The ballad - Index of

The Ballad
Gray's eulogy of the ballad, written about the
same time as the production of the play, both
illuminates the methods of dramatic construction
in 1756 and pounces on a marked characteristic
of all
good ballads. The ballad, says Gray,
"
begins in the fifth act of the play." A short
study of an index of first lines of any collection
will testify that this is
just
what good
ballads do.
Child, Maurice begins with no hint of tragedy ;
we are simply introduced to the Child (which
"
means no more than the Knight) hunting in the
silver wood." He sends a message, by the " little
foot-page " so common in ballads, to John
Steward's wife, to come to the silver wood to
hunt with him. The boy delivers the message
faithfully (it is a long one), and the lady bids him
hold his peace, lest
my lord should hear. My
lord, in fact, is is listening even writing down
the message. He takes horse, finds Child Maurice
combing his hair in the silver wood, and challenges
him. They fight. John Steward kills
Child Maurice, cuts off his head, and carries it
home to confront his lady with it. Now, up to
this point we may suspect that John Steward is
But
justified.
"When she looked on Child Maurice' head,
She never spoke words but three :
' I never bare no child but one,
And you have slain him truly.'
"
48