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Ancient Scottish ballads, recovered from tradition, and never before ...

Ancient Scottish ballads, recovered from tradition, and never before ...

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JOHNIE OF COCKLESMUIR.<br />

Though this ballad differs materially <strong>from</strong><br />

those which have been published under the ti-<br />

tles of Johnie of Breadislee <strong>and</strong> Johnie of Cockie-<br />

law, yet it is undoubtedly founded on the same<br />

story. Johnie of Breadislee was first published<br />

in the i The Border Minstrelsy' as ' an ancient<br />

Nithsdale Ballad.' The present copy was pro-<br />

cured in the north country. A few of its<br />

stanzas have been already published under the<br />

title of Johnie of Braidisbank, in the 'Minstrelsy,<br />

<strong>Ancient</strong> <strong>and</strong> Modern;' but the ballad is here<br />

given complete. It is evidently of a more ancient<br />

cast than Johnie of Breadislee ; its catastrophe is<br />

different; <strong>and</strong> <strong>from</strong> the repetition of the con-<br />

cluding line of each stanza, it appears to have<br />

been more adapted for singing.

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