A collection of ancient and modern Scottish ballads, etc

292
serted in their order ; although they do not possess the
rich humour and exuberant fancy of the royal bard, de-
scending frequently to coarseness of expression, yet they
are not deficient in merit, giving a faithful picture of
the rustic pranks and debauch that took place at the
celebration of a country wedding in the beginning of last
century.
It is conjectured by the Rev. George Donaldson, with some
degree of plausibility, that the scene of the exploits de-
scribed in the first canto was Christ's Kirk in the parish
of Kennethmont, in that part of the county of Aber-
deen, near Lesly, called Garrioch, where a fair was for-
merly held during the night. " It is well known," he
observes, " that James visited the most distant parts of
his kingdom to hear complaints and redress grievances.
And it is not impossible, nor even very improbable, that
in his progress he may have seen or heard of Christ's
Kirk. Now, what place more likely to strike the fancy
of this monarch, than one distinguished by so singular
a custom ? The circumstance of the market at midnight
may be supposed to fall in with his humour, and give
birth to such scenes as he has described. Even the name
of the performance is descriptive of the place : for the
green still encircles the ruins of the kirk ; and it is be-
sides the only one in Scotland that I am acquainted with,
to which the name of the ballad is applicable."
—
Statistic
cal Acconnty vol xiii. p. 77.
The first canto is here given from the " Poetical Remains
of James I.'' printed at Edinburgh in 1783, in which the
ingenious editor has followed Bannaryne's MS. 1568,
preserved in the Advocates Library. The notes also ara
taken from that edition.^