Pinkerton inserted Herd's 'Cruel Knight,' A, in his Select Scotish Ballads, I, 69, with alterations and omissions. Motherwell enters in his Note-Book, p. 6, that he had received from Mrs. Gentles, Paisley, 'The Young Johnstone,' "different in some measure from the copy in Finlay's Ballads." Of the version printed in his Minstrelsy (B a), undoubtedly that which was derived from Mrs. Gentles, he says, "for a few verbal emendations recourse has been had to Mr. Finlay's copy (B b)." These versions should therefore not have differed considerably, Finlay suppressed "Young Johnstone's reason for being sae late a coming in," "as well as a concluding stanza of inferior merit;" in this rejection he was not followed by Motherwell. Christie, I, 156, gives E "with some alterations from the way it was sung" by an old woman; petty variations, such as one must think could not have impressed themselves upon a memory unapt to retain things of more importance. 'Young Johnstone ' in Chambers's Twelve Romantic Scottish Ballads, p. 19, is made up mostly from B a, B b, B, like the copy in the same editor's Scottish Ballads, p. 293, but handles tradition very freely.
B seems to be A altered, or imperfectly remembered, with the addition of a few stanzas. Motherwell remarks of his version, what is true of all the others but B, that the ballad throws no light on Young Johnstone's motive for stabbing his lady. An explanation was afforded by the reciter: "The barbarous act was committed unwittingly, through Young Johnstone's suddenly waking from sleep, and, in that moment of confusion and alarm, unhappily mistaking his mistress for one of his pursuers." And this is the turn which is given to the act in B 13:
'Ohon, alas, my lady gay, To come sae hastilie! I thought it was my deadly foe, Ye had trysted into me.'
The apology may go for what it is worth. Awake or waking, Young Johnstone's first instinct is as duly to stab as a bull-dog's is to bite.
C 5, 9, 13 are taken from 'The Lass of Roch Royal: ' cf. No 76, B 17, C 2, E 9, H 3. D 6 recalls 'Fair Margaret and Sweet William,' No 74, A 8, B 11; A 13, B 25, C 26, D 30, E 15, 'Lord Thomas and Fair Annet,' No 73, B 34, D 17; D 31, 32, 'The Twa Brothers,' No 49, B 4, C 4, 5, D 5, 7, E 6, 7, F 5, 6, G 4, 5.
A, with the last two stanzas of B a, is translated by Rosa Warrens, Schottische Volkslieder, No 27; E by Gerhard, p. 157; Aytoun, II, 110 by Knortz, Schottische Balladen, No 30, p. 94, with abridgment; Pinkerton's copy by Grundtvig, No 20, p. 136.
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