and religious Enterludes of the barbarous ages; in which they were exhibited with geftures fo furious and frantic, as to become proverbial. Thus Skelton peaks of Wolfey, 66 66 Lyke Mahound in a play, And Bale in his Acts of English Votaries, pt. 2d. fays"Grennyng like Termagauntes in a play."-Hence we may conceive the force of Hamlet's expression in Shakespeare, where condemning a ranting player he fays, "I could have fuch a fellow whipt for ore-doing TERMAGANT: it out-Herod's "Herod." A. 3. fc. 3. By degrees the word came to be applied to any outrageous turbulent perfon†, and at last to a violent brawling woman only; and this the rather as, I juppofe, the ancient figure of TERMAGANT was reprefented, after the Eastern mode, with long robes or petticoats. † So Mr. Johnf. in bis Di&t. VII. SIR PATRICK SPENCE, A SCOTTISH BALLAD, -is given from two MS copies tranfmitted from Scotland. In what age the hero of this ballad lived, or when this fatal expedition happened that proved so destructive to the Scots nobles, I have not been able to difcover; yet am of opinion that their catastrophe is not altogether without foundation in biftory, though it has escaped my refearches. In the infancy of navigation, fuch as ufed the northern feas, were very liable to shipwreck in the wintry months: hence a law was enacted in the reign of James the III, (a law which was frequently repeated afterwards) "That there be na "fchip frauchted out of the realm with ony ftaple gudes, fra "the feast of Simons day and Jude, unto the feast of the purification our Lady called Candelmess." Jam. III. Parlt 2, Ch. 15. F 4 In In fome modern copies, inftead of Patrick Spence hath been fubftituted the name of Sir Andrew Wood, a famous Scottish admiral who flourished in the time of our Edw. IV. but whose ftory bath nothing in common with this of the ballad. As Wood was the most noted warrior of Scotland, it is probable that like the Theban Hercules, he hath engroffed the renown of other heroes. HE king fits in Dumferling toune, TH Drinking the blude-reid wine: O quhar will I get guid failòr, To fail this schip of mine? Mak hafte, mak hafte, my mirry men all, O fay na fae, my master deir, For I feir a deadlie ftorme. Late late yeftreen I saw the new moone 25 VIII. ROBIN HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE. The Reader has here a ballad of Robin Hood (from the Editor's folio MS) which was never before printed, and carries marks of much greater antiquity than any of the common popular fongs on this fubject. The feverity of those tyrannical forest-laws, that were introduced by our Norman kings, and the great temptation of breaking them by fuch as lived near the royal forefts, at a time when the yeomanry of this kingdom were every where trained up to the long-bow, and excelled all other nations in the art of fhooting, must conftantly have occafioned great numbers of outlaws, and especially of fuch as were the best marksmen. These naturally fled to the woods for shelter, and forming into troops, endeavoured by their numbers to protect themfelves from the dreadful penalties of their delinquency. The ancient punishment for killing the king's deer, was lofs of eyes and caftration: a punishment far worse than death. This will eafily account for the troops of banditti, which formerly lurked in the royal forefts, and from their fu perior fkill in archery and knowledge of all the recesses of those unfrequented folitudes, found it no difficult matter to refift or elude the civil power. Among all thefe, none ever was more famous than the hero of this ballad: the heads of whofe fiory, as collected by Stow, are briefly thefe. "In this time [about the year 1190, in the reign of Ri"chard I.] were many robbers, and outlawes, among the 66 which 2 "which Robert Hood, and Little John, renowned theeves, "continued in woods, difpoyling and robbing the goods of "the rich. They killed none but fuch as would invade "them, or by refiftance for their own defence. "The faide Robert intertained an hundred tall men and good archers with fuch Spoiles and thefts as he got, upon "whom four hundred (were they never fo ftrong) durft not give the onfet. He juffered no woman to be oppressed, vio"lated, or otherwife molefted: poore mens goods be spared, “ aboundantlie relieving them with that, which by theft he got from abbeys and the houses of rich carles: whom "Maior (the hiftorian) blamętb for his rapine and theft, "but of all theeves be affirmeth him to be the prince and the "moft gentle theefe." Annals, p. 159. The perfonal courage of this celebrated outlaw, his skill in archery, his humanity, and especially his levelling principle of taking from the rich and giving to the poor, have in all ages rendered him the favourite of the common people: who not content to celebrate his memory by innumerable fongs and flories, have erected him into the dignity of an earl. Indeed it is not impoffible, but our hero, to gain the more refpe&t from his followers, or they to derive the more credit to their profeffion, may have given rife to fuch a report themselves: for we find it recorded in an epitaph, which a late antiquary pretends was formerly legible on his tombstone near the nunnery of Kirk-lees in Yorkshire, where he is faid to have been bled to death by a treacherous nun to whom he applied for pblebotomy. Hear undernead dis laitt stean vil England nívir si agen. obiit 24 hal. dehembys, 1247. See Thorefby's Ducat. Leod. p. 576. Biog. Brit. II. 3933 It |