' 'Skald a bellis nou,' 'The Aberdenis nou,' 'Brume, brume on hil,' 'Allone I veip in grit distress,' 'Trolee, lolee lemendou,' 'Bill vill thou cum by a lute and belt thee in Sanct Francis cord,' 'The frog cam to the myl dur,' 'The sang of Gilquiskar,' 'Rycht soirly musing in my mynd,' 'God sen the Duke had bidden in France, and Delabaute had nevyr cum hame,' 'Al musing of meruellis a mys hef I gone,' 'Maestress fayr ze vil forfoyr,' 'O lusty May vitht Flora quene,' 'O myne harte hay this is my sang,' 'The battel of the Hayrlaw,' 'The huntis of Cheuet,' 'Sal I go vitht you to Rumbelo fayr,' 'Greuit is my sorrow,' 'Turne the sweit Ville to me,' 'My lufe is lyand seik, send him joy, send him joy,' 'Fair luf lend thou me thy mantil joy,' 'The Persee and the Mongumrye met, that day, that gentil day,' 'My luf is layd upone ane knycht,' 'Allace that samyn sweit face,' 'In ane mirthful morou,' 'My hart is leinit on the land.'—Of these songs, all are lost, with the exception of 'Still under the leaves green,' 'Cull to me the rushes green,' 'O lusty May with Flora queen,' 'Greived is my sorrow,' and the three historical ballads, 'The battle of Harlaw,' 'The Hunts of Cheviot,' and 'The Percy and the Montgomery.' Some of them, however, are found parodied in 'A Compendious Book of Godly and Spiritual Songs, collected out of sundrie parts of the Scripture, with sundrie of other ballats, chainged out of profane Songs, for avoiding of Sinne and Harlotrie,' printed in 1590 and 1621. (See Note to 'John come kiss me now,' p. 578.)

The earliest song book published in Scotland was a musical collection, entitled, 'Cantus, Songs, and Fancies to several Musical Parts, both apt for Voices