has just married a local bride, but "orders another marriage," and
sends home his bride "in a coach and three." This incident is
stereotyped in the ballads and occurs in an example in the Romaic.
{2}

Now Lord Bateman is Young Bekie in the Scotch ballads, who becomes
Young Beichan, Young Bichem, and so forth, and has adventures
identical with those of Lord Bateman, though the proud porter in
the Scots version is scarcely so prominent and illustrious. As
Motherwell saw, Bekie (Beichan, Buchan, Bateman) is really Becket,
Gilbert Becket, father of Thomas of Canterbury. Every one has
heard how HIS Saracen bride sought him in London. (Robert of
Gloucester's Life and Martyrdom of Thomas Becket, Percy Society.
See Child's Introduction, IV., i. 1861, and Motherwell's
Minstrelsy, p. xv., 1827.) The legend of the dissolved marriage is
from the common stock of ballad lore, Motherwell found an example
in the state of Cantefable, alternate prose and verse, like
Aucassin and Nicolette. Thus the cockney rhyme descends from the
twelfth century.

Such are a few of the curiosities of the ballad. The examples
selected are chiefly chosen for their romantic charm, and for the
spirit of the Border raids which they record. A few notes are
added in an appendix. The text is chosen from among the many
variants in Child's learned but still unfinished collection, and an
effort has been made to choose the copies which contain most poetry
with most signs of uncontaminated originality. In a few cases Sir
Walter Scott's versions, though confessedly "made up," are
preferred. Perhaps the editor may be allowed to say that he does
not merely plough with Professor Child's heifer, but has made a