[THIS very curious ballad, or, more properly, metrical romance, was originally published by the late Doctor Whitaker in his _History of Craven_, from an ancient MS., which was supposed to be unique. Whitaker’s version was transferred to Evan’s _Old __Ballads_, the editor of which work introduced some judicious conjectural emendations. In reference to this republication, Dr. Whitaker inserted the following note in the second edition of his _History_:— This tale, saith my MS., was known of old to a few families only, and by them held so precious, that it was never intrusted to the memory of the son till the father was on his death-bed. But times are altered, for since the first edition of this work, a certain bookseller [the late Mr. Evans] has printed it verbatim, with little acknowledgment to the first editor. He might have recollected that _The Felon Sewe_ had been already reclaimed _property vested_. However, as he is an ingenious and deserving man, this hint shall suffice.—_History of Craven_, second edition, London, 1812. When Sir Walter Scott published his poem of Rokeby, Doctor Whitaker discovered that _The Felon Sewe_ was not of such ‘exceeding rarity’ as he had been led to suppose; for he was then made acquainted with the fact that another MS. of the ‘unique’ ballad was preserved in the archives of the Rokeby family. This version was published by Scott, who considered it superior to that printed by Whitaker; and it must undoubtedly be admitted to be more complete, and, in general, more correct. It has also the advantage of being authenticated by the traditions of an ardent family; while of Dr. Whitaker’s version we know nothing more than that it was ‘printed from a MS. in his possession.’ The readings of the Rokeby MS., however, are not always to be preferred; and in order to produce as full and accurate a version as the materials would yield, the following text has been founded upon a careful collation of both MSS. A few alterations have been adopted, but only when the necessity for them appeared to be self-evident; and the orthography has been rendered tolerably uniform, for there is no good reason why we should have ‘sewe,’ ‘scho,’ and ‘sike,’ in some places, and the more modern forms of ‘sow,’ ‘she,’ and ‘such,’ in others. If the MSS. were correctly transcribed, which we have no ground for doubting, they must both be referred to a much later period than the era when the author flourished. The language of the poem is that of Craven, in Yorkshire; and, although the composition is acknowledged on all hands to be one of the reign of Henry VII., the provincialisms of that most interesting mountain district have been so little affected by the spread of education, that the _Felon Sewe_ is at the present day perfectly comprehensible to any Craven peasant, and to such a reader neither note nor glossary is necessary. Dr. Whitaker’s explanations are, therefore, few and brief, for he was thoroughly