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79 views

(eBook PDF) Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions 4th Editionpdf download

The document is an eBook titled 'Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions 4th Edition' which covers the fundamentals and advanced topics in HRIS, including its history, implementation, and future trends. It includes detailed chapters on various aspects of HRIS, such as database concepts, electronic HR management, and workforce analytics. The eBook is available for instant download and is part of a collection of related HR and information systems eBooks.

Uploaded by

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Brief Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I • HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEMS
(HRIS): THE BACKBONE OF MODERN HR
Chapter 1 • A Brief History and Overview of Technology in HR
Chapter 2 • Database Concepts and Applications in HRIS
Chapter 3 • Systems Considerations in the Design of an HRIS:
Planning for Implementations
PART II • MANAGING HRIS IMPLEMENTATIONS
Chapter 4 • The Systems Development Life Cycle and HRIS Needs
Analysis
Chapter 5 • System Design and Acquisition
Chapter 6 • Change Management and Implementation
Chapter 7 • Cost Justifying HRIS Investments
PART III • ELECTRONIC HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT (EHRM)
Chapter 8 • HR Administration and HRIS
Chapter 9 • Talent Management
Chapter 10 • Recruitment and Selection in an Internet Context
Chapter 11 • Training and Development: Issues and HRIS
Applications
Chapter 12 • Performance Management, Compensation, Benefits,
Payroll, and HRIS
PART IV • ADVANCED HRIS APPLICATION AND FUTURE
TRENDS
Chapter 13 • HRIS and International HRM
Chapter 14 • HR Metrics and Workforce Analytics
Chapter 15 • HRIS Privacy and Security
Chapter 16 • HRIS and Social Media
Chapter 17 • The Future of HRIS: Emerging Trends in HRM and
IT
Glossary
References
Author Index
Subject Index
About the Editors
About the Contributors
Detailed Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I • HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEMS
(HRIS): THE BACKBONE OF MODERN HR
Chapter 1 • A Brief History and Overview of Technology in HR
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
HR Activities
Technology and Human Resources
What Is an HRIS?
eHRM and HRIS
The Value and Risks of HRIS
Types of HRIS
Evolution of HRM and HRIS
Pre–World War II
Post–World War II (1945–1960)
Social Issues Era (1963–1980)
Cost-Effectiveness Era (1980–Early 1990s)
ERPs and Strategic HRM (1990–2010)
“The Cloud” and Mobile Technologies (2010–Present)
HRIS Within the Broader Organization and Environment
Themes of the Book
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Position Description and Specification for an
HRIS Administrator
Chapter 2 • Database Concepts and Applications in HRIS
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
Introduction
Data, Information, and Knowledge
Database Management Systems
Early DBMSs
Relational DBMSs
Data Sharing Between Different Functions
Data Sharing Between Different Levels
Data Sharing Across Locations
Key Relational Database Terminology
Entities and Attributes
Tables
Relationships, Primary Keys, and Foreign Keys
Queries
Forms
Reports
MS Access—An Illustrative Personal Database
Designing an MS Access Database
HR Database Application Using MS Access
Other HR Databases
Data Integration: Database Warehouses, Business Intelligence,
and Data Mining
Big Data and NOSQL Databases
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Building an Application Database
Chapter 3 • Systems Considerations in the Design of an HRIS:
Planning for Implementations
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
HRIS Customers/Users: Data Importance
Employees
Nonemployees
Important Data
HRIS Architecture
HRIS Evolution
Client-Server (Two-Tier) Architecture
Three-Tier and N-Tier Architecture
Cloud Computing—Back to the Future?!
Mobile Access
Security Challenges
Best of Breed
Talent Management
Time and Attendance
Payroll
Benefits
Planning for System Implementation
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Vignette Revisited
Industry Brief
PART II • MANAGING HRIS IMPLEMENTATIONS
Chapter 4 • The Systems Development Life Cycle and HRIS Needs
Analysis
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
The Systems Development Life Cycle
Analysis
Needs Analysis
1. Needs Analysis Planning
2. Observation
3. Exploration
4. Evaluation
5. Reporting
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: “Planning the Needs of Other Organizations”
Industry Brief
Chapter 5 • System Design and Acquisition
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
Design Considerations During the Systems Development Life
Cycle
Logical Design
Two Ways to View an HRIS: Data Versus Process
Logical Process Modeling With Data Flow Diagrams
Creating and Using the DFD
Physical Design
Working With Vendors
Vendor Selection
Assessing System Feasibility
Technical Feasibility
Operational Feasibility
Legal and Political Feasibility
Economic Feasibility
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Vignette Continued
Industry Brief
Chapter 6 • Change Management and Implementation
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
Change Management
The Change Management Process: Science and Art
Models of the Change Process
Overview of Organizational Change
Selected Change Models
Lewin’s Change Model
Change Equation Formula
Nadler’s Congruence Model
Kotter’s Process of Leading Change
Important Reminders Regarding Change Models
Why Do System Failures Occur?
Leadership
Planning
Communication
Training
HRIS Implementation
Data Migration
Software Testing
System Conversion
Documentation
Training
Resistance to Change
User Acceptance
Critical Success Factors in HRIS Implementation
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: The Grant Corporation
Chapter 7 • Cost Justifying HRIS Investments
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
Justification Strategies for HRIS Investments
Evolution of HRIS Justification
Approaches to Investment Analyses Make a Difference:
Some Guidelines
HRIS Cost-Benefit Analysis
Identifying Sources of Value for Benefits and Costs
Direct Benefits
Indirect Benefits
Implementation Costs
Estimating the Value of Indirect Benefits
Estimating Indirect Benefit Magnitude
Direct Estimation
Benchmarking
Internal Assessment
Mapping Indirect Benefits to Revenues and Costs
Methods for Estimating the Value of Indirect Benefits
Average Employee Contribution
Estimating the Timing of Benefits and Costs
The Role of Variance in Estimates
Avoiding Common Problems
Packaging the Analysis for Decision Makers
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Justifying an HRIS Investment at Investment
Associates
Industry Brief
PART III • ELECTRONIC HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT (EHRM)
Chapter 8 • HR Administration and HRIS
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
Technical Support for Job Analysis
Approaches and Techniques
HRIS Applications
The HRIS Environment and Other Aspects of HR
Administration
HRM Administration and Organizing Approaches
Service-Oriented Architecture and eXtensible Markup
Language
Advantages of XML-Enhanced SOA
Theory and HR Administration
Self-Service Portals and HRIS
Shared-Service Centers and HRIS
Outsourcing and HRIS
Offshoring and HRIS
Summary of HR Administration Approaches
Legal Compliance and HR Administration
HR Administration and Equal Employment Opportunity
U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, and the EEO-1
Report
EEO-1 Report (Standard Form 100)
EEO-1 and HRIS
Occupational Safety and Health Act Record Keeping
OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and
Illnesses) and HRIS
Technology, HR Administration, and Mandated
Governmental Reporting
Summary of Government-Mandated Reports and Privacy
Requirements
HR Strategic Goal Achievement and the Balanced Scorecard
HRM and the Balanced Scorecard
HR Scorecard and Balanced Scorecard Alignment
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Talent Management at CalleetaCO
Chapter 9 • Talent Management
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
Defining Talent Management
Importance of Talent Management
The Talent Management Life Cycle
Attributes for Talent
Job Analysis and Human Resource Planning: Part of TM
Job Analysis
Human Resource Planning (HRP)
Phase 1: Setting HRP Objectives
Phase 2: Planning HR Programs
Phase 3: Evaluation and Control
Workforce Management/Human Resource Planning With
an HRIS
Long- and Short-Term Strategic Importance of Talent
Management
Talent Management and Corporate Strategy
Anticipating Change and Creating an Adaptable Workforce
Talent Management and Corporate Culture
Talent Management and Information Systems
The Link Between Talent Management and Human
Resource Information Systems
Talent Management Software Packages
Trends in Talent Management Software
Recruiting Top Talent Using Social Networking Sites
(SNSs)
Using Information Systems to Set Goals and Evaluate
Performance
Using Analytics for Talent Management
Workforce Analytics and Talent Management
Measuring the Success of Talent Management
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Vignette Case Continued
Industry Brief
Chapter 10 • Recruitment and Selection in an Internet Context
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
Recruitment and Technology
The Impact of Online Recruitment on Recruitment
Objectives
Attributes of the Recruiting Website
Recruitment Strategies and Social Networking
The Relationship of e-Recruiting and HRIS
Online Recruitment Guidelines
Selection and Technology
What Are Selection Tests and Assessments, and Why Are
They Used?
Why Is Understanding Assessment Important for HRIS?
Technology Issues in Selection
Applying HRIS to Selection and Assessment
Demonstrating the HRM’s Value With HRIS Selection
Applications
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Recruitment and Selection in a Global
Organization
Chapter 11 • Training and Development: Issues and HRIS
Applications
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
Training and Development: Strategic Implications and
Learning Organizations
Systems Model of Training and Development
Training Metrics and Cost-Benefit Analysis
HRIS Applications in Training
HRIS/Learning Applications: Learning Management
Systems
HRIS T&D Applications: Implementation Issues
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Training and Development at Meddevco
Industry Brief
Chapter 12 • Performance Management, Compensation, Benefits,
Payroll, and HRIS
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
The Meaning of Work
Performance Management
Overview
Typical Data Inputs
Typical Reports
Data Outflows
Decision Support
Compensation
Overview
Typical Data Inputs
Typical Reports
Data Outflows
Decision Support
Benefits
Overview
Typical Data Inputs
Typical Reports
Data Outflows
Decision Support
Payroll
Overview
Typical Data Inputs
Typical Reports
Data Outflows
Decision Support
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Grandview Global Financial Services, Inc.
PART IV • ADVANCED HRIS APPLICATIONS AND FUTURE
TRENDS
Chapter 13 • HRIS and International HRM
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
Types of International Business Operations
Going Global
Differences in HRM in MNEs
Key HR Management Issues in MNEs
HR Programs in Global Organizations
International Staffing
Selecting Global Managers: Managing Expatriates
Training and Development of Expatriates
Performance Appraisal in MNEs
Managing International Compensation
HRIS Applications in IHRM
Introduction
Organizational Structure for Effectiveness
IHRM–HRIS Administrative Issues
HRIS Applications in MNEs
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Global Issues in a Multinational Company
Chapter 14 • HR Metrics and Workforce Analytics
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
A Brief History of HR Metrics and Analytics
Limitations of Historical Metrics
Contemporary HR Metrics and Workforce Analytics
Understanding Workforce Analytics Practices
HR Metrics
Workforce Analytics
HR Metrics, Workforce Analytics, and Organizational
Effectiveness
A Common and Troublesome View
Maximizing the Impact of Workforce Analytics Efforts
Triage in Evaluating Workforce Analysis Opportunities
So Where Are the Best Workforce Analytics Opportunities
Likely to Be Found?
HR Process Efficiency
Operational Effectiveness
Strategic Realignment
Starting With the End in Mind
An Example Analysis: The Case of Staffing
Evaluating Recruitment Effectiveness (D3)
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Job Offer Decisions (D4)
Evaluating Job Acceptance Performance (D5)
Assessing the Financial Impact of Staffing Decisions:
Utility Analysis
Building a Workforce Analytics Function
Getting Started
Understanding Why
Putting HR Metrics and Analytics Data in Context
Reporting What We Find
HR Dashboards
Useful Things to Remember About HR Metrics and Analytics
Don’t “Do Metrics”
Bigger Is Not Always Better
HR Metrics and Analytics Is a Journey—Not a
Destination
Be Willing to Learn
Avoid the Temptation to Measure Everything
Aggressively
Workforce Analytics and the Future
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Regional Hospital
Chapter 15 • HRIS Privacy and Security
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
HRIS in Action
Introduction
Employee Privacy
Unauthorized Access to Information
Unauthorized Disclosure of Information
Data Accuracy Problems
Stigmatization Problems
Use of Data in Social Network Websites
Lack of Privacy Protection Policies
Components of Information Security
Brief Evolution of Security Models
Security Threats
Information Policy and Management
Fair Information Management Policies
Effective Information Security Policies
Contingency Planning
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Practical Applications of an Information Privacy
Plan
Chapter 16 • HRIS and Social Media
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
Introduction
Global Usage of Social Media
Social Media and HR Practices
Organizational Recruitment and Selection
Training and Development
Internal Communication and Engagement
Concerns Over Social Media
Corporate Social Media Policies
Recruitment and Selection
Validity of SMWs in Selection
Privacy Concerns
Diversity Concerns
Federal and State Guidelines
Research-Based Tips for the Use of Social Media in HR
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Chapter 17 • The Future of HRIS: Emerging Trends in HRM and
IT
Editors’ Note
Chapter Objectives
Introduction
Future Trends in HRM
Health and Wellness
Business Intelligence and People Analytics
Demographic Workforce Changes
Employee Engagement
Growing Complexity of Legal Compliance
Virtualization of Work
Future Trends in HRIS
Bring Your Own Device
Gamification
Web 2.0 and Social Networking
Internet of Things
Open-Source Software
An Evolving Industry
Evolving HRIS Technology Strategy
HRIS Moves to Small Businesses
Future Trends in Workforce Technologies
Summary
Key Terms
Glossary
References
Author Index
Subject Index
About the Editors
About the Contributors
Preface
In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins notes, “Great vision without great
people is irrelevant.” In a sense, this quote gets at the heart of human
resources—attracting, hiring, motivating, training, and retaining the best
people for your organization. However, to be truly successful in this mission,
organizations have to invest in technology to support all aspects of their
human resources. In this fourth edition of Human Resource Information
Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, we have several goals.
First, we want to update the text to reflect the current use of technology in
organizations. The core human resource information system (HRIS),
although still the center of any human resources (HR) technology
investments, is no longer the only technology supporting HR. New
technologies such as mobile devices and social media are driving changes in
how organizations deploy technology in HR. Second, we wish to continue to
improve the content and the usefulness of the content for faculty and
students. Third, we continue with our goals of presenting a broad-based
perspective on HRIS, one which includes a focus on developing and
implementing these systems, an understanding of how these systems impact
the practice of HR across a number of functions, and finally, a discussion of
timely and important developments in these systems (e.g., metrics, social
media, international human resource management [HRM]). Although there
have been several books on HRIS published, most authors have focused only
on one aspect or dimension of the HRIS field, for example, on e-HRM, Web-
based HR, or the strategic deployment of HRIS in a global context.
In the preface to the first edition of this book, we note that Kavanagh et al.
(1990) stated that “among the most significant changes in the field of human
resources management in the past decade has been the use of computers to
develop what have become known as human resource information systems
(HRIS)” (p. v). We also argued that the introduction of computers to the field
of HRM during the 1980s and early 1990s was a revolutionary change. That
is, HRM paper systems in file cabinets were replaced by HRM software on
mainframes and PCs. To keep up with these technological changes in HRM,
companies were forced to adapt, even though it was quite expensive, in order
to remain competitive in their markets. Although we have previously
suggested that the changes since the early 1990s were evolutionary, it is clear
that in the past five years, we have entered another period of revolutionary
change. No longer are companies purchasing an HRIS, customizing it to fit
their needs, and installing it locally. Instead, today organizations are moving
to cloud computing where they “rent” space to maintain their data and rely on
the vendors to manage and support the system. In addition, HR is taking
advantage of systems outside of organizational control, such as Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more to support employees throughout
the employment life cycle. Thus, managers and organizations must develop
policies to address this vastly different environment, where much of the data
supporting HRIS is accessed remotely and often is stored on systems not
under the direct control of the organization.
Along with these changes in technology, a revolution has come to the
practice of human resources. By adopting software to support HR
functioning, HR now has more information on employees, and can use this
understanding to better attract candidates, hire better employees, and more
effectively manage them. In other words, these changes have meant that there
have been significant advances in the use of people resources in managerial
decisions. Thus, the role of HRM has evolved so that now it is increasingly
viewed as a strategic partner in the organization. In addition, the role of an
HR professional is changing, and the most successful HR professionals will
have both HR expertise, as well as strong knowledge and appreciation for a
how a variety of technology tools can support “people practices” within HR
and within the firm.
What do these changes mean for the new learner with a background in HRM
or information technology (IT), who is trying to understand the HRIS field?
Although it may be tempting to think that the optimal approach is to train
students on the latest HRIS software and the latest trends in HRIS, in reality
this would be like starting with Chapter 17 of this book and then proceeding
backward through the book. Unfortunately, many people do, in fact, focus on
learning the actual software tool itself (e.g., the HRIS) and the technological
advances in HRIS without understanding the basics first. The approach we
take in this book, and one we recommend, is to start with an understanding of
the evolutional changes to technology and how these changes have
transformed HR practices (e.g., how HRM moved from using paper records
in file cabinets to the computerization of the HR function), and how this
interplay between technology and human resources has changed, and will
continue to change, the field of HRIS. Only after understanding these
changes will the learner be able to effectively understand how advances in
Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
promises a rich gift if Morten's body may be buried within the
cloister. From this point the story is materially the same as in C.
H. A copy, which I have not yet seen, in Rahbek's Læsning i
blandede Æmner (or Hesperus), III, 151, 1822 (Bergström).

'Hertugen af Skage,' Danske Viser, II, 191, No 88, has this slight
agreement with the foregoing ballads. Voldemar, the king's youngest
son, hearing that the duke has a daughter, Hildegerd, that surpasses
all maids, seeks her out in a convent in which she has taken refuge,
and gets a cold reception. He feigns death, desiring that his bones
may repose in the cloister. His bier is carried into the convent
church. Hildegerd lights nine candles for him, and expresses
compassion for his early death. While she is standing before the
altar of the Virgin, Voldemar carries her out of the church by force.

This, says Afzelius, 1814, is one of the commonest ballads in


Sweden, and is often represented as a drama by young people in
country places. A a, 'Herr Carl, eller Klosterrofvet,' Afzelius, I, 179,
No 26, new ed. No 24; b, Afzelius, Sago-Häfder, ed. 1851, IV, 106.
B, Atterbom, Poetisk Kalender for 1816, p. 63, 'Det Iefvande Liket.'
C. Rancken, Några Prof af Folksång, o. s. v., p. 13, No 4. These differ
but slightly from Danish D, E. All three conclude with the humorous
verses about the nuns, which in Rancken's copy take this rollicking
turn:

And all the nuns in the convent they all danced in a


ring;
'Christ send another such angel, to take us all under
his wing!'
And all the nuns in the convent, they all danced each
her lone;
'Christ send another such angel, to take us off every
one!'
Bergström, new Afzelius, II, 131, refers to another version in
Gyllenmärs' visbok, p. 191, and to a good copy obtained by himself.
An Icelandic version for the 17th century, which is after the fashion
of Danish C, G, is given in Íslenzk Fornkvæði, II, 59, No 40,
'Marteins kviða.' The lover has in all three a troop of armed men in
waiting outside of the convent.
Professor Bugge has obtained a version in Norway, which, however,
is as to language essentially Danish. (Bergström, as above.)
There is a very gay and pretty south-European ballad, in which the
artifice of feigning death is successfully tried by a lover after the
failure of other measures.
A. Magyar. Arany and Gyulai, I, 172, No 18, 'Pálbeli Szép Antal;'
translated by Aigner, Ungarische Volksdichtungen, p. 80, 'Schön
Anton.' Handsome Tony tells his mother that he shall die for Helen.
The mother says, Not yet. I will build a marvellous mill. The first
wheel shall grind out pearls, the middle stone discharge kisses, the
third wheel distribute small change. The pretty maids will come to
see, and Helen among them. Helen asks her mother's leave to see
the mill. "Go not," the mother replies. "They are throwing the net,
and a fox will be caught." Tony again says he must die. His mother
says, not yet; for she will build an iron bridge; the girls will come to
see it, and Helen among them. Helen asks to see the bridge; her
mother answers as before. Tony says once more that he shall die for
Helen. His mother again rejoins, Not yet. Make believe to be dead;
the girls will come to see you, and Helen among them. Helen
entreats to be allowed to go to see the handsome young man that
has died. Her mother tells her she will never come back. Tony's
mother calls to him to get up; the girl he was dying for is even now
before the gate, in the court, standing at his feet. "Never," says
Helen, "saw I so handsome a dead man,—eyes smiling, mouth
tempting kisses, and his feet all ready for a spring." Up he jumped
and embraced her.
B. Italian. Ferraro, Canti popolari monferrini, p. 59, No 40, 'Il
Genovese.' The Genoese, not obtaining the beautiful daughter of a
rich merchant on demand, plants a garden. All the girls come for
flowers, except the one desired. He then gives a ball, with thirty-two
musicians. All the girls are there, but not the merchant's daughter.
He then builds a church, very richly adorned. All the girls come to
mass, all but one. Next he sets the bells a ringing, in token of his
death. The fair one goes to the window to ask who is dead. The
good people ("ra bun-ha gent," in the Danish ballad "det gode folk")
tell her that it is her first love, and suggest that she should attend
the funeral. She asks her father, who consents if she will not cry. As
she was leaving the church, the lover came to life, and called to the
priests and friars to stop singing. They went to the high altar to be
married.
C. Slovenian. Vraz, Narodne peśni ilirske, p. 93, 'Čudna bolezen'
('Strange Sickness'); translated by Anastasius Grün, Volkslieder aus
Krain, p. 36, 'Der Scheintodte.' "Build a church, mother," cries the
love-sick youth, "that all who will may hear mass; perhaps my love
among them." The mother built a church, one and another came,
but not his love. "Dig a well, mother, that those who will may fetch
water; perhaps my love among them." The well was dug, one and
another came for water, but not his love. "Say I am dead, mother,
that those who will may come to pray." Those who wished came, his
love first of all. The youth was peeping through the window. "What
kind of dead man is this, that stretches his arms for an embrace,
and puts out his mouth for a kiss?"

Danish G translated by the Rev. J. Johnstone, 'The Robbery of the


Nunnery, or, The Abbess Outwitted,' Copenhagen, 1786 (Danske
Viser, IV, 366); by Prior, III, 400. Swedish A, by G. Stephens, For.
Quar. Rev., 1841, XXVI, 49, and by the Howitts, Lit. and Rom. of
Northern Europe, I, 292. English C, by Rosa Warrens, Schottische V.
1., p. 144, No 33.

A.
Kinloch's MSS, I, 53, from the recitation of Mary Barr,
Lesmahagow, aged upwards of seventy. May, 1827.

1
'Willie, Willie, I'll learn you a wile,'
And the sun shines over the valleys and a'
'How this pretty fair maid ye may beguile.'
Amang the blue flowrs and the yellow and a'

2
'Ye maun lie doun just as ye were dead,
And tak your winding-sheet around your head.

3
'Ye maun gie the bellman his bell-groat,
To ring your dead-bell at your lover's yett.'

4
He lay doun just as he war dead,
And took his winding-sheet round his head.

5
He gied the bellman his bell-groat,
To ring his dead-bell at his lover's yett.

6
'O wha is this that is dead, I hear?'
'O wha but Willie that loed ye sae dear.'

7
She is to her father's chamber gone,
And on her knees she's fallen down.

8
'O father, O father, ye maun grant me this;
I hope that ye will na tak it amiss.

9
'That I to Willie's burial should go;
For he is dead, full well I do know.'

10
'Ye'll tak your seven bauld brethren wi thee,
And to Willie's burial straucht go ye.'

11
It's whan she cam to the outmost yett,
She made the silver fly round for his sake.

12
It's whan she cam to the inmost yett,
She made the red gowd fly round for his sake.

13
As she walked frae the court to the parlour there,
The pretty corpse syne began for to steer.

14
He took her by the waist sae neat and sae sma,
And threw her atween him and the wa.

15
'O Willie, O Willie, let me alane this nicht,
O let me alane till we're wedded richt.'
16
'Ye cam unto me baith sae meek and mild,
But I'll mak ye gae hame a wedded wife wi child.'

B.
a. Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, I, 185. b.
Christie, Traditional Ballad Airs, I, 120.

1
'O Willie my son, what makes you sae sad?'
As the sun shines over the valley
'I lye sarely sick for the love of a maid.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow

2
'Were she an heiress or lady sae free,
That she will take no pity on thee?

3
'O Willie, my son, I'll learn you a wile,
How this fair maid ye may beguile.

4
'Ye'll gie the principal bellman a groat,
And ye'll gar him cry your dead lyke-wake.'

5
Then he gae the principal bellman a groat,
He bade him cry his dead lyke-wake.

6
This maiden she stood till she heard it a',
And down frae her cheeks the tears did fa.

7
She is hame to her father's ain bower:
'I'll gang to yon lyke-wake ae single hour.'

8
'Ye must take with you your ain brither John;
It's not meet for maidens to venture alone.'

9
'I'll not take with me my brither John,
But I'll gang along, myself all alone.'

10
When she came to young Willie's yate,
His seven brithers were standing thereat.

11
Then they did conduct her into the ha,
Amang the weepers and merry mourners a'.

12
When she lifted up the covering sae red,
With melancholy countenance to look on the dead,

13
He's taen her in his arms, laid her gainst the wa,
Says, 'Lye ye here, fair maid, till day.'

14
'O spare me, O spare me, but this single night,
And let me gang hame a maiden sae bright.'

15
'Tho all your kin were about your bower,
Ye shall not be a maiden ae single hour.

16
'Fair maid, ye came here without a convoy,
But ye shall return wi a horse and a boy.

17
'Ye came here a maiden sae mild,
But ye shall gae hame a wedded wife with child.'

C.
Motherwell's MS., p. 187.

1
'O Willie, Willie, what makes thee so sad?'
And the sun shines over the valley
'I have loved a lady these seven years and mair.'
Down amang the blue flowers and the yellow

2
'O Willie, lie down as thou were dead,
And lay thy winding-sheet down at thy head.

3
'And gie to the bellman a belling-great,
To ring the dead-bell at thy love's bower-yett.'

4
He laid him down as he were dead,
And he drew the winding-sheet oer his head.

5 He gied to the bellman a belling-great,


To ring the dead-bell at his love's bower-yett.

* * * * *

6
When that she came to her true lover's gate,
She dealt the red gold and all for his sake.
7
And when that she came to her true lover's bower,
She had not been there for the space of half an hour,

8
Till that she cam to her true lover's bed,
And she lifted the winding-sheet to look at the dead.

9
He took her by the hand so meek and sma,
And he cast her over between him and the wa.

10
'Tho all your friends were in the bower,
I would not let you go for the space of half an hour.

11
'You came to me without either horse or boy,
But I will send you home with a merry convoy.'

D.
Motherwell's Minstrelsy, Appendix, p. xix, No XVII.

'O Johnie, dear Johnie, what makes ye sae sad?'


As the sun shines ower the valley
'I think nae music will mak ye glad.'
Amang the blue flowers and the yellow

B.
b is a with stanzas 3, 12-15 omitted, and "a few
alterations, some of them given from the recitation of an
old woman." "Buchan's version differs little from the way
the old woman sang the ballad." The old woman's
variations, so far as adopted, are certainly of the most
trifling.
12. I am.
21. Is she.
71. And she.
161. Ye've come.
164. And ye.
17. Evidently by Christie:

'Fair maid, I love thee as my life,


But ye shall gae hame a lovd wedded wife.'

C.
Burden. The lines are transposed in the second stanza,
but are given in the third in the order of the first.
31, 51. MS. belling great.
112. you come.

FOOTNOTES:

[208] But a has two stanzas more: the first a stev-stamme, or


lyrical introduction (see p. 7), the other, 31, nearly a repetition of
Sandvig's 29.
[209] After the page has bidden Ingerlille to the wake, we are
told, a 27, 28, b 26, 27: all the convent bells were going, and the
tidings spreading that the knight was dead; all the ladies of the
convent sat sewing, except Ingerlille, who wept. But Ingerlille, in
the next stanza, puts on her scarlet cloak and goes to the höjeloft
to see her father and mother. The two stanzas quoted signify
nothing in this version.
26
THE THREE RAVENS
a. Melismata. Musicall Phansies. Fitting the Court, Cittie,
and Countrey Humours. London, 1611, No 20.[210] [T.
Ravenscroft.]
b. 'The Three Ravens,' Motherwell's Minstrelsy, Appendix,
p. xviii, No XII.
a was printed from Melismata, by Ritson, in his Ancient Songs, 1790,
p. 155. Mr. Chappell remarked, about 1855, Popular Music of the
Olden Time, I, 59, that this ballad was still so popular in some parts
of the country that he had "been favored with a variety of copies of
it, written down from memory, and all differing in some respects,
both as to words and tune, but with sufficient resemblance to prove
a similar origin." Motherwell, Minstrelsy, Introduction, p. lxxvii, note
49, says he had met with several copies almost the same as a. b is
the first stanza of one of these (traditional) versions, "very popular
in Scotland."
The following verses, first printed in the Minstrelsy of the Scottish
Border, and known in several versions in Scotland, are treated by
Motherwell and others as a traditionary form of 'The Three Ravens.'
They are, however, as Scott says, "rather a counterpart than a copy
of the other," and sound something like a cynical variation of the
tender little English ballad. Dr Rimbault (Notes and Queries, Ser. V,
III, 518) speaks of unprinted copies taken down by Mr Blaikie and
by Mr Thomas Lyle of Airth.

THE TWA CORBIES.


a. Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, III, 239, ed. 1803,
communicated by C. K. Sharpe, as written down from
tradition by a lady. b. Albyn's Anthology, II, 27, 1818,
"from the singing of Mr Thomas Shortreed, of Jedburgh,
as sung and recited by his mother." c. Chambers's Scottish
Ballads, p. 283, partly from recitation and partly from the
Border Minstrelsy. d. Fraser-Tytler MS., p. 70.

1
As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The tane unto the t'other say,
'Where sall we gang and dine to-day?'

2
'In behint yon auld fail dyke,
I wot there lies a new slain knight;
And naebody kens that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair.

3
'His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
His lady's ta'en another mate,
So we may mak our dinner sweet.

4
'Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,
And I'll pike out his bonny blue een;
Wi ae lock o his gowden hair
We' theek our nest when it grows bare.

5
'Mony a one for him makes mane,
But nane sall ken where he is gane;
Oer his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind sall blaw for evermair.'
'The Three Ravens' is translated by Grundtvig, Engelske og skotske
Folkeviser, p. 145, No 23; by Henrietta Schubart, p. 155; Gerhard, p.
95; Rosa Warrens, Schottische V. l. der Vorzeit, p. 198; Wolff, Halle
der Völker, I, 12, Hausschatz, p. 205.
'The Twa Corbies' (Scott), by Grundtvig, p. 143, No 22; Arndt, p.
224; Gerhard, p. 94; Schubart, p. 157; Knortz, L. u. R. Alt-Englands,
p. 194; Rosa Warrens, p. 89. The three first stanzas, a little freely
rendered into four, pass for Pushkin's: Works, 1855, II, 462, xxiv.

1
There were three rauens sat on a tree,
Downe a downe, hay down, hay downe
There were three rauens sat on a tree,
With a downe
There were three rauens sat on a tree,
They were as blacke as they might be.
With a downe derrie, derrie, derrie, downe, downe

2
The one of them said to his mate,
'Where shall we our breakefast take?'

3
'Downe in yonder greene field,
There lies a knight slain vnder his shield.

4
'His hounds they lie downe at his feete,
So well they can their master keepe.

5
'His haukes they flie so eagerly,
There's no fowle dare him come nie.'

6
Downe there comes a fallow doe,
As great with yong as she might goe.

7
She lift vp his bloudy hed,
And kist his wounds that were so red.

8
She got him vp vpon her backe,
And carried him to earthen lake.

9
She buried him before the prime,
She was dead herselfe ere euen-song time.

10
God send euery gentleman,
Such haukes, such hounds, and such a leman.

b.

Three ravens sat upon a tree,


Hey down, hey derry day
Three ravens sat upon a tree,
Hey down
Three ravens sat upon a tree,
And they were black as black could be.
And sing lay doo and la doo and day

Variations of The Twa Corbies.


b.

1.
As I cam by yon auld house end,
I saw twa corbies sittin thereon.
21. Whare but by yon new fa'en birk.

3.
We'll sit upon his bonny breast-bane,
And we'll pick out his bonny gray een;
We'll set our claws intil his yallow hair,
And big our bowr, it's a' blawn bare.

4.
My mother clekit me o an egg,
And brought me up i the feathers gray,
And bade me flee whereer I wad,
For winter wad be my dying day.

5.
Now winter it is come and past,
And a' the birds are biggin their nests,
But I'll flee high aboon them a',
And sing a sang for summer's sake.

c.

1.
As I gaed doun by yon hous-en,
Twa corbies there were sittand their lane.

21. O down beside yon new-faun birk.


31. His horse.
32. His hounds to bring the wild deer hame.

4.
O we'll sit on his bonnie breist-bane,
And we'll pyke out his bonnie grey een.
d.
11. walking forth.
12. the ither.
13. we twa dine.
32. wild bird.
52. naebody kens.
53. when we've laid them bare.
54. win may blaw.

FOOTNOTES:

[210] Misprinted 22.


27
THE WHUMMIL BORE
a. Motherwell's MS., p. 191. b. Motherwell's Minstrelsy,
Appendix, p. xvi, No III.
This ballad, if it ever were one, seems not to have been met with, or
at least to have been thought worth notice, by anybody but
Motherwell. As already observed in the preface to 'Hind Horn,'
stanza 2 seems to have slipped into that ballad, in consequence of
the resemblance of stanza 1 to F 2, H 3 of 'Hind Horn.' This first
stanza is, however, a commonplace in English and elsewhere: e. g.,
'The Squire of Low Degree:'

He served the kyng, her father dere,


Fully the tyme of seven yere. vv 5, 6.

He loved her more then seven yere,


Yet was he of her love never the nere. vv 17, 18.

Ritson, Met. Rom. III, 145 f.

1
Seven lang years I hae served the king,
Fa fa fa fa lilly
And I never got a sight of his daughter but ane.
With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy eedle,
Lillum too tee a ta too a tee a ta a tally

2
I saw her thro a whummil bore,
And I neer got a sight of her no more.
3
Twa was putting on her gown,
And ten was putting pins therein.

4
Twa was putting on her shoon,
And twa was buckling them again.

5
Five was combing down her hair,
And I never got a sight of her nae mair.

6
Her neck and breast was like the snow,
Then from the bore I was forced to go.

a.
22. Variation: And she was washing in a pond.
62. Variation: Ye might have tied me with a strae.
b.
Burden:

Fa, fa, falilly


With my glimpy, glimpy, glimpy eedle,
Lillum too a tee too a tally.
28
BURD ELLEN AND YOUNG TAMLANE
Maidment's North Countrie Garland, 1824, p. 21.
Communicated by R. Pitcairn, "from the recitation of a
female relative, who had heard it frequently sung in her
childhood," about sixty years before the above date.
Motherwell informs us, Minstrelsy, p. xciv of Introduction, note to
141, that 'Burd Helen and Young Tamlene' is very popular, and that
various sets of it are to be found traditionally current (1827). Still I
have not found it, out of Maidment's little book; not even in
Motherwell's large folio.
I cannot connect this fragment with what is elsewhere handed down
concerning Tamlane, or with the story of any other ballad.

1
Burd Ellen sits in her bower windowe,
With a double laddy double, and for the double dow
Twisting the red silk and the blue.
With the double rose and the May-hay

2
And whiles she twisted, and whiles she twan,
And whiles the tears fell down amang.

3
Till once there by cam Young Tamlane:
'Come light, oh light, and rock your young son.'

4
'If you winna rock him, you may let him rair,
For I hae rockit my share and mair.'

* * * * *

5
Young Tamlane to the seas he's gane,
And a' women's curse in his company's gane.
29
THE BOY AND THE MANTLE
Percy MS., p. 284. Hales & Furnivall, II, 304.
This ballad and the two which follow it are clearly not of the same
rise, and not meant for the same ears, as those which go before.
They would come down by professional rather than by domestic
tradition, through minstrels rather than knitters and weavers. They
suit the hall better than the bower, the tavern or public square better
than the cottage, and would not go to the spinning-wheel at all. An
exceedingly good piece of minstrelsy 'The Boy and the Mantle' is,
too; much livelier than most of the numerous variations on the
somewhat overhandled theme.[211]
Of these, as nearest related, the fabliau or "romance" of Le Mantel
Mautaillié, 'Cort Mantel,' must be put first: Montaiglon et Raynaud,
Recueil Général des Fabliaux, III, 1, from four manuscripts, three of
the thirteenth century, one of the fourteenth; and previously by
Michel, from the three older manuscripts, in Wolf, Ueber die Lais, p.
324. A rendering of the fabliau in prose, existing in a single
manuscript, was several times printed in the sixteenth century: given
in Legrand, ed. Renouard, I, 126, and before, somewhat
modernized, by Caylus, 'Les Manteaux,' Œuvres Badines, VI, 435.
[212]

The story in 'Cort Mantel' goes thus. Arthur was holding full court at
Pentecost, never more splendidly. Not only kings, dukes, and counts
were there, but the attendance of all young bachelors had been
commanded, and he that had a bele amie was to bring her. The
court assembled on Saturday, and on Sunday all the world went to
church. After service the queen took the ladies to her apartments, till
dinner should be ready. But it was Arthur's wont not to dine that day
until he had had or heard of some adventure;[213] dinner was kept
waiting; and it was therefore with great satisfaction that the knights
saw a handsome and courteous varlet arrive, who must certainly
bring news; news that was not to be good to all, though some would
be pleased (cf. stanza 5 of the ballad). A maid had sent him from a
very distant country to ask a boon of the king. He was not to name
the boon or the lady till he had the king's promise; but what he
asked was no harm. The king having said that he would grant what
was asked, the varlet took from a bag a beautiful mantle, of fairy
workmanship. This mantle would fit no dame or damsel who had in
any way misbehaved towards husband or lover; it would be too
short or too long; and the boon was that the king should require all
the ladies of the court to put it on.
The ladies were still waiting dinner, unconscious of what was
coming. Gawain was sent to require their presence, and he simply
told them that the magnificent mantle was to be given to the one it
best fitted. The king repeated the assurance, and the queen, who
wished much to win the mantle, was the first to try it on. It proved
too short. Ywain suggested that a young lady who stood near the
queen should try. This she readily did, and what was short before
was shorter still. Kay, who had been making his comments
unguardedly, now divulged the secret, and after that nobody cared
to have to do with the mantle. The king said, We may as well give it
back; but the varlet insisted on having the king's promise. There was
general consternation and bad humor.
Kay called his mistress, and very confidently urged her to put on the
mantle. She demurred, on the ground that she might give offence by
forwardness; but this roused suspicion in Kay, and she had no
resource but to go on. The mantle was again lamentably short.
Bruns and Ydier let loose some gibes. Kay bade them wait; he had
hopes for them. Gawain's amie next underwent the test, then
Ywain's, then Perceval's. Still a sad disappointment. Many were the
curses on the mantle that would fit nobody, and on him that brought
it. Kay takes the unlucky ladies, one after the other, to sit with his
mistress.
At this juncture Kay proposes that they shall have dinner, and
continue the experiment by and by. The varlet is relentless; but Kay
has the pleasure of seeing Ydier discomfited. And so they go on
through the whole court, till the varlet says that he fears he shall be
obliged to carry his mantle away with him. But first let the chambers
be searched; some one may be in hiding who may save the credit of
the court. The king orders a search, and they find one lady, not in
hiding, but in her bed, because she is not well. Being told that she
must come, she presents herself as soon as she can dress, greatly to
the vexation of her lover, whose name is Carados Briebras. The
varlet explains to her the quality of the mantle, and Carados, in
verses very honorable to his heart, begs that she will not put it on if
she has any misgivings.[214] The lady says very meekly that she
dare not boast being better than other people, but, if it so please her
lord, she will willingly don the mantle. This she does, and in sight of
all the barons it is neither too short nor too long. "It was well we
sent for her," says the varlet. "Lady, your lover ought to be
delighted. I have carried this mantle to many courts, and of more
than a thousand who have put it on you are the only one that has
escaped disgrace. I give it to you, and well you deserve it." The king
confirms the gift, and no one can gainsay.
A Norse prose translation of the French fabliau was executed by
order of the Norwegian king, Hákon Hákonarson, whose reign covers
the years 1217-63. Of this translation, 'Möttuls Saga,' a fragment has
come down which is as old as 1300; there are also portions of a
manuscript which is assigned to about 1400, and two transcripts of
this latter, made when it was complete, besides other less important
copies. This translation, which is reasonably close and was made
from a good exemplar, has been most excellently edited by Messrs
Cederschiöld and Wulff, Versions nordiques du Fabliau Le Mantel
Mautaillié, Lund, 1877, p. 1.[215] It presents no divergences from the
story as just given which are material here.
Not so with the 'Skikkju Rímur,' or Mantle Rhymes, an Icelandic
composition of the fifteenth century, in three parts, embracing in all
one hundred and eighty-five four-line stanzas: Cederschiöld and
Wulff, p. 51. In these the story is told with additions, which occur
partially in our ballad. The mantle is of white velvet. Three elf-
women had been not less than fifteen years in weaving it, and it
seemed both yellow and gray, green and black, red and blue: II, 22,
23, 26. Our English minstrel describes these variations of color as
occurring after Guenever had put the mantle on: stanzas 11, 12.
Again, there are among the Pentecostal guests a king and queen of
Dwarf Land; a beardless king of Small-Maids Land, with a queen
eight years old; and a King Felix, three hundred years old, with a
beard to the crotch, and a wife, tall and fat, to whom he has been
two centuries married,—all these severally attended by generous
retinues of pigmies, juveniles, and seniors: I, 28-35; III, 41. Felix is
of course the prototype of the old knight pattering over a creed in
stanzas 21-24 of the ballad, and he will have his representative in
several other pieces presently to be spoken of. In the end Arthur
sends all the ladies from his court in disgrace, and his knights to the
wars; we will get better wives, he says: III, 74, 75.
The land of Small-Maids and the long-lived race are mentioned in a
brief geographical chapter (the thirteenth) of that singular
gallimaufry the saga of Samson the Fair, but not in connection with a
probation by the mantle, though this saga has appropriated portions
of the story. Here the mantle is one which four fairies have worked
at for eighteen years, as a penalty for stealing from the fleece of a
very remarkable ram; and it is of this same fleece, described as
being of all hues, gold, silk, ok kolors, that the mantle is woven. It
would hold off from an unchaste woman and fall off from a thief.
Quintalin, to ransom his life, undertakes to get the mantle for
Samson. Its virtue is tried at two weddings, the second being
Samson's; and on this last occasion Valentina, Samson's bride, is the
only woman who can put it on. The mantle is given to Valentina, as
in the fabliau to Carados's wife, but nevertheless we hear later of its
being presented by Samson to another lady, who, a good while after,
was robbed of the same by a pirate, and the mantle carried to
Africa. From Africa it was sent to our Arthur by a lady named Elida,
"and hence the saga of the mantle."[216] Björner, Nordiska Kämpa
Dater, cc 12, 14, 15, 21, 22, 24.
There is also an incomplete German version of the fabliau, now
credibly shown to be the work of Heinrich von dem Türlin, dating
from the earliest years of the thirteenth century.[217] Though the
author has dealt freely with his original, there are indications that
this, like the Möttulssaga, was founded upon some version of the
fabliau which is not now extant. One of these is an agreement
between vv 574-6 and the sixth stanza of our ballad. The mantle, in
English, is enclosed between two nut-shells;[218] in German, the bag
from which it is taken is hardly a span wide. In the Möttulssaga, p.
9, l. 6, the mantle comes from a púss, a small bag hanging on the
belt; in Ulrich von Zatzikhoven's Lanzelet, from ein mæzigez
teschelîn, and in the latter case the mantle instantaneously expands
to full size (Warnatsch); it is also of all colors known to man, vv
5807-19. Again, when Guenever had put on the mantle, st. 10 of our
ballad, "it was from the top to the toe as sheeres had itt shread." So
in 'Der Mantel,' vv 732, 733:

Unde [== unten] het man in zerizzen,


Oder mit mezzern zesnitten.[219]

The Lanzelet of Ulrich von Zatzikhoven, dating from the first years of
the thirteenth century, with peculiarities of detail and a partially new
set of names, presents the outline of the same story. A sea-fairy
sends a maid to Arthur with a magnificent gift, which is, however,
conditioned upon his granting a boon. Arthur assents, and the maid
takes, from a small bag which she wears at her girdle, a mantle,
which is of all colors that man ever saw or heard of, and is worked
with every manner of beast, fowl, and strange fish. The king's
promise obliges him to make all the court ladies don the mantle, she
to have it whom it perfectly fits. More than two hundred try, and
there is no absolute fit.[220] But Iblis, Lanzelet's wife, is not present:
she is languishing on account of his absence on a dangerous
adventure. She is sent for, and by general agreement the mantle is,
on her, the best-fitting garment woman ever wore. Ed. Hahn, vv
5746-6135.
The adventure of the Mantle is very briefly reported to Gawain,
when on his way with Ydain to Arthur, by a youth who had just come
from the court, in terms entirely according with the French fabliau, in
Messire Gauvain, ou La Vengeance de Raguidel, by the trouvère
Raoul, ed. Hippeau, p. 135 ff, vv 3906-55, and in the Dutch Lancelot,
ed. Jonckbloet, Part II, p. 85, vv 12,500-527, poems of the
thirteenth century. The one lady whom the mantle fits is in the latter
Carados vrindinne, in the other l'amie Caraduel Briefbras.
The Scalachronica, by Sir Thomas Gray of Heton, a chronicle of
England and Scotland, 1066-1362, begun in 1355, gives the analysis
of many romances, and that of the adventure of the Mantle in this
form. There was sent to Arthur's court the mantle of Karodes, which
was of such virtue that it would fit no woman who was not willing
that her husband should know both her act and her thought.[221]
This was the occasion of much mirth, for the mantle was either too
short, or too long, or too tight, for all the ladies except Karodes'
wife. And it was said that this mantle was sent by the father of
Karodes, a magician, to prove the goodness of his son's wife.[222]
Two fifteenth-century German versions of the Mantle story give it a
shape of their own. In Fastnachtspiele aus dem fünfzehnten
Jahrhundert, II, 665, No 81, 'Der Luneten Mantel,' the amiable
Lunet, so well and favorably known in romances, takes the place of
the English boy and French varlet. The story has the usual course.
The mantle is unsuccessfully tried by Arthur's queen, by the wife of
the Greek emperor, and by the queen of Lorraine. The king of Spain,
who announces himself as the oldest man present, is willing to
excuse his wife, who is the youngest of the royal ladies. She says, If
we lack lands and gold, "so sei wir doch an eren reich," offers
herself to the test with the fearlessness of innocence, and comes off
clear, to the delight of her aged spouse. A meistergesang, Bruns,
Beiträge zur kritischen Bearbeitung alter Handschriften, p. 143,[223]
'Lanethen Mantel,' again awards the prize to the young wife of a
very old knight. Laneth, a clean maid, who is Arthur's niece, having
made herself poor by her bounty, is cast off by her uncle's wife and
accused of loose behavior. She makes her trouble known to a dwarf,
a good friend of her father's, and receives from him a mantle to take
to Arthur's court: if anybody huffs her, she is to put it to use. The
queen opens upon Laneth, as soon as she appears, with language
not unlike that which she employs of Cradock's wife in stanzas 33,
34 of the ballad. The mantle is offered to any lady that it will fit. In
front it comes to the queen's knee, and it drags on the ground
behind. Three hundred and fifty knights' ladies fare as ill as the
sovereign.[224]
The Dean of Lismore's collection of Gaelic poetry, made in the early
part of the sixteenth century, contains a ballad, obscure in places,
but clearly presenting the outlines of the English ballad or French
fabliau.[225] Finn, Diarmaid, and four other heroes are drinking, with
their six wives. The women take too much, and fall to boasting of
their chastity. While they are so engaged, a maid approaches who is
clad in a seamless robe of pure white. She sits down by Finn, and he
asks her what is the virtue of the garment. She replies that her
seamless robe will completely cover none but the spotless wife.
Conan, a sort of Kay, says, Give it to my wife at once, that we may
learn the truth of what they have been saying. The robe shrinks into
folds, and Conan is so angry that he seizes his spear and kills his
wife.[226] Diarmaid's wife tries, and the robe clings about her hair;
Oscar's, and it does not reach to her middle; Maighinis, Finn's wife,
and it folds around her ears. MacRea's wife only is completely
covered. The 'daughter of Deirg,' certainly a wife of Finn, and here
seemingly to be identified with Maighinis, claims the robe: she has
done nothing to be ashamed of; she has erred only with Finn. Finn
curses her and womankind, "because of her who came that day."
The probation by the Horn runs parallel with that by the Mantle, with
which it is combined in the English ballad. Whether this or that is the
anterior creation it is not possible to say, though the 'Lai du Corn' is,
beyond question, as Ferdinand Wolf held, of a more original stamp,
fresher and more in the popular vein than the fabliau of the Mantle,
as we have it.[227] The 'Lai du Corn,' preserved in a single not very
early manuscript (Digby 86, Bodleian Library, "of the second half of
the thirteenth or beginning of the fourteenth century"), may well
belong, where Wolf puts it, in the middle of the twelfth. Robert
Bikez, the jongleur who composed it, attributes the first authorship
to "Garadue," the hero, and says that he himself derived the story
from the oral communication of an abbé. Arthur has assembled
thirty thousand knights at a feast at Pentecost, and each of them is
paired with a lady. Before dinner there arrives a donzel, with an ivory
horn adorned with four gold bands and rich jewels. This horn has
been sent Arthur by Mangounz, king of Moraine. The youth is told to
take his place before the king, who promises to knight him after
dinner and give him a handsome present the next day; but he
laughingly excuses himself, on the ground that it is not proper for a
squire to eat at a knight's table, and retires. Arthur sees that there is
an inscription on the horn, and desires that his "chapelein" may read
it. Everybody is eager to hear, but some repent afterwards. The horn
was made by a fairy, who endued it with this quality, that no man
should drink of it without spilling, if his wife had not been true in act
and thought. Even the queen hung her head, and so did all the
barons that had wives. The maids jested, and looked at their lovers
with "Now we shall see." Arthur was offended, but ordered Kay to
fill. The king drank and spilled; seized a knife, and was about to
strike the queen, but was withheld by his knights. Gawain gallantly
came to the queen's vindication. "Be not such a churl," he said, "for
there is no married woman but has her foolish thought." The queen
demanded an ordeal by fire: if a hair of her were burned, she would
be torn by horses. She confessed that the horn was in so far right
that she had once given a ring to a youth who had killed a giant that
had accused Gawain of treason, etc. She thought this youth would
be a desirable addition to the court. Arthur was not convinced: he
would make everybody try the horn now, king, duke, and count, for
he would not be the only one to be shamed. Eleven kings, thirty
counts, all who essay, spill: they are very angry, and bid the devil
take him who brought and him who sent the horn. When Arthur saw
this, he began to laugh: he regarded the horn as a great present, he
said, and he would part with it to nobody except the man that could
drink out of it. The queen blushed so prettily that he kissed her
three times, and asked her pardon for his bad humor. The queen
said, Let everybody take the horn, small and great. There was a
knight who was the happiest man in all the court, the least a
braggart, the most mannerly, and the most redoubtable after
Gawain. His name was Garadue, and he had a wife, mout leal, who
was a fairy for beauty, and surpassed by none but the queen.
Garadue looked at her. She did not change color. "Drink," she said;
"indeed, you are at fault to hesitate." She would never have husband
but him: for a woman should be a dove, and accept no second
mate. Garadue was naturally very much pleased: he sprang to his
feet, took the horn, and, crying Wassail! to the king, drank out every
drop. Arthur presented him with Cirencester, and, for his wife's sake,
with the horn, which was exhibited there on great days.
The romance of Perceval le Gallois, by Chrestien de Troyes and
others (second half of the twelfth century), describes Arthur, like the
fabliau, as putting off dinner till he should hear of some strange
news or adventure. A knight rides into the hall, with an ivory horn,
gold-banded and richly jewelled, hanging from his neck, and
presents it to the king. Have it filled with pure water, says the bearer,
and the water will turn to the best wine in the world, enough for all
who are present. "A rich present!" exclaims Kay. But no knight
whose wife or love has betrayed him shall drink without spilling. "Or
empire vostre présens," says Kay. The king has the horn filled, and
does not heed Guenever, who begs him not to drink, for it is some
enchantment, to shame honest folk. "Then I pray God," says the
queen, "that if you try to drink you may be wet." The king essays to
drink, and Guenever has her prayer. Kay has the same luck, and all
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