altered at pleasure. The perversion is of ancient standing,
undeniably. But when Scott's original text exhibits the same phenomena
of perversion, in a part of the ballad missing in Herd's brief lay,
Colonel Elliot supposes that NOW the exchanges are by a modern ballad-
forger, shall we say Sir Walter? By Sir Walter they certainly are NOT!
One tiny hint of Scots originality is dubious. In the English, and in
all Scots versions, men "win their hay" at Lammastide. In Scotland the
hay harvest is often much later. But if the English ballad be
NORTHUMBRIAN, little can be made out of that proof of Scottish origin.
If the English version be a southern version (for the minstrel is a
professional), then Lammastide for hay-making is borrowed from the
Scots.

The Scots version (Herd's) insists on Douglas's burial "by the bracken
bush," to which Montgomery bids Percy surrender. This is obviously
done to hide his body and keep his death secret from both parties, AS
IN FROISSART HE BIDS HIS FRIENDS DO. The verse of the English (l.) on
the fight between Douglas and Percy, is borrowed by, or is borrowed
from, the Scottish stanza (ix.) in Herd, where Sir Hugh Montgomery
fights Percy.


Then Percy and Montgomery met,
And weel a wot they warna fain;
They swaped swords, and they twa swat,
And ay the blood ran down between.

The Persses and the Mongomry met,