For cross or sign thou wilt not fly, For mutter'd word or ban. acquired by Christian initiation, and they gave to those mortals who had fallen into their power, a certain precedence, founded upon this advantageous distinction. Tamlane, in the old ballad, describes his own rank in the fairy procession:— "For I ride on a milk-white steed, And aye nearest the town; I presume, that, in the Danish ballad of the Elfin Gray, [see Appendix, Note L.] the obstinacy of the "Weiest Elf," who would not flee for cross or sign, is to be derived from the circumstance of his having been "christen'd man." How eager the Elves were to obtain for their offspring the prerogatives of Christianity, will be proved by the following story: "In the district called Haga, in Iceland, dwelt a nobleman called Sigward Forster, who had an intrigue with one of the subterranean females. The elf became pregnant, and exacted from her lover a firm promise that he would procure the baptism of the infant. At the appointed time, the mother came to the churchyard, on the wall of which she placed a golden cup, and a stole for the priest, agreeably to the custom of making an offering at baptism. She then stood a little apart. When the priest left the church, he enquired the meaning of what he saw, and demanded of Sigward, if he avowed himself the father of the child. But Sigward, ashamed of the connexion, denied the paternity. He was then interrogated if he desired that the child should be baptized; but this also he answered in the negative, lest, by such request, he should admit himself to be the father. On which the child was left untouched and unbaptized. Whereupon the mother, in extreme wrath, snatched up the infant and the cup, and retired, leaving the priestly cope, of which fragments are still in preservation. But this female denounced and imposed upon Sigward, and his posterity, to the ninth generation, a singular disease, with which many of his descendants are afflicted at this day." Thus wrote Einar Dudmond, pastor of the parish of Garpsdale, in Ice 66 Lay on him the curse of the wither'd heart, Till he wish and pray that his life would part, Nor yet find leave to die." XIV. Ballad continued. "Tis merry, 'tis merry, in good greenwood, Up Urgan starts, that hideous dwarf, And, as he cross'd and bless'd himself, But out then spoke she, Alice Brand, "Now loud thou liest, thou bold of mood! The stain of thine own kindly blood, The blood of Ethert Brand." Then forward stepp'd she, Alice Brand, And made the holy sign, "And if there's blood on Richard's hand, A spotless hand is mine. land, a man profoundly versed in learning, from whose manuscript it was extracted by the learned Torfæus. - Historia Hrolfi Krakii, Hafnia, 1715, prefatio. "And I conjure thee, Demon elf, XV. Ballad continued. ""Tis merry, 'tis merry, in Fairy-land, When fairy birds are singing, When the court doth ride by their monarch's side With bit and bridle ringing: "And gaily shines the Fairy-land But all is glistening show,' Like the idle gleam that December's beam Can dart on ice and snow. "And fading, like that varied gleam, Who now like knight and lady seem, "It was between the night and day, [See Appendix, Note M.] The subjects of Fairy-land were recruited from the regions of humanity by a sort of crimping system, which extended to adults as well as to infants. Many of those who were in this world supposed to have discharged the debt of nature, had only become denizens of the "Londe of Faery." In the beautiful "But wist I of a woman bold, Who thrice my brow durst sign, I might regain my mortal mold, As fair a form as thine." She cross'd him once-she cross'd him twice That lady was so brave; The fouler grew his goblin hue, The darker grew the cave. She cross'd him thrice, that lady bold; The fairest knight on Scottish mold, Fairy Romance of Orfee and Heurodiis (Orpheus and Eurydice) in the Auchinleck MS., is the following striking enumeration of persons thus abstracted from middle earth. Mr. Ritson unfortunately published this romance from a copy in which the following, and many other highly poetical passages, do not occur: "Then he gan biholde about al, And seighe ful liggeand with in the wal, Of folk that wer thidder y-brought, And thought dede and nere nought; Some stode with outen hadde; And sum none armes nade; And sum thurch the bodi hadde wounde, And sum armed on hors sete; And sum astrangled as thai ete; VOL. III. Merry it is in good greenwood, When the mavis and merle are singing, But merrier were they in Dunfermline grey, When all the bells were ringing. XVI. Just as the minstrel sounds were staid, 'Tis Snowdoun's Knight, 't is James Fitz-James. Ellen beheld as in a dream, Then, starting, scarce suppress'd a scream: "O stranger! in such hour of fear, That bids me look again on thee? 66 Of guarded pass?"—" No, by my faith! Learn thou his purpose, and conjure |