Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Scots musical museum > Volume 5

CCCCXI. TAM LIN. 369
1549. The air, to which the words are uniformly chanted,
had probably been used in former ages as a dancing tune,
for the Dance of Thorn ofLynn^ which seems a variation of
Tarn Lin, is noticed in the same work.
The ballad is likewise quoted in a Christmas or Yule
Medley, inserted in Wode's manuscript of the Psalms of
David, set to music, (the bass part) with the following doc-
quet. " Set in IIII partes be an honorable man ; David
Peables, I, S. Noted and wreattin by me Thomas Wode,
1. December, a. d. 1566." This part of a curious and
unique musical work, now lying before me, is at present
(1820) the property of William Blackwood, Esq. bookseller
in Edinburgh. The sopi-ano part of the same work, written
by the same person, belonging to the College Library of
Edinburgh, has likewise been sent to the Editor for perusal,
through the kindness of Principal Baird and Dr Duncan,
junior. The reader is here presented with a few lines of
this curious old medley.
" I saw three ladies fair
Singing, hey and how, upon yon green land-a;
I saw three marinells
Sing, row rinn below, upon yon sea strand-a.
As they begoud their notts to toone.
The pyper's drone was out of toone.
Sing, Jollie Robin ; sing. Young Thomlin.
Be mirrie, be mirrie, be mirrie, be mirrie.
And twice so mirrie with the light of the moon;
Hey, hey, downe a downe ; hey, downe a downe-a."
Sir W. Scott, in his " Minstrelsy of the Border," ob-
serves, that, like every popular subject, the tale of Tam Lin
seems to have been frequently parodied as a burlesque bal-
lad, beginning " Tom o"" the Lin was a Scotsman born," is
still well known ; and that he had seen it alluded to in ano-
ther ancient manuscript in the possession of John Graham
Dalyell, Esq. advocate, Edinburgh.
A fragment of this ballad, under the title of " Kerton
HaV or " the Fairy Court," is in Herd's Collection. It
begins —