13 Thus, with a gentle soft imbrace, he tooke her in his armes, And with a kisse he smiling said, ‘Ile shield thee from all harmes, And instantly will marry thee, to ease thee of thy woes, And goe with thee to the North Country, to milke thy dadyes ewes.’ _With, O the broome, the bonny broome, the broome of Cowden Knoes! Faine would I be in the North Country, to milke my dadyes ewes._ * * * * * #a.# _After_ 7: The Second Part. #b.# _Title_: in the ditty. 2^1. field. 2^2. from home. 5^6. amongst _for_ about. 6^3. So to. 6^6. hath alas. 7. _Wanting._ 8^5. Then. 9^1. virgins. 10^5. I know. 13^3. my _for_ thy. 13^9. With O the broom, &c. 218 THE FALSE LOVER WON BACK #A.# ‘The Fause Lover,’ Buchan’s MSS, I, 114; Buchan’s Ballads of the North of Scotland, I, 268. #B.# ‘The place where my love Johnny dwells,’ Christie’s Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 144. A young man is deserting one maid for another. The object of his new fancy lives at a distance, and he is on his way to her. He is followed by his old love from stage to stage; he repelling her, and she tenderly remonstrating. His heart gradually softens; he buys her gifts from town to town, and though each time he bids her go back, he ends with buying her a wedding gown (ring) and marrying her. Two pretty stanzas in #A#, 4, 5, seem not to belong to this story. The inconstant youth would have been only too glad to have the faithful maid look to other men, and gives her all liberty to do so. These two stanzas are first found in Herd’s MSS, I, 53, and in Herd’s Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, 1776, II, 6, as follows: False luve, and hae ye played me this, In the simmer, mid the flowers? I sall repay ye back agen, In the winter, mid the showers. Bot again, dear luve, and again, dear luve, Will ye not turn again? As ye look to ither women, Sall I to ither men. In a manuscript at Abbotsford, entitled Scottish Songs, 1795 (containing pieces dated up to 1806), fol. 69, they stand thus: False luve, and hae ye played me this, In simmer amang the flowers? I shall repay you back agen In winter amang the showers. Unless again, again, dear luve, But if ye turn agen, As ye look other women to, Sall I to other men. Scott has put these verses, a little varied, into Davie Gellatley’s mouth, in the ninth chapter of ‘Waverley.’ The first, with a change, occurs also in ‘The Gardener,’ No 219, #A# 7, #B# 15, #C# 3.