But this is not all. In the year 1859 the late Mr. Robert Chambers published a very ingenious and interesting essay entitled “The Romantic Scottish Ballads: their Epoch and Authorship.” The ballads to which he invited critical attention were the particular group which includes _Sir Patrick Spens_, _Gil Morrice_, _Edward Edward_, _The Jew’s Daughter_, _Gilderoy_, _Young Waters_, _Edom o’ Gordon_, _Johnnie of Braidislee_, _Mary Hamilton_, _The Gay Goss Hawk_, _Fause Foodrage_, _The Lass of Lochryan_, _Young Huntin_, _The Douglas Tragedy_, _Clerk Saunders_, _Sweet William’s Ghost_, and several others. With but one or two exceptions, these were first given to the world either in Percy’s _Reliques_ in 1765, or in the subsequent collections of Herd (1769), Scott (1802), and Jamieson (1806); but, since they were published, they have been favourites with all lovers of true poetry,—the “grand ballad” of _Sir Patrick Spens_, as Coleridge called it, ranking perhaps highest, on the whole, in general opinion. There is a certain common character in all the ballads of the group, a character of genuine ideality, of unconnectedness or but hazy connectedness with particular time or place, of a tendency to the weirdly, and also of a high-bred elegance and lightsome tact of expression, distinguishing them from the properly historical Scottish Ballads, such as the _Battle of Otterbourne_, or the Border Ballads proper, such as _Kinmont Willie_, or the homely rustic ballads of local or family incident of which so many have been collected. Hence the distinctive name of “romantic,” usually applied to them.