The earliest copy of this ballad is introduced as 'The Maidens' Song,'[foot-note] in Deloney's Pleasant History of John Winchcomb, in his younger yeares called Jacke of Newberie, a book written as early as 1597. Mr Halliwell reprinted the " 9th" edition, of the date 1633,[foot-note] in 1859, and the ballad is found at p. 61 of the reprint (A). The copy in Ritson's Ancient Songs, 1790, p. 169, has a few variations, which are probably to be explained by Ritson having used some other edition of Deloney. Ritson's text is used in The Borderer's Table Book, VI, 25, and was taken thence into Sheldon's Minstrelsy of the English Border, with some arbitrary alterations. The ballad was formerly popular in Scotland. Kinloch and Buchan printed B and C with some slight changes; the texts are now given as they stand in the manuscripts. E, a traditional version from the English border, has unfortunately been improved by some literary pen.
An English lady is prevailed upon to release a Scot from prison, and to fly with him, on the promise of being made his wife, and (A) lady of castles and towers. She takes much gold with her (A), and a swift steed (two, A). According to A they come to a rough river; the lady is alarmed, but swims it, and is wet from top to toe. On coming within sight of Edinburgh, the faithless knight bids her choose whether she will be his paramour or go back: he has wife and children. She begs him to draw his sword and end her shame: he takes her horse away, and leaves her. Two English knights come by, who restore her to her father. The dismissal takes place at the Scottish cross and moor in B; at a moor and a moss, C; at Scotland bridge, D; at a fair Scottish cross, B. She offers to be servant in his kitchen rather than go back, B, C, E; begs him to throw her into the water, D; from his castle wall, E. He fees an old man to take her home on an old horse, B, E.
We do not find the whole of this story repeated among other European nations, but there are interesting agreements in parts with Scandinavian, Polish,- and German ballads.
There is some resemblance in the first half to a pretty ballad of the northern nations which treats in a brief way the theme of our exquisite romance of 'The Nutbrown Maid:' Danish, 'Den Trofaste Jomfru,' Grundtvig, No 249, rv, 494, nine copies, A-I, the first three from 16th or 17th century manuscripts, the others from tradition of this century, as are also the following: K-M, 'Den Fredløse,' Kristensen, n, 191, No 57: Swedish, 'De sju Gullbergen,' A, Afzelius, No 79, in, 71, new ed., No 64, I, 322; B, C, Grundtvig, iv, 507 f: Norwegian A, 'Herre Per og stolt Margit,' Landstad, No 74, p. 590; B, 'Herr' Nikelus,' Landstad, No 75, p. 594.[foot-note] All tell very much the same tale. A knight carries off a maid on his horse, making her magnificent promises, among which are eight gold castles, Dan. C, D, E, H, I; one, K, L, M; eight, Norw. A; nine, Norw. B; seven, Swed. B; seven gold mountains, Swed. A, perhaps, by mistake of bergen for borgar.[foot-note] She gets her gold together while he is saddling his horse, Dan. A, C, D, P, H, M; Swed. A; Norw. A, B. They come to a sea-strand or other water, it is many miles to the nearest land, Dan. B, D, Swed. A, C; the lady wishes she were at home, Dan. E, P, Swed. B, C. He swims the horse across, Dan. A, B, D, E, F, H, K, L, M; Swed. A, B, C [part of the way, having started in a boat, Norw. A, B]. The maid wrings her clothes, Dan. A, D, K, L; Swed. A; Norw. A, B. She asks, Where are the gold castles which you promised? Dan. C 7, D 14, K 9, L 7, M 8; Norw. A 22, B 16.[foot-note] He tells her that he has no gold castle but this green turf, Dan. C 8; he needs none but the black ground and thick wood, Dan. K 10: he is a penniless, banished man. She offers him her gold to buy him a charter of peace. In all, except Dan. A, B, C, and the incomplete Dan. I, Norw. B, he goes on to say that he has plighted faith to another woman, and she meekly replies, Then I will be your servant. He continues the trial no further, reveals himself as of wealth and rank, says that she shall have ladies to wait on her, and makes her his queen. The knight is king of England in Dan. B, H, King Henry, simply, in Dan. F. The gold castles prove to be realities: there is in Dan. E even one more than was promised.[foot-note]
The Polish ballads of the class of 'Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight ' (see p. 39 f) have thus much in common with 'The Fair Flower of Northumberland:' a maid is induced to go off with a man on horseback, and takes gold with her; after going a certain distance, he bids her return home; in AA, H, R, he gives her her choice whether to return or to jump into the river; she prefers death (cf. D 3, 5, p. 116); in all they finally come to a river, or other water, into which he throws her.[foot-note]
There is a German ballad which has some slight connection with all the foregoing, and a very slight story it is altogether: 'Stolz Heinrich,' Simrock, No 9, p. 23, 'Stolz Syburg,' Reiffenberg, No 16, p. 32, No 17, p. 34, from the Lower Rhine and Münster; made over, in Kretzschmer, I, 187, No 106. Heinrich, or Syburg, wooes a king's daughter in a distant land. He asks her to go with him, and says he has seven mills in his country. "Tell me what they grind," says Margaret, "and I will go with you." The mills grind sugar and cinnamon, mace and cloves. They come to a green heath. Margaret thinks she sees the mills gleaming: he tells her that a green heath is all he has. "Then God have mercy that I have come so far," she says; draws a sword, kneels before him, and stabs herself.
The ballad of 'Young Andrew,' further on, has points in common with 'The Fair Flower of Northumberland.'
C is translated by Rosa Warrens, Schottische Lieder der Vorzeit, No 31, p. 137.
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