t+ is given in full from Herd's MSS., where it concludes with a
version of _Sweet William's Ghost_; and the last three stanzas, 42-44,
are from Scott's later version of the ballad (1833) from recitation.
Child divides the ballad as follows:-- _Clerk Sanders_, 1-26 of the
present version; _Sweet William's Ghost_, 27-41. Scott made 'one or two
conjectural emendations in the arrangement of the stanzas.'

+The Story+ of this admirable ballad in its various forms is paralleled
in one or two of its incidents by a similar collection of Scandinavian
ballads. Jamieson introduced into his version certain questions and
answers (of the prevaricating type found in a baser form in _Our
Goodman_) which are professedly of Scandinavian origin.

CLERK SANDERS

1.
Clark Sanders and May Margret
Walkt ower yon gravel'd green;
And sad and heavy was the love,
I wat, it fell this twa between.

2.
'A bed, a bed,' Clark Sanders said,
'A bed, a bed, for you and I:'
'Fye no, fye no,' the lady said,
'Until the day we married be.

3.
'For in it will come my seven brothers,
And a' their torches burning bright;
They'll say, We hae but ae sister,
And here her lying wi' a knight.'

4.
'Ye'l take the sourde fray my scabbord,
And lowly, lowly lift the gin,
And you may say, your oth to save,
You never let Clerk Sanders in.

5.
'Yele take a napken in your hand,
And ye'l ty up baith your een,
An' ye may say, your oth to save,
That ye saw na Sandy sen late yestreen.

6.
'Yele take me in your armes twa,
Yele carrey me ben into your bed,
And ye may say, your oth to save,
In your bower-floor I never tread.'

7.
She has ta'en the sourde fray his scabbord.
And lowly, lowly lifted the gin;
She was to swear, her oth to save,
She never let Clerk Sanders in.

8.
She has tain a napkin in her hand,
And she ty'd up baith her een;
She was to swear, her oth to save,
She saw na him sene late yestreen.

9.
She has ta'en him in her armes twa,
And carried him ben into her bed;
She was to swear, her oth to save,
He never in her bower-floor tread.

10.
In and came her seven brothers,
And all their torches burning bright;
Says thay, We hae but ae sister,
And see there her lying wi' a knight.

11.
Out and speaks the first of them,
'A wat they hay been lovers dear;'
Out and speaks the next