Fair Isabell of Rochroyall- Cochrane c.1730 Child A
From: Elizabeth Cochrane's Songbook, Collection of Songs English and Scots, 1730 (?). Harvard College Library
Child's notes:
A, never as yet published, is from a manuscript of the first half of the last century. [dates c. 1730]
A, the oldest copy, has a preliminary history wanting in the others. Isabel of Rochroyal has a dream about her lover. She orders her horse, to ride till she comes to some hold. She meets a company, who ask her questions about a first and a second young may, which she seems to understand, but which are not made intelligible to us. They then ask whether she be Isabel of Rochroyal, and she answers that she is that same lady, banished from kith and kin; why, we are not informed, but we might conjecture that it would be on account of her relations with Love Gregory. She is directed to Gregory's castle, tirls at the pin, and begs admission. Gregory's mother answers as and for her son, and demands proofs of her being the lass of Rochroyal. These are given, and the mother says that Gregory is gone to sea. Hereupon Isabel breaks out into exclamations as to her helpless condition; who will take care of her? who will be the bairn's father till Gregory come home? The mother replies that she will do all that is necessary for her, but there is none to be her bairn's father till Gregory return. This is in itself unnatural, since the mother is hostile to her son's love, and it is counter to what we read in the other versions.
Fair Isabell of Rochroyall- Version A; The Lass of Roch Royal Child 76
E. Cochrane's Songbook, p. 151, No 114.
1 Fair Isabell of Rochroyall,
She dreamed where she lay,
She dreamd a dream of her love Gregory,
A litle before the day.
2 O huly, huly rose she up,
And huly she put on,
And huly, huly she put on
The silks of crimsion.
3 'Gar sadle me the black,' she sayes,
'Gar sadle me the broun;
Gar sadle me the swiftest steed
That ever rode the toun.
4 'Gar shoe him with the beat silver,
And grind him with the gold;
Gar put two bells on every side,
Till I come to some hold.'
5 She had not rode a mile, a mile,
A mile but barely three,
Till that she spyed a companie
Come rakeing oere the lee.
6 'O whether is this the first young may,
That lighted and gaed in;
Or is this the second young may,
That neer the sun shined on?
Or is this Fair Isabell of Roch Royall,
Banisht from kyth and kin.'
7 'O I am not the first young may,
That lighted and gaed in;
Nor neither am I the second young may,
That neer the sun shone on;
8 'But I'm Fair Isabell of Roch Royall
Banisht from kyth and kin;
I'm seeking my true-love Gregory,
And I woud I had him in.'
9 'O go your way to yon castle,
And ride it round about,
And there you'll find Love Gregory;
He's within, without any doubt.'
10 O she's away to yon castle,
She's tirled at the pin:
'O open, open, Love Gregory,
And let your true-love in.'
11 'If you be the lass of the Rochroyall,
As I trow not you be,
You will tell me some of our love-tokens,
That was betwixt you and me.'
12 'Have you not mind, Love Gregory,
Since we sat at the wine;
When we changed the rings off our fingers,
And ay the worst fell mine?
13 'Mine was of the massy gold,
And thine was of the tin;
Mine was true and trusty both,
And thine was false within.'
14 If you be [the] lass of the Roch Royall,
As I trow not you be,
You will tell me some other love-token
That was betwixt you and me.'
15 'Have you not mind, Love Gregory,
Since we sat at the wine,
We changed the smocks off our two backs,
And ay the worst fell mine?
16 'Mine was of the holland fine,
And thine was course and thin;
So many blocks have we two made,
And ay the worst was mine.'
17 'Love Gregory, he is not at home,
But he is to the sea;
If you have any word to him,
I pray you leave't with me.'
* * * * *
18 'O who will shoe my bony foot?
Or who will glove my hand?
Or who will bind my midle jimp
With the broad lilly band?
19 'Or who will comb my bony head
With the red river comb?
Or who will be my bairn's father
Ere Gregory he come home?'
20 'O I's gar shoe thy bony foot,
And I's gar glove thy hand,
And I's gar bind thy midle jimp
With the broad lilly band.
21 'And I's gar comb thy bony head
With the red river comb;
But there is none to be thy bairn's father
Till Love Gregory he come home.
22 'I'll set my foot on the ship-board,
God send me wind and more!
For there's never a woman shall bear a son
Shall make my heart so sore.'
23 'I dreamed a dream now since yestreen,
That I never dreamed before;
I dreamd that the lass of the Rochroyall
Was knocking at the door.'
24 'Ly still, ly still, my dear son,
Ly still, and take a sleep;
For it's neither ane hour, nor yet a half,
Since she went from the gate.'
25 'O wo be to you, ill woman,
And ane ill death mott you die!
For you might have come to my bed-side,
And then have wakened me.
26 'Gar sadle me the black,' he sayes,
'Gar sadle me the broun;
Gar sadle me the swiftest steed
That ever rode the toun.
27 'Gar shoe him with the beat silver,
Gar grind him with the gold;
Cause put two bells on every side,
Till I come to some hold.'
28 They sadled him the black, the black,
So did they him the broun;
So did they him the swiftest steed
That ever rode to toun.
29 They shoed him with the beat silver,
They grind him with the gold;
They put two bells on every side,
Till he came to some hold.
30 He had not rode a mile, a mile,
A mile but barely three,
Till that he spyed her comely corps
Come raking oere the lee.
31 'Set doun, set doun these comely corps,
Let me look on the dead:'
And out he's ta'en his little pen-knife,
And slitted her winding sheet.
32 And first he kist her cheek, her cheek,
And then he kist her chin;
And then he kist her rosy lips,
But there was no breath within.
33 'Gar deall, gar deall for my love sake
The spiced bread and the wine;
For ere the morn at this time
So shall you deall for mine.
34 'Gar deall, gar deall for my love sake
The pennys that are so small;
For ere the morn at this time,
So shall you deall for all.'
35 The one was buried in Mary kirk,
The other in Mary quire;
Out of the one there sprung a birk,
Out of the other a bryar;
So thus you may well know by that
They were two lovers dear.
______________
Commentary on Child A from An Accused Queen in "The Lass of Roch Royal" (Child 76) by David C. Fowler 1958:
One other version (Child A) of "The Lass of Roch Royal," like the "Ocram" text just discussed, dates from about the middle of the eighteenth century [date is c. 1730] . As the story begins, Isabell of Rochroyall dreams about her love, Gregory. The dream, whatever it was (we are not told), impels her to go seek her beloved. She orders a steed saddled, and, after riding a mile or so, meets a "companie" raking over the lea. She is questioned by the company as follows (A 6): "O whether is this the first young may, / That lighted and gaed in; / Or is this the second young may, / That neer the sun shined on; / Or is this Fair Isabell of Roch Royall, / Banisht from kyth and kin?" Concerning this stanza Child remarks (II, 214): "She meets a company, who ask her questions about a first and a second young may, which she seems to understand, but which are not made intelligible to us." This encounter, of course, corresponds to the meeting of the Lass and the proud merchant-man in the "Ocram" version (stanzas 3 and 4). Unfortunately this passage, because of the corruption, can be of little help in elucidating the questions put by the company in A, which we are now considering.[3] But I do not think that these questions are totally unintelligible. "Are you the young maid," they ask, "that visits Gregory openly during the day? Or are you the one that slips in to see him at night? Or are you the one [i.e., Isabell of Rochroyall] that he got into trouble?" Understanding the questions in this way, it is immediately apparent 1) that Gregory is (at least allegedly) a ladies' man, 2) that the three maids represent steps up (or down) the ladder to his affections, and 3) that Isabell's plight is well known. But what motivates the company to ask such questions? On the assumption that they recognize her as Isabell, which seems likely in context, the most that can be said is that they do not appear to be favorably disposed toward the girl. Of course ballad conventions ought also to be recognized: this "company" has a function to perform.
But to continue the story as it is given in A. After Isabell identifies herself, she is directed by the company to Gregory's castle, where she tirls at the pin. The dialogue which ensues between Isabell and Gregory's mother has a startling twist. The mother, speaking as Gregory, asks for the usual tokens. But after Isabell has mentioned rings and smocks (she omits maidenhead), the mother drops all pretense and says (A 17): "Love Gregory, he is not at home, / But he is to the sea; / If you have any word to him, / I pray you leave 't with me." Whereupon the girl asks who will shoe her bonny foot, etc., and who will be the bairn's father. The mother then volunteers, surprisingly, that she will shoe her bonny foot, etc., but that there is none to be the bairn's father till Gregory comes home. And to this the girl strangely replies (A 22): "I'll set my foot on the ship-board/, God send me wind and more! / For there's never a woman shall bear a son / Shall make my heart so sore." Whatever this may mean (that she is determined to sail in search of Gregory? that she suspects deception?), she evidently departs without accepting the mother's apparent offer of assistance [4].
Gregory then dreams that he hears the lass knocking at the door, and, when he wakes and mentions this, his mother tells him she has just left. He leaves his mother with execrations, and orders his steed saddled. After riding a mile or so he meets Isabell's comely corpse, raking over the lea. He slits the winding sheet, kisses the corpse, and leaves instructions for two funerals. Birk and brier spring out of their graves.
The above version (Child A) is found in Elizabeth Cochrane's Songbook, which, like the broadside, cannot be dated with precision.