written in the early summer of 1830, for on _June_ 1_st_ of
that year Borrow wrote to Dr. Bowring:

_I send you_ "_Hafbur and Signe_" _to deposit in the Scandinavian
Treasury_ [i.e. among the _Songs of Scandinavia_].

The later Manuscript was written in or about the year 1854.

The earlier of these two Manuscripts is in the collection of Mr. Herbert
T. Butler. The later Manuscript is in my own library.

As is usually the case when two Manuscripts of one of Borrow's ballads
are available, the difference in poetical value of the two versions of
_Hafbur and Signe_ is considerably. Few examples could exhibit more
distinctly the advance made by Borrow in the art of poetical composition
during the interval. Here are some stanzas from the version of 1854.

_So late it was at nightly tide_,
_Down fell the dew o'er hill and mead_;
_Then lists it her proud Signild fair_
_With all the rest to bed to speed_.

"_O where shall I a bed procure_?"
_Said Hafbur then_, _the King's good son_.
"_O thou shalt rest in chamber best_
_With me the bolsters blue upon_."

_Proud Signild foremost went_, _and stepped_
_The threshold of her chamber o'er_;
_With secret glee came Hafbur_, _he_
_Had never been so glad before_.

_Then lighted they the waxen lights_,
_So fairly twisted were the same_.
_Behind_, _behind_, _with ill at mind_,
_The wicked servant maiden came_

The following are the parallel stanzas from the version of 1830

_So late it was in the nightly tide_,
_Dew fell o'er hill and mead_;
_Then listed her proud Signild fair_
_With the rest to bed to speed_.

"_O where shall I a bed procure_?"
_Said Hafbour the King's good son_.
"_In the chamber best with me thou shalt rest_,
_The bolsters blue upon_."

_Proud Signild foremost went and stepp'd_
_The high chamber's threshold o'er_,
_Prince Hafbour came after with secret laughter_,
_He'd ne'er been delighted more_

_Then lighted they the waxen lights_,
_Fair twisted were the same_.
_Behind_, _behind with ill in her mind_
_The wicked servant came_.

I give herewith a reduced facsimile of the last page of each Manuscript.

[Picture: Hafbur and Signe--1830]

[Picture: Hafbur and Signe--1854]

There is a copy of _Hafbur and Signe A Ballad_ in