This is one of half a dozen pieces sent Buchan by Mr. Nicol of Strichen, "who wrote them from memory as he had learned them in his earlier years from old people." It is also one of not a few flimsy and unjointed ballads found in Buchan's volumes, the like of which is hardly to be found elsewhere, that require a respectable voucher, such as Mr. Nicol undoubtedly was, for the other five pieces communicated by him were all above suspicion, and have a considerable value. It will not, however, help the ballad much that it was not palmed off on Buchan in jest or otherwise, or even if it was learned from an old person by Mr. Nicol in his youth. The intrinsic character of the ballad remains, and old people have sometimes burdened their memory with worthless things.
This page most recently updated on 10-Dec-2010, 19:16:41. Return to main index
