eden, Denmark, Turkey,
Lithuania, East Siberia, etc.

Most of the lady's riddles are found in an old English song, and its
traditional derivatives. The song, which is given below, is found in
Sloane MS. 2593, which contains other carols and ballads (see pp.
123-8)[A]. From this is derived the nursery song beginning--

'I had four brothers over the sea'

(with many variations:-- 'four sisters,' 'six lovers,' 'a true lover'),
and with a curious half-Latin refrain which varies between

_Para-mara, dictum, domine,_

and

_Peri-meri, dixi, domine._

The following is the song referred to above. It was twice printed by
T. Wright from the fifteenth-century MS.

[[A] Transcriber's Note:
Pp. 123-128: "Adam" (123) and "Saint Stephen and King Herod" (125).]

1.
I have a yong suster
fer beyondyn the se;
Many be the drowryis
that che sente me.

2.
Che sente me the cherye,
withoutyn ony ston,
And so che dede [the] dowe,
withoutyn ony bon.

3.
Sche sente me the brere,
withoutyn ony rynde,
Sche bad me love my lemman
withoute longgyng.

4.
How xuld ony cherye
be withoute ston?
And how xuld ony dowe
ben withoute bon?

5.
How xuld any brere
ben withoute rynde?
How xuld I love my lemman
without longyng?

6.
Quan the cherye was a flour,
than hadde it non ston;
Quan the dowe was an ey,
than hadde it non bon.

7.
Quan the brere was onbred,
than hadde it non rynd;
Quan the mayden hayt that che lovit,
che is without longing.

[Annotations:
1.3: 'drowryis' = druries, keepsakes.
2.3: 'dowe,' dove.
3.1: 'brere,' brier: here perhaps the 'hip' of the dog-rose
(see 7.1).
3.3: 'lemman,' sweetheart.
4.1: etc. 'xuld' = should.
6.3: 'ey,' egg.
7.3: 'hayt that che lovit,' has what she loves.]

CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN

1.
The Lord of Rosslyn's daughter gaed through the wud her lane,
And there she met Captain Wedderburn, a servant to the king.
He said unto his livery man, 'Were 't na agen the law,
I wad tak her to my ain bed, and lay her at the wa'.'

2.
'I'm walking here my lane,' she says, 'amang my father's trees;
And ye may lat me walk my lane, kind sir, now gin ye please.
The supper-bell it will be rung, and I'll be miss'd awa';
Sae I'll na lie in your bed, at neither stock nor wa'.'

3.
He said, 'My pretty lady, I pray len