Two Favourite Ballads. The Babes in the Wood. Lord Gregory.
Files
Title
Two Favourite Ballads. The Babes in the Wood. Lord Gregory.
Alternative Title
The Babes in the Woods
Lord Gregory
Publisher
Glasgow: Printed for the Booksellers
Date
1840-1850 per University of Glasgow Union Catalogue of Scottish Chapbooks
Extent
8 pages
15 cm
Identifier
Description
7 printed at the bottom of the title-page
Abstract
Two ballads are included in this chapbook. The first is a rather long moral tale that tells of two children whose parents die of illness and who are consequently to be raised by their uncle until they come into their inheritance. The uncle, scheming for their wealth, hires two robbers to kill them in the wood. When they see the children, one repents and kills the other one who is still intent on murdering them. The surviving robber takes the children with them, but leaves them in the wood while he goes to town to get food, and they wander off and die anyway. In the end, God punishes the evil doers, especially the uncle who suffers the loss of all his property and family. The final verse specifically states that this should be a lesson to all “executors” and “overseers” who might be tempted by greed to take their ward’s wealth for themselves. The second is the lament of a young woman vainly beseeching her love, Lord Gregory, to let her in after she has been cast out by her father for loving and giving up her virginity to her lord.
Subject
Ballads and songs
Courtship and Marriage
Crime
Religion and Morals
Chapbooks - Scotland - Glasgow
Fairy Tales & Folklore
Source
Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library, Guelph, Ontario
Is Referenced By
University of Glasgow Union Catalogue of Scottish Chapbooks http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/chapbooks/search/
Format
JPEGs and PDF derived from master file, which was scanned from the original book in 24-bit color at 600 dpi in TIFF format using an Epson Expression 10000XL scanner.
Rights
In the public domain; For higher quality reproductions, contact Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. libaspc@uoguelph.ca 519-824-4120, Ext. 53413
Contributor
Archival and Special Collections, University of Guelph Library, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Citation
“Two Favourite Ballads. The Babes in the Wood. Lord Gregory.,” Scottish Chapbooks, accessed April 19, 2024, https://scottishchapbooks.lib.uoguelph.ca/items/show/717.
