One thing we have satisfaction in, namely, that ballads of this character _did_ exist, and that emendation of phrase, or addition of verse, affects the matter, on the whole, very little. The consideration of the Scottish ballad is, however, outside our inquiry, although some narrative lyrics that are commonly thought to have had origin in Scotland are found among English folk-singers. Of these, “Lammikin,” collected by Miss Broadwood in Surrey, is a notable example, as also the different versions of “The Gipsy Laddie,” and one or two others that may be found in the Folk-Song Society’s Journals. Certainly the best-known narrative ballad among English folk-singers is “Lord Bateman,” and versions of this exist in the Scottish ballad collections. “Barbara Allan” is another that has a Scottish variant, while the “Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green” seems to be entirely English. “Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor,” “The Outlandish Knight,” “Geordie” are long ballads which, in a more or less fragmentary state, have been found in nearly every part of England. One or two of the Robin Hood ballads have also been recovered from tradition, but such are, strangely enough, not common. All the tunes found united to the above-named narrative ballads appear to be ancient and contemporary with early versions of the words. XI. LOVE SONGS AND MYSTIC SONGS Love holds first place in all lyrics, and there is no exception to this rule in the folk-song. There is, however, this difference;—whilst the art-song is frequently couched in language abstract and sentimental, and enriched with metaphor and simile, the folk-song is almost always direct, and from its baldness of diction possessed of great force. The declaration of love in a folk-song is simple, and there is no mincing of words. It is unmistakably fervent and in earnest. The tragedy of a girl’s forsakenness is Biblical in its plainness; sometimes it is a song rather of triumph than pity. Few more beautiful and direct specimens of the former type exist than the one beginning— “A brisk young farmer courted me, He stole away my liberty, He stole my heart with my free goodwill, I must confess I love him still. There is an ale-house in this town, Where my love goes and sits him down; He takes another girl on his knee, Ah! is not that a grief to me? A grief to me, I’ll tell you why, Because she has more gold than I; Her gold will waste, her beauty blast, Poor girl she’ll come like me at last”; and so forth. Another very beautiful love song is “The bonnie bonnie boy” noted by Miss Broadwood, and published in _English County Songs_. It opens— “I once loved a boy, a bonnie, bonnie boy, I loved him I’ll vow and protest. I loved him so well, and so very, very well, That I built him a bower in my breast,” etc.