"O pardon me, my brother dear,
And the truth I 'll tell to thee;
My bairn is to Lord William,
And he is betrothed to me.'
"O cou'dna ye gotten dukes, or lords,
Intill your ain countrie,

That ye drew up wi' an English dog
To bring this shame on me?
"But ye maun gi'e up your English lord,
Whan your young babe is born;
For, gin ye keep by him an hour langer,
Your life shall be forlorn.'

"I will gi'e up this English lord,
Till my young babe is born;
But the never a day nor hour langer,
Though my life should be forlorn.'
"O where is a' my merry young men
Wham I gi'e meat and fee,

To pu' the bracken and the thorn,
To burn this vile whore wi'?'
"O whare will I get a bonny boy,
To help me in my need,

To rin wi' haste to Lord William,
And bid him come wi' speed?'

"O out it spak a bonny boy,

Stood by her brother's side;
It's I wad rin your errand, lady,
O'er a' the warld wide.

“Aft ha'e I run your errands, lady,

When blawin baith wind and weet; But now I'll rin your errands, lady, With saut tears on my cheek.'

"O whan he came to broken briggs, He bent his bow and swam;

And when he came to the green grass growin, He slack'd his shoon and ran.

"And whan he came to Lord William's yetts,

He badena to chap or ca';

But set his bent bow to his breast,

And lightly lap the wa';

And, or the porter was at the yett,

The boy was in the ha'.

"O is my biggins broken, boy? Or is my towers won?

Or is my lady lighter yet,

O' a dear daughter or son?'
"Your biggin isna broken, sir,
Nor is your towers won;
But the fairest lady in a' the land
This day for you maun burn.'

"O saddle to me the black, the black,
Or saddle to me the brown;
Or saddle to me the swiftest steed
That ever rade frae a town.'

"Or he was near a mile awa',

She heard his weir-horse sneeze;

• Mend

up the fire, my fause brother,

It's nae come to my knees.'

"O, whan he lighted at the yett,

She heard his bridle ring:

'Mend up the fire, my fause brother;
It's far yet frae my chin.

"Mend up the fire to me, brother,
Mend up the fire to me;

For I see him comin' hard and fast
Will soon men't up for thee.

"O gin my hands had been loose, Willy,
Sae hard as they are boun',

I wad hae turned me frae the gleed,
And casten out your young son.'
"O, I'll gar burn for you, Maisry,
Your father and your mother;
And I'll gar burn for you, Maisry,
Your sister and your brother;
"And I'll gar burn for you, Maisry,
The chief o' a' your kin;

And the last bonfire that I come to,
Mysell I will cast in.'”

It is scarcely just to conclude our notice of Mr. Motherwell's publication without giving an example of that part which we presume he calls his Modern Minstrelsy. The "Master of Weemys" is a ballad of which he says nothing, save that it was never before published. It does not require his silence, nor yet his information, to enable us to detect the modern poet in this imitation of the ancient style. It is, however, one of the best of the modern antiques; and we have seen in the_Border Minstrelsy and elsewhere some very clever ones. By placing it here we shall throw a strong light upon the peculiarities of the ballad. When the "Master of Wemyss" adheres to his originals it illustrates their manners; still more, however, does it do so when it departs from their ancient simplicity of description. "The Master of Weemyss has biggit a ship,

To saile upon the sea;

And four-and-twenty bauld mariners,
Doe beare him companie.

"They have hoistit sayle and left the land,

They have saylit mylis three;

When up there lap the bonnie mermayd,
All in the Norland sea.

6

"O whare saile ye,' quo' the bonnie mermayd, Upon the saut sea faem?'

'It's we are bounde until Norroway,
God send us skaithless hame!
"Oh Norroway is a gay gay strande
And a merrie land I trowe;
But nevir nane sall see Norroway
Gin the mermaid keeps her vowe.
"Down doukit then, the mermayden,
Deep intil the middil sea;

And merrie leuch that master bauld,
With his jollie companie.

"They saylit awa, and they saylit awa,
They have saylit leagues ten;

When, lo! uplap be the gude ship's side
The self same mermayden.

"Shee held a glass intil her richt hande,
In the uthir shee held a kame,

And shee kembit her haire, and aye shee sang As shee flotterit on the faem.

"And shee gliskit round and round about,

Upon the waters wan;

O nevir againe on land or sea

Shall be seen sik a fair woman.

"And shee shed the haire off her milk white bree

Wi' her fingers sae sma' and lang;

And fast as saylit that gude ship on, Sae louder was aye her sang. "And aye shee sang, and aye shee sang As shee rade upon the sea; 'If ye bee men of Christian moulde Throwe the master out to mee.

"Throwe out to mee the master bauld
If ye bee Christian men ;

But an ye faile, though fast ye sayle
Ye'll nevir see land agen !

"Sayle on, sayle on, sayle on,' said shee,

་

Sayle on and nevir blinne,

The winde at will your saylis may fill,

But the land ye shall nevir win!'

"Its never word spak that master bauld,
But a loud laugh leuch the crewe;
And in the deep then the mermayden
Doun drappit frae their viewe.

"But ilk ane kythit her bonnie face,
How dark dark grew its lire;

And ilk ane saw her bricht bricht eyne
Leming like coals o' fire.

"And ilk ane saw her lang bricht hair

Gae flashing through the tide,

And the sparkles o' the glass shee brake
Upon that gude ship's side.

"Steer on, steer on, thou master bauld,
The wind blaws unco hie ;'

'O there's not a sterne in a' the lift
To guide us thro' the sea!'

"Steer on, steer on, thou master bauld,
The storm is coming fast;'

"Then up, then up, my bonnie boy,

Unto the topmost mast.

Creep up unto the tallest mast,
Gae up my ae best man;
Climb up until the tall top mast
And spy gin ye see land.'
"Oh all is mirk towards the eist,
And all is mirk be west;
Alas, there is not a spot of light
Where any eye can rest!'
"Looke oute, looke oute my bauldest man,
Looke oute unto the storme,
And if ye cannot get sicht o' land,
Do you see the dawin o' morn ?'
"Oh alace, alace, my master deare,'
Spak then that ae best man;

Nor licht, nor land, nor living thing,
Do I spy on any hand.'

"Looke yet agen my ae best man,
And tell me what ye do see:'
'O Lord! I spy the false mermayden
Fast sayling out owre the sea!"

"How can ye spy the fause mermayden
Fast sayling on the mirk sea,

For there's neither mune nor mornin' licht

6

In troth it can nevir bee.'

"O there is neither mune nor mornin' licht,

Nor ae star's blink on the sea;

But as I am a Christian man,

That witch woman I see!

""Good Lord; there is a scaud o' fire
Fast coming out owre the sea;
And fast therein the grim mermayden
Is sayling on to thee!

"Shee hailes our ship wi' a shrill shrill cry—
Shee is coming, alace, more near :'

'Ah woe is me now,' said the master bauld, For I both do see and hear!

"Come doun, come doun my ae best man, For an ill weird I maun drie :

Yet, I reck not for my sinful self,

But thou my trew companie!'

Relacion Historica del Viage a la América Meridional, decho de orden de S. Mag., para medir algunos Grados de Meridiano Terrestre, y venir por ellos en conocimiento de la verdadera Figura y Magnitud de la Tierra, con otras varias Observaciones Astronomicas y Phisicas. Por D. Antonio de Ulloa y D. Gorge Juan, &c. &c. Madrid, 1748. 5 vols. 4to.

Voyage Historique de l'Amerique Meridionale. 4to. 2 tom., Paris, 1752.

A Voyage to South America, describing at large the Spanish Cities, Towns, Provinces, &c. on that extensive Continent. Interspersed with Reflections on the Genius, Customs, Manners, and Trade of the Inhabitants: together with the Natural History of the Country, &c. By Don George Juan and Don Antonio de Ulloa. Translated from the Spanish. London,

1758. 2 vols. 8vo.

A Voyage to South America, &c. &c. By Don George Juan and Don Antonio Ulloa, Captains of the Spanish Navy, Fellows of the Royal Society of London, Members of the Royal Academy at Paris. Translated from the original Spanish, with Notes and Observations, and an Account of the Brazils. By John Adams, Esq. of Waltham Abbey, who resided several Years in those Parts. 4th Edition, illustrated with Plates. London, 1806. 2 vols. 8vo.

THE new interest which attaches itself to the countries of South America leads us back to consider what the literature of former times has done for the illustration of its natural and historical peculiarities. The library of books the sole subject of which is the continent of North and South America, is composed of so many and such important works, as to require a separate catalogue of its contents. In 1789, an attempt was made to include in one quarto volume, under the name of Bibliotheca Americana, the titles of all the writings which related to these vast and interesting countries: the extreme imperfectness of this chronological catalogue only shows the extent of the undertaking. Whatever may be said of the arbitrary character of the government of Spain in its South American colonies, it cannot be denied that it has always shown itself extremely solicitous in collecting information respecting their natural, social, and historical properties. The propensity of men to narrate the wonders they have witnessed, on their return among their countrymen, has always been encouraged and rewarded by the Spanish authorities, and in some instances inquiry has originated with them. The Travels of Ulloa, which may be selected as the most interesting and satisfactory work of its kind, arose out of the desire of the French government to send certain members of the Academy of