Thus, in Tamlane, the whole donnee is popular. But the current
version, that of Scott, is contaminated, as Scott knew, by
incongruous modernisms. Burns's version, from tradition, already
localizes the events at Carterhaugh, the junction of Ettrick and
Yarrow. But Burns's version does not make the Earl of Murray
father of the hero, nor the Earl of March father of the heroine.
Roxburgh is the hero's father in Burns's variant, which is more
plausible, and the modern verses do not occur. This ballad
apparently owes nothing to literary romance.

In Mary Hamilton we have a notable instance of the Historical
Ballad. No Marie of Mary Stuart's suffered death for child murder.

She had no Marie Hamilton, no Marie Carmichael among her four
Maries, though a lady of the latter name was at her court. But
early in the reign a Frenchwoman of the queen's was hanged, with
her paramour, an apothecary, for slaying her infant. Knox mentions
the fact, which is also recorded in letters from the English
ambassador, uncited by Mr. Child. Knox adds that there were
ballads against the Maries. Now, in March 1719, a Mary Hamilton,
of Scots descent, a maid of honour of Catherine of Russia, was
hanged for child murder (Child, vi. 383). It has therefore been
supposed, first by Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe long ago, later by
Professor Child, and then by Mr. Courthope, that our ballad is of
1719, or later, and deals with the Russian, not the Scotch,
tragedy.

To this we may reply (1) that we have no example of such a throwing
back of a contemporary event, in ballads. (2) There is a version
(Child, viii. 507) in which Mary Hamilton's paramour is a