In 'Fair Margaret and Sweet William' (No. 74). as also in 'Lord Thomas and Fair Annet' (No. 73), a lover sacrifices his inclination to make a marriage of interest. In 'Lord Lovel' the woman dies, not of affections betrayed, but of hopes too long deferred, and her laggard but not unfaithful lover sinks under his remorse and grief. There are several sets of ballads, very common in Germany and in Scandinavia, which, whether they are or are not variations of the same original, at least have a great deal in common with 'Lord Lovel' and 'Fair Margaret and Sweet William.' Of these, one which more closely resembles the English is 'Der Ritter und die Maid,' of German origin (see Uhland, No. 97; Erk, Liederhort, No. 26), but found also in Scandinavia. A Romaic ballad (Passow, No. 415) has the characteristic features of the English, German, and Scandinavian stories, with a beginning of its own, as these also have.
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