"Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation" was written by the famed poet Robert Burns in 1791. He decried those members of the Parliament of Scotland who signed the Act of Union with England in 1707, some of whom were said to have been bribed. Burns contrasted their supposed treachery to the country with the tradition of martial valor and resistance commonly associated with such historic figures as Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. It was recorded by Ewan MacColl on The Real MacColl and, more recently, Steeleye Span on Parcel of Rogues. It was also recorded by The Corries, Alastair McDonald, Jean Redpath, The Dubliners, Dick Gaughan, Makem and Clancy, Hamish Imlach and Old Blind Dogs. I learned it from the Steeleye Span recording.