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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


R     E     L     I     Q^   U     E     S 

O   F 

ANCIENT  ENGLISH  POETRY, 

VOL.     I. 


apifcl  ///WvW/-  /tnx/rrn 
majestic  j/brcc  rfor  mov'd.  tin-  b 
And  tftretiw  atut  nature  -made. 


EOWP. 


R   E   L   I 


U   E    S 


O  F 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH   POETRY: 

CONSISTING     OF 

Old  Heroic  BALLADS,    SONGS,  and  other 
PIECES  of  our  earlier  POETS, 

Together  with  fome  few  of  later  Date. 

THE    THIRD     EDITION. 

VOLUME    THE   FIRST. 


LONDON: 

Printed  for  J.  D  o  D  s  L  E  y  in  Pall  Mall. 
MDCCLXXV. 


TO 

THE  RIGHT  HONOURABLE 

ELIZABETH 
COUNTESS  OF  NORTHUMBERLAND  : 

IN  HER  OWN  RIGHT 
ONESS  PERCY,  LUCY,  POYNINGS,  FITZ-PAYNZ, 
BRYAN,  AND  LATIMER, 


MADAM, 

F~T\  HOSE  writers,  who  folicit  the  proteC- 

•*•       tion  of  the  noble  and  the  great,  are 

often  expofed  to  cenfure  by  the  impropriety 

of  their  addrefles  :  a  remark  that  will  perhaps 

A  4  be 

288G41 


(  vi'ri  ) 

be  too  readily  applied  to  him,  who  having 
nothing  better  to  offer  than  the  rude  Songs 
of  ancient  Minftrels,  afpires  to  the  patronage 
of  the  Countefs  of  NORTHUMBERLAND,  and 
hopes  that  the  barbarous  productions  of  un- 
poliihed  ages  can  obtain  the  approbation  or 
the  notice  of  her,  who  adorns  courts  by  her 
prefence,  and  diffufcs  elegance  by  her  ex- 
ample. 

But  this  impropriety,  it  is  prefumed,  will 
difappear,  when  it  is  declared  that  thefe  poems 
are  prefented  to  your  LADYSHIP,  not  as  la- 
bours of  art,  but  as  effufions  of  nature,  mew- 
ing the  firft  efforts  of  ancient  genius,  and  ex- 
hibiting the  cuftoms  and  opinions  of  remote 
ages  :  of  ages  that  had  been  almoft  loft  to 
memory,  had  not  the  gallant  deeds  of  your 
illuflrious  Anceftors  preferved  them  from  ob- 
livion. 

No  acYive  or  comprehenfive  mind  can  far- 
bear  fomc  attention  to  the  reliques  of  anti- 
quity : 


quity  :  It  is  prompted  by  natural  curiofity  to 
furvey  the  progrefs  of  life  and  manners,  and 
to  inquire  by  what  gradations  barbarity  was 
civilized,  groflhefs  refined,  and  ignorance  in- 
ftructed  :  but  this  curiofity,  MADAM,  muft  be 
ftronger  in  thofe,  who,  like  your  LADYSHIP, 
can  remark  in  every  period  the  influence  of 
fome  great  Progenitor,  and  who  ftill  feel  in 
their  effects  the  tranfactions  and  events  of 
diftant  centuries. 

By  fuch  Bards,  MADAM,  as  I  am  now  in- 
troducing to  your  prefence,  was  the  infancy  of 
genius  nurtured  and  advanced  ;  by  fuch  were 
the  minds  of  unletter'd  warriors  foftened  and 
enlarged  j  by  fuch  was  the  memory  of  illu- 
ftrious  actions  prefervc d  and  propagated  ;  by 
fuch  were  the  heroic  deeds  of  the  Earls  of 
NORTHUMBERLAND  fung  at  feftivals  in  the 
hall  of  ALNWICK  :  and  thofe  Songs,  which 
the  bounty  of  your  anccftors  rewarded,  now 
return  to  your  LADYSHIP  by  a  kind  of  here- 
ditary right ;  and,  I  flatter  myfelf,  will  find 

fuch 


(X    ) 

fuch  reception,  as  is  ufually  fhewn  to  poets  and 
hiftorians,  by  thofe  whofe  confcioufnefs  of 
merit  makes  it  their  intereft  to  be  long  re- 
membered. 

I  am, 

MADAM, 

Your  LADYSHIP'S 
Moil  Humble,  and 

Moil  devoted  Servant, 


MDCCLXV.  THOMAS    PERCY. 


(     xi    ) 


The    P  R  E    F  A  C  E. 


THE  Reader  is  here  prefentcd  with  feleft  remains  of 
our  ancient  Englifh  Bards  and  Minftrels,  an  order  o'f 
men  who  were  once  greatly  refpedted  by  our  anceftors, 
and  contributed  tofoften  theroughnefs  of  a  martial  and 
unlettered  people  by  their  fongs  and  by  their  mufic. 

The  greater  part  of  them  are  extracted  from  an  an- 
cient folio  Manufcript,  in  the  Editor's  pofleffion,  which 
contains  near  200  poems,  Songs,  and  metrical  romances. 
This  MS.  was  written  about  the  middle  of  the  laft  cen- 
tury, but  contains  compofitions  of  all  times  and  dates, 
from  the  ages  prior  to  Chaucer,  to  the  conclufion  of  the 
reign  of  Charles  I. 

This  Manufcript  was  (hown  to  feveral  learned  and 
ingenious  friends,  who  thought  the  contents  too  curious 
to  be  consigned  to  oblivion,  and  importuned  the  pof- 
feflbr  to  feleft  fome  of  them,  and  give  them  to  the 
prefs.  As  moft  of  them  are  of  great  fimplicity,  and 
feem  to  have  been  merely  written  for  the  people,  he 
was  long  in  doubt,  whether,  in  the  prefent  ftate  of  im- 
proved literature,  they  could  be  deemed  worthy  the  at- 
tention of  the  public.  At  length  the  importunity  of  his 
friends  prevailed,  and  he  could  refufe  nothing  to  fuch 
judges  as  the  Author  of  the  RAMBLER,  and  the  late 

Mr.    SHENSTONt. 

Accordingly  fuch  fpecimens  of  ancient  poetry  have 
been  felefted,  as  either  fhew  the  gradation  of  our  lan- 
guage, exhibit  the  progrefs  of  popular  opinions,  dif- 
play  the  peculiar  manners  and  cuftoms  of  former  ages, 
or  throw  light  on  our  earlier  claffical  poets. 

They 


jcli  PREFACE. 

They  are  here  diflributed  into  VOLUMES,  each 
of  which  contains  an  independent  SERIES  of  poems 
arranged  chiefly  according  to  the  order  of  time, 
and  (bowing  the  gradual  improvements  of  the  Englifli 
language  and  poetry  from  the  earlieft  ages  down  to 
the  prefent.  Each  VOLUME,  or  SERIES,  is  divided 
into  three  BOOKS,  to  affp/d  fo  many  paufes,  or  refting- 
places  to  the  Reader,  and  to  affift  him  in  diftinguifhing 
between  the  productions  of  the  earlier,  the  middle,  and 
the  latter  times. 

In  a  polilhed  age,  like  the  prefent,  I  am  fenfible  that 
many  of  thefe  reliques  of  antiquity  will  require  great 
allowances  to  be  made  for  them.  Yet  have  they,  for 
the  moft  part,  a  pleafmg  fimplicity,  and  many  artlefs 
graces,  which  in  the  opinion  of  no  mean  Critics  *  have 
been  thought  to  compenfate  for  the  want  of  higher/ 
beauties,  and  if  they  do  not  dazzle  the  imagination, 
are  frequently  found  to  intereil  the  heart. 

To  atone  for  the  rudenefs  cf  the  more  obfolete  poems, 
each  volume  concludes  with  a  few  modern  attempts  in, 
the  fame  kind  of  writing :  And  to  take  off  from  the 
tedioufnefs  of  the  longer  narratives,  they  are  every- 
where intermingled  with  little  elegant  pieces  of  the 
lyric  kind.  Select  ballads  in  the  old  Scottifh  dialect, 
moft  of  them  of  the  firft-rate  merit,  are  alfo  inter- 
fperfed  among  thofe  of  our  ancient  Englifn  Minftrels : 
and  the  artlefs  productions  of  thefe  old  rhapfodifts,  are 
occafionally  confronted  with  fpecimens  of  the  compo- 
fition  of  contemporary  poets  of  a  higher  clafs  :  of  thofe 
who  had  all  the  advantages  of  learning  in  the  times  in, 
which  they  lived,  and  who  wrote  for  fame  and  for  po- 
fterity.  Yet  perhaps  the  palm  will  be  frequently  due 
to  the  old  ftrolling  Minftrels,  who  compofed  their 
rbimes  to  be  fung  to  their  harps,  and  who  looked  no 

farther 

»  Mr.  ADDISON,  Mr.  DRYDEN,  and  the  witty  Lord  DORSET, 
&c.  See  the  Speftator,  No.  70.  To  theft  might  be  added  many- 
eminent  judges  now  alive The  learned  SELDEN  appears  alfo  t» 

have  been  fond  of  colktting  thefe  old  things.    See  below. 


PREFACE.  xili 

. 

farther  than    for   prefent   applaufe,   and   prefent   fub- 
fiftence. 

The  Reader  will  find  this  clafs  of  men  occafionally 
defcribed  in  the  following  volumes,  and  fome  particu- 
lars relating  to  their  hiitory  in  an  Eflay  fubjoined  to 
this  preface. 

It  will  be  proper  here  to  give  a  ftiort  account  of  the 
other  Collections  that  were  confulted,  and  to  make  my 
acknowledgments  to  thcfe  gentlemen,  who  were  fo 
kind  as  to  impart  extracts  from  them  :  for  while  this 
feledtion  was  making,  a  great  number  of  ingenious 
friends  took  a  fhare  in  the  work,  and  explored  many 
large  repofitories  in  its  favour. 

The  firft  of  thefe  that  deferved  notice  was  the  Pepyfian 
library  at  Magdalen  College,  Cambridge.  Its  founder, 
SAM.  PEPYS  *,  Efq;  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty  in  the 
reigns  of  Charles  II.  and  James  II.  had  made  a  large 
collection  of  ancient  Englifh  ballads,  near  2000  in 
number,  which  he  has  left  pafted  in  five  volumes  in. 
folio  ;  befides  Garlands  and  other  fmaller  mifcellanies. 
This  collection  he  tells  us  was  '*  Begun  by  Mr.  SELDEN  ; 
"  improved  by  the  addition  of  many  pieces  elder  thereto 
"  in.  time;  and  the  whole  continued  down  to  the  year 
"  1700  ;  when  the  form  peculiar  till  then  thereto,  viz. 
"  of  the  black  Letter  with  pictures,  feems  (for  cheap- 
"  nefs  fake)  wholly  laid  afide  for  that  of  the  white 
"  Letter  without  pictures." 

In  the  Aflimole  Library  at  Cxford  is  a  fmall  col- 
lection of  Ballads  made  by  Anthony  Wood  in  the  year 
1676,  containing  fomewhat  more  than  200.  Many 
ancient  popular  poems  are  alio  preferved  in  the  Bodleyan 
Library. 

1'he  archives  of  the  Antiquarian  Society  at  London 
contain  a  mukitude  of  curious  political  poems  in  large 

*  A  life  of  our  curious  collector  Mr.  PEFYS,  may  be  feen  in 
"  The  continuation  of  Mr.  Collier'j  Supplement  to  his  Great  DiifHon. 
"  1715.31  the  end  of  vol.  3d  folio.  Ah.  I'EP." 

7  folio 


Xiv  PREFACE. 

folio  volumes,  digefled  under  the  feveral  reigns  of 
Hen.  VIII.  Edw.  VI.  Maty,  Elizabeth,  James  I.  &c. 

In  the-Britilh  Mufeura  is  preferved  a  large  treafure  of 
ancient  Englifh  poems  in  MS.  befides  one  folio  volume 
of  printed  ballads. 

From  all  thefe  fome  of  the  belt  pieces  were  feleaed, 
and  from  many  private  collections,  as  well  printed,  as 
znanufcript  :  particularly  from,  one  large  folio  volume 
which  was  lent  by  a  lady. 

Amid  fuch  a  fund  of  materials,  the  Editor  is  afraid 
he  has  been  fometimes  led  to  make  too  great  a  parade  of 
his  authorities.  The  defire  of  being  accurate  has  per- 
haps feduced  him  into  too  minute  and  trifling  an  cx- 
a&nefs  ;  and  in  purfuit  of  information  he  may  have 
been  drawn  into  many  a  petty  and  frivolous  refearch. 
It  was  however  neceffary  to  give  fome  account  of  th« 
old  copies,  though  often  for  the  fake  of  brevity  one  or 
two  of  thefe  only  are  mentioned,  where  yet  affitlance 
was  received  from  feveral  *.  Where  any  thing  was  al- 
tered that  deferved  particular  notice,  the  pafTage  is  dif- 
tinguifhcd  by  two  inverted  '  commas'.  And  the  Edi- 
tor has  endeavoured  to  be  as  faithful,  as  the  imperfefl 
ftate  of  his  materials  would  admit :  for  thefe  old  popu- 
lar rhymes  have,  as  might  be  expe&ed,  been  handed 
down  to  us  with  lefs  care,  than  any  other  writings  in 
the  world. 

The  plan  of  the  work  was  fettled  in  concert  with  the 
late  elegant  Mr,  SHENSTONE,  who  was  to  have  borne  a 
joint  (hare  in  it  had  not  death  unhappily  prevented 
him  :  Moft  of  the  modern  pieces  were  of  his  leleftion 
and  arrangement,  and  the  Editor  hopes  to  be  pardoned 
if  he  has  retained  fome  things  out  of  partiality  to 
the  judgment  of  his  friend.  The  large  MS.  collection 
of  poems  was  a  prefent  from  HUMPHREY  PITT,  Efq; 
of  Priors-Lee,  in  Shroplhire,  to  whom  this  public  ac- 

_  •  Thus  in  Book  I.  No.  IV.  of  this  vol.  one  MS.  only  is  rrwn- 
tioned,  tho'  fome  additional  ftanzas  \vere  recovered  from  another  frag- 
ment :  and  this  has  fometimes  been  the  cate  elfewhere. 

6  knowledgment 


PREFACE.  xv 

knowledgment  is  due  for  that,  and  many  other  obli- 
ging favours.  To  Sir  DAVID  DALRYMPLE,  Bart,  of 
Hales,  near  Edinburgh,  the  Editor  is  indebted  for  moft 
of  the  beautiful  Scottifh  poems,  with  which  this  little 
mifcellany  is  enriched,  and  for  many  curious  and  ele- 
gant remarks  with  which  they  are  illuftrated.  Some 
obliging  communications  of  the  fame  kind  were  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  JOHN  MAC  GOWAN,  of  Edinburgh  :  and 
many  curious  explanations  of  Scottifh  words  in  the 
gloflaries  from  Mr.  JOHN  DAVIDSON,  of  Edinburgh, 
and  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  HUTCHINSON,  of  Kimbolton. 
Mr.  WARTON,  who  has  twice  done  fo  much  honour  to 
the  Poetry  Profeffor's  chair  at  Oxford,  and  Mr.  HEST 
of  Worceiter  College,  contributed  fome  curious  pieces 
from  the  Oxford  libraries.  Two  ingenious  and  learned 
friends  at  Cambridge  deferve  the  Editor's  warmeft  ac- 
knowledgments :  to  Mr.  BLAKEWAY,  late  fellow  of 
Magdalen  College,  he  owes  all  the  affiftance  received 
from  the  Pepyfian  library:  and  Mr.  FARMER,  fellow 
of  Emanuel,  often  exerted  in  fav.our  of  this  little  work, 
that  extenfive  knowledge  of  ancient  Englifh  literature 
for  which  he  is  fo  dittinguifhed  *.  Many  extra&s  from 
ancient  MSS.  in  the  Britifh  Mufeum  and  other  repofi- 
tories,  were  owing  to  the  kind  fervices  of  Mr  ASTI.K  f, 
to  whom  the  public  is  indebted  for  the  curious  Preface  and 
Index  lately  annexed  to  the  Harleian  catalogue.  The 
worthy  Librarian  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  deferves 
acknowledgment  for  the  obliging  manner  in  which  he 
gave  the  Editor  accefs  to  the  volumes  under  his  care.  In 

*  To  the  fame  learned  and  ingenious  friend,  now  Mafter  of  Erru- 
Muel  College,  the  Editor  is  indebted  for  many  corrections  and  im- 
provements in  his  SECOND  and  THIRD  Edition:  as  alfo  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  BOWL E  of  Idmerflon  near  Salilbury  ;  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  COLE 
formerly  of  Blecheley  near  Fenny-Stratford,  Bucks ;  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  LAMBE  of  Noreham  in  Northumberland  (author  of  a  learned 
"  Hiftory  of  Chefs."  1764,  8vo.  and  Editor  of  a  curious  "  Poem  on 
the  Battl?  of  Flodden  Field,"  with  learned  Notes.  1774,  8vo.)  and 
to  fome  other  gentlemen  in  the  north. 

f  Now  Keeper  of  the  Kecordr  in  the  tower. 

Mr. 


xvi  PREFACE. 

Mr.  GARRICK'S  carious  collection  of  old  plays  are 
many  fcarce  pieces  of  ancient  poetry,  with  the  free  ufe 
of  which  he  indulged  the  Editor,  in  the  politeft  manner. 
To  the  Rev.  Dr.  BIRCH  he  is  indebted  for  the  ufe  of 
feveral  ancient  and  curious  tracts.  To  the  friendfhip  of 
Dr.  SAMUEL  JOHNSON  he  owes  many  valuable  hints  for 
the  conduct  of  the  work.  And  if"  the  GlofTaries  are  more 
exaft  and  curious,  than  might  be  expected  in  fo  flight  a 
publication,  it  is  to  be  afcribed  to  the  fupervifal  of  a 
friend,  who  ftands  at  this  time  the  firft  in  the  world  for 
northern  literature,  and  whofe  learning  is  better  known 
and  refpected  in  foreign  nations,  than  in  his  own  coun- 
try. It  is  perhaps  needlefs  to  name  the  Rev.  Mr.  LYE, 
Editor  of  Junius's  Etymologicum  and  of  the  Gothic 
gofpels. 

The  NAMES  of  fo  many  men  of  learning  and  charac- 
ter the  Editor  ho;  es  will  ferve  as  an  amulet  to  guard 
him  from  every  unfavourable  c:nfure,  for  having  be- 
fiowed  any  attention  on  a  parcel  of  OLD  BALLADS.  It 
was  at  the  requeit  of  many  of  thefe  gentlemen,  and  of 
others  eminent  for  their  genius,  and  tafte,  that  this  little 
work  was  undertaken.  To  prepare  it  for  the  prefs  has 
been  the  amufement  of  now  and  then  a  vacant  hour 
amid  the  leifure  and  retirement  of  rural  life,  and  hath 
only  ferved  as  a  relaxation  from  graver  ftudies.  It  has 
been  taken  up  at  different  times,  and  often  thrown  afide 
for  many  months,  during  an  interval  of  four  or  five 
years.  This  has  occafioned  fome  inconfiftencies  and 
repetitions,  which  the  candid  reader  will  pardon.  As 
great  care  has  been  taken  to  admit  nothing  immoral 
and  indecent ;  the  Editor  hopes  he  need  not  be  amamed 
of  having  bellowed  fome  of  his  idle  hours  on  the  an- 
cient literature  of  our  own  country,  or  in  refcuing  from 
oblivion  fome  pieces  (though  but  the  amufementsof  our 
anceftors)  which  tend  to  place  in  a  finking  light,  their 
tafle,  genius,  femiraents,  or  manners. 

MDCCLXV. 

A  D  V  E  R- 


ADVERT  ISEMENT 

TO 

THE    THIRD    EDITION. 


"THE  favourable  reception  given  by  the  Public  to 
this  little  work,  in  taking  off  TWO  numerous  im- 
preflions,  made  it  incumbent  on  the  Editor  to  render  it 
lefs  unworthy  their  acceptance.  He  has  therefore,  in 
this  THIRD  EDITION,  corrected  fuch  Miitakes  as  he  had 
detected  in  the  former ;  he  has  alfo  inferted  fuch  further 
Illultrations  as  had  either  occurred  to  himfelf,  or  been 
communicated  to  him.  He  is  particularly  indebted  to 
two  Friends,  to  whom  the  Public,  as  well  as  himfelf,  are 
under  great  obligations  ;  to  the  One  for  the  very  learn- 
ed and  curious  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ANCIENT  STA- 
TUTES, 410.  of  which  a  4th  impreffion  with  great  im- 
provements hath  lately  been  published,  but  too  late  to 
be  referred  to  in  the  prefent  work  :  to  the  Other  for  the 
new  moll  correft  and  elegant  edition  of  CHAUCER'S 
CANTERBURY  TALES,  1775,  4  vol.  8vo.  which  is  a 
ftandard  book,  and  {hows  how  an  ancient  Englim  Poe» 
fhould  be  publifhed  ;  but  it  unfortunately  did  not  come 
forth,  'rill  moft  of  the  paflages  from  Chaucer  quoted 
in  thefe  Volumes,  had  been  printed  off;  they  therefore 
chiefly  (land  as  in  the  former  impreffions.  The  Editor  has 
alfo  been  favoured  with  occaiional  notes  from  many  other 
of  his  Friends  ;  whom  it  would  do  him  thehigheft  honour 
to  name.  But  he  cannot  conceal,  how  much  this  edi- 
tion has  been  improved  throughout,  by  remarks  and 
corrections  received  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  ASH  BY,  late 
Fellow  of  St.  John's  College  in  Cambridge  ;  which 
he  has  not  particularly  pointed  out,  becaufe  they  occur 
fo  often.  He  alfo  owes  his  belt  acknowledgments  to 
THOMAS  BUTLER,  Efq;  F.  A.  S.  Agent  to  the  Duke 
VOL.  I.  b  of 


xviii      ADVERTISEMENT. 

of  Northumberland,  and  Clerk  of  the  Peace  for  the 
County  of  Middlefex  :  whofe  extenfive  knowledge  of 
ancient  Writings,  Records  and  HJftory  have  contributed 
to  the  improvement  of  this  and  every  other  attempt  of 
the  Editor  to  illuftrate  the  literature,  or  manners  of  our 
Anceftors. 

MDCCLXXV. 


y 

$3"  The  following  E/ay  on  the  Ancient  Minjirels,  has 
leen  very  much  enlarged  and  improved  fence  the  firft  Fdi- 
tion,  in  confequence  of  fame  Objections  propofed  by  the 
reverend  and  learned  Mr.  PEGGE,  which  the  Reader  may 
Jind  in  the  Second  Volume  of  the  ARCH./EOLOGIA  printed 
by  the  Antiquarian  Society  :  but  ivhich  that  Gentleman  hath 
Jtnce,  in  the  mojl  liberal  and  candid  manner,  acknowledged* 
to  have  been  removed  by  what  is  offered  in  the  enfuing  pages. 
See  the  Third  Volume  of  the  ARCH-/EOLOCIA,  ffq.  xxxiv* 
p.  310. 


AN 

ESSAY 

ON    THE 
ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS. 

I.  'T'HE  MINSTRELS  (A)  were  an  order  of  men 
"-  in  the  middle  ages,  who  united  the  arts  of 
poetry  and  mufic,  and  fung  verfes  to  the  harp  of  their 
own  compofing.  They  alfo  appear  to  have  accompa- 
nied their  fongs  with  mimicry  and  aftion  ;  and  to  have 
praftifed  fuch  various  means  of  diverting  as  were  much 
admired  in  thofe  rude  times,  and  fupplied  the  want  o£ 
more  refined  entertainments  (B).  Thefe  arts  rendered 
them  extremely  popular  and  acceptable  in  this  and  all 
the  neighbouring  countries  ;  where  no  high  fcene  of 
feftivity  was  efteemed  complete,  that  was  not  fet  off 
with  the  exercife  of  their  talents  ;  and  where,  fo  long 
as  the  fpirit  of  chivalry  fubfifted,  they  were  protc&ed 
and  carefled,  becaufe  their  fongs  tended  to  do  honour 
to  the  ruling  paflion  of  the  times,  and  to  encourage  and 
foment  a  martial  fpirit. 

The  MINSTRELS  feem  to  have  been  the  genuine 
fucceflbrs  of  the  ancient  BARDS  (C),  who  under  dif- 
ferent names  were  admired  and  revered,  from  the 
earlieft  ages,  among  the  people  of  Gaul,  Britain,  Ire- 
land and  the  North  ;  and  indeed  by  almoft  all  the  fir  ft 
inhabitants  of  Europe,  whether  of  Celtic  or  Gothic 
race*;  but  by  none  more  than  by  our  own  Teutonic  an- 
b  2  ceflors, 

(A)  The  larger  Notes  and   Illuftrations  referred  to  by  the  capital 
Letters  (A)  (B)  Sec.  are  thrown  together  to  the  end  o*"this  etfay, 

*  Vid.  Pelloutier  Hift,  des  Celtes.  torn,  x,  1.  2.  c.  6.  19. 


xx  AN   ESSAY   ON   THE 

ceftorsf,  particularly  by  all  the  Danifh  tribes  ||.  Among 
thefe  they  were  diiHnguiftied  by  the  name  of  SCALDS, 
a  word  which  denotes  "  Smoothers  and  Polifhers  of 
"  language  §".  The  origin  of  their  art  was  attributed 
to  ODIN  or  WODEN,  the  father  of  their  Gods  j  and 
the  profeflbr?  of  it  were  held  in  the  higheft  eftimation. 
Their  fkill  was  confidered  as  fomething  divine  ;  their 
perfons  were  deerr.ed  facred  ;  their  attendance  was  fo- 
licited  by  kings ;  and  they  were  every  where  loaded 
with  honours  and  rewards.  In  fhort,  poets  and  their 
art  were  held  among  them  in  that  rude  admiration, 
which  is  ever  fhown  by  an  ignorant  people  to  fuch  as 
excel  them  in  intellectual  accomplifhments. 

As  thefe  honours  were  paid  to  Poetry  and  Song, 
from  the  earlieft  times,  in  thofe  countries  which  onr 
Anglo-Saxon  anceftors  inhabited  before  their  removal 
into  Britain,  we  may  reafonably  conclude,  that  they 
would  not  lay  afide  all  their  regard  for  men  of  this 
fort  immediately  on  quitting  their  German  forelh. 
At  lealt  fo  long  as  they  retained  their  ancient  manners 
and  opinions,  they  would  ftill  hold  them  in  high  efti- 
mation. But  as  the  Saxons,  foon  after  their  eftabliih- 
ment  in  this  ifland,  were  converted  to  ChrifKanity  ;  in 
proportion  as  literature  prevailed  among  them,  this 
rude  admiration  would  begin  to  abate ;  and  Poetry 
would  be  no  longer  a  peculiar  profeffion.  Thus  the 
POET  and  the  MINSTREL  early  with  us  became  two  per- 
ions  (D).  Poetry  was  cultivated  by  men  of  letters  in- 
difcriminately ;  and  many  of  the  moft  popular  rhimes 
were  compofed  amidft  the  leifure  and  retirement  of 

monafleiies. 

f  Tacit,  de  Mor.  Germ.  cap.  2. 

||  Vid.BarthoIin.deCaufis  contempt*  a  Dams  mortis.  Kb.  i.cap.  10. 

— — -Wormij  Literatura  Runic,  ad  finem. See  alfo  "  Northern  An- 

"  tiquities,  or  A  Defcription  of  the  Manners,  Curtoms,  &c.  of  the 
"  anctent  Danes  and  other  northern  nations  :  from  the  French  of  M  . 
"  Mallet."  London,  printed  for  T.  Carnan,  1770,  2  vol.  8vo. 

§  Torfati  Prarfat,  ad  Oread.  Hift.-Pref.  to  «  Five  pieces  of  Runic 
"  Poetry."  &c. 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS,     xxi 

iBOnafteries.  But  the  Minftrels  continued  a  diftinft 
order  of  men  for  many  ages  after  the  Norman  con- 
queft;  and  got  their  livelihood  by  finging  verfes  to  the 
t  the  houfes  of  the  great  (E).  There  they  were  ftill 
hofpitubly  and  refpeflfully  received,  and  retained  many 
of  the  honours  {hewn  to  their  predeceflbrs  the  BARDS 
swid  SCALDS  (F).  And  though,  as  their  art  declined, 
fome  of  them  only  recited  the  compofitions  of  others, 
many  of  them  ftill  compofed  fongs  themfelves,  and  all 
of  them  could  probably  invent  a  few  ftanzas  on  occa- 
fion.  I  have  no  doubt  but  moft  of  the  old  heroic  Bal- 
lads in  :his  collection  were  compofed  by  this  order  of 
men.  For  although  fome  of  the  larger  metrical  Ro- 
mances might  come  from  the  pen  of  the  monks  or 
others,  yet  the  fmaller  narratives  were  probably  com- 
pofed by  the  Minftrels,  who  fung  them.  From  the 
amazing  variations  which  occur  in  different  copies  of 
thefe  old  pieces,  it  is  evident  they  made  no  fcruple  to 
alter  each  others  productions  ;  and  the  reciter  added  or 
omitted  whole  ftanzas  according  to  his  own  fancy  or 
convenience. 

In  the  early  ages,  as  was  hinted  above,  the  profefljon 
of  oral  itinerant  Poet  was  held  in  the  utmoft  reve- 
rence among  all  the  Danifh  tribes  ;  and  therefore  we 
might  have  concluded,  that  it  was  not  unknown  or 
unrefpefted  among  their  Saxon  brethren  in  Britain, 
even  if  Hiftory  had  been  altogether  filent  on  this  fub- 
jeft.  The  original  country  of  our  Anglo-Saxon  An- 
ceftors  is  well  known  to  have  lien  chiefly  in  the  Cim- 
bric  Cberfonefe,  in  the  trafts  of  land  fince  diftinguifh- 
ed  by  the  names  of  Jutland,  Angelen,  and  Holltein*. 
The  Jutes  and  Angles  in  particular,  who  compofed 
two  thirds  of  the  conquerors  of  Britain,  were  a  Danifh 
b  3  people, 

*  Vid.  Chronic.  Saxon,  a  Gibfon.  p.  12,  13.  4to.- — »Bed.  Hift. 
Ecclef.  a  Smith,  lib.  i.  c.  15.— — "  EAi.ostxE  [Regie  aatiq.  Sax- 
cnum]  in  cert/ict  Ciaibrictf  Cberjunef,  Holfatiam  frofrie  Jiflam,  Ditb- 
ir.a'ji  im,  Storrrariam,  et  IVagriam  comfleftctis,  Annot,  in  Bed.  a  Smith, 
p.  52.  Et  vid.  Camdcni  Britan. 


XXU 


AN   ESSAY    ON    THE 


people,  and  their  country  it  tiis  day  belongs  : 
crown  of  Denmark*;  fo  that  when  the  D  arcs  again 
infef*ed  England,  three  or  four  hundred  years  after, 
they  made  war  on  the  dependents  of  their  Own  a 
tors  f .  From  this  near  affinity  we  might  expect  to 
difcover  a  flrong  refemblance  between  both  cations 
in  their  caftom«,  manner?,  acd  eren  language  ; 
in  faft,  we  find  them  to  differ  no  more,  than  would 
naturally  happen  between  a  parent  country  and  its 
oloniej,  that  had  been  fevered  in  a  rude  unci- 
vilized (late,  and  had  dropt  all  intercourse  for  three  or 
four  centuries.  Efpecially  if  we  reflect,  that  the  co- 
lony here  fettled  had  adopted  a  new  Religion,  extreme- 
ly oppofite  in  all  refpecls  to  the  ancient  Paganifm  of 
the  mother-country;  and  that  even  at  firft,  along 
with  the  original  Angli,  had  been  incorporated  a  large 
mixture  of  Saxons  from  the  neighbouring  parts  of  Ger- 
roany  ;  as  afterwards,  among  the  Dar.iih  invaders, 
had  come  vaft  multitudes  cf  adventurers  from  the  more 
northern  parts  of  Scandinavia.  But  all  thefe  \ve-e 
only  different  tribes  of  the  fame  common  Tentonic 
Stock,  and  fpoke  only  different  dialeds  of  the  fame 
Gothic  Language. 

From  this  famenefs  of  original  and  fimilarity  of 
manners,  we  might  jnftly  have  wondered,  if  a  charac- 
ter fo  dignified  and  diftinguiflied  among  the  ancient 
Danes,  as  the  SCALD  or  BARD,  had  been  totally  un- 
known or  unregarded  in  this  lifter  nation.  And  in- 
deed this  argument  is  fo  ftrong,  and,  at  the  fame 
time  the  early  annals  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  are  fo 
fcanty  and  defective  (G),  that  no  objections  from  their 
filence  could  be  fufncient  to  overthrow  it.  For  if  thefe 
,  popular  bards  were  confefiedly  revered  and  admired, 

in 

lie  tf,™  Angler.^  K:a  'ft  i-.'.tr  $jXSr.e:   et  G'-'ti 

<t  »ftn<lUmcat>;,a!c Sliftclck.     Ethelwerd.  lib.  i. 

t  See  Northern  And^uitie?,  &c.  Vol.  I.  pas.  -,  S 18-.— «  ™. 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS.  xxili 

in  thofe  very  countries  which  the  Anglo-Saxons  inha- 
bited before  their  removal  into  Britain;  and  if  they  were 
afterwards  common  and  numerous  among  their  own  de- 
fcendents  here  after  the  Norman  Conqueft,  what  could 
have  become  of  them  in  the  intermediate  time?  Can  we 
do  otherwife  than  conclude,  that  this  order  of  men  ftill 
fobfiiled  here,  though  perhaps  with  lefs  fplendor  than 
in  the  North  ;  and  that  there  never  was  wanting  a 
fucceffion  of  them  to  hand  down  the  art,  though  fome 
particular  conjunctures  may  have  rendered  it  more  re- 
fpedable  at  one  time'  than  another  ?  And  this  was 
really  the  cafe.  For  though  much  greater  honours 
feem  to  have  been  heaped  upon  the  northern  SCALDS, 
in  whom  the  characters  of  hiilorian,  genealogifl,  poet, 
and  muilcian  were  all  united,  than  appear  to  have 
been  paid  to  the  MINSTRELS  and  HARPERS  (H)  of  the 
Anglo-Saxons,  whofe  talents  were  chiefly  calculated 
to  entertain  and  divert ;  while  the  Scalds  profefled 
to  inform  and  inftrud,  and  were  at  once  the  moralifts 
and  theologues  of  their  Pagan  countrymen  :  yet  the 
Anglo-Saxon  Minftrels  continued  to  poflefs  no  fmall 
portion  of  public  favour  ;  and  the  arts  they  profefled, 
were  fo  extremely  acceptable  to  our  anceftors,  that  the 
word  which  peculiarly  denoted  their  art,  continues 
ilill  in  our  own  language  to  be  of  all  others  the  moft 
expreffive  of  that  popular  mirth  and  jollity,  that  ftrong 
fenfation  of  delight,  which  is  felt  by  unpolifhed  and 
tmple  minds  (I). 

II.  HAVING  premifed  thefe  general  confiderations,  I 
(hall  now  proceed  to  collect  from  hiftory  fuch  particu- 
lar incidents  as  occur  on  this  fubjed  ;  and  whether 
the  fads  themfelves  are  true  or  not,  they  are  related 
by  authors  who  lived  too  near  the  Saxon  times,  and 
had  before  them  too  many  recent  monuments  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  nation,  not  to  know  what  was  conform- 
able to  the  genius  and  manners  of  that  people  ;  and 
therefore  we  may  prefume,  that  their  relations  prove 
b  4  at 


xxiv       AN    ESSAY    ON    THE 

at  leaft  the  cxiftence  of  the  coftoms  and  habits  they  at- 
tribute to  our  forefathers  befoie  -the  conqueft,  what- 
ever becomes  of  the  particular  incidents  an  f  events 
themfelves.  If  this  be  admired,  we  fhall  net  want 
Alfficient  proofs  to  fhew,  thr-.r  Mi  ftreby  and  Song  were 
not  extindl  amcng  the  Angle- l-axors  ;  and  that  the  pro- 
fefibr  of  them  here,  if  nor  quite  fo  refpectr.ble  a  perfon- 
age  as  the  Danifh  Scald,  wa  yet  highly  favoured  arid 
protected,  and  continued  ilill  to  enjoy  confiderable 
privileges. 

Even  fo  early  as  the  firfl  invafion  of  Britain  by  the 
Saxcns,  an  incident  is  recorded  to  have  happened, 
whiiM,  if  true,  fhew;  that  the  Minim'  0  K-.roi  u  as  not 
unknown  among  this  people  ;  and  that  t.'ieir  princes 
themfelves  could,  upon  occafior,  aiTume  that  character. 
Colgrin,  fon  of  that  Ella  who  was  elefted  king  or 
leader  of  the  Saxons  in  the  room  of  Hengift  *,  was 
fhut  up  in  York,  ai.d  clofely  befieged  bv  Arthur  and 
his  Britons.  Balduiph,  brother  of  <  olgrin,  wanted  to 
gain  ace  fs  to  him,  and  to  apprize  him  of  a  reinforce- 
jnei.t  which  was  coming  from  Germany.  He  had  no 
other  way  to  accorr.plilh  his  design,  but  to  aflume  the 
character  of  a  MINSTP-EI..  He  there.bie  fhavtd  his 
head  and  beard,  and  drefiin«,  himfelf  in  the  habit  of 
that  profeflion,  took  hib  harp  in  his  hand.  In  this 
difguiie,  he  walked  up  and  down  the  trenches  without 
fufpicion,  playing  all  the  while  up  n  his  ir.ftrumenr,  as 
an  HARPER.  By  litt'e  and  little  he  advanced  n.ar  to 
the  w«ii;s  of  the  city,  and  ms-king  himfelf  known  to  the 
certinels,  was  in  the  night  drawn  up  by  a  rope. 

Though  the   above  fad  comes  onlv'from  the  fufpi- 
ciouspen  of  Geeffry  ofMonmooth  (K),  the  judicious 
^adcr  will  not  too  haflily  rejeil  it ;   becaufe  if  (uch  a 
faft   really   happened,  it  c-uld  only  be  known   to  us 
the    medium  of  the    Britifli  writers  :    for  the 
I  Saxons,   a  mauial  but  unlettered   people,  had  no 
hiflcnans  of  their  ov.n  ;    and  GeofFry,  with  all  his  fa- 
bles, 

»  S?e  Rape's  Hift.  (by  Tindal,   fol.  1732.  Vol.  I.   p    ,6  )  vho 
y-aces  the  incident  here  related  under  the  year  495. 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS,  xxv 

bles,  is  allowed  to  have  recorded  many  true  events,  that 
have  efcaped  other  an-  aljfts.  ^ 

We  do  nc.t  iiowever  want  inftances  of  a  lefs  fabulous 
sera,  and  more  indubitable  authority  :  for  later  Hiflory 
affor:,o  us  two  rema.kable  facts  (L),  which  I  think 
clearly  mow,  that  th.:  l  me  arts  of  poetry  and  fong, 
which  were  fo  much  admired  among  the  Danes,  were 
:nean.i  ur. known  or  neglected  in  this  fitter  na- 
tion ;  and  that  the  privileges  and  honours  which  wero 
fo  lavimly  bellowed  upon  the  northern  SCALDS,  were 
not  wholly  with-held  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  MIN- 
STRELS. 

Our  great  Kin^  Alfred,  who  is  exprefly  faid  to  have 
exc;  lied  in  mqfic  t,  being  defirpus  to  learn  the  true 
fituation  of  the  Danim.  army,  which  had  invaded 
his  realm,  aflumed  the  drefs  and  character  of  a  Mitsr- 
STRbi.  (M)  ;  when,  taking  his  harp,  and  one  of  the 
moil  truily  of  his  friends,  difgnifed  as  a  fervant  J  (for 
in  the  early  times  it  was  not  unufual  for  a  Minitrel  to 
have  a  fervant  to  carry  his  bar  ),  he  went  with  the 
utmolt  fecurity  into  the  Danifh  camp:  and  though  he 
could  noi  but  be  known  to  be  a  Saxon  by  his  dialect, 
the  character  he  had  aflumed  procured  him  a  hofpiuble 
reception.  He  was  admitted  to  entertain  the  king  at 
table,  and  {laid  among  them  long  enough  to  contrive 
that  alFault,  which  afterwards  deftroyed  them.  This 
was  in  the  year  878. 

About  fixty  years  after  *,  a  Danim  king  made  ufe 
cf  the  fame  difguife  to  explore  the  camp  of  our  king 
Athelftan.  With  his  harp  in  his  hand,  and  dreffed  like 
a  MiNbTREL  ('N)i  AnlafF  king  of  the  Danes  went 
ansong  th  Saxon  tents  ;  and  taking  his  Hand  near  the 
king's  pavilion,  began  to  play,  and  was  immediately 
admitted.  There  he  entertained  Atheliian  and  his 
lords  with  his  iinging  and  his  mufic,  and  was  at 

length 

"ALE  and  SPKLVAN.     See  Note   (M).    J  Vid.  Note  (M), 
0938.     Vid.R3fin,*c. 

• 


jtxviii        AN   ESSAY    ON    THE 

and  under  him  their  profeffion  feems  to  have  revived 
with  additional  fplendor.  Richard,  who  was  the 
great  reftorer  and  hero  of  Chivalry,  was  a!fo  the  dif- 
tinguiihed  patron  of.  Poet*  and  Minftrels  :  He  was 
hJrnielf  of  their  number,  and  feme  of  his  verfes  are  {till 
extant  *.  As  the  Provencal  Bards  were  in  his  time 
in  hiph  requeft  for  the  fbrhiefs  of  their  language,  and 
the  fuperior  elegance  of  their  compofitions,  Richard 
invited  multitudes  of  them  to"  his  court,  where  he 
loaded  them  with  honours  and  rewards  :  and  they  in 
return  celebrated  him  as  the  moft  accompli ihi-d  mo- 
raich  in  the  world  (U).  The  diftinclion  and  refpedl 
which  Richard  fhowed  to  men  of  this  profefiion,  al- 
though his  favours  were  chiefly  heaped  upon  forei^n- 
c;s,  could  not  but  recommend  the  profellion  itielf 
among  his  own  fubjefts  ;  and  therefore  we  may  con- 
clude, that  Englifn  Minftrelfy  would,  in  a  peculiar 
r,  :;••>•!•;..;  in  his  time :  and  probably  it  is  from 
this  a;ra,  that  we  are  to  date  that  remarkable  inter- 
community and  exchange  of  each  other's  cornpofuions, 
which  we  dil'cover  to  have  taken  place  at  fome  early 
period  between  the  French  and  Engliih  Minftrels  :  the 
lame  fet  of  phrafes,  the  fame  fpccies  of  chandlers,  inci- 
dents, and  adventures,  and  often  the  fame  identical 
ftorie>,  being  found  in  the  old  metrical  Romances  of 
both  nations  (V). 

The  dillinguiflied  fervice  which  Richard  received 
from  one  of  his  Minltrets,  in  rescuing  him  from  his 
cruel  and  tedio-us  captivity,  is  a  remarkable  fadi, 
•which  ought  to  be  recorded  for  the  honour  of  poets 
and  their  art.  This  faft  has  lately  been  refcued  frcirn 
oblivion,  and  given  to  the  world  in  very  elegant  lan- 
guage 

*  Sec  a  curious  Seng  of  his  in  Mr.  WALPOLE'S  Catalogue  of  Royal 

Authors,   Vol.  I.  p.  5.     This,  fo  far  as  1  can  underhand  it,  kerns  not 

o    jiathetic  and  fmnirnental  beauties.  The  Reader  will 

f-l<\   *   Trmllation  of  it  into   modern    French,   in  hift.   l-teraire  ties 

-4,  3  Ten:,  \irno.     See  Vol.   I.  (p.  58,)    where  fo^e 

jacv.  oi  RichanC;  Poetry  is  tranflaleS. 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS,    xxlx 


by  an  irp-enious  lady  *.  I  /hall  here  produce  a 
more  antiquated  relation  of  the  fame  event,  in  the 
words  cf  an  old  neglected  compiler  f. 

"  The   Englifhmen   were  more  than  a  whole  yeare, 
"  without    hearing  any   tydin^s    of  their  king,  or  ;:i 
"  what  place  he  was  kept  prifoner.     He   hr.d    : 
"   up    in   his    court  a  RVMER   or  MINSTR'TL, 
"  BLONDELL  DE  NKSLK  :   who  (faith   the  Mhnofcript 
«'  of  old  Poefies  J,  and  an  auncient  Mannfcnpr.  I-Vcnch 
"   Chronicle)     being  ib  long;  without  the  fight  of  hi, 
"  lord,  his  life  feemed  wearifome    to    h!ir,    n"d  he  vr- 
"  came   confounded     wirh    melancholy.      Kntv 
"  was,  that  he  came  backe  from  the  K  :ly  Ln:   . 
"  none    could    tell    in    what    countrey    he     nrrivcd. 
"    Whereupon  this  Biondel,  rcfoivir^  to  make  fearcli 
*'  for  him     in    many    counireys.  but    he    would    henr 
"  fome  news  of  him  ;  after  expence  of  divers  d: 
"   traviile,    he  CHine  to  a  towne  |i   by   good  hap,  neere 
"   to   the  cr.liell    v^here   his    inrdller  Icinp:  Ricf-,... 
**  kept.     Of  hib  hoft  he  demanded,    to   • 
"  iU-il  appertained,  and  the  hoft  toid  him,    t'nat   it   I'/r- 
*'  longed  to  the  duke  of   Au.'bia.     Then    he   t". 
"  whether  there  were   any   prifoners   therein  dctrvred 

«'   or 

*  (From   the  French  of  Prefid.  FAUCHET'S   Recttti',  £V.)     See 
"  Mifceilanies    in  prole  and  verfe  :  hy   ANNA   WILLIAM-. 
"  1766."  410.  p.  46.  -  It  will  excite  the  Reader's  admiration  to  h-- 
informed,  that  moft  of  the  pieces  of  this  Collect.  m  were  cornpok-J 
under  the  difcdvantage  of  a  total  deprivation  of  SIGHT. 

•f-   Monf.  FA  VINE'S  Theatre   of  Honour  and  Knighthood,   tronf- 
lated  from  the  French.  Lond.   1623.  fol.  Tom.  II.  [1.^9. 

J  This  the  author  calls  in  another  place,  "  An   a 
"  o'd  Poefies,  written  about  thole  very  times."  -  From  ; 
Favine  gives  a  curious  account  of  the  taking  of  Richard  by  the  dulij 
of  Auftiij,  who  fold  him  to  the  emperor.      As  for  the  MS 
nick,  ir  is  evidently  the   fame  that  fuppli^-j   F.«.  UCHF.T  with  this 
ftory.     See   his  Rerutil  de  t'  Orient  de  la  Lanruc  &  Psr/ie  Fraafri'e, 
Ryrr.e,  £r  Roman,  &c.     Par.  1581. 

'1|  TRIBALE--.  -  "  Re  t  r:iti:  cum  f  •'•  • 

w\fre  r.'jL'its  eir.t:  din  -Jli:  f.v.:-».:/."      La:,   chrdn.   o5   Otii  J  o. 
apud  Favin. 


,xx  AN   ESSAY  ON   THE 

•«  or  no  :  for  alwaves  he  made  fuch  fecret  queftJonings 
"  wherefoever  he  came.  And  the  hoft  made  anfwer, 
««  there  was  only  one  prifoner,  but  he  knew  not  what 
««  he  was  and  yet  he  had  bin  detained  there  more 
«'  than  the  fpace  of  one  ye.re.  When  Blondei  heard 
'*  this,  he  wrought  fuch  meanes,  that  he  became  ac- 
'«  quainted  with  them  of  the  cailell,  AS  MINSTRELS 

*'    DOE     EASILY    WIN     ACQUAINTANCE    ANY    WHERE  I 

"  but  fee  the  king  he  could  not,  neither  underftand 
««  that  it  was  he.  One  day  he  fat  di redly  before  a 
"  window  of  the  cailell,  where  king  Richard  was  kept 
"  prifoner,  and  began  to  fing  a  fong  in  French,  which 
"  king  Richard  and  Blondel  had  fome  time  compofed 
'«  together.  When  king  Richard  heard  the  fong,  he 
«'  knew  it  was  Blondel  that  fung  it :  and  when  Blondel 
"  paufed  at  half  of  the  fong,  the  king  '  BEGAN  THE 

"    OTHER   HALF   AND   COMPLETED   IT*.      TllUsBlondel 

"  won  knowledge  of  the  king  his  mailter,  and  return- 
"  ing  home  into  England,  made  the  barons  of  the 
'*  countrie  acquainted  where  the  king  was."  This 
happened  about  the  year  1193. 

A  French  author  f  has  preferved  the  very  fong  itfelf 
in  the  old  Provencal,  of  which  the  firft  fix  lines  were  by 
Blondel,  and  the  conclufion  by  the  king.  He  gives  it 
as  follows. 

B.  Domna 


*  I  give  this  pafligs  from  M.  FAUCHET  ;  as  the  Engliflj  tranflator 
of  M. RAVINE'S  book  appeared  here  to  have  miftaken  the  original: 
which  is,  Et  quant  B'.or.del  6t  diBe  la  ir.t'u'ie  di  la  Cl\inior.,  U  Ry 
Ricbart  j'c prift  a  dirtl'autre  tnoitie  et  Vacbi-va.  Fauch.  Rsc.  f.  53. 

•f  In  a  little  romance  or  novel,  intitled  La  Tovr  Tenekrstife,  et  hi 
5fiurs  tumincux,  Contes  slrtgloifcs,  accom^apntx  d'  Hijlzruttts-,  &  tircx 
Aune  atif'urne  Cbrt.r.'«ju:  ccmpofee  par  RICHARD,  jurr.wme  Co  £  u  R  n  E 

LION,  Ry  ff^nglcterre,  &c.   Paris,  1705.   I2w«. In  the  Preface 

to  this  romance  the  Editor  has  given  another  fong  of  Blondel  de  Nelle, 
and  a  copy  cf  the  fong  written  by  K.  Richard,  and  published  by  Mr. 
Walpole,  as  mentioned  above  (in  Note  *  pag.  xxviii.)  but  he  contends 
that  the  two  la$  are  not  in  Provtnjal  (as  the  joint  fonnet  of  him  and 
BJondel  is)  but  in  the  old  f  rencli,  called  Laxtagt  Roma?. 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS,    xxxi 

B.  Domna  \'ofrra   beutas 

Elas  Bellas  faiffos 

Els  bels  oils  amoros 

Els  gens  cors  ben  taillats 

Don   fieu  emprefenats 

De  voftra  amor  que  mi  lia, 
R.  Si   bel  trop  affanfia 

Ja  de  vos  non  partwi 

Que  major  honorai 

Sol  en  votre  deman 

Q^e  fautra  dcs  beifan 

Tot  can  de  vos  volria. 

The  next  memorable  event,  which  I  find  in  hiftory 
concerning  the  Minftrels,  is  alfo  much  to  their  credit; 
and  this  was  their  refcuing  one  of  the  great  Earls  of 
Chefter  when  befieged  by  the  Welm.  This  happened 
in  the  reign  of  K.  John  *  ;  and  is  related  as  follows  : 

"  Hugh  the  firft  Earl  of  Chefter,  in  his  charter  of 
foundation  of  St.  Werburg's  abbey  in  that  city,  had 
granted  fuch  a  privilege  to  thofe,  who  fhould  come  to 
Chefter  fair,  that  they  mould  not  be  then  apprehended 
for  theft  or  any  other  mifdemeanor,  except  the  crime 
were  committed  during  the  fair.  This  fpecial  protec- 
tion caufed  multitudes  of  loofe  and  diforderly  people 
to  refort  to  that  fair ;  which  afterwards  proved  of  fig- 
nal  benefit  to  one  of  his  fucceflbrs.  For  Ranulph  the 
laft  Earl  of  Chefter,  marching  into  Wales  with  a  lien- 
der  attendance,  was  conftrained  to  retire  to  his  caftle 
of  Rothelan  or  Rhuydland  ;  in  which  he  was  ftraight- 
ly  befieged  by  the  Welfh.  Finding  himfelf  hard  pref- 
fed,  he  contrived  to  give  notice  of  his  danger  to  Lord 
Roger  (or  John)  de  Lacy,  Conftable  of  Chefter,  who 
making  ufe  of  the  MINSTRELS  then  ailcmbled  it 
Chefter  fair  :  Thefe  men,  like  fo  many  Tyrueus's,  by 

their 

*  Vid.  Dugdale  (Baronage,  vol.  i.  p.  42.  101.)  who  places  it  after 
the  1 3th  year  of  K.  Job.  Anno  Dom,  iaiz,— —  See  alfo  Caaijen'i 
Britannia,  Plott'i  Suffot^flj.  &c. 


AN   ESSAY  ON   THE 

their  Mufic  and  their  Songs  fo  allured  and  infpirited 
the  multitudes  of  loofe  and  lawlefs  perfons  then 
brought  together,  that  they  refo'uteiy  inarched  againft 
the  VVelfii  :  Hugh  de  Dutton,  a  gallant  youth,  who 
was  fteward  to  Lacy,  putting  himfelf  at  their 
head.  The  Welfh  alarmed  at  the  approach  of  this  rab- 
ble, fuppofmg  them  to  be  a  regular  body"  of  arrned  and 
difciplined  veterans,  initantly  raifed  the  fiege  and  re- 
tired." 

For  this  good  fervice,  Ranulph  granted  to  the  Lacies 
by  charter  a  peculiar  patronage  over  men  of  this  fort  : 
who  devolved  the  lame  again  upon  Dutton  and  h?3 
heirs*.  And  the  MINSTRELS  his  afliflants,  enjoyed 
for  many  ages  peculiar  honours  and  privileges  under 
the  defendants  of  that  family.  For  even  fo  law  as 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  when  this  profefiion  had  fallen 
into  fuch  difcn  dit,  that  it  was  conudered  in  law  as  a 
r.uifnrxe,  the  Minllrels  under  the  protection  of  the 
family  of  Dutton,  are  exprsfsly  excepted  out  of  all 
afts  of  parliament  made  for  their  fuppreflion  ;  and  have 
C-ntinued  to  be  fo  excepted  ever  fince  (W). 

The  ceremonies  attending  the  exercife  of  this  }t:«-if- 
diftion,  are  thus  defcribed  by  Dugdale  as  handed 
down  to  his  time,  viz.  "  That  at  Midfummer  fair, 
'  all  the  minllrels  of  that  country  reforting  to  Chefler, 
'  do  attend  the  heir  of  Dutton,  from  his  lodging  to 
'  St.  John's  church  (he  being  then  accompanied  by 
'  manv  gentlemen  of  the  countrey)  one  of  «  the 
'  minllrels'  walking  befcre  him  in  a  furcoat  of  his 
'  arms  depiaed  on  taffata  ;  the  reft  of  his  fellows 
'  proceeding  two  and  two,  and  playing  on  their  feve- 
«  ral  forts  of  mufical  inftruments.  And  aft?r  diwrrt 
'  fervice  'is'  ended,  •  they'  give  tr-e  like  a:tend:.ncc 
'  on  h;m  back  to  his  lodging  ;  wheie  a  court  being 
'  kept  by  his  [Mr.  Dutton's]  Steward,  and  all  the 


Law 


ee  a  veiy  ci::-oi:s  nncipnt  record,  r.pon  this  fubject,  i:: 
aionaryi  1717.  fol.  (artk!,-  f.:iKiTP.rr,.)      ' 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS,  xxxiii 

.  :TR.ELS  formally  called  ;  certain  orders  and 
*'  laws  are  ufuaily  made  for  the  better  government  of 
"  that  Society,  with,  Penalties  to  thofe  who  Ihall 
"  tranfgrefs  them." 

To  relume  the  thread  of  this  flight  hiftory ;  in  the 
reign  of  Edward  I.  (fcvere  as  that  monarch  was  in  ex- 
tirpating the  Bards  of  Wales),  a  MULTITUDE  OF  MIN- 
STRELS are  expreisly  mentioned  to  have  given  their 
attendance  in  his  court  at  the  folemn  ait  of  knighting 
his  fon  (X)  :  and  under  the  reign  of  his  fon,  fuch  ex- 
tenfive  privileges  were  claimed  by  thefe  men,  and  by 
diflblute  perfons  afTuming  their  character,  that  it  be- 
came a  matter  of  public  grievance,  and  was  obliged 
to  be  reformed  by  an  exprefs  regulation  in  the  year 
i -15  (Y).  Notwithftanding  which,  an  incident  is 
resided  in  the  enfuing  year,  which- (hows  that  MIN- 
STRELS llill  retained  the  liberty  of  entering  at  will  into 
the  royal  prefence,  and  had  fomething  peculiarly  fplen- 
did  in  their  drefs.  It  is  thus  related  by  Stow  (Z). 
"  [n  the  year  1316,  Edward  the  fecond  did  folem- 
nize  his  feaft  of  Pentecoft  at  Weltininfter,  in  the  great 
hall :  where  fitting  royally  at  the  table  with  his 
peers  about  him,  these  entered  a  woman  ADORNED 
LIKE  A  MINSTREL,  fitting  on  a  great  horfe  trapped, 
AS  MINSTRELS  THEN  USED,  who  rode  round  about 
the  tables,  (hewing  paftime  :  and  at  length  came 
up  to  the  king's  table,  and  laid  before  him  a  let- 
ter,  and  forthwith  turning  her  horfe  faluted  every 

one  and  departed." The  fubjecl  of  this  letter  was 

a  remonHrance  to  the  king  on  the  favours  heaped  by 
Kim  on  his  minions,  to  the  negledl  of  his  knights  and 
faithful  fervants. 

k  was  a  Minftrcl  who  was  deputed  to  this  office,  as 
one  of  that  character  was  fure  of  gaining  an  eafy  admit- 
tance :  and  a  Female  Minftrel  was  the  rather  cholen,  I 
fappofe,  as  more  likely  to  difann  the  king's  refentment: 
for  there  (liould  feem  to  have  been  women  of  this  pro- 
feffion,  as  well  as  thof«  of  the  other  lex  (Aa). 

VOL.  I.  c  In 


xxxiv        AN  ESSAY  ON   THE 

In  the  fourth  year  of  Richard  II  *.  John  of  Gaunt 
erefted  at  Tutbury  in  Staffordfhire,  a  COURT  OF  MIN- 
STRELS, with  a  full  power  to  receive  fuit  and  fervice 
from  the  men  of  this  profeffion  within  five  neighbour- 
ing counties,  to  enaft  laws,  and  determine  their  contro- 
verfies  ;  and  to  apprehend  and  arreft  fuch  of  them,  as 
fhould  refufe  to  appear  at  the  faid  court,  annually  held 
on  the  i6ih  of  Auguft.  For  this  they  had  a  charter  by 
which  they  were  empowered  to  appoint  a  KING  OF 
THE  MINSTRELS  with  four  officers  to  prefide  over 
them  (Bb).  Thefe  were  every  year  elected  with  great 
ceremony,  the  whole  form  of  which  is  defcribed  by  Dr, 
Plott  •)•  ;  in  whofe  time  however  they  appear  to  have  loft 
their  finging  talents,  and  to  have  become  mere  mu- 
ficians. 

Even  fo  late  as  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  a  ftated 
number  of  Minftrels  were  retained  in  all  great  and  rio- 
ble  families,  as  appears  from  the  Eftablilhment  of  the 
Houfhold  of  the  then  EARL  OF  NORTHUMBER- 
LAND (Cc)  :  and  we  find,  that  it  was  at  that  time  a 
common  entertainment  to  hear  verfcs  recited,  or  moral 
fpeeches  learned  for  that  purpofe,  by  a  fet  of  men  who 
got  their  livelihood  by  repeating  them,  and  who  intru- 
ded without  ceremony  into  all  companies ;  not  only  in 
taverns,  but  in  the  houfes  of  the  nobility  themfelves, 
This  we  learn  from  Erafmus,  whofe  argument  led  him 
only  to  defcribe  a  fpecies  of  thefe  men  who  DID  NOT 
SING  their  compofitions  ;  but  the  others  that  DID,  en- 
joyed without  doubt  the  fame  privileges  (Dd). 

The  reader  will  find  that  the  Minflrels  continued 
down  to  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  ;  in  whofe  time  they  had 
loll  much  of  their  dignity,  and  were  finking  into  con- 
tempt and  negleft.  Yet  ftill  they  fuftained  a  charac- 
ter far  fuperior  to  any  thing  we  can  conceive  at  prefent 
of  the  fingers  of  old  ballads  J. 

When 

*  AnnoDom.  1381. 

P.  43S.*- 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS,  xxxv 

When  Queen  Elizabeth  was  entertained  at  Killing- 
worth  Caftle  by  the  Earl  of  Leicefter  in  1575,  among 
the  many  devices  and  pageants  which  were  exhibited  for 
her  entertainment,  one  of  the  perfonages  introduced  was 
that  of  an  ancient  MINSTREL,  whole  appearance  and 
drefs  are  fo  minutely  defcribed  by  a  writer  there  pre- 
fent  (Ee),  and  give  us  fo  diftincl;  an  idea  of  the  charac- 
ter, that  I  fhall  quote  the  paiTage  at  large. 

"  A  PERSON  very  meet  feemed  he  for  the  purpofe,  of 
"  a  xlv  years  old,  apparelled  partly  as  he  would  him- 
"  felf.  His  cap  off:  his  head  feemly  rounded  Tonfter- 
"  wife  *  :  fair  kembed,  that  with  a  fponge  daintily 
"  dipt  in  a  little  capon's  greace  was  finely  fmoothed, 
"  to  make  it  mine  like  a  mallard's  wing.  His  beard 
"  fmugly  fhaven  :  and  yet  his  fliirt  after  the  new  trink, 
««  with  ruffs  fair  (larched,  flecked  and  glittering  like 
"  a  pair  of  new  flioes,  marlhalled  in  good  order  with 
"  a  fetting  ftick,  and  ftrut,  '  that'  every  ruff  flood  up 
*'  like  a  wafer.  A  fide  [i.  e.  long]  gown  of  Kendale 
"  green,  after  the  freflmefs  of  the  year  now,  gathered 
*'  at  the  neck  with  a  narrow  gorget,  fattened  afore  with 
*c  a  white  clafp  and  a  keeper  clofe  up  to  the  chin  ;  but 
"  eafily,  for  heat,  to  undo  when  he  lift.  Seemly  be- 
"  girt  in  a  red  caddis  girdle :  from  that  a  pair  of  cap- 
".  ped  Sheffield  knives  hanging  a'  two  fides.  Out  of 
'•  his  bofom  drawn  forth  a  lappet  of  his  napkin  f  edg- 
"  ed  with  a  blue  lace,  and  marked  with  a  D  for  Da- 
"  mian,  for  he  was  but  a  batchelor  yet. 

"  His  gown  had  fide  [i.  c.  long]  ileeves  down  to 
"  mid- leg,  flit  from  the  flioulder  to  the  hand,  and  lined 
"  with  white  cotton.  His  doubiet-fleeves  of  black 
"  worfted:  upon  them  a  pair  of  points  of  tawny  cham- 
"  let  laced  along  the  wrift  with  blue  threaden  poinet^J, 
"  a  weak  towards  the  hands  of  fuftian-a-napes.  A 
"  pair  of  red  neather  ftocks.  A  pair  of  pumps  on  his 
c  2  feet* 

*  "  Tonfure-wife,"  after  the  manner  of  the  Monks. 

f  i.  e.  hamikachief,  or  cravat,  t  Perhaps,  Points, 


xxxvi       AN   ESSAY  ON  THE 

•jrfj   shuts 

"  feet,  with  a  crofs  cut  at  his  toes  for  corns :  not  new 
"  indeed,  yet  cleanly  blackt  with  foot,  and  finning  as 
"  a  fhoing  horn. 

"  About  his  neck  a  red  ribband  fuitable  to  his 
"  girdle.  His  HARP  in  good  grace  dependent  before 
**  him.  His  WREST  *  tyed  to  a  green  lace  and  hang- 
"  ing  by  :  Under  the  gorget  of  his  gown  a  fair  flag- 
*'  gon  chain,  (pewter  f  for)  SILVER,  as  a  SQUIRE 
"  MINSTREL  OF  MIDDLESEX,  that  travelled  the  coun- 
"  try  this  fummer  feafon,  unto  fair  and  worfliipful 
"  mens  houfes.  From  his  chain  hung  a  fcutcheon, 
"  with  metal  and  colour,  refplendant  upon  his  breaft, 
"  of  the  ancient  arms  of  Iflington." 

- — This  Minftrel  is  defcribed  as  belonging  to  that 
village.  I  fuppofe  fuch  as  were  retained  by  noble  fa- 
milies, wore  the  arms  of  their  patrons  hanging  down 
by  a  filver  chain  as  a  kind  of  badge  J.  From  the  ex- 
preflion  of  SO^UIKE  MINSTREL  above,  we  may  con- 
clude 

*  The  key,  or  fcrew,  with  which  he  tuned  his  harp. 

j  The  Reader  will  remember  that  this  was  not  a  REAL  MIN- 
STREL, but  only  one  peribnating  that  character  :  his  ornaments 
therefore  were  only,  fuch  as  OUTWARDLY  reprefcntej  thofe  of  a  real 
Minftrel. 

J  As  the  HOUSE  of  NORTHUMBERLAND  had  anciently  THREE 
MINSTRELS  attending  on  them  iri  their  caftlcs  in  Yorkshire,  fo 
they  ftill  retain  THPEE  in  their  fervice  in  Northumberland,  who 
\year  the  badge  of  the  family,  (a  SILVER  CRESCENT  on  the 
right  arm)  and  are  thus  diftributed ;  \iz.  One  for  the  barony  of 
Prudhoe,  and  Two  for  the  barony  of  Rothbury.  Thefe  attend  the 
court  lects  and  fairs  held  for  the  Lord,  and  pay  their  annual  fuit  and 
lerviceat  Alnwick  caftle  ;  their  inftrument  being  the  ancient  North- 
x:rland  bag-pipe  (very  different  in  form  and  execution  from  that 
of  the  Scots  ;  being  imaller  5  and  blown,  not  with  the  breath,  but 
with  a  Imallpair  of  bellrws). 

This,  with  mar.y  other  venerable  cuftoms  of  the  ancient  EARLS  of 

THUMBERLAND  has  been  revived  by  thofe,  who,  at  prcfent,  with 

o  much  luftre  and  dignity,  inherit  the  honours  of  that  noble  Houfe  ; 

lithe  great  qualities  of  their  predeceffors,  unite  the  utmoft 

els  and  condefcenfion  ;  and  with  whom  the  flighicft  talents,  and 

Uumbleft  efforts  to  plcafc,  ari  fare  not  to  pafs  UNKEWAK  DI :D. 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS,  xxxvii 

elude   there   were   other  inferior   orders,   as   YEOMEN 
MINSTRELS  or  the  like. 

This  Minftrel,  the  author  tells  as  a  little  below, 
after  three  lowly  courtefies,  cleared  his  voice  with 
a  hem,  .  .  .  and  wiped  his  lips  with  the  hollow  of 
his  hand  for  'filing  his  napkin,  tempered  a  firing  or 
two  with  his  WREST,  and  after  a  little  warbling  on 
his  HARP  for  a  prelude,  came  forth  with  a  folemn 
fons;,  warranted  for  ftory  out  of  King  Arthur's  a£ls, 
&c." — This  fong  the  reader  will  find  printed  in  this 
work,  Vol.  III.  pag.  25.  and  fome  further  account  of 
the  ftate  of  Minrtrelfy  and  Ballad-finging  in  Q^  Eliza- 
beth's  reign,  in  Vol.  IT.  pag.  168,  &c. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  lixteenth  century  this  clafs 
of  men  had  loft  all  credit,  and  were  funk  fo  low  in  the 
public  opinion,  that  in  the  3pth  year  of  Elizabeth  *, 
a  ftatute  was  patted  by  which  "  Minftrels,  wandering 
"  abroad,"  were  included  among  "  rogues,  vaga- 
"  bonds,  and  fturdy  beggars,"  and  were  adjudged  to 
be  puniihed  as  fuch.  This  ad  feems  to  have  put  an 
end  to  the  profeffion,  for  after  this  time  they  are  no 
longer  mentioned. 

V.  I  CANNOT  conclude  this  account  of  the  ancient 
Englifh  MINSTRELS,  without  remarking  that  they  are 
moft  of  them  reprefented  to  have  been  of  the  North  of 
England.  There  is  hardly  an  ancient  Ballad  or  Ro- 
mance, wherein  a  Minftrel  or  Harper  appears,  but 
he  is  characterized  by  way  of  eminence  to  have  been 
"  OF  THE  NORTH  COUNTRTE|:"  and  indeed  the 
prevalence  of  the  Northern  dialeft  in  fuch  compo- 
iitions,  {hews  that  this  reprefentation  is  real.  On  the 
other  hand  the  fcene  of  the  nneft  Scottifh  Ballads  is  laid 
in  the  South  of  Scotland  ;  which  fhould  feem  to  have 
been  peculiarly  the  nurfery  of  Scottim  Minltrels.  In 
the  old  fong  of  Maggy  Lawder,  a  Piper  is  afked  by 
c  3  way 

*  AnnoDom.  1597.     Vid.  Pult.  Stat.  r.  me,  39°  Eliz. 
f  See  this  Vpl.  Song,  VI.  v.  156. 180.  &c. 


iii  AN     ESSAY     ON      THE 


way  of  diftinftion,  "  COME  ZE  FRAE  THE  BORDER.  I" 
-  The  martial  fpirit  conflantly  kept  up  and  exer- 
cifed  on  the  frontier  of  the  two  kingdoms,  as  it'  fur- 
niihed  continual  fubjefts  for  their  Songs,  fo  it  infpired 
the  borderers  of  both  nations  with  the  powers  of  poetry. 
Bef  des,  as  our  Southern  Metropolis  mufl  have  been 
ever  the  fcene  of  novelty  and  refinement,  the  northern 
counrief,  as  being  moft  diftant,  would  preferve  their  an- 
cient manner  longeft,  and  of  courfe  the  old  poetry,  in 
which  thofe  manners  are  peculiarly  defcribed. 

The  Render  wiil  obferve  in  the  more  ancient  Rallads 
of  this  collection,  a  calr  of  ftyle  and  meafure  very  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  contemporary  poets  of  a  higher 
clafs  ;  many  phrafes  and  idioms,  which  the  Minttrels 
feem  to  have  appropriated  to  themfelves,  and  a  very- 
remarkable  licence  of  varying  the  accent  of  words  at 
pleafure,  in  order  to  humour  the  flow  of  the  verfe,  par- 
ticularly in  the  rhimes  ;  as 

Countrie         harpir         lattel         morning 

Ladle  ^         finger  damsll        loving* 

inflead  of  country,  lady*  harper*  singer*  &c.  --  This  li- 

berty is  but  fparingly  affumed  by  the  claffical  poets  of 

the  fame  age;    or  even  by  the  latter  compofers  of  He- 

roical  Ballads  :  I  mean  by  fuch  as  profelTedly  wrote  for 

the  prefs.     For  it  is  to  be  obferved,  that  fo  long  as  the 

Minflrels  fubfifted,  they  feem  never  tohavedeiigned  their 

ihimes   for  literary  publication,    and   probably   never 

committed  them  to  writing  themfelves  :  what  copies  are 

erved  of  them  were  doubtlefs  taken  down  from  their 

But  as  the  old  Minftrels  gradually  wore  out, 

a  new  race  of  Ballad-writers  fucceeded,  an  inferior  fort 

of  minor  poets,   who  wrote  narrative  fongs  merely  for 

Infiances  of  both  may  be  found  in  the  reign 

of  Elizabeth.     The   two  lateft   pieces  in  the  genuine 

ftram  of  the  old  Minllrelfy   that  I    can    difcover,    are 

No.  Ill    and  IV.  of  Book  III.  in  this  volume.     Lower 

thari  thefe  I  cannot  trace  the  old  mode  of  writing. 

Ihc  old  Mwftrel.  ballads  are  in  the  northern  dialeft, 

T  Q  K  abound 


ANCIENT  ENGLISH  MINSTRELS,    xxxix 

abound  with  antique  words  and  phrafes,  are  extremely 
incorredt,  and  run  into  the  urmoft  licence  of  metre  j 
they  have  alfo  a  romantic  wildnefs,  and  are  in  the  true 
fpirit  of  chivalry. — The  other  fort  are  written  in  ex- 
after  me;ifure,  have  a  low  or  fubordinate  correftnefs, 
fometimes  bordering  on  the  infipid,  yet  often  well 
adapted  to  the  pathetic  ;  thefe  are  generally  in  the 
fouthern  dialedl,  exhibit  a  more  modern  phrafeology, 
and  are  commonly  defcriptive  of  more  modern  manners. 
— To  be  fenfible  of  the  difference  between  them,  let 
the  Render  compare  in  this  volume  No.  III.  of  Book  III. 
with  No.  X.  of  Book  II. 

Towards  the  end  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign,  (as  is 
mentioned  above),  the  genuine  old  Minflrelfy  feems  to 
have  been  extinct,  and  thenceforth  the  Ballads  that 
were  produced  were  wholly  of  the  latter  kind,  and  thefe 
came  forth  in  fuch  abundance,  that  in  the  reign  of 
James  1.  they  began  to  be  collected  into  little  mifcel- 
lanies,  under  the  name  of  GARLANDS,  and  at  length  to 
be  written  purpofely  for  iuch  collections  (F  f). 


*»*  The  hifir.ry  of  the  MINST  R  ELS  in  the  middle  ages,  re- 
ceives great  ;7/a/?ra//e;;yh«flHittoireLiteraire  des Trouba- 
dours, contenant  leurs  Vies,  les  Extraits  de  kurs  Pieces, 
et  plufieurs  particularites  fur  les  Moeurs,  les  Ufages,  et 
1'Hifloire  du  douzieme,  et  du  treizieme  Siecles.  Paris, 
1774.  3  torn.  izmo.  A  work,  nuhich  'would  have  betn 
much  more  curious  and  valuable*  if  the  modern  Tranjlations 
and  Ahftrafls  had  been  accompanied  by  fame  of  the  Original 
Poems  tbemfel<ves,  printed  in  the  manner  of  the  judicious  col- 
leflion  of  Fabliaux  et  Ccntes  des  poetes  Francois,  &c, 
Paris,  1756.  3  torn.  \%mo. 


04  NOTES 


NOTE?  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 

REFERRED   TO  IN   THE         ;.  3/i) 

FOREGOING    ESSAY. 

(A)  The  MINSTRELS,  &c.]  The  word  Minftrel  &*<* 
not  appear  to  have  been  in  ufe  here  before  the  Norman 
Conqueft  ;  but  at  what  particular  period  it  was  taken 
pp,  1  have  not  difcovered,  nor  yet  whether  it  was  coined 
in  England  or  1  ranee  :  though  I  am  inclined  to  think 
the  latter  ;  where  this  character  was  called  Msnejlrel, 
Mei'.cjlrier,  which  was  latinized  by  the  Monks,  Sec.  Mi- 
nijh.'.u!,  Ninijlfellus,  MinijlraUu^Meneflerellus,  &c.  [Vid. 
GlofT.  Du  Cange  &  St-pplem.  j 

Menage  derives  the  French  words  abovementioned 
from  MirJfterialis  or  Minijteriarius,  barbarous  Latin 
terms  ufed  in  the  middle  ages  to  exprefs  a  Workman 
or  Artificer  (ftill  called  in  Languedoc  Minijlral)  as  if 
thefe  men  were  ftyled  ARTIFICERS  or  PERFORMERS 
by  way  of  excellence  [Vid.  Diftion.  Etym.]  But  the 
origin  of  the  name  is  given  perhaps  more  truly  by  Du 
Cange.  "  MINISTELLI  ....  quos  vulgo  Menejftreux  vel 
"  Mine/triers  appellamus.  quod  minoribus  auls  Miniftris 
"  accenk;r..tur.'J  [Gloff.  IV.  p.  769.]  Accordingly, 
lie  fays,  the  word  "  Minifler"  is  fometimes  ufed  *'  pro 
:?ellus"  and  produces  an  inftance  which  I  fl>all 
infert  at  large  in  the  next  paragraph. 

Although  one  of  thefe  I  take  to  be  the  true  etymo- 
logy, yet  Junius's  conjecture  deferves  mention,  who 
fuppofes  the  word  MINSTREL  to  be  of  Englilh  origin, 
and  deduces  it  from  our  old  Englifh  or  Saxon  name 
for  a  cathedral,  MINSTER.  "  Ut  proprie  Minftrels 
difll  fuerint  qui  in  Calhedralibus  Ecclefiis  inferviebant 

ch-ro  Deitm  jugi  cantu  cdebrantium FortaJJe  quo- 

t**  Cambro-Britannispari  mcdo  Clcr.  tiHifunt  Mufici :  ex 

'<  "•' 

.£1  .q   .d  .L 


N  QT  E  S,    &c.  xli 

«;«5  tutnpe  Clerict  canere  cceperunt  in  Ecdejtis."  [Etym. 
'That  the  Minltrels  iometimes  afliitcd  at  divine 
fervice,  appears  from  the  recoid  of  the  gth  of  Edw.  IV. 
quoted  by  the  ingeni-us  Author  of  the  Obfervations  on 
the  Ancient  Statutes,  &c.  410.- zd  edit.  1766.  p.  273.] 
by  which  "  Ha!id:-y,  Ciiffe,  Marfhall,  and  others  are 
erefced  into  a  Gild  or  Fraternity  ;  to  which  certain 
WOMEN  are  likewife  aflbciated.  By  part  of  this  re- 
cord  it  is  recited  to  be  their  duty  to  fmg  in  the  king's 
chape],  and  particularly  lor  the  departed  fouls  of  the 
king  and  queen  when  they  (hall  die,  &c."— —  The 
fame  alfo  appears  from  the  paflage  in  Du  Cange,  al- 
luded to  above  "  MINISTER  .  .  .  pro  Minijlsllm  Jo- 
"  culator.* —  V'erus  ceremoniale  MS.  B.  M.  deauratas 
"  Tolof.  Item,  etiam  iongregabuntur  Frfcatores,  qui  debent 
"  inierejje  ijlo  die  in  prccejji-.ne  cum  MINISTRIS  feu  'jo- 
*'  culator  It  us  :  qaia  ipfi  PiJ cat  ores  tenentur  babere  ijlo  die 
"  Joculatores,  Jc:u  Mimos  06  HONOREM  CRUCIS— 
"  el  ^i-adunt  primi  ante  procejjlonem  cutn  Miniftris  feu  Jo- 
tl  cvlaioribut  Jemper  pul/antibus  ujque  ad  ecclefiam  S.  Ste- 
"•  pbani,"  [Gloff.  773.] — This  will  alfo  i.ccount  to  us 
for  the  clerical  appearance  of  the  MINSTRELS,  who 
from  the  middle  ages  downwards  feem  to  have  been 
diftinguifl;ed  by  the  TONSURE,  which  was  one  of  the 
inferior  marks  of  the  clerical  character.  Thus  Jeffery 
of  Mon mouth,  fpeaking  of  one  \vho  acled  the  part  of 
a  Minftiel,  hys,' Rajit  capillos  fuos  &  bcirbam.  (fee  Note 
K)  in  which,  though  he  fpeaks  of  a  very  diftant  faft, 
yet  he  probably  rtprefents  the  appearance,  as  it  was 
in  his  time.  Again  a  writer,  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth, 
describing  the  h;)bit  of  an  ancient  Minflrel,  fpeaks  of 
i'is  head  as  "  rounded  Tonfter-wile  "  (which  I  vtn- 
ui;e  to  read  Tor.fure-wife),  "  his  beard  fmugly  fliaven." 

t,  p.  xxxv. 

It  i:,uft  howe\cr    be  obferved,    that  nocwithflanding 
tl-.ii  clerical   appearance  of  the  Minttrels,   and  though 

they 

to  be  uftd  lor  MINSTKI  i.s  in  the  Accou:^ 
itionoT  Abp.  Keville.  (An.  6   Edw.  IV.)    "  Thc-n  all 
:  !yns  rr.uft  fay  grace,  and  the  MINISTERS  do  fing."    Vid. 
Lchnc  Coik^aji   by  Hearne.  vul.  6.  p.  13. 


xlii  NOTES    ON    THE 

they  might  be  fometimes  countenanced  by  fuch  of  the 
clergy  as  were  of  more  relaxed  morals,  their  fportive 
talents  rendered  them  generally  obnoxious  to  the  more 
rigid  Eccleliaftics,  and  to  fuch  of  the  religious  orders 
as  were  cf  mere  fevere  difcipline  ;  whofe  writings  com- 
monly abound  with  heavy  complaints  of  the  great  en- 
couragement {hewn  to  thefe  men  by  the  princes  rind 
roblei,  and  who  can  fcldorn  afford  them  a  better  name 
than  that  of  Scurry,  Famelid,  Nekutones,  &c.  of  which 
innumerable  inftance-  may  be  fecn  in  Du  Cange. 
It  was  even  an  eftabliihed  order  in  fome  of  the  mona- 
fteries,  that  no  Minitrcl  Should  ever  be  fuffered  to  enter 
their  gates. 

(B)  "  The  Mir.frreis  ufed  mimicry  and  aftion,  and 
"  other  means  of  diverting,  &c.':]  It  is  obfervable, 
that  our  oid  monicifh  hiflorians  feldom  ufe  the  words 
Canlator,  CitbarteduS)  MU/ICHS,  or  the  like,  to  exprefs 
a  MINSTREL  in  Latin,  but  either  Mimus,  Hifirlo,Jo- 
culaiir,  or  fome  other  word  that  implies  geiture.  Hence 
it  might  be  inferred,  that  the  Winftrels  fet  oft"  their 
fongs  with  all  the  arts  cf  gefHcalation,  &c.  or,  ac- 
cording to  the  ingenious  hypothecs  of  Dr.  Brown, 
united  the  powers  of  melody,  poem,  arui  dance.  [See 
his  Hiftory  of  the  Rife  of  Poetry,  &c.j 

But  this  is  alfo  proved  by  more  pofitive  evidence  ; 
for  ail  the  old  writers  describe  them  as  exercifing  vari- 
ous arts  of  this  kind.  We  have  a  remarkable  inftance 
of  this  in  Joinville's  life  of  S.  Lewis  *  ;  which  {hews, 
that  the  MINSTRELS  were  fometimes  very  dextrous 
Tumblers  and  Pofture-malters.  "  Avec  1e  Prince  vin- 
•'  rent  trois  Meneitriers  de  la  Grande  Hyermenie  (Ar- 

«'  menu)  .  .  .  .  et  a^oient  trois  cors Quand  ils  en- 

•'  commenceoieiu  a  corner,  vous  diffiez  que  ce  font  les 

"  voix 

tions  on  the  Ancient  Statutes,  2d  Ed.  p.  27*!  Uny^e  however 
items  to  fpcak  of  this  as  a  rare  inftance.  [Vid.  p.  217.] 


FOREGOING     ESSAY.        xliH 

"  voix  de  cygnes,  .  .  .  .  et  fefoient   les    pious   deuces 

"  melodies. Jls  fefoient  trois  mervei'lcus  SAUS,  car 

"  on  leur  metoit  une  touaille  defous  lei  piez,  et  tournoi- 
"  ent  tout  debout.  .  .  .  Les  deux  tournoients  les  teftes 
"  arieres,"  &c.  &c. 

This  will  account  to  us  for  that  remarkable  claufe  in 
the  prefs  warrant  of  Henry  VI.  "  De  Minijiralli;  prcplcr 
."  Jolatium  regis  providendis,"  by  which  it  is  required, 
that  the  boys  to  be  provided  in  arte  Minijlrallatus  in* 
ftruEios,  fhould  alfo  be  atembris  naturalibus  elegantes.  See 
the  warrant  at  large  in  Rymer,  34.  Hen.  VI.  (Obferv. 
on  the  Anc.  Stat.  2d  Ed.  p.  273.) 

By  MINSTREL  was  properly  underftood  in  En^lifh, 
One  who  fung  to  the  harp,  or  fome  other  iniirument  of 
mufic,  verfes  compofed  by  himfelf  or  others  :  Not  but 
the  term  was  fometimes  applied  by  our  old  writers  to 
fuch  as  profefled  either  mufic  or  fmging  feparately,  and 
perhaps  to  fuch  as  pra&ifed  any  of  the  fportive  arts  con- 
uecled  w-ith  thefe  *.  Mufic  however  being  the  leading 
idea,  was  at  length  peculiarly  c.illcd  MINSTRELSY,  and 
th«  name  of  MINSTREL  at  iall  confined  to  the  IViu- 
lician  only. 

In  the  French  language  all  thefe  Arts  v/ere  included 
under  the  general  name  of  Mencftraudie  Meiteftrauaife, 
Jonglerie,  &C.  [Med.  Lat.  Itleneft elkrum  Ars,  Ars'Joculato- 
riat  &c.] '•  On  peut  comprendre  fous  le  nom  de  JON- 
GLERIE tout  ce  qui  appartient  aux  anciens  chanfon- 
nicrs  Provec^aux,  Norlands,  Picards,  &-c.  Le  corps  de 
Ja  Jonglerie  e:oi;  formedes  Trou-veres,  ou  Troubadours, 
qui  compofoient  les  chanfocs,  et  panni  lefqueli,  il  y 
iivoit  des  Imprtwijateurs,  camffie  on  en  trouve  en  Ita- 
lic ;  des  Chantecurs  ou  Chanterts  qui  executoient  oi'. 
chantcoient  ces  compofitions  ;  ces  Ccmtturs  qui  fai- 
foient  en  vers  ou  en  profe  ,es  contes,  iesrecits,  les  hif- 
toires  ;  des  Jongleurs  ou  Menejlrels  qui  accompagnoient 
de  leurs  inftrumens. — L'art  de  ces  Chantres  ou  Chan- 
fonniers,  etoit  nommc  la  Science  Gaie,  Gay  Saber." 

(Pref.  Anthologie  Franc.  1765.  8vo.  p.  17.; See  alfo 

the 
•  Vid.  infra,  Not.  A  a. 


xliv  NOTES    ON    THE 

the  curious  FAUCHET  (De  /'  Orig.  delaLang.  Fr.  p.  72, 
Cfj.)  "  Bien  toll  apres  la  divifion  de  ce  grand  empire 
"  Francois  en  tar.t  de  pettts  royaumes,  duchez,  & 
*'  ccnuez,  au  lieu  des  Poetes  commencerent  a  fe  faire 
"  cogr.oiitre  ies  Trouverres,  et  Chanterres,  Conteours,  et 
"  Jugli'ours  :  qui  iont  Trouveurs,  Chantres,  Ccnteurs, 
"  JONGLEURS,  ou  JUGLEURS,  c'eft  a  dire,  MENE- 
"  &TRIER.J  chantans  avec  la  viole." 

We  lee  then  that  Jongleur,  Jugteur,  (Lat.  Joculator, 
Jugiatcr)  was  the  peculiar  name  appropriated  to  the 
Aiinlireis.  "  Les  Jongleours  tie  faifoient  que  chanter  Us 
"  pcejietfur  Uurs  inftrumens.  O«  Ies  appelloit  aujji  ME- 
"  KESTRELS:"  fays  Fontenelle,  itihis'H/ft.Ja-Tiiiat. 
Franc,  prettxed  to  his  Life  of  Corneiile. 

(C)  "  Succeffors  of  the  ancient  BARDS."]  That 
ths  MINSTRELS  in  many  refpedts  bore  a  ftrong  re- 
fenibiance  both  to  the  Britifh  BARDS  and  to  the  Danifa 
SCALDS,  appears  from  this,  that  the  o'd  Monkifh  wri- 
ters exprefs  them  all  without  diflinftion  by  the  fame 
names  in  Latin.  Thus  Gecffery  of  Monmouth,  him- 
felf  a  Welll.man,  fpeaking  of  an  old  pagan  Britifh  king, 
who  excelled  in  finging  and  munc,  fo  far  as  to  be 
efteerr.ed  by  his  countrymen  the  Patron  Deity  of  the 
BARDS,  ufes  the  phrafe  Deus  JOCULATORUM  ;  which  is 
the  peculiar  name  given  to  the  Englifh  and  French  Min- 
ftreis*.  In  like  manner,  William  of  Malmefbury,  fpeak- 
ing of  a  Danifli  king's  affuming  the  profeffion  of  a 
SCALD,  exprt lies  it  by,  Prcfejfcs  Mi  MUM  ;  which  was 
another  name  given  to  the  Minftrels  in  Middle  Lati- 
nityf.  Indeed  Du  CANCE,  in  hisGloffary,  quotes  a  wri- 
ter,  who  pofitiveiy  afferts  that  the  MINSTRELS  of  the 
middle  ages  were  the  fame  with  the  ancientBARDS.  I  fliall 
give  a  large  extraft  from  this  learned  gloflbgrapher,  as 
he  relates  many  curious  particulars  concerning  the  pro- 
ar.dara  of  the  Minftrels;  whom,  afrer  the  monks, 
he  aignmtizes  by  the  ram e  of  Scurra?;  though  he  ac- 
knowledges theit  forgs  often  .tended  to  infpire  virtue. 

"  Mi:::- 
»  Vid.  Not.  B.  K.  Q^  f  v:.i.  xot.  N. 


FOREGOING      ESSAY.          xlv 

"  MIKISTRELLI,  difli  praeferttm  Scurr*,  Mimi,  Jocu- 
'  Stores."  ....  "  Ejulmodi  Scurrarum  man  us  erat 
'  princ:pes  non  fuis  duntaxat  lacicris  oblectare,  fed  er 
'  eorum  ajres  varils  avorum,  ajeoque  ipformn  prin- 
'  clpqm  laudibus.  non  fine  ASSENTATIOXE,  cum  canti- 

x  muficii  ir.ilrumeruis  demukere 

"  Interdum  etiam  virorum  infiguium  &  heroum 
'  gefta,  aut  explicata  &  jocunda  narratione  comme- 
'  morabant,  aut  fuavi  vocis  inflexione,  fidibufque  de- 
'  cantabant,  quo  fie  dominoruni,  c^terommque  qui 
.rererar.t  Judicris,  nobiliam  animos  ad  VIR.TL-- 
'  TEM  capeflendam,  et  rumrr.orum  vircram  imitatio- 
e  r.em  accenderent:  quod  fuit  olim  apud  Gallos  Bar- 
'  dorum  minillerium,  ut  auSor  eft  Tacitas.  Neque 
'  enim  alios  a  Minifttllif,  vetertim  Gaiiorum  Bardct 
'  fuifie  pluribus  probat  Henricus  Valefius  ad  15  Am- 

1  miaui 

"  Xicolaus  de   Braia  defcribens  folenne  convivium, 
"  quo    pod    inau^urationem    fuam     proceres   excepit 
"  Lud.  VIII.  rex  Francorum,    ait  inter  ir 
"  apparatum,   in    medium  prodiifTe  MIMVM,  c 

"  laudes  ad  cytharam  decantavit." 

Our  author  then  gives  the  lines  at  leng:"  . 
gin  thus, 

<r  Dumc-:e  fovent  ger.ium  geniali  mtnere  Bi;;_:, 

"  Ncftare  commixto  cnras  rcmovente  Ly2;u 

•'  Principis  a  facie,  cithars  cdeberriiaus  ar.e 

"  AiTur-it  Mi  vcs,  ars  mufica  q'jsin  Jecorarit. 

<f  Hie  ergo  chorda  refonante  fubintulit  iibt : 

'•'  Inclyte  rex  rcgum,  probitans  ftemmite  vtitftMp    •' 

"  Q^em  vigor  &  virtus  extoliiV  in  sthera  famse,  &S. 

The  reft  may  be  fecn  in  Du  Cange,  who  thus  proceeds, 
"  Mitto  reliqua   fimilia,   ex  quibus  omnino  pin 
"  modi  Mimorum  &  Minilkllorum  caniilenas   a 

"  totem  principes  cxcitaile Id  przfertim  in 

'*  prsccinftu,  dominis  fuis  occinebant,  utmarucir 


xlvi  NOTES     ON     THE 

"  rem  in  eorum  animis  condtarent :  cujufrr.odi  cantum 
"  Cantile-.am  Rctlar.di  appellat  Will.  Malmefb.  lib.  3. 
"  — Aimoinus,  lib.  4.  de  Mirac.  S.  Bened.  c.  5-. 
*'  T"anta  -vero  illis  Jf  cur  it  as  .  .  .  ut  SCURRAM  feprecedere 
"  facerent,  qiii  mufico  injlrumento  res  fort iter  geftas  et  frio- 
"  rum  bella  pracintrtt,  quatenus  his  acrius  incitarentur, 
"  Ac."  As  the  writer  was  a  monk,  we  fhall  not  won- 
der at  his  calling  the  Minilrel,  Scurram. 

(D)  "  The  .Poet  and  the  Minftrel  early  with  us  be- 
"  came  two  perfons."  The  word  SCALD  compre- 
hended both  charafters  among  the  Danes,  nor  do  I 
krow  that  they  had  any  peculiar  name  for  either  of 
them  feoarate.  But  it  was  not  fo  with  the  An*Io- 
Saxons.  They  called  a  POET  Sceop,  and  Leo«p-ta- 
the  hft  of  thefe  comes  from  LerS,  a  SOKG  ;  and  the 
former  r.nfvvers  to  our  old  word  MAKER  (Gr.  n*/»Twj) 
being  derived  from  Scippanor  Sce-opn,  f^rmare,  facere, 
f.>,Sere,creare  (Ang.  to  fnape).  As  for  the  MITCSTREL, 
they  cljftmguifted  him  by  the  peculiar  appellation  of 

^..r.,  and  perhaps  by  the  more  fimph  titleof  pe-n- 
pene,  Harper :  LSee  below,  notes  H,  I.J  This  laft  title, 
at  leart,  is  often  given  to  a  MinftreJ  by  our  mofl  an' 
cient  F.nghJh  rhymiib.  See  in  this  work  Vol.  I.  p-  - , . 
tsc.  Vol.  III.  p.  43,  csV. 


-   •  •  at  the  houfes  of  the  great, 
Uu^ap.ge  affirms,   that  in    the   middle   ages, 
the  courts  ot   princes  fwarmed   fo  much  with  this  kind 
01  men,  ant -fuch  i2rge  furns  were  expended   in  main- 
and  rewarding  them,    that   they  often  drained 
the  royal  treafunes:    eipeciaily,    he    adds,    of  fuch    as 

Or  the.e  I  ft  all  here  feleft  only  cue  or  two,  which  ihow 
*    rewards  were    be:1owed   on   thefe   old 
•Juufa1-rr-- 

9  •<  p-      7 

^  Kigoraiej 


FOREGOING    ESSAY.      xlvii 

"  Rigordus  dt  Gtftis  PJnlippi  Aug.  an.  1 185.  "  Cum  in 
"  cunts  return  feu  aliorum  principum,  frequent  turbo.  Hi- 
"  STRIONUM  cont-enire/c/eaf,  ut  ab  eh  AC  RUM,  ARGEN- 
"  TUM,  E<vyos,y£/<  VEJ-TES,  *  quos  perf-ipe  nut  are  co-n- 
*' fuevertt>:t  principes,  ab  eis  e*torqi:eant,  vert/a  Joi.ula- 
"  loria  -juriis  adukilionilus  plena  proferre  nituntur,  Et 
"  ut  aiagis  p/aceaxt,  quicquid  de  ipfis  principibus  probabi- 
"  liter  fin^i  pot  eft,  videlicet  cmnes  deliiias  et  lepores,  et 
tf  <vifu  dignas  urbanitates  et  cefteras  itieptias,  trutinantibus 
"  buccii  in  medium  crnXare  non  zmbefcvnt.  Vidimus  qvon- 
"  dam  qurj'dam  principes,  qui  VESTES  diu  excogitatas,  et 
"  'uariis  fi'jruvi  pifiurationibus  artif.cioie  elatoratas^  pro 
"  quibus  f.rfan  20  <-jel  30  marc  as  argenti  ccmfumpferant, 
"  i>ix  revolutis  feptem  die  bus  HISTRIONIBUS,  ntiniftris 
"  di ahull,  ad primam  vacem  dedijje,  &c," 

The  curious  jeader  may  find  a  iimilar,  thouph  at  the 
fame  time  a  more  candid  account,  in  that  moft  excel- 
lent \vrirer,  Prefid.  FAUCHET:  (Recueil  de  la  lang.  Fr. 
p.  73.)  \vlu>fays,  that,  like  the  ancient  Greek  Ao/cfof, 
"  Nos  Trouverres,  ainli  que  ceux  la,  ^renans  leur  fub- 
"  ject  fur  Its  faits  des  vaillans  (qa'ils  appelloyent  Gefte, 
"  venant  de  Gejia  Latin)  alloyent  ...  par  les  cours  re- 
"  jouir  les  Princes  . .  .  Rcmportans  des  grandes  re- 
"  compences  des  feigneurs,  qui  hien  feu  vent  leur  don- 
*'  noyent  jufques  aux  ROGES  qu'ils  avoyent  veftues  :  & 
"  lelquelles  ces  Jugleours  ne  failloyent  de  porter  aux 
"  autres  cours,  a  fin  d'inviter  les  fH^neurs  a  p;:reille 
"  liberalitc.  Ce  qui  a  durc  ,1:.  lo;-gue:nent,  qu'il  ME 
"  SOUVIEKT  AVOIR  vEu  Martin  Raraton  (ja  viel  Me- 
"  neitiicr  d'Orleans)  lequel  aux  fdles  ct  nopces  batoic 

"  un 


MinftfdsinFrmrt  v.fre  rcre'viV. 

rn   the  IJT!I   century.      >  '  •   ..  •  cn"LTt.iin_mc;\l 

given  by  tk«  Comte  de  Foi\t)   icils   us  that  "  there  v.-<re  m-.tny  MYN-- 
•.3,  as  well  <>t   !  .'ic  of  them  dyd 

"•  thdy^evoyre in  their  1  .  :'.ixgavi- 

"  to    H.TJvid?    and    Min!!'-i!!.-r    ths    f;im    "f     K 
"   FRANKES:  and  ga\v 

"  of  Clothe  of    Gold  fum-J   with  Ertnyne 'vjlned     • 
<  Frank-s."       P..  ,'!!.. 


NOTES     ON     THE 

"  un  tabourh  d'argcnt,  feme  des  plaques  auiii  d'sr- 
"  gent,  gravees  des  armoiries  de  ceux  a  qui  il  avoit 
"  appri?  a  DANSER  ." 

Fontenelle  even  gives  us  to  anderftand,  that  thefe 
men  were  often  rewarded  with  favours  of  a  ftill  higher 
kind.  "  Les  princeffes  &  les  plus  grandes  dames  y 
"  joignoient  fouvent  leurs  faveurs.  Eiles  etoient  fort 
"  foible  centre  les  beaux  efprits."  (Hift.  duTbtat.)  We 
are  not  to  wonder  then  that  this  profeifion  fhoald  be 
followed  by  men  of  the  firft  quality,  particularly  the 
younger  fons  and  brothers  of  great  houfes.  "  Tel  qui 
"  par  les  partages  de  fa  famille  n'avoit  que  la  mo: tie  ou 
"  le  quart  d'une  vieux  chateaux  bien  feigneurial,  alloil 
"  quelque1  temps  courir  le  monde  en  rimant,  et  reve- 
"  noit  acquirir  le  refte  de  Chateau."  (Fontenelle  Hi/?, 
du.  Theat  )  We  fee  then,  that  there  was  no  improbable 
fiftion  in  thofe  ancient  Songs  and  Romances,  which  are 
founded  on  the  ftory  of  Minftrels  being  beloved  by 
kings  daughters,  &c.  and  difcovering  th^mfelves  to  be 
the  fons  of  tome  fovereign  prince,  &c. 

(F)  The  honours  and  rewards  lavifoed  upon  the  Min- 
ftrels were  not  confined  to  the  continent.  Our  own  coun- 
tryman Johannes  San(burienfis  (in  the  time  of  Henry  U.) 
declaims  no  lefs  than  the  monks  abroad,  againit  the 
extravagant  favour  (hewn  to  thefe  men.  Non  eniat  more 
nugatorum  ejus  feculi  in  HisTiuoxts,  &  MIMOS,  et  hu- 
jujmadi  mcnjlra  hominum,  obfam?  redemptioncm  &  diiata- 
ticnem  nomini;  ejfunditis  opes  <vejhas,  &c.  [Epift.  247  f.] 

The  Monks  feem  to  grudge  every  act  of  munificence 
that  was  not  applied  to  the  benefit  of  themfelves  and 
their  convents.  They  therefore  bellow  great  applaufes 
upon  the  Emperor  Henry,  who,  at  his  marriage  with 
Agnes  of  Pcicloo,  in  1044,  difappointed  the  poor  Min- 
ftrels, and  fent  them  away  ^mpty.  Irfnitarn  Hijlrio- 
num,  &  Joculatorum  ntullitudintm,  fiat  ctl/o  &  mumribus 

ijacuarn 

*  Here  v.-c  fe:  th?.t  a  MinArel  pcrforrr,:d  fin;::^cs  the  fu.-diaa 
«f  a  Dancing-MtAcr. 

t  Et.  vid.  Policraticon.  cap.  8,  i-c. 


FOREGOING    ESSAY.       xlix 

ffjacuam  &  m<trtntem  abire  permifit.  (Chronic.  Virtzi- 
burg.)  For  which  I  doubt  not  but  he  was  iufficiently  ftig- 
matized  in  the  Songs  and  Ballads  of  thofe  times.  Via. 
Du  Cange,  Gloff.  torn.  4.  p.  771,  &c. 

(G)  "  The  annals  of  the  Anglo  Saxons  are  fcanty 
"  and  defective."]  Of  the  few  hiftories  now  remain- 
ing that  were  written  before  the  Norman  Conqueft, 
almoft  all  are  fuch  fhort  and  naked  (ketches  and  abridg- 
ments, giving  only  a  concife  and  general  relation  of 
the  more  remarkable  events,  that  fcarce  any  of  the 
minute  circumftantial  particulars  are  to  be  found 
in  ihem  :  nor  do  they  hardly  ever  defcend  to  a  de- 
fcription  of  the  cuftoms,  manners,  or  domeftic  cecono- 
my  of  their  countrymen.  The  SAXON  CHRONICLE, 
for  inilance,  which  is  the  belt  of  them,  and  upon  fome 
accounts  extremely  valuable,  is  almoft  fuch  an  epitome 
as  Lucius  Florus  and  Eutropius  have  left  us  of  the 
Roman  hi ftory.  As  for  ETHELWARD,  his  book  is  judged 
to  be  an  imperfeft  translation  of  the  Saxon  Chronicle  f; 
and  the  Pfeuao-djftr  or  Chronicle  of  St.  Neot  is  a  poor 
defective  performance.  How  abfurd  would  it  be  then 
to  argue  againtt  the  exiftence  of  cultoms  or  fa&s,  from 
the  filence  of  fuch  fcanty  records  as  thefe  ?  Whoever 
would  carry  his  relearches  deep  into  that  period  of  hif- 
tory,  might  fafely  plead  the  excufe  of  a  learned  writer, 
who  had  particularly  ftudied,  the  Ante-Norman  hiftori- 
ans.  ".Cenjeffuris  (licet  nufquam  fene  <verifimili  funda- 
mento)  aliquoties  indu.lgemus  .  .  .  utpote  ab  Hiftoricit  jejune 
nimis  (^  indiligenter  res  noftrai  traklantibus  coaQi  .  .  .  Nof- 
tri  .  .  ,  nuda  faElorum  commemoratione  plerumque  conttntit 
rtliqua  omitia,  fi-ve  ob  ipfarum  rerut/t,  fe^jt  meliorum  lite- 
rarum,  jl-iit  Hijioritorum  offidi  igtioranttam,  fere  intafta. 
prrtlerettHt"  Vide  plura  in  Pracfat.  ad  jElfr.  Vltam  a 
Spelman.  Ox.  1678.  fol. 

VOL.  I.  d  (H)  "  Min- 

f  Vid.  Nicholfon's  Eng.  Hift.  Libr.  tc. 


)  NOTES    ON    THE 

(H)  "  Minftrels  and  Harpers."]  That  the  HARP 
(Ciihard)  was  the  common  mufical  inftrument  of  the 
Anglo  Saxons,  might  be  inferred  from  the  very  word 
itfelf,  which  is  not  derived  from  the  Britilh,  or  any 
other  Celtic  language,  but  of  genuine  Gothic  original, 
and  current  among  every  branch  of  that  people  :  viz. 
Attg.-Sax.  peappe  ;  ^eappa.  Iceland.  $arpa  ;  $attrp». 
Dan.  and  Belg.  $?arpe.  Germ,  ^arpffe,  $?arpffa.  Gal. 


Harpe.  Span.  Harpa.  Ital.  Arpa.  [Vid.  Jun.  Etym. 
—  Menage  Etym.  &c.]  As  alfo  from  this,  that  the 
word  £eajipe  is  conftantly  ufed  in  the  Anglo-Saxon 
verfions,  to  exprefs  the  Latin  words  Citbara,  Lyra,  and 
even  Cymbalum  :  the  word  Pfalmus  itfelf  being  fometimes 
tranflated  peapp  ran3»  HARP-SONG.  \GloJJ~.  Jun.  R. 
apud  Lye  Anglo-Sax.  £,«•.]  .  ^am^rfsx 

But  the  faft  itfelf  is  pofitively  proved  by  the  exprefs 
teftimony  of  Bede,  who  tells  us  that  it  was  ufual  at 
feftival  meetings  for  this  inftrument  to  be  handed  round, 
and  each  of  the  company  to  fing  to  it  in  his  turn.  See 
his  Hifi.  Ecclef.  Angler.  Lib.  4.  c.  24.  where  fpeaking 
of  their  facred  poet  Caedmon,  who  lived  in  the  times  of 
the  Heptarchy  (ob>  circ.  680.)  he  fays  : 

"  Nibil  unquam  frivoli  fs"  fupervacui  poematis  facer  e 
fctuit  ;  ftd  ta  tantummodo,  quee  ad  rtligionem  pertinent, 
religiofam  ejus  linguam  decebant.  Siquidem  in  habitu  fa- 
tvlari,  ufqut  ad  tempera  prirvefliorij  atatis  conftitutus,  nil 
Carminum  aliquando  di  dicer  at.  Unde  nonnunquam  in  con- 
vivio,  eum  ejjet  latiti*  caufa  ut  omnes  per  crdinem  CAN- 
TARE  deberent,  ille  abi  appropinquare  Jtbi  CITHAR.AM 
cernebat,  furgebat  a  media  caena,  et  egreffiu  ad  fuam  do- 
mum  repedabat,'1  bTov/  nor£3 

I  mall  now  fubjoin  king  ALFRED'S  own  Anglo- 
Saxon  tranflation  of  this  paffage,  with  a  literal  inter- 
Imeary  Enghlh  verfion.  iqmft  ^ 


£e  .  .  .  n*pne  noht  leaping,  ne  ibeler  leoSe?  pypcean  ne 

J  'S  fJ 

mihtfr. 


FOREGOING     ESSAY.          li 

.  aR  epne  $a  an  £a  $e  to  zpep  tnepp  e  beh:mpon.    -j 
*flf  /*7  c*lj  tbofe  ttings  lObtcb  to  retlgiin  [piety]  b&ng,     and 

»v  orfj  mov 

tip  $*  ajpeptan  tunjan  8ebaFeno»6  rm3an  s  p*p  he  pe-   m^ 
AH  rim    phut         tongue         lecatte        to  fags    Ht  was  tie  [a]  KM 

_ 

in    peopolt-ha&e  jej-etes  oS  S^  tibe  t?e    h&  paej*  op  %&}j- 
in  nvrld'.y  [Jecular]  flute    fit       to   the  tune  in  which  be  was     of   an 

pebjie    ybt.      *j    he   rtepjie  arms   leojj  jeleofinobe.     -j  he 
advanced  *ge  5    and    be       never      any     Jong         learned.          And  li 

fojifjon  opt  in  jebeopfcipe  ?5onne  Sip  p»p  blipj-e-  jnnn^i 
therefore  OFT  /«  *i/:  entertainment  ivben  tbert  \it\  ivasfor  merriment-fake 

jebemeb  .  •$  hi  ealle  peeotean  ?uph   enj>ebyj\t>neppfr 

adjudged  [or  decreed],   that  iky  A  L  L  Jbculd  t  brugb  '      tL  fir  turns 

' 

he     htafipan  pinjan.   Xonne  he  Jepeah  5a  hea/ipan  him  nea- 
ijf  [/«  fA#J  HARP  SING  ;    i^txn     i«      /d«;        /£><;     HARP     />;«     a/>- 

Iscan«j5onne  ajiap  he  pop  pceome  ppam  5am  pymls-  .  -7  ham 
proacb,     then     arefe  be    FO    SHAME    fr;m     the   f  upper,  and  i*me 
Jl'WJft^  UU»J»t 

eo&e  to  Jap  hupe. 


Bed.  Hift.  Ecci,  a  Smith.  Cantab.  1712.  fol.  p.  597. 

In  this  verfion  of  Alfred's  it  is  obfervable,  (t)  that 
he  has  exprefled  the  Latin  word  can/are,  by  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  words  "be  heappan  pinjan,"  SING  TO  THH  HARP  ; 
as  if  they  were  fyr.onymous,  or  as  if  his  countrymen 
had  no  idea  of  Singing  unaccompanied  with  the  Harp  : 
(2)  That  when  Bede  fimply  fays,  furgtbat  a  mtdia. 
tana  ;  he  afligns  a  motive,  "  »pap  pop  pceome,"  AROSE 
*O.R  iHAMB  !  that  is,  either  .from  an  aufteiity  of  man- 
from,  his  bjfing,  defijCiejit  ia  an  .accomphi^- 
2  2  msnt, 


Hi  NOTE°S«<i&J>rWI 

ment,  which  fo  generally 

men*  f  albbiM  ni  jrioidw  «mtrc'v^1 

(I)  "  The  word  continues  ftill  in  our  language, 
"  &c."]  This  is  the  word  GLEE  ;  which  is  derived 
from  the  Anglo-Saxon  c;'53,  [Gligg]  Mitjica;  Music, 
JHHinfltdfu  (Scmn).  This  is  the  common  radix,  whence 
arife  fuch  a  variety  of  terms  and  phrafes  relating  to  the 
Minftrel-Art,  as  afford  the  ftrongeft  internal  proof,  that 
this  profefiion  was  extremely  common  and  popular  here 
before  the  Norman  conqueft.  Thus  we  have 


(1)  Dhp,  Miaus,  a  MINSTREL. 

Dlisman,  shjmon,  jUman,  [Glee-man]  Hiftrio,  Mimuj, 
Pantomimus  ;  all  common  names  in  Middle-Latinity  for 
a  MINSTREL  :  and  Somner  accordingly  renders  the 
original  by  a  jJT.inftrcI;  a  $Iagcr  on  a  timbrel  o?  tatcr.  He 
adds,  alfitler;  but  this  is  giving  a  modern  idea:  occa- 
fioned  by  the  word  Fifteen ;  by  which  the  orig.  has  been 
alfo  rendered ; 

Bhimen,  Sln5men. [Glee-men.]  Htftrioaes*  MINSTRELS. 
Hence 

Dhjmanna-yppe.  Orcbcftra,  vel  Pulpitus.  The  place 
where  the  Minftrels  exhibited  their  performances. 

r 

(2)  But  their  mod  proper  and  expreffive  name  was 
Eliphleo|?nienfc.  Mujicus,  a  jpRinflrel ;  and 
El:phleoJ?riientlica.  Mu/icus,  MUSICAL. 

Thefe  two  words  include  the  full  idea  of  the  Minftrel 
character,  expreffing  at  once  their  Mufic  and  Singing, 
being  compounded  of  Clip,  Mujicus-t  Minus,  a  MUSI- 
CIAN, MINSTREL  ;  and  LeotS,  Carmen,  a  SONG. 

(^5)  From  the  above  word  Dhzjc.  the  profeffion  itfelf 
was"  called 

Chscrtatpt.  [Glig   cr    Glee-craft.]    Mujica,  Hiftrionia, 

Mimica  Gtjliculaiio :    Which  Somner  rightly  gives   in 

rLnglifh,   ^inflrelfp,  ^iraical  (Ccfticulation,  JUaurnmirp. 

y  He 


FOREGO!  N  G    E  S  S  A  Y.        liii 


He  alfo  adds  ^tagc.-ptepino  ;  but  here  again,  I  think  he 
fubftitutes  an  idea  too  modern  ;  induced  by  the  word 
Hiftrionia,  which  in  Middk  Latinity  only'  Signifies  the 
Minftrel-art. 

However  it  mould  feem,  that  both  mimical  gefttcu- 
lation  and  a  kind  of  rude  exhibition  of  characters  were 
ibmetimes  attempted  by  the  old  Minftrels  :  But 

(4)   As  Mufical  Performance  was  the  leading  idea,  fo 

Hhopian,  is  Cant  'n  s  Mujlcos  ed°re  ;   and 

niisbeam,  jlipbe-am.  [Glig  or  Glee-beam]  Tympanum  ; 
a  (Cimbrcl  or  (^afcer-  (So  Somn.)  Hence 

DJypian.  Tympanum  pulfare  ;  and 

IHjp-m£rtien;  sbypienbe-maben;  [Glee-maiden]  Tym- 
paxijlria  :  which  Somn°r  renders  n  .£>fjE-jflainllrE*;  for  it 
{hould  feem,  that  they  had  Females  of  this  profeffion  ; 
One  name  for  which  was  alfo  Dljp 


(5)  Of  congenial  derivation  to  the  foregoing  is 
;ni>pc.     Tibia,  a  PIPE  or  FLUTE. 


;ni>pc 

JJoth.this  and  the  common  radix  Ch^s,  are  with  great 
appearance  of  truth  derived  by  Junius  from  the  Ice- 
landic 4&lij30ur,  Flatus  ;  as  fuppoiing  that  the  firlt  at- 
tempts at  iViufic  among  our  Gothic  anceitors,  were 
from  Wind-inilruments.  Vid.  Jua.  Etym.  Ang.  V. 
GLEE. 


But  the  Minftrcls,  as  is  hinted  above,  did  not  confine 
ihcmfelves  to  the  mere  exercife  of  their  primary  arts  of 
Mufic  and  Song,  but  occafionally  ufed  many  other 
modes  of  diverting.  Hence  from  the  above  Root  was 
derived,  in  a  feconclary  f?nfe, 

(l)    nieo,  and  piny-urn  slip.  Fficeti<e. 

rieoPjan.>ttwi;  to  left,  or  6e  mms  ;  (Sown.)   and 

(Somn.) 

Chgrnan,  alfo  fignified  Jodjla,  a  JKSTFR. 
»nwmnmflir.  4noh»I: 
•sH 


NOTES      ON      THE 
Ufafoteto  [Glee-prune..]  Jed.     Which   Somner 


: 

gtiftfiflft* 

(z)  Hence  again,  by  a  common  metonymy  of  the 
Caufe  for  the  Effeft, 

Che.  gauaium,  alacrilas,  Itfliria,  facstite  ;  5o?»  *Ktrtij, 
Cla&nefo  Cjjeaifulnpfs,  fflcc.  [Somner.  j  Which  lait  ap- 
plicaiion  of  the  word  ftili  continues,  though  rather  in  a 
low  debating  fenfe. 

ns  xo  i»lrt 

III. 

But  however  agreeable  and  delightful  the  various  arts 
cf  the  Minftrels  might  be  to  the  Anglo-Saxon  laity, 
fherc  is  reafcn  to  believe,  that  before  the  Norman  Con- 
queft  at  leaft,  they  were  not  much  favoured  by  the 
clergy;  particularly  by  thofe  of  monaftic  profeffion.  Per, 
not  to  mention  that  the  fportive  talents  of  thefe  men 
V'ould  be  confidered  by  thefe  auftere  ecclefiaftics,  as 
tending  to  levity  and  Hcentioufnefs,  the  Pagan  origin  of 
their  arc  would  excite  in  the  monks  an  infuperable  pre- 
judrce  agr.inft  it.  The  Anglo-Saxon  HARPSRS  and 
Gi,  LFMtiN  were  the  immediate  fucceflbfs  and  iitutator? 
of  the  Scandinavian  -•.  CALDS  ;  who  were  the  great  pra- 
^BWtft^  of  Pagan  fuperiUtion,  and  fomented  that  fpirit  of 
croc'iy  at.d  •  utr;:ye  in  their  countrymen  the  Dawts, 
which  fc!!  with  fuch  peculiar  feverity  on  the  religious 
and  their  convents  —  Hence  arofe  a  third  application  of 
derived  front  Ehjs,  MINSTRELSY,  in  a  very  un- 
h  s  chiefly  prevails  in  books  of 
ion  ana  t-cc  eiiallic  difcipline.  Thus 

;'tr,  is  L'fdi'orum,  LAUGHING  TO  SCORN*.     So 

in  S.  Ralii.  R^ul;   \  \.  i>,  hjpp&on  him  TO   Zh3e   halpente- 

"/<;  babebant  falutarem   ejns  cdmsr.iiio- 

'•-•}  —  This  fenfe  of  the  word  was  perhaps  not 

;.!  f  i.i.d.-d  ;     for  as    the  SPOXT    of  rude    uncultivated 

|  from  ridicule,  it  is  not  improbable 

4WJ}-..  but 

•  To  c  LI  *  K,  is  ufed  in  Sbakefpeare,  for  "  to  make  fport,  to  ;eft,"  &c, 


ESS  4.  Y.         !*• 

but  the  old  Minftrels  often  indulged  a  vein  of  this  fort, 
and  that  of  no  very  delicate  kind.  So  again, 

Elis-rnan,  was  alfo  ufed  to  fignify  Scurra,  a  faucp  Seller 
(Somn.) 

Chj-seopn.  Dicax,  Scurrriles  jocos  fupra  quant  par  eft 
amaxs.  OfHcium  Epifcopale,  3. 

Dlipian.  Scurrilibus  obletiamentis  indulgere  \  Scurraat 
agere.  Canon.  Edgar.  58. 

(2)  Again,  as  the  various  attempts  to  pleafe,  prac- 
tifed  by  an  order  of  men  who  owed  their  fupport  to  the 
public  favour,  might  be  confidered  by  thofe  grave 
cenfors,  as  mean  and  debafing  :  Hence  came  from  the 
fame  root, 

Dhperi.  Parafitus,  AJJentator ;  a  fatorttt,  a  4To00er,  ft 
f&arafite,  a  fltottnrer.  *.  (Somn.) 

IN  fo  unfavourable  a  light  were  the  Minftrels  confi- 
dered by  the  Anglo-Saxon  clergy  ;  but,  after  the  Nor- 
man Conqueft,  when  the  Pagan  origin  of  their  art  was 
forgot ;  and  when  perhaps  a  greater  laxity  of  manners 
prevailed  among  fome  of  the  ecclefiaftics  ;  thefe  men. 
do  not  feem  to  have  regarded  them  every-where  with  fo 
evil  an  eye :  for  there  is  even  room  to  think,  that  they 
admitted  them  here  to  fome  of  the  inferior  honours  of 
the  clerical  character  ;  as  the  Tonfure  for  inftance  [fee 
above,  Note  (A)];  but  this  is  mentioned  as  inere  con- 
jeflure.  d  4 

IV. 

*  The  preceding  lift  of  Anglo-Saxon  words,  fo  full  and  copious 
beyond  any  thing  that  ever  yet  appeared  in  print  on  this  fubjeft,  was 
extra£ted  from  Mr.  LYE'S  curious  ANGLO-SAXON  LEXICON,  in  MS. 
hut  the  arrangement  here  is  the  Editor's  own.  It  had  however  re- 
ceived the  fan&ion  of  Mr.  LYE'S  approbation,  and  wonld  doubtlefs 
have  been  received  into  his  printed  copy,  had  he  lived  to  publifli  it 
hiojfclf. 

Itfhouldalfo  be  obferved,  for  the  fake  of  future  re fc arches,  that 
without  the  ufliftance  of  the  old  English  Interpretations  given  by 
SOMNER,  in  his  Anglo-Saxon  Dictionary,  the  Editor  of  this  book, 
never,  could  have  Hifcovered  that  GLEE  fignified  JHEUn|fttIf?,  or 
GLIGMAN 


hi  NOTES     ON     TH& 

Ml  tru  »rf)  "to  rrtilsra  1*913  pft  ,s.Tbjfa  gninoijnam  wlA 

To  return  to  the  Anglo-Saxon  word  Efcfc£i  *Jpt- 
withftanding  the  various  fecondary  fenfes  in  which  this 
word  (as  we  have  feen  above)  was  fo  early  applied  ; 

The  de  ivative  GLEE  (though  now  chiefly  ufed  to 
exprefs  Merriment  and  Joy)  long  retained  its  firft  fimple 
meaning,  and  is  even  applied  by  Chaucer  to  fignify 
Music  and  MINSTRELSY.  (Vid.  Jun.  Etym.)  E  g. 

,eb& 

"  For  though  that  the  beft  harper  upon  live 

"  Would  on  the  beft  founid  jnlly  harpe 

"  That  evir  was,  with  all  his  finger*  five 

"  Touch  aie  o  ftring,  or  aie  o  warble  harpe, 

"  Were  his  nailes  poinfted  nevir  fo  fliarpe 
"  It  Jhoulde  makin  every  wight  to  dull 
«  To  heare  is  GtEI,  and  of  his  ftrokes  fulfcoqlj 


Junius   interprets  GLEES   by  M 
the  following  pafTages  of  Chaucer' 


"  .  .  Stoden  .  .  the  caftell  all  aboutin 

"  Of  all  mamT  of  MYNSTRALES, 

"  And  JESTOURS  that  tellen  tales 

"  Both  of  wepyng  and  of  game, 

"  And  of  all  that  longeth  unto  fame  : 

"  There  herde  I  play  on  a  harpe 

"  Thatfowaed  both  well  and  (harpe 

"  Hym  Orpheus  full  craftily  ; 

"Andonthisfydefaftby  ^ 

^*^****»*  :S 

"AndEacidesChirionj 

«  And  other  harpers  many  one,  ,or{T 

"And  the  Briton  GJ.ASKYRJON. 

.'  .i  ,n3v3Mt  *  After 


F  OR  EG  O  I  NG     B  S  S  A  Y.        Mi 

After  mentioning  thefe,  the  great  mailers  of  the  art,  he 
proceeds  j  Tro«,  OT 

iiirfj  do  MI 


"  Sat  under  them  in  divers  fees.  , 

*        *        *        *     •  .-  '?i  ?b  9ffF 

Hiq*» 

Again,  a  little  below,  the  poet  having  enumerated  the 
performers  on  all  the  different  forts  of  inftruments, 
adds, 

"  There  fawe  I  fyt  in  other  fees 

"  Playing  upon  other  lundry  GLEES, 

"Which  that  I  cannot  neven  * 

"  Mo  than  itarres  ben  in  heven,  &c, 

Upon  the  above  lines  I  fliall  only  make  a  few  obfer- 
vations  : 

(1)  That  we  have  here  mention   made  of  an  order 
of  Minftrels,  who   told  both   tragic  and  comic  itpries, 
called  JtsxouRs  :    which   f    fuppofe  ftiould  be   GES- 
TOURS  ;  fc.   the  relaters  of  GESTS  (Lat.  'Gift  a}  or  ad- 
venturers  in    profe.     Thefe    were    evidently   what  the 
French  called  Conteours,  or  Story-tellers,  and  to  them  we 
are  doubtlefs  indebted  for  the  firll  Profe  Romances  of 
chivalry  :    which  may   be   confidered   as  fpecitnens  of 
their  manner. 

(2)  That  the  "Briton  GLASKERYOK,"  whoever  he 
was,   is  apparently  the  fame  perfon  with  our  famous 
Harper  GLASGERJON,   of  whom  the  reader  will  find  a 
tragical  ballad,  in  Vol.  III.  pag.  43.  -  In  that  fong 
may  be  feen  an  inftance  of  -what  was  advanced  above  in 
note  (E),  of  the  dignity  of  the  minftrel  profeflion,  or  at 
leait  of  the  artifice   with  whica  the  Miaflreb  endea- 
voured to  fet  off  its  importance.  MTA*» 

Thus  "  a  king's  foa.  is  jeprefented  as  appearing  in 

the 

•  Neven,  i.  e.  name. 


Iviii  NOTES     ON     THE 

the  character  of  a  Harper  or  Minftrel  in  tLe  court  of 
another  king.  He  wears  a  collar  (or  gold  chain)  a»  » 
perfon  of  illuftrious  rank  ;  rides  on  horfeback,  and  i* 
admitted  to  the  embraces  of  a  king's  daughter."  ,\  lfi,f, 

The  Minftrels  loft  no  opportunity  of  doing  honour  to 
their  art. 

(3)  As  for  the  word  GLEES,  it  is  to  this  day  ufed  in 
a  muiical  fenie,  and  applied  to  a  peculiar  piece  of  com- 
pofition.  Who  has  not  feen  the  adverdfemenu,  pro- 
pofing  a  reward  to  him  who  fhould  produce  the  beit 
Catch,  Canon,  or  GLEE  ? 

(K)  "  Comes  from  the  pen  of  Geoffery  of  Mon« 
"  mouth."]  GeofFery's  own  words  are,  "  Cum  ergo 
elterixs  modi  adiium  [Be.ldulj>bus\  nutt  baberet,  rajlt  capillos 
Juos  &  barbam*,  c  ulturr.q-.'.c  J  0  c  u  L  A  T  o  R  I  s  cum  Cjtbara. 
fecit.  Deinde  intra  caftra  deambitlans,  modulis  quos  in 
Lyra  componebat,  fefe  CYTHARISTAM  exbibebat.  Galf. 
Monum.  Hilt.  410.  1508.  Lib.  7.  c.  i  __  That  Jo- 
culator  fignifies  precifely  a  MINSTREL,  appears  not 
only  from  this  paflage,  where  it  is  ufed  as  a  word  of 
Hke  import  to  Citbarifta  or  HARPER,  (which  was  the 
old  Englifti  word  for  Minitrel),  but  alfo  from  another 
paiTage  of  the  fame  author,  where  it  is  applied  as  equi- 
valent to  Cantor,  See  Lib.  i.  cap.  22.  where,  fpeak- 
i«g  of  an  ancient  (perhaps  fabulous)  Britilh  king,  he 
fays,  "  Hie  omnes  CANTORES  quos  preecedens  estas  babuerat 
'*  CiT  in  Kodulis  &  ;/;  emnwus  mitttcis  inftrumentis  excedebat  ; 
ita  ut  D£US  JOCULAXOR-JM  viaeretur."  -  What- 
ever credit  is  due  to  Geoffery  as  a  reiater  of  FACTS,  he 
is  certainly  as  good  authority  as  any  for  the  £gninca- 
tion  of  WORDS. 

(L)  "  Two  remarkable  fa&s."]   Both  thefe  fafts  are 

recorded 

*  It  doe:  not  indeed  appear,  whither  this  -was  <?.one  bv  \.\rn  to  dif- 
guife  hii  pericn,  or  his  country,  &<r.  or  v.hcthtr  it  wss'th'e  iifual  ap- 
-of  a  MINJTJIFT.  or  BA»I>.     Bat  1  am  icclincd  t 


.  . 

r^Et 

.     - 


FOREGOING      ESSAY.       lix 

recorded  by  WILLIAM  of  MALMESBURY  :  and  the  firft 
of  them  frelating  to  ALFRED),  by  INGULPHUS  aHo. 
Nov.-  Inguiphus  (afterwards  abbot  of  Croyland)  was 
near  forty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  Conqneft  *, 
and  confequently  was  as  proper  a  judge  of  the  Saxon 
manners,  a.-  if  he  had  actually  written  hip  hiftory  before 
that  event ;  he  is  therefore  to  be  confidered  as  an 
Anti  Norman  writer  :  fo  that  whether  the  feet  concern- 
ing Alfred  be  true  or  not,  we  are  aflured  from  his  te- 
ftimony,  that  the  Joculatir  or  MINSTREL  was  a  com- 
mon character  among  the  Anglo-Saxon?.  The  fame 
alfo  may  be  inferred  from  the  relation  of  WILLIAM  of 
MALMESBURY,  who  outlived  INCULPHUS  but  about 
30  year.-,  -f.  Both  thefe  writers  had  doubtlefs  recourfe 
to  innumerable  record^  and  authentic  memorials  of  the 
Ang  o-Saxon  times,  which  never  defcended  down  to 
us  ;  their  te'limony  therefore  is  too  pofitive  and  full  to 
be  overturned  by  the  mere  lilence  of  the  two  or  three 
flight  Anglo-Saxon  epitomes,  that  are  now  remaining, 
(Vid.  not.  (G). 

As  for  ASSSR  MKNEVENSIS,  who  has  given  a  fome- 
what  more  particular  detail  of  Alfred's  adlions,  and  yet 
takes  no  notice  of  the  following  Itory  ;  it  will  not  be 
difficult  to  account  for  his  filence,  if  we  confider  that 
he  was  a  rigid  monk,  and  that  the  Minftrels,  however 
acceptable  to  the  laity,  were  never  much  refpected  by 
jr.en  of  the  more  ftrict  monaft:c  profeffion,  efpecially 
before  the  Norman  ConquHl,  when  they  would  be  con- 
fidered as  brethren  of  the  Pagan  Scalds  J.  Affer  there- 
fore might  not  regard  Alfred's  fkill  in  Minltrelfy  in  a 
very  favourable  iight  ;  and  might  be  induced  to  drop 
the  circumftance  related  below,  as  rerle&ing  in  his 
opinion  no  great  honour  on  his  patron. 

The 

-,  1030, /rr/y^  1091.  '.bit,  1109.     Tanner, 
j    '//.>,  X-;.TC  1142.     T.'.::;UT. 

}  (Src  alovLYp.  l:v.)    -Eoih  Jngulph.  and  Will,  of  Malmcft.  had 
;v  converianr  nrnong  the  N.oi mans;    who  could   luve  had  no 
.  rcjii dices  againft  the  Mtoftrcll :    '.\i-  Anylo-Saxons  bud. 


Jx  N  O  T  E  S    O  N    T  II  E 

The  learned  Editor  cf  Alfred's  life  in  Latin,  after 
having  examined  the  fcene  of  action  in  perfon,  and 
weighed  all  the  circumibnces  of  the  event,  determines 
from  the  whole  collective  evidence,  that  Alfred  could 
never  have  gained  the  victory  he  did,  if  he  had  not 
with  his  own  eyes  previoully  feen  the  difpofition  of  the 
enemy  by  fuch  a  ftratagem  as  is  here  defcribed.  Vid, 
Artnot.  in  jElfr.  Mag.  Vitam.p.  33.  Qxna.  i6;8./o/. 

•  (M)  "  Alfred  .  .  .  a/Turned  the  drefs  and  charader.of 
f<  a  Minfirel."]  Fhigexs  Jc  JOCULATORI  M, 
tbara,  &c.  Ingr.lphi  Hift.  p.  869. — Subjfccif  M 
ttt  JOCULATORI.K  profej/cr  ar?is.  Gui.  Maimefb.  1.  2. 
c.  4..  p.  43.  That  both  *jocvlatcr  and  Mimus  fignify 
literally,  a  MINSTP^KL,  fee  proved  in  notes  B.'K.  N.  Q^ 
&c.  &c. 

Malmefbory  adds,  Uni us  lantum  fdelijJiiKi  fruclaiu;- 
tonfcifntia.  As  this  Confidant  does  not  appear  to  have 
afiumed  the  dii'^uife  of  a  MinJirel  hitr.felf,  I  conclude 
-that  he  only  appeared  as  the  Minitrel's  attendant. 
Now  that  the  Minftrel  had  fometimes  his  fervant  or 
atteftdant  to  carry  his  harp,  and  even  to  fing  to  his  mu- 
fic,  we  have  many  initances  in  the  old  Metrical  Roman- 
ces* and  even  foine  in  this  prelent  collcdion  :  iice 
Vol.  I.  Song  VI.  Vol.  HI.  Song  VU.  &c.  Among  the 
French  and  Provencal  bards,  the  Trcu<verrc  or  Inventor, 
was  generally  attended  with  his  finger,  who  fometimcs 
slfo  played  on  the  Flarp,  or  other  muiical  initrurnent. 
"  Qutiqvtfo's  durant  le  repas  <i''<v«  prince  OK  vot:.;t  &•  river 
*'  unTrowerre  incannu  avec jes  McKfflrels  cu  ;  cr.glcuiirs^ 
tl  et  il  Jeur  faijoit  chanter  fur  leurs  Harpes  ou  riellgs  ies  Vers 
ct  yv'/7  avail  tompr,ji-s.  Ceux  qui  faij'oient  /«  ^ONS  aujjj. 
tl  i'ien  que  Ies  MOTS  etoient  Its plm  ejiimcs.'''  Fontenelle 
Hift.  du  Theatr.  .,J3  Z^ 

That  ALFRED  excelled  in  Mufic  is  pofitively  afierted 
hy  BALE,  who  doubtlefs  had  it  from  fome  ancient  MS. 
niany  of  which  fubfifled  in  his  time,  that  are  now  loft : 
*i»  alfo  by  Sir  J.  SPETMAN,  who  we  mr,y  couchide  had 
^>Qod  authority  for  this  anecdote,  as  he  r,  known  to  have 

"  -•!•         • 

compilect 


FOREGOING    ESSAY.        hi 

compiled  his  life  of  Alfred  from  authentic  materials 
colkiied  by  his  learned  father  :  this  writer  informs  us, 
that  Alfred  "  provided  himfelf  of  mufjtians,,  not  com- 
"  mon,  or  fuch  as  knew  but  the  pra&ick  pait,  but 
"  men  (kilful  in  the  art  itfelf,  whofe  ficill  and  fervice 
«'  he  yet  further  improved  with  his  own  inftiu&ion.." 
p.  199.  This  proves  Alfred  at  leaft  to  have  underftood 
the  Theory  of  Mufic  ;  and  how  could  this  have  been 
acquired  without  praftifing  on  fomeinftrument  ;  Which, 
we  have  feen  above,  (Note  (H)  was  fo  extremely  com- 
mon with  the  Anglo-Saxons,  even  in  much  ruder 
times,  that  Alfred  himfelf  plainly  tells  us,  it  was 
SHAKTEFUL  to  be  ignorant  of  it.  And  this  common- 
nefs  might  be  one  reafon,  why  ASSER.  did  not  think  it 
of  confequence  enough  to  be  particularly  mentioned  in 
his  fhort  life  of  that  great  monarch.  This  rigid  moqk 
may  allo  have  efteemed  it  a  flight  and  frivolous  acccrn- 
plifhment  favouring  only  of  worldly  vanity.  He  has 
however  particularly  recorded  Alfred's  fondnefs  for  the 
oral  Anglo-Saxon  poems  and  fongs  [Saxonica  poemata 
die  xa^uqtte  .  .  .  audiens  .  .  .  memoriter  retinebat.  p.  1  6. 
Carmina  Saxonlca  metnorlter  a'i/cere,  &C.  p.  43.  &  ib.] 
Now  the  Poems  learnt  by  rote,  among  all  ancient  un- 
polimed  nations,  are  ever  Songs  chanted  by  the  reciter, 
and  accompanied  with  inftrumenul  melody  *. 

(N)  "  With  his  Harp  in  his  hand,  aud  drelled  like  a 
*'  MINSTREL."]  Ajjumpta  maun  cithard  .  .  .  profeflus 
Mi  MUM,  tfui  bujujmodi  arte  ftipem  quotidiaaam  mercare- 
tur  ....  yujjits  abire  pretium  CANTUS  accepit.  Malmefb. 
1.  2.  c.  6.  We  fee  here  that  which  was  rewarded  was 
•{NOT  any  mimicry  or  tricks,  but)  his  SINGING  (Cax- 
tus)  ;  this  proves  beyond  ciifyute,  what  was  the  nature 
of  the  entertainment  he  afforded  them.  Perhaps  it  is 

•      needier* 
?M  3n.- 


*  T;«.U;   LeoS,   the  Saxon    xvor.1.  for  :•  Tocm,  h  p 
•   anJ  i»  dtrrivarive  I.t-i  Ogni.ii- 

,/jefl^e:  And  Caasart  %vc  h.ive  l\x:i  .ib»vc  i-  :':K  ren- 

Uc  iK-^fanj-inja.!. 


Ixii  NOTES    ON    THE 

needlefs  by  this  time  to  prove  to  the  Reader,  that  Ml- 
mm  in  Middle  Latiiiity  figuifies  a  Minflrel,  and  Mimia, 
Minilrelfy,  or  the  Minftrel-art.  Should  he  doubt  it, 
let  him  call  his  eye  over  the  two  following  extrads  from 
Du  Cange. 

"  MIMUS:  Muficus,  qui  inftrumentis  muficis  ca- 
nit.  Leges  Palatinae  Jacobi  II.  Reg.  Majoric.  In 
domibus  principum,  ui  1  radii  antiquitas,  Ml  Ml  feu  Jocu- 
latores  licite  poffunt  ejje.  Nam  illorum  ojpcium  tribuit 
latitiam  .....  Quapropter  iiolumus  &  ordinamus,  qucd 
in  noflra  curia  Mi  Mi  delieant  ejje  quinque,  quorum  duo 
'*  Jint  tubicinatores,  &  tertius  Jit  tabelerms  :  [i.  e.  a 
"  player  on  the  tabor  f.]  Lit.  remifT.  ann.  1374.  Ad 
.**  MIMOS  c  ornicitantes,  feu  bucinantes  accejjerunt  ." 

MIMIA,   Ludus   Mimicus,   Inftrumentum.     [potius, 
ATS   Joculatoria.]     Ann.    1482  .....  "  MIMIA    fcf 
"  cantu  viQum  acquire." 
Du  Cange,  Gloir.  Tom.  iv.  1762.  Supp.  c.  1225. 

(O)  "  To  have  been  a  Dane."]  The  northern  hifto- 
rians  produce  fuch  initances  of  the  great  refpe£t  {hewn 
to  the  Danifh  SCALDS  in  the  courts  of  our  Anglo-Saxon 

kings, 

•f  TheTABOuR  or  TABOURJN   wa5  a  common  inftrument  with 
the  French  Minftrels,  as   it   had   alfo  been  with  the  Anglo-Saxon 
f.  Hi.)  :    thus  in  an  ancient  Fr.  MS.  in  the  Harl.   collection 
3-  75.)  a  Mmftrelisdeicribed  as  riding  on  horieback,  and  bearing 

ABOUR. 


Dtpy*t  d.  Or,  e  ,i:be  Ajour. 

See  alfo  a  pafiage  in  Menage's  Diflion.  Etym.  [v.  MENESTRJERS.] 
where  Tabours  is  ufed  as  fynonymous  to  Mtntjiricrs. 

Another  frequent  inftrcment  with  them  was  the  VIELS,  a  kind 
of  Lute  or  Guittn  3V;  i  3aT  1J   nt  ,jjio3i.o  3'iom  998 

,o*.^.^  oi&  ",xiJ3oCl  ** 

llotunjoufkar  a.  Sent, 

S^ul  r.avoi:  fas  fovent  robe  entiere} 

Svutnt  efttit  fans  fa  Vi  E  L  E  .     Fabliaux  &  Cont.  II.  1  84,  5  . 


FOREGOING    ES  £ A  Y.        Ixm 

kings,  on  account  of  their  Mufical  and  Poetic  talents, 
(notwuhllanding  they  were  of  fo  hateful  a  nation)  that, 
if  a  fimilar  order  of  men  had  not  exiiled  here  before, 
we  cannot  doubt  but  the  profeflion  would  have  been 
taken  up  by  fuch  of  the  natives  as  had  a  genius  for  po- 
etry and  mufic. 

"  Extant  Rbjtkmi  hoc  ipfo  [IJlattdico]  iditmatc  AH- 
GL  ME,  Hjbernifeque  Rcgibus  oblati  &  liberaliter  com- 
penjati,  &c.  Itaqtie  hint  colligi  potejt  linguam  Danicam. 
in  aulis  -vicinorum  regum,  principumque  familiarem  fu- 
ijfej  tion  fecus  ac  bo  die  in  aulis  principum  peregrina  idio- 

•mata  in  dfliciit   haberi  cernimus. Imprimis  Vita  E- 

gilli  Skallagrimii  id  in*vido  arguments  adftruit.  Quippe 
qui  interrogate  ab  ADALSTEINO,  Anglia  rege,  quo- 
mo  Jo  tnamis  Eirici  Blodoxii,  Nortbumbrite  regis,  fofl~ 
quant  in  tjus  piteftatem  <venerat,  e-vajtff~et,  cujus  flium 
propinquojque  occiderat,  .  .  rei  ftatim  ordinem  metro,  aunc 
fatis  obfcuro,  expbfuit,  nejuafuam  ita  narraturks  nan 
intelligenti.^  [Vid.  plura  apud  Torfasii  Prasfat.  ad 
Oread.  Hilt.fol.] 

This  fame  RGILL   was  no  lefs  diflinguifhed  for  his 
valour  and  fkill  as   a  foldier,    than  for  his  poetic  and 
finging  talents  as  a  SCALD  ;  and  he  was  fuch  a  favourite 
with  our  king  ATHELSTAN,  that   he  at  one  time  pre- 
fented  him  with   "  duolus  annulis  £ff  fcriniis  duobus  bent 
magnis,  argento  repletis.  ,  .  .   ^uinetiam  hoc  addidit,  ut 
Egillus  quid-vis  pr&terea  afepetens,  obtineret  :    bona  mo- 
bilia,  five  immobilia,  praebendam  <vel  prtefefiuras.     E- 
gillui  porro  regiam  munijicentiam  grains  excipiens,  Car- 
men Encomiajticon,  a  fe,  lingua  Norvegicd,    (qua  turn 
bis  regnis  communis)  comf>ojttumy  regi  dicat :  ac   'pro  eo, 
duas    Marcas    auri   puri     (pondus   Marcte .   .  8  uncias 
eequabat)  bonorarii  hco  retulit"     [Arngr.    Jon.    R«r. 
Jflandic.  Lib.  2.  p.  129.] 

See  more  of  EG  ILL,  in  "  The  Five  Pieces  of  Ruaic 
"  Poetry,"  &c.  p.  45.  &c. 

6  (P)   "  If 

1 


i»r         NOTES    ON    THE 

(P)  "  If  the  Saxons  had  not  been  accuflomeH  to  have 
•'  Minttrels  of  their  own  ....  and  to  fhew  favour  and 
"  refpeft  to  the  Danifn  Scalds,"]  If  this  had  not  been 
the  cafe,  \ve  may  be  aiTured,  at  leait,  that  the  llories 
given  in  the  text  could  never  have  been  recorded  by  wri- 
ters who  lived  fo  near  the  Anglo-Saxon  times  as  MaJmef- 
bury  and  Ingulpnus,  who,  though  they  might  be  de- 
ceived a?  to  particular  tacts,  could  not  be  fo  as  to  the 
general  Manners  and  Cuftoms,  wfiich  prevailed  fo  near 
their  own  times  among  their  anceitors. 

(QJ  "  In  Doomefday  Book;"  &c.j  Extras,  ex  Litre 

Domej'day  : 


Ftl.  164.  Co!,  i.  "Serbtc  peculator  «ii>0tf  Jjafett  iij  toifta#,  tt  i&t 
v.  car.  nil  vcbti. 

That  Joculator  is  properly  a  MINSTRE*  mi^ht  be  in- 
ferred from  the  two  foregoing  pafiages  of  Geoffery  of 
Monmouth,  (vld.  p.  Iviij.)  where  the  word  is  ufed  as 
equivalent  to  Citbarijia.  in  one  place,  and  to  Cantor  ia 
the  other  :  this  union  forms  the  precife  idea  of  the  cha- 
J-afler. 

But  mo;e  pofitive  proofs  have  already  offered,  «u/V/. 
fupra,  p  xliii.  See  alfo  Du  Cange's  GlofT.  Vol.  III.  c. 
1543.  "  IOGIILATOR  pro  Juulator,  —  Confiliu:n  Maiil, 
"  an.  1381.  Nulins  Minifire\s>  Jeu  Jo^uhitcr,  audtat  pin- 
"  fare  iiel  fonare  inftrumentum  (.ujuj'cunt^ne  generis"  5tC. 
&c. 

As  the  Minftiel  was  termed  in  French  Jot^ttui-  and 
Jugleur  \  ib  he  was  called  in  Spanifh  "Jviglur  and  Jug- 
iur.  '  '  7'i'nemcs  canciones  y  verjos  para  rtcitur  may  anti- 
"  guos  >'  mtmorias  cierfus  de  Ls  JUG  LARES,  que  ajjlftiat 
"  fa  hi  batquetesj  coma  las  qua  pint  a  Homero."  Trolog. 
a  \A>  Corned,  de  Cervantes,  1749.  410. 

"  El  ur.no  1328.  en  lu>  fcftas'de  la  Corj/iacisn  del  &gy, 

«  D* 


FOREGOING    ESSAY.        Ixr 


"  Dm  >Aio*ft  el  JV.  de  tiragon,  ...  *  «/Jx;cLAR  RA- 

"  MASET  c  att.'o  una  Pillanelca  de  la  Compoficiotr  del  .  .  in- 
"  fault  \_D.-.tt  Pedro]  :  y  otro  JUGLAR,  llamado  NoVEL- 
"  LET,  recites  y  repreferito  en  voz  y  fin  cantar  mas  de  600 
"  ver/or,  qne  bizo  el  Infante  en  ei  metro,  que  llamaban 
"  RIMA  VULOAR."  Ibid. 

"  Lcs  TROB  ADORES  invent  or  on  la  GAY  A  Ciencta  .  .  . 
"  eftos  TROB  ADORES,  eran  cafe  todos  de  la  primer  a  No- 
*'  bleza,.  •  •  £*.f  wtrdad,  que  ya  entonces  fe  ba-vian  entro- 
"  metido  entre  las  di<verfiontt  Cortefanot,  In  Contadore--, 
"  los  Cantores,  las  JUGLARES,  los  Truanes,  y  los  Bu- 
"  fones."  Ibid.  .iX»^3 

In  England  THE  KIN'CS  JUGLAR  continued  to  have 
an  eftablifliment  in  the  royal  houfhold  down  to  the 
reign  of  Henry  VIH  [vid,.  Note  (Cc)]  but  whether  the 
chara&er  was  then  precifely  the  fame  with  that  of  the 
ancient  Joculator  Regis,  {  have  not  been  able  to  dif- 
covcr. 

(R)  <{  A  valliant*  warrior,  named  TAILLEFER,  &c."] 
?-,-  •  Dii  Car.ge,  who  produces  this  as  an  inftance, 
"  Quod  Miniftellorum  munus  inter  dum  prteftabant  miJites 
"  probatijjimi.  Le  Roman  D£  VACCE,  MS. 

"  Quant  il  virent  Normanz  venir 

"  Mout  veifliez  Engleiz  fremir.  .  .  . 

"  TAILLETER  qui  rnout  bien  chantoltj 

"  "tir  un  cheval,  qui  toft  alloit, 

"  Devant  euls  aloit  chantant 

"  De  Kallemaigne  &  de  Roullant, 

"  Et  d'  Olivier  de  Vaflaux, 

"  Qu\  moururent  en  Rainfcbevaux. 

"  £>ui  quia'em  TAILLEFER  a  Gulielmo  oltlnuit  ut  primut 

"  in  bojlts  irrueret,  inier  quo  s  for  -liter  dimicando  oefubuit." 

Glofs.  Torn.  iv.  769,  776,  771. 

VOL.  I.  e  ••  Les 

*  ROM.VNSXT  JUTGL  AR  caHta  alt  veux  .  .  .  ttavant  !e  fenyor  Key, 
Chron.  d'Aragon.  apud  Du  Cange.  IV.  771. 


Ixvi  N  O  T  E  S    O  N    T  H  E 

"  Les  anciennes  chroniques  nous  apprennent,  qu'en 
"  premier  rang;  de  1'Armee  Normande,  un  ecuyer 
"  nomme  Taillefer,  monte  fur  un  cheval  arme,  chanta 
"  la  chanfon  De  Roland,  qui  fut  fi  long  terns  dans  les 
**  bouches  des  Francois,  fans  qu'il  foit  refte  le  moindre 
*'  fragment.  Le  Taillefer  apres  avoir  ENTONNE'  le 
41  chanfon  que  les  foldats  repetoient,  fe  jetta  le  premier 
"  parmi  les  Anglois,  et  fut  tue  f." 

Voltaire.  Add.  Hiil.  Univerf.  p.  69. —  Obfervat. 
on  the  Anc.  Stat.  410.  p.  293. 

(S)  "  An  eminent  French  writer."  &c.]  "  M.  P 
"  Eve'que  de  la  Ravaliere,  qui  avoit  fait  beaucoup  de 
"  recherches  fur  nos  anciennes  Chanfons,  pretend  que 
"  c'eft  a  la  Normandie  que  nous  devons  nos  premiers 
"  Chanfonniers,  non  a  la  Provence,  et  qu'il  y  avoit 
"  parmi  nous  des  Chanfons  en  langue  vulgaire  avant 
*'  celles  des  Proven£aus,  mais  pofterieurement  au  Regnc 
4<  de  Philippe  I,  ou  a  Tan  1100*.  Ce  feroit  une  an- 
"  terioritd  de  plus  d'un  demi  fiecle  a  1*  epoque  des  pre- 
4<  miers  Troubadours,  que  leur  hiftorien  Jean  de  Noftre- 
"  dame  fixe  a  1'an  1162,  &c."  Pref.  a  V Antbologie 
Franf.  S'vo.  1765. 

(T)  "  The  minftrel  profeflion  .  .  .  acquire  new  pri- 
*'  vileges,"  &c.]  See  what  has  been  already  fuggefted 
in  the  preceding  notes.  See  Note  (1)  §.  3.  (L)  adfinem, 
tec. 

The  Reader  will  obferve,  that,  in  the  foregoing  part 
of  this  ElFay,  I  am  careful  to  trace  the  Dcfcent  of  the 
French  and  Englifti  Minflrels  only  from  the  itinerant 
oral  Poets  of  their  Gothic  anceftors  the  Franks  and 
Saxons,  and  from  the  SCALDS  of  their  Danim  brethren 

in 

*  *•«  more  concerning  the  Song  of  ROLAND  in  Vol.  HI.  pag.  xvi. 
Note  ^) 

*  Revolutions  de  la  Langue  Franc,oire,  a  Ta  fuke  des  Potsits  »» 
.    R.OI  DI  NAVAIRI, 


FOREGOING    ESSAY. 

in  the  North.  For  though  the  BARDS  of  the  ancient 
Gauls  and  Britons  might  feem  to  have  a  claim  of  being 
confidered  as  their  more  immediate  predeceflbrs  and 
inftructors ;  yet  thefe,  who  were  Celtic  nations,  were 
ab  origine  fo  different  a  race  of  men  from  the  others 
who  were  all  of  Gothic  origin,  that  I  think  one  cannot, 
in  any  degree,  argue  from  the  manners  of  the  one  to 
thofe  of  the  other;  and  the  conquering  Franks,  Saxons, 
and  Danes,  were  much  lefs  likely  to  take  up  any  cuf- 
toms  from  their  enemies  the  Gauls  and  Britons,  whom 
they  every  where  expelled,  extirpated,  or  inflaved, 
than  to  have  received  and  tranfmitted  them  from  their 
own  Teutonic  anceftors  in  the  North,  among  whom 
fuch  cuftoms  were  known  to  have  prevailed  from  the 
earlieft  ages. 

(U)  "  They  celebrated  him  as  the  moft  accompliflied 
"  monarch,"  &c.j  See. Roger  de  Hoveden,  (in  Ri- 
cardo  I.)  who  gives  rather  an  invidious  turn  to  this 
circumftance  :  "  Hie  ad  augmentum  et  famam  fui  nominis, 
{•mendicata  carmina,  et  rytbmos  aduiatorios  comparabat ;  et 
de  regno  Francorum  CANTORES  cl  JOCULATORES  mu- 
neribus  allexerat,  ut  de  illo  canerent  in  plaleii  ;  et  jam  di- 
cebatur  ubique,  quod  ncn  erat  ta/is  in  orbe." 

(V)  "  That  remarkable  intercommunity,  &c.  be- 
"  tween  the  French  and  Englifh  minftrsls,"  &c.]  This 
might,  even  in  a  great  meafure,  be  referred  back  per- 
haps to  the  Norman  conqueft  itfelf,  when  along  with 
their  French  language  and  manners,  the  vidlors  doubt- 
lefs  brought  with  them  all  their  native  prejudices, 
opinions,  and  fables  ;  which  would  not  fail  to  be 
adopted  by  the  Englim  minftrels,  who  iblicited  their 
favour.  This  interchange,  &c.  between  the  Minftrels 
of  the  two  nations,  once  begun,  would  be  afterwards 
kept  up  by  the  great  intercourfe  that  was  produced 
among  all  the  nations  of  Chriftendom  in  the  middle 
ages,  by  their  uniting  in  the  general  Crufades ;  and  by 
c  z  :iitA  i  that 


Ixviii  NOTES    ON    THE 

that  fpirit  of  Chivalry,  which  led  the  knights  and  their 
attendants,  the  heralds  and  minitrels,  &c.  to  ramble 
about  continually  from  one  court  to  another,  in  order 
to  be  prelent  at  folemn  tuniaments,  and  other  feats 
cf  arms. 

(W)  "  The  Minflrcls  under  the  protection  of  the 
"  family  of  Dutton,  &c. '']  See  Statut.  Anno  39.  R. 
Eliz.  Chap.  IV.  "  An  Aft  for  punilhment  of  Rogues, 
"  Vagabonds,  and  Sturdy  Beggars." 

§  II.  .  .  '  All  Fencers,  Bearwards,  Common  Players 
of  Enterludes,  and  MINSTRELS,  wandering  abroad, 
(other  than  Players  of  Enterludes  belonging  to  any 
Baron  of  this  Realm,  or  any  other  honourable  Per- 
fonage  of  greater  degree,  to  be  authorifed  to  play, 
under  the  hand  and  feal  of  arms  of  fuch  Baron  or 
Perfonage:)  all  JUGLERS  *,  Tinkers,  Pedlers,  &c. 
.  .  .  (hall  be  adjudged  and  deemed  Rogues,  Vaga- 
bonds, and  Sturdy  Beggars,  &c. 
*  §  X.  Provided  always  that  this  Aft,  or  any  thing 
therein  contained,  or  any  authority  thereby  given, 
{hall  not  in  any  wife  extend  to  difinherit,  prejudice, 
or  hinder  JOHN  BUTTON  of  BUTTON  in  the  County 
of  Chefter,  Efquire,  his  heirs  or  afligns,  for,  touch- 
ing or  concerning  any  liberty,  preheminence,  autho- 
rity, jurifdiftion,  or  inheritance,  which  the  faid  John 
Dutton  now  lawfully  ufeth,  or  hath,  or  lawfully  may 
or  ought  to  ufe  within  the  County-Palatine  of  Che- 
iter,  and  the  County  of  the  City  of  Chefter,  or  either 
of  them,  by  reafon  of  any  ancient  Charters  of  any 
Kings  of  this  Land,  or  by  reafon  of  any  prefcription, 
ufage,  or  title  whatfoever.' 
The  fame  Claufes  are  renewed  in  the  laft  Aft  on  this 
Subjeft,  pafl"ed  in  the  prefent  Reign  of  GEO.  III. 

(X)  «•  Ed. 

»  What  was  the  precife  meaning  of  this  word  at  that  time,  and  in 
what  refpcds  the  MINSTBILS  and  JUGLERS  differed,  I  have  nor 
difcovered. 


FOREGOING    ESSAY.        Ixix 

(X)  "  Edward  I at  the  knighting  of  his  fon," 

&c.]  See  Nic.  Triveti  Annales,  Oxon.  17 if)-  8vo.  p. 342. 
"  Infcjio  Pentecofies  Rex  filium  fuum  armis  •mtiita.ribiu 
dnxi: ,  C3"  cum  eo  Comstes  JFaremi:  c  dff  Ar\tndelittt 
aUr-fqite,  quorum  nvmerus  ducfntos  £5"  quadrciginta  dtcitur 
ixcfj/ijje.  Ect/em  die  cum  fedijjct  Rex  in  menfa,  noi>is  milt- 
tibm  circumuatiis,  ingrejja.  Mi M?TRELi.crRUM  MUI.TI- 
TUDO,  pcrtamium  multifilici  ornatu  ami  ft  urn,  vt  milites 

pr*fcit>iie   no-Tjoi   invitarent,    &    inditcerent,   ad  wvendutn 

fad  urn  armor  Km  aliquod  ccram  f.gno." 

(Y)  "  By  an  exprefi  regulation,  &c."l  See  in  Hearne's 
Append,  ad  Lebndi  Colledan.  Vol.  VI.  p.  36.  "  A 
'  DIETARIE,  Writtes  publiihed  after  the  Ordinance  of 
'  Earles  and  Barons,  Anno  Dom.  1315." 
'  EDWARD  by  the  grace  cf  God,  &c.  to  Sheriffes, 
&:c.  preetyng.  Forafmuch  as  ....  many  idle  perfons, 
under  colour  of  MYNSTRELSIE,  and  going  in  mef- 
fages,  and  other  faigned  bufjnels,  have  ben  and  yet 
be  receaved  in  other  mens  houfes  to  meate  and  drynke, 
arid  be  not  therwith  contented  yf  they  be  not  largely 
confydered  with  gyftes  of  the  Lordes  of  the  houfes  : 
&c.  ...  WE  wyllyng  to  reftrayne  fuche  outrageous 
entcrprifes  and  idlenes,  &c.  have  crdeyned  ....  that 
to  the  houfes  of  Prelates,  Earles  and  Barons  none  re- 
fort  to  meate  and  drynke,  unlefTe  he  be  a  MVNSTREL, 
and  of  thefe  MINSTRELS  that  there  come  none  ex- 
cept it  be  three  or  four  MINSTI;  ELS  OF  HONOUR  at  the 
moft  in  one  day,  unless  he  be  defired  of  the  Lorde  of 
the  Houfe.  And  to  the  houfes  of  meaner  men  that 
none  come  unleflb  he  be  defired,  and  that  fuch  .isfhall 
come  fo,  holde  themfelves  contented  with  meate  and 
drynke,  and  uit.i  inch  curtefie  as  the  Maifter  of  the 
Houfe  wyl  Ihewe  unto  them  of  his  owne  good  wyl, 
without  their  aflcyng  of  any  thyng.  And  yf  any  one 
do  agaynlt  thio  Ordinaunce,  at  the  firfte  tyme  he  to 
lofe  his  Mi NSTK ELSIE,  and  at  the  feconJ  tyme  to 
forfweare  his  craft,  and  never  to  be  receaved  tor  a 
e  3  «  MIN- 


Ixx  NOTES    ON    THE 

'  MINSTREL  in  any  houfe  .....  Yeven  at  Langley  the 
«  vi.  day  of  Auguit,  in  the  ix.  yere  of  our  reigne.' 

Thefe  abufes  arofe  again  to  as  great  a  height  as  ever 
in  little  more  than  a  century  after  ;  in  confequence,  I 
fuppofe,  of  the  licentioufnefs  that  crept  in  during  the 
civil  wars  of  York  and  Lancafter.  This  appears  from 
an  Extract  inferred  by  Du  Cange,  in  his  Gloflary,  Ex 
LitterisEdivardi  IV.  Ann.  1489.  [apudRymer*,  Tojn.II. 
p.  64.2.]  "  MINISTRALLORUM  nojirorum  accepimus  qua- 
liter  nonnulli  rudes  agricolee  £5  artifices  diverjarum  mifte- 
rarum  regni  noftri  Anglite,  finxerunt  fe  fore  MINISTRAL- 
LOS,  quorum  aliqui  Lit/eratatn  ncjlram  eis  minime  datampor~ 
tarent,  feipfcs  ttiam  fngentes  ej/e  MINSTRALLOS  NO- 
STROS  PROPRIOS,  cujus  quidem  Liberates  ac  di£l<z  artis 
Jive  occupations  MINISTRALLORUM  tolore,  in  di-i>erjts 
fartibus  regni  nojlri  pr<edi£li  grandes  pecuniar  um  exaftiones 
de  ligeis  noftiis  deceptive  colligunt,  &tc." 

This  kind  of  abufes  prevailed  much  later  in  Wales, 
as  appears  from  the  famous  commifiion  iffued  out  in 
9.  Eliz.  1569.  for  beftowing  the  SILVER  HARP  on  the 
beft  Minftrel,  Rythmer,  or  Bard  in  that  Principality, 
&c.  See  the  Commiffion  at  large  in  Mr.  EVAN  EVANS'S 
"  Specimens  of  Welm  Poetry,"  &c.  pag.  v. 

(Z)  "  It  is  thus  related  by  Stow."J  See  his  Survey 
of  London,  &c.  fol.  1633.  p.  521.  [Ace.  of  Weftm. 
Hall  ]  Stow  had  this  paflage  from  Walfingham's  Hijt. 
Ang.  ..."  Iiitravit  queedam  mulier  ornata  HIST  RIO- 
MALI  babitn,  equum  bonum  infidens  HISTRIONALITER 
fbaleratutn,  qua:  men/as  more  HIST  R  ION  UM  circuit  ;  £ff 
tandem  ad  Regis  men/am  per  gradus  ajcendit  f,  iff  quandam 
literam  coram  rege  pofuit,  &  retrafio  frtsno  (falutatis  ubi- 
que  difcumbentibus)  prout  venerat  ita  recejfit,  &c.  Angli- 
ca,  Norm.  Script.  £c.  Franc.  1603.  fol.  p.  109. 

The 


Co 

t  The  MiKsTREr.s  and  mhers  often  rode  on  horfeback  up  to  the 

' 


p   72 


FOREGOING    ESSAY.      Ixxi 

The  Anfwer  of  the  Porters  (when  they  were  after- 
wards blamed  for  admitting  her)  deferves  attention. 
"  NonfJ/emoris  domusregia  HISTRIOKES  ab  ingrejfu  quo* 
mcdclibet  pro  hi  here,  &c.  Walfingh. 

The  propriety  of  Stow's  tranflating  the  original  word 
Hijtrio  here  by  Minftrel,  &c.  will  hardly  be  queftioned 
by  thofe  who  confider,  that  he  lived  before  this  Order  of 
Men  was  quite  extinct,  and  consequently  was  a  much 
better  judge  than  we  can  be  now,  how  to  exprefs  their 
profefiion  properly  :  Should  his  authority  need  any  con- 
rlrmation,  it  may  be  obferved,  that  in  John  of  Gaunt's 
Charter,  the  French  word  Minijtraulx  is  exprefled  in 
Latin  by  Hiftr  tones.  See  below  Note  (B  b) 

(A  a)  "  There  fliould  feem  to  have  been  women  of  this 
"  profeffion,"  &c.~\  Altho'  it  does  not  appear  from  the 
Hiflory,  whether  the  perfon  appeared  in  a  female  drefs, 
or  not  ;  yet  that  women  alfumed  the  mir.itrel  character 
and  profeffion,  may  be  inferred  from  the  variety  of 
names  appropriated  to  them  in  the  middle  ages,  viz. 
Anglo-Sax,  niip-meben  [Glee  maiden],  &c. 


ma»en,  slypbybenej-tra.  (vid.  fupra,  p.  liij.)  Fr.  "t  eug- 
IcreJJs,  Med.  Lat.  Joculatrix,  Miniftraliffa,  Fcemina  Mini- 
Jlerialis,  &c.  (vid.  Du  Cange  GlofT.  &  Suppl.) 

The  fame  alfo  appears  from    the  record  concerning 
*'  Certain  Women"  quoted  above  in  p.  xl. 

I  would  here  obferve,  once  for  all,  that  when  the 
words  Hiflric,  Mimas,  Jocu/ator,  MINSTREL,  &c.  oc- 
cur in  old  writers,  it  is  not  very  certain  that  they  are 
always  to  be  nnderilood  in  the  fame  precife  and  limited 
fenfe  :  for  thefe  names  feem  to  have  been  fometimes 
applied  to  every  fpecies  of  men,  whofe  bufinefs  it  was 
to  entertain  or  divert  (jocularz)  whether  with  Poefy, 
Singing,  Mufic,  or  Geiticulation,  fingly  ;  or  with  a 
Mixture  of  all  thefe.  Yet  as  all  men  of  this  fort  were 
conTdered  as  belonging  to  one  Clafs,  Order  or  Com- 
munity (all  the  above  arts  beuig  often  exercifed  by 
€4  the 


kxii  NOTES    ON    THE 

the  fame  perfon)  they  had  all  of  them  doubtlefs  the 
fame  privileges,  and  it  equally  throws  light  upon  the 
general  Hillory  of  the  Profeffion  to  (hew  what  favour 
or  encouragement  was  given,  at  at  y  particular  period 
of  time,  to  any  one  branch  of  it.  1  have  n.>t  therefore 
thought  it  needful  to  inquire,  in  all  the  foregoing  in- 
ftances,  whether  the  word  Minjirel,  &c.  is  to  be  uricier- 
tfood  in  its  exaft  and  proper  meaning  of  a  Singer  to  the 
Harp,  &c. 

That  men  of  very  different  arts  and  talents  were  in- 
cluded under  the  common  name  of  MIKSTR.ELS,  &c. 
appears  from  a  variety  of  authorities.  Thus  we  have 
Menejlrels  de  Trompes  and  Meneflrels  de  Btuche  in  the 
Suppl.  to  Du  Cange,  c.  1227.  and  it  appears  Hill  more 
evident  from  an  old  French  Rhymer,  whom  I  ihall 
quote  at  large. 

All 

"  Le  Qi^ens  *  mandales  MEKESTRELS, 

"  Et  fi  a  fet  f  crier  entre  els, 

"  Qui  la  meillor  trufFe  ||  fauroit 

"  Dire,  ne  faire,  qu'il  auroit 

"  Sa  robe  d'  efcarlate  nueve. 

"  L'uns  Meneftrels  a  1'autre  reuve 

"  Fere  fon  meftier,  tel  qu'il  fot, 

"  Li  uns  fet  1'  yvre,  1'  autre  fot  j 

"  Li  uns  chante,  li  autre  note  j 

"  Et  li  autres  dit  la  riote  ; 

"  Et  li  autres  la  jenglerie  J  } 

"  Cil  qui  fevent  de  jonglerie 

"  Vieient  par  devant  le  Conte} 

"  Aucuns  ja  qui  fabliaus  conte 

"  II  i  ot  dit  mainte  rifee."  &c. 

Fabliaux  et  Contts,  izmo.  Tom.  2.  p.  161. 

•  Le  Comte.       f  Fait.        |i  Sornetttr ;'  a  Gilt  or  Jeft,  or 
J  Janglene,  babillage,  raillerie.  J  *'  ° 


FOREGOING    ESSAY.        Ixxiii 

All  this  kind  of  Sports  went  by  the  general  name  of 

Miriiftralcia,"    Miniftellorum  Lutlrica,    &c. "  Charta 

an.  1377.  apud  Kymer.  to  7.  p.  160.  PeraSo  autem 
frandio,  nfcindtbat  D.  Rex  in  camcram  Juam  cum  Prtela- 
///,  Ma^natibus  y  Proceribus  prtfdiciis  ;  &  deinceps  Mag- 
r.atcsj  Milites  £f?  Dcmini,  aliique  Generoji  diem  illum^  uj~ 
qtti  ad  tcmtus  cctna:,  in  TRIPUDUS,  CORtis  fc?  SOLEM- 
p M  r.  u s  M  i  N  i  s T  R  A  L C 1 1  s , pra  gaudio  fohmpnitatii  illius\t 
(ontinuarunt."  Du  Cangc.  Gloff.  772. 

It  was  common  for  the  Minftrels  to  dance,  as  well  as 
to  harp  and  fing,  (fee  above,  note  E.  p.  xlvii.)  thus  in  the 
old  Romance  of  Tirante  el  Blanco;  Val.  1511.  The 
14th  Cap  Lib.  2.  begins  thus,  Defpues  que  las  Me/as 
fuerzn  alcadas  'viniercn  Ics  Mi niftriles y  delante  del  rtv,y  de 
la  Reyna  a'anfarcn  un  rato  :  y  dejpues  truxeron  ctlacion. 

They  alfo  probably,  among  their  other  feats,  played 
tricks  of  flight  of  hand,  hence  the  word  JUGLER  came 
to  fignify  a  Performer  of  Legerdemain  ;  and  it  was 
fometimes  ufed  in  this  fenfe  (to  which  it  is  now  ap- 
propriated) even  fo  early  as  the  time  of  Chaucer,  who 
in  his  Squire's  Tale,  fpeaks  of  the  horfe  of  brafs,  as 

An  apparence  ymade  by  fom  magike, 

As  JOG  E  LOURS  plaien  at  thife  feftcs  grete*. 

(B  b)  "  A  charter ....  to  appoint  a  king  of  the 
•«  Minrtrels,  &c."]  Intitled  Cane  le  Roy  de  Minijlraulx. 
(In  Latin  Hijiriontt.  Vid.  Plott.  p.  437.)  A  copy  of 
this  charier  may  alfo  be  feen  in  Blount's  Law  Dittion. 
17  17.  (art.  KING.) 

The  MINSTRELS  feem  to  have  been  in  many  refpedls 
upon  the  fame  footing  with  the  Heralds.  The  KINO 
of  the  Minftrels,  like  the  KING  at  Arms,  was  an  ufual 
officer  both  here  and  in  France,  as  appears  from  Du 
Cange,  whofe  curious  collections  on  this  fubjed  I  lhall 
fubjoin  entire. 

t  This  I  fuppofe  was  the  Coronation  of  Riih.  II. 
*  Canterbury  Talcs,   1775.  Vol.  II.  p.  108. 

«•  REX 


Ixxiv  NOTES     ON     THE 

"  REX  MINISTELLORUM  ;  fupremus  inter  MiniJIel- 
"  la  :  de  cujus  munere,  ac  poteftate  in  caeteros  Mini- 
**  Jteilsi,  apit  Charta  Henrici  IV.  Regis  Anglic  Gal- 
«*  lica  in  Monaft.  Anglicano,  torn.  I  pag.  355.  Charta 
"  originalis  an.  1338.  Je  Robert  Caveron  Rcy  aes  Me- 
«*  veftreuh  du  Royaume  de  France.  Alias  ann.  1^57.  & 
"  1362.  Copin  de  Brcquin  Roy  des  Menejtres  du  Royaume 
tit  Frame.  Computum  de  auxiliis  pro  redemptione 
Regis  Johannis,  ann.  1367.  Pour  unc  COURONNE 
D'ARGENT  qttil  donna  le  jour  de  la  Tiphaitit  au  Riy 
desMentjinls.  Charta  an-  1387.  apud  Rymer,  torn. 
7.  p.  551;.  Supplicavit  nobis  Johannes  Caumz  Rex 
Minijirallorum  ncjlrorum,  qui  i-erfus  diverjas  partes 
•*  tranjmariaas  tranjire propvnit."  Du  Cange  Gloff.  IV. 

'*  Regeflum  Magnorum  Dierum  Trecenfium  an. 
'*  1  296.  Super  quod  'Joannes  diQui  Cbarmillons  Juglatort 
•'  cut  dominus  Rex  per  fuas  lit  eras  tanquam  REGEM  ju- 
c*  CLATORUM  in  civitate  Trec?rji  Magi  fieri  urn  Juglala- 
'*  rum,  quemadmcdum /ua  placeret  <voiunfati,  concej/erat." 
Du  Cange,  c.  1587. 

(Cc)  "  Minftrels  were  retained  in  all  great  and 
f  noble  families,  &c."]  In  the  ancient  MS.  (defcribed 
at  the  end  of  this  vol.  p.  367.  containing  an  Account 
of  the  Eftablifhment  of  the  Hpufhold  oY  the  Earl  of 
Kcrthumberland,  in  the  3d  year  of  Henry  VIII.  at  his 
Cattle  of  Lekinfield  in  Yorkftrire)  occur  feveral  very 
curious  articles  on  this  fubjeft,  which  I  fhali  here  fub* 
join. 

Seft.  V. 

«'  Of  theNoumbreof  all  my  lords  Servannts." 
"  Item,  MYNSTFALS   in   Houfhold  iij.  viz.  A  Ta- 
*'  beret,  a  Luyte,  and  a  RebeccV 

Seft. 

*  This  was  a  kind  of  Fiddle  with  three  firing1!  only. 


FOREGOING  ESSAY.         Ixxv 

sea.  XLIV.  3. 

"  Rewardes  to  his  lordfhip's  Servaants,  &c." 
"  Item,  My  lord  ufith  ande  accuftomith  to  gyf  yerly, 
<c  when  his  lordfchipp  is  at  home,  to  his  MINSTRAILLS 
"  that  be  daily  in  his  houfhold,  as  his  Tabret,  Lute, 
"  ande  Rebeke,  upnn  New  Yerefday  in  the  mornynge 
"  when  they  do  play  at  my  lordis  Chamber  Dour 
"  for  his  Lordfchip  and  my  Lady,  xx.  s.  Viz.  xiij.  s. 
"  iiij.  d.  for  my  Lord  ;  and  vj.  s.  viij.  d.  for  my  Lady, 
"  if  fche  be  at  my  lords  fyndynge,  and  not  at  hir 
"  ovven  ;  And  for  playing  at  my  lordis  Sone  and  Heire's 
"  chamber  Doure,  the  lord  Percy,  ij.  s.  And  for  play- 
"  inge  at  the  chamber  Doures  of  my  lords  Yonger 
"  Sonnes,  my  yonge  mailers,  after  viij.  d.  the  pece  for 

*'  every  of  them. xxiij.  s.  iiij.  d." 

Seft.  XLIV.  2. 
"  Rewardes  to  be  geven  to  Grangers,  as  Players, 

"   Mynftralls,  or  any  other,  &c." 
"  Furft,  my  lorde  ufith  and  accuftomyth  to  gif  to  the 
"  KINGS  JUGLER  ;  .  .  .  .  when  they  cuilome  to  come 
"  unto  hym  yerly, — vj.  s.  viij.  d. 

"  Item,  my  lorde  ufith  and  accuflomyth  to  gyf  yerely 
*'  to  the  kings  or  queenes  Bearwarde,  if  they  have  one, 
"  when  they  cuitom  to  come  unto  hym  yerly, — vj.  s. 
"  viij.  d. 

"  Item,  my  lorde  ufith  and  accuftomyth  to  gyfe 
«'  yerly  to  every  Erles  MYNSTRELLIS,  when  they 
"  cuflome  to  come  to  hym  yerely,  iij.  s.  iiij.  d.  And  if 
"  they  come  to  my  lorde  feldome,  ones  in  ij  or  iij  yeres, 
*'  than  vj.  s.  viij.  d. 

*'  Item,  my  lorde  ufith  and  accuflomedeth  to  gife 
"  yerely  to  an  Erls  MYNSTRALLS,  if  he  be  his  fpeciall 
"  lorde,  friende,  or  kynfman,  if  they  come  yerely  to  his 

"  lordfchip And,  if  they  come  to  my  '  lord  ' 

"  feldome,  ones  in  ij  or  iij  years  .  . .  ." 

"  Item,  my  lorde  ufuh  and  accuftomyth  to  gyf  yerely 
9  «• 


NOTES     ON     THE 

"  a  Deekes  or  Erlis  TRUMPBTTS,  if  they  come  vj 
"  together  to  his  lordfchipp,  viz.  if  they  come  yerjy, 
"  vj."  s.  viij.  d.  And,  if  they  come  but  in  ij  or  iij  yeres, 
«'  than  x.  s. 

"  Item,  my  lorde  ufith  and  accuftometh  to  gife  yerly, 
"  when  his  lordfchip  is   at  home,  to  gyf  to  the  Kyngs 
•'  SHAWMES,  when  they  com  to  my  lorde  yerely,  x.  s." 
*       *       *       *       * 

I  cannot  conclude  this  note  without  obferving  that 
in  this  Ancient  MS,  the  family  MINSTRELS  feem  to 
have  been  Muficians  only,  and  yet  both  tbe  earls' 
TRUMPETS  and  the  king's  SHAWMES,  are  evidently 
diftinguiuhed  from  the  earls'  MINSTRELS,  and  the 
king's  JUGLAR  ;  whether  this  laft  continued  to  be  ex- 
actly the  fame  with  the  "Joculator  Regis  in  the  Doomefday 
Book,  I  (jannot  determine. 

(D  d)  "  A  fpecies  of  men  who  did  not  fins;,  &c."] 
It  appears  from  the  pafiage.of  Eralmus  here  rererred'to, 
that  there  ftill  exiiled  in  England  of  that  fpecies  of 
Jongleurs  or  MINSTRELS,  whom  the  French  called  by 
the  peculiar  name  of  ContZonrs,  or  Reciters  in  profe  : 
It  is  in  his  Eccle/iaftet,  where  he  is  fpeaking  of  fuch 
Preachers,  as  imitated  the  Tone  of  Beggars  or  Moun- 
tebank? : — "  Jfputl  Jkgloi  eft Jimi'e genus  bomrnum,  quales 
afud  Italosfunt  Circulatores  [Mountebanks  de  quikus  modo 
tit  flu  m  ej}',  qui  irrumpunt  in  c  on  vivia  M  A  G  K  A  T  c  M ,  ant 
•in  C..UPONAS  VINARIAS;  et  argumentum  aliquod,  quod 
etitdicerur.t,  recitant  ;  puta  mortem  omnibus  dcminari,  aut 
lauditn  matrimonii.  Sed  quantum  ea  lingua  mcnojyllabis 
fere  coxjtat,  quern  ad  mod  urn  Germanica  ;  atque  Hit  (fc.  this 
peculiar  fpecies  of  Reciters]  ftudio  -t'itant  cantum,  ncbis 
(fc.  Erafmus,  who  did  not  urderftand  a  word  of  En-Hfh) 
latrart  ^idenfur  <verius  quam  hqui ."  Opera,  Tom.  V. 
C-95S-  (Jortin.  Vol.  2.  p.  193.)  As  Erafmus  was  cur- 
refting  the  vice  of  preachers,  it  was  more  to  his  point 

to 
10 


FOREGOING    ESSAY.        Ixxvii 

to  bring  an  inftance  from  Moral  Reciters  of  Profe,  than, 
from  Chanters  of  Rhyme,  though  it  may  be  eaiily  fup- 
pofed,  that  thefe  were  far  more  numerous  and  common, 
and  would  be  in  general  more  popular. 

(Ee)  "  A  writer  there  prefent."]  See  a  very  curloa* 
'*  LETTER,  wherein  part  of  the  entertainment  untoo 
"  the  Queen's  Majefty  at  Killingworth  Cadi,  in  War- 
"  wick-fhear,  in  this  Soomerz  Progreff,  1575,  iz  figni- 
"  fied,  &c."  izmo.  bl.  let.  The  orthography  of  this 
writer  (v.ho  is  named  Ro.  LANGHAM,  in  fol.  84.  and 
elicwhere  LANHAM  or  LANFH.IM)  is  not  followed  in 
the  Text,  being  not  that  of  the  age  he  lived  in,  but 
the  peculiar  refult  of  his  own  ignorance  or  affectation. 

(F  f)  "  Little  Mifcellanles  named  GARLANDS,  &c."J 
In  the  Pepyfian  and  c;her  libraries,  are  preferved  a 
great  number  of  thefe  in  black  letter,  I2mo.  under  the 
following  quaint  and  affected  titles,  vi^. 

i.  A  Crowne  Garland  of  Goulden  Rofes  gathered 
out  of  England's  Royall  Garden,  &c.  by  Richard 
Johnfon,  1612.  [In  the  Bodleyan  Library.] — 2.  The 
Golden  Garland  of  Princely  Delight.— 3.  The  Garland 
of  Good- will,  by  T.  D.  1631.— 4.  The  Royal  Garland 
of  Love  and  delight,  by  T.  D.— 5.  The  Garland  of 
Love  and  mirth,  by  Thomas  Lanfier. — 6.  The  Garland 
of  Delight,  &c.  by  Tho.  Delone. — 7.  Cupid's  Garland 
fet  round  with  Guilded  Rofes. — 8.  The  Garland  of 
Withered  Rofes,  by  Martin  Parker,  1656.— g.  The 
Shepherd's  Garland  of  Love,  Loyalty,  &c. — 10.  The 
Country  Garland. —  u.  The  Golden  Garland  of  Mirth 
and  Merriment.  — 12.  The  Lover's  Garland. — 13. 
Neptune's  fair  Garland. — 14.  England's  fair  Garland. 
— i?.  Robin  Hood's  Garland.-— 16.  The  Maiden's 
Garland. — 17.  A  Loyal  Garland  of  Mirth  andPaflime. 

—18. 


brxviii          NOTES    ON    T  H  E,  &c. 

—  i 8.    A  Royal  Garland   of  new    Songs. — 19.    The 
Jovial  Garland,  8th  Edit.  1691. — &c.  &c.  &c. 

This  fort  of  petty  publications  had  anciently  the 
name  of  PENNY-MERRIMENTS  :  as  little  religious  ttafts 
of  the  fame  fize  were  called  PENNY  GODLINESSES  :  la 
the  Pepylian  Library  arc  multitudes  of  both  kinds. 


THE  END  OF  THE  ESSAY,  &c. 


ATEITION  to  Note  (I)  feft.  i. 

GLEEMAN  continued  to  be  the  name  given  to  a  Minftrel  both  in 
England  and  Scotland  almoft  as  long  as  this  order  of  men  continued. 
FABY/.N  (in  his  Chronicle,  1533.  f.  32.)  tranflating  the  pafiage 
from  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth,  quoted  icove  in  pag.  Iviij  note  (K.) 
Tenders  Deus  JOCULATOKUM,  by  God  of  GLEE  MEN.  (Warton's 
Hift.  Eng.  Poet.  DifT.  I.)  Fabyan  died  in  1592. 

DUNBAR,  who  lived  in  the  fame  century,  defcribing,  in  one  of 
his  poems,  intitled,  "  The  Daunce",  what  pafled  in  the  infernai 
legions  "  amangis  the  Feyndis",  fays 

Na  Menftralls  playit  to  thame,  but  dowty 
For  GLE-WEN  *  thaire  wer  haldin  out, 

Be  day  and  eke  by  nycht. 
See  Poems  from  Bannatyne's  MS.  Edinb.  1770.  iamo.  pag.  30, 

*  A  MS.  at  Cambridge  reads  here  GLEWE-MEN. 


CON- 


CONTENTS  OF  VOLUME  THE  FIRST. 

TfSSAY  on  the  ancient  Minjlrdt          —           fag.  xix 

Notes  and  litMJtrati'jns                     —                 —  jrl 

BOOK    THE    FIRST. 

1.  The  ancient  Ballad  of  Chevy-choce                       —  I 

2.  The  battle  of  Qtterbcurne                                      —     1 8 
Hluftration  tf  the  Names  in  the  foregoing  Ballads  34 

3.  The  Jew's  Daughter.     A  Stottijh  Ballad          —  38 

4.  Sir  Caulhe               —                 —                  —  41 

5 .  Edward,  Edward.     A  Scottijb  Ballad            —  59 
6    King  EJlmere                                  >                      —  6z 
A  Memoir  op  the  word  Termagant               —       76,  366 

7.  Sir  Patrick  Spence.     A  Sccttijb  Ballad             —  78 

8.  Robin  Hood  and  Guy  of  Gifoorne                          —  8l 
9  -   An  Elegy  on  Henry  ^th,  earl  of  Northumberland, 

by  S  ke  I  ton                   •                                        —  95 

10.   The  Tower  of  Do(lriney   by  St.  Huiuet              —  105 

n.  7'be  Child  of  Elle                    —                      —  109 

12.  Edam  o   Gordon.     A  Sfottijh  Ballad                 —  II& 

BOOK    THE    SECOND. 

(Containing  Ballads  that  illuflrate  Shakeffeare.} 

Ej/ay  on  the  Origin  of  the  Englijh  Stage           —  128 
I .  Adam    Bell,    Clym  o'   the  dough,  and  William 

ofCloudcJIy.                               —                  —  143 

2.  Tbt 


CONTENTS. 

2.  The  aged  Lover  renoanceth  Love         •<  —   l/J 

3.  J ephthah  judge  of  Ifrael             —  178 

4.  A  Bor.g  to  the  lute  in  muficke              — —  —   182 

5.  King  Cophetua  and  the  Beggar-maid  — -  184 

6.  Take  thy  old  cloak  about  thet            — —  —   1 90 

7.  Willow*  Willow,  Willow             —  194 

8.  Sir  Lancelot  dtt  Lake                    —  —  200 

9.  Cory  don  V  Farewell  to  Pbillit             —  —  206 

10.  Gernutus,  the  Jew  of  Venice             —  —    208 
The  Ballad  ofconftant  Sufannab     —    ibid. 

1 1 .  The  pajficnate  Shepherd  to  his  Love,  by  Marloiu     2 1 8 
The  Nymph's  Reply,  by  Sir  W.  Raleigh  —  221 

12.  Titus  Andronicus1!  Complaint              —  —  222 

13.  Take  thofe  lips  away                   •  —  229 

14.  King  Lelr  and  his  three  daughters         —  —   230 
IJ.  Youth  and  Age,  by  Sbakefpeare               —  —  239 

1 6.  The  Frolickfome  Duke,  or  the  Tinker's  good  Fortune    240 

17.  The  Friar  of  Orders  gray                • —  245 

BOOK    THE    THIRD. 

1.  The  more  modern  ballad  of  Chevy -chafe  —  2?  I 

Illujlration  of  the  Northern  Names         —  —  266 

2.  Death's  f.nal  conquefi,  by  J.  Shirley         —  —  270 

3.  The  Rifeng  in  the  North                  •  —  27  l 

4.  Northumberland  betrayed  b\-  Douglas  —  281 

5.  My  Mind  to  me  a  kingdome  is              —  —  293 

6.  f%  Patiext't  Counte/s,  by  W.  Warner       —  —  294 

7.  The 


CONTENTS. 

7.  n*g.l**  Mean       '  *    ">&-UL  -*  T  A  2-  305 

8.  Dvwfabell,  by  Dray  ton  ••  —  306 

9.  72*  Farewell  to  Love,  by  Fletcher  —  313 
jo.  UlyJ/es  and  the  Syren,  by  S.Daniel            •  —  314 

II.  Cupid's  Pa/iime          —  318 

1  z.  The  character  of  a  happy  life,  by  Sir  H.  Wot  ton  321 

l^.Cilderoy.     A  Scott ijh  Ballad  —  —  323 

14.  Winifreda  — —          —  328 

15.  The  Witch  of  Wokey  —  3  30 

1 6.  Bryan  and  Pereene.  A  Weft  India  Ballad,  by  Dr. 

Grainger  • ••  —  333 

j  7   Gentle  River,  Gentle  River.     Tranjlated  from  the 

Spattijb  —  337 

j8.  Alcanzar  and  Zayda,  a  Moorijb  Tale  «—  344 

TbtGloffary  —  —  348 

Additions  to  the  EJ/ay  on  the  Origin  of  the  Englijh 
Stage  —  —  —  366 


VOL.  I.  f  I  never 


I  never  heard  the  old  fong  of  Percie  and  Douglas,  that  I 
found  not  my  heart  moved  more  than  with  a  trumpet; 
and  yet « it'  is  fungbut  by  fome  blinde  crowder,  with 
no  rougher  voice,  than  rude  ftile ;  which  beeing  fo 
evill  apparelled  in  the  dull  and  cobweb  of  that  uncivill 
age,  what  would  it  work,  trimmed  in  the  gorgeous 
eloquence  of  Pindare  ? 

SIR  PHILIP  SYDNEY'S  DEFENCE  OF  POETRY. 


OF    ANCIENT  POETRY, 

afc 

SERIES    THE  F  I  R  S  T. 

BOOK  I. 


I. 

THE  ANCIENT  BALLAD  OF  CHEVY-CHASE. 

The  fine  heroic  fong  of  CHEVY-CHASE  has  ever  b ten 
admired  by  competent  judges.  Thofe  genuine  ftrokes  &f  nature 
and  artlefe  pa/ion,  which  have  endeared  it  to  the  mofl 
Jimple  readers,  have  recommended  it  to  the  mofl  refined; 
and  it  has  equally  been  the  amufement  of  our  childhood,  and 
the  favourite  of  our  riper  years. 

VOL.  I.  B  Mr. 


C—A  N  C  I  E  N  T     P  O  E  ^     . 

Mr.  AdJ'-f--:  (as  give/:  an  excellent  critique' 
popular  ballad,  but  is  n:;jiakcn  with  regara  to  the  t'.?ifiqtii:ylf 
Vftbe  common  'received  cofv  \  for  tbi;,  if  en?  »:ay  judgi  fr&nf 
jthejlyle^  cannot  be  older  than  the  time  t, 
\tirobably  written   after,  the  elogi: 
f£rlap;  in  confeque*C£v£it.      I  fa 
^recovered  tkz  genuine  mitique  pctm  :  •tie  tn&  .origin.- 
which  appeared-  nt^c  cvttt  in  the  tiir.s    cf  Sir  Philip,  and 

t.;.m  to  lam-n:,  that  it  ivas  Jo  evil-i'.fpardled    in-  tb:   ! 
garb  cf  avtiq  uift  . 

curie  ft  ty  it  pt^TttLl>  froip  an  old  r  at  :l:  % 

of  Ifearuis-  preface.  ffr^Gufc  "New  !  -• 
<v*.  vol.  i.  ¥o  the  -MS.  Copfisfukjomfdthe  i:n>,:' 
aatbcr,  RYCHARD  SHEALE  §  :  twhon  Hearne  had  fo  little 
judgment  as  tafuppofe  to  be  the  fame  -with  a  R.  Sheale,  who 
ivas  living  in  1588.  Sut  vj  he  ever  examines  the  gradation 
cf  language  and  idiom  in  the  follo~~wing  'volumes  ,  ^.vill  be 
cori-innced  that  this  is  the  product  on  of  an  earlier  poet.  It 
it  indeed  exprejly  mentioned  among  fame  very  ancient  fongs  in 
ait  old  book  intituled,  The  Complaint  of  Scotland  f,  (fol.  42.) 
under  the  title  of  the  HUNT  is  OF  CHE  VET,  where  the  two 
following^  lines  are  alfo  quoted  y 

The  Perffee  and  the  Mongumrye  mette  J. 
That  day,  that  day,  that  gentil  day  ||  : 

Which,  tho1  not  quite  the  fame  as  they  ft  and  in  the  ballad, 
yet  differ  not  more  than  might  be  owing  to  the  author's 
quoting  from  memory.  Indeed  whoever  confeders  the  fiyls  and 
orthography  of  this  old  poem  will  net  be  inclined  to  place  it 
lower  than  the  time  of  Henry  VI  ;  as  on  the  other  hand  the 
mention  of<$Zmt$  tjje  ^COttiflj  lling  4-,  with  one  or  t^o 
Anachronifms,  forbid  us  to  ajjign  it  an  earlier  date.  King 

James 

•   *  SpeElator,  No  70.  74. 
§  Subscribed,  after  the  ufua!  manner  cf  cur  o!J  pstts, 


. 

f  Oeeoftfft  earlieft  productions  of  the  Sect;';  ft  prefs,  no<w  to  If  found. 
he  title-page  vias  tuantir.g  in  the  copy  here  quoted  :  but  It  is  fupp.-x'id 
L  ave  been  primed  in  i  540.      Ste  Antes. 
J  Set  Pt.  i.  -v.  25.     jj  Set  Pt,  i.  v.  104.      4-  P.',  3,  i/.  36.  140. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.          3 

^ antes  I.  who  was  prlfcner  in  this  kingdom  at  the  death  cf 
his  father  *,  did  not  wear  the  crown  of  Seat  land  till  tbefe- 
c.cnd  year  cf  our  Henry  PI  \\,  but  before  the  end  of  that 
hng  reign  a  third  Jamts  had  mounted  the  thrcne  f.  Afuc- 
'ctjjion  of  two  or  three  Jameses,  and  the  long  detention  of 
one  of  them  in  England,  'would  render  the  name  familiar  to 
the  EngUJh,  and  difpof;  a  poet  in  thofe  rude  times  to  give  it 
to  any  Scottish  king  he  happened  to  mention. 

So  much  for  the  date  of  this  old  ballad  :  with  regard  to 
its  fuLjecJ,  altho1  it  has  no  countenance  from  hijlory,  there  is 
room  to  thin*  it  had  originally  Jcine  foundation  in  fatt.  It 
was  one  of  the  Laws  cf  the  Marches  frequently  renewed  be- 
tween the  two  nations,  that  neither  party  Jhould  hunt  in  the 
other's  borders,  without  leave  from  the  proprietors  or  their 
deputies  \.  'There  had  long  been  a  rival/flip  between  the  two 
martial  families  of  Percy  and  Douglas,  which  heightened  by 
the  national  quarrel,  muft  have  produced  frequent  challenges 
and  Jlruggles  for  fitferiority,  petty  in<vafions  of  their  refpec- 
five  domains,  and  Jharp  contejis  for  the  point  of  honour , 
which  would  not  always  be  recorded  in  hijtory.  Something 
cf  this  kind  we  may  fuppofe  gave  rife  to  the  ancient  ballad  of 
the  HUNTING  A'  THE  CHEVIAT  -!••  Percy  earl  of  North- 
umberland bnd  wowed  to  hunt  for  three  days  in  the  Scottijb 
iiorder  without  cona'efcending  to  ajk  leave  from  earl  Douglas  ± 
•who  was  either  lord  of  the  foil,  or  lord  (warden  of  the 
marches.  Douglas  would  not  fail  to  refent  the  infult,  and 
tndcavcur  to  repel  the  intruders  by  force  :  this  would  natu- 
B  2  fal!j 

*  JMs  died  Aug.  5.  1406,  tir  the  7t h  year  of  our  Hen.  IV. 

||  James  I.  ivas  crowned  May  iz.  1424.  murdered  Feb,  21.  1436-7. 

•f  In  1460. — Hen.  Vl.isss  dep:fed  1461  :  refltred  and  f.aln  1471. 

j  Item.  .  .  Concordatum  ei1,  quod,  .  .  .  NULLUS  unius  partis  vel 
alterius  ingrediatur  terras,  bofchas,  forreftas,  warrenas,  loca,  dominia 
qusecunque  alicujus  parlis  alterius  lubditi,  caufa  venandi,  piftandi, 
aucupandi,  difportum  aut  folatium  in  eifdem,  aliave  quacunque  de 
caufa,  ABsq_tE  LICENTIA  rius  ....  ad  quern  .  .  .  lo^a  .  .  .  . 
...  pertinent,  aut  de  dcputatis  hi  is  prius  c:.pt.  &  oh  tent.  Vid.  Bf* 
Nicbolfont  Leges  Marc bi.-irum.  1705.  %vo. pag.  27.  51. 

4-  This  wai  the  original  title.  See  the  ballad)  Pt,  I;  v.  J06,  Pt, 
z.  v>  idf> 


4         ANCIENT     POEMS. 

rally  produce  ajbarp  conflift  between  the  two  parties  :  fome- 
tbing  of  which,  it  is  probable,  did  really  happen^  tko1  not 
attended  with  the  tragical  circumjiances  recor'ded  in  the  bal- 
lad :  for  tbefe  are  evidently  borrowed  from  //>*  BATTLE  OF 
OTTER  BOURN  *,  a  very  different  event,  but  which  after- 
times  would  eajily  confound  with  it.  That  battle  might  be 
owing  to  fame  fuch  previous  affront  as  this  of  CHEVY 
CHASE,  though  it  has  efcapedthe  notice  of  hiftorians.  Our 
feet  has  evidently  jumbled  the  two  events  together  :  if  indeed 
the  lines  f  in  which  this  miftake  is  made,  are  not  rather  fpu- 
YIOUS,  and  the  after-infertion  of  fame  perjon,  who  did  not 
diftinguijh  between  the  two  ftories. 

Hearne  has  printed  this  ballad  without  any  divijion  of 
Jlanzas,  in  long  lines,  as  he  found  it  in  the  old  written  co- 
py :  but  it  is  ufual  tofndthe  dijlinfiion  of Jianxas  negleffed 
in  ancient  MSS  ;  where,  tofave  room,  two  or  three  verfes 
are  frequently  given  in  one  line  undivided.  See  Jiagrant 
injtances  to  the  Harleian  Catalog.  No.  225 3.  ./I  29.  34. 
6l,  70,  fcS?  paj/tm. 

THE    FIRST    PART. 
*Tp  H  E  Perfe  owt  of  Northombarlande, 

And  a  vowe  to  God  ma^d  he, 
That  he  wolde  hunte  in  the  mountayns 

Off  Chyviat  within  dayes  thre, 
In  the  mauger  of  doughte  Dogles,  5 

And  all  that  ever  with  him  be. 

The  fattifte  hartes  in  all  Cheviat 

He  fayd  he  wold  kill,  and  cary  them  away  : 

Be  my  feth,  fayd  the  dougheti  Doglas  agayn, 
I  wyll  let  that  hontyng  yf  that  I  may.  10 

Then 

*  Sit  t*>e  *«*t  ballad.  f  jr,d.    Ft.  2.  v.  167. 

V.  s-  magger  in  Hearts  PC.  [Printed  C->fy,} 


ANCIENT     POEMS.         5 

Then  the  Perfe  owt  of  Banborowe  cam, 

With  him  a  myghtye  meany  ; 
With  fifteen  hondrith  archares  bold  ; 

The  wear  chofen  out  of  Jhyars  thre*. 

This  begane  on  a  monday  at  morn  15 

In  Cheviat  the  hillys  fo  he  j 
The  chyld  may  rue  that  ys  un-born, 

It  was  the  mor  pitte. 

The  dryvars  thorowe  the  woodes  went 

For  to  reas  the  dear  ;  2C 

Bomen  bickarte  uppone  the  bent 
With  ther  browd  aras  cleare.    . 

Then  the  wyld  thorowe  the  woodes  went 

On  every  fyde  fliear  ; 
Grea-hondes  thorowe  the  greves  glent  25 

For  to  kyll  thear  dear. 

The  begane  in  Chyviat  the  hyls  above 
Yerly  on  a  monnyn  day ; 

B  3  Be 


Vtr.  ii.  The  the  Perfe.  PC.  V.  13.  archardes  bolde  off  blood 
and  bone.  PC.  V.  19.  throrowe.  PC. 

*  Bf  tbefe  "  fliyars  thre"  is  probably  meant  three  diftrifls  in  North- 
umberland, -which*  ftlll  go  by  the  name  of  fliires,  and  art  all  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Cheviot.  cl'befe  art  Ifland-fhire,  being  the  diftrift  fo 
named  from  Holy-JJlanJ :  Norehamfliire,  fo  called  from  the  tirwn  and 
cafilc  of  Noreham  (»r  Norbam)  ;  and  Bamboroughihire,  ttf  ward  tr 
hundred  belonging  to  Bambomug b-cafllt  and  tcwn. 


6         ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Be  that  it  drewe  to  the  oware  off  none 

A  hondrith  fat  hartes  ded  ther  lay.  30 

The  tjlewe  a  mort  uppone  the  bent, 

The  femhlyd  on  fydis  (hear ; 
To  the  quyrvy  then  the  Perfe  went 

To  fe  the  bryttlyage  off  the  dcare. 

He  fayd,  It  was  theDuglas  promys  ^5 

This  day  to  meet  me  hear  ; 
But  I  wyite  he  wold  faylle  verament : 

A  gret  oth  the  Perfe  fwear. 

At  the  lafte  a  fquyar  of  Northombelonde 

Lokyde  at  his  hand  full  ny,  40 

He  was  war  ath  the  doughetie  Doglas  comywge  : 
With  him  a  myghte  meany, 

Both  with  fpear,  •  byll,'  and  brande  ; 

Yt  was  a  myghti  fight  to  fe. 
Hardyar  men  both  off  hart  nar  hand?  45 

Wear  not  in  Cbriitiantc. 

The  wear  twenty  hondrith  fpear-men  good 

Withouten  any  fayle ; 
The  wear  borne  a-long  be  the  waiter  aTwyde, 

Yth  bowndes  of  Tiyidale.  50 

Leave 

brvll'v5  PC"*/"  T'  PCK       r"  ^  mj?bttc>  PC'  ?"•&*•      V'  «• 
yuy.  ^o.     t'.^S.  wuhowte  .,  .  j'^aie.     PC. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.         7 

Leave  off  the  brytlyng  of  the  dear,  he  fayde, 
And  to  yonr  bovvys  tayk  good  heed  ; 

For  never  fithe  ye  wear  on  your  mothars  borne 
Had  ye  never  fo  mickle  need. 

The  dougheti  Dogglas  on  a  ftede  55 

He  rod*  his  m&n  beforne  ; 
His  armor  glytteryde  as  dyd  a  glede  ; 

A  bolder  barne  was  never  born. 

Tell  me  '  what'  men  ye  ar,  he  fays, 

Or  whos  men  that  ye  be  :  6a 

Who  gave  youe  leave  to  hunte  in  this 
Chyviat  chays  in  the  fpyt  of  me  ? 

The  firft  mane  that  ever  him  an  anfwear  mayd, 

Yt  was  the  good  lord  Perfe  : 
Wewyil  not  tell  the  '  what'  men  we  ar,  he  fays,  6$ 

Nor  whos  men  that  we  be  ; 
But  we  wyll  hount  hear  in  this  chays 

in  the  fpyte  of  thyne,  and  of  the. 

The  fattifte  hartes  in  all  Chyviat 

We  have  kyld,  and  caft  to  carry  them  a-way.  70 
Be  my  troth,  fayd  the  doughte  Dogglas  agayn, 

Ther-for  the  ton  of  us  fhall  de  this  day. 

B  4  Then 

/'.  52.  boys  lock  ye  tayk.  PC.       F.  54.  ned.  PC-    V.  56.  att  hii. 
PC.     r.  59.  v.feos.  PC.    V.  65.  whoys.  PC.    f.  71.  agay.  PC. 


8        ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Then  fayd  the  dough  te  Doglas 

Unto  the  lord  Perfe  : 
To  kyll  all  thes  giltles  men,  75 

A-las  !  it  wear  great  pitte. 

But,  Perfe,  thowe  art  a  lord  of  lande, 
I  am  a  yerle  callyd  within  my  centre  ; 

Let  all  our  men  uppone  a  parti  ftande  ; 

And  do  the  battell  off  the  and  of  me.  80 

Nowe  Crimes  cors  on  his  crowne,  fayd  the  lord  Perfe, 

Who-foever  ther-to  fays  nay. 
Be  my  troth,  dough  te  Doglas,  he  fays, 

Thow  flialt  never  fe  that  day  ; 

Nethar  in  Ynglonde,  Skottlonde,  nar  France,     85 

Nor  for  no  man  of  a  woman  born, 
But  and  fortune  be  my  chance, 

I  dar  met  him  on  man  for  on. 

Then  befpayke  a  fquyar  off  Northombarlonde, 
Ric.  Wytharynton  *  was  his  nam  ;  90 

It  (hall  never  be  told  in  Sothe-Ynglonde,  he  fays, 
To  kyng  Herry  the  fourth  for  {ham. 

I  wat 


V,  8  1.  fayd  the  the.  PC.      V.  88.  on.  f.  e.  one. 

*  This  is  probably  corrupted  in  the  MS.  for  Rog.  Widtrington,  ivba 
ivas  at  the  kead  of  the  family  in  the  reign  of  K.  Ediu.  HI.  There  ivere 
federal  fuccefiively  of  the  names  of  Roger  and  Ralph,  but  none  of  tbe 
name  of  Richard,  as  appears  from  tbe  genealogies  in  tbe  Herald's 
office. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.         g 

I  wat  youe  byn  great  lordes  twa, 

I  am  a  poor  {quyar  of  lande ; 
I  wyll  never  fe  my  captayne  fyght  on  a  fylde,     95 

And  ftandc  my-felfFe,  and  looke  on, 
But  whyll  I  may  my  weppone  welde 

I  wyll  not  '  fayl'  both  harte  and  ha'nde. 

That  day,  that  day,  that  dredfull  day: 

The  firft  F  i  T  f  here  I  fynde.  100 

And  you  wyll  here  any  mor  athe  hontyng  athe  Chy- 
Yet  ys  ther  mor  behynde.  [viat 


T 


THE    SECOND    PART. 

-r  \  P- 

H  E  Yngglifhe  men  hade  ther  bowys  yebcnt, 

Ther  hartes  were  good  yenoughe  ; 
The  firft  of  arros  that  the  mote  off, 
Seven  Store  (pear-men  the  floughe. 

Yet  bydys  the  yerle  Doglas  uppon  the  bent,          5 

A  captayne  good  yenoughe, 
And  that  was  fene  verament, 

For  he  wrought  horn  both  woo  and  wouche. 

The  Dogglas  pcrtyd  his  oft  in  thre, 

Lyk  a  chefie  cheften  oft"  pryde,  10 

With 

V.  9-.  tw.iw.   PC.  V.  ioi.  youe  .  .  .  hounfyng.  PC. 

V.  3.   firft,  i.  e.figbt.     V.  5.  byddys.  PC. 
f  TIT.  fid.  Cbf. 


io       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

With  fuar  fpeares  off  myghtte  tre 
The  cum  in  on  every  fyde. 

Thrughe  our  Yngglithe  archery 

Gave  many  a  wounde  full  wyde  ; 
Many  a  doughete  the  garde  to  dy,  15 

Which  ganyde  them  no  pryde. 

The  Yngglyfhe  men  let  thear  bowys  be. 

And  pulde  owt  brandes  that  \ver  bright  ; 
It  was  a  hevy  fyght  to  fe 

Bryght  ivvordes  on  bcfnites  lyglit.  '  zo 

Thorotve  ryche  male,  and  myne-ye-ple 
Many  fterne  the  ftroke  downe  ftreght  : 

Many  a  freyke,  that  was  full  free, 
Ther  undar  foot  dyd  lyght. 

At  laft  the  Duglas  and  the  Perfe  me:,  25 

Lyk  to  captayns  of  myght  and  mayne  ; 

The  fwapte  togethar  tyll  the  both  fwat 
With  fwordes,  that  wear  of  fyn  mylliLn. 

Thes  worthe  freckys  for  to  fyght 

Ther-to  the  wear  full  fayne,  ,  30 

Tyll  the  bloode  owte  off  thear  bafnetes  fprente, 

As  ever  dyd  heal  or  rayne. 

Holde 


r.  17.  boys.  PC.      V.  18.  'origgt.  PC.      V,  21.  throrowe.    PC. 
V.  22.  done.  PC.          V.  zd.  to,  i.  <:.  f«-»w  Ibid,  and  of.  -PC. 

V.  32.  ran.  PC. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       n 

Holde  the,  Perfe,  fayj  the  Doglas, 

And  i'  feth  I  fhall  the  brynge 
Wher  thovve  fhalte  have  a  yerls  wagis  35 

Of  Jamy  our  Scottilh  kynge. 

Thoue  fhalte  have  thy  ranfom  fre, 

I  hight  the  hear  this  thinge, 
For  the  manfullytte  man  yet  art  thowe, 

That  ever  I  conqueryd  in  filde  fightyng.          40 

Nay  '  then'  fayd  the  lord  Perfe, 

I  tolde  it  the  beforne, 
That  I  wolde  never  yeldyde  be 

To  no  man  of  a  woman  born. 

With  that  ther  cam  an  arrowe  haftely  45 

Forthe  off  a  mightie  wane  *, 
Hit  hathe  ftrekene  the  yerle  Duglas 

Jn  at  the  breft  bane. 

Thoroue  lyvar  and  longs  bathe 

The  fharp  arrowe  ys  gane,  50 

That  never  after  in  all  his  lyffe  days 

He  fpayke  mo  wordes  but  ane, 
That  was  f,  Fyghte  ye,  my  merry  men,  whyllys 
ye  may, 

For  my  lyfF  days  ben  gan. 

The 

V.  33.  heldc.  PC.     V.  36.  Scottifli.  PC.    r.  49.  throroue.  PC. 
*  Wane.  ;'.  e.  ane.  one,fc.  man.  an  arrow  came  from  a  mighty  one  : 
from  a  mighty  man,  -J-  Tbisfeemt  to  have  betn  a  (7/«/i  added. 


12        ANCIENT     POEMS. 

The  Perfe  Icanyde  on  his  brande,  55 

And  fawe  the  Duglas  de  ; 
He  tooke  the  dede  man  be  the  hande, 

And  fayd,  Wo  ys  me  for  the ! 

To  have  favyde  thy  lyffe  I  wold  have  pertyd  with 
My  landes  for  years  thre,  60 

For  a  better  man  of  hart,  nare  of  hande         t 
Was  not  in  all  the  north  countre. 

Off  all  that  fe  a  Skottifhe  knyght, 

Was  callyd  Sir  Hcwe  the  Mongon-byrry, 

He  fawe  the  Duglas  to  the  deth  was  dyghtj         65 
He  fpendyd  a  fpear  a  truili  tre  : 

He  rod  uppon  a  corfiare 

Throughe  a  hondrith  archery  ; 
He  never  llyntyde,  nar  never  blane 

Tyll  he  came  to  the  good  lord  Perfe.  70 

He  fet  uppone  the  lord  Perfe 

A  dynte,  that  was  full  foare  ; 
With  a  fuar  fpear  of  a  myghte  tre 

Clean  thorow  the  body  he  the  Perfe  bore, 

Athe  tothar  fyde,  that  a  man  myght  fe,  75 

A  large  cloth  yard  and  mare  : 
Towe  bettar  captayns  wear  nat  in  Criftiante, 
Then  that  day  {lain  wear  thare. 

An 
»  T.  74.  ber.  PC.     V.  78.  ther.  PC. 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       13 

An  archar  offNorthomberlonde 

Say  (lean  was  the  lord  Perfe,  80 

He  bar  a  bcnde-bow  in  his  hande, 

Was  made  off  trufti  tre  : 

An  arow,  that  a  cloth  yarde  was  lang, 

To  th'  hard  ftele  halyde  he ; 
«A  dynt,  that  was  both  fad  and  (bar,  85 

He  fat  on  Sir  Hewe  the  Mongon-byrry. 

The  dynt  yt  was  both  fad  and  '  foar,' 

That  he  of  Mongon-byrry  fete  ; 
The  fwane  fethars,  that  his  arrowe  bar, 

With  his  hart  blood  the  wear  wete  *.  90 

Ther  was  never  a  freake  wone  foot  wolde  fle, 

But  ftill  in  ftour  dyd  (land, 
Heawyng  on  yche  othar,  whyll  the  myght  dre, 

With  many  a  bal  ful  brande. 

This  battell  begane  in  Chyviat  <or 

An  owar  befor  the  none, 
And  when  even-fong  bell  was  rang 

The  battell  was  nat  half  done. 

The  tooke  con'  on  ethar  hand 

EC  the  lyght  off  the  mone ;  100 

Many 

V.  80.  Say,  /.  e.  Saioe.      V.  84.  haylJc.  PC.       V.  87.  far.   PC. 

*  Tint  incident  is  taken  from  the  battle  of  Qtttrbourn  ;  in  which  ."»»> 
Hugh  Montgomery,  K<nt.  '(fen  of  John  Lord  Montgomery )  teat  Jlti* 
•with an  arr'.-M.  l'tj.  CraivferiTt  Peerage. 


I4       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Many  hade  no  flrenght  for  to  ftande, 
In  Chyviat  the  hyllys  abone. 

Of  fifteen  hondrith  archars  of  Ynglonde 

Went  away  but  fifci  and  thre  ; 
Of  twenty  hondrith  fpear-men  of  Skotlonde,     1 05 

But  even  five  and  fifti : 

"But  ail  wear  flayne  Cheviat  within  : 
The  hade  no  ftrengthe  to  ftand  on  he : 

The  chylde  may  rue  that  ys  un-borne, 

It  was  the  mor  pitte.  j  id 

Thear  was  flayne  with  the  lord  Perfe 

Sir  John  of  Agerftone, 
Sir  Roger  the  hinde  Hardy, 

Sir  Wyllyam  the  bolde  Hearone. 

Sir  Jorg  the  worthe  Lovele  115 

A  knyght  of  great  renovven, 
Sir  Raff  the  ryche  Rugbe 

With  dyntes  wear  beaten  dowene. 

For  Wetharryngton  my  harte  was  wo, 

That  ever  he  flayne  fhulde  be  ;  120 

For  when  both  his  leggis  wear  hewyne  in  to, 
He  knyled  and  fought  on  hys  kne. 

Ther 

f  V.  i<*a.  abou.  PC.       V.  ioS.  flrenge  ....  hy.  PC.        V.  115. 
loule.   PC.     y.  i2i.  in  to,  i.  e.  in  :w.      V.  122.  Yet  he  ...  kny: 


ANCIENT     POEMS.        15 

Ther  was  flayne  with  the  dougheti  Douglas 

Sir  Hewe  the  Mongon  byrry, 
Sir  Davye  Lwdale,  that  worthc  was,  125 

His  fiftars  fon  was  he  : 

Sir  Charles  a  Murre,  in  that  place, 

That  never  a  foot  wolde  fie  ; 
Sir  Hewe  Maxwell,  a  lorde  he  was, 

With  the  Duglas  dyd  he  dey.  13* 

So  on  the  morrowe  the  mayde  them  byears 

Off  byrch,  and  hafell  fo  '  gray' ; 
Many  wedous  with  wepyng  tears  #, 

Cam  to  fach  ther  makys  a-way. 

Tivydale  may  carpe  off  care,  135 

Northombarlond  may  mayk  grat  mone, 

Tor  towe  fuch  captayus,  as  flayne  wear  thear, 
On  the  inarch  perti  fhal]  never  be  none. 

Word  ys  commen  to  Edden-burrowe 

To  Jamy  the  Skottifhe  kyng,  140 

That 

P.  131.  gay.  PC.     V.  136.  mon,  PC.    V.  i;?.  non.  PC. 

For  the  Names  in  this  and  the  fore^'iing  pa^e,  jet  tbe  Remarks  at  tit 
tndeftbe  next  Xa.'.'jJ. 

*  A  tomm'in  plewtfm,  fee  tbe  r.ixt  pytrn,  Fit.  id.  1r.  155.  A  Harding 
In  bh  CLroaifle,  (bap.  I  4O./e/.  148.  describing  tbe  death  of  Richard  7, 

f°ys> 

He  flirove  him  then  unto  Abbots  thre 
With  great  fobbyng  ....  and  wepyisg  teares. 
So  tikfieifc  Cavend}&  in  Us  Life  »f  Cardinal  V,' >'\\ y,  c) aft.  IT.,  p. 

51.  4^.   "\Vhouilic  Duke  hcird    this,  he   replied    with   weeping' 

*'  teares/ '  Sfc. 


,6       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

That  dougheti  Duglas,  lyff-tenant  of  the  Merches, 
He  lay  flean  Chyviot  with-in. 

His  handdes  dyd  he  weal  and  wrynjr, 

He  fayd,  Alas,  and  woe  ys  me  ! 
Such  another  captayn  Skotland  within,  145 

He  fayd,  y-feth  fhuld  never  be. 

Worde  ys  commyn  to  lovly  Londone 

Till  the  fourth  Harry  our  kyng, 
That  lord  Perfe,  leyff-tenante  of  the  Merchis, 

He  lay  flayne  Chyviat  within.  150 

God  have  merci  on  his  foil,  fayd  kyng  Harry, 

Good  lord,  yf  thy  will  it  be  ! 
I  have  a  hondrith  captayns  in  Yynglonde,  he  fayd, 

As  good  as  ever  was  hee  : 
But  Perfe,  and  I  brook  my  lyffe,  155 

Thy  deth  well  quyte  fhall  be. 

As  our  noble  kyng  made  his  a-vowe, 

Lyke  a  noble  prince  of  renowen, 
For  the  deth  of  the  lord  Perfe, 

He  dyd  the  battel  of  Hombyll-down  :  160 

Wher  fyx  and  thritte  Skottifh  knyghtes 

On  a  day  wear  beaten  down  : 
Glendale  glytteryde  on  ther  armor  bryght, 
Over  caftill,  towar,  and  town. 

This 
/'.  146.  yc  feth.  PC.     V.  149.  cheyff  Uanante.  PC. 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       17 

This  was  the  hontynge  off  the  Cheviat ;  165 

That  tear  begane  this  fpurn  : 
Old  men  that  knowen  the  grownde  well  yenoughe, 

Call  it  the  Battell  of  Otterburn. 

At  Otterburn  began  this  fpurne 

Uppon  a  monnyn  day  :  170 

Ther  was  the  dougghte  Doglas  flean, 

The  Perfe  never  went  away. 

Ther  was  never  a  tym  on  the  march  partes 
Sen  the  Doglas,  and  the  Perfe  met, 

But  yt  was  tnarvele,  and  the  rede  blude  ronne  not, 
As  the  reane  doys  in  the  ftret.  176 

Jhefue  Crift  our  balys  bete, 

And  to  the  blys  us  brynge ! 
Tkus  was  the  hountynge  of  the  Chevyat : 

God  fend  us  all  good  ending  !  180 

VOL.  I.  C  II.  THE 

*»*  The  Jlyle  of  this  and  the  following  ballad  is  uncom- 
monly rugged  and  uncouth,  owing  to  their  being  writ  in  the 
iiery  coarjejl  and  broadejt  northern  DialecJ. 

The  battle  of  Hombyll-doiun,  or  Humbledon,  'was  fought 
Sept.  14,  1402.  (anno  3.  Hen.  IV.)  --wherein  theEngliJht 
under  the  command  of  the  E.  of  Northumberland,  and  his 
fan  Hotfpur,  gained  a  compleat  vifioiy  o<ver  the  Scots.  The 
tillage  o/Hv  M  B  L  E  DO  N  is  one  mile  north-weft  from  Wooller 
in  Northumberland.  The  battle  nuas  fought  in  the  jitld  be- 
lo-iv  the  village,  near  the  prefent  Turnpike  Road,  in  a  fpot 
called  ever  fence  Red-Riggs. — Humbledon  is  in  GLEK* 
DALE  WARD,  a  diflrift  fo  named  in  thii  county,  and  men- 
tioned above  in  -vtr.  163. 


i8       ANCIENT     POEMS.. 

II. 
THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

The  only  battle,  wherein  an  Earl  of  Douglas  teas  Jlain 
fighting  with  a  Percy,  was  that  of  Otterbourn,  which  is 
tbefuhjecl  of  this  ballad.  It  is  here  related  with  the  a/Ioiv- 
able  Partiality  of  an  Englijh  poet,  and  much  in  the  fame  man- 
ner as  it  is  recorded  in  the  Englijh  Chronicle*.  The  Scott  ijh 
writers  have,  iviih  a  partiality  at  haft  a:  excufeak'.e,  re- 
lated it  no  lefs  in  their  own  favour.  Luckily  ive  have  a 
very  circumjiantial  narrative  of  the  whole  ajf'air  from 
FroiJJart  a  French  hijlorian,  ivba  appears  to  be  unbiajjed. 
Troiflarfs  relation  is  prolix  \  I  jhall  therefore  give  it  as 
abridged  by  Carte*  luho  has  hoive-~uer  had  recourje  to  other 
authorities,  and  differs  from  Froijfart  in  fame  things,  which 
I  jhall  note  in  the  margin. 

In  the  twelfth  jear  of  Richard  II.  1388,  "  The  Scots  tak- 
"  ing  advantage  of  the  confifans  of  this  nation,  and  falling 
"  tuith  a  party  into  the  weft-marches,  ravaged  the  country 
"  about  Carlijle,  and  carried  ojf  300  prifoners.  It  was  with 
"  a  much  greater  force,  headed  by  feme  of  the  principal  no- 
"  Lility,  that,  in  the  beginning  ofAuguft*,  they  invaded 
*c  hsrthuntberland :  and  having  ivajlcd part  of  the  county 
"  cf 'Durham  f ,  advanced  to  the  gates  of  Newcajtle ;  where* 
"  in  a  jkirmijh,  they  took  a  '  pe aoa>  or  colours  J.  belonging 
"  to  Henry  lord  Percy,  f ur  named  Hot  f  pur,  fon  to  the  earl  cf 

"  North- 

*  Frcfart  ff-tak $  of  Ictb  parti's  ( cofiJtjTtn^  in  all af  mere  than  4O,cco 
mn)  a;  tntcrirg  Ergland  at  the  fame  time  :  out  the  greater  fart  by  iur.y 

f  Ar.d,  a -:^ci;;,g  :<t  the  ballaJ,  tbat   part  of  Nsrtkumbirland  called 
;  a.  large  trail  of ! and  fi  niir.ed  frcn  tie  tcivit  and  caf- 
tl:  vf  Bamborovgb \.formerly  th:  nfjidir.ce  cf.tbt  .  \;ngt. 

emitted  In   tie  .  i  a::d  Douglas 

i  tr.ucb  oftbefatrte  age. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       19 

tc  Northumberland.  In  tbeir  retreat  home,  they  attacked  the 
"  caftle  of  Otter  bourn  :  and  in  the  evening  if  •d;^.  9-  ( &* 
"  the  Englijh  ^writers  fayt  or  rather,  accordingly  Frc-'J/art, 
"  Aug.  \z>.)  after  an  unjuccef-ful  njjault  *vccre  furp'-iztd  in 
"  tbeir  camp,  which  ivaj  <viry  ftrong,  by  Henry,  <vjho  at 
"  the  fir  ft  onfet  put  them  into  a  good  deal  af  co>i  (\ificn,  But 
' '  'Jx>,:cs  earl  of  Douglas  rallying  bis  men,  tiers  enfued  one 
"  of  the  b  eft -fought  afficns  that  happened  in  that  age  ;  both 
"  armies  Jhewing  the  utm'Jl  bravery  f  ;  the  earl  Douglas 
"  himfelf  being  Jlain  on  the  f^t  \  ;  the  earl  of  Murrey  mor- 
"  tally  luounded  ',  and  fictjpur  [|,  ivith  his  brother  Ralph 
"  Percy,  taken  prifoners.  Thefe  difajiets  on  both  fides  have 
'*  given  occafeon  to  the  event  -of  the  engagement's  tei-tg  dif- 
"  pitted ',  Froijfart  (who  derives  his  relation  fror.'i  a  Scotch 
tl  knight,  tivo  gentlemen  of  the  fame  country,  and  as  many 
' '  of  Foix  * )  affirming  that  the  Scots  remained  m afters  cftke 
<f field;  and  the  Englijh  nvriters  infenuating  the  contrary. 
"  Thefe  laft  maintain  that  the  Englijh  had  the  Letter  of  the 
"  day  :  but  night  coming  on,  feme'  of  the  northern  lords, 
"  coming  ivitb  the  bijhop  of  Durham  to  their  affijtance,  kil- 
ft  led  many  of  them  by  miftake,  fuppojin*  them  to  be  Scots  ; 
"  and  the  earl  of  D  unbar  at  the  fame  time  falling  on  an- 
"  other  Jide  upon  Hotfpur,  took  him  and  his  brother  prifcn- 
'*  ers,  and  carried  them  off'  while  both  parties  ivere  fgbt- 
C  2  "  ing. 

•f  Frciffart  fays  the  Englijh  exceeded  the  Scots  in  nvmbir  three  to  one, 
tat  that  theft  bad  tbe  advantage  of  the  ground,  and  totre  ai(e  frejb  from 
Jl*:e/>,  while  the  Engiifh  >wtre  greatly  fatigued  ivitb  their  previous  march. 

J  By  Henry  L.  Percy,  according  to  this  ballad,  and  our  old  Er.glijh 
tiftoriant,  as  Stow,  Speed,  &c.  but  borne  d'^iun  by  numbers,  if  we  may 
Itlirvc  FroiJ'arf. 

||  Hotfpur  (after  a  very  Jharp  conjlifl)  was  taken  frifc/aer  by  John 
lord  Montgomery,  -wfjofe  eldijl  fen  Sir  ILugb  was  Jlain  in  tbe  fame  aflion 
V)\tb  an  arrow,  according  to  Craiifurd's  Peerage  (and  (terns  aljo  to  be 
alluded  to  in  tbe  foregoin^  ballad,  f.  13.,)  but  taken  prifoner  and  ex- 
tban^ed  for  ll'Aj'pur,  according  to  this  ballad. 

*  frnfftft  (according  to  tbe  Eng.  Tranjlaiion)  fays  be  bad  bis  ac* 
fount  from  two  [quires  of  England,  and  f  ran  a  krigbt  andjquirt  of  S*tt~ 
land,  ftttt  after  the  battle. 


20       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

"  ing.  It  is  at  leafl  certain,  that  immediately  after  this 
"  battle  the  Scots  engaged  in  it  made  the  beji  of  their  way 
'  '  home  :  and  the  fame  party  was  taken  by  the  other  corps 
"  about  Carlijle." 

Such  is  the  account  collected  by  Carte,  in  ivbicb  he  feems 
not  to  be  free  from  partiality  :  for  prejudice  muft  o-iun  that 
Frcrfart's  circumjiantial  account  carries  a  great  appearance 
of  truth,  and  he  gives  the  viftory  to  the  Scots.  He  however 
doesjuftice  to  the  courage  of  both  parties  ;  and  reprefents  their 
mutual  generofity  in  Juch  a  light,  that  the  prejcnt  age  might 
edify  by  the  example.  "  The  Englysjhmen  on  the  one  party  et 
"  and  Scattes  on  the  other  party,  are  good  men  of  ivarre, 
"for  nvhan  they  mete,  there  is  a  hard  fghte  'without  fpa- 
"  rynge,  There  is  no  hoo  *  befvoene  them  as  long  as  fpearc  s, 
"  fwordes,  axes,  or  dagers  fwyll  endure  ;  but  lay  on  eche 
"  upon  other  :  and  iuhan  they  be  well  beaten,  and  that  the 
"  one  party  hath  obtained  the  victory,  they  than  glorify  e  jo 
"  in  their  dedes  of  armes,  and  are  fo  jo'ffull,  that  ftiche  as 
"  be  taken,  they  /hall  be  ranfomedor  they  go  out  of  the  f  elite  \  ; 
"  /o  that  fartely  ECHE  OF  THEM  is  so  CONTENTE 

"  WITH  OTHER,  THAT  AT  THEIR  DEPARTYXGE, 
"  CURTOVSLY  THEY  WILL  SA*YE,  GOD  7HANKE  YOU. 

'  '  But  in  fyghtynge  one  with  another  there  is  no  playe,  nor 
*•'  fparynge."  Froiffart's  CronycU,  (as  tranjlated  by  Sir 
yohan  Bourchier  Lord  Bernert)  Cap.  cxlij. 

The  following  Ballad  is  (in  this  prefent  edition)  printed 
from  an  old  MS.  in  the  Cstton  Library^  (Cleopatra,  c.  i<u.) 
and  contains  many  Jtanzas  more  than  'were  in  the  former 
copy,  which  was  tranfcribed  from  a  MS.  in  the  Harleian 
Coileflion  [N°.  293.  _/•>/.  52.]  /*  the  Cotton  MS.  this  poem 
has  no  title,  but  in  the  Harleian  copy  it  is  thus  infcribed, 

"  Afonge 

*  So  in  L,angbams  letter  concerning  ^.  Elizabeth"1  s  entertainment  at 
KiHingivortb  CoftJtf  1575.  12°.  f.  tu.  "  Heer'-was  no  bo  in  divoi.t 
dnnkyn^.^ 

f  i.  f.  Tte-t  ftorn  to  take  the  advantage,   or  to  keep  them  lingering  in 


||  'The  nut  ice  nftbii  MS.  I  muft  acknowledge  w;tb  many  other  oH;ga- 
t'tons,  owing  to  tbtfriautjbip  of  Thomas  Tyrwhitt,  Ejq.  late  CL-rt  tf 
the  Heaj'g  of  Cc'. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.        21 

"  A  fonge  made  in  R.  2.  bis  tyme  of  the  battele  of  Otter" 
"  burne,  betweene  Lord  Henry  Percy e  earle  of  Northom- 
**  berlande  and  the  earle  Douglas  of  Scotlande,  Anno 

"  1388." But  this  title  is  erroneous,  and  added  by  fome 

ignorant  transcriber  of  after-times  :  for,  I .  The  battle  was 
net  fought  by  the  earl  of  Northumberland,  who  was  abfenty 
nor  is  once  mentioned  in  the  ballad ;  but  by  his  fan  SIR. 
HENRYPERCY,  Knt .  fur  named  HOTSPUR,  (in  thofe  times 
they  did  not  ufually  give  the  title  o/"LoRD  to  an  earl'seldeft 
fan.)  -2.  4lt ho'  the  battle  was  fought  in  Richard  lid's 
time,  the  fong  is  evidently  of  later  date,  as  appears  from  the 
poet's  quoting  the  chronicles  in  Pt*  II.  ver,  26  ;  andfpeaking 
of  Percy  in  the  laji  Jlanza  as  dead.  It  was  however 
written  in  all  likelihood  as  early  as  the  foregoing  fong,  if 
not  earlier  ;  which  perhaps  may  be  inferred  from  the  minute 
tircumftances  with  which  the  Jiory  is  related,  many  of 'which 
are  recorded  in  no  chronicle,  and  were  probably  prejerved  in 
the  memory  of  old  people.  It  will  be  objerved  that  the  au- 
thors of  thefe  two  poems  ha-ue  fome  lines  in  common ;  but 
which  of  them  ivas  the  original  proprittor,  maji  depend 
upon  their  priority  ;  and  this  the  fagacity  of  the  reader  mujt 
determine. 

YT  felle  abowght  the  Lamafle  tyde, 
When  hufbonds  wynn  ther  haye, 
The  dowghtye  Dowglafle  bowynd  hyrn  to  rydje, 
In  Ynglond  to  take  a  praye  : 

The  yerlle  of  Fyffe  f,  withowghten  ftryfFe,          5 
He  bowynd  hym  over  Sulway  *  : 

C  3  The 

Ver.  ^.  wynn  their  hayc.  Tils  Is  the  Northumberland pbrafe  to  tbit 
Jay  :  by  which  they  alwayi  exprefs  "getting  in  their  bay."  The  orig. 
MS.  reads  here  winn  their  wayc. 

t  Robert  Stuart,  ficond  fan  of  K.  Robert  II. 

*  ;.  e.  "  o"jer  Sol-way  frith."  Tb'n  evidently  refers  to  the  other  J'wir 

fin  if  (he  Scottijb  army,  -which  came  in  by  -way  ofCarliJlt. Bowyn^ 

tr  Boupde  himj  ;'.  e.  b;<d  tint.  V\d.  Ghjf, 


22      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

The  grete  wolde  ever  together  ryde  j 
That  race  they  may  rue  for  aye. 

Over  '  Ottercap'  hyll  they  *  came  in, 

And  fo  dowyn  by  RodelyfTe  cragge,  i» 

Upon  Grene  «  Leyton'  they  lyghted  dowyn, 
Styraade  many  a  ftagge  -f  : 

And  boldely  brente  Northomberlonde, 

And  haryed  many  a  towyn  ; 
They  dyd  owr  Ynglyfsh  men  grete  wrange,        15 

To  battell  that  were  not  bowyn. 

Than  fpake  a  berne  upon  the  bent, 

Of  comforte  that  was  not  colde, 
And  fayd,  We  have  brent  Northomberlond, 

We  have  all  welth  in  holde.  2» 

Now  we  have  haryed  all  Bamborcnvefliyre, 
All  the  welth  in  the  worlde  have  wee  j 

I  rede  we  ryde  to  Newe  Caftell, 
So  ftyll  and  ftahvurthlye. 

Uppon 

*  Thry.'/r.  the  tarl  of  Dougtas  and  his  party.' The  federal fla- 

tbrts  b-rc  Ktvriinfd,  are  Wr  11 -kmwit  places  in  Nortlurr.ltrland.  Otter- 
Cup  hi!!  15  \r.  'befarijh  ff  Kih-Wbelfingtm,  in  Tfn^alt-iaard.  Rode- 
liffe-  (:r  as  if  is  more  ufuelfy  fromtonttd  Rodelcy-  J  Crapge  is  a  rated 
dift.ear  RoJcley,  «  /kj.V  -vttjre  in  tbeparijb  of  Ha,  tbi"-n,  in  Morfetb- 
w,i.</:  //  lies  !'•  utb-cajt  tf  Ottercap.  Gn-ch  Leyton  is  another  fmall 

•ojff'ge  '':  tre  ..n  fa,  ft,  -Jtlirtbi.™,  and  is  tev'b-eaft  ofR'^ely. 

•B"'*''  adbfreitrrupily,   Hoppertop  an  ,'Lynton. 

t  V,r,   I?.   Tbi-  >',*.<  i:  ctrrvpt  in   b:tb  the  MSS.  via,  <  Many  a 
%ran(!('  lave  ten  ki.'M  within  the prefent  century  >n 

J»:u  ytbe  la-ge  -Majlis  In  Ntrl&uatltrlaiid. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       23 

Uppon  the  morowe,  when  it  was  daye,  25 

The  ftandards  fchone  fulle  bryght  ; 

To  the  Newe  Caf.elle  the  toke  the  waye, 
And  thether  they  cam  fulle  ryght. 

Sir  Henry  Percy  lave  at  the  New  Caftelle, 

I  telle  yow  withowtten  drede  ;  30 

He  had  byn  a  march- man  *  all  hys  dayes, 
And  kepte  Barwyke  upon  Twede. 

To  the  Newe  Caftell  when  they  cam, 

The  Skottes  they  cryde  on  hyght, 
Syr  Harye  Percy,  and  thow  byfte  within,  35 

Com  to  the  fylde,  and  fyght : 

For  we  have  brente  Northombcrlonde, 

Thy  eritage  good  and  ryght ; 
And  fyne  my  logeyng  I  have  take, 

With  my  brande  dubbyd  many  a  knyght.       40 

Sir  Harry  Percy  cam  to  the  walles, 

The  Skottyfsh  ofte  for  to  fe  ; 
"  And  thow  haft  brente  Northomberlond, 

Full  fore  it  rewyth  me. 

Yf  thou  haft  harycd  all  Bambarovve  fhyre,          45 
Thow  haft  done  me  grete  envye  j 

C  4.  For 


*  Marclie-man,  i.  t,  a  fcoiurer  of  the  merchtt, 
Ver,  39.  (juejttmt  bei-t  to  wean  fince, 


24       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

For  the  trefpafse  thow  haft  me  done, 
The  tone  of  us  fchall  dye." 

Where  fchall  I  byde  the,  fayd  the  Dowglas  ? 

Or  where  wylte  thow  come  to  me  t  5« 

"  At  Otterborne  in  the  hygh  way  *, 

Ther  maift  thow  well  logeed  be. 

The  roo  full  rekeles  ther  fche  rinnes, 

To  make  the  game  and  glee  : 
The  fawkon  and  the  fefaunt  both,  55 

Amonge  the  holtes  on  «  hee.' 

Ther  maift  thow  have  thy  welth  at  wyll, 

Well  looged  ther  maift  be. 
Yt  fchall  not  be  long,  or  I  com  the  tyll," 

Sayd  Syr  Harry  Percye.  60 

'     Ther  fchall  I  byde  the,  fayd  the  Dowglas, 

By  the  fayth  of  my  bodye. 
Thether  fchall  I  com,  fayd  Syr  Harry  Percy  ; 
My  trowth  I  plyght  to  the. 

A  pype  of  wyne  he  gave  them  over  the  walles,  65 
For  foth,  as  I  yow  faye  : 

Ther 

*  Otterbourny?d»</j  near  the  aid  Watling-flrtet  road,  in  tbe  parijb  of 
Elf  Jon.  The  Scots  -were  encamped  In  a  gra/y  plain  near  tbe  River  READ. 
Ibe  place  -where  tbe  Scots  andEngliJh  ftugbt,  isfiill  called  Battle  Riggs. 

Ver.  53.  Roe-bucks  -were  to  be  found  upon  tbe  -wa/les  not  far  from 

Hexbam  -within  theft  forty  years. Wbitfe'td,  Ejft  ofH'bitjitLi>  ;s 

,  faid  to  ba-ve  dtflrnycd  tbe  lafl  of  them. 

7.  56.  hye.  JOSS. 


ANCIENT     POEMS,       2$ 

Ther  he  mayd  the  Douglas  drynke, 
And  all  hys  olte  that  daye. 

The  Dowglas  turnyd  hym  homewarde  agayne, 
For  foth  withowghten  naye,  7^ 

He  tooke  his  logeyng  at  Oterborne 
Uppon  a  Wedyns-day: 

And  thcr  he  pyght  hys  ftanderd  dowyn, 

Hys  gettyng  more  and  lefle, 
And  fyne  he  warned  hys  men  to  goo  75 

To  chofe  ther  geldyngs  grefie. 

A  Skottyfshe  knyght  hoved  upon  the  bent, 

A  wache  I  dare  well  faye  : 
So  was  he  ware  on  the  noble  Percy 

In  the  dawnynge  of  the  daye.  g» 

He  prycked  to  his  pavyleon  dore, 

As  fade  as  he  myght  ronne, 
Awaken,  Dowglas,  cryed  the  knyght, 

For  hys  love,  that  fyttes  yn  trone. 

Awaken,  Dowglas,  cryed  the  knyght,  85 

For  thow  maiib  waken  wyth  wynne  : 

Vender  have  J  fpyed  the  prowde  Percy, 
And  feven  flandardes  wyth  hym. 

Nay  by  my  trowth,  the  Douglas  fayed, 

It  ys  but  a  fayned  taylle  :  90 

He 

V.  77.  upon  the  bed  bent.  MS. 


26      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

He  durfte  not  loke  on  my  bred  banner, 
For  all  Ynglonde  fo  haylle. 

Was  I  not  yeflerdaye  at  the  Newe  Caflell, 

That  ftonds  fo  fayre  on  Tyne  ? 
For  all  the  men  the  Percy  hade,  95 

He  cowde  not  garre  me  ones  to  dyne. 

He  ftepped  owt  at  hys  pavelyon  dore, 

To  loke  and  it  were  lelse ; 
Araye  yow,  lordyngs,  one  and  all, 

For  here  bygynnes  no  peyffe.  100 

The  yerle  of  Mentaye  *,  thow  arte  my  eme, 

The  fowarde  I  gyve  to  the  : 
The  ycrlle  of  Huntlay  cawte  and  kene, 

He  fchall  wyth  the  be. 

The  lorde  of  Bowghan  f  in  armure  br)'ght       105 

On  the  other  hand  he  fchall  be  : 
Lorde  Jhonflone,  and  lorde  Maxwell, 

They  to  fchall  be  with  me. 

Swynton  fayre  fylde  upon  your  pryde 

To  batell  make  yow  bowen  :  no 

Syr  Davy  Scotte,  Syr  Walter  Stewarde, 
Syr  Jhon  of  Agurflone. 

A    FYTTE. 

*  Tie  earl  cf  Mcntelib,         f  The  Itrd  Buctan. 


ANCIENT    POEMS.        27 


TH  E  Perfly  came  byfore  hys  ofte, 
Wych  was  ever  a  gcntyll  knyght, 
Upon  the  Dowglas  lowde  can  he  crye, 
I  wyll  holde  that  1  have  hyght : 

For  thow  hafte  brente  Northumberlonde,  5 

And  done  me  grete  envye  ; 
For  thys  trefpafle  thou  haft  me  done, 

The  tone  of  us  fchall  dye. 

The  Dowglas  anfwerde  hym  agayne 

With  grete  wurds  up  on  '  hee',  IO 

And  fayd,  I  have  twenty  agaynft  *  thy*  onef, 

Byholde  and  thow  maifte  fee. 

Wyth  that  the  Percye  was  grevyd  fore, 

For  fothe  as  I  yow  faye : 
[*  He  lyghted  dowyn  upon  his  fote,  15 

And  fchoote  his  horile  clene  away. 

Every  man  fawe  that  he  dyd  foo, 
That  ryall  was  ever  in  rowght ; 
Every  man  fchoote  hys  horffe  him  froo, 

And  lyght  hym  rowynde  abowght.  20 

Thug 

^.1.13.  Pearcy.  a!.  MS.  V.  4. 1  will  bold  to  what  I  bavepromifej, 
Vtr.  10.  bye.  MSS.    Ver.  ji.  the  one.  MS. 

•f  He  probably  tnagnifet  bitftrengtb  to  induce  him  to  furrettJer. 

*  All  that  fellow,  included  in  Bracken,  wat  ntt  in  the  former  £4iti«M» 

Voi.  I.  C  6 


2$       ANCIENT    POEMS. 

Thus  Syr  Hary  Percye  toke  the  fylde, 

For  foth,    as  I  yow  faye  : 
Jefu  Cryfle  in  hevyn  on  hyght 

Dyd  helpe  hym  well  that  daye. 

But  nyne  thowzand,  ther  was  no  moo  ;  25 

The  cronykle  wyll  not  layne : 
Forty  thowfande  Skottes  and  fowre 

That  day  fowght  them  agayne. 

But  when  the  batell  byganne  to  joyne, 

In  haft  ther  came  a  knyght,  39 

'  Then'  letters  fayre  furth  hath  he  tayne 
And  thus  he  fayd  full  ryght : 

My  lorde,  your  father  he  gretes  yow  well, 

Wyth  many  a  noble  knyght ; 
He  defyres  yow  to  byde  35 

That  he  may  fee  thys  fyght. 

The  Baron  of  Graftoke  ys  com  owt  of  the  weft, 

Wyth  hym  a  noble  companye  ; 
All  they  loge  at  your  fathers  thys  nyght, 

And  the  Battel  fayne  wold  they  fee.  40 

For  Jefu's  love,  fayd  Syr  Harye  Percy, 

That  dyed  for  yow  and  me, 
Wende  to  my  lorde  my  Father  agayne, 

And  faye  thow  faw  me  not  with  yee  : 

9  My 


ANCIENT     POEMS.          29 

My  trowth  ys  plyght  to  yonne  Skottyfh  knyght,  45 

It  nedes  me  not  to  layne, 
That  I  fchuldc  byde  hym  upon  thys  bent, 

And  I  have  hys  trowth  agayne  ; 

And  if  that  I  wende  off  thys  grownde 

For  foth  unfoughten  awaye,  5« 

He  wolde  me  call  but  a  kowarde  knyght 

In  hys  londe  another  daye. 

Yet  had  I  lever  to  be  rynde  and  rente, 

By  Mary  that  mykel  maye  ; 
Then  ever  my  manhod  fchulde  be  reprovyd       55 

Wyth  a  Skotte  another  daye. 

Whcrfore  fchote,  archars,  for  my  fake, 

And  let  fcharpe  arowes  flee  : 
Mynftrclls,  playe  up  for  your  waryfon, 

And  well  quy:  it  fchall  be.  60 

Every  man  thynke  on  hys  trewe  love, 

And  marke  hym  to  the  Trenite : 
For  to  God  I  make  myne  avowe 

This  day  wyll  I  not  flc. 

The  blodye  Harte  in  the  Dowglas  armcs,  6j 

Hys  ftanderde  ftode  on  hye  ; 
That  every  man  myght  full  well  knowe  : 

By  fyde  Uode  Stsrres  thrc. 

The 


30          ANCIENT     P,  OEMS. 

The  whyte  Lyon  on  the  Ynglyfli  parte, 

Forfoth  as  I  yow  fayne  ;  7* 

The  Lucetts  and  the  Creflawnts  both  : 
The  Skotts  faught  them  agayne  *.] 

Uppon  fcnt  Andrewe  lowde  cane  they  crye, 
And  thryfse  they  fchowte  on  hyght,. 

And  fyne  marked  them  one  owr  Ynglyfshe  men,  75 
As  I  have  tokle  yow  ryght. 

Sent  George  the  bryght  owr  ladyes  knyght, 

To  name  they  f  were  full  fayne, 
Owr  Ynglyfshe  men  they  cryde  on  hyght 

And  thryffe  the  fchowtte  agayne.  ^  80 

Wyth  that  fcharpe  arowes  bygan  to  flee, 

I  tell  yow  in  fertayne  ; 
Men  of  armes  byganne  to  joyne  ; 

Many  a  dowghty  man  was  ther  flayne. 

The  Percy  and  the  Dowglas  mette,  8> 

That  ether  of  other  was  fayne  ; 
They  fchapped  together,  whyll  that  the  fwette, 

With  fwords  of  fyne  Collayne  ; 

Tyll 

*  The  Arms  of  DOUGLAS  are  pretty  accurately  emblazoned  in  the 
former  ftanxa,  tjpecially  If  the  readings  lucre,  The  crowned  harte, 
and  Above  Itode  ftarres  thre,  it  -would  be  minutely  exaff.  As  for 
the  PERCY  famiy,  one  of  their  ancient  Badge)  or  Cognixances,  -was 
a  white  Lyon  Statar.t,  and  the  Silver  Crefcent  continues  to  be  ufed 
ky  them  to  this  day  :  Tbey  alfa  give  three  Luces  Argentyir  one  of  tb<ir 
quat  ters, 

•\  ;.  f.  The  Englfi. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       31 

Tyll  the  bloode  from  ther  baflbnetts  ranne, 

As  the  roke  doth  in  the  rayne.  90 

Yelde  the  to  me,  fayd  the  Dowglas, 
Or  ells  thow  fchalt  be  flayne : 

For  I  fee,  by  thy  bryght  bafTonet, 

Thow  arte  fum  man  of  myght; 
And  fo  I  do  by  thy  burnyfshcd  brande,  95 

Thow  art  an  yerlc,  or  ells  a  knyght  *. 

By  my  good  faythe,  fayd  the  noble  Percy, 

Now  hafte  thou  rede  full  ryght, 
Yet  wyll  I  never  yelde  me  to  the, 

Whyll  I  may  ilonde  and  fyght.  100 

They  fwapped  together,  whyll  that  they  fwette, 

Wyth  fwordes  fcharpe  and  long ; 
Ych  on  other  fo  fafte  they  beetle,  . 

Tyll  ther  helmes  cam  in  peyfes  dowyn. 

The  Percy  was  a  man  of  ftrenghrh,  105 

I  tell  yow  in  thys  flounde, 
He  fmote  the  Dowglas  at  the  fwordes  length, 

That  he  felle  to  the  growynde. 

The  fworde  was  fcharpe  and  fore  can  byte, 

I  tell  yow  in  fertayne  ;  no 

To  the  harte,  '  yea'  he  cowde  hym  fmyte, 
Thus  was  the  Dowglas  flayne. 

The 

*  Being  all  la  armour  be  cevld  net  kntvj  bi<n. 


ANCIENT     POEMS, 

The  {lenders  ftode  ftyll  on  eike  fyde 

With  many  a  grevous  grone  ; 
Ther  the  fowght  the  day,  and  all  the  nyght,     1 1< 
And  many  a  dowghty  man  was  '  flone.' 

Ther  was  no  freite,  that  ther  wolde  flye, 

But  flyffly  in  ftowre  can  ftond, 
Ychone  hewyng  on  other  whyll  they  inyght  drye, 

Wyth  many  a  bayllcfull  bronde.  12* 

Ther  was  flayne  upon  the  Skottes  fyde, 

For  foth  and  fertenly> 
Syr  James  a  Dowglas  ther  was  flayne, 

That  daye  that  he  cowde  dye. 

The  yerlle  of  Mentaye  he  was  flayne,  125 

Gryfely  groned  uppon  the  growynd  ; 

Syr  Davy  Scotre,  Syr  Walter  Steward, 
Syr  '  John'  of  Agurftonne  *. 

Syr  Charlies  Morrey  in  that  place 

That  never  a  fote  wold  flye  ;  139 

Sir  Hughe  Maxwell,  a  lorde  he  was, 

With  the  Dowglas  dyd  he  dye. 

Ther 


V.  ii 6.  flayne.  MSS.  V.  124.  i.  e.  He  died  tla:  day. 

*  Oar  dd  Minftrtl  repeat!  theft  names,  as  Homer  and  Virgil  do  tboft 
•f  their  Heroes: 

forteinque  Gyam,  fortemque  Cloanthum,  &c.  &c. 

ttvbtbe  M$5.  rtad  hert,  "  ;ir  James."  /:/.'/«  sb-.vc^  Pt.  L  vir.  1 12. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       33 

Ther  was  flayne  upon  the  Skottes  fyde, 

For  foth  as  I  yow  faye, 
Of  fowre  and  forty  thowfande  Scottj  135 

Went  but  eyghtene  awaye. 

Ther  was  flayne  upon  the  Ynglyfshe  fyde, 

For  foth  and  fertenlye, 
A  gentell  knyght,  Sir  John  Fitz-hughe, 

Yt  was  the  more  petye.  140 

Syr  James  Harebotell  ther  was  flayne, 

For  hym  ther  hartes  were  fore,v 
The  gentyll  '  Lovelle'  ther  was  flayne, 

That  the  Percyes  ftanderd  bore. 

Ther  was  flayne  upport  the  Ynglyfslh  perte,      145 

For  foth  as  I  yow  faye  ; 
Of  nyne  thowfand  Ynglyfsh  men 

Fyve  hondert  cam  awaye  : 

The  other  were  flayne  in  the  fylde, 

Cryfte  kepe  ther  fowles  from  wo,  !£• 

Seyng  ther  was  fo  fewe  fryndes 

Agaynft  fo  many  a  foo. 

Then  one  the  morne  they  mayd  them  beerea 

Of  byrch,  and  hayfell  graye  ; 
Many  a  wydowe  with  wepyng  teyres  155 

Ther  makes  they  fette  awaye. 
VOL.  I.  D  Thys 

y.   143.  Covelle.  MS. — For  the  names  in  this  page,  fee  tie  Rt» 
ark:  el  the  end  of  (bit  Palbdt  V.  153.  one,  i,  t.  on» 


34       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Thys  fraye  bygan  at  Otterborne 

Bytwene  the  nyghte  and  the  day : 
Ther  the  Dowglas  loft  hys  lyfe, 

And  the  Percy  was  lede  awaye  *.  160 

Then  was  ther  a  Scottyfhe  prifoner  tayne, 
Syr  Hughe  Mongomery  was  hys  name, 

For  foth  as  I  yow  faye 
He  borowed  the  Percy  home  agayne  -j-. 

Now  let  us  all  for  the  Percy  praye  165 

To  Jefu  moft  of  myght, 
To  bryng  hys  fowle  to  the  blyfse  of  heven, 

Fo*r  he  was  a  gentyll  knyght. 

*#*  Moji  of  the  names  in  the  tnvo  preceding  ballads  are 
found  to  have  belonged  to  families  of  dijtinflion  in  the  North, 
as  may  be  made  appear  from  authentic  records.  'Thus  in 

THE  ANCIENT   BALLAD   OK   CHEVY  CHASE. 

Pag.  14. 

Ver.  ii2.  Agerftone.]  The  family  of  Haggerfton  of 
Haggerfton,  mar  Berwick,  has  been  feated  there  for  many 
centuries,  and  Jiill  remains.  Thomas  Haggerfton  was 
among  the  commij/ioners  returned  for  Northumberland  in. 
12  Hen.  6.  1433.  (Fuller's  Worthies,  p.  310.)  The  head 
of  this  family  at  prefent  is  Sir  Thomas  Haggerfton,  Bart. 
0/"Haggerftotv  abovementioned. 

N.  B.  The  name  is  /felt  Agerftone,  as  in  the  text,  in 
Le land's  Itinerary,  Vol.  7.  p.  54. 

Ver.  113. 
*fc.  captive. 

f  I"  the  Cotton  MS.  is  the  following  Note  on  ver.  164.  in  an  ancient 
band. 

"  Syr  Kewe  Mongomery  takyn  prizonar,  was  delyvered  for  ths 
reftorynge  of  Pcrfly." 

^.165.  Percy w.Harl.MS. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       35 

Ver.  113.  Hartly.]  HARTLEY  /'/  a  village  near  the 
fea  in  the  barcnj  of  Tinemouth,  about  7  m.  from  Nortb- 
Skiels.  It  probably  gave  name  to  a  family  of  note  at  that 
time. 

Ver.  1 14.  Hearone.]  This  family  was  one  of  the  moft 
ancient  in  Northumberland :  they  were  once  Lords  of  Ford 
Caftle,  and  alfo  of  the  Barony  of  Heron  in  this  county  ; 
their  principal  feat  being  at  Chip-Chafe  near  Hexham. 
Thus,  Johannes  Hearon,  miles,  is  among  thofe  whojigned 
a  treaty  with  the  Scots  in  1449.  Hen.  6.  (See  Nicbolfon's. 
Lavjs  of  the  Borders,  p.  34.  fee  alfo  p.  330.  331.  332. 
333.  335.) — Two  Herons  are  among  the  commijjioners  in 
Fuller,  p.  310.-  '  Johan  Heronn  *wa$  Jherijf  of  Northum- 
berland in  1$  ofEdw.$.  (Fuller,  p.  31 1 .)  Alfo  in  7° 
sf  Richard  2.  (p.  312. )  and  others  afterwards.  'The 
defcendant  of  this  family,  Sir  Thomas  Heron,  Bart,  is  at 
frefent  an  officer  in  the  army. 

Ver.  115.  Lovele.]  Joh.  de  Lavale,  miles,  <was  Jherijf 
of  Northumberland  34  Hen.  7. — Joh.  de  Lavele,  mil.  in 
the  I  Ed™.  6.  and  afterwards  (Fuller.  313.)  In  Nichol- 
fon  this  name  is  fpelt  Da  Lovel.  p.  304.  This  feems  to 
be  the  ancient  family  of  Delaval,  of  Seaton  Delaval,  in 
Northumberland. 

Ver.  117.  Rugbe.]  The  ancient  family  of  R o  K  E  B  Y  in 
Torkjbire,  feems  to  be  here  intended.  In  Thorejby' s  Ducat. 
Lead.  p.  z^.fol.  is  a  genealogy  of  this  boufe,  by  -ijuhich 
it  appears  that  the  head  of  the  family  about  the  time  when 
this  ballad  nuas  written,  ivas  Sir  Ralph  Rokeby,  Knt. 
RALPH  being  a  common  name  ofths  ROKEBY.S. 

Ver.  '  19.  Wetharrington.]  Rog.  de  Widrington  was 
far  iff  of  Northumberland  in  36  of  Ed-uu.  3.  (Fuller,  p. 
311.) — Joh.  de  Widrington  in  11  of  Hen.  4.  and  many 
others  of  the  fame  name  afterwards.— —See  alfo  Nicholfont 
/.  33I-— Of  this  family  'was  the  late  Lird  Wither ington. 

D  2  Ver. 


36       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Ver.  124.  Mongonberry.]  Sir  Hugh  Montgomery 
was  fen  of  John  Lord  Montgomery,  the  lineal  ancejtor 
of  the  prejtnt  Earl  r,f  Eglington. 

Ver.  125.  Lwdale.]  The  ancient  family  o/"/^  LID  DELS 
•were  originally  from  Scotland,  inhere  they  'were  Lords  of 
LID  DEL  Ca.&le,andoftkeJBarcnycf2ufi.  (Vid.  Collins' s 
Peerage,)  The  head  r>f  this  family  is  the  prefent  Lord  Ra- 
•venfaaortb,  of  Raveiij-iuorlh  Caftle,  in  the  county  of  Dur- 
ham. 

In  THE  BATTLE  OF  OTTERBOURNE. 

Pag.  26.  ver.  101.  Mentaye.]  ;4t  the  time  of  this  bat- 
tle  the  Earldom  o/"Menteith  was  poj/effed  by  Robert  Stewart, 
Earl  of  Fife,  third  Jon  of  K.  Robert  II,  who,  according  to 
Buchanan,  commanded  the  Scots  that  entered  by  Carlijle. 
But  our  Minjtrel  had  probably  an  eye  to  the  family  of 
Graham,  who  had  this  Earldom  w&ex  the  ballad  was 
written.  See  Douglas's  Peerage  of  Scotland,  1764.  fol. 

Ver.'io^.  Huntleye.]  This  Jbeius  this  ballad 'was  not 
fompofed  before  1449  >  for  in  that  year  Alexander  Lord  of 
Gordon  and  Huntley,  was  created  Earl  o/'Huntley  by  K. 
James  II. 

Ver.  105.  Bowghan.]  The  £W0/"Buchan  at  that  time 
was  Alexander  Ste-wart,  fourth  fan  of  K.  Robert  II. 

Ver.  107.  Jhonilone — Maxwell.]  Fhefe  two  families 
of  Johnfton  Lord  of  Johr.fton,  and  Maxwell  Lord  of 
Maxwell,  wsre  always  very  powerful  en  the  borders.  Of 
the  former  family  is  Johnfton  Marquis  of  Aunandale  :  of 
the  latter  is  Maxwell  Earl  of  Nithfdale.  I  cannot  fnd 
thai  any  chief  of  this  family  was  named  Sir  Hugh  ;  but 
Sir  Herbert  Maxwell  was  about  this  time  much  diftin- 
giiijbed.  (See  Doug.)  This  might  bc.i'e  been  originally 
written  Sir  H.  Maxwell,  and  by  tranfcribers  converted 
into  Sir  Hugh.  So  abwe,  in  N°.  I.  v.  90.  Richard  is  con- 
ftafitd  info  Hie. 

Ver. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.        37 

Ver.  109.  S  win  lone.]  /.  e.  The  Laird  tfS  WIN  TONE  ; 
a  fmall  tillage  within  the  Scottijb  bonier,  3  miles  from 
Nor  ham.  This  family  Jt ill  fubfefts,  and  is  very  ancient. 

Ver.  Hi.  Scotte.j  The  illujlrious  family  of  Scot,  an- 
ceftors  of 'the  Duke  of  Buccleugh,  alwajs  made  a  great  figure 
on  the  borders.  Sir  Walter  Scot  was  at  the  htad  of  this 
family  when  the  battle  was  fought  ;  but  his  great-grandfon 
Sir  David  Scot,  was  the  hero  of  that  houje,  when  the 
Ballad  iv as  'written. 

Ibid.  Stewarde.]  The  per/on  here  dejtgned  -Mas  probably 
Sir  Walter  Stewart,  Lord  of  Dalj'winton  and  Gaitiies, 
iv ho  was  eminent  at  that  time.  (See  Doug.)  From  him  is 
dtfctnded  the  prefent  Earl  of  Galloway. 

Ver.  ii2.  Agurftonne.]  The  feat  of  this  family  was 
fcmctimes  fuljeEi  to  the  Kings  cf  Scotland.  Thus  Richard- 
dus  Hageritoun,  miles,  is  one  of  the  Scottijb  knights, 
iv ho  figncd  a  treaty  with  the  Engli/h  in  1249.  Hen.  3. 
(Nicholfon,  p.  2.  note.) — //  ivas  the  fate  of  many  parts 
of  Northumberland  ofttn  to  change  their  mailers,  according 
as  the  Scottijb  or  Englijh  arms  prevailed. 

Pag.  32.  ver.  129,  Murrey.]  The  perfon  here  meant 
was  probably  Sir  Charles  Murray  of  Cockpoole,  who  flov- 
rijhed  at  that  time,  and  'was  anceftor  of  the  iYlurraysyo/w<- 
time  Earls  of  Annandale.  See  Doug.  Peerage. 

Pag.  33.  <ver.  139.  Fitz-hughe.]  Dugdale  (in  his  Ear  on. 
V.  \.p.  403.^  informs  us,  that  ]ohf\fon  of  Henry  Lord 'Fitz- 
hugh,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Otterbzurne.  This  was 
a  Northumberland  fa?:iilj.  Vid,  Dugd.  p.  403.  col.  i.  and 
h'icbcljcn,  p.  33.  60. 

Ver.i^i.  Harbotle.j     HARBOTTLE   is  a 'village  upon 
the  ri-vcr  Coquet,  about  IO  m.  weft  cf  Rotbbury.      ? he  fa- 
mily ij/"Harbottle  was  once  conjiderable  in  Northumberland. 
(Sec  "Fuller,  p.  3 1 2.  3 1 3 .)     A  daughter  cf  Sir  Guifchard 
tie,  Knt.  married  Sir  Thomas  Percy,  Knt>  fon  of 
D  3  Hear/ 


38      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Henry  the  fftb,— and  father  of  Thomas,  feventh  Earl  oj 
Northumberland. 


HI. 

THE    JEW's    DAUGHTER, 
A    SCOTTISH    BALLAD, 

.  Is  founded  upon  the  fuppofed  practice  of  the  Jews  in 
crucifying  or  otberwz/e  murthering  Chrijiian  children,  out  of 
hatred  to  the  religion  of  their  parents  :  a  practice,  which 
hath  keen  always  alledged  in  excufe  for  the  cruelties  exercifed 
upon  that  wretched  people,  hut  which  probably  never  hap- 
pened in  a  Jingle  injiance.  For  if  we  confeder,  on  the  one 
hand,  the  ignorance  and  fuperjlition  of  the  times  when  fuch 
Jlories  took  their  rife,  the  virulent  prejudices  of  the  monks 
who  record  them,  and  the  eagernefs  with  which  they  would 
he  catchedup  by  the  barbarous  populace  as  a  preience  for  plun- 
der ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  great  danger  incurred  by  the 
perpetrators,  and  the  inadequate  motives  they  could  have  to 
excite  them  to  a  crime  of  fo  much  horror,  <ive  may  reafonably 
conclude  the  whole  charge  to  be  groundlefs  and  malicious . 

The  following  ballad  is  probably  huilt  upon  feme  Italian 
Legend,  and  bears  a  great  refemb  lance  to  the  Prior  eft's  'Tale 
in  Chaucer  :  the  poet  feems  alfo  to  have  had  an  eye  to  the 
known  Jlory  ofHvcn  OF  LINCOLN,  a  child  faid  to  have 
been  there  murthered  by  (he  Jews  in  the  reign  of  Henry  111. 
The  conclusion  of  this  ballad  appear:  to  be  wanting  :  what  it 
probably  contained  may  befeen  in  Chaucer.  As  for  Mi  RR  Y- 
LAND  Tou.v,  it  is  probably  a  corruption  c/"MiLAN  (called 
by  the  Dutch  MEYIANDT)  TOWN  :  tke  PA  is  evidently  the 
river  Po  ;  ah&o'  the  Adige,  not  the  Po  runs  thro'  Milan. 

Printed  from  a.  MS.  ctpy  fent  from  Scotland. 


THE 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       39 

7*  H  E  rain  rins  doun  through  Mirry-land  toune, 
Sae  dois  it  doune  the  Pa  : 
Sae  dois  the  lads  of  Mirry-land  toune, 
Quhan  they  play  at  the  ba'. 

Than  out  and  cam  the  Jewis  dochter,  5 

Said,  Will  ye  cum  in  and  dine  ? 
I  winnae  cum  in,  I  cannae  cum  in, 

Without  my  play-feres  nine. 

Scho  powd  an  apple  reid  and  white 

To  intice  the  zong  thing  in  :  IO 

Scho  powd  an  apple  white  and  reid, 

And  that  the  fweit  bairne  did  win. 

And  fcho  has  taine  out  a  little  pen-knife, 

And  low  down  by  her  gair, 
Scho  has  twin'd  the  zong  thing  and  his  life  ;      1 5 

A  word  he  nevir  fpak  mair. 

And  out  and  cam  the  thick  thick  bluid, 

And  out  and  cam  the  thin  ; 
And  out  and  cam  the  bonny  herts  bluid  : 

Thair  was  nae  life  left  in.  20 

Scho  laid  him  on  a  drefling  borde, 

And  dreft  him  like  a  fwine, 
And  laughing  faid,  Gae  nou  and  pley 

With  zour  fweit  play-feres  nine. 

D  4  Sch» 


4o          ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Scho  rowd  him  in  a  cake  oflead,  25 

Bade  him  lie  ftil  and  fleip. 
Scho  caft  him  in  a  deip  draw-well, 

Was  fifty  fadom  deip. 

Quhan  bells  wer  rung,  and  mafs  was  fung, 

And  every  lady  went  harae  :  30 

Than  ilka  lady  had  her  zong  fonne, 
Bot  lady  Helen  had  nane. 

Scho  rowd  hir  mantil  hir  about, 

And  fair  fair  gan  ihe  weip  : 
And  (he  ran  into  the  Jewis  caftel,  3f 

Quhan  they  wer  all  afleip. 

My  bonny  fir  Hew,  my  pretty  fir  Hew, 

I  pray  thee  to  me  fpeik  : 
«  O  lady,  rinn  to  the  deip  draw-well 

'  Gin  ze  zour  fonne  wad  feik.'  40 

Lady  Helen  ran  to  the  deip  draw-well, 

And  knelt  upon  her  kne  : 
My  bonny  fir  He\v,    an  ze  be  here, 

I  pray  thee  fpeik  to  me. 

The  lead  is  wondrous  heavy,  mither,  45 

The  well  is  wondrous  deip, 
A  keen  pen-knife  fucks  in  my  hert, 

A  word  I  douaae  fpeik. 

Gae 


ANCIENT     POEMS.          41 

Gae  hame,  gae  hame,  my  mither  deir, 

Fetch  me  my  windling  fheet,  50 

And  at  the  back  o'  Mirry-land  toan, 
Its  thair  we  twa  fall  meet. 


IV. 
SIR     CAULINE. 

This  eld  romantic  iah  was  preferved  in  the  Editor's  folit 
MS,  but  in  jo  defedivc  and  mutilated  a  condition  that  it  was 
r.ecejjary  to  Jupfly  feveral  Jianzas  in  the  firji  part,  and  full 
more  in  the  fecond,  to  connett  and  compleat  the  Jlory. 

There  is  fomet  king  peculiar  in  the  metre  of  this  old  ballad  : 
it  is  not  unufual  to  meet  with  redundant Jianzas  °ffex  IMPS  > 
but  the  occajional  inferlion  of  a  double  third  or  fourth  line, 
as  ver.  3 1 ,  44,  &c.  is  an  irregularity  I  do  not  remember  to 
have  feen  el/ewher:. 

It  may  be  proper  to  inform  the  reader  before  he  comes  fa 
Pt.  2.  v.  1 10,   in.  that  the  ROUND  TABLE  'was  not  pe- 
culiar to  the  reign  of  K.  Arthur,  but  was  common  in  all  the 
ages  cf  Chivalry.      The  proclaiming    a.  great  turnament 
(probably  with  fome  peculiar  folcmnities)  was  called  "  hold- 
"  ing  a  Round  Table"     Dugdale  tells  us,  that  the  great 
baron  Roger  de  Mortimer  "  having  procured  the   honour  of 
'  knighthood  to   be   conferred  '  on  his    three  fans'   by   K. 
1  EJ--W.  I.   he,  at  his  onun  cojls,  caufed  a  tourneament    to 
'  be  held  at  Keniliuortk  ;  luhere  he  fumptuoujly  entertained 
'  an  hundred  knight:,   and  as  many  ladies  for  three  days  ; 
'  the  like  whereof  was  never  before  in  England;  and  there 
'  began  the  ROUND   TABLF,   (Jo  called  by  reafon  that  the 
*  place  wherein  they  praftifed  thrfc  feats,  was  environed 
with  a  jtrong  *wali  made  in  a  round  form  :)  And  upon 

"the 


4i       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

"  the  fourth  Jay,  the  golden  lion,  in  Jign  of  triumph,  being 
* '  yielded  to  him  ;  he  carried  it  (<with  all  the  company)  to 
"  Warwick ." — It  may  further  be  added,  that  Matthew 
Paris  frequently  calls  jujis  and  iurnaments  Haftiludia 
Menfae  Rotundae. 

As  to  what  will  be  obferved  in  this  ballad  of  the  art  of 
healing  being  praclifed  by  a  young  princefs  ;  it  is' no  more 
than  what  is  ufual  in  all  the  old  romances,  and  was  con- 
formable to  real  manners  :  it  being  a  prattice  derived  from 
the  earlieft  times  among  all  the  Gothic  and  Celtic  nations,  for 
•women,  even  of  the  higheft  rank,  to  exercife  the  art  of  fur- 
gery.  In  the  Northern  Chronicles  ive  always  find  the  young 
damfels  jlanching  the  wounds  of  their  lovers,  and  the  wives 
thofe  of  their  bujbands  f .  And  even  fo  late  as  the  time  of 
ijj.  Elizabeth,  it  is  mentioned  among  the  accomplijhments  of 
the  ladies  of  her  court,  that  the  "  eldejl  of  them  are  SKIL- 
"FUL  IN  SURGERY."  See  Harriforfs  Defer iption  of 
England,  prefixed  to  Hollingjhed 's  Chronicle,  &c. 


THE    FIRST    PART. 

IN  Ireland,  ferr  over  the  fea, 
There  dwelleth  a  bonnye  kinge  ; 
And  with  him  a  yong  and  comlye  knighte, 
Men  call  him  fyr  Cauline. 

The  kinge  had  a  ladye  to  his  daughter,  5 

In  fafliyon  flie  hath  no  peere  j 
And  princely  wightes  that  ladyc  wooed 

To  he  theyr  wedded  feere. 

Syr 

f  .•><:-  Nvrtl-ert:  Antiquities,  feff.   -val.    I.  f,  318,    vol,   2,  f-    IOC, 
Meir.cirei  di  la.  Ckcvaler';-;.  Tim,  j.  p.  44. 


ANCIENT      POEMS.        43 

Syr  Cauline  loveth  her  beft  of  all, 

But  nothing  durft  he  faye  ;  10 

Ne  defcreeve  his  counfayl  to  no  man, 

But  deerlye  he  lovde  this  may. 

Till  on  a  daye  it  fo  beffell, 

Great  dill  to  him  was  dight ; 
The  maydens  love  rcmovde  his  mynd,  15 

To  care-bed  went  the  knighte. 

One  while  he  fpred  his  armes  him  fro, 

One  while  he  fpred  them  nye  : 
And  aye  !  but  I  winne  that  ladyes  love, 

For  dole  now  I  mun  dye.  20 

And  whan  our  parifh-mafle  was  done, 

Our  kinge  was  bowne  to  dyne : 
He  fayes,  Where  is  fyr  Cauline, 

That  is  wont  to  ferve  the  wyne  ? 

Then  aunfwerde  him  a  courteous  knighte,          2$ 

And  faft  his  handes  gan  wringe  : 
Sir  Cauline  is  ficke,  and  like  to  dye 

Without  a  good  leechinge. 

Fetche  me  downe  my  daughter  deere, 

She  is  a  leeche  fulle  fine  :  30 

Goe  take  him  doughe,  and  the  baken  bread, 
And  ferve  him  with  the  wyne  foe  red  ; 

Lothe  I  were  him  to  tine. 

Fair 


44        ANCIENT      POEMS. 

Fair  Chriftabelle  to  his  chaumber  goes, 

Her  maydens  followyng  nye  :  35 

O  well,  fhe  fayth,  how  doth  my  lord  ? 

0  ficke,  thou  fayr  ladye, 

Nowe  ryfe  up  \vightlye,  man,  for  fhame, 

Never  lye  foe  cowardice  j 
For  it  is  told  in  my  fathers  halle,  4* 

You  dye  for  love  of  mee. 

Fayre  ladye,  it  is  for  your  love 

That  all  this  diil  I  drye  : 
For  if  you  wold  comfort  me  with  a  kiffe, 
Then  were  f  brought  from  bale  to  bliiTe,  45 

No  lenger  wold  I  lye. 

Sir  knighte,  my  father  is  a  kinge, 

1  am  his  onlye  heire  ; 

Alas !  and  well  you  knowe,  fyr  knighte, 

I  never  can  be  youre  fere.  50 

O  ladye,   thou  art  a  kinges  daughter, 

And  I  am  not  thy  peere, 
But  let  me  doe  fome  deedes  of  armes 

To  be  your  bacheleere. 

Some  deedes  of  armes  if  thou  wilt  doe,  55 

My  baclieleere  to  bee, 
(But  ever  and  aye  my  heart  -.void  rue, 

GiiF  harm  fnold  happs  to  thee,) 
5  Upon 


ANCIENT     POEMS,       45 

Upon  Eldridge  hill  there  grmveth  a  thorne, 
Upon  the  mores  brodinge  ;  60 

And  dare  ye,  fyr  knighte,  wake  there  all  nighte 
Uniill  the  fayre  morninge  ? 

For  the  Eldridge  knighte,  fo  mickle  of  mighte, 

Will  examine  you  beforne  : 
And  never  man  bare  life  awaye,  gj 

But  he  did  him  fcath  and  fcorne. 

That  knighte  he  is  a  foul  paynim, 

And  large  of  limb  and  bone  ; 
And  bat  if  heaven  mr;y  be  thy  fpeede, 

Thy  life  it  is  but  gone.  7« 

Nowe  on  the  Eldridge  hi  lies  He  walke, 

For  thy  fake,  fair  ladie  ; 
And  He  either  bring  you  a  ready  token, 

Or  He  never  more  you  fee. 

The  lady  is  gone  to  her  own  chaumbere,  75 

Her  maydens  following  bright : 
Syr  Cauline  lope  from  care-bed  foone, 
And  to  the  Eldridge  hills  is  gone, 

For  to  wake  there  all  night. 

Unto  midnight,  that  the  moone  did  rife,  80 

He  walked  up  and  dowr.e  ; 
Then  a  lightfome  bugle  heard  he  blowe 

Over  the  bents  foe  browne : 

Quoth 


46       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Quoth  hee,  If  cryance  come  till  my  heart, 

I  am  ffar  from  any  good  towne.  *  85 

And  foone  he  fpyde  on  the  mores  fo  broad, 

A  furyous  wight  and  fell  ; 
A  kdye  bright  his  brydle  led, 

Clad  in  a  fayre  kyrtell : 

And  foe  faft  he  called  on  fyr  Cauline,  90 

0  man,  I  rede  thee  flye, 

For  '  but'  if  cryance  come  till  thy  heart, 

1  weene  but  thou  mun  dye. 

He  fayth,  '  No*  cryance  comes  till  my  heart, 
Nor,  in  faith,  I  wyll  not  flee  ;  95 

For,  caufe  thou  minged  not  Chrilt  before, 
The  lefs  me  dreadeth  thee. 

The  Eldridge  knighte,  he  pricked  his  fteed  ; 

Syr  Cauline  bold  abode  : 

Then  either  ftiooke  his  truftye  fpeare,  100 

And  the  timber  thefe  two  children  f  bare 

Soe  foone  in  funder  flode. 

Then  tooke  they  out  theyr  two  good  fwordes, 

And  layden  on  full  fafle, 
Till  helme  and  hawberke,  mail  and  fheelde,     105 

They  all  were  well-nye  braft. 

The 

*  Tbh  line  is  rrftored  from  the  folio  MS. 

t  '•  '•    Knights,    Ste  the  Preface  to  CHILD  WATERS,  vol.   3. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       47 

The  Eldridge  knight  was  mickle  of  might, 

And  fiiffe  in  flower  did  ftande, 
But  fyr  Cauline  with  a  '  backward'  ftroke, 

He  fraote  off  his  right-hand  ;  HO 

That  foone  he  with  paine  and  lacke  of  bloud 

Fell  downe  on  that  lay-land. 

Then  up  fyr  Cauline  lift  his  brande 

All  over  his  head  fo  hye  : 
And  here  I  fweare  by  the  holy  roode,  nr; 

Nowe,  caytiffe,  thou  {halt  dye. 

Then  up  and  came  that  ladye  brighte, 

Fade  wringing  of  her  hande  : 
For  the  maydens  love,  that  moft  you  love, 

Withold  that  deadlye  brande:  120 

For  the  maydens  love,  that  moft  you  love, 

Now  fmyte  no  more  I  praye  ; 
And  aye  whatever  thou  wilt,  my  lord, 

He  ftiall  thy  hefts  obaye. 

Now  fweare  to  mee,  thou  Eldridge  knighte,     125 

And  here  on  this  lay-land, 
That  thou  wilt  believe  on  Chrift  his  laye, 

And  therto  plight  thy  hand  : 

And  that  thou  never  on  Eldridge  come 

To  fporte,  gamon,  or  playe  :  130 

And 

t'er.  109.  aukeward.  MS, 


48       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

And  that  thou  here  give  up  thy  armes 
Until  thy  dying  daye. 

The  Eldridge  knighte  gave  up  his  armes 

With  many  a  forrowfulle  fighe  ; 
And  fware  to  obey  fyr  Caulines  heft,  135 

Till  the  tyme  that  he  fhold  dye. 

And  he  then  up  and  the  Eldridge  knighte 

Sett  him  in  his  faddle  anone, 
And  the  Eldridge  knighte  and  his  ladye 

To  theyr  caftle  are  they  gone.  140 

Then  he  tooke  up  the  bloudy  hand, 

That  was  fo  large  of  bone, 
And  on  it  he  founde  five  ringes  of  gold 

Of  knightes  that  had  be  flone. 

Then  he  tooke  up  the  Eldridge  fworde,  14.5 

As  hard  as  any  flint  : 
And  he  tooke  off  thofe  ringes  five, 

As  bright  as  fyre  and  brent. 

Home  then  pricked  fyr  Cauline 

As  light  as  leafe  on  tree  :  159 

I-wys  he  neither  ftint  ne  blaane, 

Till  he  his  ladye  fee. 

Then  downe  he  knelt  upon  his  knee 
Before  that  lady  gay  : 

O  ladye, 


ANOIENT      POEMS.       4$ 

O  ladye,  I  have  bin  on  the  Eldridge  hills  :      155 
Thefe  tokens  I  bring  away. 

Now  welcome,  welcome,  fyr  Cauline, 

Thrice  welcome  unto  mee, 
For  now  I  perceive  thou  art  a  true  knighte, 

Of  valour  bofde  and  free.  160 

O  ladye,  I  am  thy  own  true  knighte, 

Thy  hefts  for  to  obaye : 
And  mought  I  hope  to  winne  thy  love  !        <• 

Ne  more  his  tonge  colde  fay. 

The  ladye  blumed  fcarlette  redde,  165 

And  fette  a  gentill  fighe  : 
Alas  !  fyr  knight,  how  may  this  bee, 

For  my  degree's  foe  highe  ? 

But  fith  thou  haft  hight,  thou  comely  youth, 
To  be  my  batchilere,  170 

lie  promife  if  thee  I  may  not  wedde 
I  will  have  none  other  fere. 

Then  mee  held  forthe  her  lilly-white  hand 

Towards  that  knighte  fo  free  : 
He  gave  to  it  one  gentill  kiffe,  17$ 

His'heart  was  brought  from  bale  to  blifle, 

The  teares  fterte  from  his  ee. 
VOL.  I.  E  But 


50        ANCIENT     POEMS. 

But  keep  my  counfayl,  fyr  Cauline, 

Ne  let  no  man  it  knowe  ; 
For  and  ever  my  father  fholde  it  ken,  j  80 

I  wot  he  wolde  us  floe. 


From  that  daye  forthe  that  ladye  fayre 

Lovde  fyr  Cauline  the  knighte  : 
From  that  daye  forthe  he  only  joyde 

Whan  fhee  was  in  his  fight.  1 85 

Yea  and  oftentimes  they  mette 

Within  a  fayre  arboure, 
Where  they  in  love  and  fweet  daliaunce 

Paft  manye  a  pleafaunt  houre. 

%*  In  this  conclujion  of  the  FIRST  PART,  and  at  the 
beginning  of  the  SECOND,  the  reader  •••will  obfer<ve  a  re- 
Jemblance  to  the  Jlory  of  SIGISMUND  A  AND  GUISCARD, 
as  told  by  Eoccace  and  Dry  den  :  See  the  latter1 3  Defcriptioa 
of  the  Lovers  meeting  in  the  Cave,  and  thofe  beautiful  lines  y 
ichich  contain  a  reflection  fo  like  this  of  our  poet  y  "  EVER  YE 
WHITE,  &c.  viz. 

"  But  as  extremes  are  Jhort  of  ill  and  good, 
1 '  And  tides  at  higheft  mark  regorge  their  flood ; 
"  So  Fate,  that  could  no  more  improve  thtirjoy, 
"  Took  a  malicious  pleafure  to  dejtroy, 
"  Tancred,  iuho  fondly  lovedy  ^fc." 


PART 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       51 


PART     THE    SECOND. 

EVE  RYE  white  will  have  its  blacke, 
And  everye  fweete  its  fovvre  : 
This  founde  the  ladye  Chriftabelle 
In  an  untimely  howre. 

For  fo  it  befelle  as  fyr  Cauline  5 

Was  with  that  ladye  faire, 
The  kinge  her  father  walked  forthe 

To  take  the  evenyng  aire  : 

And  into  the  arboure  as  he  went 

To  reft  his  wearye  feet,  lo 

He  found  his  daughter  and  fyr  Cauline 

Therefette  in  daliaunce  fweet. 

The  kinge  hee  fterted  forthe,  i-wys, 

And  an  angrye  man  was  hee/: 
Nowe,  traytoure,    thou  flialt  hange  or  dravve,     15 

And  rewe  mail  thy  ladie. 

Then  forthe  fyr  Cauline  he  was  ledile, 

And  throwne  in  dungeon  deepe  : 
And  the  ladye  into  a  towre  fo  hye, 

There  left  to  wayle  and  weepe,  20 

R  z  The 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 

The  queene  (he  was  fyr  Caulines  friend, 

And  to  the  kinge  fayd  (hee  : 
I  praye  you  fave  fyr  Caulines  life, 

And  let  him  banifht  bee. 


Now,  dame,  that  traitor  fhall  be  fent 

Acrofs  the  fait  fea  fome  : 
But  here  I  will  make  thee  a  band, 
If  ever  he  come  within  this  land, 

A  foule  deathe  is  his  doome. 

All-woe-begone  was  that  gentil  knight 

To  parte  from  his  ladye  ; 
And   many  a  time  he  fighed  fore, 

And  caft  a  wiftfulle  eye  : 
Faire  Chriftabelle,  from  thee  to  parte, 

Farre  lever  had  I  dye. 

Faire  Chriftabelle,  that  ladye  bright, 

Was  had  forthe  of  the  towre  ; 
But  ever  (hee  droopeth  in  her  mir.de, 
As  nipt  by  an  ungentle  winde 
Doth  fome  faire  lillye  flowre. 

And  ever  fhee  doth  lament  and  weepe 

To  tint  her  lover  foe  : 
Syr  Cauline,  thou  little  think'ft  on  mee, 

But  I  will  ftill  be  true. 


Manye 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       53 

Manye  a  kinge,  and  manye  a  duke,  45 

And  lords  of  high  degree, 
Did  fue  to  that  fayre  ladye  of  love; 

But  never  fhee  wolde  them  nee. 

When  manye  a  daye  was  paft  and  gone, 

Ne  comforte  flie  colde  finde,  50 

The  kynge  proclaimed  a  tourneament, 
To  cheere  his  daughters  mind  : 

And  there  came  lords,  and  there  came  knights, 

Fro  manye  a  farre  countrye, 
To  break  a  fpere  for  theyr  ladyes  love  55 

Before  that  faire  ladye. 

And  many  a  ladye  there  was  fette 

In  purple  and  in  palle  : 
But  faire  Chriftabelle  foe  woe- begone 

Was  the  fayreft  of  them  all.  60 

Then  manye  a  knighte  was  mickle  of  might 

Before  his  ladye  gaye  ; 
But  a  ftranger  wight,  whom  no  man  knewe, 

He  wan  the  prize  eche  daye. 

His  adlon  it  was  all  of  blacke,  65 

His  hewberke,  and  his  Iheelde, 
Ne  noe  man  wift  whence  he  did  come, 
Ne  noe  man  knewe  where  he  did  gone, 

When  they  came  out  the  feelde, 

E  3  And 


54       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

And  now  three  days  were  preftlye  pafl 

In  feates  of  chivalrye, 
When  lo  upon  the  fourth  morninge 

A  forrowfulle  fight  they  fee. 

A  hugye  giaunt  ftiffe  and  ftarke, 
All  foule  of  limbe  and  lere  ; 

Two  goggling  eyen  like  fire  farden, 
A  mouthe  from  eare  to  eare. 


Before  him  came  a  dwarffe  full  lowe, 

That  waited  on  his  Jcnee, 
And  at  his  backe  five  heads  he  bare,  $$ 

All  wan  and  pale  of  blee. 

Sir,  quoth  the  dwarffe,  and  louted  lowe, 

Behold  that  hend  Soldain  ! 
Behold  thefe  heads  I  beare  with  me  ! 

They  are  kings  which  he  hath  flain.  $$ 

The  Eldridge  knight  is  his  own  cousine, 
Whom  a  knight  of  thine  hath  fhent : 

And  hee  is  come  to  avenge  his  wrong, 

And  to  thee,  all  thy  knightes  among, 

Defiance  here  hath  fent.  9Q 

But  yette  he  will  appeafe  his  wrath 

Thy  daughters  love  to  winne  : 
And  but  thou  yeelde  him  that  fayre  mayd, 

Thy  halls  and  towers  rauft  brenne, 

Thy 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       55 

Thy  head,  fyr  king,  muft  goe  with  mee  ;          9- 

Or  elfe  thy  daughter  deere  ; 
Or  elfe  within  thefe  lifts  foe  broad 
,      Thou  muft  finde  him  a  peere. 

The  king  he  turned  him  round  aboute, 

And  in  his  heart  was  woe  :  100 

Is  there  never  a  knighte  of  my  round  table, 
This  matter  will  undergoe  ? 

Is  there  never  a  knighte  amongft  yee  all 
Will  fight  for  my  daughter  and  mee  ? 

Whoever  will  fight  yon  grimme  foldan,  105 

Right  fair  his  meede  mail  bee. 

For  hee  mall  have  my  broad  lay-lands, 

And  of  my  crowne  be  heyre  ; 
And  he  mail  winne  fayre  Chriftabelle 

To  be  his  wedded  fere.  1 10 

But  every  knighte  of  his  round  table 

Did  ftand  both  ftill  and  pale  ; 
For  whenever  they  lookt  on  the  grim  foldan, 

It  made  their  hearts  to  quail. 

All  woe-begone  was  that  fayre  ladye,  115 

When  me  fawe  no  helpe  was  nye  : 
She  cafl  her  thought  on  her  owne  true-love, 

And  the  teares  guflit  from  her  eye. 

E4  Up 


56      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Up  then  fterte  the  ftranger  knighte, 
.  Sayd,  Ladye,  be  not  affrayd :  120 

He  fight  for  thee  with  this  griaime  foldan, 
Thoughe  he  be  unmacklye  made. 

And  if  thou  wilt  lend  me  the  Eldridge  fworde, 

That  lyeth  within  thy  bowre, 
I  trufte  in  Chrifte  for  to  flay  this  fiende  1 25 

Thoughe  he  be  ftiff  in  flowre. 

Goe  fetch  him  downe  the  Eldridge  fvvorde, 
The  kinge  he  cryde,  with  fpeede  : 

Nowe  heaven  affiil  thee,  courteous  knighte  ; 
My  daughter  is  thy  meede.  13* 

The  gyaur.t  he  ftepped  into  the  lifts, 

And  fayd,  Awaye,  awaye  : 
I  fweare,  as  I  am  the  hend  foldan, 

Thou  letteft  me  here  all  daye. 

Then  forthe  the  ftranger  knight  he  came          135 

In  his  blacke  armoure  dight : 
The  ladye  fighed  a  gentle  fighe, 

"  That  this  were  my  true  knighte  !" 

And  nowe  the  gyaunt  and  knighte  be  mett 

Within  the  Hits  foe  broad  ;  140 

And  now  with  fwordes  foe  fharpe  of  fieele, 
They  gan  to  lay  on  load. 

The 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       j/ 

The  fojdan  ftrucke  the  knighte  a  ftroke, 

That  made  him  reele  afyde  ; 
Then  woe-begone  was  that  fayre  ladye,  145 

And  thrice  me  deeply  fighde. 

The  foldan  ftrucke  a  fecond  ftroke, 

And  made  the  bloude  to  flowe  : 
All  paje  and  wan  was  that  ladye  fayre, 

And  thrice  {he  wept  for  woe.  150 

The  foldan  ftrucke  a  third  fell  ftroke, 
Which  brought  the  knighte  on  his  knee  : 

Sad  forrow  pierced  that  ladyes  heart, 
And  me  Ihriekt  loud  mriekings  three. 

The  knjghte  he  leapt  upon  his  feete,  155 

All  recklefte  of  the  pain  : 
Quoth  hee,  But  heaven  be  now  my  fpeede, 

Or-elfe  I  fhall  be  flaine. 

He  grafped  his  fworde  with  mayne  and  mighte, 
And  fpying  a  fecrette  part,  160 

He  drave  it  into  the  foldan's  fyde, 
And  pierced  him  to  the  heart. 

Then  all  the  people  gave  a  (houte, 

Whan  they  fawe  the  foldan  falle  : 
The  ladye  wept,  and  thanked  Chrift,  165 

That  had  refltewed  her  from  thrall. 

And 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 

And  nowe  the  kinge  with  all  hjs  barons 

Rofe  uppe  from  ofte  his  feate, 
And  downe  he  ftepped  into  the  liftes, 

That  curteous  knighte  to  greete.  170 

But  he  for  payne  and  lacke  of  bloude 

Was  fallen  into  a  fwounde, 
And  there  all  walteringe  in  his  gore, 

Lay  lifeleffe  on  the  grounde. 

Come  dqwne,  come  downe,  my  daughter  deare>  175 

Tfrou  art  a  leeche  of  fkille  ; 
Farre  leverjiad  1  lofe  halfe  my  landas, 

Than  this  good  knighte  fholde  fpille. 

Downe  then  fteppeth  that  fayre  ladye, 

To  helpe  him  if  me  maye  ;  I  So 

But  when  me  did  his  beavere  raife, 

It  is  my  life,  my  lord,  fhe  fayes, 
And  fhriekte  and  fwound  awaye.- 

Sir  Cauline  jufle  lifte  up  his  eyes 

When  he  heard  his  ladye  crye,  185 

O  ladye,  I  a;i<  i.dne  owne  true  love  ; 

For  thee  1  wilht  to  dye. 

Then  giving  her  one  partinge  looke, 

He  clolcd  his  eyes  in  death, 
Ere  Chriltabelle,  that  ladye  milde,  190 

Begane  to  drawe  her  breathe. 

But 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       59 

But  when  (he  found  her  comelye  knighte 

Indeed  was  dead"  and  gone, 
She  layde  her  pale  cold  cheeke  to  his, 

And  thus  fhe  made  her'moane.  1 


O  ftaye,  my  deare  and  onlye  lord, 

For  mee  thy  faithfulle  feere  ; 
'Tis  meet  that  I  mold  followe  thee, 

Who  haft  bought  my  love  foe  deare. 

Then  fayntinge  in  a  deadlye  fwoune,  200 

And  with  a  deepe-fette  fighe, 
That  burft  her  gentle  hearte  in  twayne, 

Fayre  Chriltabelle  did  dye. 


O 


V. 

EDWARD,     EDWARD. 
AScoTTiSH    BALLAD. 

From  a  MS.  copy  iranfmitted  from  Scotland. 

UHY  dois  zour  brand  fae  drop  wi'  bluid, 

Edward,  Edward  ? 
ois  zour  brand  fac  drop  wi'  bluid  ? 
And  quhy  fae  fad  gang  zee,  O  ? 

i  0,1 


60  ANCIENT     POEMS. 

O,  I  hae  killed  my  hauke  fae  gold,  5 

Mither,  mither  : 
O,  I  hae  killed  my  hauke  fae  guid  : 

And  I  had  nae  mair  hot  hee,  O. 

Zour  haukis  bluid  was  nevir  fae  reid, 

Edward,  Edward.  10 

Zour  haukis  bluid  was  nevir  fae  reid  ; 

My  deir  fon  I  tell  thee,  O. 
O,  I  hae  killed  my  reid-roan  fteid, 

Mither,  mither  : 

O,  I  hae  killed  my  reid-roan  fteid,  15 

That  erft  was  fae  fair  and  free,  O. 

Zour  fteid  was  auld,  and  ze  hae  gat  mair, 

Edward,  Edward  : 
Zour  fteid  was  auld,  and  ze  hae  gat  mair, 

Sum  other  dule  ze  drie,  O.  20 

O,  I  hae  killed  my  fadir  deir, 

Mither,  mither : 
O,  I  hae  killed  my  fadir  deir, 

Alas !  and  wae  is  mee,  O  ! 

And  quhatten  penance  wul  ze  drie  for  that,  25 

Edward,  Edward? 
And  quhatten  penance  will  ze  drie  for  that  -? 

My  deir  fon,  now  tell  me,  O. 
He  fct  my  feit  in  zonder  boat, 

Mither,  mither:  30 

He 


ANCIENT     POEMS.  6j 

He  fet  my  feit  in  zonder  boat, 

And  He  fare  ovir  the  fea,  O. 

And  quhat  wul  ze  doe  vvi'  zour  towirs  and  zour  ha% 

Edward,  Edward? 
And  quhat  wul  ze  doe  wi'  zour  towirs  and  zour  ha',   35 

That  were  fae  fair  to  fee,  O  ? 
He  let  thame  ftand  til  they  doun  fa', 

Mither,  mither: 
lie  let  thame  ftand  till  they  doun  fa', 

For  here  nevir  malr  maun  I  bee,  O.  40 

And  quhat  wul  ze  leive  to  zour  bairns  and  zour  wife, 

Edward,  Edward  ? 
And  quhat  wul  ze  leive  to  sour  bairns  and  your  wife, 

Quhan  ze  gang  ovir  th£  fea,  O  ? 
The  warldis  room,  late  them  beg  throw  life,  45 

Mither,  mither : 
The  warluis  room,   let  them  beg  throw  life, 

For  thame  nevir  mair  wul  I  fee,  O. 

And  quhat  wul  ze  leive  to  zour  ain  mither  deir, 

Edward,  Edward  ?  50 

And  quhat  wul  ze  leive  to  zour  ain  mither  deir  ? 

My  deir  fon,  now  tell  me,  O. 
The  curfe  of  hell  frae  me  fall  ze  beir, 

Mither,  mither : 

The  curfe  of  hell  frae  me  fall  ze  beir,  55 

Sic  counfeils  ze  gave  to  me,  O. 

*  VI.  K  I  N  G 


61       ANCIENT     POEMS; 


VI. 

KING    ESTMERE. 

1'his  old  Romantic  Legend,  (which  is  given  from  twt 
copies,  cne  of  them  in  the  Editor's  folio  MB.)  bears  marks 
of  great  antiquity,  and  perhaps  ought  to  have  taken  place 
of  any  in  this  "volume.  It  Jhould  feem  to  have  been  vjr it- 
ten  while  a  great  part  of  Spain  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Saracens  or  Moors  :  luhofe  empire  there  'was  not  fully  ex- 
tinguijhed  before  the  year  1 49 1  'The  Mahometans  arefpo- 
ken  of  in  v.  49,  &c.juft  in  the  fame  terms  as  in  all  other 
old  romances.  The  author  of  the  ancient  Legend  of  SIR. 
BEVIS  reprefents  his  herot  upon  all  occafeons,  breathing  out 
defiance  againji 

"  Mahound  and  Termagaunte  *  j" 

And 'fo  full  of  zeal  for  his  religion,  as  to  return  the  following 
polite  mejfa^e  to  a  Paynim  kings  fair  daughter,  cwbo  had 
fallen  in  lc<ve  i^ith  him,  and  fent  two  Saracen  knights  to 
invite  him  to  her  bower, 

"  /  --wyll  not  ones  Jlirre  off  this  grounde, 

To  fpsahe  with  an  heathen  hounde, 
11  Uttcbr'iften  iiundes,  Iredeyoujle, 
"  Or  I  jour  harte  bloudjhallfe  f." 

Indeed  they  return  the  compliment  by  calling  him  elfewhere 
"  A  c.hrijhn  bounds. $" 

This  ~.vas  conformable  to  the  real  manners  of  the  barbarous 
egtf  :  perhaps  the  fame  excuj'e  will  hardly  frve  our  bard  for 

the 

*  Stt  a  fhsrt  Mtmolr  at  tbe  end  of  Ms  Ballad,  Note  t-J-f. 
t  %»?•  '  I  &g».  C.  j.  b. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.        63 

thejttuathns  in  which  he  has  placed  fame  of  his  royal  per  fan- 
ages.  Thai  a  youthful  monarch  jbould  take  a  journey  into 
another  kin^d^m  to  <vifo  his  mijirefs  incog,  was  a  piece  of 
gallantry  paralleled  in  our  ewu  Charles  I.  but  that  king 
midland  Jbould  be  found  loll i  Kg  or  leaning  at  his  gate  (<u. 
35.^  may  he  thought  perchance  a  little  out  of  character* 
And  yet  the  great  painter  of  manners,  Homer,  did  not  think 
it  inconJijJent  with  decorum  te  reprejent  a  king  of  the  7"a- 
phians  rearing  hi mf elf  at  the  gate  of  UlyJ/es  to  inquire  for 
that  monarch,  when  he  touched  at  Ithaca  as  he  'was  taking 
a  <vcyage  with  ajbip's  cargo  of  iron  to  difpofe  in  traffic  ||.  £» 
little  ought  we  to  judge  of  ancient  manners  by  our  owx. 

Before  I  conclude  this  article,  I  cannot  help  cbftr-iting 
that  the  reader  wall  fte  in  this  ballad,  the  character  of 
the  old  Minjirels  (thofe  fuccej/ors  of  the  bards)  placed  in 
a  very  refpedable  light  f  :  here  he  'will  fee  one  of 
them  represented  mounted  on  afne  horfe,  accompanied  with 
an  attendant  to  bear  his  harp  after  him,  and  to  fing  the 
poems  cf  his  ccmpojing.  Here  he  'will  fee  him  mixing  in  the 
company  of  kings  wit&out  ceremony  :  no  mean  proof  of  the 
great  antiquity  of  this  poem.  The  farther  we  carry  our  ' 
inquiries  back,  the  greater  refptcJ  we  jir.d paid  to  the  pro- 
fejjcrs  of  poetry  and  mujic  among  all  the  Celtic  and  Gothic 
nations.  'Their  character  was  deemed  fo  facred,  that  un- 
der its  fanflion  our  famous  king  Alfred  (as  we  ha*ve  already 
feen  §)  made  nofcruple  to  enter  the  Danijh  camp,  and  'was  at 
once  admitted  to  the  king's  head-quarters*.  Our  poet  tat 
fugge/led  the  fame  expedient  to  the  heroes  of  this  ballad »  All 
the  hiftories  cf  the  North  are  full  of  the  great  reverence 
paid  to  this  order  cf  men.  Harold  Harfagre,  a  celebrated 
fling  of  Norway,  was  wont  to  feat  them  at  his  table  above 
all  the  officers  of  his  court  :  and  we  fold  another  Norwegian 

kir.g 

||  Odyff.  a..  105.  f  See  vol.  ^.  Note  fulj aired  to  iff  Pt.  of 

Bfggar  ofBednjl,  &c. 

§  See  the  Eflay  on  the  antlent  Minjirels  prefxed  !o  this  Vol. 

«  Even  Jo  late  as  the  time  of  Froi/J'art,  -we  f.nd  Mtnftrth  onAUerJdt 
mentioned  togetlcr,  at  t'eeft  tvbi  might  fecurcly  gi  ir.t;  ar.  miry's  (gun- 
ny. Cap.  ex/. 


64       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

king  placing  five  of  them  by  Iris  fide  in  a  day  of  battle,  that 
they  might  be  eye  wzfne/es  of  the  great  exploits  they  were  to 
celebrate  *  —  As  to  E.  ft  mere's  riding  into  the  ball  while  the 
kings  were  at  talle,  this  was  ufual  in  the  ages  of  chivalry  ; 
and  even  to  this  day  we  fee  a  relic  of  this  cuftom  Jlill  kept 
up,  in  the  champion's  riding  into  Pf^ejiminfter-hall  during 
the  coronation  dinner  f. 

HEarken  to  me,  gentlemen, 
Come  and  you  fhall  heare  ; 
He  tell  you  of  two  of  the  boldeft  brethren, 
That  ever  born  y-were. 

The  tone  of  them  was  Adler  yonge,  5 

The  tother  was  kyng  Eftmere  ; 
The  were  as  bolde  men  in  their  deedes, 

As  any  were  farr  and  neare. 

As  they  were  drinking  ale  and  wine 

Within  kyng  Eftmeres  halle  :  IO 

When  will  ye  marry  a  wyfe,  brother, 

A  wyfe  to  gladd  us  all  ? 

Then  befpake  him  kyng  Eftmere, 

And  anfwered  him  haftilee  : 
I  knowe  not  that  ladye  in  any  lande,  15 

That  is  able  J  to  marry  with  mee. 

Kyng 


SJJ**1*'   I73  --  K°rtbern  Antiquities,  &c 
f  Sit  aljo  tit  *C('eunt  'of  Ed-w.  II.  in  the  Efay  on  the  Minfrtb. 
J  He  mean:  ft,  fuitable. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.        65 

Kyng  Adland  hath  a  daughter,  brother, 

Men  call  her  bright  and  fheene  j 
If  I  were  kyng  hers  in  your  Head, 

That  ladye  fholde  be  queene.  29 

Sayes,  Reade  me,  reade  me,  dears  brother, 

Throughout  merrye  England, 
Where  we  might  find  a  meflcngsr 

Betweene  us  two  to  fende. 

Sayes,  You  fhal  ryde  yourfelfe,  brother,  2- 

Ile  beare  you  compance ; 
Many  throughe  fals  meflengers  are  deceivde, 

And  I  feare  left  foe  Ihold  wee. 

Thus  the  renifht  them  to  ryde 

Of  twoe  good  reniflit  fteedes,  30 

And  when  they  came  to  king  Adlands  halle, 

Of  red  golde  fhone  their  weedes. 

And  whan  the  came  to  kyng  Adlands  halle 

Before  the  goodlye  yate, 
Ther  they  found  good  kyng  Adland  35 

Rearing  himfelfe  theratt. 

Nowe  Chrift  thee  fave,  good  king  Adland  j 

Nowe  Chrift  thee  fave  and  fee. 
Sayd,  You  be  welcome,  king  Eltmcre, 

Right  hartilys  unto  mee.  40 

VOL.  I.  F  You 


66       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

You  have  a  daughter,  fayd  Adler  yonge, 
Men-  call  her  bright  and  fl.cene, 

My  brother  wold  marrye  her  to  his  wiffe, 
Of  Enghnde  to  be  qucene. 

Yefterdaye  was  at  my  deare  daughter 
Syr  Eremor  the  kyng  of  Spayne  ; 

And  then  ihe  nicked  him  of  naye, 
I  feare  fiieele  do  youe  the  fame. 

The  kyng  of  Spayne  is  a  foule  paynim, 

And  'leeveth  on  Mahound  ; 
And  pitye  it  were  that  fay  re  ladye 

Shold  marrye  a  heathen  hound. 

But  grant  to  me,  fayes  kyng  Eftmere, 

For  my  love  I  you  praye  ; 
That  I  may  fee  your  daughter  deare 

Before  i  goe  hence  awaye. 

Althoughe  itt  is  feven  yeare  and  more 
Syth  my  daughter  was  in  halle, 

She  mail  come  downe  once  for  your  fake 
To  glad  my  gueiles  alle. 

Downe  then  came  that  mayden  fayre, 

With  ladyes  lacede  in  pall, 
And  halfe  a  ho«dred  of  bolde  knightes, 

To  bring  her  from  bowre  to  hall  j 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       67 

And  eke  as  raanye  gentle  fqtiieres,  65 

To  waite  upon  them  all. 

The  taleuts  of  golJc,  were  on  her  head  fctte, 

Hunge  lowe  dovvne  to  her  kne^  ; 
And  everye  rynge  on  her  fma'lc  £11  Or, 

Shone  of  the  chryftall  free.  70 

Saves,  Chrift  you  fave,  my  dcare  raadaoae  ; 

Sayes,  Chriil  you  fave  and  fee. 
Sayes,  You  be  welcome,  kyng  Eftmere, 

Ri^ht  \velcom?  unto  mee.  ' 

And  iff  you  love  me,  as  you  f<iyc,  75 

So  well  and  hartilee, 
All  that  ever  you  are  comen  aoout 

Soone  fped  now  itt  may  bee. 

Then  befpake  her  father  deare  : 

My  daughter,  I  faye  naye;  80 

Remember  \v  ^yne* 

What  he  fayd  yellurdaye. 

He  wold  pull  downe  my  hallos  and  caftles, 

And  reave  me  of  my  lyfe  : 
And  ever  I  fcare  ft  }'0g»  85 

Iff  I  reave  him  of  his  wyfe.     , 

Your  cr.Vi^s  and  your  towres,  father, 
Are  ftronglye  built  aboute; 

F  z  And 


68       ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S. 

And  therefore  of  that  foule  paynim 

Wee  neede  not  itande  in  doubte.  90 

Plysht  me  your  troth,  nowe,  kyng  Eflmere, 

By  heaven  and  your  righte  hand, 
That  you  will  marry e  me  to  your  v 

And  make  rne  queene  of  your  land. 

Then  kyng  Eftmere  he  plight  his  troth  95 

By  heaven  and  his  righte  hand, 
That  he  wolde  marrye  her  to  his  wyfe, 

And  make  her  queene  of  his  land. 

'   And  he  tocke  leave  of  that  ladye  fayre, 

To  goe  to  his  owne  countree,  ion 

To  fetche  him  dukes  and  lordes  and  knightes, 
That  marryed  the  might  bee, 

They  had  not  ridden  fcant  a  myle, 

A  myle  forthe  of  the  towne. 
But  in  did  come  the  kyng  of  Spayne,  105 

With  kempes  many  a  one. 

But  in  did  come  the  kyng  of  Spayne, 

With  manye  a  grimme  barone, 
Tone  day  to  marrye  kyng  Adlands  daughter, 

Tother  daye  to  carrye  her  home.  1 10 

Then  (hee  fent  after  kyng  Eftmere 
In  all  the  fpede  might  bee, 

That 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       69 

That  he  tnufl  either  returne  and  fighte, 
Or  goe  home  and  lofe  his  ladye. 

One  whyle  then  the  page  he  went,  115 

Another  whyle  he  ranne  ; 
Till  he  had  oretaken  king  Eltmere, 

I  xvis,  he  never  blanne. 

Tydinges,  tydinges,  kyng  Eftmere  t 

What  tydinges  nowe,  my  boye  ?  120 

O  tydinges  I  can  tell  to  you, 

That  will  you  fore  annoye. 

You  had  not  ridden  fcant  a  myle, 

A  myle-out  of  the  towne, 
But  in  did  come  the  kyng  of  Spaynp  125 

With  kempes  many  a  one  : 

But  in  did  come  the  kyng  of  Spayne 

With  nianye  a  grimme  barone, 
Tone  daye  to  marrye  king  Adlands  daughter, 

T  other  daye  to  carrye  her  home.  1 30 

That  ladye  fayre  (he  greetes  you  well, 

And  ever-more  well  by  mee  : 
You  muft  eicher  turne  againe  and  fighte, 

Or  goe  home  and  lofe  your  ladye. 

Sayes,  Rcade  me,  reade  me,  deare  brother,       135 
My  reade  (hall  ryde  f  at  thee, 

F  3  Whiche 


7o          ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Whiche  waye  we  belt  may  turne  and  fighte, 
To  fave  this  fayre  ladye. 

Now  hearken  to  me,  fayes  Adler  yonge, 

And  your  reade  muft  rife  f  at  me,  140 

I  quicklye  will  d<-\'ife  a  waye 
To  fette  thy  ladye  free. 

My  mother  was  a  wefterr.e  woman, 

•  And  learned  in  gramnrye  *, 
And  when  I  learned  at  the  fchole,  145 

Something  fhee  taught  itt  rnee. 

There  groweth  an  hearbe  within  this  fielde, 

And  iff  it  were  bat  kr.owne, 
His  color,  which  is  whyte  and  redd, 

It  will  make  blacke  and  browne  :  150 

His  color,  wr.ich  is  browne  and  blacke, 

Itt  will  make  redd  and  whyte  ; 
That  fworde  is  not  in  all  Englande, 

Upon  his  toate  will  byte. 

And  you  fhal  be  a  harper,   brother,  155 

Out  of  the  north  cjuntrte  ; 
And  He  be  your  boye,  fo  faine  of  fighte, 

To  beare  your  harpe  by  your  knee. 


«  See  at  tbt  end  of  ttis  Ballad,  L'o'.t  *»*. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       71- 

And  you  (hall  be  the  bed  harper, 

That  ever  tooke  harpe  in  hand  ;  l6e 

And  I  will  be  the  bed  finger, 

That  ever  fung  in  this  land. 

Itt  fhal  be  written  in  our  forheads 

All  and  in  grammarye, 
That  we  towe  are  the  boldeft  men,  165 

That  are  in  all  Chriftentye. 

And  thus  they  renifln  them  to  r,yde,- 

On  towe  good  renifti  fleedes  ; 
And  whan  they  came  to  king  Adlands  hall, 

Of  redd  gold  {hone  their  wccdes.  170 

And  whan  the  came  to  kyng  Adlanuf  hall 

Untill  the  fayre  hall  yate, 
There  they  found  a  proud  porter 

Rearing  himfelfe  theratt. 

Sayes,  ChrifHhee  fave,  thou  proud  porter;      175 

Sayes,  Chriit  thee  fave  and  fee. 
Nowe  you  be  welcome,  fayd  the  porter, 

Of  what  land  foever  ye  bee.  .» 

We  been  harpers,  fayd  Adler  yonge, 

Come  out  of  the  northe  countree  ;  1 80 

We  beene  come  hither  untill  this  place, 

This  proud  weddings  for  to  fee. 

.    F4  SayJ, 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Sayd,  And  your  color  were  white  and  redd, 

As  it  is  blacke  and  browne, 
lid  faye  king  Eftmere  and  his  brother  185 

Were  comen  untill  this  tovvne. 

Then  they  pulled  out  a  ryng  of  gold, 

Layd  itt  on  the  porters  arme  : 
And  ever  &e  will  thee,  proud  porter, 

Thow  wilt  faye  us  no  harme.  igo 

Sore  he  looked  on  kyng  Eftmere, 

And  fore  he  handled  the  ryng, 
Then  opened  to  them  the  fay  re  hall  yates, 

He  lett  for  no  kind  of  thyng. 

Kyng  Eftmere  he  light  off  his  fteede  195 

Up  att  the  fayre  hall  board  ; 
The  frothe,  that  came  from  his  brydle  bitte, 

Light  on  kyng  Bremors  beard. 

Sayes,  Stable  thy  fteede,  thou  proud  harper, 

Go  liable  him  in  the  ftalle  ;  200 

Itt  doth  not  befeeme  a  proud  harper 
To  ftable  him  in  a  kyngs  halle. 

My  ladd  he  is  fo  lither,  he  fayd, 

He  will  do  nought  that's  meete  ; 
And  aye  that  I  cold  but  find  the  man,  205 

Were  able  him  to  beate. 

Thou 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       73 

'  Thou  fpeakft  proud  words,  fayd  the  Paynim  king, 

Thou  harper  here  to  mee  : 
There  is  a  man  within  this  halle, 

That  will  beate  thy  lad  and  thee.  210 

O  lett  that  man  come  downe,  he  fayd,1 

A  fight  of  him  wold  I  fee  ; 
And  whan  hee  hath'  beaten  well  my  ladd, 

Then  he  fliall  beate  of  me£. 

Downe  then  came  the  kemperye  man,  215 

And  looked  him  in  the  eare  ; 
For  all  the  gold,  that  was  under  heaven, 

He  durfl  not  neigh  him  neare. 

And  how  nowe,  kempe,  fayd  the  kyng  of  Spayne, 
And  how  what  aileth  thee  ?  220 

He  fayes,  Itt  is  written  in  his  forhead 
All  and  in  gramarye, 

That  for  all  the  gold  that  is  under  heaven, 
I  dare  not  neigh  him  nye. 

Kyng  Eftraere  then  pulled  forth  his  harpe,        225 

And  playd  thereon  fo  fv/eete  : 
Upftarte  the  ladye  from  the  kynge, 

As  hee  fate  at  the  meate. 

Now  ftay  thy  harpe,  thou  proud  harper, 
Now  ftay  thy  harpe,  I  fay ; 

For 


74        ANCIENT     POEMS. 

For  an  thou  playcfl  as  thou  bcginnefl,  "• 
Thou'lt  till  *  my  bride  awaye. 

He  ftrucke  upon  his  harpe  agayne, 

And  playd  both  fayre  and  free  ; 
The  ladye  was  fo  pleafde  theratt,  235 

She  laught  loud  laughters  three. 

Nowe  fell  me  thy  harpe,  fayd  the  kyng  of  Spayne, 

Thy  harpe  and  ftryngs  eche  one, 
And  as  many  gold  nobles  thou  flialt  have, 

As  there  be  ftryngs  thereon.  240 

And  what  wold  ye  dee  with  my  harpe,  he  fayd, 

Iff  I  did  fell  it  yee? 
*'  To  playe  my  wiffe  and  me  a  FITT  f, 

When  abed  together  we  bee." 

Now  fell  me,  quoth  bee,  thy  bryde  foe  gay,     245 

As  fhee  fitts  laced  in  pall,- 
And  as  many  gold  nobles  I  will  give, 

As  there  be  rings  in  the  hall. 

And  what  wold  ye  doc  with  my  bryde  foe  gay, 
iff  I  did  fell  her  yee  ?  250 

More  feemelye  it  is  for  her  fayre  bodye 
To  lye  by  mce  than  thee. 

*  i.e.  Entice.  V"id,  daft.    For  Gramary,  fee  tie  end  of  tbh  Ballad. 
\  i,  e.  a  tune,  or  jtrain  of  mujic.     See  GtoJ", 

5  Hee 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       75 

Flee  played  a^ayne  both  loud  and  fhrille, 

And  Adlcr  he  did  fyng, 
c«  O  ladye,  this  is  thy  owne  true  love  ;  255 

"  Noe  harper,  but  a  kyng. 

*'  O  ladye,  this  is  thy  owne  true  love, 

"  As  playnlye  thou  mayeft  fee  ; 
"  And  He  rid  thee  of  that  foule  paynim, 

"  Who  partes  thy  love  and  thee."  260 

The  ladye  looked,  the  ladye  blu'ne, 

And  blufiue  and  lookt  agayne, 
While  Adlcr  he  hath  drawne  his  brande, 

And  hath  the  Sowdan  flayne. 

Up  then  rofe  the  kemperye  men,  265 

And  loud  they  gan  to  crye  : 
Ah  !  traytors,  yee  have  flayne  our  kyng, 

And  therefore  yee  mall  dye. 

Kyng  Eftmere  thrcvve  the  harpe  afyde, 

And  fwilh  he  drew  his  brand  ;  270 

And  Eftmere  he,  and  Ad!eryono-e 
.n  llour  can  itand. 

And  aye  their  fwordes  fje  fore  can  byte, 

Throughe  help  of  Gramarye 
That  foone  they  have  Hayne  the  kempery  men,   27  5 

Or  forll  thcr.i  f;.. 

Kyng 


76       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Kyrr<r  Eftmere  tooke  that  fayre  ladye, 

And  marryed  her  to  his  wyfe, 
And  brought  her  home  to  merrye  England 

With  her  to  leade  his  lyfe.  280 

*#*  <rhe  word  Gramarye,  which  occurs  federal  times 
in  the  foregoing  Poem,  is  probably  a  corruption  of  the 
French  word  Grimoire,  which  ftgnifss  a,  Conjuring 
Book  in  the  old  French  Romances,  if  not  tie  Art  of  JV'ir- 
gromancy  itjelf, 

f4-f  TERMAGAUNT  (mentioned above  in  p.  62.)  is  the 
name  given  in  the  old  romances  to  the  God  of  the  Saraxens  : 
in  which  he  is  conjianilj  linked  with  MA  HOUND  or  Maho- 
met. Thus  in  the  legend  of  SYR  GUY  the  Soudan  (Sultan) 
Jwears, 

"  So  helpe  me  MAHOWNF.  ofmitJ^t, 

"  And  TERMAGAUNT  my  God  Jo  bright" 

Sign,  p.  iij .  b. 

This  <word  is  derived  by  the  -very  learned  Editor  of 
jfunius  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  Typ.  wty,  and  (£3310  mighty. 
——As  this  word  had  Jo  Jublime  a  derivation,  and  was  fo 
applicable  to  the  true  God,  how  Jhall  we  account  for  its  be- 
ing fo  degraded?  Perhaps  Tyji-mnjm  or  Termagant  had 
been  a  name  originally  given  tofoms  Saxon  idol,  before  our  an- 
Cfftors  were  converted  to  Chrifiianity  ;  or  had  been  the  pecti- 
iic.r  attribute  of  one  of  their  faift  deities  ;  and  therefore  the 
f.rjl  Chriftian  millenaries  rejc&ed  it  as  profane  and  improper 
to  be  applied  to  the  true  God.  Afterwards  when  the  ir- 
ruptions of  the  Saracens  into  Europe,  and  the  Crufades  into  the 
Eajl,  had  brought  them  acquainted  with  a  new  fpccics  of  un- 
believer) ;  our  ignorant  anceftors,  <who  thought  all  that  did 
nut  receive  the  Chrijlian  law,  were  necejjarily  Pagans  and 
Idolaters,  Jltppofcd  the  Mahometan  creed  was  in  all  reflects 
the  fame  with  that  of  their  Pagan  forefathers,  and  therefore 
made  no  fir u pie  to  give  the  undent  name  of  Termagant  to 

the 


ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S.  77 

t  *.'?  God  of  the  Saracens  :  jufl  in  tie  fs.m:  manner  as  they 
afterwards  uled  the  name  o/:Sarazen  to  exprefs  any  ki>i<J  of 
Pagan  or  Idolater-  In  the  ancient  romance  c/"Merline  (in 
the  editor1  s  folio  MS.)  the  Saxons  tbemfsl'ves  that  cams  over 
with  Henxijl,  becaufe  they  wire  not  Chrijtians,  art  ca#- 
jla,:'.'.y  exiled  Sxra-zcns. 

However  that  be,  it  is  certain  that,  after  the  times  of  the 
Crufades,  both  M  A  H  o  u  N  D  and  TERM A GAUNT  made  tbsir 
frequent  appearance  in  the  Pageants  and  religious  Enterludi:* 
of  the  barbarous  ages  ;  in  which  they  were  exhibited  wilo 
gcjlures  Jo  furious  and  frantic,  as  to  become  proverbial. 
i  bus  Skelton  fpeaks  ofWdjey, 

f '  Like  M  A  H  o  u  N  D  in  a  play, 
"  No  man  dare  him  •ujithfuy" 

Ed.  1756.  /.  i,-3. 

And  Hale,  d>-J~cribin$r  the  threats  ufed  by  fame  Papijt  magi- 
Jl 'rates  to  bis  wife,  fpeaks  of  them  as  "  grennyng  upon  her 
"  Ijke  TERMAGAUNTES  in  a  playe."  [Afies  of  Engl. 
Votaryes,pt.  2.  fo.  83.  Ed.  1550.  \2mo.~\ — Hence  -~ve  may 
conceive  the  force  of  Hamlefs  exprej/ion  in  Shakefpeart* 
*uubere  condemning  a  ranting  player  he  fays,  "  /  tmld  bttvt 
"  Juch  a  fellow  ivhipt  for  ore-doing  TE.IMAGANT:  it 
"  oitt-Htrods  Unroll."  A.  3.  fc.  3. — By  degrees  the  word 
came  to  be  applied  to  an  outrageous  turbulent  pcrfcn,  and  ef- 
pecially  to  a  violent  brawling  'woman  ;  to  whom  alone  it 
is  now  confined :  and  this  the  rather  as,  I  fuppcfe ,  tht  cha- 
racler  of  1't  fi  :A  A  G  A  XT  -i':as  anciently  npreftnted on  thejlagt 
after  the  ezjhrn  made,  with  long  robes  or  petticoats. 

Another  frequent  character  in  the  old  pageants  or  entcr- 
ludes  of  our  ancefiors,  was  the  SOWDAN  or  SOLD  AN  n- 
prcienting  a  gi'i.i:  cnjlern  tyrant  :  This  appears  from  a  cu- 
rious pajf/age  in  5/oiv'j  Annals  [p.  458.] — In  a  fiage-play 
"  the  people  &>MW  right  ivtll  that  he  that  plaieth  the  sow- 
"  DAIN,  is  percafc  a/awter  \Jaoe-maker],  yet  if  'one  jbould 
"  cal  him  by  his  owne  name,  while  he  Jlandelb  in  his  raa- 
*'  jejiie,  one  of  h'u  torment  on  tnight  hap  to  break  his  head.** 
6  Tbf 


7S      A  N  C  I  E  N  T     P  O  L  M  S. 

The  fowdain  or  foldan,  ivas  a  name  %1-ven  to  any  Sarjattx 
kin**,  (being  only  a  more  ritd:  pr^nun:ic.tion  of  the  word 
fultar.)  as  the  foldan  of  Egypt,  the  foudan  of  Perfea,  the 
foixdan  cf  Bakylcn,  £jf<r.  who  were  generally  represented  as 
accompanied  ^iuith  grim  Sarazens,  whcje  bi'jlnejs  it  was  to 
punijb  and  torment  Chrijlians. 

I  cannot  conclude  this  jkort  Memoir,   tutiktut   vbftrvinp 
that  the  French  rcmancers  who  i:...  .  :>:e  <word  Ter~ 

magant  from  us,  and  applied  it  as  we  in  ibeir  old  romances, 
corrupted  it  into  T ER.VAGAUNTE  :  AiiJfiomthemLa  Fon- 
taine took  it  up,  and  has  ufed  it  more  thr,n  once  in  his  tales. 
—  This  may  te  added  to  the  other  proofs  adduced  in  thcfe 
'volumes  of  the  great  intercourfe  tbai  formerly  fabfifled  be-' 
inveen  the  old  minjlrels  and  legendary  •-'.•>•; tei's  of  bcib  nations^ 
and  that  they  mutually  bcrn-jced  each  .  :.s. 


V1T. 

SIR    PATRICK    SPENCF, 
A     SCOTTISH     BALLAD, 


• is  given  from  tiuo  MS  CC-U'PS  travfmi  tied  from  Sect- 
land.  In  what  age  tie  h-ro  of  ibis  ballad Lved,  or  --when 
this  fatal  expedition  bappenec  tha '  ;-.  -xBive  to  the 

Scots  nobles,  I  have  not  been  able  to  fife  over ;  yet  am  of 
opinicn  ihat  their  catajiro^hz  is  no',  altogether  <witbout 
foundation  in  h-Jlory  though  it  has  efcttfej  ay  o-ivn  re- 
fearcbes.  In  the  infancy  of  navlgriisr,  ju:b  'as  ufed  tht 
northern  feas,  were  <ve,y  lialle  to  Ji>;pweck  in  the  wintry 
months  :  hence  a  la~w  nvxs  et.c.£t:d  in  :be  ;-,-/>«  of  Ja»:es 
tbe  111,  (a  IU-M  ivb;cb  writ  freaucntlj  repeaffd afterwards} 
"  Mat  there  te  xa  fcbip  frc.u.-UJ  o:<t  ef  tit*  realm  wit  & 
44  aaj  fop*  gieet,  fra  t .  'ay  and  J^e, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       79 

"   unto  the  fcc.ft  cfthe  purification  our  Lady  called  Candel~ 

"   me/s.'"      'jam.  III.  Patlt.  2.    Ch.  15. 

lnj,  cs,  inflead  of  Patrick  Spence  bath  l>een 

fvbftitutcd  the  nam;  cfSir  Andrew  Wood,  a  famous  Scottijb 
'  admiral  nvho  flout  ifhtd  in  the  time  of  cur  Ed<vj.  IV.  but  nubofe 
jiory  hath  nothing  in  common  <vuith  this  of  the  ballad.  As 

#'<W '•-:'  ioted"wcrrur  if  Scotland,  it  is  probable 

that,  like  the  ThehaA  Kcrcules,  he  hath  engrafted  the  renown 

of  it  her  hiroes. 


TH  E  king  fits  in  Dumferling  toune, 
Drinking  the  blude-reid  wine  : 
O  quhar  will  I  get  guid  failor, 
To  fail  tiiis  fchip  of  mine  ? 

Up  and  fpak  an  eldern  knicht,  5 

Sat  at  the  kings  richt  kne : 
Sir  Patrick  Spence  is  the  beft  failor, 
That  fails  opon  the  fe. 

The  king  has  written  a  braid  letter  *, 

And  fignd  it  vvi'  his  hand  ;  4* 

And  fent  it  to  Sir  Patrick  Spence, 
Was  walking  on  the  fand. 

The  firft  line  that  Sir  Patrick  red, 

A  louti  lauch  lauched  he  : 
The  next  line  that  Sir  Patrick  red,  l£ 

The  tcir  biiiiiled  his  ee. 

O  quha 

A  braid  Letter,  ;'.  e.  tptn,  or  fatinl  ;  in  sppojnior.  to  cbfe  Rclls. 


So        ANCIENT     POEMS. 

O  quha  is  this  has  don  this  deid, 

This  ill  deid  don  to  me  ; 
To  fend  me  out  this  time  o'the  zeir, 

To  fail  upon  the  fe  ?  20 

Mak  haft,  mak  hade,  my  mirry  men  all, 

Oar  guid  fchip  fails  the  morne. 
O  fay  na  fae,  my  matter  deir, 

For  I  feir  a  deadlie  ftorme. 

Late  late  yeftreen  I  faw  the  new  moone  2  5 

Wi'  the  auld  moone  in  hir  arme ; 
And  I  feir,  I  feir,  my  deir  matter, 

That  we  will  com  to  harme. 

O  our  Scots  nobles  wer  richt  laith 

To  weet  their  cork-heild  fchoone  ;  30 

Bot  lang  owre  a'  the  play  wer  playd, 

Thair  hats  they  fwam  aboone. 

O  lang,  lang,  may  thair  ladies  fit 

Wi'  thair  fans  into  their  hand, 
Or  eir  they  fe  Sir  Patrick  Spence  35 

Cum  failing  to  the  land. 

O  lang,  lang,  may  the  ladies  ftand 

Wi'  thair  gold  kerns  in  their  hair, 
Waiting  for  thair  ain  deir  lords, 

For  they'll  fe  thame  na  mair.  40 

Have 


A  N  C.I  E  N  T     P  O  E  M  S.  81 

Have  owre,  have  owrc  to  Aberdour  *, 

It's  fiftie  fadom  deip  : 
And  thair  lies  guid  Sir  Patrick  Spence, 

Wi'  the  Scots  lords  at  his  feit  f. 


vnr. 

ROBIN  HOOD  AND  GUY  OF  GISBORNE. 

We  h&ve  here  a  ballad  of  Robin  Hood  (from  tbt  Editor's 
folio  MS)  'which  ivas  never  before  printed,  and  carries 
marks  of  much  greater  antiquity  than  any  of  the  common 
popular  Jongs  en  this  fubjeQ. 

The/e'verity  ofthofe  tyrannical foreji-laws,  that  were  in- 
troditced  by  our  Norman  kings,  and  the  great  temptation  of 
breaking  them  by  fuch  as  lived  near  the  royal forejls,  at  & 
time  'when  the  yeomanry  of  this  kingdom  'were  every  where 
trained  up  to  the  long-bow,  and  excelled  all  other  nations  in 
the  art  of  Jhocting,  muji  canjlantly  have  occajioned  great 
numbers  of  outla~~ivs,  and  efpe dally  of  Juch  as  ivere  the  beft 
markfmen.  Theje  naturally  fied  to  the  woods  for  jhelter, 
and  forming  into  troops,  endeavoured  by  their  numbers  to 
protett  themfelves  from  the  dreadful  penalties  cf  their  delin- 
quency. The  ancient  punifoment  for  killing  the  king1!  deert 
was  lofs  of  eyes  and  caji ration  :  a  puni/hment  far  worfe  than 
death.  This  will  eajily  account  for  the  troops  of  banditti ', 

VOL.  I.  G  which 

*  j^. -village  lying  upon  tie  river  Forth,  the  entrance  to  lubicb  it 
fomerimes  denominated  De  mortuo  mari. 

•}•  An  ingenious  friend  thinks  the  Author  o/"HARDYKNUT.E  tas  tor- 
roived  federal  exprejjicns  and  jenrime/its  from  tbt  foregoing,  and  »ther  old 
•ScviJ}}  Jongs  in  this  cd'ittian. 


82       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

•which  formerly  lurked  in  the  royal  for  efts,  and  from  their 
Juperior  Jkill  in  archery  and  knowledge  of  all  the  receffes  of 
thofe  unfrequented  folitudes,  found  it  no  difficult  matter  to 
rejiji  or  elude  the  civil  power. 

Among  all  thefe,  none  was  ever  mire  famous  than  the  her  a 
cf  this  ballad :  the  heads  of  whofe  Jlory,  as  collected  by 
Stow,  are  briefly  thefe. 

"  In  this  time  {about  the  year  1190,  in  the  reign  of  Rz- 
"  chard  I, ,]  were  many  robbers,  and  outlawes,  among  tht 
«  nuhicb  Robin  Hood,  and  Little  John,  renowned  thieves, 
f  continued  in  woods,  defpoyling  and  robbing  the  goods  of 
'  the  rich.  They  killed  none  but  fuch  as  would  invade 
1  them  ;  or  by  rejiji ance  for  their  own  defence. 

"  *The  faide  Robert  entertained  an  hundred  tall  men  and 
1  good  archers  with  fuch  fpoiles  and  thefts  as  he  got,  upon 
'  whom  four  hundred  (were  they  ever  fo  ftrong)  durji  not 
1  give  the  onfet.  Hefujfered  no  woman  to  be  cpprejfed,  vio- 
*  lated,  or  other-wife  molejied :  poore  mens  goods  he  f  pared, 
'  abundantlie  relieving  them  with  that,  which  by  theft  he 
1  got  from  abbeys  and  thi  houfes  of  rich  earles  :  whom 
'  Maior  (the  kiftorian)  blameth  for  his  rapine  and  theft, 
'  but  of  all  t beeves  he  affirmeth  him  to  be  tbz  prince  and 
'  the  moft  gentle  theefe"  Annals,  p.  159- 

The  perfonal  courage  of  this  celebrated  outla-w,  his  Jkill  in 
archery,  his-  humanity,  and  especially  his  levelling  principle  of 
taking  from  the  rich  and  giving  to  the  poor,  have  in  all  ages 
rendered  him  the  favourite  of  the  common  people  :  who  not 
content  to  celebrate  his  memory  by  innumerable  for.gs  and  fto- 
ries,  have  ereSled  him  into  the  dignity  of  an  ear/.  Indeed 
it  is  not  impojjible,  but  our  hero,  to  gain  ths  more  refpecifrom 
bis  followers ,  or  they  to  derive  the  more  credit  to  their  pro- 
fejflon,  may  have  given  rife  to  fuch  a  report  themf elves  :  for 
•we  find  it  recorded  in  an  epitaph,  which,  if  genuine,  muft 
Lave  been  infcribed  on  his  tombftone  near  the  mtnr.ery  of 
Kirk-lees  in  York/hire ;  where  (as  the  ftory  gees)  he  --was 
tied  to  death  bj  a  treacherous  nun  to  vjbim  he  applied  for 
phlebotomy. 


A  N.C  IENT     POEMS.       83 

*  C?car  tmberneatt  bis  Taitl  tfeati 
Jai5  reflect  cart  of  Jjuntingttm 
ma  arcir  totr  33  jjie  fae  fletifr 
an  pipl  fcauib  im  noiin  $?cu& 
ficft  utlnto3  ae  l)i  an  u-  metv 
till  43»i0irtnti  iiitoir  ft  agcn. 
oiiit  24  feal.  brimmfe  i247» 

TT'/j  Epitaph  appears  to  me  fufpicious  ;  however,  a  /aft 
Antiquary  has  given  a  pedigree  of  ROBIN  HOOD,  which, 
if  genuine,  jhe--ws  that  he  had  real  pretenjions  to  the  Earl- 
dom of  Huntington,  and  that  his  true  name  ivas  ROBERT 
FITZ-OOTH  f.  Tet  the  moft  ancient  poems  on  Robin  Hood 
make  no  mention  of  this  Earldom,  He  is  exprefsly  ajjerted  to 
have  been  a  yeoman  \  in  a  very  old  legend  in  <verfe  preferred 
in  the  archives  of  the  public  library  at  Cambridge  ||  in  eight 
FYTTES  or  Parts,  printed  in  blafk  letter,  quarto,  thus  in- 
fcribed,  "  41  Here  begynneth  a  lytell  gejle  of  Robyn  hade 
"  and  bis  meyne,  and  of  the  proude  jheryfe  of  Notyngbam.'^. 
Vbefirft  lines  are, 

"  Lithe  and  lyflen,  gentylmett, 
"  That  be  offre-bure  blode  : 
"  IJhall  you  tell  of  a  good  YE  MAN, 
"  His  name  ivas  Robyn  hode. 

"  Robyn  was  a  proude  out-Iaiwet 
"  Whiles  be  walked  on  grounde  ; 
"  So  curteyfe  an  outlavue  as  he  ivas  one, 
"  Was  never  none yfoundt"  &C. 

The  printer's  colophon  is,   "  C  Explicit  Kinge  EdvjarJt 

'*  and  Robin  hode  and  Lyttel  Johan.  Enprented  at  London  in 

"  Fleleftrete  at  thefygne  of  the  fone  by  Wynkin  de  Worde" 

In  Mr.  Garrick's  Colleflion  §  is  a  different  edition  oftht 

G  2  jamt 

*  See  fborefiy's  Ducat.  Lead.  p.  576.  Blag.  Brit.  VI.  3933. 
•f1  Stukeliy,  in  his  Palatographia  Britannic*,  Ar».  II.  1746. 
t  See  al/o  thtfe/lowirtz  ballad,  v,  147.  ||  Num.  S>.  5.  2. 

^  Old  Pfays,  4f».  K,  vol.  10. 


84      ANCIENT      POEMS. 

fame  poem  "  C  Imprinted  at  London  upon  the  thre  Crane 
"  tuharfe  by  Wyllyam  Copland"  containing  at  the  end  a 
little  dramatic  piece  en  the  fubjeft  of  RobL*  Hood  and  the 
Friar,  not  found  in  the  former  copy,  called,  "  A  ne*vje  playe 
"  for  to  be  played  in  Maye  games  very  plefaunte  and  full  of 
"  pajtyme.  C  (.«.)  3>." 

I  Jhall  conclude  thefe  preliminary  remarks  with  obferving, 
that  the  hero  of  this  ballad  was  the  favourite  fubjefl  of 
popular  fongs  fo  early  as  the  time  of  K.  Ed<w.  III.  In  the 
of  Pierce  Plowman,  'written  in  that  reign,  a  monk 


51  can  rimes  of  Soften  $ob,  anli  jSanbnl  cf  Cftcffer, 
%ut  of  our  %orce  anlj  our  ftaog,  31  ttrne  nottipug  at  aH. 

Fol.  26.  Ed.  1550. 

See  alfo  in  Up.  Latimer's  Sermons  *  a  very  curious  andcha- 
ratleriftical  Jiory,  which  Jke-ivs  *what  refpeti  ivas  Jhevjn  to 
the  memory  cf  our  archer  in  the  time  of  that  prelate. 

'The  curious  reader  will  find  many  other  particulars  re- 
lating to  this  celebrated  Outlaw,  in  Sir  JOHN  HAWKINS'S 
////?.  of  Mujic,  vol.  ^d.  fag.  410.  AftQ' 

WHAN-  {haws  beene  fheene,  and  fhraddes  f  full 
And  leaves  both  large  and  longe,  [fayre, 

Itt's  merrye  walkyng  in  the  fayre  forreft 
To  heare  the  fmall  birdes  ibnge. 

The  woodweele  fang,  and  wold  not  ceafe, 

Sitting  upon  the  fpraye, 
Soe  lowde,  he  wakened  Robin  Hood; 
.la  the  greenwood  where  he  lay. 

Now 

*  Sir.  (>!b  b;f-,re  K.  Ed.  Apr.  I2.f<;[.  75.  Cilpln^  life  cfLat.  p.  122. 
f  It  Jbvuld  perhaps  be  Swards  :  1.  e.  the  fitrfact  of  the  grcur.d.:  -vix, 
<l  -wbin  tbejiclds  are  in  ibclr  beauty." 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       85. 

Now  by  my  faye,  fayd  jollye  Robin, 

A  fweaven  I  had  this  night  ;  10 

I  dream:  me  of  tow  wighty  yemen, 

That  fad  with  me  can  fighu 

Methought  they  did  me  beate  and  binde, 

And  tooke  my  bowe  me  froe  ; 
Iff  I  be  Hobin  alive  in  this  lande,  15 

He  be  wroken  on  them  towe. 

Sweavens  are  fwift,  fayd  Lyttlc  John, 

As  the  wind  blowes  ever  the  hill  ; 
For  iff  itt  be  never  fo  loude  this  night, 

To-morrow  it  may  be  ftill.  20 

Buflte  yee,  bowne  yee,  my  merry  men  all, 

And  John  ihall  gee  with  mee, 
For  lie  goe  fceke  yond  wighty  yeomen, 

In  greenwood  where  they  bee. 

Then  they  caft  on  theyr  gownes  of  grene,  25 

And  tooke  theyr  bowes  each  one  ; 
And  they  away  to  the  greene  forreft 
A  fhooting  forth  are  gone  ; 

Untill  they  came  to  the  merry  greenwood, 
Where  they  had  gladdeft  to  bee,  30 

There  they  were  ware  of  a  wight  yeoman, 
That  leaned  agaynft  a  tree. 

G  3  A  fword 


86       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

A  fword  and  a  dagger  he  wore  by  his  fide, 

Of  manye  a  man  the  bane ; 
And  he  was  clad  in  his  capull  hyde  3$ 

Topp  and  tayll  and  mayne. 

Stand  ftill,  mailer,  quoth  Little  John, 

Under  this  tree  fo  grene, 
And  I  will  go  to  yond  wight  yeoman 

To  know  what  he  doth  meane.  £• 

Ah  !  John,  by  me  thou  fetteft  noe  flore, 

And  that  I  farley  finde  : 
How  often  fend  I  my  men  before, 

And  tarry  my  felfe  behinde  ? 

It  is  no  cunning  a  knave  to  ken,  4; 

And  a  man  but  hears  him  fpeake  ; 
And  it  were  not  for  burfting  of  my  bowe, 

John,  I  thy  head  wold  breake. 

As  often  wordes  they  breeden  bale, 

So  they  parted  Robin  and  John  ;  $0 

And  John  is  gone  to  Barnefdale  : 

The  gates  f  he  knoweth  eche  one. 

But  when  he  came  to  Barnefdale, 
Great  heavineffe  there  hee  hadd, 

For 


f  i.  e.  -ways,  pajes,  paths,  ridingj.     Gate  »  &  common  word  in  tie 
wrtbfor  way, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.        87 

For  he  found  tow  of  his  owne  fellowes  55 

Were  flaine  both  in  a  flade. 


And  Scarlette  he  was  flyinge  a-footc 

Faft  over  ftocke  and  ftone, 
For  the  proud  fheriffe  with  feven  fcore  mea 

Faft  after  him  is  gone.  6» 

One  fhoote  now  I  will  fhoote,  quoth  John, 
With  Chrift  his  might  and  mayne  ; 

De  make  yond  meriffe  that  wends  foe  faft, 
To  ftopp  he  mail  be  fayne. 

Then  John  bent  up  his  long  bende-bowe",  65 

And  fetteled  him  to  fhoote  : 
The  bow  was  made  of  tender  boughe, 

And  fell  downe  at  his  foote. 

Woe  worth,  woe  worth  thee,  wicked  wood, 

That  ever  thou  grew  on  a  tree  ;  70 

For  now  this  day  thou  art  my  bale, 
My  boote  when  thou  mold  bee. 

His  fhoote  it  was  but  loofely  fhott, 

Yet  flewe  not  the  arrowe  in  vaine, 
For  itt  mett  one  of  the  fherriffes  men/  75 

And  William  a  Trent  was  flaine. 

It  had  bene  better  of  William  a  Trent 

To  have  bene  abed  with  forrove, 

G  4  Than 


88       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Than  to  be  that  day  in  the  green  wood  flade 
To  meet  with  Little  Johns  arrowe.  So 

But  as  it  is  faid,  when  men  be  mett 

Fyve  can  doe  more  than  three, 
The  ftieriffe  hath  taken  little  John, 

And  bound  him  fail  to  a  tree. 

Thou  fhalt  be  drawen  by  dale  and  downe,          85 

And  hanged  hye  on  a  hill. 
But  thou  mayft  fayle  of  thy  purpofe,  quoth  John, 

If  it  be  Chrift  his  will. 

Lett  us  leave  talking  of  little  John, 

And  thinke  of  Robin  Hood,  90 

How  he  is  gone  to  the  wight  yeoman, 

Where  under  the  leaves  he  flood. 

Good  morrowe,  good  fellowe,  fayd  Robin  fo  fayre, 
"  Good  morrowe,  good  fellow,  quo' he  :" 

Methinkes  by  this  bowe  thou  beares  in  thy  hancie  95 
A  good  archere  thou  fholdft  bee. 

I  am  wilfulle  of  my  waye,  quo'  the  yeman, 

And  of  my  morning  tyde. 
He  lead  thee  through  the  wood,  fayd  Robin  ; 

Good  fellow,  He  be  thy  guide.          •  10® 

I  feeke  an  outlawe,  the  ftraunger  fayd, 
Men  call  him  Robin  Hood  j 

Rather 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       £9 

Rather  lid  meet  with  that  proud  outlawe 
Than  fortye  pound  foe  good. 

Now  come  with  me,  thou  wighty  ycman,         105 

And  Robin  thou  foone  fhalt  fee  : 
But  firft  let  us  fome  paflime  find 

Under  the  greenwood  tree. 

Firft  let  us  fome  maiterye  make 

Among;  the  woods  fo  even,  no 

We  may  chance  to  meete  with  Robin  Hcoi 

Here  at  fome  unfett  Iteven. 

They  cutt  them  down  two  fummer  (hroggs, 

That  grew  both  under  a  breere, 
And  fett  them  threefcore  rood  in  twaine  115 

To  fhoote  the  prickes  y-fere. 

Leade  on,  good  fellowe,  quoth  Robin  Hood, 

Leade  on,  I  do  bidd  thee. 
Nay  by  my  faith,  good  fellowe,  hee  fayd, 

My  leader  thou  malt  bee.  120 

The  firft  time  Robin  (hot  at  the  pricke, 

He  mift  but  an  inch  it  fro  : 
The  yeoman  he  was  an  archer  good, 

But  he  cold  never  do  foe. 

The  fecond  ftioote  had  the  wightye  yeman,      1 25 

He  fhot  within  the  garland  : 

But 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 

But  Robin  he  fliott  far  better  than  hee, 
For  he  clave  the  good  pricke  wande. 

A  blefling  upon  thy  heart,  he  fayd ; 

Good  fellowe,  thy  (hooting  is  goode ;  1 3* 

For  an  thy  hart  be  as  good  as  thy  hand, 

Thou  wert  better  than  Robin  Hoode. 

Now  tell  me  thy  name,  good  fellowe,  fayd  he, 

Under  the  leaves  of  lyne. 
Nay  by  my  faith,  quoth  bolde  Robin,  135 

Till  thou  have  told  me  thine. 

I  dwell  by  dale  and  downe,  quoth  hee, 

And  Robin  to  take  Ime  fworne  ; 
And  when  I  am  called  by  my  right  name 

I  am  Guy  of  good  Giibdrne.  ,         140 

My  dwelling  is  in  this  wood,  fayes  Robin, 

By  thee  I  fet  right  nought  : 
I  am  Robin  Hood  of  Barnefdale, 

Whom  thou  fo  long  haft  fought. 

He  that  had  neyther  beene  kithe  nor  kin,         145 

Might  have  feen  a  full  fayre  fight, 
To  fee  how  together  thefe  yeomen  went 

With  blades  both  browns  *  and  bright. 

To 

*  The  tomuien  efitketfor  a  fiver d  or  other  offenfi-ue  iveapon,  In  the 
f  metrical  romances,  is  BROWN.  As  " bmon  brand"  or  "brown 
j<uiL>d  :  brt,wn  i;V//'  £ff,  andfometimu  tvcn  "  bright  brwnfteord." 

Ckauttr 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       91 

To  fee  how  thefe  yeomen  together  they  fought 
Two  howres  of  a  fummers  day  :  15® 

Yett  neither  Robin  Hood  nor  fir  Guy 
Them  fettled  to  flye  away. 

Robin  was  reachles  on  a  roote, 

And  (tumbled-  at  that  tyde  ; 
And  Guy  was  quicke  and  nimble  with-all,  155 

And  hitt  him  upon  the  fyde. 

Ah  deere  Ladye,  fayd  Robin  Hood  tho, 

That  art  but  mother  and  may', 
I  think  it  was  never  mans  deftinye 

To  dye  before  his  day.  160 

Robin  thought  on  our  ladye  deere, 

And  foone  leapt  up  againe, 
And  ftrait  he  came  with  a  '  backward'  ftroke, 

And  he  fir  Guy  hath  flayne. 

He 

Chaucer  applies  the  word  RUST  IE  in  the  fame  fenfe  ;  thus  be  defcribts 

VE  : 

"  3tnb  tin  ijis  fi&e  Ije  lare  a  rujlie  Jjla&e." 

frol.  -ver.  620. 
And  even  thus  the  God  MARS  : 

"  2lnt>  in  \>\»  DanD  fte  Ijab  a  roujtp  fajort." 

left.  ofCrtffiA.  lS8. 


Spencer  has  fomttimes  ufed  the  fame  epithet  :  See  JPart  ons  Obferv,  vcf, 
2.  />.  62.  It  Jbould  feem  from  this  particularity  that  our  ance/ian  did. 
not  pique  tbcmfcl-ucf  upon  keeping  tbtir  ivw  ,ru  brigbt  :  perbapi  tltf 
deemed  it  more  btnourab'.e  to  carry  tbemjtmnid  tuitb  tbt  llwd  of  tbtir 
tntmictt 

Ver,  163.  awkwarde,    MS, 


92       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

He  took  fir  Guys  head  by  the  hayre,  165 

And  fluck  it  upon  his  bowes  end  : 

Thou  haft  beene  a  traytor  all  thy  life^ 
Which  thing  muft  have  an  end. 

Robin  pulled  forth  an  Trifli  knife, 

And  nicked  fir  Guy  in  the  face,  i;« 

That  he  was  never  on  woman  born, 

Cold  know  whofe  head  it  was. 

Sayes,  Lye  there,  lye  there,  now  fir  Guye, 

And  with  me  be  not  wrothe  j 
Iff  thou  have  had  the  worll  ftrokes  at  my  hand,   1 75 

Thou  fhalt  have  the  better  clothe. 

Robin  did  off  his  gowne  of  greene, 

And  on  fir  Guy  did  throvve, 
And  hee  put  on  that  capull  hyde, 

That  cladd  him  topp  to  toe.  180 

Thy  bowc,  thy  arrbwes,  and  litle  home, 

Now  with  ine  I  will  beare ; 
For  I  will  away  to  Barnefdale, 

To  fee  how  my  men  doe  fare. 

Robin  Hood  fett  Guyes  home  to  his  mouth,      185 

And  a  loud  blaft  in  it  did  blow. 
That  beheard  the  fheriffe  of  Nottingham, 

As  he  leaned  under  a  lo\ve. 

Hearken, 


A  N  C  I  E'  N  T     POEMS, 

Hearken,  hearken,  fayd  the  fheriffe, 

I  heare  nowe  tydings  ^ood, 
For  yonder  I  heare  fir  Guyes  home  blow, 

And  he  hath  flaine  Robin  Hoode. 


Yonder  I  heare  fir  Guyes  home  blowe, 

Itt  blowes  foe  well  in  tyde, 
And  yonder  comes  that  wightye  yeoman,          195 

Cladd  in  his  capull  hyde. 

Come  hyther,  come  hyther,  thou  good  fir  Gay, 

Afke  what  thou  wilt  of  mee. 
O  I  will  none  of  thy  gold,  fayd  Robin, 

Nor  I  will  none  of  thy  fee  :  2OO 

But  now  I  have  flaine  the  mailer,  he  fayes, 

Let  me  goe  ftrike  the  knave ; 
For  this  is  all  the  meede-I  aike  ; 

None  other  rewarde  I'le  have. 

Thou  art  a  madman,  fayd  the  fheriffe,  205 

Thou  fholdft  have  had  a  knightes  fee  : 

But  feeing  thy  afking  hath  beene  foe  bad, 
Well  granted  it  fhal  bee. 

When  Little  John  heard  his  matter  fpeake, 

Well  knewe  he  it  was  his  fteven  :  210 

Now  fhall  I  be  loofet,  quoth  Little  John, 
With  Chrift  his  mi^ht  ip  heaven. 

Faft 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 

FaftJRobin  hee  hyed  him  to  Little  John, 

He  thought  to  loofe  him  blive  j 
The  fheriffe  and  all  his  companye  215 

Faft  after  him  can  drive. 

Stand  abacke,  {land  abacke,  fayd  Robin  ; 

Why  draw  you  mee  fo  neere  ? 
Itt  was  never  the  ufe  in  our  countrye, 

Ones  ftuift  another  fhold  heere.  220 

But  Robin  pulled  forth  an  Iryfh  knife, 

And  lofed.John  hand  and  foote, 
And  gave  him  fir  Guyes  bow  into  his  hand, 

And  bade  it  be  his  boote. 

Then  John  he  took  Guyes  bow  in  his  hand,     225 

His  boltes  and  arrowes  eche  one  : 
"\Vhen  the  flieriffe  faw  Little  John  bend  his  bow, 

He  fettled  him  to  be  gone. 

Towards  his  houfe  in  Nottingham  towne, 

He  fled  full  faft  away ;  230 

And  foe  did  all  the  companye  : 
Not  one  behind  wold  Hay. 

But  he  cold  neither  runne  foe  faft, 

Nor  away  foe  faft  cold  ryde, 
But  little  John  with  an  arrowe  foe  broad,         235 

He  fhott  him  into  the  «  backe'-fyde. 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       95 

*4*  The  title  of  SIR  was  not  formerly  peculiar  to  Knights* 
it  ivas  given  to  priejif,  and  jometimes  to  very  inferior 
perfonages, 

Dr.  Johnfon  thinks  this  Title  was  applied  to  fuck  as  bad 
taken  the  decree  of  A.  B.  in  the   univerfeties,  who  are  Jlill 
filled,  Domini,   "  Sirs,"    to  diftinguijh  them  from 
graduates,  rwho  have  nt  prefix,  a nd  from  Majie rs  o 
•who  are  jiihd  Magiitri,  "  Ma/ters." 


IX. 
AN     ELEGY 

ON  HENRY  FOURTH  EARL  OF  NORTH- 
UMBERLAND. 

Thefubjefl  of  this  poem,  which  was  wri 't ten  by  SK EL- 
TON, is  the  death  of  HENRY  PKRCY,  fourth  earl  of 
Northumberland,'  who  fell  a  vi3im  to  the  avarice  of  Henry 
VII.  In  1489  the  parliament  had  granted the  king  a  fub- 

Jldy  for  carrying  on  the  nuar  in  Bretagne.      This  tax  ivas 

found  fo  heavy  in  the  North,  that  the  whole  country  nuns  in 
aflame.  The  E.  of  Northumberland,  then  lord  lieutenant 

for  Tork/birt,  wrote  to  inform  the  king  of  the  di feculent, 
and  praying  an  abatement.  But  nothing  is  fo  unrelenting  as 
avarice  :  the  king  ivrote  haclt  that  not  a  penny  Jhould  be 
abated.  This  meffage  being  delivered  by  the  earl  with  to» 
little  caution,  the  populace  rofe,  and  fuppofing  him  to  be  the 

promoter  of  their  calamity,  broke  into  his  houje,  and  murdered 
him  vjith  feveral  of  his  attendants:  who  yet  are  charged 
by  Skelton  with  being  backward  in  iheir  duty  on  this  occa- 

Jton.  This  melancholy  event  happened  at  the  earl's  feat  at 
Cocklodge,  nearTbirJke,  in  TorkJJnrt,  dpril  28.  1489,  Set 
Lord  Bacon,  &c. 

*f 


9f>      A  tf  C  I  E  N  T     POEMS. 

If  the  rfader  does  not  find  much  poetical  merit  in  this  old 
foem  (which  yet  is  one  of  Skelton's  bejl),  he  will  fee  a 
Jlrikingpifture  of  the  fiat e  and  magnificence  kept  up  by  cur 
ancient  nobility  during  the  feudal  times.  This  great  earl  is 
defer ibcd  here  as  having  among  his  menial  fer-vants, 
KNIGHTS,  SQJJ i R ES,  and  e-ven  BARONS  :  fee  <y.  32.  183. 
•fcfr.  IVhich  however  different  from  modern  manners,  was 
formerly  not-unufual  with  our  greater  Barons,  wbofe  caftles 
bad  all  the  fphndour  and  offices  of  a  royal  court,  before  the 
Laws  again/}  Retainers  abridged  and  limited  the  number  of 
their  attendants. 

JOHN  SKELTON,  who  commonly  Jlyled  himf elf  Poet  Lau- 
reat,  died  June  21.  1529.  The  following  poem,  which  ap- 
pears to  ka<ve  been  written foon  after* the  event,  is  printed 
frcfa  an  ancient  MS.  copy  preferred  in  the  Brztifo  Mufeum, 
being  much  more  correct  than  that  printed  among  SKEL- 
TOfi'j  Poems  in  bl.  let.  izmo.  1568. — //  is  addrejjed  to 
Henry  Percy  fifth  earl  of  Northumberland,  and  is  prefaced ', 
&c.  in  the  folloi'jing  manner  : 

Poeta  Skelton  Laureatus  libellum  fuum  metrice 
alloquitur. 

Ad  dominum  properato  meum  mea  pagina  Percy, 

Qui  Northumbrorum  jura  paterna  gerit. 
Ad  nutum  Celebris  tu  prona  reponc  liionis, 

Qua3que  fuo  patri  triftia  jufta  cano. 
Aft  ubi  pcrlegit,  dubiam  fub  mente  volutet 

Fortunam,  cunfta  quae  male  fida  rotat. 
Qui  leo  fit  felix,  &  Neftoris  occupet  annosj 

Ad  libitum  cujus  ipfe  paratus  ero. 

SKELTON  LAUREAT  UPON  THE  DOLORUS  DETHE  AND 

MUCH  LAMENTABLE  CHAUNCE  OF  THE  MOOST 

HONORABLE  ERLE  OF  NORT  HUMKERL  A  N  DE. 

IWayle,  I  vepe,  I,  fobbe,  I  figh  ful  fore 
The  dedely  fate,  the  dolefulle  deftenny 
Of  him  that  is  gone,  alas !  withoute  reftore, 

Of 


ANCIENT-POEMS.          97 

Of  the  blode  f  royall  defcendinge  nobelly  ; 

Whos  lordfhepe  doutles  was  flayne  lamentably  5 

Thorow  trefon  ageyn  hyra  compafTyd  and  wrouo-ht  ; 
Trew  to  his  prince,  in  word,  in  dede,  and  thought. 

Of  hevenly  poems,  O  Clyo  calde  by  name 
In  the  college  of  mufis  goddefs  hyftoriall, 

Adres  the  to  me,  whiche  am  both  halt  and  lame         10 
In  ele£l  uteraunce  to  make  memoryall  : 
To  the  for  fcccour,  to  the  for  helpe  I  call 

Myne  homely  rudnes  and  drighnes  to  expelle 

With  the  frefiie  waters  of  Elyconys  welle. 

Of  noble  a&es  auncyently  enrolde,  15 

Of  famous  princis  and  lordes  of  aftate, 
By  thy  report  ar  wonte  to  be  extold, 

Regeftringe  trewly  every  formare  date  ; 

Of  thy  bountie  after  the  ufuall  rate, 
Kyndle  in  me  fuche  plenty  of  thy  nobles,  20 

Thes  forrowfulle  dities  that  I  may  (hew  expres. 

In  fefons  pail  who  hathe  harde  or  fene 

Of  formar  writinge  by  any  prefidente 
That  vilane  haftarddis  in  ther  furious  tene, 

VOL.  I.  H  Pulfyld 


f  Tie  mother  of  Henry,  firfl  Earl  of  Northumberland,  -was  Mary 
daughter  to  Henry  E,  of  Lancafter,  whofe  father  Edmond  was  feccnd 

f»n  ofK.  Henry  III. He  was  a/fa  lineally  defcended  from  the   Em- 

ferour  Charlemagne  and  the  ancient  Kingt  of  France,  by  bit  ancefior 
J of celine  de  Lovain,  (fon  of  Godfrey  Duke  of  Brabant,)  tuba  took  tbt 
name  tf  PERCY  on  marrying  the  bfirefs  of  that  bouft  in  tbt  reign  of 
Hen,  II,  Vid,  Camdcn,  Brltan,  Edmnndjon,  fife. 


98       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Fulfyld  with  malice  of  froward  entente,  25 

Confeterd  togeder  of  commoun  concente 

Falfly  to  flo  ther  mofte  fingular  goode  lorde  ? 

It  may  be  regifterde  of  fhamefull  recorde. 

So  noble  a  man,  fo  valiaunt  lorde  and  knight, 

Fulfilled  with  honor,  as  all  the  worlde  dothe  ken ;    30 

At  his  commaundement,  whiche  had  both  day  and  night 
Knyghtis  and  fquyers,  at  every  feafon  when 
He  calde  upon  them,,  as  menyall  houfhold  men  : 

Were  no  thes  commones  uncurteis  karlis  of  kynde 

To  flo  their  owne  lorde  ?  God  was  not  in  their  minde.  35 

And  were  not  they  to  blame,  I  fay  alfo, 

That  were  aboute  hym,  his  owne  fervants  of  truft, 

To  fuffre  hym  flayn  of  his  mortall  fo  ? 

Fled  away  from  hym,  let  hym  ly  in  the  duft  : 
They  bode  not  till  the  rekening  were  difcuft.         4* 

What  fhuld  I  flatter  ?  what  fhulde  I  glofe  or  paynt  ? 

Fy,  fy  for  flume,  their  harts  wer  to  faint. 

In  Englande  and  Fraunce,  which  gretly  was  redouted  j 
Of  whom  both  Flaunders  and  Scotland  ftode  in  drede  ; 

To  \yhome  grete  aftates  obeyde  and  lowttedc  ;  45 

A  mayny  of  rude  villayns  made  him  for  to  blede  : 
Unkindly  they  flew  hym,  that  holp  them  oft  at  nede  : 

He  was  their  bulwark,  their  paves,  and  their  wall, 

Yet  fliamfully  they  flew  hym ;  that  fhamc  mot  them 
befal. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       99 

I  fay,  ye  commoners,  why  wer  ye  fo  ftark  mad  ?  50 
What  frantyk  f;eufy  fyll  in  youre  brayne  ? 

Where  was  your  wit  and  refon,  ye  fhuld  have  had  ? 
What  willfull  foly  made  yow  to  ryfe  agayne 
Your  naturall  lord  ?  alas  !  I  can  not  fayne. 

Ye  armed  you  with  will,  and  left  your  wit  behynd ;  55 

Well  may  you  be  called  comones  moft  unkynd. 

He  was  your  chyfteyne,  your  flielde,  your  chef  defence, 
Redy  to  aflyft  you  in  every  tyme  of  nede  : 

Your  worfhip  depended  of  his  excellence  : 

Alas  !  ye  mad  men,  to  far  ye  did  excede  :  60 

Your  hap  was  unhappy,  to  ill  was  your  fpedd  : 

What  movyd  you  agayn  hym  to  war  or  to  fight  ? 

What  aylde  you  to  fle  your  lord  agyn  all  right  ? 

The  grounde  of  his  quarel  was  for  his  fovereyn  lord, 
The  welle  concernyng  of  all  the  hole  lande,  65 

Demaundyng  foche  dutyes  as  nedis  moil  acord  [ftand  ; 
To  the  right  of  his  prince  which  (hold  not  be  with- 
For  whos  caufe  ye  flew  hym  with  your  awne  hande  : 

But  had  his  nobill  men  done  wel  that  day, 

Ye  had  not  been  hable  to  have  faide  him  nay.  70 

But  ther  was  fals  packinge,  or  els  I  am  begylde  : 
How-be-it  the  matter  was  evident  and  playne, 

For  yf  they  had  occupied  ther  fpere  and  ther  ihelde, 
This  noble  man  doutlcs  had  not  be  flaync. 
Bot  men  fay  they  wer  lynked  with  a  double  chayn,  75 

And  held  with  the  commouns  under  a  clokc, 

Whichc  kindeled  the  wyld  fyre  that  made  all  this  fmoke. 
H  2  Th« 


100 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 


The  commouns  renyed  ther  taxes  to  pay 

Of  them  demaunded  and  afked  by  the  kynge  ; 

With  one  voice  importune,  they  playnly  faid  nay  :     80 
They  buflct  them  on  a  buftiment  themfelf  in  baile  to 

bringe  : 
Agayne  the  kings  plefure  to  wraftle  or  to  wringe, 

Bluntly  as  beitis  withe  bofte  and  with  cry 

They  faide,  they  forfede  not,  nor  carede  not  to  dy. 

The  noblenes  of  the  northe   this   valiant   lorde    and 
knyght,  85 

As  man  that  was  innocent  of  trechery  or  trayne, 

Prefed  forthe  boldly  to  witftand  the  myght, 

And,  lyke  marciall  Heftor,  he  fauht  them  agayne, 
Vigoroufly  upon  them  with  myght  and  with  mayne, 

Truftinge  in  noble  men  that  wer  with  hym  there  :     90 

Bot  all  they  fled  from  hym  for  falmode  or  fere. 

Barons,  knights,  fquyers,  one  and  alle, 
Togeder  with  fervaunts  of  his  famuly, 

Turnd  their  backis,  and  let  ther  matter  fall, 

Of  whos  [life]  they  counted  not  a  flye  ;  95 

Take  up  whos  wolde  for  them,  they  let  hym  ly. 

Alas !   his  golde,  his  fee,  his  annuall  rente 

Upon  fuche  a  fort  was  ille  beftowde  and  fpent. 

He  was  envyronde  aboute  on  every  fyde 

Withe  his  enemys,  that  were  ftark  mad  andwode;  100 

Yet  whils  he  ftode  he  gave  them  woundes  wyde  : 

Alas  for  routhe  !  what  thouche  his  mynde  were  goode, 
His  corage  manly,  yet  ther  he  fhed  his'bloode  ! 

All 


ANCIENT     POEMS.        101 

All  left  alone,  alas  !  he  fawte  in  vayne  ; 

For  cruelly  amonge  them  ther  he  was  flayne.  105 

Alas  for  pite  !  that  Percy  thus  was  fpylt, 
The  famous  erle  of  Northumberlande  : 

Of  knightly  prowes  the  fworde  pomel  and  hylt, 
The  myghty  lyoun  *  doutted  by  fe  and  lande  ! 
O  dolorous  chaunce  of  fortuns  fruward  hande  !  1 10 

What  man  remembring  how  lhamfully  he  was  flayne, 

From  bitter  weepinge  hymfelf  kan  reftrayne  ? 

O  cruell  Mars,  thou  dedly  god  of  war  ! 
O  dolorous  teufday,  dedicate  to  tHy  name, 

When  thou  Ihoke  thy  fworde  fo  noble  a  man  to  mar!  1 15 
O  grounde  ungracious,   unhappy  be  thy  fame, 
Whiche  wert  endyed  with  rede  blode  of  the  fame  ! 

Mofte  noble  erle  !  O  fowle  myfuryd  grounde 

Whereon  he  gat  his  fynal  dedely  wounde  ! 

O  Atropos,  of  the  fatall  fyfters  thre,  j2<5 

Goddes  mooile  cruell  unto  the  lyf  of  man, 

All  mercilts,  in  the  ys  no  pite  ! 

O  homycide,  whiche  fleeft  all  that  thou  kan, 
So  forcibly  upon  this  erle  thow  ran, 

That  with  thy  fworde  enharpid  of  mortall  drede,     125 

Thou  kit  afonder  his  perfight  vitall  threde  ! 

My  wordis  unpullyfht  be  nakide  and  playne, 
Of  aureat  poems  they  want  ellumynynge  ; 
Bot  by  them  to  knoulege  ye  may  attayne 

H  3  Of 

*  Aliasing  ts  bit  crejl  znJ  fuffortt, i.     Doutted  it  ccntrafftd  fur  re- 
doubted. 


ioi      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Of  this  lordis  dethe  and  of  his  murdrvnge.  IJQ 

Which  whils  he  ly  vyd  had  fuyfon  of  every  thing, 
Of  knights,  of  fquyers,  chef  lord  of  toure  and  toune, 
Tyl  fykkill  fortune  began  on  hym  to  frowne. 

Paregall  to  dukis,  with  kings  hemyght  compare, 
Sourmountinge  in  bonor  all  erls  he  did  excede,    135 

To  all  cuntreis  aboute  hym  reporte  me  I  dare.- 
Lyke  to  Eneas  benygne  in  worde  and  dede, 
Valiaunt  as  Hector  in  every  marciall  nede, 

Provydent,  difcrete,  circumfpedt,  and  wyfe,  139 

Tyll  the  chaunce  ran  agyne  him  of  fortunes  duble  dyfe. 

What  nedethe  me  for  to  extoll  his  fame 

With  my  rude  pen  enkankerd  all  with  ruft  ? 

Whos  noble  aftis  fhew  wormeply  his  name, 

Tranfcend) ng  farmyne  homely  mufe,  that  muft 
Yet  fumwhat  wright  fupprifid  with  hartly  luft,     145 

Truly  reportinge  his  right  noble  aftate, 

Immortally  whichte  is  immaculate. 

His  noble  blode  never  difveynyd  was, 

Trew  to  his  prince  for  to  defende  his  right, 

Doublenes  hatinge,  fals  maters  to  compas,  150 

Treytory  and  trefon  he  bannefht  out  of  fyght, 
With  trowth  to  medle  was  all  his  hole  delyght, 

As  all  his  kuntrey  kan  teftefy  the  fame  : 

To  flo  fuche  a  lord,  alas,  it  was  grete  fhame. 

If  the  hole  quere  of  the  mufis  nyne  155 

In  me  all  onely  wer  fett  and  comprifyde, 
Enbrethcd  with  the  blaft  of  influence  dyvyne, 

A* 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       103 

As  perfightly  as  could  be  thought  or  devyfyd  ; 

To  me  alfo  allthouche  it  were  promyfyde 
Of  laureat  Phebus  holy  the  eloquence,  160 

All  were  to  litill  for  his  magnyficence. 

0  yonge  lyon,  bot  tender  yet  of  age, 
Grow  and  encrefe,  remembre  thyn  aflate, 

God  the  aflyft  unto  thyn  herytage, 
And  geve  the  grace  to  be  more  fortunate,  165 

Agayne  rebellyouns  arme  to  make  debate. 
And,  as  the  lyoune,  whiche  is  of  beftis  kinge, 
Unto  thy  fubjeclis  be  kurteis  and  benyngne. 

1  pray  God  fende  the  profperous  lyf  and  long, 

Stabiile  thy  mynde  conrtant  to  be  and  faft,  170 

Right  to  mayntein,  and  to  refift  all  wronge, 
All  flattringe  faytors  abhor  and  from  the  caft, 
Of  foule  detraction  God  kepe  the  from  the  bhft, 
Let  double  delinge  in  the  have  no  place, 
And  be  not  light  of  credence  in  no  cafe.  175 

Wythe  hevy  chere,  with  dolorous  hart  and-mynd, 
Eche  man  may  forow  in  his  inward  thought, 

Thys  lords  death,  whofe  pere  is  hard  to  fynd 

Allgyf  Er.glond  and  Fraunce  were  thorow  faught, 
Al  kiugs,  all  princes,  all  duke;-,  well  they  ought  180 

Bothe  temporall  and  fpirituall  for  to  complayne 

This  noble  man,  that  crewelly  was  flayne. 

More  fpecially  barons,  and  thofe  knygtes  bold, 
And  all  other  gentilmen  with  hym  enterteynd 
In  fee,  as  jnenyall  men  of  his  houfold,  185 

H  4  Whom 


104      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Whom  he  as  lord  worflieply  manteynd  : 
To  forowfull  weping  they  ought  to  be  conftreynd, 
As  oft  as  thei  call  to  ther  remembraunce, 
Of  ther  good  lord  the  fate  and  dedely  chaunce. 

O  perlefe  prince  of  hevyn  enaperyalle,  190 

That  with  one  worde  formed  al  thin&  of  noughte  ; 

Hevyn,  hell,  and  erth  obey  unto  thi  kail  j 

Which  to  thy  refemblance   wonderfly  haft  wrought 
All  mankynd,  whom  thou  full  dere  haft  boght, 

With  thy  blode  precious  our  finaunce  thou  dyd  pay,  195 

And  us  redemed,  from  the  fendys  pray  : 

To  the  pray  we,  as  prince  incomperable, 
As  thou  art  of  mercy  and  pite  the  well, 

Thou  bringe  unto  thy  joye  etermynable 

The  fowle  of  this  lordefrom  all  daunger  of  hell,  200 
In  endles  blis  with  the  to  byde  and  dwell 

In  thy  palace  above  the  orient, 

Where  thou  art  lorde,  and  God  omnipotent. 

O  quene  of  mercy,  O  lady  full  of  grace, 

Maiden  mofle  pure,  and  goddis  moder  dere,         205 

To  forowfull  harts  chef  comfort  and  folace, 
Of  all  women  O  floure  withouten  pere, 
Pray  to  thy  fon  above  the  ftarris  clere, 

He  to  vouchefaf  by  thy  mediatioun 

To  pardon  thy  fervant,  and  bringe  to  falvacioru      210 

In  joy  triumpbaur.t  the  hevenly  yerarchy, 

With  all  the  hole  forte  of  that  glorious  place, 
His  foule  mot  receyve  into  ther  company 

Thorowe 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      105 

Thorowe  bounte  of  hym  that  formed  all  folace  : 
Well  of  pite,  of  mercy,  and  of  grace,  215 

The  father,  the  fon,  and  the  holy  gofte 

In  Trinitate  one  God  of  myghts  mofte. 

f-j-t  I  have  plated  the  foregoing  poem  of  SK  ELTON'/ 
before  the  following  extraft  from  HA  WES,  not  only  becaufe 
it  was  written  firft,  but  becaufe  1  think  SKEI.TON  is  in 
general  to  be  conjtdered  as  the  earlier  poet ',  many  of  his 
poems  being  'written  long  before  HAWES'J  GraunJe 
Amour. 


X. 

THE    TOWER     OF    DOCTRINE. 

The  reader  has  here  afpecimcn  of  the  defer  ipti-ve  power t 
o/"STEPHEN  HAVVES,  a  celebrated  poet  in  the  reign  of  Hen. 
VII.  tho1  now  little  known.  It  is  extra  fled from  an  alle- 
gorical pcem  of  his  (-written  in  1505.^  intitiea,  "  The 
*'  Hijt.  of  Graunde  Amour e  &  La  Belle  Pucel,  called  the 
"  Palace  of  P  leaf ure,  &c."  /[.to.  1555.  Seemt>-eofHawet 
in  Ath.  Ox.  v.  l.  p.  6.  and  Warton's  Qbfer<v.  <v.  2.  /. 
105.  He  was  alfo  author  of 'a  book,  intitiea",  "  The  Temple 
"  ofGlafs.  Wrote  by  Stephen  Hawes,  gentleman  of  the 
"  bedchamber  to  K.  Henry  PH."  Pr.for  Caxton,  ^Jo.  no 
date. 

The  following  Stanzas  are  taken  from  Chap.  III.  and 
IV.  of  the  Hift.  above-mentioned.  "  'Haw  Fame  departed 
"from  Graunde  Amaur  and  left  him  'with.  Governauire  and 
"  Grace,  and  howe  he  nueat  to  the  Tower  of  Do  •/;•////-, 
"  y^." — Ai  we  art  able  to  give  no  frnall  lyric  piece  of 
}Ja  ivefsytbe  reader  will  excufe  the  infertion  of  this  extract. 

I  Lok- 


io6      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

ILoked  about  and  faw  a  craggy  roche, 
Farre  in  the  weft  neare  to  the  element, 
And  as  I  dyd  then  unto  it  approche, 
Upon  the  toppe  I  fawe  refulgent 
The  royal  tower  of  MORALL  DOCUMENT,  5 

Made  of  fine  copper  with  turrettes  fayre  and  hye, 
Which  againft  Phebus  ihone  foe  marveyloufly, 

That  for  the  very  perfeft  bryghtnes 

What  of  the  tower,  and  of  the  cleare  funne, 

I  could  nothyng  behold  the  goodlines  19 

Of  that  palaice,  whereas  Doftrine  did  wonne  : 
Tyll  at  the  laft,  with  myily  wyndes  donne, 

The  radiant  brightnes  of  golden  Phebus 

Aufter  gan  cover  with  clowde  tenebrus. 

Then  to  the  tower  I  drewe  nere  and  nere,  15 

And  often  mufed  of  the  great  hyghnes 
Of  the  craggy  rocke,  which  quadrant  did  appears  : 

But  the  fayre  tower,  (fo  much  of  ryches 

Was  all  about,)  fexangled  doubtles  ; 
Gargeyld  with  grayhoundes,  and  with  many  lyoni,    20 
Made  of  fyne  golde  ;  with  divers  fundry  dragons  *. 

The  little  '  turrett'  with  ymages  of  golde 

About  was  fet,  whiche  with  the  wynde  aye  moved 

With  propre  vices,  that  I  did  well  beholde 

About  the  tower,  in  fundry  wyfe  they  hoved         25 
With  goodly  pypes,  in  their  momhes  ituned, 

That 

*  Gnybtunds,  Lisas,  Dragcm,  mere  at  tlat  time  the  rcyel  /»/>- 
/;rm:. 

V.  22.  turrets.  PC.  V.  25.  towers.  PC. 


ANCIENT    POEMS.       107 

That  with  the  wynd  they  pyped  a  daunce 
Iclipped  Amour  dt  la  hault  plsfaunce. 

The  toure  was  great  of  marveylous  wydftes, 

To  whyche  ther  was  no  way  to  paffe  but  one,        30 

Into  the  toure  for  to  have  an  intres  : 
A  grece  there  was  ychefyld  all  of  (lone 
Out  of  the  rocke,  on  whyche  men  dyd  gone 

Up  to  the  toure,  and  in  lykewyfe  dyd  I 

Wyth  bothe  the  Grayhoundes  in  my  company  f  :      35 

Tyll  that  I  came  unto  a  ryall  gate, 

Where  I  faive  ftondynge  the  goodly  Portres, 

Whyche  axed  me,  from  whence  I  came  a-Iate  ; 
To  whome  I  gaa  in  every  thynge  e'xprefie 
All  myne  adventure,  chaunce,  and  bufynefTe,        4* 

And  eke  my  name  j  I  tolde  her  every  del)  : 

Whan  me  herde  this  me  lyked  me  right  well. 

Her  name,  me  fayd,  was  called  COUNTENAUNCE  ; 
Into  the  '  bafe'  courte  fhe  dyd  me  then  lede, 

Where  was  a  fountayne  depured  of  pleafance,  45 

A  noble  fprynge,  a  ryall  condoyte-hede, 
Made  of  fyne  golde  enameled  with  reed  ; 

And  on  the  toppe  four  dragons  blewe  and  itoute 

Thys  dulcet  water  in  four  panes  dyd  fpoute. 

Of 

•f-  This  aHuJa  to  a  firmer  part  oftbt  Patm. 
V.  44.  befy  courte.  PC.  V.  49.  partyei.  PC. 


ic8       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Of  whyche  there  flowed  foure  ryvers  ryght  clere,        50 
Sweter  than  Nylus  f  or  Ganges  was  ther  odoure  j 

Tygrys  or  Eufrates  unto  them  no  pere  : 
.  I  dyd  than  tafte  the  aromatyke  lycoure, 
Fragraunt  of  fume,  and  fwete  as  any  fioure  ; 

An-d  in  my  mouthe  it  had  a  marveylous  fcent  5; 

Of  divers  fpyces,  I  knewe  not  what  it  ment. 

And  after  thys  further  forth  me  brought 
Dame  Countenaunce  into  a  goodly  Hall, 

Of  jafper  ftones  it  was  wonderly  wrought : 

The  wyndowes  cleare  depured  all  of  cryftall,         60 
And  in  the  roufe  on  hye  over  all 

Of  golde  was  made  a  ryght  crafty  vyne  ; 

Inilede  of  grapes  the  rubies  there  did  Ihyne. 

The  flore  was  paved  with  berall  clarified, 
'  With  pillers  made  of  ftones  precious,  65 

Like  a  place  of  pleafure  fo  gayely  glorified, 

It  inyght  be  called  a  palaice  glorious, 

So  muche  delectable  and  folacious  ; 
The  hall  was  hanged  hye  and  circuler 
With  cloth  of  arras  in  the  rychefl  maner.  70 

That  treated  well  of  a  ful  noble  ftory, 

Of  the  doubty  waye  to  the  Tower  Perilous  ;  I 

Howe  a  noble  knyght  fhould  wynne  the  victory 
Of  many  a  ferpente  foule  and  odious. 


Nyfus.  PC.  J  Tttfr.rj  of  the  poem. 

XI.  THE 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      109 


XL 
THE    CHILD     OF    ELLE, 

is  given  from  a  fragment  in  the  Editor's  folio  MS  : 

ivhicb  tbo*  extremely  defeSi-ve  and  mutilated  appeared  to 
have  fo  much  merit,  that  it  excited  a  Jirong  defire  to  attempt 
a  completion  of  the  ftory.  The  Reader  <u>/'//  eafily  difcover 
thefupplementaljlanzas  by  their  inferiority,  and" at  the  fame 
time  be  inclined  to  pardon  it,  when  he  confeden  hoiv  difficult 
it  muft  be  to  imitate  the  ajjetling  Jimplicity  and  artlcfs  beau- 
ties of  the  original. 
CHILD  ivasa  title fometimes given  to  a  knight.  SeeGlojT. 

ON  yonder  hill  a  caftle  ftandes, 
With  walks  and  tovvres  bedight» 
And  yonder  lives  the  Child  of  Elle, 
A  younge  and  comely  knighte. 

The  Child  of  Elle  to  his  garden  wente,  5 

And  flood  at  his  garden  pale, 
Whan,  lo  !  he  beheld  fair  Emraelines  page 

Come  trijppinge  downe  the  dale. 

The  Child  of  Elle  he  hyed  him  thenqe, 

Y-wis  he  ftoode  not  flille*  10 

And  foone  he  naette  faire  Emmelines  page 
Come  climbing  up  the  hille. 

Nowe 


iio      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Nowe  Chriite  thee  fare,  thou  little  foot  page, 

Now  Chrifte  thee  fave  and  fee  ! 
Oh  telie  me  how  dock  thy  ladye  gaye,  15 

And  what  may  thy  tydinges  bee  ? 

My  lady  fhce  is  all  woe-begone, 

And  the  teares  they  falle  from  her  eyne  ; 

And  aye  fhe  laments  the  deadlye  feude 

Betweene  her  houfe  and  thine.  zO 

And  here  fhee  fends  thee  a  filken  fcarfe 

Bedewde  with  many  a  teare, 
And  biddes  thee  fometimes  thinke  on  her, 

Who  loved  thee  fo  deare. 

And  here  fhee  fends  thee  a  ring  of  golde  25 

The  lail  boone  thou  mayft  have, 
And  biddes  thee  weare  it  for  her  fake, 

Whan  fhe  is  layde  in  grave. 

For,  ah  !  her  gentle  heart  is  broke, 

And  in  grave  foone  muft  fhee  bee,  3® 

Sith  her  father  hath  chofe  her  a  new  new  love, 

And  forbidde  her  to  think  of  thee. 

Her  father  hath  brought  her  a  carlifh  knight, 

Sir  John  of  the  north  countraye, 
And  within  three  dayes  fhee  muft  him  wedde,    35 

Or  he  vowes  he  will  her  flaye. 

Nowe 


ANCIENT     POEMS,      m 

Nowe  hye  thee  backe,  thou  little  foot-page, 

And  greet  thy  ladye  from  mee, 
And  telle  her  that  1  her  owne  true  love 

Will  dye,  or  fette  her  free.  40 

Nowe  hye  thee  backe,  thou  little  foot-page, 

And  let  thy  fair  ladye  know 
This  night  will  I  bee  at  her  bowre-windowe, 

Betide  me  weale  or  woe. 

The  boye  he  tripped,  the  boye  he  ranne,  45 

He  neither  flint  ne  ftayd 
Untill  he  came  to  fair  Emmelines  bowre, 

Whan  kneeling  downe  he  fayd, 

O  ladye,  Ive  been  with  thy  own  true  love, 

And  he  greets  thee  well  by  mee  ;  g« 

This  night  will  he  bee  at  thy  bowre-winddwe. 
And  dye  or  fette  thee  free. 

Nowe  daye  was  gone,  and  night  was  come, 

And  all  were  faft  afleepe, 
All  fave  the  ladye  Emmeline,  55 

Who  fate  in  her  bowre  to  weepe : 

And  foone  ftiee  heard  her  true  loves  voice 

Lowe  whifpcring  at  the  walle, 
Awake,  awake,  my  deare  ladye, 

Tis  1  thy  true  love  call.  60 

Awake, 


ri2      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Awake,  awake,  my  ladye  deare, 

,  Come,  mount  this  faire  palfraye  : 
This  ladder  of  ropes  will  lette  thee  downe, 
He  cai-rye  thee  hence  awaye. 

Nowe  nay,  nowe  nay,  thou  gentle  knight,         65 

Nowe  nay,  this  may  not  bee  ; 
For  aye  fhould  I  tint  my  maiden  fame, 

If  alone  I  mould  wend  with  thee. 

O  ladye,  thou  with  a  knighte  fo  true 

Mayft  fafelye  wend  alone,  /o 

To  my  ladye  mother  I  will  thee  bringe, 
Where  marriage  ihall  make  us  one. 

""  My  father  he  is  a  baron  bolde, 

Of  lynage  proude  and  hye  ; 

And  what  would  he  faye  if  his  daughter  75 

Awaye  with  a  knight  ftiould  fly  ? 

Ah !  well  I  wot,  he  never  would  reft, 
Nor  his  meate  mould  doe  him  no  goode, 

Till  he  had  flayne  thee,  Child  of  Elle, 

And  feene  thy  deare  hearts  bloode."  80 

0  ladye,  wert  thou  in  thy  faddle  fette, 
And  a  little  fpace  him  fro, 

1  would  not  care  for  thy  cruel  father, 

Nor  the  worft  that  he  could  doe. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      113 

0  ladye,  wert  thou  in  thy  faddle  fette,  85 
And  once  without  this  walle, 

1  would  not  care  for  thy  cruel  father, 

Nor  the  worft  that  might  befalle. 

Faire  Emmeline  fighde,  fair  Emmeline  wept, 
And  aye  her  heart  was  woe  :  go 

At  length  he  feizde  her  lilly-white  hand, 
And  downe  the  ladder  he  drewe  : 

And  thrice  he  clafpde  her  to  his  brefte, 

And  kill  her  tenderlie  : 
The  teares  that  fell  from  her  fair  eyes,  95 

Ranne  like  the  fountayne  free. 

Hee  mounted  himfclfe  on  his  fteede  fo  talle, 

And  her  on  a  faire  palfraye, 
And  flung  his  bugle  about  his  necke, 

And  roundlye  they  rode  awaye.  io« 

All  this  beheard  her  owne  damfelle, 

In  her  bed  whereas  ftiee  ley, 
Quoth  (bee,  My  lord  (hall  knowe  of  this, 

Soe  I  fhall  have  golde  and  fee. 

Awake,  awake,  thou  baron  bolde  !  105 

Awake,  my  noble  dame  ! 
Your  daughter  is  flcdde  with  the  Child  of  Ell?, 

To  doe  the  deede  of  fliarae. 
VOL.  I.  I  The 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 

The  baron  he  woke,  the  baron  he  rofe, 

And  callde  his  merrye  men  all  :  no 

* '  And  come  thou  forth,  Sir  John  the  knightc, 
The  ladye  is  carried  to  thrall." 

Faire  Emmeline  fcant  had  ridden  a  mile, 

A  mile  forth  of  the  towne, 
When  me  was  aware  of  her  fathers  men  115 

Come  galloping  over  the  downe  : 

And  foremofi:  came  the  carlifh  knight, 

Sir  John  of  the  north  countraye  : 
"  Nowe  ftop,  nowe  ftop,  thou  falfe  traitoure, 

Nor  carry  that  ladye  awaye.  120 

For  me  is  come  of  hye  lynage, 

And  was  of  a  ladye  borne, 
And  ill  it  befccir.s  thee  a  falfe  churles  fonne 

To  carrye  her  hence  to  fcorne." 

Nowe  loud  thou  lyeft,  Sir  John  the  knight,      125 

Nowe  thou  doeft  lye  of  mee  ; 
A  knight  mee  gott,  and  a  ladye  me  bore, 

Soe  never  did  none  by  thee. 

But  light  nowe  downe,  my  ladye  faire, 

Light  downe,  and  hold  my  fteed,  130 

While  I  and  this  difcourteous  knighte 
Doe  trye  this  arduous  dcede. 

But 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       115 

But  light  now  downe,  my  deare  tadye, 

Light  downe,  and  hold  my  horfe  ; 
While  I  and  this  difcourteous  knight  135 

Doe  trye  our  valours  force. 

Fair  Emmeline  fighde,  fair  Emmeline  wept, 

And  aye  her  heart  was  woe, 
While  twbct  her  love  and  the  carlifh  knight 

Paft  many  a  baleful  blowe.  140 

The  Child  of  Elle  hee  fought  foe  well, 

As  his  weapon  he  wavde  amaine, 
That  foone  he  had  flaine  the  carlifh  knight, 

And  layde  him  upon  the  plaine. 

And  nowe  the  baron,  and  all  his  men  145 

Full  fall  approached  nye  : 
Ah  !  what  may  ladye  Emmeline  doe  ? 

Twere  nowe  no  boote  to  flye. 

Her  lorer  he  put  his  home  to  his  mouth, 

And  blew  both  loud  and  ftirill,  150 

And  foone  he  faw  his  owne  merry  men 
Come  ryding  over  the  hill. 

"  Nowe  hold  thy  hand,  thou  bold  baron, 

I  pray  thee,  hold  thy  hand, 
Nor  rurhlefs  rend  two  gentle  hearts,  155 

Faft  knit  in  true  loves  band. 

I  2  Thy 


ii6      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Thy  daughter  I  have  dearly  lovde 

Full  long  and  many  a  day  ; 
But  with  fuch  love  as  holy  kirke 

Hath  freelye  fayd  wee  may.  16* 

O  give  confent,  fhee  may  be  mine, 

And  bleffe  a  faithfull  paire  : 
My  lands  and  livings  are  not  fmal}, 

My  houfe  and  lynage  faire  : 

My  mother  fhe  was  an  erles  daughter,  165 

And  a  noble  knyght  my  fire • 

The  baron  he  frownde,  and  turr.de  away 
With  nuckle  dole  and  ire. 

.    -  Fair  Emmeline  fighde,  faire  Emmeline  wept, 

And  did  all  tremblings  itand  :  170 

At  lengthe  (he  fprange  upon  her  knee, 
And  held-his  lifced  hand. 

Pardon,  my  lorde  and  father  deare, 

This  faiie  yong  knyght  and  mee  : 
Truft  mi?,  but  for  the  carlifh  knyght,  175 

I  never  had  fied  from  thee. 

Oft  have  you  callde  your  Emmeline 

Your  darling  and  your  joye  ; 
.     O  let  ,not  tken  your  harili  refcivcs 

Your  Emmeiine  ueilrove.  iSo 

The 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      117 

The  baron  he  ftroakt  his  dark-brown  cheeke, 

And  turnde  his  heade  afyde 
To  whipe  awaye  the  ftarting  teare, 

He  proudly  flrave  to  hyde. 

In  deepe  revolving  thought  he  floode,  1 85 

And  ruufde  a  little  fpace  : 
Then.  raifUe  faire  Emmeline  from  the  grounde, 

With  many  a  fond  embrace. 

Here  take  her,  Child  of  El!e,  he  fayd, 

And  gave  her  lillye  hand  ;  190 

Here  take  my  deare  and  only  child, 
And  with  her  half  my  land  : 

Thy  father  once  mine  honour  wrongda 

In  dayes  of  youthful  pride  ; 
JDo  thou  the  iajurye  repayre  195 

In  fondneue  for  thy  bride. 

And  as  thou  love  her,  and  hold  her  deare, 

Heaven  profper  thee  and  thine  : 
And  nowe  my  bleflinjj  wend  wi'  thee, 

My  lovelye  Emmeline.  200 


XH. 


n8     ANCIENT     POEMS. 


XII. 

EDOM    O'    GORDON, 
A  SCOTTISH  BALLAD, 

ivas  printed  at  Glafgoiu,  by  "Robert  and  Andrew 
faults,  MDCCLP.  Svo.  ll  pages.— We  are  indebted  for 
its  publication  (with  many  other  valuable  things  in  thefz 
volumes)  to  Sir  David  Dalrymple,  Bart.  who  gave  it  as 
it  ewas  preferred  in  the  memory  of  a  lady,  that  is  no-tv  dead. 

'The  reader  will  here  find  it  improved,  and  enlarged  'with 
fever  al  fine  ftanzas ,  recovered  from  a  fragment  of  the  fame 
ballad,  in  the  Editor's  folio  MS.  It  is  remarkable  that  the 
laiier  is  h.titled  CAPTAIN  ADAM  CARRE,  and  is  in  thi 
Englijb  idiom.  But  whether  the  author  was  Englijh  or 
Scotch,  the  difference  originally  ivas  not  great.  The  Englifo 
Ballads  are  generally  of  the  North  of  England,  the  Scbtti/b 
are  of  the  South  of  Scotland,  and  of  conjtquence  the  country 
of  Ballad-Jlngers  was  fotnetimes  fubjett  to  one  cronvn,  and 
fometimes  to  the  other,  and  moft  frequently  to  neither.  Me/} 
of  the  fine  ft  old  Scotch  Jongs  have  the  fcene  laid  within  20 
miles  of  England ;  nuhich  is  indeed  all  poetic  ground,  green 
hills,  remains  of  woods,  clear  brooks.  The  paftoral  fcenes 
remain  :  Of  the  rude  chivalry  of  former  ages  happily  no- 
thing remains  but  the  ruins  of  the  cajllcs,  where  the  more 
daring  and  fuccefsful  robbers  rejided.  The  Houfe,  or  Caftle 
of  the  Ro%Es,y?o^  about  a  meafured  mile  f out  h  from  Duns 
in  Berwickjhire :  feme  of  the  ruins  of  it  may  be  feen  to 
this  day.  The  GORDONS  ivere  anciently  ft.ated  in  the 
fame  county  :  the  two  villages  of  Eaft  and  Weft  Gsrdon  lie 

about 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       119 

about  10  miles  from  the  cajlle  of  the  Rodet*.  Whether 
this  ballad  bath  any  foundation  in  faft,  ive  have  not  been 
able  to  difcover.  It  contains  however  but  toojujl  a  piflure 
of  the  violences  praftijed  in  the  feudal  times  all  over 
Europe. 

From  the  different  titles  of  this  ballad,  it  Jhould  feem  that 
the  old Jtr oiling  bards  or  minjtrels  (who  gained  ft  livelihood 
by  reciting  tbtfe  poems)  made  no  fcrttple  of  changing  the 
names  of  the  perfonages  they  introduced,  to  humour  their 
hearers.  For  inftance,  if  a  Gordon's  ccnduB  vjas  blame- 
worthy in  the  opinion  of  that  age,  the  obfequious  minftrel 
'would,  when  among  Go" dons,  change  the  name  to  Car, 
"Mhcfe  clan  or  Jept  lay  further  iveft,  and  vice  verfa.  In 
the  third  volume  the  reader  willjindajimiiar  inftance*  See 
the  Jong  of  GIL  MORRIS,  the  hero  cf  which  had  different 
names  given  him,  perhaps  from  the  jame  caitje 

It  may  be  proper  to  mention,  that  in  the  Ea%lifl>  copy,  in- 
Jlead  cf  the  "  Caflle  of  the  Rodes,"  it  :s  the  ''  Cajlle  of 
£ittons-borrc-iv,"  (or  "  Dia flours-borrow,"  for  it  >s  very 
obfcurely  written,}  and''  Capt.  ^dam  Cqrre"  is  called  the 
"  Lord  of  Weft  cr  ton-town"  Uniformity  required  that  the 
additional  ftanzas  fupplied  from  that  copy  Jhould  be  clothed 
in  the  Suttijb  ortb'^rapbv  and  idiom  :  this  has  thcrefort 
teen  attempted,  though  perhaps  imperfectly. 

IT  fell  about  the  Martinmas, 
Quhen  the  wind  blew  fchril  and  cauld, 
Said  Edom  o'  Gordon  to  his  men, 
We  maun  draw  to  a  hauld. 

1 4  And 


*  This  Ballad  h  well knnun  in  tkat  rf'ivkliourl'sd,  &btrt  It  is  in- 
titled  ADAM  o'  GORDON.  It  may  be  cbjerved,  that  tic  fjmcusfrec- 
booter,  -wbem  EJtcarJ  I.feuglt  wilt,  Land  fe  h&tid,  near  Fartibam, 
•zotu  named  AUAM  GURUO.N. 


120        ANCIENT     POEMS. 

And  quhat  a  hauld  fall  we  draw  to, 

My  mirry  men  and  me  ? 
We  wul  gae  to  the  houfe  o'  the  Rodes, 

To  fee  that  fair  ladie. 


The  lady  ftude  on  hir  caftle  wa', 

Beheld  baith  dale  and  down  :  jo 

There  fhe  was  ware  of  a  hofl  of  men 

Cum  ryding  towards  the  toun. 

O  fee  ze  nat,  my  mirry  men  a'  ? 

0  fee  ze  nat  quhat  I  fee  ? 

Methinks  I  fee  a  hoft  of  men  :  15 

1  marveil  quha  they  be. 

She  weend  it  had  been  hir  luvely  lord* 

As  he  cam  ryding  hame  ; 
It  was  the  traitor  Edom  o'  Gordon, 

Quha  reckt  nae  fin  nor  {hame.  20 

She  had  nae  fooner  bufkit  hirfcl, 

And  putten  on  hir  goun, 
Till  Edom  o'  Gordon  and  his  men 

Were  round  about  the  toun. 

They  had  nae  fooner  fupper  fett,  25 

Nae  fooner  faid  the  grace, 
Till  Edom  o'  Gordon  and  his  men, 

Were  light  about  the  place. 

The 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       in 

The  lady  ran  up  to  hir  towir  head, 

Sa  faft  as  Ihe  could  drie,  30 

To  fee  if  by  hir  fair  fpeeches 

She  could  wi'  him  agree. 

But  quhan  he  fee  this  lady  faif, 

And  hir  yates  all  locked  faft, 
He  fell  into  a  rage  of  wrath,  35 

And  his  hart  was  all  aghaft. 

Cum  doun  to  me,  ze  lady  gay, 

Cum  doun,  cum  doun  to  me  : 
This  night  fall  ye  lig  within  mine  armes, 

To-morrow  my  bride  fall  be.  40 

I  winnae  cum  doun,  ze  fals  Gordon, 

I  winnae  cum  doun  to  thee  ; 
I  winnae  forfake  my  ain  dear  lord, 

That  is  fae  far  frae  me. 

Give  owre  zour  houfe,  ze  lady  fair,  4.5 

Give  owre  zour  houfe  to  me, 
Or  I  fall  brenn  yourfel  therein, 

Bot  and  zour  babies  three. 

I  winnae  give  owre,  ze  falfe  Gordon, 

To  nae  fik  traitor  as  zee  ;  50 

And  if  ze  brenn  my  ain  dear  babes, 

My  lord  fall  make  ze  drie. 


122      ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S. 

But  reach  me  hether  my  guid  bend-bowe, 

Mine  arrows  one  by  one  ; 
For,  but  an  I  pierce  that  bluidy  butcher,  55 

I  :y  babes  we  been  undone. 

She  flude  upon  hir  caftle  wa', 

And  let  twa  arrows  flee  : 
She  rnift  that  bluidy  butchers  hart, 

And  only  raz'd  his  knee.  *  60 

Set  fire  to  the  houfe,  quo'  fals  Gordon, 

All  wood  wi'  dule  and  ire  : 
Fals  lady,  ze  fall  rue  this  deid, 

As  ze  brenn  in  the  fire. 

Wae  worth,  wae  worth  ze,  Jock  my  man,         65 

I  paid  ze  weil  zour  fee  ; 
Quhy  pow  ze  out  the  ground- wa  ftane, 

Lets  in  the  reek  to  me  ? 

And  ein  wae  worth  ze,  Jock  my  man, 

I  paid  ze  weil  zour  hire  ;  70 

Quhy  pow  ze  out  the  ground-wa  ftane, 
To  me  lets  in  the  fire  ? 

Ze 


*  Tie  ttJOi  firming  flar.xat  are  imprsi'tJ  in  tlh  efithn  ly  rr.ore 
e-\-:cr.t  rcadirgs,  cimnmnieated  lately  to  tie  publijljer.  In  the  former  edi- 
itcn  {Ley  voert  evidently  modernized,  -vlx.  "  reach  my  piftol,  Claud, 
my  man,  And  charge  ze  weil  rov  gun  ;"  and  MM,  "  let  twa  bui- 
lt: »  flee." 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       123 

Ze  paid  me  well  my  hire,  lady ; 

Ze  paid  me  weil  my  fee  : 
But  now  Ime  Edorn  o'  Gordons  man,  75 

Maun  either  doe  or  die. 


0  than  befpaik  hir  little  fon, 
Sate  on  the  nourice'  knee  : 

Sayes,  Mither  deare,  gi  owre  this  houfe, 

For  the  reek  it  fmithers  me.  So 

1  wad  gie  a'  my  gowd,  my  cr.ilde, 

Sae  wad  I  a*  my  fee, 
For  ane  blaft  o'  the  weftlin  wind, 
To  blaw  the  reek  frae  thee. 

O  then  befpaik  hir  dochter  dear,  " - 

She  was  baith  jimp  and  fma  : 
O  row  me  in  a  pair  o'  fheits, 

And  tow  me  owre  the  wa. 

They  rovvd  hir  in  a  pair  o'  fheits, 

And  towd  hir  owre  the  wa  :  93 

But  on  the  point  of  Gordons  fpear, 

She  gat  a  deadly  fa. 

O  bonnie  bonnie  was  hir  mouth, 

And  cherry  were  hir  cheiks, 
And  clear  clear  was  hir  zcllrv.v  hair,  95 

Whereon  the  reid  bluid  dreips. 

4  1 1cn 


ANCIENT      POEMS. 

Then  wi'  his  fpear  he  turnd  hir  owre, 

0  gin  hir  face  was  wan  ! 

He  fayd,  Ze  are  the  firft  that  eir 

1  wiflit  alive  again.  100 

He  turnd  hir  owre  and  owre  again, 

O  gin  hir  fkin  was  whytc  ! 
I  might  ha  fpared  that  bonnie  face 

To  hae  been  fum  mans  delyte.  ' 

Bufk  and  boun,  my  merry  men  a%  105 

For  ill  dooms  I  doe  guefs ; 
I  cannae  luik  in  that  bonnie  face, 

As  it  lyes  on  the  grafs. 

Thame,  luiks  to  freits,  my  matter  deir, 

Then  freits  wil  follow  thame  :  1 10 

Let  it  neir  be  faid  brave  Edom  o*  Gordon 
Was  daunted  by  a  dame. 

But  quhen  the  ladye  fee  the  fire 

Cum  flaming  owre  hir  head, 
She  wept  and  kill  her  children  twain,  1 15 

Sayd,  Bairns,  we  been  but  dead. 

The 


V.  98,  ioa.  O  gin,  &c.  a  Scsttljb  idiom  to  exprefs  g real  admiration. 
V,  icg,  no.  Thame,   &c.  j.  e.  Ibsm  tlat  look  after  omens  of  ill 
Jj,  iHluck  will fdlw. 


ANCIENT    POEMS.      12$ 

The  Gordon  then  his  bougill  blew, 

And  faid,  Awa',  awa' ; 
This  houfe  o'  the  Rodes  is  a'  in  flame, 

I  hauld  it  time  to  ga'«  129 

O  then  befpyed  hir  ain  dear  lord, 

As  hee  cam  owr  the  lee ; 
He  fied  his  cattle  all  in  blaze 

Sa  far  as  he  could  fee. 

Then  fair,  O  fair  his  mind  mifgave,  1*5 

And  all  his  hart  was  wae ; 
Put  on,  put  on,  my  wighty  men, 

So  faft  as  ze  can  gae. 

Put  on,  put  on,  my  wighty  men, 

Sa  faft  as  ze  can  drie  ;  133 

For  he  that  is  hindmoft  of  the  thrang, 

Sail  neir  get  guid  o'  me. 

Than  fum  they  rade,  and  Aim  they  rin, 

Fou  faft  out-owr  the  bent ; 
But  eir  the  foremoft  could  get  up,  135 

Baith  lady  and  babes  were  brent. 

He  wrang  his  hands,  he  rent  his  hair, 

And  wept  in  teenefu'  muia : 
O  traitors,  for  this  cruel  deid 

Ze  fall  weep  teirs  o'bluid. 

VOL.  I.  1 7  And 


ia6      A  N  C  1  E  N  T    P  O  E  M  8. 

And  after  the  Gordon  he  is  gane, 

Sa  faft  as  he  might  drie ; 
And  foon  i'  the  Gordon's  foul  hartis  bluid, 

He's  wroken  his  dear  ladie. 

***  Since  the  foregoing  Ballad  was  firjl  printed,  the 
fubjeft  of  it  has  been  found  recorded  in  Abp.  Spot/wood's 
Hijtory  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  p.  259  :  who  informs 
us,  that 

"  Anno  1571-  In  the  north  parts  of  Scotland,  ADAM 
'  GORDON  (who  was  deputy  for  his  brother  the  earl  of 
'  Huntley)  did  keep  a  great  ftir  ;  and  under  colour  of  the 

*  queen's  authority,  committed  divers  opprejfions,  efpecially 

*  upon  the  Forbes's  ....  Having  killed  Arthur  Forbes, 
brother  to  the  lord  Forbes  .  .     .  Not  long  after  he  fent  t» 
fummon  the  h-oufe  of  Tavoy  pertaining  to  Alexander  For- 
bes,    The  LADY  refujtng  to  yield  without  direflion  front 
her  husband,  he  put  fire  unto  it,  and  burnt  her  therein, 
with  children  and  fervants,  being  twenty-feven  perfont 
in  all. 

"  This  inhuman  and  barbarous  cruelty  made  his  name 
odious,  and  ftained  all  his  firmer  doings  ;  otberiuife  he 
was  held  very  afiive  and  fortunate  in  his  enter  prizes.'* 
This  faS,  'which   had  efcaped  the  Editor's  notice,  'was 
in  the  mofl  obliging  manner  pointed  out  to  him,  by  an  inge- 
nious writer  wbojigns  his  name  H.  H.  (Newcajile,  May 
9.^  in  the  Gentleman"t  Magazine  for  May,   1775. 


THE  END  OF  THE  FIRST  BOOK. 


OF    ANCIENT    POETRY, 


SERIES    THE    FIRST. 
BOOK    II. 


BALLADS  THAT  ILLUSTRATE  SHAKESPEARE. 


Our  great  dramatic  pott  having  occa/ionaHj  quoted  many 
ancient  ballads,  and  e-vett  taken  the  plot  cf  one,  if  not  tncrer 
of  his  plays  from  among  them,  it  <u;ai  judged  proper  to  pre- 

Jer*ve 


nS       ANCIENT    P  O  E  M  S. 

Jcriie  as  many  cf  thsf:  as  could  be  recovered,  and  that  thef 

jjsfikt.  -.'id,   to  exhibit  them  /'*  one  col-* 

I:  "./i.1  •  S  ECO  N  D  BOOK  is  therefore  fet  apart  for 

• .  :lladi  as  are  quoted  ^SHAKESPEARE, 

:•!  any  degre&o  ilUijlrate  bis  vjritino;  :    this  bc- 

.  .I'j,  the  candid  reader  will  par  don 

.at  have  no  otl::r  kind  of  merit. 
r  BOOK  being  cf  a  Dramatic  tendency^  it 
-, -educed  -ivit/j  a  ft-iv  cbfer*vaiion* 
OF  THE  ENGLISH  'STAGE,    and  o*i  . 

JPUCT    OF    OUR     FIRST    DRAMATIC    POETS  :   a 

•   unju:cefi fully  handled  by  federal 
.','  J,  will  jet  perhaps  admit  of  fame  fur- 


THK  ORIGIN  OF  THE  ENGLISH  STAGE, 


It  13  well  known  that  rlr^matic  poetry  in  this  and 
molt  other  nations  of  Europe  owes  its  origin,  or  at  leail 
its  revival,  to  thnfe  religious  fhows,  which  in,  the  dark 
agjes  were  ufually  exhibited  on  the  more  folemn  feiti- 
vah.  At  thofe  times  they  \vere  wont  to  reprefent  in 
the  chifiches  the  lives  and  miracles  cf  the  faints,  or 
fonie  of  the.  more  important  fcories  of  fcripture.  And 
as  the  moft  myfterious  Aibjefts  were  frequently  chofen, 
fuch  as  the  Incarnation,  Pafiion,  and  Refurredtion  of 
Chriit,  tffr.  thefe  exhibitions  acquired  the  general 
name  of  MYSTKRIES,  At  firft  they  were  probably  a 
kiad  of  dumb  flicws,  intermingled,  it  may  be,  with  a 
few  (liort  fpjechcs  ;  at  length  tKey  grew  into  a  regular 
feries  of  connected  dialogues,  formally  divided  into 
aas  ::nd  fcei.cs.  Specimens  of  thefe  in  their  moft  im- 

proved 


t  £;>.   Jfa-'-        '  "  .    ".x,L  5.  p.    ^38.  —  Ti-ef.    to 

C/J  '  t"ljj;.—  -';..  f  TLear.  ef  Eiurtfff  &g.  fte, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       129 

proved    ftate    (being  at  beft  but  poor  artlefs  compo- 
fitions)  may  be  feen  among  Dodfley's  OLD  PLAYS  and 
in  Ofborne's   HARLEYAN    MISCEL.     How  they  were 
exhibited  in   their   moll   fimple  form,  we   may  learn 
from  an  ancient  novel  (often  quoted  by  our  old  drama- 
tic poets  (a)  intitled  ....  a  merge  *Fe|i  of  a  man  tf»ac 
tea?  cafleti  $?otole8la£  (b)  &c.    being  a  tranflation  from 
the  Dutch  language,   in  which  he  is  named  Ulenfpitgle. 
Howleglas,  whofe  waggim  tricks  are  the  fubjeft  of  this 
book,  after  many  adventures  comes  to  live  with  a  prielr., 
who  makes  him  his   parirti-clark.     This  prieft  is   de- 
fcribed   as   keeping  a  LEMAN  or  concubine,  who  had 
but  one  eye,  to  whom  Howleglas   owed   a  grudge  for 
revealing  his  rogueries  to   his  mafter.     The  ftory  thus 
proceeds,  ....    "  And  than   in  the  meane  feafon, 
while  Howleglas  was   paryfh  clarke,  at  Eafter  they 
fhould  play  the  refurredlion  of  our  lorde :  and  for 
becaufe  than  the   men  wer  not  learned,  nor  could 
not  read,  the  prieft  toke  his  leman,  and  put  her  in 
the  grave  for  an  Aungell :  and  this  feing  Howleglas, 
toke  to  hym  iij  of  the  fympleft  perfons  that  were  in 
the  towne,  that  played  the  iij  Maries ;  and  the  Per- 
fon  [i.  e.  Parfon  or  Reftor]   played  Chrifte,  with  a 
baner  in   his  hand.     Than  faide  Howleglas   to  the 
fymple  perfons.      Whan  the   Aungel    aflceth    you, 
whome  you  feke,   you  may  faye,  The  parfons  leman 
with  one  iye.     Than  it  fortuned  that  the  tyme  was 
come  that  they  muft  playe,  and   the  Aungel   afked 
them  whom  they  fought,    and  than  fayd  they,  as 
Howleglas  had  mewed  and  lerned  them  afore,  and 
than  anfwered  they,  We  feke  the  priefts  leman  with 
one  iye.     And  than  the  priefte  might  heare  that  he 
was  mocked.     And  whan  the  prieftes  leman  herd 
VOL.  I.  K  "  that, 


(a)  See  Ben  Jonfon's  Poetafter,  Aft  3.  fc.  4.  and  bis  Mafque  of  the 
Fortunate  Ifles.   Whalley's  Edit.  vol.  2.  p.  49.  vol.  6.  p.  190. 

(b)  Howleglafs  is  faid  in  the  Preface  to  have  died  in  M.  c  c  c  c,  L. 
At  the  end  of  the  book,  in  M.  c  c  c.  L. 


i3o      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

"  that,  fhe  arofe  out  of  the  grave,  and  would  have 
"  fipyten  with  her  fift  Howleglas  upon  the  cheke,  but 
'*  fh,e  rqiffed  hiro  and  fmote  one  of  the  fimple  perfons 
"  that  played  one  of  the  thre  Maries ;  and  he  gave 
"  her  another ;  and  than  take  fhe  him  by  the  heare 
"  [hair];  and  that  feing  his  wyfe,  came  running  haf- 
"  tely  to  fmite  the  prieites  leaman  ;  and  than  the 
"  prieu  feeing  this,  cafte  down  hys  baner  and  went  to 
"  helpe  his  woman,  fo  that  the  one  gave  the  other 
*'  fore  ftrokes,  and  made  great  noyfe  in  the  churche. 
"  And  than  Howleglas  feyng  them  lyinge  tpgether  by 
"  the  eares  in  the  bodi  of  the  churche,  went  his  way 
"  out  of  the  village,  and  came  no  more  there  (c}.n 

As  the  old  Myfteries  frequently  required  the  repre- 
fentation  of  fome  allegorical  perfonage,  fuch  as  Death, 
Sin,  Charity,  Faith,  and  the  like,  by  degrees  the  rude 
poets  of  thofe  unlettered  ages  began  to  form  compleat 
dramatic  pieces  confiding  intirely  of  fuch  perfonifica- 
tions.  Thefe  they  intitled  MORAL  PLAYS,  or  MO- 
RALITIES. The  fylylteries  were  very  inartificial,  re- 
prefenting  the  fcripture  {lories  {imply  according  to  the 
letter.  But  the  Moralities  are  not  devoid  of  invention  ; 
they  exhibit  ootlir.es  of  the  dramatic  art :  they  con- 
tain fomething  of  a  fable  or  plot,  and  even  attempt  to 
delineate  characters  and  manners.  I  have  now  before 
me  two  that  were  printed  early  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
VIII;  in  which  I  think  one  may  plainly  difcover  the 
feeds  of  Tragedy  and  Comedy  ;  for  which  reaibn  I  fhr.ll 
give  a  fhort  analyfis  of  them  both. 

One  of  them  is  intided  <2ti*ip  #Qan  (<*).  The  fub- 
jedl  of  this  piece  is  the  fummoning  of  man  out  of  the 
world  by  death  ;  and  its  moral,  that  nothing  will  then 
avail  him  but  a  well-fpent  life  and  the  comforts  of  re- 
ligion. This  fu-bjeft  and  moral  are  opened  in  a  mo- 
nologue 

(c)  C.  Smprpnteb  . . .  fcn  IDgTTnam  Coplanb :  without  date, 

IB  410.  bl.  let.  among  Mr.  Garrick's  OJd  Plays,  K.  vol.  10. 

(d)  This  Play  has  been  lately  reprinted  by  Mr.  HAWKINS  in  his 
3  vohi  of  Old  Plays,  intitled,  THE  ORIGIN    OF 

BRAMA,  jamo,  Oxford,  1773.  See  vol.  I,  p,  27, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      131 

rologue  fpoken  by  the  MESSENGER  (for  that  was  the 
name  generally  given  by  our  ancelior-s.to  the  prologue 
on  their  rude  ftage  :)  then  GOD  (e)  is  reprefented;  who, 
after  fome  general  complaints  on  the  degeneracy  of 
mankind,  calls  for  DETH,  and  orders  him  to  bring 
before  his  tribunal  EVERY-MAN,  for  fo  is  called  the 
perfonage  who  reprefents  the  human  race.  EVERY- 
MAN appears,  and  receives  the  fummons  with  all  the 
marks  of  confufion  and  terror  When  death  is  with- 
drawn, Every-man  applies  for  relief  in  this  diftrefs  to 
FELLOWSHIP,  KINDRED,  GOODS,  or  Riches,  but  they 
fuccefliyely  renounce  and  forfake  him.  In  this  difcon- 
folate  ftate  he  betakes  himfelf  to  GOOD-DEDES,  who, 
after  upbraiding  him  with  his  long  negleft  of  her  (f), 
introduces  him  to  her  fifter  KNOWLEDGE,  and  fhe  leads 
him  to  the  "  holy  man  CONFESSION,"  who  appoints 
him  penance  :  this  he  inflicts  upon  himfelf  on  the  ihge, 
and  then  withdraws  to*  receive  the  facraments  of  the 
prieft.  On  his  return  he  begins  to  wax  faint,  and 
after  STRENGTH,  BEAUTY,  DISCRETION,  and  FJVE 
WITS  ( g)  have  all  taken  their  final  leave  of  him,  gra- 
dually expires  on  the  llage  ;  Good-dedes  ftill  accom- 
panying him  to  the  lart.  Then  an  AUNGEL.L  defcends 
to  fing  his  requiem  :  and  the  epilogue  is  fpckcn  by  a 
perfon,  called  DOCTOUR,  who  recapitulates  the  whole, 
and  delivers  the  moral, 

"  C.  This  memoriall  men  may  have  in  mynJe, 
'  Ye  herers,  take  it  of  worth  old  and  yonge, 
f  And  forfake  prydp,  for  he  difceyveth  you  in  thende, 
'  And  remembre   Beaute,    Five  Witts,    Strength  ^nd 
'  They  all  at  laft  do  Every-man  forfake  ;   [Diicrt'cion, 
'  Save  his  Good  Deues  there  dotbe  he  take : 

K  2  "  But 

(e)  The  fecond  p»rfon  of  the  Trinity  feems  to  be  meant. 

(f)  Thofe  above- mentioned  arc  n  aU  cfanrd6l«;r|. 

(g)\.  e.  The  Five  Scnfc;.     Thgfi  arc  frftjufntly  exhibited  us  five 
diftinft  perfjnajef  upon  the  Spanifli  (K  ;mi,  p.  9?.)  but 

our  moralift  has  reprefenUd  them  all  by  one  charader. 


i32      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

"  But  beware,  for  and  they  be  fmall, 

"  Before  God  he  hath  no  helpe  at  all."  &c. 

From  this  fhort  analyfis  it  may  be  obferved,  that 
<£bcrp  iTBan  is  a  grave  folemn  piece,  not  without  fome 
rude  attempts  to  excite  terror  and  pity,  and  therefore 
may  not  improperly  be  referred  to  the  clafs  of  tragedy. 
It  is  remarkable  that  in  this  old  fimple  drama  the  fable 
is  condu&ed  upon  the  ftri&eft  model  of  the  Greek  tra- 
gedy. The  a&ion  is  fimply  one,  the  time  of  aftion  is 
that  of  the  performance,  the  fcene  is  never  changed, 
iior  the  ftage  ever  empty.  EVERY-MAN,  the  hero  of 
the  piece,  after  his  firft  appearance  never  withdraws, 
except  when  he  goes  out  to  receive  the  facraments, 
which  could  not  well  be  exhibited  in  public  ;  and 
during  his  abfence  KNOWLEDGE  defcants  on  the  excel- 
lence and  power  of  the  priefthood,  fomewhat  after  the 
manner  of  the  Greek  chorus.  And  indeed,  except  in 
the  circumftance  of  Every- man's  expiring  on  the  ftage, 
the  Sampfon  Agoniftes  of  Milton  is  hardly  formed  on 
a.  feverer  plan  *. 

The  other  play  is  intitled  Ipicfe.-^conJCt  (b),  and 
bears  no  diftant  refemblance  to  comedy  :  its  chief  aim 
feems  to  be  to  exhibit  characters  and  manners,  its  plot 
being  much  lefs  regular  than  the  foregoing.  The  pro- 
logue is  fpoken  by  PITY  reprefented  under  the  cha- 
rafter  of  an  aged  pilgrim,  he  is  joined  by  CONTEMPLA- 
CYON  and  PERSEVERANCE, 'two  holy  men,  who,  after 
lamenting  the  degeneracy  of  the  age,  declare  their 
refolution  of  Hemming  the  torrent.  Pity  then  is  left 
upon  the  ftage,  and  prefently  found  by  FREWYLL,  re- 
prefenting  a  lewd  debauchee,  who>  with  his  diflblute 
companion  IMAGINACION,  relate  their  manner  of  life, 
and  cot  without  humour  defcribe  the  flews  and  other 

places 

*  Seemore  of  EVERY  MAW,  in  vol.  II.  Pref.  to  B.  II.    Note. 

(t)  <Smprrmte&  bt?  mt  JDionfcjin  lie  JDcrbe,  no  date;  in  410, 

fc!.  Let.  This  pLy  has  alfo  been  reprinted  by  Mr.  HAWKINS  in  hi* 
"  Origin  of  the  Englifh  Drama."   Vol.  I.  p.  69. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.     133 

peaces  of  bafe  refort.  They  are  prefently  joined  by 
HICK-SCORNER,  who  is  drawn  as  a  libercine  returned 
from  travel,  and  agreeably  to  his  name  feoffs  at  reli- 
gion. Thefe  three  are  defcribed  as  extremely  viciou?, 
who  glory  in  every  aft  of  wickednefs :  at  length  two  of 
them  quarrel,  and  PITY  endeavours  to  part  the  fray  ; 
on  this  they  fall  upon  him,  put  him  in  the  flocks,  and 
there  leave  him.  Pity  then  defcants  in  a  kind  of  lyric 
meafure  on  the  profligacy  of  the  age,  and  in  this  fitua- 
tion  is  found  by  Perieverance  and  Conternplacion,  who 
fet  him  at  liberty,  and  advife  him  to  go  in  fearch  of 
the  delinquents.  As  foon  as  he  is  gone,  Frewill  ap- 
pears again  ;  and,  after  relating  in  a  very  comic  man- 
ner fome  of  Hs  rogueries  and  efcapes  from  juftice,  is 
rebuked  by  the  two  holy  men,  who,  after  a  long  alter- 
cation, at  length  convert  him  and  his  libertine  com- 
panion Imaginacion  from  their  vicious  courfe  of  life  : 
and  then  the  play  ends  with  a  few  verfes  from  Perfeve- 
rance  by  way  of  epilogue.  This  and  every  Morality  I 
have  feen  conclude  with  a  folemn  prayer.  They  are 
all  of  them  in  rhyme;  in  a  kind  of  loofe  ftanza,  inter- 
mixed with  diflichs. 

It  would  be  needlefs  to  point  out  the  ubfurdities  in 
the  plan  and  conduA  of  the  foregoing  play  :  they  are 
evidently  great.  It  is  fufficient  to  ohferve,  thar,  bat- 
ing the  moral  and  religious  reflection  of  PITY,  tffr.  the 
piece  is  of  a  comic  cart,  and  contains  a  humorous 
dilplay  of  fome  of  the  vices  of  the  age.  Indeed  the 
'  author  has  generally  been  fo  little  attentive  to  the  al- 
legory, that  we  need  only  fubititute  other  names  to  his 
perfonages,  and  we  have  real  characters  and  living 
manners. 

We  fee  then  that  the  writers  of  thefe  Moralities  were 
upon  the  very  threfhold  of  real  Tragedy  an-1  Comedy  ; 
and  therefore  we  are  not  to  wonder  that  Tragedies  and 
Comedies  in  form  foon  after  took  place,  efpecially  as 
the  revival  of  learning  about  this  time  brought  them 
acquainted  with  the  Roman  and  Grecian  models. 

K  3  II.  AT 


I34       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

II.  AT  what  period  of  time  the  Myfteries  and  Moralities 
had  their  nfe,  it  is  difficult  to  difcover.  Holy  plays  re- 
prefenting  the  miracles  and  fufferings  of  the  faints  ap- 
pear to  have  been  no  novelty  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II. 
and  a  lighter  fort  of  interludes  \yere  not  then  un- 
known (i).  In  Chaucer's  Time  "  Plays  of  Miracles" 
in  lent  were  the  common  refort  of  idle  goffips  (k).  To- 
wardr  the  Litter  e.id  of  Henry  the  Vllth's  rei»n  Mo- 
ralities were  fo  common,  that  John  Raftel,  brother-in- 
law  to  Sir  'j .  horn  as  More,  conceived  a  defign  of  mak- 
ing them  the  vehicle  of  fcimct:  and  natural  philofophy. 
"With  this  view  he  publifhed  '  <£.  3,  neto  interlude  anD  A 
nterp  of  t^c  nature  of  tf)t  i;U  dements  teckr.'.'nge  man? 
prefer  points  of  yty'ltfofflp  natnrnH,  ann  of  BpSeviS  fir&ungfe 
iannpjs,  ;  1}.  &c.  It  is  obfcmible  that  the  poet  fpeaks  of 
the  ciifcovery  of  America  as  then  recent; 

"  Within  this  xx  yere 

"  Weflwarde  be  founde  new  landes 

*'  That  we  never  hilrde  tell  of  before  this,"  &c. 

The  Weft  Indies  were  discovered  by  Columbus  in 
1492,  which  fixes  the  writing  of  this  play  to  about 

1510. 

(':)  See  Fitz-ftephens's  defcripti^n  of  London,  preferred  by  Stow, 
/  pr»  [pefiacu/is  tbfatratibits,  prt  lud'ts  jcenids,  ludos  babct 
far.cn. r-s,  re-prefefitaticw  rpira'culorum,  &c.  fie  is  thought  to  have 
vriticn  in  the  R.  of  Fen.  II.  and  to  have  died  in  that  of  .Rich.  I. 
It  is  true  at  the  end  of  his  book  we  find  mentioned  Henricum  regent 
ttrtium ;  but  this  is  doubtlefs  Henry  the  Second's  fon,  who  was 
crowned  during  the  life  cf  his  father,  in  1170,  and  is  generally  dif- 
tinguiflied  as  Rex  ju-vcnh,  Rcxflius,  and  fomelimes  they  were  jointly 
named  Reges  An^liae.  From  a  pahage  in  his  Chap.  DC  Religlonf,  it 
ftould  feem  that'the  body  of  St.  Thomas  Becket  was  juft  then  a  new 
acquifition  10  the  church  of  OaRtxrl>»ry. 

(k)  See  Prolosue  to  Wife  of  Bath's  Tale,  v.  338.  Urry's  edit. 

(i)  Mr.  Carnck  has  an  :rppcrleft  copy,  Old  Plays,  i.  vol  3.)  The 
Dramaiis  |Pe;-fonz  are,  "  4t.  The  Mcfiengere  [or  Prologue]  Nature 
"  naturate;  Humanyte.  Stuclyous  Defire.  Senfuall  Appetyte.  The 
"  Tavcrner.  Experyencc,  Ygnoraunce,  (Alfo  yf  ye  lyfte  ye  may 

«  brynge 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      135 


1510.  The  play  of  $kfc--  ^corner  was  probably  fome- 
what  more  ancient,  as  he  mil  more  imperfectly  alltuies 
to  the  American  difcoveries,  under  the  name  of  "  the 
Newe  fouride  Ilbhd'e,"  fign.  A.  vij. 

It  appears  from  the  play  ot  The  Four  Element?,  that 
Interludes  were  then  very  comrrion  :  The  proTeition  of 
PLAYI-R  Was  no  lefs  common  ;  for  in  an  old  fntirs  in- 
titled  Cccft  Hcrcflcif  *2?etc  \  >")  the  author  enumerates  all 
the  molt  common  trades  or  callings,  as  "  Carpentersi 
Coopers,  Joyncrs,  &c.  and  among  others,  PLAYERS, 
tho'  it  mult  be  acknowledged  he  has  placed  them  in  no 
very  reputable  company. 

"  PLAYERS,  purfe-cutters,  moncy-batterers, 

"  Golde-walhers,  tomblers,  jogelers, 

"  Pardoners,  &c."  Sign.  B.  vj. 

It  is  obfervable  that  in  the  old  Moralities  of  Hick 
Scorner,  Every-man,  &c.  there  is  no  kind  or"  fta&e  di- 
rection for  the  exits  and  entrances  of  the  perfoiidgbs,  ' 
no  divifion  of  afts  and  fcenes.  But  itt  the  rnoral  in- 
terlude of  Buftp  Jirhentti^  (n),  written  under  Edw.  V). 
the  exits  and  entrances  begin  to  be  noted  in  the  mar- 
gin (o)  :  at  length  in  Q^  Elizabeth's  reign  Moralities 
K  4  appeared 

"  hryngc  in  a  dyfeyfynge.)"  Afterwards  follows  a  table  of  the  mat- 
ters handled  in  the  interlude.  Among  which  arc  "  £.  Ot"  cer- 
"  teyn  concluftpns  prouvynge  ths  ycrche  muftnedes  lu  rujoili-',  and 
"  that  it  hengyth  in  the  myJdcs  of  'the  fyrmament,  and  that  yt  is  in 
"  circumference  above  xxiM.  myie."—  -  "  &.  Of  cort»yn.-  points 
"  Of  cofm»gTap!iye  —  and  of  dyvers  ftraunge  regyons,—  and  c  t 
"  founds  landys  and  the  maner  of  the  people."  This  part  i.  c.c- 
"  tremely  curious,  as  it  (hows  what  notions  w>r^  entertained  of  the 
new  American  difcoveries  by  our  own  countrymen. 

(m)  Pr.  attheSunin  Fkct-fir.  by  W.  deWord'e,  no  djte^bl.  I.4'.J. 

(n)  Dtfcribed  in  vol.  i.   I1  to  Rook  3l.     The  Dru- 

foiiz  of  this  pii.ce    arc,  <;  C.    Moil'e'Djcr.   Lufty   Juvent1. 
Coimfaill.     Knowledge.     Sathan  the  devyll.     Hypotrifie.     Fello-.v- 
ihip.    Abomin.ib!i--lyving  [an  Harlot.]  CoJ's-mrrcilul-i-romifcs." 

(i)  I  have  alfo  difcov  L'.i.at;  aiiJ  Ir.traa  in  uhc  very 

fid  Interlude  of  tilt  ^O 


136      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

appeared  formally  divided  into  a&s  and  fcenes,  with  a 
regular  prologue,  &c.  One  of  thefe  is  reprinted  by 
Dodfley. 

In  the  time  of  Hen.   VIII.    one    or   two  dramatic 
pieces  had  been  publifhed  under  the  claiTica1  o  of 

Comedy  and  Tragedy  (p),  but  they  appe.tr  not  .iave 
been  intended  for  popular  ufe  :  it  was  not  till  ihe  re- 
ligious ferments  had  fubfided  that  the  public  h  .  lei- 
fure  to  attend  to  dramatic  poetry.  In  the  reign  of  EHz. 
Tragedies  and  Comedies  began  to  appear  in  form, 
and  could  the  oo^  have  perfevered,  the  firft  models 
were  good.  dSortobuc,  a  regular  tragedy,  was  a&ed  in. 
1561  (q);  and  Gafcoigne,  :n  i$6fi,  exhibited  3Iocajra, 
a  tranflation  from  Euripides,  as  alfo  (Cfje  gmppofetf,  a 
regular  comedy,  from  Ariofto:  near  thirty  years  before 
any  of  Shakefpeare's  were  printed. 

The  people  however  ftill  retained  a  relifli  for  their 
old  Myfteries  and  Moralities  (rj,  and  the  popular  dra- 
matic poets  feem  to  have  made  them  their  models. 
The  graver  fort  of  Moralities  appear  to  have  given 
birth  to  our  modern  TRAGEDY  ;  as  our  COMEDY  evi- 
dently took  its  rife  from  the  lighter  interludes  of  that 
kind.  And  as  moft  of  thefe  pieces  contain  an  abfurd 
mixture  of  religion  and  buffoonery,  an  eminent  critic 
(t)  has  well  deduced  from  thence  the  origin  of  our  un- 
natural 

(p)  Bp.  Bale  had  applied  the  name  of  Tragedy  to  his  Myftery  of 
4&0ti£  $romife#,  in  1538.  In  T<;40  John  Palfgrave,  B.  D.  had  re- 
publiflied  a  Latin  comedy,  called  ?Cc0(aftU!>,  with  an  Englifh  verfion. 
Holingfhed  tells  us,  (vol.  3.  p.  850.)  that  fo  early  as  1520,  the  king 
bad  "  a  goodlie  comedie  of  Plautus  plaied"  before  him  at  Green- 
wich ;  but  this  was  in  Latin,  as  Mr.  FARMER  informs  us  in  his  late 
curious  "  Efiay  on  the  Learning  of  Shakefpeare."  8vo.  p.  31. 

(q)  See  Ames,  p.  316. This  play  appears  to  have  been  firft 

printed  under  the  name  of  45otBobUC ;  then  under  that  of  %tttt£ 
8«b  i&CrrejC,  in  1569;  and  again,  under  4&Orf)OtlUC,  1590.—— 
Ames  calls  the  firft  edit.  Quarto  ;  Langbaine,  Odtavo  j  and  Tanner, 
xzmo. 

(r)  The  general  reception  the  old  Moralities  had  upon  the  ftage, 
will  accoant  for  the  fondnefs  of  all  our  firft  poets  for  allegory.  Sub- 
jefts  of  this  kind  were  familiar  to  every  body. 

(sj  Bp.  Warburt.  Shakefp.  vol.  5, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      i37 

natural  TRAGI-COMEDIES.  Even  after  the  people  had 
been  accuftomed  to  Tragedies  and  Comedies,  Morali- 
ties Hill  kept  their  ground  :  one  of  them  intitled  (£ijt 
J^ettJ  Cuftcm  (t)  was  printed  fo  late  as  1573  :  at  length 
tncy  ailumed  the  name  of  MASQUES  (u  ',  and  with 
fome  claffical  improvements,  became  in  the  two  fol- 
lowing reigns  the  favourite  entertainments  of  the  court. 
As  for  the  old  Myfteries,  which  ceafed  to  be  afted 
after  the  Reformation,  they  feem  to  have  given  rife  to 
a  third  fpecies  of  ftage  exhibition,  which,  though  new 
confounded  with  Tragedy  or  Comedy,  were  by  our 
firft  dramatic  writers  confidered  as  quite  diftinit  front 
them  both  :  thefe  were  Hiitorical  Plays,  or  HISTORIES, 
a  fpecies  of  dramatic  writing,  which  refembled  the 
old  Myfteries  in  reprefenting  a  feriesof  hiftorical  events 
fimply  in  the  order  of  time  in  which  they  happened, 
without  any  regard  to  the  three  great  unities.  Thefe 
pieces  feem  to  differ  from  Tragedy,  juft  as  much  as 
Hiftorical  poems  do  from  Epic  :  as  the  Pharfalia  docs 
from  the  JEne\d.  What  might  contribute  to  make 
dramatic  poetry  take  this  turn  was  this ;  foon  after  the 
Myfteries  ceafed  to  be  exhibited,  there  was  published  a 
large  collection  of  poetical  narratives,  called  fffje  XSiK- 
rour  for  Jjlaflitfrate^  (<w),  wherein  a  great  number  of 
the  moft  eminent  characters  in  Englilh  hiftory  are  drawn 
relating  their  own  misfortunes.  This  book  was  popu- 
lar and  of  a  dramatic  call,  and  therefore,  as  an  elegant 
writer  (x)  has  well'obferved,'  might  have  its  influence 
in  producing  Hiftoric  Plays.  Thefe  narratives  proba- 
bly furnifhed  the  fubje&s,  and  the  ancient  Myfteries 
fuggelted  the  plan. 

That 

(t)  Reprinted  among  Dodfley's  Old  Plays,  vol.  1. 

(u)  In  Com*  of  thefe  appeared  chara&ers  full  as  extraordinary  as  in 
any  of  the  old  Moralities.  In  Ben  Jonfon's  Mafque  of  4T{)nftm*jJ 
1616,  one  of  the  perfonagrs  is  MINCED  PYI. 

(TV)  The  firft  part  of  which  was  printed  in  1559. 

(x)  Catal.  of  Royal  and  Noble  authors,  voi  i.  p.  166,  7. 


138     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

That  our  old  writers  conHdered  Hiftorical  Plays  as 
fomewhat  difHn&  from  Tragedy  and  Comedy,  appears 
from  numberlefs  paffages  of  their  works.  "  Of  late 
"  days,  fays  Stow,  inftead  of  thofe  ftage-playes  (y) 
"  have  been  ufed  Comedies,  Tragedies,  Enterludes, 
"  and  HISTORIES  both  true  and  fained."  Survey  of 
London  (%,). — Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  in  the  prologue 
to  <£Jje  CajJtajn,  fay, 

"  This  is  nor  Comedy,  nor  Tragedy, 
"  Nor  HISTOR.T." 

• 

Polonius  in  Camlet  commends  the  aftors,  as  the  beft 
in  the  world  "  either  for  Tragedie,  Comedie,  His- 
"  TORIE,  Paflorall,"  &c.  And  Shakefpeare's  friends, 
Heminge  and  Condell,  in  the  firft  folio  edit,  of  his 
flays,  in  1623,  have  not  only  intitled  their  book 
"  Mr.  Willism  Sh  kefpeare's  Comedies,  HISTORIES, 
"  and  Tragedies  :"  bat  in  their  Table  of  Contents 
have  arranged  them  under  thofe  three  feveral  heads  ; 
placing  in  the  clafs  of  HISTORIES,  "  £.  John,  Richard 

II.  Henry  IV.  2  pts.  Henry  V.  Henry  VI.  3  pts.  Richard 

III.  and  Henry  VIII." 

This  diiUr.ftion  deferves  the  attention  of  the  critics  : 
for  if  it  be  the  fiat  canon  of  [bund  criticifm  to  exa- 
mine any  work  by  thofe  rules  the  author  prefcribed  For 
his  obfervance,  then  we  oupht  not  to  try  Shakefpeare's 
HISTORIES  by  the  general  laws  of  Tragedy  or  Co- 
jhedy.  \Vhcther  the  rule  itfelf  be  vicious  or  not,  is  an- 
other inquiry  :  bat  certainly  we  ought  to  examine  a 
work  only  by  thofe  principles  according  to  which  it 
was  compofed.  This  would  fave  a  deal  of  impertinent 
criticifm. 

III.  WE  have  now  brought  the  inquiry  as  lovt  as  was 
intended,  but  cannot  quit  it,  without  entering  into  a 

fhort 

(y)  The  Creation  fff  the  "World,  afted  at  Skinners-well,  in  1409. 
(z)  See  Mr.  Warton's  Obfervatiojis,  vol.  2.  p.  109. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      139 

fhort  defcription  of  what  one  may  call  the  ceconomy  of 
the  ancient  EngHih  ftage. 

Such  was  the  fondnefs  of  our  forefathers  for  drama- 
tic entertainmfcnts,  that  not  fewer  than  NINETEE'I* 
Playhoufes  had  been  opened  before  the  year  1633, 
when  Prynne  publifhed  his  Hiftriomaftix  (a).  From 
this  writer  it  mould  feem  that  "  tobacco,  wine,  and 
"  beer  (b)"  were  in  thofe  days  the  ufual  accommoda- 
tions in  the  theatre  as  now  at  Sadlers  Wells. 

With  regard  to  the  players  themfelves,  the  feveral 
companies  were  retainers,  or  menial  fervants  to  parti- 
cular rtoblemen  (c),  who  protected  them  in  the  exercife 

of 

(a)  He  fpeaks  in  p.  492.  of  the  play-houfes  in  Bifliopfgate-ftreet, 
and  on  Ludjate-hill,  which  are  not  among  the  SEVENTEEN  enu- 
merated in  the  Preface  to  Dodfley's  Old  Plays. 

( b)  So,  I  think,  \ve  may  infer  from  the  following  pafiage,  viz. 
"  How  many  are  there,  who  according  to  their   feveral   qualities} 
"  fpcnd  zd.   jd.  4  d.  6  d.  I2d.   i8d.  2S.  and  fometimes  45.  or  51. 
"  at  a  play-houfe,  day   by  day,  if   coach-hire,    boat-hire,  tobacco, 
"  wine,"  beere,  and  fuch  like  vaine  expcnces,  which  playes  doe  ufu- 
"  ally  occafion,  be  caft  into  the  reckoning  ?"     Prynne's  Hiftriom. 
p.   -522. 

But  that  Tobacco  was  fmoked  in  the  play-honfcs,  appears  from 
Taylor  the  Water-poet,  in  his  Procftimation  for  Tobacco's  Propaga- 
tion. "  Let  PLAY-HOUSES,  drinking-fchools,  taverns,  Sec,  be  coa- 
"  tinually  haunted  with  the  contaminous  vapours  of  it ;  nay  (if  it 
'•  be  j-oflible)  bring  it  into  the  CHURCHES,  and  there  choak  up 
"  their  preachers."  (Works,  p.  253.)  And  this  was  really  the  cafe 
at  Cambridge:  James  I.  fent  a  letter  in  1607,  againft  "  taking  To- 
"  bacco"  in  St.  Mary's.  So  I  learn  from  my  friend  Mr.  FARMER. 

A  genr.  has  informed  me,  that  once  going  into  a  church  in  Hol- 
land, he  faw  the  male  part  of  the  audience  fitting  with  their  hats  qn, 
fmoking  tobacco,  while  the  preacher  was  holding  forth  in  his  Morn- 
ing-gown. 

(e)  See  the  Pref.  to  Dodfley's  Old  Plays. The  author  of  an 

old  Invective  againft  the  Stage,  called  A  third  Blaft  .of  Retrait  from 
Plaies,  Sec.  1580.  I2mo.  fays,  "Alas  !  that  private  affection  fhould 
"  fo  raigne  in  the  nobilitie,  that  to  plcafure  their  fervants,  and  to 
"  upholde  them  in  their  vanitye,  they  fhould  reftraine  the  magiftrate* 
"  from  executing  their  office  !  . .  .  They  [the  nobility]  are  thought  to 
"  be  covetous  by  permitting  their  fervants  , . .  to  live^at  the  devotion 


S4o     ANCIENT     POEM  S. 

of  their  profeffion  :  and  many  of  them  were  occafion- 
ally  ftrollers,  that  travelled  from  one  gentleman's  houfe 
to  another.  Yet  fo  much  were  they  encouraged,  that, 
notwithflanding  their  multitude,  fome  of  them  acquir- 
ed large  fortunes.  Edward  Allen,  mailer  of  the  play- 
houfe  called  the  Globe,  who  founded  Dulwich  college, 
is  a  known  inftance.  And  an  old  writer  fpeaks  of  the 
very  inferior  aftors,  whom  he  calls  the  Hirelings,  as 
living  in  a  degree  of  fplendor,  which  was  thought  enor- 
mous in  that  frugal  age  (d). 

At  the  fame  time  the  ancient  prices  of  admiffion 
were  often  very  low.  Some  houfes  had  penny-benches. 
(e)  The  "  two-penny  gallery"  is  mentioned  in  the  pro- 
logue to  Beaumont  and  Fletcher's  Woman-Hater. 

And 


"  or  almes  of  other  men,  paffing  from  countrie  to  countrie,  from  one 
'•'  gentleman's  houfe  to  another,  offering  their  fervice,  which  is  \ 
"  kind  of  beggene.  Who  indeede,  to  fpeake  more  ttulie,  are  be- 
"  come  beggeis  for  their  fervants.  For  comonlie  the  good-wil  men 
"  beare  to  their  Lordes  make  them  draw  the  ftringes  of  their  purfes 
"  to  extend  their  liberalise."  Vid.  pag.  75,  76,  &c. 

(d)  Stephen  Goflbn  in  his  Schoole  of  Abufe,  1579.  izmo,  fo.  23. 
fays  thus  of  what  he  terms  in  his  margin  PLAYERS-MEN  :  "Over 
"  lafhing  in  apparel  is  fo  common  a  fault,  that  the  very  hyerlings 
"  of  fome  of  our  Players,  which  ftand  at  revirfion  of  vi.  s.  by  the 
"  week,  jet  under  gentlemens  nofes  in  futis  of  filke,  exercifing  them- 
"  felvcs   to  prating  on  the  flage,  and  common  fcoffing  wlun  they 
"  come  abrode,  where  they  look  alkance  over  the  fhoulder  at  every 
"  mm, of  whom  the  SUNDAY  before  they  begged  an  almes.  I  fpeake 
"  not  this,  as  though  everye  one  that  profeffe<h  the  qualitie  fo  abufed 
"  hitnfelfe,  for  it    is  well  knowen,  that  fome  of  them  are  fober,' 
**  difcreete,  properly  learned,  honeft  houfholdcrs  and  citizens,  well- 
"  thought  on  among  their  neighbours  at  home."  [he  feems  to  mean 
En-.v.  ALLEN  abovementioned  |  "though  the   pryxle  of  their  flia- 
"  tlowes  (I  means  thofe  hangbyes,  whom  they  fuccour  with  ftipend) 
"  caufe  them  to  be  fomewhat  il-talked  of  abroad." 

(e)  So  a  MS.  of  Oldys,  from  Tom  Nafh,  an  old  pamphlet-writer. 
And  this  is  confirmed  by  Taylor  the  Water- poet,  in  his  Praife  of 
Jeggerie.  (p.  99.) 


"  Yet  have  I  feen  a  begger  with  his  many,  [fc.  vermii 
-"  Come  at  a  Play-houi'e,  all  in  for  one  penny." 


A  N  C  I  E  N  T     P  O  E  M  S.      141 

And  feats  of  three -pence  and  a  gro.it  feem  to  be  ift- 
tended  in  the  pafiage  of  Prynne  above  referred  to. 
Yet  different  houfes  varied  in  their  prices  :  That  play- 
houfe  called  the  HOPE  had  five  feveral  priced  feats 
from  fix-pence  to  half-a-crown  (f).  But  the  general 
price  of  what  is  now  called  the  PIT,  feeras  to  have  been 
a  Hulling  (g). 

The  day  originally  fet  apart  for  theatrical  exhibi- 
tion appears  to  have  been  Sunday  ;  probably  becaufe 
the  firft  dramatic  pieces  were  of  a  religious  caft.  Dur- 
ing a  great  part  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign  the  play- 
houfes  were  only  licenfed  to  be  opened  on  that  day  (b)  : 
But  before  the  end  of  her  reign,  or  foon  after,  this 
abufe  was  probably  removed. 

The 


(f)  Induct,  to  Ben.  Jonfon's  Bartholomew- fair/ 

(g)  Shakefp.  Prol.  to  Hen.  viij. — Eeaum.  and  Fletch.  Pro!,  to 
the  Captain,  and  to  the  Mad-lover.     The  Pi  T  probably  had  its  name 
from  one  of  the  Play-houfes  having  been  a  Cock-pit. 

(b)  So'Stc.  Goflbn,  in  his  Schoole  of  Abufe,  1579,  I2mo.  fpeak- 
ing  of  the  Players,  fays,  "  Theft,  becaufe  they  are  allowed  to  play 
"  crery  Sunday,  make  iiii.  or  v.  Sundayes  at  leaft  every  week."fol. 

24. So  the  author  of  A  Second  and  Third  Blaft  of  Retrait  from 

Plaies,  p.  1580.  izmo.  "  Let  the  magiftrate  but  repel  them  from 

"  the  libertie  of  plaieng  on  the  Sabboth-daie To  plaie  on 

"  the  Sabboth  is  but  a  priviledge  of  fufferance,  and  might  with  eafe 
"  be  repelled,  were  it  thoroughly  followed."  pag.  61,  62.  So  again, 
"  Is  not  the  Sabboth  of  al  other  daies  the  moft  abufed  ?  .  .  .  Where- 
*.*  fore  abufe  not  fo  the  Sabboth-daie,  my  brethren  ;  leave  not  the 

"  temple  of  the  Lord."  "  Thofe  unfaverie  morfels  of  un- 

"  feemelie  fentences  pafling  out  of  the  mouth  of  a  ruffeiilic  pl.iirr, 
"  doth  more  content  the  hungrie  humors  of  the  rude  multitude,  and 
"  carrieth  better  rellifh  in  their  mouthes,  than  the  bread  of  the 
"  worde,  &c."  Vid.  pag.  63.  65.  69.  &c.  1  ilo  not  recollect  th.it 
exclamations  of  this  kind  occur  in  Prynne,  whence  I  conclude  that 
this  enormity  no  longer  fubfifted  in  his  time. 

It  mould  alfo  fccm,  from  the  author  of  the  Third  Blaft  above- 
quoted,  lhat  the  Churches  ftill  o-iitinucd  to  be  ufed  occafionally  for 
theatres.  Thus  in  p.  77.  he  fays,  that  the  Players,  (who,  as  has 
been  obferved,  were  fervants  of  the  nobility)  "  under  tlie  title  of 
"  their  maitters,  or  as  rcteincrs,  sre  privil'-dgcd  to  roave  abroad, 
"  and  permitted  to  publish  their  rr.amctrcc  in  cvtrie  temple  of  God, 
"  and  th-at  throughout  EngLind,  unto  the  horrible  contempt  of 
"  praicr." 


I42     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

The  ufual  time  of  afting  was  early  in  the  afternoon 
(l)t  plays  being  generally  performed  by  day-light  (k). 
All  female  parts  were  performed  by  men,  no  Englifh 
aftrefs  being  ever  feen  on  the  public  ftage  (I)  before  the 
civil  wars.  And  as  for  the  playhoufe  furniture  and  or- 
naments, tho'  fome  houfes  were  probably  more  deco- 
rated than  others,  yet  in  general  '*  they  had  no  other 
"  fcenes  nor  decorations  of  the  ftage,  but  only  old 
"  tapeftry,  and  the  ftage  ftrewed  with  ruihes,  with 
"  habits  accordingly  (m)  :"  as  we  nre  allured  in  a  fhort 
difcourfe  on  the  Englifh  ftage,  fubjoin^d  to  Flecknoe's 
LOVE'S  KINGDOM,  1674.  izmo. 


SOME    ADDITIONS    TO    THI    FOREGOING    ESSAY    WILL 
FOUND    AT    THE    END    OF    THIS    VOLUME. 


(I)  "Heeatertaines  us  (fays  Overbury  in  his  character  of  an 
Aftor)  "  in  the  befl  leafure  of  our  life,  that  is,  betweene  meales  ;  the 
"  moft  unfit  time  either  for.  itudy,  or  bodily  exercife." — Even  fo 
late  as  in  the  reign  of  Cha.  II.  Flays  generally  began  at  3  in  the 
afternoon.  (k)  See  Biogr.'Bnt.  I.  117.  n.  D. 

(I)  I  fay  "  no  ENGLISH  Adreis — on  the  PUBLIC  Stage,"  be- 
caufe  Prynne  fpeaks  of  it  as  an  unufual  enormity,  that  "  they  had 
"  French-women  a£tors  in  a  play  not  long  fince  perfonated  in  black- 
"  friars  Playhoufe."  This  was  in  1629.  vid.  p.  215.  And  tho'  fe- 
male parts  "were  performed  by  men  or  boys  on  the  public  ftage,  yet  in 
Mafques  at  Court,  the  Queen  and  her  ladies'made  no  fcruple  to  per- 
form the  principal  parts,  efpecially  in  the  reigns  of  Jam.  1.  und  Cha.  I. 

Sir  William  Davenant,  after  the  reftoration  introduced  womin, 
icenery,  and  higher  prices.  See  Gibber's  Apology  for  his  own  Life. 

(m)  It  appears  from  an  Epigram  of  Tayior  the  Water-poet,  that 
one  of  the  principal  theatres  in  his  time,  viz.  The  Globe  on  the 
Bankfide,  Southwark,  (which  Ben  Jonfon  calls  the  Glory  of  the 
Bank,  and  Fort  of  tke  whole  Parifli,)  had  been  covered  with  thatch 
till  it  was  burnt  down  in  1613. — (See  Taylor's  Sculler.  Epig.  22.  p. 
31.  Jonfon's  Execration  on  Vulcan.) 

Puttenham  tells  us  they  ufed"  Vizards  in  his  time,  "  partly  to 
"  fupply  the  want  of  players,  when  there  were  more  parts  than  there 
«'  were  perfons,  or  that  it  was  not  thought  meet  to  trouble  .... 
"  princes  chambers  with  too  many  folkes."  [Art  of  Eng.  Poef. 
1589.  p.  26.]  From  the  lail  claufe,  it  ihould  fcem  that  they  were 
thiefly  ufed  in  the  MASOJJES  at  Court. 


ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S.         143 


I. 

ADAM  BELL,  CLYM  OF  THE  CLOUGH, 
AND  WILLIAM  OF  CLOUDESLY, 

—<were  three  noted  outlaws,  <whofe  Jkill  in  archery  vtn- 
tiered  them  formerly  a  s  famous  in  the  North  of  England,  as 
Robin  Hood  and  his  fellows  were  in  the  midland  counties. 
Their  place  ofre/tdence  was  in  the  for  eft  of  Engle-ivood,  not 
farfram  Car/i/le,  (called  ccrruptly  in  the  ballad  Englijb- 
wood,  whereas  Engle,  or  Ingle-vjcod,  Jignifies  Wood  for 
firing.)  At  what  time  they  lived  does  not  appear.  The 
author  of  the  common  ballad  on  "  THE  PEDIGREE,  EDU- 

"   (.'ATION,   AND   MARRIAGE,  OF  ROBIN    HOOD,"  tnaltet 

them  contemporary  with  Robin  Hood's  father,  in  order  to 
give  him  th.e  honour  of  beating  them  :  viz. 

The  father  of  ROE  IN  a  Forefter  <vuast 

And  he  jbot  in  a  luftj  l"ng-bow 
Two  north- country  miles  and  an  inch  at  a  Jbot t 

As  the  Pindar  of  wfakefiela  does  know  r 

For  he  Ir ought  Adam  Lett,  and  dim  of  the  dough, 

And  William  a  Clo^dijlee 
Tojhoat  with  cur  For  eft  er  for  forty  mark  ; 

And  our  Fonfttr  beat  them  all  three. 

Collet,  of  Old  Ballads.   1727.   iw/./.  67. 

Thisfeems  to  prove  that  they  were  commonly  thought  to  havt 
lived  before  the  popular  Hero  efSberwced, 

7  Our 


M*        ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Our  northern  archers  were  not  unknown  to  their  fouthern 
enuntrymen,  their  excellence  at  the  kng'iow  is  often  alluded 
to  by  our  ancient  J>oets.  Shakefpeare,  in  his  comedy  bf 
*'  MUCH  adoe  about  nothing,"  AS  \.  makes  Benedicke  con- 
Jirmhis  rcf elves  f  net  yielding  to  loi'e,  &v  this  prote/iat ion, 
*'  If  I  do,  hang  me  in  a  bottle  like  a  cat  *,  and  Jhott  at  me, 
*'  and  he  that  hits  me,  let  him  be  clapt  on  the  Jhoulder  and 
•*  called  ADAM:"  meaning  ADAM  BELL,  as  Theobald 
rightly  ebfer<ves,  *who  refers  to  one  or  two  ether  pajfages  in 
cttr  old  poets  wherein  he  is  mentioned.  The  Oxford  editor 
has  alfo  --well  conjetiured  that  ' '  Abraham  Cupid"  in  Ro- 
meo and  Juliet,  A.  2.  /.  I.  Jhould  be  "  ADAM  Cupid" 
m  allujicn  to  our  archer.  Ben  Jonfon  has  mentioned  CLYM 
o*  THE  CLOUGH  in  his  Alchemiji,  Aft  I.  Jc.  2.  And 
Sir  William  Da*venant,  in  a  mock  poem  of  his,  called''  THE 
"  long  vacation  in  London,^'  defcribes  the  Attorneys  and 
Profiors,  as  mating  matches  to  meet  in  Fin/bury  f  elds. 

"  With  loynes  in  can<vas  boiu-cafe  tyde  f1  .* 
"  Where  arro*wes  jlick  with  mickle  pride  i   ...» 
"  Like  ghoft;  of  ADAM  BELL  axdCLruME. 
'*  Sol  fets  for  fear  tbefljboot  at  him." 

Works, p.  zgi.fol.  1673. 

J  ha<ve  only  to  add  further  concerning  the  principal  Hero 
ef  this  Ballad,  that  the  BELLS  tvere  noted  rogues  in  the 
North  fo  late  as  the  time  of  ^  Elizabeth.  See  in  Rymer's 
Fadtra,  a  letter  from  lord  William  Howard  to  fame  of  the 
officers  ofjlate,  wherein  he  mentions  them. 

As  for  the  following  Jfanzas,  they 'will  be  judged  from 
the  ftj'le,  orthography,  and  numbers,  to  be  'very  ancient  : 
they  are  gi<uen  from  an  old  black  -letter  quarto,  3Iniprinte& 
at  Son&on  in  iotfcburpe  fcg  CDpUgam  Copland  (no  date) : 

corrected 

*  Bottles  formerly  tvere  of  leather;  though  perhaps  a  wooden  bottle 
might  be  here  meant.  It  isjlill  a  di-uerjlon  in  Scotland  to  bang  up  a  cat 
inafmall  cajk  orfrkin,  half  filled  -with  foot :  and  then  a  parcel cfclwifi 
tn  horfeback  try  to  beat  cut  the  ends  of  if,  in  order  to  ftjeiv  tbe'ir  dcxien'.y 
in  tjcapirg  before  the  contents  fall  upon  thim. 

T  i.  e.  Each  <witb  a  tan-vas  fa-w-cajc  tied  round  Hi  Joiv, 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 


145 


corrected  in  fame  places  by  another  copy  in  the  editor's  folio 
MS.  In  that  'volume  this  ballad  is  followed  by  another, 
intithd  YOUNOE  CLOVDESLEE,  being  a  continuation  of 
the  prefent  Jiory,  and  reciting  the  adventures  of  William  of 
Cloudejly 's  fan  :  but  greatly  inferior  to  this  both  in  merit  and 
antiquity. 


PART     t  H  E     FIR 


ME  R  Y  it  was  in  grene  foreft 
Amonge  the  leves  grene, 
Wheras  men  hunt  ealt  and  weft 
Wyth  bowes  and  arrowes  kcne  ; 

To  ryfe  the  dere  out  of  theyr  denne  ;  5 

Suche  flghtes  hath  ofte  bene  fene  ; 
As  by  thre  yemen  of  the  north  country, 

By  them  it  is  I  meane. 

The  one  of  them  hight  Adam  Sel, 

The  other  Clym  of  the  Clough  *,  io 

The  thyrd  was  William  of  Cloudedy* 

An  archer  good  ynough. 

They  were  outlawed  for  venyfon, 

Thefe  yemen  cvcrychone ; 
They  fworc  them  brethren  upon  a  day,  15 

To  Englyfhe  wood  for  to  gone. 
VOL.  T.  L  Now 

*0lyrffnf  the  Clinch,  means  dim.  \CUni.-nt']  of  t! .•  Jj.V.v  :  f  •• 
;.^nif..:,  in  ;<jt  l\v)-d: 


146      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Now  lith  and  lyflen,  gentylmen, 

That  of  myrthe  loveth  to  here  : 
Two  cf  them  were  fingele  men, 

The  third  had  a  wedded  fere.  g® 

Wyllyam  was  the  wedded  man, 

Muche  more  than  was  hys  care  : 
He  fayde  to  hys  brethren  upon  a  day, 

To  Carleil  he  wold  fare  ; 

For  to  fpeke  with  fayre  Alyce  his  wife,  2j 

And  with  hys  children  thre. 
By  my  trouth,  fayde  Adam  Be], 
,,  Not  by  the  counfeil  of  me  : 

For  if,ye  go  to  Carleil,  brother, 

And  from  thys  wylde  wode«wende,  30 

If  the  juftice  may  you  take, 

Your  lyfe  were  at  an  ende. 

If  that  I  come  not  to-morowe,  brother, 

By  pryme  to  you  agayne, 
Trufte  not  els,  but  that  I  am  take,  35 

Or  elie  that  I  am  flayne. 

He  toke  his  leave  of  hys  brethren  two, 

And  to  Carleil  he  is  gon  : 
There  he  knocked  at  his  owne  windowe 

Shortlye  and'anone.  40 

.    Wher 

Vtr.  24.  Cacrlel,  In  PC.  pafjlm. 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       147 

Wher  be  you,  fayre  Alyce  my  \vyfe, 

And  my  chyldren  thre  ? 
Lyghtly  let  in  thyne  owne  hufbande, 

Wyllyam  of  Cloudefla. 

AlaS  !  then  fayde  fayre  Alyce,  ^r 

And  fyghed  wonderous  fore, 
Thys  pbce  hath  ben  befette  for  you 

Thys  halfe  yere  and  more. 

Now  am  I  here,  fayde  Cloudeile, 

I  wold  that  in  I  were  :  50 

Now  fetche  us  meate  and  drynke  ynoughe, 
And  let  us  make  good  chcre. 

She  fetched  hym  meate  and  drynke  plentye, 

Lyke  a  tru?  wedded  vvyfe  ; 
And  pleafed  hym  with  that  {he  had,  55 

Whome  fhe  loved  as  her  lyfe. 

There  lay  an  old  w'yfe  in  that  place, 

A  lytle  befyde  the  fyre, 
Whych  Wyllyam  had  found  of  charytye 

More  than  feven  yere.  60 

Up  (he  rofe,  and  forth  fhe  goes, 

Evel  mote  fhe  fpede  therefoore  ; 
For  fhe  had  not  fet  no  fote  on  ground  , 

In  f<ton  yere  before.       . 

L  2  She 


148      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

She  went  unto  the  jufHce  hall,  65 

As  faft  as  {he  could  hye  : 
Thys  night  is  come  unto  thys  town 

Wyllyam  of  Cloudeflye. 

Thereof  the  juftice  was  full  fayne, 

And  fo  was  the  fhirife  alfo  :  70 

Thou  {halt  not  trauaill  hither,  dame,  for  nought, 

Thy  meed  thou  malt  have  or  thou  go. 

They  gave  to  her  a  ryght  good  goune 

Of  fcarlate,  and  of  graine  : 
She  toke  the  gyft,  and  home  me  wente,  75 

And  couched  her  doune  agayne. 

They  ryfed  the  towne  of  mery  Carleile 

In  all  the  hafte  they  can  ;     r 
And  came  thronging  to  Wyllyames  houfe, 

As  faft  as  they  might  gone.  80 

There  they  befette  that  good  yeman 

About  on  every  fyde  : 
Wyllyam  hearde  great  noyfe  of  folkes, 

That  they  ther- ward  they  hyed. 

Alyce  opened  a  back  wyndovv,  85 

And  loked  all  aboute, 
She  was  ware  cf  the  juftice  and/hirife  bothe* 

Wyth  a  full  great  route. 

Alas! 

7V.  85.  fliop  window.  PC. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      149 

Alas  !  treafon,  cryed  Alyce, 

Ever  wo  may  thou  be  !  90 

Goe  into  my  chamber,  hufband,  fhe  fayd, 

Swete  Wyllyam  of  Cloudefle. 

He  toke  hys  fweard  and  hys  bucler, 

Hys  bow  and  hys  chyldren  thre, 
And  wente  into  hys  ftrongeft  chamber,  g$ 

Where  he  thought  fureft  to  be. 

Fayra  Alyce,  like  a  lover  true, 

Took  a  pollaxe  in  her  hande : 
He  fhal  be  deadc  that  here  comtneth  in 

Thys  dore,  whyle  I  may  (land.  ico 

Cloudefle  bente  a  wel-good  bowe, 

That  was  of  truiiy  tre, 
He  fmot  the  juftife  on  the  breft, 

That  hys  arowe  breft  in  three. 

A  curfe  on  his  harte,  faide  William,  105 

Thys  day  thy  cote  dyd  on  ! 
If  it  had  ben  no  better  then  myne, 

It  had  gone  nere  thy  bone, 

Yeld  the  Cloudefle,  fayd  the  juftife, 

Thy  bowe  and  thy  arrowes  the  fro.  no 

A  curfe  on  hys  hart,  fayd  fair  Alyc* 

That  my  huiband  counoelleth  fo. 

L  3  St 


i5o     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Set  fyre  on  the  houfe,  faide  the  iherife, 

Syth  it  wyll  no  better  be, 
And  brenne  we  therin  William,  he  faide,          115 

Hys  wyfe  and  chyldren  thre. 

They  fyred  the  houfe  in  many  a  place, 

The  fyre  flew  up  on  hye  : 
Alas  !  then  cryed  fay  re  Alice, 

I  fe  we  here  fhall  dy.  129 

William  openyd  a  backe  wyndow, 

That  was  in  hys  chamber  hie, 
And  wyth  fhetes  let  downe  his  wyfe, 

And  eke  hys  chyldren  thre. 

Have  here  my  treafure,  fayde  William,  125 

My  wyfe  and  my  chyldien  thre: 
For  Chriftes  love  do  them  no  harme, 

But  wreke  you  all  on  me. 

Wyllyam  fhot  fo  wonderous  well, 

Tyll  hys  arrowes  were  all  agoe,  ij« 

And  the  fyre  fo  faft  upon  hym  fell, 

That  hys  bowltryng  brent  in  two. 
/ 

The  fparkles  brent  and  fell  upon 

Good  Wyltyam  of  Cloudeilc  : 
Than  wasAe  a  wofull  man,  and  fayde,  135 

Thys  is  a  cowardes  death  to  me. 

Lever 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      151 

Lever  had  I,  fayde  Wyllyam, 
With  my  fvvorde  in  the  route  to  renne, 

Then  here  among  myne  enemyes  wodc 

Thus'cruelly  to  bren.  140 

He  toke  hys  fweard  and  hys  buckler, 

And  among  them  all  he  ran, 
Where  the  people  were  moil  in  prece, 

He  fmot  downe  many  a  man. 

There  myght  no  man  abyde  hys  ftroke,  145 

So  ferfly  on  thetn  he  ran  : 
Then  they  threw  wyndowes,  and  dores  on  him, 

And  fo  toke  that  good  yeman. 

There  they  hym  bounde  both  hand  and  fote, 
And  in  dcpc  dongeon  caft  :  I5e 

Now  Cloudefle,  fayd  the  hye  juftice, 
Thou  fhalt  be  hanged  in  haft. 

A  payre  of  new  gallowes,  fayd  the  fherife, 

Now  fhal  I  for  the  make  ; 
And  the  gates  of  Carleil  fnal  be  fhutte  :  155 

No  man  fhal  come  in  therat. 

\ 

Then  (hall  not  helpe  Clym  of  the  Cloughe, 

Nor  yet  fhal  Adam  Bell, 
Though  they  came  with  a  thoufand  mo, 

Nor  all  the  devels  in  hell.  160 

L  4  Early 


I52      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Early  in  themornynge  the  juftice  uprofe, 

To  the  gates  firll  gan  he  gen, 
And  commaundeth  to  be  fhut  full  clofe 

Lightile  everychone. 

Then  went  he  to  the  markett  place,  165 

As  fait  as  he  coulde  hye  ; 
A  payre  of  new  gallous  there  he  fet  up 

Befyde  the  pyllorye. 

A  lytle  boy  amonge  them  afked, 

"  What  meaneth  that  gallow-tre  ?"  170 

They  fayde  to  hange  a  good  yeaman, 

Called  Wyllyam  of  Cloudefle, 

»  f 

That  lytle  boye  was  the  towne  fwyne-heard, 

And  kept  fayre  Alyces  fwyne*; 
Oft  he  had  feene  Cloudefle  in  the  wodde,         175 

And  geuend  hym  there  to  dyne. 

He  went  out  att  a  crevis  in  the  wall, 
And  lightly  to  the  woode  dyd  gone  ; 

There  met  he  with  thefe  wightye  yemen 

Shortly  and  anone.  180 

Alas  !  then  fayde  that  lytle  boye, 

Ye  tary  here  all  to  longe  ; 
Cloudefle  is  taken,  and  dampned  to  death, 

All  readye  for  to  honge. 

Ver,  179,  yonge  men.  PC. 

.1  Alas  ! 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       ,53 

Alas  !  then  fayd  <*ood  Adam  BJ!!,  »3- 

That  ever  we  r'Ve  thys  daye  ! 
He  had  better  with  us  have  taryed, 

So  ofce  as  we  dyd  hyra  praye. 

He  myght  have  dwellyd  in  grene  forelle, 

Under  the  fhadowes  grene,  .       iya 

And  have  kepte  both  hym  and  us  in  reftc, 
Out  of  trouble  and  teene. 

Adam  bent  a  ryght  good  bow, 

A  great  hart  fone  had  he  flayne  : 
Take  that,  chylde,  he  fayde,  to  thy  dynner,    195 

And  bryng  me  myne  arrowe  agayne. 

Now  go  we  hence,  fayed  thefe  wightye  yeom-n, 

Tary  we  rfo  lenger  here  ; 
We  (hall  hym  borowe  by  God  his  grace. 

Though  we  bye  it  full  dere.  200 

To  Caerleil  wente  thefe  good  yetnen^ 

In  a  mery  mornyng  of  maye. 
Here  is  a  FYT  f  of  Cloudeilye, 

And  another  is  for  tp  faye. 

PART 


Ver,  190.  fliadowes  Ihecne,  PC,     Vtr.  197.  wight  yonj  men.  PC. 
t  See  Glof. 


A'NCIENT      POEMS. 

PART     THE    SECOND. 

AND  when  they  came  to  mery  Carleil, 
All  in  the  mornyng  tyde, 
They  founde  the  gates  fhut  them  untyll 
About  on  tvery  fyde. 

Alas !  then  fayd  good  Adam  Bell,  5 

That  ever  wt  were  made  men  ! 
Thefe  gates  be  fhut  fo  wonderous  wel, 

\Ve  may  not  come  here  in. 

Then  befpake  '  him'  Clym  of  the  Clough, 

Wyth  a  wyle  we  wyl  us  in  bryng  ;  10 

JjCt  us  faye  we  be  meffengers, 

Streyght  come  nowe  from  our  king. 

Adam  faid,  I  have  a  letter  written, 

Now  let  us  wyfely  werke, 
We  wyl  faye  we  have  the  kynges  feales  j  15 

I  holde  the  porter  no  clerke. 

Then  Adam  Eell  bete  on  the  gate 

With  ftrokes  great  and  ftrong  : 
The  porter  herde  fuche  noyfe  therat, 

And  to  the  gate  he  throng.  20 

Who  is  there  r.ov/e,  fayde  the  porter, 
That  maketh  all  thys  dinna? 

We 


ANCIENT      POEMS.      155 

We  be  tow  meffengers,  fayde  dim  of  the  Clough, 
Be  come  ryght  from  our  kyng. 

We  have  a  letter,  fayde  Adam  Bel,  25 

To  the  juflice  we  muft  it  bryng  ; 
Let  us  in  cur  meflage  to  do, 

That  we  were  agayne  to  the  kyng. 

Here  commeth  none  in,  fayd  the  porter, 

Be  hym  that  dyed  on  a  tre,  30 

Tyll  a  falfe  thefe  he  hanged  up, 
Called  Wyllyam  of  Cloudefle. 

Then  fpake  the  good  yeman  Clym  of  the  Clough, 

And  fwore  by  Mary  fre, 
And  if  that  we  ilande  long  wythout,  35 

Lyk  a  thefe  honge  thou  malt  be. 

Lo  !  here  we  have  the  kynges  feale  : 

What,  Lurden,  art  thou  wode  ? 
The  porter  went  f  it  had  ben  fo, 

And  lyghtly  dyd  off  hys  hode.  40. 

Welcome  be  my  lordes  feale,  he  faide  ; 

For  that  ye  (hall  come  in. 
He  opened  the  gate  full  fhortlye  ; 
-  An  euyl  openyng  for  him. 

Now 


/',;•.  38.  Lordeyne.  PC.  f  i.  t.  voeeneJ.  -  Cafai 

Rouen  was  tak,r.fro;n  the  Er*!>JI)  ky  Jbi-M;**  tie  ?wern".r,  iilo  i 
i.,t  nail,  a  litter  with  tL:  k'u^sjeji,  ivhicb  \vas  <ttl  be  hiked  at. 


I55     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Now  are  we  in,  fayde  Adam  Bell,  4.5 

Therof  we  are  full  faine  ; 
But  Chrift  he  knowes,  that  harowed  hell, 

How  we  fhall  com  out  agayne. 

Had  we  the  keys,  faid  Clim  of  the  Clough, 

Ryght  wel  then  fhculde  we  fpede,  5» 

Then  might  we  come  out  wel  ynough 
When  we  fe  tyme  and  nede. 

They  called  the  porter  to  counfell, 

And  wrange  hys  necke  in  two, 
And  call  hym  in  a  depe  dongeon,  55 

And  toke  hys  keys  hym  fro, 

Now  am  I  porter,  fayd  Adam  Bel, 

Se  brother  the  keys  are  here, 
The  worft  porter  to  merry  Carleile 

The  have  had  thys  hundred  yere.  60 

And  now  wyll  we  our  bowes  bend, 

Into  the  towne  wyll  we  go, 
For  to  delyuer  our  dere  brother, 

That  lyeth  in  care  and  wo. 

Then  they  bent  theyr  good  ewe  bowes,  65 

And  loked  theyr  ilringes  were  round  *, 

The 

*  So  Ajcbam  in  bis  Toxrif-bilus  g'lvet  a  precept ;  "  The  Stringe  vtuft 
"  be  rounJe  .•"  (p.  149.  Ed.  lj6i.J  otberiuife,  lue  may  conclude  front 
Keifji:nica/ principles,  the  Arrow  -will  notfy  true. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.        157 

The  markett  place  in  mcry  Carleile 
They  befet  that  Itound. 

And,  as  they  loked  them  befyde, 

A  paire  of  new  gaiowes  thei  fee,  70 

And  the  juftice  with  a  queft  of  fquyers, 

Had  judged  thcyr  fere  to  de. 

And  Cioudefle  hymfelfe  Jay  in  a  carte, 

Faft  bound  both  fote  and  hand  ; 
And  a  ftronge  rop  about  hys  necke,  j-j 

All  readye  for  to  har.ge. 

The  juftice  called  to  him  a  ladde," 

Cloudefles  clothes  fhould  he  have, 
To  take  the  meafure  of  that  yenian, 

Therafter  to  make  hys  grave.  J?d 

I  have  fene  as  great  merraile,  faid  Cioudefle, 

As  betweyne  thys  and  pryme, 
He  that  maketh  thys  grave  for  me 

Hymfelfe  may  lye  therin. 

Thou  fpeakeft  proudli,  faid  the  juftice,  85 

I  (hall  the  hange  with  my  hande. 
Full  wel  herd  this  his  brethren  two, 

There  llyll  as  they  dyd  ilande. 

Then  Cioudefle  caft  his  eyen  afyde, 
And  faw  hys  brethren  twaine  90 

At 


158      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

At  a  corner  of  the  market  place^ 
Redy  the  juftice  for  to  flaine. 

I  fe  comfort,  fayd  Cloudefle, 

Yet  hope  I  well  to  fare, 
If  I  might  have  my  handes  at  wyll  9- 

Ryght  lytle  wolde  I  care. 

Then  befpake  good  Adam  Bell 

To  Clym  of  the  Clough  fo  free, 
Brother,  fe  ye  marke  the  juftyce  wel  j 
'   Lo  !  yonder  ye  may  him  fe  :  joo 

And  at  the  fhyrife  fhote  I  wyll 

Strongly  wyth  arrowe  kene  ; 
A  better  fhote  in  mery  Carleile 

Thys  feven  yere  was  not  fene. 

They  loofed  their  arrowes  both  at  once,  105 

Of  no  man  had  the  dread  ; 
The  one  hyt  the  juftice,  the  other  the  fheryfe, 

That  both  theyr  fides  gan  blede. 

All  men  voyded,  that  them  ftode  nye, 

When  the  juftice  fell  to  thegrounde,  no 

And  the  /herife  fell  hym  by  ; 
Eyther  had  his  dcathes  wounde. 

All 


Vtr.  105.  lowfed  thr«.  PC.         "         Vtr,  108,  'can  bled.  MS. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      159 

All  the  citezens  faft  gan  flye, 

They  durft  no  lenger  abyde : 
There  lyghtly  they  loofed  Cloudefle,  115 

Where  he  with  ropes  lay  tyde. 

Wyllyam  fterte  to  an  officer  of  the  towne, 

Hys  axe  fro  hys  hand  he  wronge, 
On  eche  fyde  he  fmote  them  downe, 

Hym  thought  he  taryed  to  long.  120 

Wyllyam  fayde  to  hys  brethren  two, 

Thys  daye  let  us  lyve  and  de, 
If  ever  you  have  nede,  as  I  have  now, 

The  fame  fhall  you  finde  by  me. 

They  (hot  fo  well  in  that  tyde,  iay 

Theyr  firinges  were  of  filke  fu!  fure, 

That  they  kept  the  ftretes  on  every  fide  ; 
That  batayle  did  long  endure. 

The  fought  together  as  brethren  tru, 

Lyke  hardy  men  and  bolde,  130 

Many  a  man  to  the  ground  they  thrue, 

And  many  a  herte  made  colde. 

But  when  their  arrowes  were  all  gor\, 

Men  preced  to  them  full  faft, 
They  drew  theyr  fwordes  then  anone,  135 

And  theyr  bowes  from  them  caft. 

4  The/ 


160     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

They  wenten  lyghtlye  on  theyr  way, 
Wyth  Iwordes  and  bucklers  round ; 

By  that  it  was  myd  of  the  day, 

They  made  mani  a  wound.  140 

There  was  many  an  out-home  *  in  Carleil  blowen; 

And  the  belles  bacwafd  dyd  ryng, 
Many  a  woman  fayde,  Alas  ! 

And  many  theyr  handes  dyd  wryng. 

The  mayre  of  Carleile  forth  was  com,  145 

Wyth  hym  a  ful  great  route : 
Thefe  yemen  dred  hym  full  fore; 

Of  theyr  ly  ves  they  ftode  in  doute. 

The  mayre  came  armed  a  full  great  pace, 

With  a  pollaxe  in  hys  hande  ;  150 

Many  a  flrong  man  wyth  him  was, 
There  in  that  ftowre  to  ftande. 

The  mayre  fmot  at  Cloudefle  with  his  bil* 

Hys  bucler  he  braft  in  two, 
Full  many  a  yeman  with  great  evyll,  155 

Alas !  they  cryed  for  wo. 
Xepe  we  the  gates  fail,  they  bad, 

That  thefe  traytours  thcrout  not  go^ 

But 


*  Outhorne,  is  an  old  term  Jignifyir^  the  calling  fcrtn  cffubjtSt  to 
arm  by  the  found  of  a  born.     Sa  CwtLat,  CifJ.  Bailey,  fiff. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      161 

Bnt  al  for  nought  was  that  the  wrought, 

For  Co  faft  they  dovvne  were  layde,  160 

Tyll  they  all  thre,  that  fo  manfulli  fought, 
Were  gotten  without,  abraide. 

Have  here  your  keys,  fayd  Adam  Bel, 

Myne  office  I  here  forfake, 
And  yf  you  do  by  my  counfell  165 

A  new  porter  do  ye  make. 

He  threw  theyr  keys  at  theyr  heads, 

And  bad  them  well  to  thryve  *, 
And  all  that  letteth  any  good  ycman 

To  come  and  comfort  his  wyfe.  173 

Thus  be  thefe  good  yemen  gon  to  the  wod, 

And  lyghtly,  as  lefe  on  lyncle  j 
The  lough  and  be  mery  in  theyr  mode* 

Theyr  foes  were  ferr  behynd.    - 

And  when  the;/  came  to  Engl}fhe  wode,  175 

Under  the  trufty  trc, 
There  they  found  bowes  full  good, 

And  arrowes  full  great  plentye. 

So  God  me  help,  fayd  Adam  Bell, 

And  Clym  of  the  Clough  fo  fre,  180 

VOL.  I.  M  I  would 


*  Tkis  is  froktn  ironically. 

ftr.  175.  merry  green  wood.  PC. 


i6z      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

I  would  we  were  in  mery  Carleile, 
Before  that  fayre  meyne. 

They  fet  them  downe,  and  made  good  chere, 
And  eate  and  dranke  full  well. 

A  fecond  FYT  of  tke  wightye  yeomen, 
Another  I  wyll  you  tell. 


PART     THE    THIRD. 

AS  they  fat  in  Englyfhe  wood, 
Under  the  green-wode  tre, 
They  thought  they  herd  a  woman  wepe, 
But  her  they  mought  not  fe. 

Sore  then  fyghed  the  fayre  Alyce  :  5 

That  ever  I  fawe  thys  day ! 
For  nowe  is  my  dere  hufband  flayne  : 

Alas !  and  wel-a-way  ! 

Myght  I  have  fpoke  wyth  hys  dere  brethren, 
Or  with  eyther  of  them  twayne,  10 

To  fhew  to  them  what  him  befell, 
My  hart  were  out  of  payne. 

Cloudcflc  walked  a  lytle  befide, 

Lookt  under  the  grene  wood  linde, 
He  was  ware  of  his  wife,  and  chyldren  three,     1 5 

Full  wo  in  harte  and  mynde. 

2  Welcome, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      163 

Welcome,  wyfe,  then  fayde  Wyllyam, 

Under  this  trufti  tre.: 
I  wende  yefterday,  by  fwete  faynt  John, 

Thou  fhulde  me  never  have  fe.  20 


"  Now  well  is  me  that  ye  be  here, 

My  harte  is  out  of  wo." 
Dame,  he  fayde,  be  mery  and  glad, 

And  thanke  my  brethren  two. 

Herof  to  fpeake,  faid  Adam  Bell,  25 

I-wis  it  is  no  bote  : 
The  meate,  that  we  muft  fupp  withall, 

It  runneth  yet  fail  on  fote. 

Then  went  they  downe  into  a  launde, 

Thefe  noble  archares  thre  ;  30 

Eche  of  them  flew  a  hart  of  greece, 
The  beft  that  they  cold  fe. 

Have  here  the  beft,  Alyce,  my  wyfe, 

Sayde  Wyllyam  of  Cloudellye  ; 
By  caufe  ye  fo  bouldly  ftode  by  me  35 

When  I  was  flayne  full  nye. 

Then  went  they  to  fuppere 

Wyth  fuche  meate  as  they  had  ; 
And  thanked  God  of  ther  fortune  : 

They  were  both  mery  and  glad.  40 

M  2  And 

Per.  19.  I  had  wende,  PC,        V,T.  to,  new  bad  fe.  PC. 


j64     ANCIENT     POEM  5, 

And  when  they  had  fupped  well, 

Certayne  wythoutcn  leafe, 
Cloudefle  fayd,  We  wyll  to  our  kyng, 

To  get  us  a  charter  of  peace. 

Alyce  fhal  be  at  our  fojournyng  45 

In  a  nunnery  here  befyde  j 
My  tow  fonnes  fhall  wyth  her  go, 

And  there  they  fhall  abyde. 

Myne  eldeft  fon  fhall  go  wyth  me  ; 

Por  hym  have  '  you'  no  care  :  50 

And  he  fhall  breng  you  worde  agayn, 

How  that  we  do  fare. 

Thus  be  thefe  yemen  to  London  gone, 

As  fait  as  they  myght  he  *, 
Tyll  they  came  to  the  kynge's  pallace,  55 

Where  they  woulde  nedes  be. 

And  whan  they  came  to  the  kynges  courte, 

Unto  the  pallace  gate, 
Of  no  man  wold  they  afke  no  leave, 

But  boldly  went  in  therat.  60 

They  preced  preilly  into  the  hall, 

Of  no  man  had  they  dreade  : 
The  porter  came  after,  and  dyd  them  call, 
And  with  them  gan  to  chyde. 

The 
Vtr,  50,  kavs  I  no  care.  fC.  •  i.  *,  bit,  bajitn. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       165 

The  ufher  fayde,  Yemen,  what  would  ye  have  ?  65 

I  pray  you  tell  to  me  : 
You  myght  thus  make  offycers  fhent : 

Good  fyrs,  of  whence  be  ye  ? 

Syr,  we  he  out-lawes  of  the  foreft 

Certayne  withouten  leafej  70 

And  hether  we  be  come  to  our  kyng, 

To  get  us  a  charter  of  peace. 

And  whan  they  came  before  the  kyng. 

As  it  was  the  lawe  of  the  lande, 
The  kneled  downe  without  lettyng,  j$ 

And  eche  held  up  his  hand. 

The  fayed,  Lord,  we  befechc  the  here, 

That  ye  wyll  graunt  us  grace  ; 
For  we  have  flayne  your  fat  falow  dere 

In  many  a  fondry  place.  go 

What  be  your  nams,  then  faid  our  king, 
'  Anone  that  you  tell  me  ? 
They  fayd,  Adam  Bell,  dim  of  the  Clough, 
And  Wyllyam  of  Cloudefle. 

Be  ye  thofe  theve.s,  then  fayd  our  kyng,  85 

That  men  have  tolde  of  to  me  ? 
Here  to  God  I  make  an  avowe, 

Ye  fhal  be  hanged  all  thre. 

M  3  Ye 


166      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Ye  flial  be  dead  withoute  mercy, 

As  I  am  kynge  of  this  lande.  50 

He  commar.deth  his  officers  every  one, 

Faft  on  them  to  lay  hande. 

There  they  toke  thefe  good  yemcn, 

And  arefted  them  all  thre  : 
So  may  I  thryve,  fayd  Adam  Bell,  95 

Thys  game  lyketh  not  me.       / 

But,  good  lorde,  we  befeche  you  now, 

That  yee  graunt  us  grace, 
Jnfomuche  as  frele  to  you  we  comen, 

As  frele  fro  you  to  pafle,  I  oa 

With  fuch  weapons,  as  we  have  here, 

Tyll  we  be  out  of  your  place  ; 
And  yf  we  lyve  this  hundreth  yere, 

We  wyll  afke  you  no  grace. 

Ye  fpeake  proudly,  fayd  the  kynge;  105 

Ye  (hall  be  hanged  all  thre. 
That  were  great  pitye,  then  fayd,  the  quene, 

If  any  grace  myght  be. 

My  lorde,  whan  I  came  fyrft  into  this  lande 

To  be  your  wedded  wyfe,  1 1C 

The  fyrft  boone  that  I  wold  afke, 
Ye  would  graunt  it  me  belyfe  : 

And 
Vtr,  in.  119.  bowae,  PC, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      167 

And  I  never  aflced  none  tyll  now ; 

Then,  good  lorde,  graunt  it  me. 
Now  afke  it,  madam,  fayd  the  kynge,  115 

And  graunted  it  mall  be. 

Then,  good  my  lord,  I  you  befeche, 

Thefe  yemen  graunt  ye  me. 
Madame,  ye  myght  have  aflced  a  boons, 

That  Ihuld  have  been  worth  them  all  three.  120 

Ye  myght  have  afeed  towres,  and  townes, 

Parkes  and  fbreftes  plente. 
But  none  foe  pleafant  to  my  pay,  (bee  fayd  ; 

Nor  none  fo  lefe  to  me. 

Madame,  fith  it  is  your  defyre,  1 25 

Your  afkyng  graunted  fhal  be  ; 
But  I  had  lever  have  geven  you 

Good  market  townes  thre. 

The  quene  was  a  glad  woman, 

And  fayde,  Lord,  gramarcye :  13® 

I  dare  undertake  for  them, 

That  true  men  they  fhal  be. 

But  good  my  lord,  fpeke  fom  mery  word, 

That  comfort  they  may  fe. 

I  graunt  you  grace,  then  fayd  our  king,  135 

Walhe',  felos,  and  to  meate  go  ye. 

M  4  They 

Vtr,  130.  God  a  mcrcye^  Af$, 


168      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

They  had  not  fetten  but  a  whyle 

Certayne  without  lefynge, 
There  came  meffengers  out  of  the  north 

With  letters  to  our  kyng.  140 

And  whan  the  came  before  the  kynge, 

They  knelt  downe  on  theyr  kne  ; 
Sayd,  Lord,  your  officers  grete  you  well, 

Of  Carleile  in  the  north  cuntre. 

How  fareth  my  juftice,  fayd  the  kyng,  145 

And  my  fherife  alfo  ? 
Syr,  they  be  flayne  without  leafynge, 

And  many  an  officer  mo. 

Who  hath  them  flayne,  fayd  the  kyng  j 

Anone  thou  tell  to  me  ?  150 

*'  Adam  Bell,  and  Clime  of  the  Clough, 
And  Wyllyam  of  Cloudefle." 

Alas  for  rewth  !  then  fayd  our  kynge  : 

My  hart  is  wonderous  fore  ; 

I  had  lever  than  a  thoufande  pounde,  155 

I  had  knowne  of  thys  before  ; 

For  I  have  graunted  them  grace, 

And  that  forthynketh  me  : 
Put  had  I  knowne  all  thys  before, 

They  had  been  hanged  all  thr?.  160 

The 


ANCIENT     POEMS.  tfc) 

The  kyng  hee  opened  the  letter  anone, 

Hirafelfe  he  red  it  tho, 
And  founde  how  thefe  outlawes  had  flain 

Thre  hundred  men  and  mo  : 

Fyrft  the  juftice,  and  the  (heryfe,  165 

And  the  mayre  of  Carleile  towne  ; 
Of  all  the  conftables  and  catchipolles 

Alyve  were  fcant  left  one  : 

The  baylyes,  and  the  bedyls  both, 

And  the  ferge'aunte  of  the  law,  170 

And  forty  foflers  of  the  fc, 

Thefe  outlawes  had  yflaw  : 

And  broke  his  parks,  and  flayne  his  dere  ; 

Of  all  they  chofe  the  beft  ; 
So  perelous  out-lawes,  as  they-were,  175 

Walked  not  by  eafte  nor  well. 

When  the  kynge  this  letter  had  red, 

In  harte  he  fyghed  fore  : 
Take  up  the  tables  anone  he  bad, 

For  I  may  eat  no  more.  iS« 

The  kyng  called  hys  beft  archars 

To  the  buttes  wyth  hym  to  go  : 
I  wyll  fe  thefe  felowes  fhote,  he  fayd, 

In  the  north  have  wrought  this  wo. 

The 


170      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

The  kynges  bowmen  bufket  them  blyve,  iJ- 

And  the  quenes  archers  alfo  ; 
So  dyd  thefe  thre  wyghtye  yemen  ; 

With  them  they  thought  to  go. 

There  twyfe,  or  thryfe  they  fliote  about 

For  to  afiay  theyr  hande  ;  190 

There  was  no  Ihote  thefe  yemen  fhot, 
That  any  prycke  f  myght  ftand. 

Then  fpake  Wyllyam  of  Cloudefle  ; 

By  him  that  for  me  dyed, 
I  hold  hym  never  no  good  archar,  195 

That  fhoteth  at  buttes  fo  wyde. 

"  At  what  a  butte  now  wold  ye  fliote, 

I  pray  thee  tell  to  me?"  • 

At  fuche  a  but,  fyr,  he  fayd, 

As  men  ufe  in  n\y  countre.  209 

Wyllyam  wente  into  a  fyeld, 

With  his  two  brstherene  : 
There  they  fet  up  two  hafell  roddes 

Full  twenty  fcore  betwene. 

I  hold  him  an  archar,  faid  Cloudefle,  205 

That  yonder  wande  cleveth  in  two. 

Here 


7'fr.  185.  biythe.  MS.      f  '•  «•  ma'k'       Ver'  2O2»  2C3>  2I2' 
PC.     Per.  204,  Twenty  fcore  paces.  PC.  I,  t,  qooyardt. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       171 

Here  is  none  fuche,  fayd  the  kyng, 
Nor  none  that  can  i'o  do. 


I  mall  aflaye,  fyr,  fayd  Cloudefle, 

Or  that  I  farther  go.  2i» 

Cloudefly  with  a  bearyng  arowe 

Clave  the  wand  in  two. 

Thou  art  the  beft  archer,  then  faid  the  king, 

For  fothe  that  ever  I  fe. 
And  yet  for  your  love,  fayd  Wyllyam,  215 

I  wyll  do  more  mayftery. 

I  have  a  fonne  is  feven  yere  olde, 

He'  is  to  me  full  deare  ; 
I  wyll  hym  tye  to  a  ftako  ; 

All  fhall  fe,  that  be  here  ;  220 

And  lay  an  apple  upon  hys  head, 

And  go  fyxe  fcore  hym  fro, 
And  I  my  felfe  with  a  brode  arow 

Shall  cleve  the  apple  in  two. 

Now  hafte  the,  then  fayd  the  kyng,  22$ 

By  hym  that  dyed  on  a  tre, 
But  yf  thou  do  not,  as  thou  heft  fayde, 

Hanged  malt  thou  be. 

And 


Vtr.  222.  Six-fore  paces.  PC,  ;.  e, 


ANCIENT      POEMS. 

And  thou  louche  his  head  or  gowne, 

In  fyght  that  men  may  fe,  23* 

By  all  the  fayntes  that  be  in  heaven, 

I  mall  hange  you  all  thre. 

That  I  have  promifed,  faid  William, 

That  wyll  I  never  forfake. 
And  there  even  before  the  kynge  235 

In  the  earth  he  drove  a  ftake  : 

And  bound  therto  his  eldcft  fonne, 

And  bad  hym  ftand  ftyll  thereat ; 
And  turned  the  childes  face  him  fro, 

Becaufe  he  fliould  not  ftcrte.  240 

An  apple  upon  his  head  he  fet, 

And  then  his  bowe  he  bent : 
Syxe  fcore  paces  they  were  out  mete, 

And  thether  Cloudefle  went. 

There  he  drew  out  a  fayr  brode  arrows,  245 

Hys  bowe  was  great  and  longe, 
He  fet  that  arrowe  in  his  bowe, 

That  was  both  ftyffe  and  ftronge. 

He  prayed  the  people,  that  wer  there, 

That  they  '  all'  Hill  wold  Hand,  250 

For  he  that  fhotcth  for  fuch  a  wager, 
Behoveth  a  ftedfaft  hand. 

Muche 

Ver.  252.  ftcedye,  MS, 


A  N  C  1  E  N  T     POEMS.       173 

Muche  people  prayed  for  Cloudefle, 

That  his  lyfe  faved  myght  be, 
And  whan  he  made  hym  redy  to  fhote,  255 

There  was  many  weeping  ee. 

But  Cloudefle  clefte  the  apple  in  twaine, 

His  fonne  he  did  not  nee. 
Over  Gods  forbode,  fayde  the  kinge, 

That  thou  fhold  fhote  at  me.  26* 

I  geve  thee  eightene  pence  a  day, 

And  my  bowe  (halt  thou  bere, 
And  over  all  the  north  countre 

I  make  the  chyfe  rydere. 

And  I  thyrtene  pence  a  day,  faid  the  quene,    265 

By  God,  and  by  my  fay ; 
Come  feche  thy  payment  when  thou  wylt, 

No  man  mail  fay  the  nay. 

Wyllyam,  I  make  the  a  gentleman 

Ofclochyng,  andoffe:  27* 

And  thy  two  brethren,  yemen  of  my  chambre, 

For  they  are  fo  femely  to  fc. 

Your  fonne,  for  he  is  tendre  of  age, 

Of  my  wyne  feller  he  (hall  be  ; 
And  when  he  commeth  to  mans  cltate,  275 

Shal  better  avaunc«d  be. 

And, 


174       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

And,  Wyllym,  bring  to  me  your  wife, 

Me  longeth  her  fore  to  fe  : 
She  (hall  be  my  chefe  gentlewoman, 

To  governe  my  nurferye.  280 

The  yemen  thanketh  them  curteoufly.  ^ 

To  fome  byfhop  wyl  we  wend, 
Of  all  the  fynnes,  that  we  have  done, 

To  be  aflbyld  at  his  hand. 

So  forth  be  gone  thefe  good  yemen,  285 

As  faft  as  they  might  he  *  ; 
And  after  came  and  dwelled  with  the  kynge, 

And  dyed  good  men  all  thre. 

Thus  endeth  the  lives  of  thefe  good  yemen  ; 

God  fend  them  eternall  blyffe.  290 

And  all,  that  with  a  hand-bowe  fhoteth, 

That  of  heven  they  never  myfle.     Amen. 


'  he,  ;.  i.  hie,  haflen.     See  tbt  CloJJary* 


II.  THE 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       175 


II. 

THE  AGED  LOVER  RENOUNCETH  LOVE, 

The  Grave-digger's  fang  in  HAMLET,  A.  5.  is  taken' 
frtm  three  ftanzas  of  the  following  poem,  though  greatly  al- 
tered and  dif gulfed,  as  the  fame  ?ivere  corrupted  by  the 
ballad-fingers  of  Shakefpeare 's  time  ;  or  perhaps  fo  dfjtgned 
by  the  poet  himftlf,  the  better  to  paint  the  character  of  an 
illiterate  clown.  The  original  is  preferred  among  Surrey's 
Poems,  and  is  attributed  to  Lord  VAUX,  by  Gecrge  Gaf- 
coigne,  who  tells  us,  it  "  was  thought  by  fame  to  be  made 
"  upon  his  death-bed;"  a  popular  error  which  be  laughs 
at.  (See  his  Epift.  to  Tong  Gent,  prefixed  to  his  Pofits 
1575.  ifto.)  It  is  alfo  afcribed  to  Lcrd  Vaux  in  a  tnanu- 
fcript  copy  preferred  in  the  Eritijh  Mufettm  *.  This  Lord 
'was  remarkable  for  his  Jkill  in  drawing  feigned  manners, 
&c.  for  fo  I  under  ft  and  an  ancient  writer.  "  The  Lord 
'  Vaux  bis  commendation  lyeth  chiefly  in  the  facititie  of  hit 
'  mectre,  and  the  aptnejje  of  his  defcriptions  fuch  as  he 
1  takelh  upon  him  to  make,  namely  infundry  of  his  Sengs, 
'  ivbereia  he  jkovueth  the  courJTF.RFMT  ACTION  very 
'  lively  and pleafantly."  Arle  of  Eng.  Piefie,  \  $89.  /.  5  |. 
See  another  Song  by  this  Put  in  vol.  2.  N«.  VIlI. 


1 


Lothe  that  I  did  love, 

In  youth  that  I  thought  fw^te, 

As 


*  Harl.  MSS.  num.  1703.  §  25.  The  reading!  gathered  frsm  ib, 
ccpy  are  diftingui/bed  bete  by  in-i-trtcd  comrnat.  '['be  text  is  printed  fra 
tit  «  Stngi,  &(,  tftbe  Earl  of  Surrey  an4  ttkers.  15^7.  4r«." 


176      ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  1 

As  time  requires  :  for  my  behove 
Methinkes  they  are  not  mete. 

My  lufles  they  do  me  leave,  j 

My  fanfies  all  are  fled  ; 
And  trad  of  time  begins  to  weave 

Gray  heares  upon  my  hed. 

FIT  .Age  with  dealing  fteps,      * 

Hath  clawde  me  with  his^crowch,  io 

And  lufly  '  Youthe'  awaye  he  leapes, 

As  there  had  bene  none  fuch. 

My  mufe  doth  not  delight 

Me,  as  fhe  did  before  : 
My  hand  and  pen  are  not  in  plight,  15 

As  they  have  bene  of  yore» 

For  Reafon  me  denies, 

'  All'  youthly  idle  rime  ; 
And  day  by  day  to  me  fhe  cries, 

Leave  off  thefe  toyes  in  tyme.  20 

The  wrinkles  in  my  brow, 

The  furrowes  in  my  face 
Say,  Limping  age  will  '  lodge'  him  now, 

Where  yourh  mull  geve  him  place. 

The 

Ver.  6.  be.  PC.  [printed  copy  la  1557.}  V*  ".  Life  away  (he.  PCs 
r.  18.  This.  PC.  V.  23.  So'EJ.  1583.  'tit  hedge  in  Ed.  1557.  hath 
caught  him.  Mi', 


ANCIENT     PO  E,M  S.      177 

The  harbenger  of  death,  ,  25 

To  me  I  fe  him  ride, 
The  cough,  the  cold,  the  gafpihg  breath, 

Doth  bid  me  to  provide 

* 

A  pikeax  and  a  fpade, 

And  eke  a  fhrowding  fhete,  30 

A  houfe  of  clay  for  to  be  made 

For  fuch  a  gueft  moft  mete. 

Me  thinkes  I  heare  the  clarke, 

That  knoles  the  carefull  knell, 
And  bids  me  leave  my  '  wearye'  warke,  35 

Ere  nature  me  compell. 

My  kepers  *  knit  the  knot, 

That  youth  doth  laugh  to  fcorne* 
Of  me  that  '  fhall  bee  cleane'  forgot, 

As  I  had  *  ne'er'  been  borne.  4° 

Thus  tnuft  1  youth  geve  up, 

Whofe  badge  I  long  did  weare  : 
To  them  I  yelde  the  wanton  cup. 

That  better  may  it  beare. 

Lo  here  the  bared  flcull ;  45 

By  whofe  balde  figne  I  know, 
VOL.  I.  N  That 

*  diluting  perhaps  to  Ecclef.  xi't.  3. 

V.  30.  wyndyngc-fhecte.  TJfS.  V.  34.  bell.  MS.  V.  35.  wo  full. 
PC.  V.  38.  did.  PC.  V.  79.  clenc  fhal  be.  PC.  I'.  40.  not.  PC, 
P.  45.  bare-he  JJe.  MS.  arid  joint  FCC. 


178      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

That  ftouping  age  away  ftrall  pull 
'  What'  youthful  ycres  did  fow. 

For  Beautie  with  her  band, 

Thefe  croked  cares  had  wrought,  50 

And  fhipped  me  into  the  lande, 

From  whence  I  firft  was  brought. 

And  ye  that  bide  behinde, 

Have  ye  none  other  truft  : 
As  ye  of  claye  were  caft  by  kindc,  55 

So  (hall  ye  *  turne'  to  duft. 

V.  4.S.  Which.  PC.  That.  MS,  What  it  conj.       V.  56.  waft.  PC. 


nr. 

JEPHTHAH   JUDGE    OF    ISRAEL. 

In  Sbakefpiare's  HAMLET,  A.ll.fc.-;.  the  Hero  of  the 
Play  takes  occajion  to  banter  Polonius  with  feme  fcrapi  of 
•an  old  Ballad,  which  has  never  appeared  yet  in  any  col~ 
leSion :  for  which  reafon,  as  it  is  but  jhort)  it  will  not 
perhaps  be  unacceptable  to  the  Reader  ;  who  ivill  al/'o  be 
diverted  with  the  phafant  ahfurditi.es  of  the  compaction. 
It  was  retrieved  frsm  utter  oblivion  by  a  lady,  who  wrote 
it  down  from  memory  as  Jhe  had  formerly  heard  it  fang  by 
her  father.  1  am  indebted  for  it  to  the  fnettdjhip  of  Mr. 

STEEVfNS. 

ttt 


ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S.      179 


The  Banter  of  Hamlet  is  as  foliar 


"  HAMLET.     "  O  Jephtba,  Judge  ofl/rael,"  ivbai 
a  trgafure  badft  thou  ? 

"  POLONIUS.     What  a  treafure  bad  be,  my  Lord  ? 
"  HAM.      Why,  "  One  faire  daughter,  and  no  more, 
The  which  he  loved  pajjing  'well." 
"  POL.      Still  on,  my  daughter. 
"  HAM.      Am  not  li'tb*  right,  oldjefhtha  ? 
"  POLON.     If  you  call  me  Jephtha,  my  Lord',    I  have 
a  daughter,  that  I  love  faffing  ivett. 
"  HAM.  Nay,  that  follows  not. 
"  POLON.     What  follows  then,  my  Lord  f 
"  HAM.     Why,     "As  by   lot,  God  wot  .-"  and  then 
you  know,   "  //  came  to  fajje,  As  mojt  like  it  was." 
The.  firjl  row  of  the  pious  chanfon  'will  Jhew you  more." 

Sttevens's  Edit.  Vol.  X.  p*  221. 


HAVE  you  not  heard  thefe  many  years  ago, 
Jeptha  was  judge  of  Ifrael  ? 
He  had  one  only  daughter  and  no  mo, 
The  which  he  loved  parting  well  : 

And,  as  by  lott,  5 

God  wot, 
It  fo  came  to  pafs, 
As  Gods  will  was, 
That  great  wars  there  fiiould  be, 
And  none  Jhould  be  chofen  chief  but  he.  IO 

N  2  And 


i8o        ANCIENT     POEMS. 

And  when  he  was  appointed  judge, 

And  chieftain  of  the  company, 
A  folemn  vow  to  God  he  made  ; 
If  he  returnd  with  vidiory, 
At  his  return 
To  burn 
The  firft  live  thing, 


That  mould  meet  with  him  then, 

Off  his  houfe,  when  he  fhoud  return  agen.          29 

It  came  to  pafs,  the  wars  was  oer, 

And  he  returnd  with  vidlory  j 
His  dear  and  only  daughter  firft  of  all 
Came  to  meet  her  father  foremoftly : 

And  all  the  way  25 

She  did  play 
On  tabret  and  pipe, 
Full  many  a  ftripe, 
With  note  fo  high, 
For  joy  that  her  father  is  come  fo  nigh.  39 

But  when-  he  faw  his  daughter  dear 

Coming  on  moft  foremoftly, 
He  wrung  his  hands,  and  tore  his  hair, 
And  cryed  out  moft  piteoufly  ; 

Oh  !  it's  thou,  faid  he,  35 

That  have  brought  me 

Low, 

And 


ANCIENT      POEMS.      181 

And  troubled  me  fo, 

That  I  know  not  what  to  do.  * 


For  I  have  made  a  vow,  he  fed, 

The  which  inuft  be  replenifhed  :  40 

"  What  thou  haft  fpoke 
Do  not  revoke  : 
What  thou  haft  faid, 

Be  not  affraid  ;  45 

Altho'  it  be  I  ; 
Keep  promifes  to  God  on  high. 

But,  dear  father,  grant  me  one  requeft, 

That  I  may  go  to  the  wildernefs, 
Three  months  there  with  rr.y  friends  to  flay  j          50 
There  to  bewail  my  virginity" ; 
And  let  there  be, 
Said  fhe, 

Seme  two  or  three 

Young  maids  wich  me."  55 

So  he  fcnt  her  away, 
Tor  to  mourn,  for  to  mourn,  till  her  dying  day. 


IV.  A 


rSa      ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S. 

IV. 
A  SONG  TO  THE  LUTE  IN  MUSICKE, 

Shake/fear  has  made  thisfonnet  the  fubjeft  of  fame  plea- 
fant  ridicule  in  his  ROMEO  AND  JULIET,  A.  IV.  Sc.  5. 
where  he  introduces  Peter  putting  this  Quejiion  to  the  Mu- 
ficians. 

"  PETER.  .  .  .  why  "  Silver  Sound"  ?  why  "  Mujicke 
"  with  her  Jilver  found  ?"  what  fay  you,  Simon  Catling  ? 

t(  i.  Mus.  Marry,  fir,  becaufe  Jilver  hath  a  fweet 
V  found. 

"  PET.  Pretty!  what  fay  you,   Hugh  Rebecke  ? 

"  2.  Mus.  /  fay,  Jllver found t  becaufe  Muficians  found 
"  for  fiver. 

"  PET.  Pretty  too  !  what  fay  you*  James  Sound-pojl. 

"   3.  Mus.  Faith,  I  know  not  what  to  fay. 

*'  PET.  .  .  .  I  'will  fay  for  you  :  It  is  **  Mujicke  with 
fe  her  Jil<ver  fcund,"  becaufe  Muficians  have  no  geld  for 
*'  founding." 

Firjl  folio  Ed.  p.  73. 

*£his  ridicule  is  not  fo  much  levelled  at  the  fong  itfelf 
(which  for  the  time  it  was  written  is  not  inelegant)  as  at 
thoje  forced  and  unnatural  explanations  often  given  by  ui 
painfnl  editors  ard  exporters  of  ancient  authors. 

This  copy  is  printed  from  an  old  quarto  MS  in  the  Co'ton 
Library,  [Vcfp.  A.  25.]  entitled  "Divers  things  of  Hen. 
*c  viifs  time  :"  witbfome  corrections  from  The  Paradife 
of  Dainty  Devifes,  1596. 

WHERE 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       i^ 

WHERE  gripinge  grefes  the  hart  would  wounde, 
And  dolefulle  dumps  the  mynde  opprefle, 
There  muficke  with  her  filver  found 

With  fpede  is  wont  to  fend  redreffe  : 
Of  trobled  mynds,  in  every  fore,  5 

Swete  muficke  hathe  a  falve  in  ftore. 

In  joye  yt  maks  our  mirthe  abounde, 

In  woe  yt  cheres  our  hevy  fprites  ; 
Be-Jlrawghted  heads  relyef  hath  founde, 

By  mufickes  pleafaunt  fwete  delightes :  10 

Our  fenfes  all,  what  mall  I  fay  more  i 
Are  fubjefte  unto  rauficks  lore. 

The  Gods  by  muficke  have  theire  prayfe  j 

The  lyfe,  the  foul  therein  doth  joye  . 
For,  as  the  Romayne  poet  fayes,  j  5 

In  feas,  whom  pyrats  would  deftroy, 
A  dolphin  faved  from  death  mod  fharpe  , 

Arion  playing  on  his  harpe. 

O  heavenly  gyft,  that  rules  the  mynd, 

Even  as  the  fterne  dothe  rule  the  fhippe !  20 

O  muficke,  whom  the  gods  aflinde 

To  comforte  manne,  whom  cares  would  nippe ! 
Since  thow  both  man  and  befte  doelt  move, 
What  befte  y-3  he,  wyll  the  difprove  ? 


,N  4  V.  -KING 


ANCIENT    POEMS. 


V. 
KING  COPHETUA  AND  THE  BEGGAR-MAID, 

— is  a  ftory  often  alluded  f>  by  cur  old  Dramatic  Writers. 
Shakefpear  in  /:;>  ROMEO  AI;D  JULIET,  A.  II.  Sc.  I. 
makes  Mercutio'fay, 

•        "  Her  [Menus' 's~]  purblind  fan  and  heir, 
"  Young  Adam  *  Cupid,  he  that  Jhot  Jo  truef 
"  When  King  Copbetua  loved  the  beggar-maid." 

As  the  1 3/&  Line  of  the  following  ballad  feems  here  parti- 
cularly alluded  to,  it  is  not  improbable  but  Shakefpeare  -jurats 
it  SHOT  so  TRIM,  nuhicb  the  players  or  printers,  not  per - 
ceiling  the  allujlon^  might  alter  to  TRUE.  'The  former,  as 
being  the  more  humorous  exprejjicn,  feems  moji  likely  to  have 
come  from  the  mouth  of  Mercutio  f . 

IN  the  id  Part  c/'HfN.  IV.  A.  5.  Sc.  3.  FaJ/aff  is 
introduced  ajjeciedly  faying  to  Pijloll, 

"  O     fe  AJJyrian  knight,  what  is  thy  news  ? 
"  Let  king  Cophetuz  know  the  truth  thereof" 

fhefe  linei  Dr.  Warlurton  thinks  were  fa/iea  from  an  old 
lombaji  play  /^KiNG  COPHETUA.  No  fuch  play  is,  I 
btlte<vet  now  to  be  found ;  but  it  does  not  therefore  follow 

that 

*  S:e  above,  preface  to  Song  L  Book  II.  cftbh  vsl. 
f  Sirct  ibis  conjeciure  -was  frfi  made,  it   bat  been  dijcovcrtd  flat 
SHOT  so  TRIM  w<M  the genvlrit  reading,  fee  Steevenii  Sbakeffeart,. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      ,85 

that  it  never  exifted.  Many  dramatic  pieces  are  referred  to 
by  old  nvriters  •{•,  lubich  are  not  no:w  extant,  tr  even  men~ 
tioned  in  any  Lift.  In  the  infancy  of  the  ft  age,  play  3  ivere 
often  exhibited  that  --were  never  printed. 

It  is  probably  in  alia/ton- to  the  fame  play  that  Ben  Jonfon 
fays  in  bis  Comedy  oftivERY  MAN  in  bis  humour ;  A.  3. 
fc.  4. 

' '  /  have  not  the  heart  to  devour  thee,  an'  I  might  be 
"  made  as  RICH  as  King  Cophetua.'" 

Af  leaft  there  is  no  mention  of  King  Cophetua's  RICHES  in 
the  prefent  ballad,  which  is  the  oldeft  I  have  met  ivith  on. 
thefubjeS. 

It  is  printed  from  Rich.  Jchnfcn's  "  Cronvn  Garland  of 
"  Goulden  Rofes."  1612.  12 mo.  (where  it  is  intitledjimplyt 
A  SONC;  OF  A  BEGGAR  AND  A  KING  :)  correBed  by  ano~ 
thtr  copy. 


I  Read  that  once  in  Affrica 
A  princely  wight  did  raine, 
Who  had  to  name  Cophetua, 

As  pcets  they  did  faine  : 
From  natures  lawes  he  did  decline, 
For  fure  he  was  not  of  my  miud, 
He  cared  not  for  women-kinde, 

But  did  them  all  difdaine. 
But,  marke,  what  hapr.ed  on  a  day, 
As  he  out  of  his  window  lay, 
He  faw  a  beggar  all  in  gray, 

Tlie  which  did  caufe  his  paine. 


The 


f  See  Mtres  Witt  Trecf.f.  283.     Ant  of  Fug.  Pccf.  1589.  />.  51, 
jj-i,  143,  169. 


ANCIENT'    POEMS. 

The  blinded  boy,  that  (hootes  fo  trim, 

From  heaven  downe  did  hie  ; 
He  drew  a  dart  and  fhot  at  him,  15 

In  place  where  he  did  lye  : 
Which  foone  did  pierfe  him  to  the  quicke, 
And  when  he  felt  the  arrow  pricke, 
Which  in  his  tender  heart  did  fticke, 

He  looketh  as  he  would  dye.  20 

What  fudden  chance  is  this,  quoth  he, 
That  I  to  love  mutt  fnbjeft  be, 
Which  never  thereto  would  agree, 

But  (till  did  it  defie  ? 

Then  from  the  window  he  did  come,  2: 

And  laid  him  on  his  bed, 
A  thoufand  heapes  of  care  did  mnne 

Within  his  troubled  head  : 
For  now  he  meanes  to  crave  her  love, 
And  now  he  feekes  which  way  to  proove  30 

How  he  his  fancie  might  remoove, 

And  not  this  beggar  wed. 
But  Cupid  had  him  fo  in  fnare, 
That  this  poor  begger  muft  prepare 
A  falve  to  cure  him  of  his  care,  35 

Or  els  he  would  be  dead. 


And, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       187 

And,  as  he  mufmg  thus  did  lye, 

He  thought  for  to  devife 
How  he  might  have  her  companye, 

That  fo  did  'maze  his  eyes.  4.0 

In  thee,  quoth  he,  doth  reft  my  life  ; 
For  furely  thou  fnalt  be  my  wife, 
Or  elfe  this  hand  with  bloody  knife 

The  Gods  mall  fure  fufnce. 

Then  from  his  bed  he  foon  arofe,  4; 

And  to  his  pallace  gate  he  goes ; 
Full  little  then  this  begger  knowes 

When  (he  the  king  efpies. 

The  gods  preferve  your  majefty, 

The  beggers  all  gan  cry  :  59 

Vouchfafe  to  give  your  charity 

Our  childrens  food  to  buy. 
The  king  to  them  his  purfle  did  caft, 
And  they  to  part  it  made  great  hafte  ; 
This  filly  woman  was  the  laft  55 

That  after  them  did  hye. 
The  king  he  cal'd  her  back  againe, 
And  unto  her  he  gave  his  chaine  ; 
And  faid,  With  us  you  flial  remaine 

Till  fuch  time  as.  we  dye  :  60 


For 


t88     ANCIENT     PO  EMS. 

For  them,  quoth  he,  malt  be  my  wife, 

And  honoured  for  my  queene  ; 
\Vith  thee  I  meane  to  lead  my  life, 

As  fhortly  fhall  be  feene  : 

Our  wedding  fhall  appointed  be,  65 

And  every  thing  in  its  degree  : 
Come  on,  quoth  he,  and  follow  me, 

Thou  malt  go  (hi ft  thee  cleane. 
What  is  thy  name,  faire  maid  ?  quoth  he. 
Penelophon  *,  O  king,  quoth  flic  :  70 

With  that  me  made  a  lowe  courtfey ; 

A  trim  one  as  I  weene. 

Thus  hand  in  -hand  along  they  walke 

Unto  the  king's  pallace : 
The  king  with  courteous  comly  talke  7^ 

This  begger  doth  imbrace  : 
The  begger  blufheth  fcarlet  red, 
And  ftraight  againe  as  pale  as  lead, 
But  not  a  word  at  all  {he  faid, 

She  was  in  fuch  amaze.  80 

At  lail  fhe  fpake  with  trembling  voyce, 
And  faid,  O  king,  I  doe  rejoyce 
That  you  wil  take  me  for  your  choyce,,' 

And  my  degree's  fo  bafe. 


*  Sbakefpeare  (who  alludes  to  tbis  ballad  in  bis  "  Loves  Labour  loft" 
'AEllV.  Sc,  i.J  gives  the  Beggar's  name  Zenelophon,  according  to  all 
tkt  ttt  editions ;  but  tbitfeem  to  be  a  corruption  j  for  Penelophon,  in 

at 


A  N  C  I  E  N  T.    P  O  E  M  S.       iSg 

And  when  the  wedding  day  was  come,  8c 

The  king  commanded  ftrait 
The  noblemen  both  all  and  fome 

Upon  the  queene  to  wait. 
And  (he  behavde  herfelf  that  day, 
As  if  fhe  had  never  walkt  the  way  ;  90 

She  had  forgot  her  gowne  of  gray, 

Which  fhe  did  weare  of  late. 
The  proverbe  old  is  come  to  pafTe, 
The  pried,  when  he  begins  his  mafle, 
Forgets  that  ever  clerke  he  was,  95 

He  knowth  not  his  eflate. 

Here  you  may  read,  Cophetua, 

Though  long  time  fancie-fed, 
Compelled  by  the  blinded  boy 

The  begger  for  to  wed  :  loo 

He  that  did  lovers  lookes  difdaine, 
To  do  the  fame  was  glad  and  faine, 
Or  elfe  he  would  himfelfe  have  flainc, 

In  florie,  as  we  read. 

Difdaine  no  whit,  O  lady  deere,  195 

But  pitty  now  thy  fervant  heere, 
Leaft  that  it  hap  to  thee  this  yeare, 

As  to  that  king  it  did. 

And 

tbf  text,  founds  more  like  {be  name  of  a  Womar. — The  ftory  of  the  King 
ar.d  the  Beggar  is  aljo  alluded  to  in  K.  ftcb.  II.  Art  V.  Sc.  7. 

V.  90.  i.  e.  tramped  the  ftrtttt.  V.  loj.  Here  tki  Poet  *4- 

ilrrffts  bimftlf  te  iis  mJfirejs, 


igo     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

And  thus  they  led  a  quiet  life 

During  their  princely  raine  ;  1 10 

And  in  a  tombe  were  buried  both, 

As  writers  Iheweth  plaine. 
The  lords  they  tooke  it  grievoufly, 
The  ladies  tooke  it  heavily, 
The  commons  cryed  pitioufly,  115 

Their  death  to  them  was  paine. 
Their  fame  did  found  fo  paffingly, 
That  it  did  pierce  the  ftarry  Iky, 
And  throughout  all  the  world  did  flye 

To  every  princes  realme  *.  120 

V.  1 12.  Sheweth  was  anciently  the  plur.  numb. 

*  An  ingenious  friend  thinks    the  two  Lift  Jljnxas  Jhould  change 


Vf. 
TAKE  THY  OLD  CLOAK  ABOUT  THEE, 

—isfuppofedto  have  been  originally  a  Scottijh  Ballad.  The 
reader  here  has  an  ancient  copy  in  the  Englijh  idiom,  with 
an  additional  Stanza  (the  zd.)  never  before  printed.  This 
curiof.ty  is  preferred  in  the  Editor's  folio  MS.  but  not  with- 
out corruptions,  <vjhich  are  here  removed  hy  the  aff.Jlance  of 
the  Scottijh  Edit.  Shakefpear  in  his  OTHELLO,  A.  z.  has 
quoted  one  ftanza,  with  Jome  variations,  which  are  here 
adopted :  The  oU  MS.  readings  are  however  given  in  the 
margin* 

THIS 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       i9r 

THIS  winters  weather  waxeth  cold, 
And  froll  doth  freefe  on  every  hill, 
And  Boreas  blowes  his  blafh  foe  bold, 

That  all  our  cattell  are  like  to  fpill  ; ' 
Bell  my  wife,  who  loves  no  itrife,  j' 

She  fayd  unto  me  quietlie, 
Rife  up,  and  fave  cow  Crumbockes  life, 
Man,  put  thine  old  cloake  about  thee. 

HE. 

0  Bell,  why  doft  thou  flyte  '  and  fcorne'  ? 

Thou  kenft  my  cloak  is  very  thin  :  \9 

It  is  fo  bare  and  overworne 

A  cricke  he  thereon  cannot  renn  : 
Then  He  noe  longer  borrowe  nor  lend, 

'  For  once  He  new  appareld  bee, 
To-morrow  lie  to  towne  and  fpend,'  15 

For  He  have  a  new  cloake  about  mee. 

SHE. 
Cow  Crumbocke  is  a  very  gbod  cowe, 

Shee  has  been  alwayes  true  to  the  payle, 
Still  has  helpt  us  to  butter  and  checfe,  I  trow, 

And  other  things  flie  will  not  fayle  ;  29 

1  wold  be  loth  to  fee  her  pine, 

Good  hufband,  councell  take  of  mee, 
It  is  not  for  us  to  go  foe  fine, 

Then  take  thine  old  cloake  about  thee. 


192      ANCIENT     POEMS. 


My  cloake  it  was  a  very  good  cloake,  25 

Itt  hath  been  alwayes  true  to  the  weare, 
But  now  it  is  not  worth  a  groat  ; 

I  have  had  it  four  and  forty  yeare  : 
Sometime  it  was  of  cloth  in  graine, 

'Tis  now  but  a  figh  clout  as  you  may  fee,  30 

It  will  neither  hold  out  winde  nor  raine  ; 

111  have  a  new  cloake  about  mee. 

SHK. 
It  is  four  and  fortye  yeeres  agoe 

Since  th'  one  of  us  the  other  did  ken, 
And  we  have  had  betwixt  us  towe  35 

Of  children  either  nine  or  ten  ; 
Wee  have  brought  them  up  to  women  and  men  ; 

In  the  feare  of  God  I  trow  they  bee  ; 
And  why  wilt  thou  thyfelf  mifken  ? 

Man,  take  thine  old  cloake  about  tbee.  40 

HE. 
O  Bell  my  wife,  why  doft  thou  floute  ! 

Now  is  nowe,  and  then  was  then  : 
Seeke  now  all  the  world  throughout, 

Thou  kenft  not  clownes  from  gentlemen. 
They  are  cladinblacke,  greene,  yellowe,  or  'grsy,'4; 

Soe  far  above  their  owne  degree  : 
Once  in  my  life  He  '  doe  as  they,' 

For  He  have  a  new  cloake  about  mee. 

3  KinS 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       i9: 
v  \ 

SHE. 
King  Stephen  was  a  worthy  peere, 

His  breeches  coft  him  but  a  crowne,  >$ 

He  held  them  fixpence  all  too  deere; 

Therefore  he  calld  the  taylor  Lowne. 
He  was  a  wight  of  high  renowns, 

And  thoufe  but  of  a  low  degree  : 
Itt's  pride  that  potts  the  countrye  downe,  5^ 

Then  take  thine  old  cloake  about  thee. 

HE. 

'  Bell  my  wife  (he  loves  not  ftrife, 
Yet  fhe  will  lead  me  if  fhe  can  j 
And  oft,  to  live  a  quiet  life, 

I  am  forced  to  yield,  though  Ime  good-man  :'        6p 
Jtt's  not  for  a  man  with  a  woman  to  threape, 

.  UnlefTe  he  firft  give  oer  the  plea  : 
Where  I  began  I  now  mun  leave, 

And  take  mine  old  cloake  about  mee. 


VOL.  I,  VII.  WiL- 


Vtr.  49.  King  Harry.  MS.    Vtr.  50.  I  trow  his  liofc,  MS.    Per. 
51.  i*  pence.  MS.    Vtr,  52.  clownc.  .MS. 


194      ANCIENT     POEMS. 


VII. 
WILLOW,  WILLOW,  WILLOW. 

It  is  from  the  following  fianxas  that  Shakefpeare  has 
takenhisfongoftheWiLi,ovf,inhis  OTHELLO,  A,  4. 
f.  3.  though  fome-ivbat  varied  and  applied  by  him  to  a  fe- 
male character.  He  makes  Defdemona  introduce  it  in  this 
pathetic  and  offering  manner ', 

'  My  mother  had  a  maid  caWd  Barbarie  : 
'  She  'was  in  love ;  and  be,  Jhe  lov*d,  forfook  her, 
'  And  Jhe  proved  mad.     She  had  a  Song  of  Wi  L  LOW. 
'  An  old  thing  'twas,  but  it  exprefs'd  her  fortune  ; 
'  And  Jhe  dyedfenging  it." 

This  is  given  from  a  black-letter  copy  in  the  Pepys  Colleflion, 
thus  intitled,  "  A  lovers  complaint,  being  forfake n  of  his 
tf  love.  To  a  pleafant  tune." 


APoore  foule  fat  fighing  under  a  ficamore  tree  j 
O  willow,  willow,  willow  ! 

With  his  hand  on  his  bofom,  his  head  on  his  knee  : 
O  willow,  willow,  willow  ! 
O  willow,  willow,  willow  ! 
Sing,  O  the  greene  willow  Ihall  be  my  garland. 


He 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       195 

He  figh'd  in  his  finging,  and  after  each  grone, 

Come  willow,  &c. 
I  am  dead  to  all  pleafure,  my  true-love  is  gone ; 

O  willow,  fcc.  10 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow  (hall  be  my  garland. 

My  love  (he  is  turned ;  untrue  (he  doth  prove  : 

O  willow,  &c. 
She  renders  me  nothing  but  hate  for  my  love. 

O  willow,  &c.  15 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

O  pitty  me  (cried  he)  ye  lovers,  each  one  ; 

O  willow,  &c. 
Her  heart's  hard  as  marble ;  me  rues  not  my  mone. 

O  willow,  &c.  zo 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

The  cold  ftreams  ran  by  him,  his  eyes  wept  apace; 

O  willow,  &c. 
The  fait  tears  fell  from  him,  which  drowned  his  face  : 

O  willow,  &c.  25 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  Sec. 

The  mute  birds  fate  by  him,  made  tame  by  his  mones : 

O  willow,  &c. 
The  fait  tears  fell  from  him,  which  foftned  the  ilones. 

O  willow,  &c.  30 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow  (hall  be  my  garland  ! 

O  2  Let 


j#5       A  N  <?  I  E  N  T     P  O  E  M  S, 

Let  nobody  Wame  me,  her  fcorncs  I  do  prove ; 

O  willow,  &c. 
She  was  borne  to  be  falre  ;  J,  to  die  for  her  love. 

O  willow,  &c.  35. 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow  {hall  be  ray  garland. 

O  that  beauty  mould  harbour  a  heart  that's  fo  hard  ! 

Sing  willow,  &c. 
My  true  love  rejecting  without  all  regard. 

O  willow,  &c.  4Q 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

Let  love  no  mere  boaft  him  in  palace,  or  bower ; 

O  willow,  &c. 
For  women  are  trothles,  and  flote  in  an  hoare. 

O  willow,  &c.  .  45 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  Sic. 

But  what  helps  complaining  ?  In  vainc  I  complaine  t 

O  willow,  &c. 
I  muft  patiently  fufFer  her  fcorne  and  difJaine. 

,  O  willow,  &c.  5^ 

Sing,  Q  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

Come,  all  you  forfaken,  and  lit  down  by  me» 

O  willow,  &c. 
He  that  'plaines  of  his  falfe  love,  mine's  falfer  than  fhe. 

O  willow,  &c.  55 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

The, 


ANClENt     POEMS.      197 

The  willow  wreath  weare  I,  fincfe  my  love  did  fleet  j 

O  willow,  &c. 
A  Garland  for  lovers  forfaken  moft  meete. 

O  willow,  Sec.  6* 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow  fhall  be  my  garland  ! 


THE    SECOND. 


LOWE  lay'd  by  my  forrow,  begot  by  difdaine  ; 
O  willow,  willow,  willow  ! 
Again!!  h  r  tc-o  cruell,  Rill  uill  I  coinplaine, 
O  willow,  willow,   willow  ! 

O  willow,  wiilow,  willow  !  5 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow  fhall  be  my  garland  ! 

t)  love  too  injurious,  to  wound  my  poorc  heart ! 

O  willow,  ic. 
To  iuffer  the  triumph,  and  joy  in  my  fmart : 

O  willow,  &c.  n 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

O  wiilow,  xvillovv,  willow  !  the  willow  gnrlind; 

O  willow,   <xc. 
A  llgn  of  her  .LlfcnefTc  before  me  doth  fturul  : 

O  willow,  c<c,  i  f 

Sing,  O  the  grccnc  willow,  &c. 

O  3  A* 


198      ANCIENT      POEMS. 

As  here  it  doth  bid  to  defpair  and  to  dye, 

O  willow,  &c. 
So  hang  it,  friends,  ore  me  in  grave  where  I  lye  : 

O  willow,   &c.  .     20 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow  (hall  be  my  garland. 

In  grave  where  I  reft  mee,  hang  this  to  the  view 

O  willow,  &c. 
Of  all  that  doe  knowe  her,  to  blaze  her  untrue. 

O  willow,  &c.  25 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

With  thefe  words  engraven,  as  epitaph  meet, 

O  willow,  &c. 
"  Here  lyes  one,  drank  poyfon  for  potion  moft  fweet." 

O  willow,  &c.  30 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

Though  (he  thus  unkindly  hath  fcorned  ray  love, 

O  willow,  &c. 
And  carelefly  fmiles  at  the  forrowes  I  prove ; 

O  willow,  &c.  35 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

I  cannot  againft  her  unkindly  exclaim, 

O  willow,  &c. 
Caufe  once  well  I  loved  her,  and  honoured  her  name  : 

O  willow,  &c.  40 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

The 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      199 

The  name  of  her  founded  fo  fweete  in  mine  eare, 

O  willow,  &c. 
It  rays'd  my  heart  lightly,  the  name  of  my  deare  ; 

O  willow,  &c.  45 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow  mall  be  my  garland. 

As  then  'twas  my  comfort,  it  now  is  my  griefe  ; 

O  willow,  &c. 
It  now  brings  me  anguifli,  then  brought  me  reliefe. 

O  willow,  &c.  50 

Sing,  O  the  greene  willow,  &c. 

Farewell,  faire  falfe  hearted :  plaints  end  with  my  breath! 

O  willow,  willow,  willow  ! 

Thou  doft  loath  me,  I  love  thee,  though  caofe  of  my 
death. 

O  willow,  willow,  willow  !  55 

O  willow,  willow,  willow  ! 
Sing,  O  the  greene  willow  mall  be  my  garland. 


O  4  VIII.  S  I  R 


fcoo    ANCIENT     P  O  £  M  S, 

vin. 

SIJR    LANCELOT  DU    LAKE. 

This  ballad  is  quoted  in  Shakefpearis  fecond  \Part  of 
HENRY  IV.  A.  2.  /  4.  The  fubjeft  of  it  is  taken  from 
the  ancient  romance  of  K,  Arthur  (commonly  called  MORTE 
ARTHUR)  being  a  poetical  tranjlation  of  Chap,  cviii,  cix, 
ex,  in  Pt,  I/?,  as  they  Jtand  in  Ed.  1634.  4/0.  In  the 
elder  Editions  tht  Chapters  are  differently  numbered — This 
Jong  is  ^wen  from  a  printed  copy,  corrected  in  part  by  the 
folio  MS. 

In  the  fame  play  of  z  MEN.  IV.  SILENCE  hums  a. /trap 
•  of  one  of  the  old  ballads  of  Robin  Hood.  It  is  taken  from 
the  following  ft^nza  o/"  ROB  IN  HOOD  AND  THK  PINDAR 
o?  WAKEFIELD. 

All1  this,  beheard  three  wighty  yeomen, 
Twas  Robin  Hood,  Scarlet,  and  John: 

With  that  they  efpy'd  the  jolly  Pind-ai; 
As  he  fate  under  a  thorne. 

That  ballad  may  be  found  on  every  ftall,  and  therefore  fc 
net  here  reprinted. 

WHEN  Arthur  firft  in  court  began, 
And  was  approved  king, 
By  force  of  armes  gre^,t  viiloryes  war.ne, 
And  conqueft  home  did  bring. 

Then  into  England  flraight  he  came  5 

With  £fty  good  and  able 
Knights,  that  reforted  unto  him, 

And  were  of  his  round  table  : 

j  Aritf 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      201 

And  he  had  jufts  and  turnaments, 

Wherto  were  many  preft,  to 

Wherein  fome  knights  did  then  excell 

And  far  furmount  the  reft. 

But  one  Sir  Lancelot  du  Lake, 

Who  was  approved  well, 
He  for  his  deeds  and  feates  of  armes,  15 

All  others  did  excell. 

When  he  had  refted  him  a  while, 

In  play,  and  game,  and  fportt, 
He  faid  he  wold  goe  prove  himfelfe 

In  fome  adventrous  fort.  29 

He  armed  rode  in  forreft  wide, 

And  met  a  damfcll  faire, 
Who  told  him  of  adventures  great* 

Whereto  he  gave  good  care. 

Such  wold  I  find,  quoth  Lancelots :  zg 

For  that  caufc  came  I  hither. 
Thou  feemft,  quoth  fhe,  a  knLht  full  good, 

And  I  will  bring  thee  thither, 

Wheras  a  mighty  knight  dorfi  dwell, 

That  now  is  of  great  fane  -.  30 

f   P.  29.  Wherr  is  iftcn  v/ed  by  wr  old  writer i  fs   wbcnu  :   Ueri 
it  it  ju/i  ;be  tstitrary, 

Therfore 


202       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Therfore  tell  me  what  wight  thou  art, 
And  what  may  be  thy  name. 

«'  My  name  is  Lancelot  du  Lake." 

Quoth  me,  it  likes  me  than  : 
Here  dwelles  a  knight  who  never  was  35 

Yet  matcht  with  any  man  : 

Who  has  in  prifon  threefcore  knights 

And  four,  that  he  did  wound  ; 
Knights  of  king  Arthurs  court  they  be, 

And  of  his  table  round.  40 

She  brought  him  to  a  river  fide, 

And  alfo  to  a  tree, 
Whereon  a  copper  bafon  hung, 

And  many  (hields  to  fee. 

He  (truck  foe  hard,  the  bafon  broke  ;  45 

And  Tarquin  foon  he  fpyed  : 
Who  drove  a  horfe  before  him  faft, 

Whereon  a  knight  lay  tyed. 

Sir  knight,  then  fayd  Sir  Lancelott, 

Bring  me  that  horfe- load  hither,  50 

And  lay  him  downe,  and  let  him  reft  j 

Weel  try  our  force  together  : 

For, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      203 

For,  as  I  underftand,  thou  haft, 

Soe  far  as  thou  art  able, 
Done  great  defpite  and  fliame  unto  55 

The  knights  of  the  Round  Table. 

If  thou  be  of  the  Table  Round, 

Quoth  Tarquin  fpeedilye, 
Both  thee  and  all  thy  fellow fliip 

I  utterly  defye.  60 

That's  over  much,  quoth  Lancelott ; 

Defend  thee  by  and  by. 
They  fett  their  fpeares  unto  their  fteeds, 

And  each  att  other  flye. 

They  coucht  their  fpeares,  (their  horfes  ran,      65 

As  though  there  had  been  thunder) 
And  ftrucke  them  each  amidit  their  fluelds, 

Wherewith  they  broke  in  funder. 

Their  horfes  backes  brake  under  them, 

The  knights  were  both  allound  :  70 

To  avoyd  their  horfes  they  made  halle 
And  light  upon  the  ground. 

They  tooke  them  to  their  mields  full  fad, 

Their  fwords  they  drew  out  than, 
With  mighty  ftrokcs  moil  esgcrlye  75 

Eache  at  the  oth^r  ran. 

They 


S04    ANCIENT     P  6  E  M  $. 

They  wounded  were,  and  bled  fall  fore, 

For  breath  they  both  did  ftand, 
And  leaning  on   their  fwordes  awhile, 

Quoth  Tarquine,  Hold  thy  handj  §o 

And  tell  to  me  what  I  {hall  afke. 

Say  on;  quoth  Lancelot  tho. 
Thou  art,   qiioth  Tarcjuine,  the  belt  knigni 

That  ever  I  did  know  ; 

And  like  a  knight,  that  I  did  hate  ;  85 

Soe  that  thoii  be  not  hee, 
I  will  deliver  all  the  reft, 

And  eke  accord  with  thee. 

That  is  well  fayd,  qooth  Lancelot!  j 

But  fith  it  muft  be  foe,  §6 

What  knight  is  that  thou  hitelt  thus  ? 
I  pray -thee  to  me  Ihow. 

His  namd  is  Lancelot  du  Lake, 

He  flew  my  brother  deere  ; 
iiiai  I  iufpecl  of  all  the  reil :  $5 

I  would  I  had  him  here. 

Thy  wifh  thou  haft,  but  yet  unknowne, 

I  am  Lancelot  du  Lake, 
Now  knight  of  Arthurs  Table  Round  ; 

King  Haudi  fen  of  Schuwake  ;  loo 

And 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      205 

And  I  define  thee  do  thy  word. 

Ho,  ho,  quoth  Tarquin  tho, 
One  of  us  two  fhall  end  our  lives 

Before  that  we  do  go. 


If  thou  beLincelot  du  Lak?,  jo$ 

Then  welcome  fhalt  thou  bee  : 
Wherfore  fee  thou  thyfelf  defend, 

For  now  defye  I  thee. 

They  buckled  then  together  fo, 

Like  unto  wild  boares  rulhing,  no 

And  with  their  fwords  and  ihields  they  ran 

At  one  another  flafhing  : 

The  ground  befprinkled  was  with  blood  : 

Tarquin  began  to  yield  ; 
For  he  gave  backe  for  wearinefle,  115 

And  lowe  did  beare  his  fhield. 

This  foone  Sir  Lancelot  efpyde, 

He  leapt  upon  him  then, 
He  pull'd  him  downe  upon  his  knee, 

And  rufliing  off  his  belrn,  129 

Forthwith  he  ftrucke  his  necke  in  two, 

And,  when  he  had  foe  done, 
From  prifon  threefcorc  knights  and  four 

Delivered  everye  one. 

IX.  CORYDON'* 


lc6       ANCIENT     POEMS. 


IX. 
CORYDON's    FAREWELL  TO    PHILLIS, 

—  is  an  attempt  to  paint  a  h<ver*s  irrefolution,  but  fo 
poorly  executed,  that  it  would  not  have  been  admitted  into 
this  collection,  if  it  bad  not  been  quoted  in  Shakefpeare 's 
TWELFTH-NIGHT,  A.  2.  fc.  3. — //  is  found  in  a  little  an- 
cient mijcellany  intitled,  ' '  The  golden  Garland  of  princely 
"  delights."  izmo.  II.  let.  ^ 

In  the  fame  fcene  of  the  Twelfth  Night,  SIR  ToBYjfog-j 
afcrnp  of  an  old  ballad,  which  is  preferred  in  the  Pepys 
Collection  \VoL  \.p.  33.  496.]  but  as  it  is  not  only  a  poor 
dull  performance,  but  alfo  <very  long,  it  naill  be  Jujficient 
here  tc  give  the  firft  jlanza  : 

THE  BALLAD  OF  CONSTANT  SUSANNA. 

There  dwelt  a  man  in  Babylon 

Of  reputation  great  by  fame  ; 
He  took  to  wife  a  faire  woman, 

Sufanna  ihe  was  callde  by  name  : 
A  woman  fair  and  vertuous  ; 

Lady,  lady  : 
Why  mould  we  not  of  her  learn  thus 

To  live  godly  ? 

If  this  fong  of  CORY  DON,  tiff,  has  not  more  merit,  it  is 
ai  lea  ft  an  e-vil  of  lefs  magnitude* 

FAREWELL, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.     207 

FAREWELL,  dear  love;  fince  thou  wilt  needs  begone. 
Mine  eyes  do  mew,  my  life  is  almoft  done. 
Nay  I  will  never  die,  fo  long  as  I  cxn  fpie 
There  be  many  mo,  though  that  me  doe  goe, 

There  be  many  mo,  I  fear  not :  j 

Why  then  let  her  goe,  I  care  not. 

Farewell,  farewell ;   fince  this  I  find  is  true, 
I  will  not  fpend  more  time  in  wooing  you  : 

But  I  will  feek  elfewhere,  if  I  may  find  love  there  : 
Shall  I  bid  her  goe  ?  what  and  if  I  doe  ?  10 

Shall  I  bid  her  goe  and  fpare  not  i 
O  no,  no,  no,  I  dare  not. 

Ten  thoufand  times  farewell  ; — yet  (lay  a  while:  — 
Sweet,  kifs  me  once  ;  fweet  kiffes  time  beguile: 

I  have  no  power  to  move.  How  now  am  I  in  love  ?  1 5 
Wilt  thou  needs  be  gone  ?  Go  then,   all  is  one. 
Wilt  thou  needs  be  gone  ?  Oh,  hie  thee  ! 
Nay  Hay,  and  do  no  more  deny  me. 

Once  more  adieu,  I  fee  loath  to  depart 
Bids  oft  adieu  to  her,  that  holds  my  heart.  20 

But  feeing  I  muft  lofe  thy  love,  which  I  did  choofe, 
Goe  thy  way  for  me,  fince  that  may  not  be. 
Goe  thy  ways  for  me.     But  whither  ? 
Goe,  oh,  but  where  I  may  come  thither. 

c  What 


c8       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

What  fhall  I  doe  ?  my  love  is  now  departed.  zj 

She  is  as  fair,  as  fhe  is  cruel-hearted. 

She  would  not  be  intreated,  with  prayers  oft  repeated. 
If  fhe  come  no  more,  fhall  I  die  therefore  ? 
If  fhe  come  no  more,  what  care  I  ? 
J-'aith,  Jet  her  goe,  or  come,  qr  tarry.  30 


X. 

GERNUTUS   THE   JEW    OF    VENICE. 

In  tie  "LiFE  OF  POPE  SIXTUS  V.  tranjlated from  tbs 
Italian  of  Greg.  LtTi,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Farneworth, 
fi>/io,"  is  a  remarkable  paj/age  to  the  following  ejfe£i  •' 

"  IT  cwas  reported  in  Rome,  that  Drake  had  taken  and 
'.'  plundered  St.  Domingo  in  Htjpaniola,  and  carried  off  an 
*•  immenfe  booty.  This  account  came  in  a  private  letter  to 
•'  Paul  Seccbi,  a  very  confederable  merchant  in  the  cityt 
<<  who  bad  large  concerns  in  thoje  parts,  which  he  had  in- 
f  fund.  Upon  receiving  this  news,  he  Jent  for  the  infurer 
?f  Sampfon  Ceneda,  a  Jew,  and  acquainted  him  "with  it. 
"  The  Jew,  "juhcje  interefi  it  nvas  to  have  fuch  a  repcrt 
*.f  thought  falfe,  gave  many  feafotis  why  it  could  not  pojfikly 
"  be  true,  and  at  In  ft  worked  him/elf  into  fuch  a  pajfion% 
"  that  hefaid,  I'll  lay  you  a  pound  of  my  Jie/b  it  is  a  lye. 
t(  Seccbi,  ivbo  was  of  a  fiery  hot  temper,  replied,  /'//  lay 
"  you  a  tkoufand  crowns  againfl  a  pound  of  your  flcjh  that 
"  it  is  true.  The  Jew  accepted  the  wager,  and  articles 
*'  ivere  immediately  executed  betwixt  them,  That  if  Seccbi 
"  won,  he  Jbould  himfelf  cut  the  fejk.  with  ajharp  knife 

"  from 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       209 

' '  from  whatever  part  of  the  Jew's  body  be  pleafzd.  The 
' '  truth  of  the  account  was'foon  confirmed ;  and  the  Jew  was 
'  *  altnojl  diftracted,  when  he  'was  informed,  that  Secchi  bad 
' '  folemnly  fworn  he  would  compel  him  to  an  exa3  perform- 
"  ance  of  his  contract,  A  report  of  this  tranfaSion  was 
"  brought  to  the  Pope,  who  fent  for  the  parties,  and  being 
"  informed  of  the  whole  affair,  laid,  When  contrads  are 
**  made,  it  is  butjufl  they  fliould be  fulfilled,  as  this  Jh all  : 
"  Take  a  knife  therefore,  Secchi,  and  cut  a  pound  r>f  fiejh 
"  from  any  part  you  pleafe  of  the  Jew's  body.  We  advife . 
"  you,  however,  to  be  very  careful ;  far  if  you  cut  but  a 
*'  fcruple  more  or  lefs  than  your  due,  you  Jhall  certainly  be 
'*  hanged" 

The  Editor  of  that  book  is  of  opinion,  that  the  fcene  be- 
tween Shjlock  and  Antonio  in  the  MERCHANT  OF  VENICE 
is  taken  from  this  incident.  But  Mr.  IVarton^  in  his  inge- 
nious '*  Obfervations  on  the  Faerie  S-^ueen,  vol.  i.  page 
128."  has  referred  it  to  the  following  ballad.  Mr. 
Warton  thinks  this  ballad  was  written  before  Shake" 
fpearejs  play,  as  being  not  fo  circumftantialt  and  having 
more  of  the  nakcdnefs  of  an  original.  Befides,  it  differs  from 
the  play  in  many  circumftances,  which  a  meer  copyijt,  fuch 
as  we  may  fuppofe  the  ballad-maker  to  be,  would  hardly 
have  given  hi mf elf  the  trouble  to  alter.  Indeed  he  exprefsly 
informs  us,  that  he  had  his  Jlory  from  the  Italian  writers. 
See  the  CONNOISSEUR,  Vol.  i.  No.  16. 

After  all,  one  would  be  glad  to  know  what  authority 
LET  i  had  for  the  foregoing  fuel,  or  at  leajt  for  connecting 
it  with  the  taking  of  St.  Domingo  by  Drake  ;  for  this  ex- 
pedition did  not  happen  till  1585,  and  it  is  very  certain  that 
a  play  of  the  J  E  vv  E ,  "  representing  the  greedineffe  of -worldly 
"  chufers,  andblobdy  minds  of  ufurers"  had  been  exhibited 
at  the  play-houfe  called  THE  BULL,  before  the  year  \  579, 
being  mentioned  in  Steph.  Go/on's  SCHOOL  E  OF  ABUSli  -j , 
which  was  print  c  d  in  that  year. 

VOL.  I.  P  As 


•f  Warton,  ubi  fufra. 


aio    ANCIENT     POEMS. 

As  for  Shakefpeare's  MERCHANT  OF  VENICE,  the  ear- 
lieji  edition  known  of  it  is  in  quarto  J  600  ;  though  it  had 
been  exhibited  before  the  year  I  598,  being  mentioned  together 
with  eleven  other  of  hi  splays  in  Meres' s  WITS  TREASURY, 
fcfr.  1598.  izmo.  fol.  282. 

'The  following  is  printed  from  an  ancient  black-letter  copy 
in  the  Pepys  Collection  f,  intitled,  "  A  nc<vj  Song,  Jhewing 
"  the  cruehie  C/~GERNUTUS,  a  JEWE,  ivko  leading  to  a 
' '  merchant  an  hundred  cro-iuns,  <would  have  a  pound  of  his 
*'  flejhe,  becaufe  he  could  not  pay  him  at  the  time  appointed ', 
"  To  the  tune  rf  Black  and yellow ." 


THE    FIRST    PART. 

IN  Venice  towne  not  long  agoe 
A  crtoel  Jew  did  dwell, 
Which  lived  all  on  ufurie, 
As  Italian  writers  tell. 

Gernutus  called  was  the  Jew,  5 

Which  never  thought  to  dye. 
Nor  ever  yet  did  any  good 

To  them  in  ftreets  that  He. 

His  life  was  like  a  barrow  hogge, 

That  liveth  many  a  day,  i« 

Yet  never  once  doth  any  good, 

Until  men  will  him  flay. 

Or 

f  Cur-fand  wti  tbi  JJhmtlt  C*py. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      2n 

Or  like  a  filthy  heap  of  dung, 

That  lyeth  in  a  whoard ; 
Which  never  can  do  any  good,  Ij 

Till  it  be  fpread  abroad. 

So  fares  it  with  the  ufurer, 

He  cannot  fleep  in  reft, 
For  feare  the  thiefe  will  him  purfue 

To  plucke  him  from  his  neft.  2O 

His  heart  doth  thinke  on  many  a  wile, 

How  to  deceive  the  poore  ; 
His  mouth  is  almoft  ful  of  mucke, 

Yet  Hill  he  gapes  for  more.- 

His  wife  muft  lend  a  milling,  .3- 

For  every  weeke  a  penny, 
Yet  bring  a  pledge,  that  is  double  worth,  „    - 

If  that  you  will  have  any. 

And  fee,  likewife,  you  keepe  your  dajr, 

Or  elfe  you  loofe  it  all  :  '30 

This  was  the  living  of  the  wife, 
Her  cow  (he  did  it  call. 

P  2  Within 


Ftr.  32.     Her  Cow,  £?r.  fetms  t»  lavt  fuggtfttd  t»   Sbakefpeart 
SHYLOCK'J   argument  f$r    nitty   takm  from  JactPs  manafWKnt  ^ 
Lakansjheep,  Aft  i.  to  -which  ANTONIO  rcf'.ie:f 
"  ffai  this  inferred  to  ma/;:  Inlfr-cji  , 
"  Or  are y our  gild  anJJUvei  Ewi  s  ar.d  rams  f 

"SHY.  1  cannot  ttl!,  I  intlt  i:  BREED  AS  FAST-" 


212       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Within  that  citie  dwelt  that  time 

A  marchant  of  great  fame, 

:       Which  being  diitreiTed  in  his  need,  55 

Unto  Gernutus  came  : 

Defining  him  to  Jland  his  freind 

For  twelve  month  and  a  day, 
To  lendito  him  an  hundred  crownes  : 

And  he  for  it  would  pay  40 

Whatfoever  he  would  demand  of  him, 

And  pledges  he  {hould  have. 
No,  (quoth  the  Jew  with  Hearing  lookes) 

Sir,  afke  what  you  will  have. 

No  penny  for  the  Soane  of  it  45 

For  one  year  you  fhall  pay  ; 
You  may  doe  me  as  good  a  turne, 

Before  my  dying  day. 

But. we  will  have  a  merry  jeail, 

For  to  be  talked  long  :  50 

You  mail  make  me  a  bond,  quoth  he, 

That  mall  be  large  and  ftrong  : 

And  this  {hall  be  the  forfeyture  ; 

Of  your  ovvne  flefhe  a  pound. 
If  you  agree,  make  you  the  bond,  5; 

And  here  is  a  hundred  crov.  ne<, 


ANCIENT      POEM  S.      213 

With  right  good  will  !  the  marchant  fays : 

And  fo  the  bond  was  made. 
When  twelve  month  and  a  day  drew  on 

That  backe  it  mould  be  payd,  60 

The  marchants  mips  were  all  at  fea, 

And  money  came  not  in  ; 
Which  way  to  take,  or  what  to  doe 

To  thinke  he  doth  begin  : 

And  to  Gernutus  ftrait  he  comes  65 

With  cap  and  bended  knee, 
And  fayde  to  him,  Of  curtefie 

I  pray  you  beare  with  mee.    : 

My  day  is  come,  and  I  have  not 

The  money  for  to  pay  :  70 

And  little  good  the  forfeyture 

Will  doe  you,  I  dare  fay. 

With  all  my  heart,  Gernutus  fayd, 

Commaund  it  to  your  minde  : 
In  thinges  of  bigger  waight  then  this  -  5 

Ybu  (hall  me  ready  finde. 

ri 

He  goes  his  way  ;  the  day  once  pall 

Gernutus  doth  not  flacke 
To  get  a  fergiant  prefcntly; 

And  clapt  him  on  the  backe  :  80 

P  3  And 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 

And  Uyd  him  into  prifon  ftrong, 

And  fued  his  bond  withall ; 
And  when  the  judgement  day  was  come, 

For  judgement  he  did  call. 

The  marchants  friends  came  thither  faft,  85 

With  many  a  weeping  eye, 
For  other  means  they  could  not  find, 

Bat  he  that  day  muft  dye. 


THE     SECOND     PART, 

"  Of  the  Jews  crueltie  ;  fitting  foorik  ike  mercifulneffe 
of  the  Judge  towards  tbt  Marchant.  T'a  the  tune  nf 
Blacke  and  yellow" 

SOME  offered  for  his  hundred  crownes 
Five  hundred  for  to  pay  j 
And  feme  a  thoufand,  two  or  three, 
Yet  ftill  he  did  denay. 

And  at  the  laft  ten  thoufand  crownes  5 

They  offered,  him  to  fave. 
Gernutus  fayd,  I  will  no  gold, 

My  forfeite  I  will  have. 

A  pound  of  flelhe  is  my  demand, 

And  that  (hall  be  my  hire.  10 

Then 


ANCIENT      POEMS.      215 

Then  fayd  the  judge,  Yet,  good  my  friend, 
Let  me  of  you  defire 

To  take  the  flefh  from  fuch  a  place, 

As  yet  you  let  him  live  : 
Do  fo,  and  lo  !  an  hundred  crownes  15 

To  thee  here  will  I  give. 

No  :  no  :  quoth  he,  no  :  judgment  here  : 

For  this  it  fhall  be  tride, 
For  I  will  have  my  pound  of  fleflie 

From  under  his  right  fide.  20 

It  grieved  all  the  cornpanie 

His  crueltie  to  fee, 
For  neither  friend  nor  foe  could  helpe 

But  he  muft  fpoyled  bee. 

The  bloudie  Jew  now  ready  is  25 

With  whetted  blade  in  hand  *, 
To  fpoyle  the  bloud  of  innocent, 

By  forfeit  of  his  bond. 


And  as  he  was  about  to 

In  him  the  deadly  blow  :  30 

Stay  (quoth  the  judge)   thy  craeltie  ; 

I  charge  thee  to  do  fo. 

P  4  Sith 


pajfaze  in  S&akeff>tare  luan  fo  Jlrong  a  refemMtnet  to  tki},  at 
nder  it  p,  okable  that  tie  one  fuggefled  the  other.  See  Aft  IV.  fc.t. 
BASS.  Why  docftthou  whet  thy  knife  fo  carneftJy  ?  &r." 


2i6       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Sith  needs  thou  wilt  thy  forfeit  have, 

Which  is  of  flefti  a  pound  : 
See  that  thou  fhed  no  drop  of  bloud,  35 

Nor  yet  the  man  confound. 

For  if  thou  doe,  like  murderer, 

Thou  here  (halt  hanged  be  : 
Likewife  of  flefh  fee  that  thou  cut 

No  more  than  longes  to  thee  :  40 

For  If  thou  take  either  more  or  leffe 

To  the  value  of  a  mite, 
Thou  fhalt  be  hanged  prefently, 

As  is  both  law  and  right. 

Gernutus  now  waxt  franticke  mad,  45 

And  wotes  not  what  to  fay  ; 
Quoth  he  at  laft,  Ten  thoufand  crownes, 

I  will  that  he  mall  pay ; 

And  fo  I  graunt  to  fet  him  free. 

The  judge  doth  anfwere  make  ;  50 

You  mall  not  have- a  penny  given  ; 

Your  forfeyture  now  take. 

At  the  laft  he  doth  demaund 

But  for  to  have  his  owne. 
No,  quoth  the  judge,  doe  as  you  lift,  55 

Thy  judgement  mall  be  fhowne. 

Either 


ANCIENT      POEMS.      217 

Either  take  your  pound  of  flefh,  quoth  he, 

Or  cancell  me  your  bond. 
O  cruell  judge,  then  quoth  the  Jew, 

That  doth  again  ft  me  ftand  !  60 

And  fo  with  griping  grieved  mind 

He  biddeth  them  fare-well. 
'Then'  all  the  people  prays'd  the  Lord, 

That  ever  this  heard  tell. 

Good  people,  that  doe  heare  this  fong,  65 

For  trueth  I  dare  well  fay, 
That  many  a  wretch  as  ill  as  hee 

Doth  live  now  at  this  day  ; 

That  feeketh  nothing  but  the  fpoyle 

Of  many  a  wealthey  man,  70 

And  for  to  trap  the  innocent  , 

Devifeth  what  they  can. 

From  whome  the  Lord  deliver  me, 

And  every  Chriftian  too, 
And  fend  to  them  like  fentence  eke  75 

That  meaneth  fo  to  do. 

***  Since  the  frji  Edition  of  this  book  ivas  printed, 
the  Editor  bath  had  reafon  to  believe  that  both  S  H  A  K  E- 
s  p  E  A  R  E  and  the  Author  of  this  Ballad,  are  indebted 
for  their  Story  of  the  Jew  ( however  they  came  by  it)  to 
an  Italian  A'0tW,  ivbicb  <waj  firj}  printed  at  Milan  in  toe 
,  in  a  bock  intitled,  11  Pecorone,  ncl  quale  fi 
I'd',  61,  griped.  Sljl.im'jL  copy, 

•7  con- 


2i3     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

ccntengono  Cirtquanta  Novelle  antiche,  &c.  republijhed 
at  Florence  about  the  year  1748,  or  q.—The  Author  <uuas 
SER.  GIOVANNI  FIORENTINO,  who  wrote  in  1378; 
thirty  years  after  the  time,  in  which  the  fcene  of  Boccace's 
Decameron  is  laid.  (Vid.  Maani  IJloria  del  decamerone  di 
Gicv.  Bsccac.  4/0.  Fior.  1744.^ 

That  Shakefpcare  bad  his  Plot  from  the  Novel  ilfelf, 
is  evident  from  his  having  fame  incidents  from  it,  which 
Are  not  found  in  the  Ballad :  And  I  think  it  will  alfo  be 
found  that  be  borrowed  from  the  Ballad  fome  hints,  that 
'were  not  fuggefted  by  the  Novel.  (See  above,  Pt.  zd.  <ver. 
z\,  £5V.  where  inftead  of  that  fpirited  defer  iption  of  the 
whetted  blade,  £f?r.  ike  Prcfe  Narrative  foldlv  Jays,  "  The 
"  "Jew  bad  prepared  a  razor,  &c."  Sff  alfo  feme  other 
poffagts  in  tha  faim piece.)  This  however  is  fpoken  -with 
diffidence,  as  1  have,  at  prefent  before  me  only  the  Abridg- 
ment nf  the  Novel  which  Mr.  JOHNSON  has  given  us  at 
the  End  of  bis  Commentary  on  Shakefpeare 's  Play.  The 
Tranjlation  of  the  Italian  Story  at  large,  is  not  eafy  to  be 
KCt  with,,  having  I  believe  never  been  publijked,  though  it 
ni'as printed Jome years  ago  nvitb  this  title, — "THE  NOVEL, 
*•*  from  which  the  Merchant  of  Venice  written  by  Shakefpear 
"  is  taken,  Iranfiated from  the  Italian.  To  which  is  added 
*'  a  Tranjlation  of  a  Novel  from  the  Decamerone  of  Boc- 
'*  caccia.  London*  Printed  for  M,  Cooper.  1755.  8w." 


XI. 
THE  PASSIONATE  SHEPHERD  TO  HIS  LOVE. 

This  beautiful  fonnet  is  quoted  in  the  MERRY  V/IVES  OF 
WINDSOR.  A.  3.  fc.  i.  and  is  afcribed  (together  with 
ibe  RTPLV)  to  Shakefpeare  hinfclf  by  all  the  modern 

editors 


ANCIENT     POEMS.     219 

editors  of  bis  f mailer  poems.  In  Lintofs  COLLECTION  of 
them,  \  zmo.  (no  date)  is  a  copy  of  this  fonnet  containing 
only  four  Jlanzas  (the  ^th  and  6ib  being  'wanting,)  accom- 
panied with  the  firfl  ftanza  of  the  Anfwer.  'This  edition  has 
fame  appearance  of  exaftnefs,  and  is  ajfirmtd  to  be  reprinted 
from  an  ancient  copy,  containing  "  THL  PASSIONATE 
"  PILGRIME,  and  SONNETS  TO  SUNDRY  NOTES  OF 
"  MUSICKF,  by  Mr.  WILLIAM  SHAKESPEARE.  LOND. 

"  printed  for  W.  JAGGARD.    i^Q'g."- If  this  may  be 

relied  on,  then  was  this  fonnet,  \3c.  publijhed,  as  Shake- 
fpeare's,  in  bis  Life- time. 

And  yet  there  is  good  reafon  to  believe  that  (not  Sbake- 
fpear-,  but)  CHRISTOPHER  MAR  LOW,  wrote  the  fonv, 
and  Sir  WALTER  RALEIGH  the  ' '  Nymph's  Reply  : "  For 
fo  <wt  are  positively  ajfured  by  Ifzac  Walt  n,  a  writer  of 
fame  credit,  who  has  inferted  them  both  in  his  COM  PLEAT 
ANGLER.  *,  under  the  cbarafltr  cf  "  that  fmooth  fong, 
"  which  was  made  by  Kit.  Marlow,  now  at  leajt  ffty 
"  years  ago  ;  and  .  .  .  a::  Anfiuer  to  it,  which  was  made 
"  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  in  his  younger  days.  .  .  .  Old- 

"  fajhioned poetry,  but  choicely  good." //  alfo  pajjed for 

Marlo-jfs  in  the  opinion  of  his  contemporaries  ;  for  in  the 
old  Poetical  Mifcellany,  intitled  ENGLAND'S  HELICON, 
it  is  printed,  with  the  name  of  Chr.  Marlow  fubjoined-  to 
it  ',  and  the  Reply  is  fubjcril>ed  Ivnoto,  which  is  known  to 
have  been  a  fignature  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  With  the 
fame Jignature  [gnoto,  in  thai  Collection,  is  an  imitation 
cf  Marlow 's  beginning  tbust 

"  COME  li-ve  with  me,  and  be  my  dear, 
' '  And  we  --Mill  revel  all  the  year ; 
"   In  plains  and  groves,  £5V." 

Upon  the  whzle  I  am  inclined  to  attribute  them  to  MARLOW, 
and  RALEIGH;  notwithjlanding  the  authority  of  Shake- 
Jpeare^s  Book  of  Sonnets.  For  it  is  well  known  that  as  he 

took 

*  Fir/}  frinteJ in  ibe ytar  1653,  lut  pribsbly  writttn fttr.c  time  lie- 
fare. 


220       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

tr'ck  no  care  cf  bis  (nun  tbfkpojitions,  Jo  was  be  -tiierfy  re- 
gardlefs  what  fpiirious  things  were  fathered  upon  hint.  Sir 
JOHN  OLDCASTLE,  PKRICLES,  and  .','.•  t  LONDON  PRO- 
DIGAL, nhert  printtd  ivithlm  name  at  full  length  in  the 
title- pages,  while  he  was  living,  which  yet  were  after- 
wards rcjcficd  by  hisfrji  editors  H E  M  i  N  G  E  and  Co  N  D  E  L  L, 
iaho  nvere  his  intimate  friends  J,  and  therefore  no  doubt  had 
gtod  authority  for  fating  them  afide. 

'•The  frJlcwing  fcnnct  appears  to  have  leen  (as  it  ffe- 
jcrvcd)  a  great  favourite  with  cur  enrlitr  poets  :  for  be- 
jides  the  imitation  above-mentioned,  another  is  to  be  found 
aw.ng  DONNE'S  poem!,  ir.titlcd  "The  Bait,"  beginning 
tfas, 


"  COME  li-je  with  me,   and  l-e  my  love, 
"   Jnd  T.'.V  will  foine.  new  pleajures  prove 
'"  "    Of  golden  Jands;   CJV." 

•  Js  fir  CKH.  MA  PLOW,  t"£?  wa<  in  hi  •*>.••  repute  for  his 
Dramatic  ivritings,  he  left  his  life  by  a  ftab  received  in  a 
brothel,  ccf (.re  the  year  1593.  See  A.  Wczd,  J.  13$. 

/"">  OME  live  with  me,  and  be  my  love, 
V_>   And  we  wil  all  the  pleafures  prove 
That  liiis  and  vallies,  dale  and  field, 
And  all  the  craggy  mountains  yLM. 

There  will  we  fit  upon  the  recks,  5 

And  fee  the  {hepherds  feed  their  Hocks, 
By  fnallo\v  rivers,  to  whofe  falls 
Melodious  tires  i:r.g  madrigals. 

There 


ANCIENT    POT.  :.:  s.    -21 

T^ere  :hee  beds  of  rofes 

V/iii.  ;  -.V;:^riint  pofies,  jo 

A  c.ip  cf  lowers,  a:i,l  a  kirtle 

Imbrodercu  all  with  leaves  of  mirtle  ; 

A  pown  mndc  of  the  fineil  \vool, 
Which  i'jorr.  our  pret'y  !:::nSj  we  pull  ; 

rs  lin'J  otioicely  for  the  cold,  ir 

\VAih  buckles  oi"  the  pur-il  gold  ; 

A  b'jlr  of  it  raw,  and  ivie  buds, 
With  coral  cla'ps,  and  amber  lluds : 
caaircs  may  thce  move, 

,   ;:nd  L-J  jny  love.  23 

rJ  3u%  il:,?phcrd  fwair.s  l"h  -11  dr.r.ce  and  f;ng 
ivor  tliy  delight  cadi  i'vl.v.'  morning: 
it"  thcD  .  r.iiri'.i  m;iy  trove, 

..    A  lh  inc.  aiu;  . 


:.:  ;•  a':i    REP  L  v. 


II'  that  t!u-  V.  orld  and  I.ovc  were  ;- 
A  IK!  I 
The!': 
To  live  v,  ith  I 


time  drives'  fl  5 

, 

AnJ 


222        ANCIENT      POEMS, 

And  Philomel  becometh  dumb, 
And  all  complain  of  cares  to  come. 

The  flowers  do  fade,  and  wanton  fields 
To  wayward  winter  reckoning  yield: 
A  honey  tongue,  a  heart  of  gal!, 
Is  fancies  fpring,  but  forrows  fall. 

Thy  gowns,  thy  fhoes,  thy  beds  of  rofes, 
Thy  cap,   thy  kirtle,  and  thy  pofies, 
Soon  break,  foon  wicher,  foon  forgotten, 
In  folly  ripe,  in  reafon  rotten. 

Thy  belt  of  ftraw,  and  ivie  buds, 
Thy  coral  clafps,  and  amber  ftuds ; 
All  thefe  in  me  no  means  can  move 
To  come  to  thee,  and  be  thy  love. 

But  could  youth  laft,  and  love  ilill  breed, 
Had  joyes  no  date,  nor  age  no  need  ; 
Then  thofe  delights  my  mind  might  move 
To  live  with  thee,  and  be  thy  love. 


XII.      . 
TITUS  ANDRONICUS's  COMPLAINT. 

The  reader  has  here  an  ancient  ballad  on  the  Jamz  fubje£t 
as  the  play  cf  TITUS  AKDRONICUS,  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  one  was  borrowd  from  the  other :  but  which  of 

tkcm 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       223 

them  laas  the  original,  it  is  net  eafy  to  decide.  And yet :,  if 
tht  argument  offered  above  in  p.  2 09  for  the  priority  of  the 
ballad  of  the  JEW  OF  VENICE  may  be  admitted,  fome-what 
of  the  fame  kind  may  be  urged  here  ;  for  this  ballad  differs 
from  the  play  in  fever  al  particulars,  which  a  fimple  Ballad- 
writer  would  be  lef;  likely  to  alter  than  an  inventive  Tra  • 
gcdian.  Thus  in  the  ballad  is  no  mention  of  the  cotitejlfsr 
the  empire  between  the  two  brothers,  the  contpofin?  of  --which 
makes  the  ungrateful  treatment  of  T  i  T  u  s  afterwards  the 
more  flagrant  :  neither  is  there  any  notice  taken  of  bis  facri- 
fic'.ng  oneofTamora'sfcns,  which  the  tragic  poet  has  af- 
Jigned  as  the  original  canfe  of  all  her  cruelties.  .  In  the  play 
Titus  lofes  twenty-one  of  bis  fons  in -war,  and  kills  another 
for  ajfifting  Bajfianus  to  carry  off  Lavinia  :  the  reader  will 
find  it  different  in  the  ballad.  Li  the  latter  Jhe  is  befrethed 
to  the  Emperor'' s  Son  :  in  the  play  to  his  brother.  In  the 
tragedy  only  Two  of  his  fons  fall  into  the  pit,  and  the  Third 
bei'ig  banijhsd  returns  to  Rom:  with  a  victorious  army,  t» 
avenge  the  wrongs  of  his  houfe :  in  the  ballad  ail  Three 
are  entrapped  and  fuffer  death.  In  the  fcene  the  Emperor 
kills  Titus,  and  is  in  return  Jlabbed  by  Titus'1  s  fur-vicing 
fan.  Here  Titus  kills  the  Emperor,  and  afterward*  him- 
fdf. 

Let  the  Reader  weigh  theft  circum/iances  and  feme  oibers 
-"wherein  be  will  find  them  unlike,  and  then  pronounce  for  him- 

felf. After  allt  there  is  renfon  to  conclude  that  t bis  flay 

was  rather  improved  by  Shakefpe  are  with  a  few  fine  touches 
of  his  pen,  than  originally  'writ  by  him  ;  for  not  to  mention 
that  the  ftyle  is  lifs  figurative  than  hi  1*1! hers  generally  are, 
this  tragedy  is  mentioned  with  dijcredit  in  the  Indutliia  to 
Ben  Jonfon's  BARTHOLOMEW-FAIR,  in  1614,  as  one  that 
had  then  been  exhibited  ''five  and  ti'jcnty,  or  thirty  years  .•" 
which,  if  we  take  the  lowejl  number,  throws  it  back  to 
the  year  I  589,  at  which  time  Sbakrfpeare  t'.'as  but  25  :  an 
earlier  date,  than  can  be  found  for  any  other  cf  his  pieces  *  .- 

and 

*  T/v  earHrft  >>:c-:vr.,ii  KING  JOHV  ir  :-*."; parts  1591.  4/«.  tl,  hit 
Tlh flay  bt  af'.tt  v:ardf  intlrdy  new  virttt,  as  ivt  nno  hive  it. 


224      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

and  if  it  does  not  clear  him  entirely  of  it,  Jhiws  at  hajl  it 
ivas  aferjl  attempt. 

The  following  is  given  from  a  Copy  in  "  The  Golden 
"  Garland"  intitled  as  above  ;  compared 'with  three  others, 
two  of  them  in  black  letter  in  the  Pepys  collection,  intitled 
"  'The  Lamentable  and  'Tragical  Hiftory  of  Titus  Andro- 
"  r/r'cus,  IS 'c. — To  the  tune  of  Fortune.  Printed  for  E. 
"  Wright" — Unluckily  none  of  thefe  have  any  dates. 


YOU  noble  minds,  and  famous  martiall  wights, 
That  in  defence  of  native  country  fights, 
Give  eare  to  me,  that  ten  yeeres  fought  for  Rome, 
Yet  reapt  difgrace  at  my  returning  home. 

In  Rome  I  lived  in  fame  fulle  threefcore  yeeres,  r 

My  name  beloved  was  of  all  my  peeres  j 
Full  five  and  twenty  valiant  fonnes  I  had, 
Whofe  forwarde  vertues  made  their  father  glad. 

For  whenRomes  foes  their  warlike  forces  bent, 
Againft  them  ftille  my  fonnes  and  I  were  fent;  i  o 

Againft  the  Goths  full  ten  yeeres  weary  warre 
We  fpent,  receiving  many  a  bloudy  fcarre. 

Juft  two  and  twenty  of  my  fonnes  were  flaine 
Before  we  did  returne  to  Rome  again e  : 
Of  five  and  twenty  fonnes,  I  brought'but  three         15 
Alive,  the  (lately  towers  of  Rome  to  fee. 

When 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      225 

When  wars  were  done,  I  conqueft  home  did  bring, 
And  did  prefent  my  prifoners  to  the  king, 
The  queene  of  Goths,  her  fons,  and  eke  a  moore, 
Which  did  fuch  murders,  like  was  nere  before.          20 

The  emperour  did  make  this  queene  his  wife, 
Which  bred  in  Rome  debate  and  deadiie  ftrife  ; 
The  moore,  with  her  two  fonnes  did  growe  foe  proud, 
That  none  like  them  in  Rome  might  bee  allowd. 

The  moore  foe  pleas'd  this  new-made  emprefs'  eie,    25 
That  fhe  confented  to  him  fccretlye 
For  to  abufe  her  hufbands  marriage  bed, 
And  foe  in  time  a  blackamore  fhe  bred. 

Then  (he,  whofe  thoughts  to  murder  were  inclinde, 
Confented  with  the  moore  of  bloody  minde  30 

Againft  myfelfe,  my  kin,  and  all  my  friendes, 
In  cruell  fort  to  bring  them  to  their  endes, 

See  when  in  age  I  thought  to  live  in  peace, 
Both  care  and  griefe  began  then  to  increafe : 
Amongft  my  fonnes  I  had  one  daughter  bright,          3, 
Which  joy'd,  and  pleafed  beft  my  aged  fight  : 

'My  deare  Lavinia  was  betrothed  than 
•To  Cefars  fcnne,  a  young  and  noble  man  : 
Who  in  a  hunting  by  the  emperours  wife, 
And  her  two  fonnes,  bereaved  was  of  life.  40 

Vol.,  I.  (^  He 


226      A  N  C  I  E.  N  T     POEM  S. 

He  being  flaine,  was  calt  in  cruel  wife, 
Into  a  darklbme  den  from  light  of  Ikies  : 
The  cruell  moore  did  come  that  \vay  as  then 
With  my  three  fonnes,  who  fell  into  the  den. 

The  moore  then  fetcht  the  emperour  with  fpeed,       45 
For  to  accufe  them  of  that  murderous  deed  ; 
And  when  my  fonnes  within  the  den  were  found, 
In  wrongfull  prifon  they  were  cafl  and  bound. 

But  nowe,  behold  !  what  wounded  moft  my  mind, 
The  empreffes  two  fonnes  of  favage  kind  50 

My  daughter  ravifhed  without  remorfe, 
And  took  away  her  honour,  quite  perforce. 

When  they  had  tafted  of  foe  fweete  a  flowre, 
Fearing  this  fweete  fhould  fhortly  turne  to  fowre, 
They  cutt  her  tongue,  whereby  (he  could  not  tell      55 
How  that  diflionoure  unto  her  befell. 

Tien  both  her  hands  they  bafely  cutt  off  quite, 
Whereby  their  wickednefse  (he  could  not  write  ; 
Nor  with  her  needle  on  her  fampler  fowe 
The  bloudye  workers  of  her  direfull  woe.  60 

My  brother  Marcus  found  her  in  the  wood, 
Staining  the  graffie  ground  with  purple  bloud, 
That  trickled  from  her  Itumpes,  and  bloudlefse  armes  : 
Koe  tongue  at  all  fhc  had  to  tell  her  harmes. 

But 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       227 

But  wh«n  I  fawe  her  in  that  woefull  cafe,  65 

With  teares  of  bloud  I  wet  mine  aged  face  : 

For  my  Lavinia  1  lamented  more, 

Then  for  my  two  and  twenty  fonnes  before. 

When  as  I  fawc  {he  could  not  write  nor  fpealce, 
With  grief  mine  aged  heart  beg;:n  to  breake  ;  70 

We  fpred  an  heape  of  fand  upon  the  ground, 
Whereby  thofe  blouJy  tyrants  out  we  found. 

For  with  a  P.afFe  without  the  helpe  of  hand, 

She  writt  thefe  wordes  upon  the  plat  of  fand  : 

"  The  luftfull'fonnes  of  the  proud  emperefTe  75 

"  Are  doers  of  this  hateful  wickednefle." 

I  tore  the  milk-white  hairs  from  off  mine  head, 

I  curft  the  houre,  wherein  I  firft  was  bred, 

I  wiflit  this  hand,   that  fought  for  countrie's  fame, 

In  cradle  rockt,  had  firft  been  flroken  lame.  80 

The  moore  delighting  ftill  in  villainy, 
Did  fay,  to  fett  my  fonnes  from  prilon  free 
1  ihould  unto  the  king  my  right  hand  give, 
And  then  my  three  imprifoned  Tonnes  fhould  live. 

The  moore  I  caus'd  to  ftrike  it  off  with  fpeede,          85 
Whereat  I  grieved  not  to  fee  it  bleed, 
But  for  my  fonnes  would  willingly  impart, 
And  for  their  ranfome  fend  my  bleeding  heart. 

z  But 


228      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

But  as  my  life  did  linger  thus  in  paine, 
They  fent  to  me  my  bootlefle  hand  againe,  90 

And  therewithal  the  heades  of  my  three  fonnes, 
"Which  filld  my  dying  heart  with  fremer  moanes. 

Then  paft  reliefe  I  upp  and  downe  did  goe, 

And  with  my  tears  writ  in  the  duft  my  woe  : 

I  fhot  my  arrowes  J  towards  heaven  hie,  95 

And  for  revenge  to  hell  did  often  crye. 

The  emprefle  then,  thinking  that  I  was  mad, 
Like  furies  (he  and  both  her  fonnes  were  clad, 
(She  nam'd  Revenge,  and  Rape  and  Murder  they) 
To  undermine  and  heare  what  I  would  fay.  100 

I  fed  their  foolim  veines  f  a  certains  fpace, 
Untill  my  friendes  did  find  a  fecret  place, 
Where  both  her  fonnes  unto  a  poll  were  bound, 
And  juft  revenge  in  cruell  Ion  was  found. 

I  cut  their  throates,  my  daughter  held  the  pan  105 

Betwixt  her  ftumpes,  wherein  the  bloud  it  ran  : 
And  then  I  ground  their  bones  to  powder  fmall, 
And  made  a  pafte  for  pyes  llreight  therewithall. 

Then 

J  If  the  ballad  -was  written  before  tie  play,  I  Jbwld  fuppcft  tbii  to  be 
tr.ly  a  metaphorical  ext,re/.cn,  taken  from  that  In  the  Pfalms,  "Th;;  ft- '.'-'• 
tut  tbeir  arrows,  even  Hirer  words."  Pf.  64.  3 . 

•f  /.  f.  tntourpged them  in  tie'.rfoilifi  bumsurs,  tr  fanclts. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      229 

Then  with  their  flefhe  I  made  two  mighty  pyes, 
And  at  a  banquet  fervde  in  ftately  wife  :  HO 

Before  the  empreffe  fet  this  loathfome  meat; 
So  of  her  fonnes  own  flefti  {he  well  did  eat. 

Myfelfe  bereav'd  my  daughter  then  of  life, 

The  empreffe  then  I  flewe  with  bloudy  knife, 

And  flabb'd  the  emperour  immediatelie,  1 1 5 

And  then  myfelf :  even  foe  did  Titus  die. 

Then  this  revenge  againft  the  Moore  was  found, 

Alive  they  fett  him  halfe  into  the  ground, 

Whereas  he  flood  untill  fuch  time  he  ftarv'd. 

And  foe  God  fend  all  murderers  may  be  ferv'd.        120 


xnr. 

TAKE    THOSE   LIPS    AWAY. 

*The  fir  ft  Jtanza  of  this  little  fonnct,  which  an  eminent 
critic  I  juftly  admires  for  its  extreme  Jiveetnefs,  is  found  in 
ShakeJ'peare's  MEASURE  FOR  MEASURE,  A.  4.  fc.  i. 
Both  the  Jlanzas  are  preferred  in  Beaum.  and  Fletcher's 
BLOODY  BROTHER,  A.  $./c.  2.  Sewel  and Gildon  ha-vt 
printed  it  among  Shakefpeare1  s  fmaller  Poems,  but  they  have 
done  the  fame  by  twenty  other  pieces  that  were  never  writ 
by  him ;  their  book  being  a  wretched  heap  of  inaccuracies 
and  mi  flakes.  It  is  not  found  in  "Jaggard's  old  edition  of 
Shakefpearis  SONNETS  reprinted  by  Linlot. 

GO  T  A  K  E, 

J  Bp,  Werb,  in  bis  Slektff. 


230      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

TAKE,  ch  take  thofe  lips  away, 
That  fo  fweetlye  were  forfworne  ; 
And  thofe  eyes,  the  breake  of  day, 

Lights,  that  do  mifleade  the  morne  : 
But  my  kifles  bring  againe,  5 

Scales  of  love,  but  feai'd  in  vaine. 

Hide,  oh  hide  thofe  hills  of  fnowe, 

Which  thy  frozen  bofom  beares, 
On  whofe  tops  the  pinkes  that  growe, 

Are  of  thole  that  April  weare  :  IQ 

But  firft  fet  my  poor  heart  free, 
Bound  in  thofe  icy  chains  by  thee. 


XIV. 
KING  LEIR  AND  HIS  THREE  DAUGHTERS. 

The  Reader  has  here  an  ancient  ballad  en  the  fubjeci  of 
KING  LE..R,  which  (as  a  Jenjible  female  critic  las  wetl 
obferved  ~\  J  bears  jo  exact  an  analogy  to  the  argument  of 
Shakejpeai  e1  s  play,  that  his  having  copied  it  could  not  be 
doubted,  if  it  'were  certain,  that  it  was  written  before  the 
tragedy.  Here  tsfoztnd  the  b.nt  of  Lear's  maunejs,  v.-hich 
the  old  chronicles  \  do  not  mention^  AS  alfo  tlx  extravagant 
cruelty  txacijed  on  him  by  his  daughters  :  In  the  death  of 

Lear 

•f  Sbakefpeare  illuftratcd,  Vol.  3.^.  302. 

t  See  Jtfftry  ef  Mcnmcutb,  HolingJJjed,  ts'c.  -aba  relate  Leir^s  b'fary 
Jo  man)  rejptfii  tbt~jamc  at  tbe  bdl&d. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      231 

Liar  they  liAeivife  very  txafily  coincide. — Tht  misfortune  is, 
that  there  is  nothing  to  ajpft  us  in  afcertaining  the  date  of 
the  ballad  but  what  little  evidence  arifes  from  within  ;  this 
the  Reader  muft  weigh  and  judge  for  hitnfelf, 

It  may  be  proper  to  obj'erve,  that  Shakefpeare  was  not  the 
jirft  of  our  Dramatic  Poets  who  fitted  tht  Story  e/'LEIR  to 
the  Stage.  His  fir  ft  4/0  Edition  is  dated  1608  ;  but  three 
J<ars  before  that  bad  been  printed,  a.  flay  intitled,  "  The 
*'  true  Chronicle  Hiftory  of  Leir  and  his  three  daughters 
"  Conor  ill,  Ragan,  and  Cordelia,  as  it  hath  been  divers 
*'  and  fundry  times  lately  a&ed.  1605.  4/0."— This  is  a 
very  poor  and  dull  performance,  but  happily  txcited  Shake- 
fpeare  to  undertake  the  Jufjefl,  which  be  has  given  with 
very  different  incidents.  It  is  remarkable,  that  neither  the 
circumjtances  of  Leir's  madnefs  ;  nor  his  retinue  tf  ajcled 
number  of  knights  ;  r.or  tht  offering  deaths  of  Cordelia 
and  Leir,  are  found  in  that  jirft  dramatic  pitce  :  in  all 
which  Shakefpeare  concurs  with  this  ballad. 

But  to  form  a  true  Judgment  of  Shakefpcare's  Merit,  the 
curious  Reader  Jhould  caft  his  eye  over  that  previous  Sketch  : 
which  he  will  find printid  at  tht  cnde/THf.  TWENTY 
PLAYS  of  Sbakefpcare,  republifaed from  the  quarto  impref- 
Jions  by  GEORGE  STEEVENS,  Efq;  with  fucb  elegajjce  and 
exaflnefs,  as  led  us  to  expeS  that  fine  edition  of  all  the  works 
of  our  great  Dramatic  Poet,  which  he  hath  fence  pub' 
lijhed. 

The  following  Ballad  is  gi-ven  from  an  ancient  copy  in  the 
11  Golden  Garland"  hi.  let.  intitled,  "  A  lamentable  fong  of 
"  the  Death  of  King  Leir,  and  his  three  daughters.  To 
"  the  Tune  of  When  flyiug  fame." 


KING  Leir  once  ruled  in  this  land, 
With  princely  power  and  peace  ; 
And  had  all  things  with  hearts  content, 
That  might  his  joys  incrcafe. 

Q^4  Amongft 


232     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Amongft  thofe  things  that  nature  gave*, 
Three  daughters  fair  had  he, 

So  princely  feeming  beautiful, 
As  fairer  could  not  be. 


So  on  a  time  it  pleas'd  the  king 

A  queftion  thus  to  move, 
Which  of  his  daughters  to  his  grace 

Could  (hew  the  deareft  love  : 
For  to  my  age  you  bring  content, 

Quoth  he,  then  let  me  hear 
Which  of  you  three  in  plighted  troth 

The  kindeft  will  appear. 

To  whom  the  eldeft  thus  began  ; 

Dear  father,  mind,  quoth  flie, 
Before  your  face,  to  do  you  good, 

My  blood  mail  render'd  be  : 
And  for  your  fake  my  bleeding  heart 

Shall  here  be  cut  in  twain, 
Ere  that  I  fee  your  reverend  age 

The  fmalleft  grief  fuftain. 

And  fo  will  I,  the  fecond  faid  ; 

Dear  father,  for  yonr  fake, 
The  woril  of  all  extremities 

I'll  gently  undertake  : 
And  ferve  your  highnefs  night  and  day 

With  diligence  and  love  ; 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      235 

That  fvveet  content  and  quietnefs 
Difcomforts  may  remove. 


In  doing  fo,  you  glad  my  foul, 

The  aged  king  reply'd  ; 
But  what  fayft  thou,  my  youngeft  girl,  35 

How  is  thy  love  ally'd  ? 
My  love  (quoth  young  Cordelia  then) 

Which  to  your  grace  I  owe, 
Shall  be  the  duty  of  a  child, 

And  that  is  all  I'll  mow.  40 

And  wilt  thou  fliew  no  more,  quoth  he, 

Than  doth  thy  duty  bind  ? 
I  well  perceive  thy  love  is  fmall, 

When  as  no  more  I  find  : 
Henceforth  I  banifli  thee  my  court,  AC 

Thou  art  no  child  of  mine; 
Nor  any  part  of  this  my  realm 

By  favour  fhall  be  thine. 

Thy  elder  fitters  loves  are  more 

Than  well  I  can  demand,  50 

To  whom  I  equally  beftow 

My  kingdome  and  my  land, 
My  pompal  (late  and  all  my  goods, 

That  lovingly  I  may 
With  thofe  thy  fitters  be  maintain'd  55 

Until  my  dying  day. 

Thus 


234      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Thus  flattering  fpeeches  u'on  renown, 

By  thefe  two  fitters  here  : 
'   The  third  had  caufelefs  banifliment, 

Yet  was  her  love  more  dear :  60 

For  poor  Cordelia  patiently 

Went  wandring  up  and  down, 
Unhelp'd,   unpity'd,  gentle  maid, 

Through  many  an  Englifli  town  : 

Untill  at  laft  in  famous  France  65 

She  gentler  fortunes  found  ; 
Though  poor  and  bare,  yet  {he  was  deem'd 

The  faired  on  the  ground  : 
Where  when  the  king  her  virtues  heard, 

And  this  fair  lady  feen,  7° 

With  full  confent  of  all  his  court 

He  made  his  wife  and  queen. 

Her  father  '  old'  king  Lear  this  while 

With  his  two  daughters  (laid  ; 
Forgetful  of  their  promis'd  loves,  75 

Full  foon  the  fame  decay'd  ; 
And  living  in  queen  Ragan's  court, 

The  eldeft  of  the  twain, 
She  took  from  him  his  chiefefl  means, 

And  moft  of  all  his  train.  go 

For  whereas  twenty  men  were  wont 
To  wait  with  bended  kaee  : 

She 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      235 

She  gave  allowance  but  to  ten, 

And  after  fcarce  to  three  : 
Nay,  one  (he  thought  too  much  for  him,  -85 

So  took  fhe  all  away, 
In  hope  that  in  her  court,  good  king, 

He  would  no  longer  ft  ay. 

Am  I  rewarded  thus,  quoth  he, 

In  giving  all  I. have  90 

Unto  my  children,   and  to  beg 

For  what  1  lately  gave  ? 
I'll  go  unto  my  Gonorell ; 

My  fecond  child,  1  know, 
Will  be  more  kind  and  pitiful,  95 

And  will  relieve  my  woe. 

Full  faft  he  hies  then  to  her  court ; 

Where  when  fhe  heard  his  moan 
Return'd  him  anfwer,  That  fhe  griev'd, 

That  all  his  means  were  gone  :  100 

But  no  way  could  relieve  his  wants  ; 

Yet  if  that  he  would  ftay 
Within  her  kitchen,  he  fhould  have 

What  fcullions  gave  away. 

When  he  had  heard,  with  bitter  tears,  105 

He  made  his  anfwer  then  ; 
In  what  I  did  let  me  be  made 

Example  to  all  men. 

7  I  will 


236     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

I  will  return  again,  quoth  he, 

Unto  my  Ragan's  court  ;  1 10 

She  will  not  ufe  me  thus,  I  hope, 

But  in  a  kinder  fort. 

Where  when  he  came,  {he  gave  command 

To  drive  him  thence  away  : 
When  he  was  well  within  her  court  115 

(She  faid)  he  would  not  Hay. 
Then  back  again  to  Gonorell, 

The  woeful  king  did  hie, 
That  in  her  kitchen  he  might  have 

What  fcullion  boys  fet  by.  120 

But  there  of  that  he  was  deny'd, 

Which  fiie  had  promis'd  late  : 
For  once  refufing,  he  fhoiild  not 

Come  after  to  her  gate. 
Thus  twixt  his  daughters,  for  relief  125 

He  wandred  up  and  down  ; 
Being  glad  to  feed  on  beggars  food, 

That  lately  wore  a  crown. 

And  calling  to  remembrance  then 

His  youngeft  daughters  words,        .  130 

That  faid  the  duty  of  a  child 

Was  all  that  love  affords  : 
But  doubting  to  repair  to  her, 

Whom  he  had  banifh'd  fo, 

Grew 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      237 

Giew  frantick  mad;  for  in  his  mind  135 

He  bore  the  wounds  of  woe  : 

Which  made  him  rend  his  milk-white  locks, 

And  treffes  from  his  head, 
And  all  with  blood  beftain  his  cheeks, 

With  age  and  honour  fpread  :  140 

To  hills  and  woods  and  watry  founts, 

He  made  his  hourly  moan, 
Till  hills  and  woods,  and  fenflefs  things, 

Did  feem  to  figh  and  groan. 

Even  thus  poflelt  with  difcontents,  145 

He  parted  o're  to  France, 
In  hopes  from  fair  Cordelia  there, 

To  find  fome  gentler  chance  : 
Moft  virtuous  dame  !  which  when  fhe  heard 

Of  this  her  father's  grief,  I  >o 

As  duty  bound,  (hs  quickly  fent 

Him  comfort  and  relief: 

And  by  a  train  of  noble  peers, 

In  brave  and  gallant  fort, 
She  gave  in  charge  he  mould  be  brought          155 

To  Aganippus*  court  ; 
Whofe  royal  king,  with  noble  mind 

So  freely  gave  con  fent, 
To  mufter  up  his  knights  at  arms, 

To  fame  and  courage  bent.  160 

And 


238     ANCIENT     POEM  S. 

•    And  fo  to  England  came  with  fpeed, 

To  repoffefTe  king  Leir, 
And  drive  his  daughters  from  their  thrones 

By  his  Cordelia  dear  : 
Where  fhe,  true-hearted  noble  queen, 

Was  in  the  battel  flain  : 
Yet  he  good  king,  in  his  old  days, 

Pofleft  his  crown  again. 

But  when  he  heard  Cordelia's  death, 

Who  died  indeed  for  love 
Of  her  dear  father,  in  whofe  caufe 

She  did  this  battle  move  ; 
He  fwooning  fell  upon  her  breaft, 

From  whence  he  never  parted  : 
But  on  her  bofom  left  his  life, 

That  was  fo  truly  hearted. 

The  lords  and  nobles  when  they  fa\v 

The  end  of  thefe  events, 
The  other  filters  unto  death 

They  doomed  by  confents ; 
And  being  dead,  their  crowns  they  left 

Unto  the  next  of  kin  : 
Thus  have  you  feen  the  full  of  pride, 

And  difobedient  fin. 


XV.  YOUTH 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      239 


XV. 
YOUTH    AND    AGE, 

is  found  in  the  little  collection  of  Sbakefpeare's  Sort' 
nets,  ir.titlcd  the  PASSIONATE  PILGRIME  J,  the  greateji 
part  of  nuhich  ftems  to  relate  to  the  amours  of  Venus  and 
Adoniit  being  little  ejfujions  of  fancy,  probably  written, 
•while  h:  ivas  compo/ing  his  larger  Poem  on  that  JubjcB. 
The  following  feems  intended  for  the  mouth  of  Venus* 
•weighing  the  comparative  merits  of  youthful  Adonis  and 
aged  Vulcan.  In  the  "  Garland  of  good  'will"  it  is  re- 
printed, 'with  the  addition  of  IV.  more  fuch  Jfanzas,  but 
evidently  written  by  a  meaner  pen. 

/^iRABBED  Age  and  Youth 
V>  Cannot  live  together; 
Youth  is  full  of  pleafance, 

Age  is  full  of  care  : 
Youth  like  fummer  morn,  j 

Age  like  winter  weather, 
Youth  like  fummer  brave, 

Age  like  winter  bare  : 
Youth  is  full  of  fport, 

Ages  breath  is  fhort ;  10 

\  Mentioned  aiove,  Seng  XL  B.  II. 

Youth 


240       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Youth  is  nimble,  Age  is  lame  : 
Youth  is  hot  and  bold, 
Age  is  weak  and  cold  ; 

Youth  is  wild,  and  Age  is  tame. 
Age,  I  do  abhor  th.ee, 
Youth,  I  do  adore  thee  ; 

O,  my  love,  my  love  is  young  : 
Age,  I  do  defie  thee  ; 
Oh  fweet  fhepheard,  hie  thee, 

For  methinks  thou  flayft  too  long. 


XVI. 

THE  FROLICKSOME  DUKE,  OR  THE  TINKER'S 
GOOD  FORTUNE. 

The  following  ballad  is  upon  the  fame  fubjeEl,  as  ibe 
INDUCTION  to  Shakefpearis  TAMING  OF  THE  SHREW: 
•whether  it  may  be  thought  to  ha<ve  fuggejlsd  the  hint  to  the 
Dramatic  ptet,  or  is  not  rather  of  later  date,  the  reader 
mujt  determine. 

Thejiory  is  told  f  C/THILIP/^GOOD,  'Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy \  and  is  thus  related  by  an  c.Li  Engiifi}  writer.  "77^ 
' '  ftnid  Duke ,  at  the  marriage  of  Eleonora,  Jifter  to  the  king 
"  of  Portugal!,  at  Bruges  in  Flanders,  iv'bicb  was  folem- 
*'  nifed  in  the  deepe  of  winter  ;  when  as  by  reafon  of  vn- 
"  feafcnalle  iveatver  he  could  neither  b&wkt  nor  hunt,  and 

"  i';as 

•\  By  Ludtv.  Vrvu  in  Epift.  &  bf  Pent.  Heater.  Rerum  BurgUKd. 


A  N  C  It  E  N  T     POEMS.          241 

"  was  uow  tired  with  cards,  dice,  £ifr.  and ' fuch  other  do- 
"  ntejlickfports,  cr  to  fee  ladies  dance  ;  with  fame  of  bis 
' '  courtiers,  lie  'would  in  the  evening  walke  difguifed  all 
*'  about  the  lowne.  It  fo  fortuned,  as  he  'was  walking 
"  late  one  night,  he  fsttnd  a  countrey  fellow  dead  drunke, 
' '  fnorting  on  a  bulke  \  he  caufed  his  followers  to  bring  him 
"  to  his  palace,  and  there  gripping  him  of  his  old  clctbes, 
"  and  at  tyring  him  after  the  court  fajhion,  when  he 
' '  wakened,  he  and  they  ivere  ail  ready  to  attend  upon  his 
"  excellency,  andptrfitade  him  that  he  was fome great  Duke. 
"  The  poor  fellovj  admiring  haw  he  came  there,  wasferved 
' '  in  /late  all  day  long  :  after  fupper  he  fanu  them  dancf, 
"  heard  mujicke,  and  all  the  rejt  of  thofe  court-like  plea- 
"  fures  :  but  late  at  night,  when  he  nuas  well  titled,  and 
"  again  f*Jt  ajleepe,  they  put  on  his  old  robe;,  and  fo  con- 
"  njeyed  hiifi  to  the  place,  where  they  frj}  found  him.  NOVJ 
"  the  fellow  had  not  made  them  fogoodfport  the  day  before, 
f  as  he  did  now,  when  he  returned  to  himfelf:  all  the  jeft 
'  was  to  fee  how  he  looked  upon  it.  la  conclufton,  after 
1  fame  little  admiration,  the  pcore  man  tdd  his  friends  he 
'  Lad  feen  a  iii/ton  ',  conjlantly  believed  it  ;  would  net 
*  otherwife  be  perfuaded,  and  fo  thejefttnded."  Burton's 
Anatomy  of  Melancholy.  Pt.  2.fecJ.  z.  Memb.  4.  id.  Ed. 
l6z±.fol. 

This  ballad  is  given  from  a  black  litter  Copy  in  the  Pepys 
Colleflion,  which  is  intitled  as  above.  "  To  the  tune  of, 
•'  Fond  boy." 

^^[O  W  as  fame  does  report  a  young  duke  keeps  acourt, 
One  that  pleafes  his  fancy  with  frolickfome  fport : 
But  amongft  all  the  reft,  here  is  one  I  proteft, 
Which  will  make  yoa  to  fmile  when  you  hear  the  true  jeft  : 
A  poor  tinker  he  found,  lying  drunk  on  the  ground,  5 
As  fecure  in  a  fleep  as  if  laid  in  a  fwound. 

VOL.  I.  R  The 


242      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

The  duke  faid  to  his  men,  William,  Richard,  and  Ben» 
Take  him  home  to  my  palace,  we'll  fport  with  him  then. 
O'er  a  horfe  he  was  laid,  and  with  care  foon  convey'd 
To  the  palace,  altho'  he  was  poorly  arrai'd  :  to 

Then  theyftript  offhis  cloaths,both  hisfhirt.fhoes  and  hofe, 
And  they  put  him  to  bed  for  to  take  his  repofe. 

Having  pull'd  off  his  fhirt,  which  was  all  over  durt, 
They  did  give  him  clean  holland,  this  was  no  great  hurt: 
On  a  bed  of  foft  down,  like  a  lord  of  renown,  1,5 

They  did  lay  him  to  fleep  the  drink  out  of  his  crown. 
In  the  morning  when  day,  then  admiring  he  lay, 
For  to  fee  the  rich  chamber  both  gaudy  and  gay. 

Now  he  lay  fomething  late,  in  his  rich  bed  of  ftate, 
Till  at  laft  knights  and  fquires  they  on  him  did  wait ;  20 
And  the  chamberling  bare,  then  did  likewife  declare, 
He  defir'd  to  know  what  apparel  he'd  ware  : 
The  poor  tinker  amaz'd,  on  the  gentleman  gaz'd, 
And  admired  how  he  to  this  honour  was  rais'd. 

Tho'  he  fecm'd  fomething  mute,  yet  he  chofe  a  rich  fuit, 
Which  he  ftraitways  pat  on  without  longer  difpute  ;  z6 
With  a  ftar  on  his  fide,  which  the  tinker  offt  ey'd, 
And  it  feem'd  for  to  fwell  him  '  no'  little  with  pride  ; 
For  he  laid  to  himfelf,  Where  is  Joan  my  fweet  wife  ? 
Sure  Ihe  never  did  fee  me  fo  fine  in  ker  life.  30 

From 


ANCIENT     POEMS*       243 

From  a  convenient  place,  the  right  duke  his' good  grac« 
Did  obferve  his  behaviour  in  every  cafe. 
To  a  garden  of  Hate,  on  the  tinker  they  wait, 
Trumpets  founding  beforehim  :  thought  he,  this  is  great: 
Where  an  hour  or  two,  pleafant  \valks  he  did  view,     35 
With  commanders  and  fquires  in  fcarlct  and  blew. 

A  fine  dinner  was  drefl,  both  for  him  and  his  guefts,     . 
He  was  plac'd  at  the  table  above  all  the  reft, 
Jn  a  rich  chair  '  or  bed,'  lin'd  with  fine  crimfon  red, 
With  a  rich  golden  canopy  over  his  head  :  40 

As  he  fat  ;u  hi.-,  meat,  the  mufick  play'd  fweet, 
With  the  ciioiceft  of  finging  his  joys  to  compleat. 

While  the  tinker  did  dine,  he  had  plenty  of  wine, 

Rich  canary  with  fherry  and  tent  fuperfine. 

Like  a  right  honeft  foul,  faith,  be  took  off  his  bowl,  45 

Till  at  lalt  he  began  for  to  tumble  and  rod 

From  his  chair  to  the  floor,  where  he  fleeping  did  fnore» 

Being  feven  times  drunker  than  ever  before. 

Then  the  duke  did  ordain,  they  (hould  drip  him  amain, 
And  reftore  him  his  old  leather  garments  again  :       50 
'Twas  a  point  next  the  worft,  yet  perform  it  they  mull, 
And  they  carry'd  him  flrait,  where  they  found  him  at  firft; 
Then  he  ilcpt  all  the  right,  as  indeed  well  he  might  j 
But  when  he  did  waken,  his  joys  took  their  flight. 

R  T.  For 


244      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

For  bis  glory  '  to  him*   fo  pleafant  did  feem,  55 

That  he  thought  it  to  be  but  a  meer  golden  dream  ; 
Tillatlength  hewas  brought  to  the  duke, where  hefought 
For  a  pardon,  as  fearing  he  had  fet  him  at  nought ; 
But  his  highnefs  he  faid,  Thou'rt  a  jolly  bold  blade, 
Such  a  frolick  before  I  think  never  was  plaid.  60 

Then  his  highnefs  befpoke  him  a  new  fuit  and  cloak, 
Which  he  gave  for  the  fake  of  this  frolickfome  joak  j 
Nay,  and  five  hundred  pound,  with  ten  acres  of  ground, 
Thou  fhalt  never,  faid  he,  range  the  counteries  round, 
Crying  old  brafs  to  mend,  for  I'll  be  thy  good  friend,  65 
Nay,  and  Joan  thy  fweetwife  fhall  my  duchefs  attend. 

Then  the  tinker  reply 'd,  What !  muft  Joan  myfweet  bride 
Be  a  lady  in  chariots  of  pleafure  to  ride  ? 
Muft  we  have  gold  and  land  ev'ry  day  at  command  ? 
*Then  I  frail  be  a  fquire  I  well  underftand  :  70 

Well  I  thank  your  good  grace,  and  your  love  I  embrace, 
I  was  never  before  in  fo  happy  a  cafe. 


XVII.  THE 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      245 


XVII. 


THE  FRIAR  OF  ORDERS  GRAY. 

Difperfed  thro1  Sbakefpeare's  plays  are  innumerable  littli 
fragments  of  ancient  ballads,  the  entire  copies  of  which 
could  not  be  recovered.  Many  of  thefe  being  of  th?  moft 
beautiful  and  pathetic  jimplicity,  the  Editor  was  tempted  to 
/elect  fome  of  them,  and  with  a  fe-iv  fupplemental  ftanzas  to 
connect  them  together,  and  form  them  into  a  little  TALE, 
'which  is  here  fubmiited  to  the  Reader* s  candour. 

One  fmall  fragment  ivas  taken  from  Beaumont  and 
Fletcher. 

IT  was  a  friar  of  orders  gray 
Walkt  forth  to  tell  his  heaves ; 
And  he  met  with  a  lady  faire 
Clad  in  a  pilgrime's  weedes. 

Now  Chrift  thee  fave,  thou  reverend  friar,  5 

I  pray  thee  tell  to  me, 
If  ever  at  yon  holy  ihrine 

My  true  love  thou  didft  fee. 

R  3  And 


246       ANCIENT      POEMS. 

And  how  fhould  I  know  your  true  love 

From  many  another  one  ?  ie 

O  by  his  cockle  hat,  and  ftaff, 
And  by  his  fandal  fhoone  ^. 

But  chiefly  by  his  face  and  mien, 

That  were  fo  fair  to  view  ; 
His  flaxen  locks  that  fweetly  curl'd,  j<j 

And  eyne  of  lovely  blue. 

O  lady,  he  is  dead  and  gone  ! 

Lady,  he's  dead  and  gone  ! 
And  at  his  head  a  green  grafs  turfe. 

And  at  his  heels  a  ftone.  ^ 

Within  thefe  holy  cloyfters  long 

Jle  languifht,  and  he  dyed, 
Lamenting  of  a  ladyes  love, 

And  'playning  of  her  pride. 

Here  bore  him  barefac'd  on  his  bier  25 

Six  proper  youths  and  tall, 
And  many  a  tear  bedew'd  his  grave 

Within  yon  kirk-yard  wall. 

And 


J  Tbefe  are  the  diftinguijhing  marks  of  a  Pilgrim .  The  chief  places 
efde-vctien  being  beyendfea,  the  pilgrims  inert  wont  to  put  cockle-Jhells 
in  tbtir  bats  to  denote  the  intentiw  er  performance  cf  (heir  devttioq, 
W*rl.  Sbakefp.Vol.  8.^,224. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.        247 

And  art  thou  dead,  thou  gentle  youth  ! 

And  art  thou  dead  and  gone  ! 
And  didft  thou  dye  for  love  of  me  ! 

Break,  cruel  heart  of  ftone  ! 

O  weep  not,  lady,  weep  not  foe  ; 

Some  ghoftly  comfort  feek  : 
Let  not  vain  forrow  rive  thy  heart,  35 

Ne  teares  bedew  thy  cheek. 

O  do  not,  do  not,  holy  friar, 

My  forrow  now  reprove  ; 
For  I  have  loft  the  fweeteft  youth, 

That  e'er  wan  ladyes  love.  40 

And  nowe,  alas  !  for  thy  fad  Me, 

I'll  evermore  weep  and  figh  j 
For  thee  I  only  wifht  to  live, 

For  thee  I  wiih  to  dye. 

Weep  no  more,  lady,  weep  no  more,  45 

Thy  forrowe  is  in  vaine  : 
For  violets  pluckt  the  fweeteft  mowers 

Will  ne'er  make  grow  againe. 

Our  joys  as  winged  dreams  doe  flye, 

Why  then  fhould  forrow  laft  ?  50 

Since  grief  but  aggravates  thy  lofle, 

Grieve  not  for  what  is  paft. 

Rfr  O  fay 


248     ANCIENT     POEMS* 

O  fay  not  foe,  thou  holy  friar ; 

I  pray  thee,  fay  not  foe  : 
For  fince  my  true-love  dyed  for  mee,  55 

'Tis  meet  my  tears  mould  flow. 

And  will  he  ne'er  come  again  ? 

Will  he  ne'er  come  again  ? 
Ah  !  no,  he  is  dead  and  laid  in  his  grave, 

For  ever  to  remain.  6© 

His  cheek  was  redder  than  the  rofe  j 

The  comlieft  youth  was  he  ! — 
But  he  is  dead  and  laid  in  his  grave  : 

Alas,  and  woe  is  me  ! 

Sigh  no  more,  lady,  figh  no  more,  65 

Men  were  deceivers  ever  : 
One  foot  on  fea  and  one  on  land, 

To  one  thing  conftant  never. 

Hadft  thou  been  fond,  he  had  been  falfe, 

And  left  thee  fad  and  heavy  ;  70 

For  young  men  ever  were  fickle  found, 
Since  fummer  trees  were  leafy. 

Now  fay  not  fo,  thou  holy  friar, 

I  pray  thee  fay  not  foe  ; 
My  love  he  had  the  trueft  heart :  75 

O  he  was  ever  true  ! 

And 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       149 

And  art  thou  dead,  thou  much-lov'd  youth, 

And  didft  thou  dye  for  mee  ? 
Then  farewell  home  ;  for  ever-more 

A  pilgrim  I  will  bee.  So 

But  firft  upon  my  true-loves  grave 

My  weary  limbs  I'll  lay, 
And  thrice  I'll  kifs  the  green-grafs  turf, 

That  wraps  his  breathlefs  clay. 

Yet  ftay,  fair  lady  ;  reft  awhile  85 

Beneath  this  cloyfter  wall  : 
See  through  the  hawthorn  blows  the  cold  wind, 

And  drizzly  rain  doth  fall. 

O  ftay  me  not,  thou  holy  friar  ; 

O  ftay  me  not  I  pray  ;  90 

No  drizzly  rain  that  falls  on  me, 

Can  warn  my  fault  away. 

Yet  ftay,  fair  lady,  turn  again, 

And  dry  thofe  pearly  tears  ; 
For  fee  beneath  this  gown  of  gray  95 

Thy  ovvne  true-love  appears. 

Here  forc'd  by  grief,  and  hopelefs  love, 

Thefe  holy  weeds  I  fought ; 
And  here  amid  thefe  lonely  walls 

To  end  my  days  I  thought.  100 

But 


250      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

But  haply  for  my  year  of  grace  { 

Is  not  yet  paft  away, 
Might  I  ftjll  hope  to  win  thy  love, 

No  longer  would  I  ftay. 

Now  farewell  grief,  and  welcome  joy  105 

Once  more  unto  my  heart ; 
for  fince  I  have  found  thee,  lovely  youth, 

We  never  more  will  part, 

1  The  year  of  probation,  or  tioviciati. 


%*  As  the  foregoing  fong  has  been  thought  to  havefug- 
gefted  to  our  late  excellent  Poet  Dr.  GOLDSMITH,  the  Plan 
of  bis  beautiful  ballad  of  EDWIN  AND  EMMA  (firjl  print- 
ed in  his  "  Vicar  of  IVakefield" 'j  it  is  but  jujlice  to 
bis  memory  to  declare,  that  his  Poem  ivat  written  firjl , 
and  that  if  there  is  any  imitation  in  the  cafe,  they  will 
be  found  both  to  be  indebted  to  the  beautiful  old  ballad, 
GENTLE  HERDSMAN,  13  c.  printed  in  the  fecond  volume  of 
this  Work,  ^which  ths  Doctor  had  much  admired  in  tnanu- 
fcript,  and  has  finely  improved.  See  Vol.  II.  Book  I.  fong 
xii>.  ver.  37.  £5f. 


THE  END  OF  THE  SECOND  BOOK,. 


PF    ANCIENT    POETRY, 

Gfr. 

SERIES    THE    FIRST. 
BOOK    III. 


THE    MOKE   MODERN  BALLAD   OF 
CHEVY    CHACE. 

At  tie  beginning  of  this  volume  <we  gave  the  old  original 
Song  of  CHEVY  CHACE.  1'he  reader  has  here  the  more 
improved  edition  of  that  fne  Heroic  ballad.  It  will  afford 

an 


252       ANCIENT    POEMS. 

*"*',  '•  . 
^"""    f 

tin  eivrteable  entertainment  to  the  curious  to  compare  tb&u  »*&- 
gctber,'  -and  to  fee  how  far  the  latter  bard  has  excelled  hit 
frs/iceffbr,  and  where  be  has  fallen  faort  of  him.  For  tho\ 
be  has  every  where  improved  the  verification,  and  general^, 
tbefentiment  and  diction  :  yet  fame,  few  plages  ret*.:;:  -mzrg 
dignity  in"  the  ancient  copy  ;  at  leaft  tbt_  obfoleteiitjs  of  the- 

ryes  as  a  veil  to  hide  whatever  might  appear  too  fa- 
miliar or  --vulgar  in  them.  Thus,  fcr  infiance,  the  cuta- 
f.rophe  of  the  gallant  Witberingtan  is  in  the  mvderiicofy  ex- 
pi'rft  in  terms  --which  never  fail  at  preje ;it  to  c^/ftte  rld;cale  : 
-  original  it  is  reluic  tathetic 

:'/•:,  that  is  liable  to  no  Juch  unlucky  effect  :  -See  the 
in  pug.  14.  <^Mbt.ch«in  modern  orthography,  t  c. 
"jauld  run  thus, 

"  For  Withering! on  rny  heart  is  *ivoe, 

"  7 bat  ever  he  jlain  fosuld  be  : 
* '  For  --when  his  legs  ixcre  kt-wn  in  : 

*'  tie  knelt  and jv-ght  on  r.'ts  knee." 


So  agdin  the  ftanza  which  defcribes  the  fall  of  M:rrt- 
gomery  is  fomewhat  more  elevated  in  the  ancient  copy. 

"  The  dint  it  nvas  both  fad  and  fare, 

*'  He  en  Montgomery  Jet  .' 
'*  The  fwan-f eat  hers  his  arrow  bore 

"  With  his  hearts  blood  'were  wet."  /.  13, 

WE  might  alfo  add,  that  the  tircumjlances  of  the  battle 

a--e  ;.:orc  clearly  conceived,  and  the  fever  al  incidents  more  dif- 

;>:ai-ked  in  the  old  original,  than  in  the  improved  cofv. 

.dl  known  that  the  ancient  Englijh  weapon  was  tht 

L>;g  bow,  and  that  this  nation  excelled  all  others  in  archery  • 

•'::  Scdtijb  warriours  chiefly  depended  on  the  ufe  of 

the  j}ear  :  this   char&derifiic  difference  never   ej capes  our 

Lard,  wbofe  defcriplion  of  the  frjl  onftt    (/.   9.) 

is  te  ibi  following  effect. 

4  k"«r8Sr 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       253 

"  The  propoful  of  the  two  gallant  earls  ts  determine  the 
difpute  by  fenglt  combat  being  over-ruled  ;  the  Envlijb,  fayi 
he,  who  Jtood  with  their  bows  ready  bent,  gave  a  general 
difcharge.  cf  their  arrows,  which  Jle-Tju  fi>ven  fcore  fpearmex 
of  the  enemy  :  but  notwithstanding  fo  jevere  a  lojs,  Douglas 
tike  a  brave  captain  kept  his  ground.  He  had  divided  bit 
fonts  into  three  columns,  'who  as  foon  as  the  Englijb  had  dif~ 
charged  the  frjl  volley,  tore  down  upon  them  with  their 
fpears,  and  breaking  through  their  ranks  reduced  them  to 
clofe  fighting.  The  archers  upon  this  dropt  their  bovjs  and 
had  recourfe  to  their  fvjords,  and  there  followed  Jo  Jharp  a 
confiifi,  that  multitudes  on  both  Ji.ies  loji  their  lives."  In 
the  midft  of  this  general  engagement,  at  length  tk?  two  great 
earls  meet,  and  after  afpirittd  rencounter  agree  to  breathe  ; 
upon  ivhich  a  parley  enfuesy  that  would  do  bouour  to  Homer 
bimfelf. 

Nothing  can  be  more  pleafingly  diftinSi  and  circumj 
than  this  :  whereas  the  modern  copy,  the?  in  general 
great  merit,  is  here  unluckily  both  confufed  and  obfcure.  In- 
deed the  original  -ivords  feent  here  to  have  been  totally  mi_f- 
underjlood.  "  Tet  bydys  the  yerl  Douglas  upon  the  BI:NT," 
tvidently  Jigvifas,  "  ¥et  the  earl  Douglas  abides  in  the 
FIELD  :"  l-^'htreas  the  more  modern  bardfeems  to  havt  *n- 
derjlood  by  EENT,  the  inclination  cf  his  mind,  and  accord* 
iugly  runs  quite  off  from  tbt  fubjeci  *, 

tf  To  drive  the  deer  ivith  bound  asd  born 

"  Earl  Douglat  had  the  bci;t.''  v.  109. 

O  NE  may  alfo  obfervt  a  generous  impartiality  in  the  oU 
original  bard,  ivhen  in  the  conclufon  cf  Jjis  tale  he  rfj^rf- 
fents  both  nations  as  quitting  thejicld  without  any  'reproach- 
ful reflexion  on  either  :  tbo'  he  gives  to  off  OVJH  tountrytr.tr- 
the  credit  of  being  the  finaller  number. 

"Of 


*  In  tkeprefcnt  E  fitln,  infteaJ  of  ti>€  u»ir^i'iKg  /'•>«  itr        . 
an  Infer  tan  H  madt  cffvitr  Sianxa:  mode  r.ixe<{  Jror  j4r  *ncn-     . 


- 


*•*. 


-I-..::--.  :  -  :.;.   .-  -      ..r-         .-.    ,..;   .     •  ^-;    .    ::.       • 

a*  *,: 

' 

_ 


• 

;-  :  :  ...  .;    -- 


:    :.--—    ."    —      .-•  .    ;     .    •.—  ..  .  "...      -_•:-•         -.       

-      -,—•.,-       .,-, 

.    . 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      255 

plaitn  of  the  antiquated  phrafe  of  CHEVY  CHACE,  could 
never  have  fcen  this  improved copy,  the  language  of  which 
is  not  more  ancient  than  that  he  himfelf  ufed.  It  is  proba- 
ble that  the  encomittms  of  fo  admired  a  writer  excited '/cm* 
tar  d  to  revife  the  ballad,  and  to  free  it  from  thofe  faults  he 
had  objeQed  to  it.  That  it  could  not  be  much  later  than  that 
time,  appears  from  the  pbrafe  DOLEFUL  DUMPS;  which  in 
that  age  carried  no  ill  found  with  itr  but  to  the  next  genera- 
tion became  ridiculous.  We  have  fssn  it  pafe  uncenfured  in 
afonnet  that  was  at  that  time  in  requejl,  and  where  it 
could  not  fail  to  have  been  taken  notice  of,  had  rt  been  iit 
the  leajt  exceptionable  :  fee  above  p.  182,  3  :  Yet  in  about 
half  a  century  after,  it  was  become  bnrlefque.  See  Hu£- 
bras,  Pt.  i.e.  3.  <v.  95. 

THIS  much  premifed,  the  reader  that  would  fee  the  gene- 
ral beauties  of  this  ballad  fet  in  a.  juft  and  ftriking  tigttf 
may  confult  the  excellent  criticifm  of  Mr.  Addifon  f .  With 
regard  to  its  fubjecl  :  it  has  already  been  considered  in  page 
3<?.  The  conjectures  there  offered  will  receive  confirmation 
from  a  paffage  in  the  Memoirs  of  Gary  Earl  of  Monmoutb, 
&vo.  I7>9»  /•  165.  Whence  we  learn  that  it  waf  m*  an-< 
dent  cujlom  with  the  borderers  of  the  t-iuo  kingdoms  when 
they  were  at  peace,  to  fend  to  the  J.crd  Wardens  of  the  oppo- 
Jite  Marches  for  leave  to  hunt  within  thtir  drftrifij.  If 
leave  was  granted,  then  towards  tht  end  of  Juminer  they 
would  come  and  hunt  for  federal  days  together  "  with  their 
GREY-HOUNDS  FOR  DEER  :"  but  if  they  took  this  liberty 
unpermitted,  then  the  L'.rd  Warden  of  the  border  fo  i&vaded* 
<would  not  fail  to  interrupt  their  f  port  and  chaftifc  their  bold- 
nefs.  He  mentions  a  remarkable  in;la>ice  that  happened,  while 
he  was  Warden,  when  fame  Scotch  Gentlemen  coming  to  hunt 
in  defiance  of  him,  there  mujl  have  cnfurd  Juch  an  attion  a: 
this  of  Che-vy  Chace,  if  the  intruders  had  been  prcportion- 
ably  numerous  and '  well-armed ;  for  upon  their  being  attacked 
/y  his  men  at  arms,  he  tells  us,  "fome  hurt  was  dtne,  tbo* 


\  lr.  tin  5/f.7j/»«-.  No.  70.  74. 


256      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

"  be  had  given  ef pec:  all  order  that  they  Jhouldjhtd  as  little 
"  Hood  as  pojjible."  They  were  in  ejfett  overpowered  and 
taken  prifoners,  and  only  releafed  an  their  pro  wife  to  abftain 
from  fuch  licentious  /port  ing  for  the  future. 

The  following  text  it  given' from  a  copy  in  the  Editor's 
.folio  MS.  compared  with  two  or  three  others  printed  in 
.black  letter.— In  the  fecond  --volume  of  Dryden's  Mifcellanies- 
may  bt  found  a  translation  cf  Che-Tjy-Chace  into  Latin 
Rhymes.  The  traujlator,  Mr.  Henry  Bold  of  New  College, 
undertook  it  at  the  command  of  Dr.  Campion,  bijhop  of 
.London  ;  who  thought  it  no  derogation  to  bis  tpifcopal  cha- 
ra£er,  to  a-vc-w  a  fondncfs for  this  excellent  old  ballad.  See 
,ths preface  to  Bold' s  Latin  Songs,  1685.  Svo. 

GO  D  profper  long  our  noble  king, 
Our  lives  and  fafetyes  all  ; 
A  woful  hunting  once  there  did 
In  Chevy-Chace  befall ; 

To  drive  the  deere  with  hound  and  'home,  j 

Earl  Percy  took  his  way ; 
The  child  may  rue  that  is  unborne, 

The  hunting  of  that  day. 

The  flout  Earl  of  Northumberland 

A  vow  to  God  did  make,  10 

His  pleafure  in  the  Scottilh  woods 

Three  fummers  days  to  take  ; 

The  cheefeft  harts  in  Chevy-Chace 
To  kill  and  beare  away. 


Thefe 


A.X  C  I  E  N  T    POEMS. 


257 


Thefe  tydings  to  Earl  Douglas  came,  I  j 

In  Scotland  where  he  lay  : 

Who  fent  Earl  Percy  prefent  word, 

He  wold  prevent  his  fport. 
The  Englifh  earl,  not  fearing  this, 

Did  to  the  woods  re  fort  20 

With  fifteen  hundred  bow-men  bold  j 

All  chofen  men  of  might, 
Who  knew  full  well  in  time  of  neede 

To  aime  their  fhafts  aright. 

The  gallant  greyhounds  fwiftly  ran,  2; 

To  chafe  the  fallow  deere  : 
On  Monday  they  began  to  hunt, 

Ere  day-light  did  appeare  j 

And  long  before  high  noone  they  had 

An  hundred  fat  buckes  flaine  ;  3* 

Then  having  din'd,  the  dfovers  went 

To  rouze  them  up  againe. 

The  bow-men  muflered  on  the  hilh, 

Well  able  to  endure  ; 
Theire  bnckfides  all,  with  fpeciall  care,  35 

That  day  were  guarded  fure. 


VOL.  I.  S  The 


253       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

The  hounds  ran  fwifcly  through  the  woods, 

The  nimble  deere  to  take  *, 
And  with  their  cryes  the  hills  and  dales 

An  echo  Ihrill  did  make. 


Lord  Percy  to  the  quarry  went, 

To  view  the  flaughter'd  deere  ; 
Quoth  he,  Earl  Douglas  promifed 

This  day  to  meete  me  here  : 

But  if  I  thought  he  would  not  come,  ,  4- 

No  longer  wold  I  ftay. 
With  that,  a  brave  younge  gentleman 

Thus  to  the  earle  did  fay  : 

Loe,  yonder  doth  Earl  Douglas  come, 

His  men  in  armour  bright  ;  ro 

Full  twenty  hundred  Scottifli  fpearcs 
All  marching  in  our  fight  ; 


All 


*  The  Cblvht  Hills  and  circumjacent  tf'jjl.-s  a-:  r.*/>  'tftnt  t-oiJ  both  of 
D'.tr  and  Woods:  but  formerly  tbey  bad  enough  of  bxb  Kfjufify  the  De- 
j'friptions  attempted  here  and  in  the  Ancient  Ballad  of  Cr.  EVY-CHASE. 
Ley  [and,  in  the  reign  cf  Hen.  VIII.  tlus  (fffcribcs  r&is  Coxrty  : — "  /.- 
"Northumberland,  as  I  bef  re  fay,  he  no  Fore/Is,  t.\;ef>t  Cb'.vet  //-,'/;  , 
"  -where  is  much  BausHfi-WooD,  and  foire  OKKE  ;  GrvjvnJe  01- a <  - 
"  groionc  tvith  Lingf,  and  fjme  teitb  MoJJe.  I  La~e  horde  (a;-  tkitt 
"  Cbi-vft  Hillcs  ftrctcbftke  xx  mild.  There  is  great*  PL  me  of  R  r.  J>  a  r  - 

"  DERE,  andKco  BUKKES."     Inn.  -vol.  "J.pag.  56. This f-a,'- 

jfge,  lublcb  did  not  occur  ivben  pag.  22.  24.  ".vere  fu'u:t:d  off,  ccnffrr. 
the  account i  there  given  of  tie  STAGGE  and  tb;  Rot. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      259 

All  men  of  pleafant  Tivydale, 

Faft  by  the  river  Tweede  : 
Then  ceafe  your  fport,  Earl  Percy  fuid,  55 

And  take  your  bowes  with  fpcede  : 

And  now  with  me,  my  countrymen, 

Your  courage  forth  advance ; 
For  never  was  there  champion  yet, 

In  Scotland  or  in  France,  60 

That  ever  did  on  horfebacke  come, 

But  if  my  hap  it  were, 
I  durft  encounter  man  for  man, 

With  him  to  break  a  fpeare. 

Earl  Douglas  on  a  milke-whke  Iteede,  65 

Mod  like  a  baron  bold, 
Rode  foremofl  of  his  company, 

Whofe  armour  flume  like  gold. 

Show  me,  fayd  he,  whofe  men  you  bee, 

That  hunt  foe  boldly  hecre,  70 

That,  without  my  confent,   doe  chafe 
And  kill  my  fallow  deerc  ? 

The  man  that  firft  did  anfwer  make, 

Was  noble  Percy  bee  ; 
Who  fayd,  We  lill  not  to  declare,  7} 

Nor  (hew  whofe  men  wee  bee  : 

S  2  Yet 


160     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Yet  will  wee  fpend  our  deereft  blood, 

Thy  cheefeft  harts  to  flay. 
Then  Douglas  {"wore  a  folemnc  oathe, 

And  thus  in  rage  did  fay, 

Ere  thus  I  will  out-braved  bee, 

One  of  us  two  fhall  dye  : 
I  know  thee  well,  an  earl  thou  art  ; 

Lord  Percy,  fo  am  I. 

But  truft  me,  Percy,  pittye  it  were, 

And  great  offence  to  kill 
Any  of  thefe  our  harmlefTe  men, 

For  they  have  done  no  ill. 

Let  thou  and  I  the  battell  trye, 

And  fet  our  men  afide. 
Accurs'd  bee  hee,  Lord  Percy  fayd, 

By  whome  this  is  denyed. 

Then  ftept  a  gallant  fquire  forth, 

Witherington  was  his  name, 
Who  faid,  I  wold  not  have  it  told 

To  Henry  our  king  for  lhame, 

That  e'er  my  captaine  fought  on  foote, 

And  I  flood  looking  on. 
Ycu  bee  two  carls,  fayd  Witherington, 

And  I  &  fouire  alone  : 
3 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       26i 

He  doe  the  befl  that  doe  I  may, 

While  I  have  power  to  ftand  : 
While  I  have  pow'r  to  weeld  my  fword, 

He  fight  with  heart  and  hand. 

Our  Englifh  archers  bent  their  bowes,  105 

Their  hearts  were  good  and  trew  ; 
At  the  firft  flight  of  arrowes  feat, 

Full  threefcore  Scots  they  flew. 

*  [Yet  bides  Earl  Douglas  on  the  bent, 

As  Chieftain  flout  and  good.  1 19 

As  valiant  Captain,  all  unmov'd 
The  fhock  he  firmly  flood. 

His  hod  he  parted  had  in  three, 

As  Leader  ware  and  try'd, 
And  foon  his  fpearmen  on  their  foes  1 1 - 

Bare  down  og  every  fide. 

S  3  Throughout 

*  The  4  Jlanzas  here  inch/id  in  Brackets,  <vjljicb  mi 
borrowed  chiefly  from  the  ancient  Copy,  are  offered  to  the 
Reader  in/lead  of  the  following  unmeaning  lings,  which 
art  thofe  of  the  ^Author,  viz. 

To  drive  the  deere  with  hound  and  home, 

Earl  Douglas  had  the  bent ; 
Two  captaines  mov'd  with  mickle  pride, 

Their  fpeares  to  fhivers  went. 


262      ANCIENT      POEMS. 

Throughout  the  Englifli  archery 
They  dealt  full  many  a  wound  : 

But  ftill  our  valiant  Englifhmen 
All  firmly  kept  their  ground  : 

And  throwing  ftrait  their  bows  away, 
They  grafp'd  their  fwords  fo  bright  : 

And  now  {harp  blows,    a  heavy  {hower, 
On  fliields  and  helmets  light.] 

They  clos'd  full  faft  on  everye  fide, 
Noe  flacknefs  there  was  found  ; 

And  many  a  gallant  gentleman 
Lay  gafping  on  the  ground. 

O  Chrift  !  it  was  a  griefe  to  fee, 

And  likewife  for  to  heare, 
The  cries  of  men  lying  in  their  gore, 
"    And  fcattered  here  and  there. 

At  tall  thefe  two  ftout  earles  did  meet, 
Like  captaines  of  great  might  : 

Like  lyons  wood,  they  layd  on  load, 
And  made  a  cruell  fight : 

They  fought  untill  they  both  did  fweat, 

With  fwords  of  temper'd  Iteels  ; 
Until  the  blood,  like  drops  of  rain, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      263 

Yeeld  thee,  Lord  Percy,  Douglas  fayd  ; 

In  faith  I  will  thee  bring, 
Where  thou  fhalt  high  advanced  bee 

By  James  our  Scottifh  king  : 

Thy  ranfome  I  will  freely  give,  14; 

And  thus  report  of  thee, 
Thou  art  the  moft  couragious  knight, 

That  ever  I  did  fee. 

Noe,  Douglas,  quoth  Earl  Percy  then, 

Thy  profter  I  doe  fcorne  ;  150 

I  will  not  yeelde  to  any  Scott, 
That  ever  yet  was  borne. 

With  that,  there  came  an  arrow  keene 

Out  of  an  Englifh  bow, 
Which  ftrucke  Earl  Douglas  to  the  heart,         155 

A  deepe  and  deadlye  blow  : 

Who  never  fpoke  more  wordi  than  thefe, 

Fight  on,  my  merry  men  all ; 
For  why,  my  life  is  at  an  end  ; 

Lord  Percy  fees  my  fall.  160 

Then  leaving  life,  Earl  Percy  tooke 

The  dead  man  by  the  hand  ; 
And  faid,   Earl  Douglas,  for  thy  life 

Wold  I  had  loft  my  land. 

S  4  O  Chrift  ! 


264     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

O  Chrifl  !  my  very  heart  doth  bleed  16: 

With  forrow  for  thy  fake  ; 
For  fure,  a  more  renowned  knight 

Mifchance  did  never  take. 

A  knight  amongft  the  Scotts  there  was, 

Which  faw  Earl  Douglas  dye,  17? 

Who  flreight  in  wrath  did  vow  revenge 
Upon  the  Lord  Percy  : 

Sir  Hugh  Mountgomery  was  he  call'd, 

Who,  with  a  fpeare  moll  bright, 
Well-mounted  on  a  gallant  fteed,  ,17* 

Ran  fiercely  through  the  fight  ; 

And  paft  the  Englilh  archers  all, 

Without  all  dread  or  feare  ; 
And  thro'  Esrl  Percy's  body  then 

He  thrufl  his  hatefull  fpeare;  iSc 

With  fuch  a  vehement  force  and  might 

He  did  his  body  gore, 
The  fpeare  went  through  the  other  fide 

A  large  cloth-yard,  and  more. 

So  thus  did  both  thefe  nobles  dye,  185 

Whofe  courage  none  could  ftaine  : 

An  Englifh  archer  then  perceiv'd 
The  noble  carl  was  flaine  ; 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       265 

He  had  a  bow  bent  in  his  hand, 

Made  of  a  trafty  tree  ;  190 

An  arrow  of  a  cloth-yard  long 

Up  to  the  head  drew  hee  : 

Againft  Sir  Hugh  Mountgomery, 

So  right  the  {haft  he  fett, 
The  grey  goofe-wing  that  was  thereon,  19; 

In  his  hearts  blood  was  wett. 

This  fight  did  laft  from  breake  of  day, 

Till  fetting  of  the  fun  ; 
For  when  they  rung  the  eveying-bell  *, 

The  battel  fcarce  was  done.  200 

With  brave  Earl  Percy,  there  was  flaine 

Sir  John  of  Egerton  f, 
Sir  Robert  Ratcliff,  and  Sir  John, 

Sir  James  that  bold  baron  : 

.And  with  Sir  George  and  flout  Sir  James,         zc$ 

Both  knights  of  good  account, 
Good  Sir  Ralph  Raby  there  was  flaine, 

Whofe  prowefie  did  furmount. 


For 


r.v/Iw  iv.7,  usually  rur.g  at  8  tileck. 
f  F«r  tbffwraKtiift:  tbt  Notts  at  (It  End  of  lit  Btllad  *«*. 


266       ANCIENT  T"P  O  EMS. 

For  Witherington  needs  muft  I  wayle, 

As  one  in  doleful  dumpes  *  ;  210 

For  when  his  legs  were  (mitten  off, 
He  fought  upon  his  ftumpes. 

And  with  Earl  Douglas,  there  was  flaine 

Sir  Hugh  Mountgoraery  ; 
Sir  Charles  Murray,   that  from  the  feeld  215 

One  foote  would  never  flee. 

Sir  Charles  Murray,  of  Ratcliff,  too, 

His  fitters  fonne  was  hee  ; 
Sir  David  Lamb,  fo  well  efteem'd, 

Yet  faved  cold  not  be.  220 

And  the  Lord  Maxwell  in  like  cafe 

Did  with  Earl  Douglas  dye  : 
Of  twenty  hundred  Scottifh  fperes, 

Scarce  fifty- five  did  five. 

Of  fifteen  hundred  Englifhmen,  225 

Went  home  but  fifty-three  ; 
The  reft  were  flaine  in  Chevy-Chafe, 

Under  the  greene  wood  tree. 

Next  day  did  many  widowes  come, 

Their  hufbands  to  bewayle  ;  230 

They 

*  i.  r.  "  I,  as  cne  in  deep  concern,  rnufi  lament"     The  ctnftrufiion 
lotrtbcsgtnirallj  been  tKifunderJisod. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      267 

They  wafht  their  wounds  in  brinilh  teares, 
But  ail  wold  not  prevayle. 

Their  bodyes,  bath'd  in  purple  gore, 

They  bare  with  them  away  : 
They  kid  them  dead  a  thoufand  times,  235 

When  they  were  cladd  in  clay. 

This  newes  was  brought  to  Edenborrow, 

Where  Scotlands  king  did  raigne, 
That  brave  Earl  Douglas  fuddenlye 

Was  with  an  arrow  flaine  :  240 

0  heavy  newes,  King  James  did  fay, 
Scotland  can  witmefic  bee, 

1  have  not  any  captaine  more 

Of  fuch  account  as  hee. 

Like  tydings  to  King  Henry  came,  245 

Within  as  fhort  a  fpace, 
That  Percy  of  Northumberland 

Was  llaine  in  Chevy-Chafe  : 

Now  God  be  with  him,  faid  our  king, 

Sith  it  will  no  better  bee ;  250 

I  truft  I  have,  within  my  realme, 
Five  hundred  as  good  as  hee  : 

Vet  (hall  not  Scot  nor  Scotland  fay, 
But  I  will  vengeance  take: 

I'll 


*68      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

I'll  be  revenged  on  them  all,  255 

For  brave  Earl  Percy's  fake. 

This  vow  full  well  the  king  perform'd 

After,  at  Humbledowne; 
In  one  day,  fifty  knights  were  flayne, 

With  lords  of  great  renowne  :  260 

And  of  the  reft,  of  fmall  account, 

Did  many  thoufands  dye  : 
Thus  endeth  the  hunting  of  Chevy-Chafe, 

Made  by  the  Earl  Percy. 

God  fave  the  king,  and  blefs  this  land  265 

Jr.  plentye,  joy,  and  peace  ; 
And  grant  henceforth,  that  foule  debate 

'Twixt  noblemen  may  ceafe. 

*„.*  'THE  furnames  in  the  foregoing  Ballad  arc  altered^ 
f  liber  by  accident  or  defign,  from  the  old  original  Copy, 
and  in  common  Editions  exirentely  corrupted.  5 r hey  are  here 
rectified,  as  much  as  they  cculd  be.  "7 bus, 

Pag.  26,-. 

Vcr.  202.  Egerton.]  This  name  is  refiored  (inflead  of 
Ogerton,  com.  Ed.)  from  ibe  Editor's  folio  MS.  'J'bf 
pieces  in  that  MS.  appear  to  ha-~vc  been  collected,  and  many 
tf  them  compnfad  (among  nubich  wight  be  this  ballad)  by 
a.n  inhabitant  of  Chefiire\  w/JO  en,-as  quilling  to  pay  a 
Compliment  here  io  one  cf  bis  countrymen,  of  the  eminent 
Family  De  cr  Of  Egerton  (jo  the  name  -ivas  Jirjf  written) 

anceftors 


ANCIENT     POEMS.     269 

ancejlors  oftheprefentDuke  of  Bridgixater  :  and  this  be 
could  do  with  the  more  propriety,  as  the  PERCIES  had  for- 
merly great  interejl  in  that  county  :  At  the  fatal  battle  of 
Shrewjbury  all  the  flower  of  the  Cktjhire  gentlemen  loft 
their  lives  fighting  in  the  cat'fe  of  HOTSPUR. 

Vsr.  203.  RatclifF.]  This  was  a  family  much  dijl!n~ 
gnifhed  in  Northumberland.  Edw.  RadclifFe,  mil.  <wat 
fherijf  of  that  county  in  17  of  Hen.  7,  and  others  of  the  fame 
fur  name  afterwards.  (See  Fuller,  p.  313.)  Sir  George 
RatclifF,  Knt.  was  one  of  the  commijjioners  of  inclofure  itt 
I  5'5  2 .  (  See  Nicholfon,  p.  3  3  o. ) — Of  this  family  was  the 
late  Earl  of  Derwentwuter,  who  was  beheaded  in  1715. 
The  Editor's  folio  MS.  howe-ver,  reads  here,  Sir  Robert 
liarcliffe  and  Sir  William. 

The  Harcleys  were  an  eminent  family  in  Cumberland. 
See  Fuller  p.  224.  Whether  this  may  be  thought  to  be  the 
fame  name,  I  do  nc,t  determine. 

Vcr.  204.  Baron.]  This  is  apparently  altered  (not  tt 
fay  corrupted)  from  Hearoae,  in  pag.  14.  irer.  1 14. 

Ver.  207.  Raby.j  This  might  be  intended  to  celebrate 
tne  of  the  ancient  poffeffcrs  e^Raby  Caftle  in  the  county  of 
Durham.  Yet  if  is  written  Rebbyc,  in  ihefol.  MS.  and 
lookt  tike  a  corruption  of  Rugby  or  Rokcby,  an  eminent 
family  in  Y<>rkjkire,j'et!  p.  14,  35.  //  will  not  be  winder t A 
that  the  PERCIES  Jhsuld  be  thcught  to  bring  followers  oat  »f 
that  county,  iiukerc  they  themfelves  were  originally  j'catcd, 
and  had  always,  juch  extenjiiie property,  and  influence. 

Pag.  266. 

Ver.  215.  Murray.]  5;  the  Stottijh  ccpy.  L:  the 
com.  edit,  it  is  Carrel  or  Currel  ;  at:d  Morrell  in  the 
fol.  MS. 


270     ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S. 

Ver*  217.  Murray]  So  the  Scot.  edit. — The  com.  copies 
read  Murrel.  Thefol.  MS.  gives  the  line  in  tht following 
ptculiar  manner, 

"  Sir  Roger  Heuer  of  Harcliffe  too." 

Vtr.  219.  Lamb.]   We  folio  MS.  has 

"  Sir  David  Lambwell,  well  eileemcd. 
'This  fesms  evidently  corrupted  from  Lwdale  or  Liddell,  in. 
the  old  copy,  pag,  15,  36. 


D  E  A  T  ITs     FINAL     CO  N  QJJ  E  S  T. 

*Tbefe  fine,  moral  Jtc.nz.as  i:\--e  cr;  finally  intended  for  a 
felemn  funeral  jcng  in  a  ^A:y  of  'James  Shirley's,  infilled 
"  7 he  Contentio?i  of  sljax  ana  Uhfaffif  :"  no  date,  S-vo.— 
Shirley  Jlcurijked  as  a  Dramatic  ivriter  early  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  1  :  but  Is  outlined  tbi  Rejloratian.  His  death 
happened  Oct.  29.  1 666.  JEt*  72. 

'This  little  poem  was  written  long  after  many  ofthofe  that 
folL-M,  but  is  inferted  here,  as  a  kind,  of  Dirge  to  the  fore- 
going piece.  It  is  faid  to  have  been  a  favourite  SOKF  nuitb 
K.  Charles  II. 


THE  glories  of  our  birth  and  (late 
Are  fhadows,  not  fubftantial  thiugs ; 
TJiere  is  no  armour  again [i  fate  : 
Death  lays  his  icy  hands  on  kings : 

Scepter  and  crown  5 

Muft  tumble  down, 

,  And 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      271 

And  in  the  duft  be  equal  made 

With  the  poor  crooked  fcythe  and  fpade. 

Some  men  with  fwords  may  reap  the  field, 

And  plant  frefh  laurels  where  they  kill  ;          10 
But  their  ftrong  nerves  at  laft  muft  yield, 
They  tame  but  one  another  ftill. 

Early  or  late 

They  ftoop  to  fate, 

And  muft  give  up  their  murmuring  breath,        15 
When  they  pale  captives  creep  to  death. 

The  garlands  wither  on  your  brow, 

Then  bjaft  no  more  your  mighty  deeds, 
Upon  death's  purple  altar  now 

See  where  the  viclor  vi&im  bleeds  :  20 

All  heads  muft  come 
To  the  cold  tomb, 
Only  the  a£lions  of  the  juft 
Smell  fwect,  and  bloflbm  in  the  duft. 


III. 
THE    RISING    IN    THE    NORTH. 

Tbe  fu'>!eJ?  eft  hit  ballad  it  the  great  Northern  Ixfur- 
:.ir  «f  Elixjibethi  \  569  ;  which  proved 


2?2       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

ft  fatal  to  Thomas  Percy  the  f event  b  Earl  of  Nor  thumb  cr-> 
land. 

There  had  not  long  before  been  a  fecret  negotiation  entered 
into  between  fome  of  the  Scottijb  and  Englijh  nobility,  to 
bring  about  a  marriage  between  Mary  ^  cf  Sects,  at  that 
time  a  prifonsr  in  England,  and  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  a 
nobleman  of  excellent  character,  and  firmly  attached  to  the 
Protejlant  religion.  This  match  was  prcpofed  to  all  the  moft 
conjlderable  of  the  Englijh  nobility,  and  among  the  reft  to 
the  Earls  of  Northumberland  and  Wejltnoreland,  two  noble- 
men very  powerful  in  the  North.  As  it  fecmed  to  promife  a 
fpeedy  andfafe  concluji:n  of  the  troubles  in  Scotland,  wr.h 
many  advantages  to  the  crown  of  England,  they  all  confent- 
ed  to  it,  provided  it  Jhould prove  agreeable  to  <9.  Elizabeth. 
The  Earl  of  Leicejhr  (Elizabeth's  favourite)  undertook  to 
break  the  matter  to  her,  but  before  he  could  f.nd  an  opportu- 
nity, the  affair  had  come  to  her  ears  by  other  hands,  and  fie 
•was  thrown  into  a  vidcr.t  f.awe.  The  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
with  Jsveral  of  his  friends,  'was  committed  to  the  towsr, 
and  Jummons  were  Jent  to  the  Northern  Earls  injlantly  to 
make  their  appearance  at  court.  It  is  /aid  that  the  Earl  cf 
Northumberland,  who  was  a  man  of  a  mild  and  gentle 
nature,  was  deliberating  with  bimfelf  vibether  hefaould 
not  obey  the  mejjage,  and  rely  upon  the  queen  s  candour  and 
clemency,  when  fa  was  forced  into  dcfperate  meafiires  by  a 
fudden  report  at  midnight,  Nov.  14.  that  a  party  of  his 
enemies  were  come  tofeize  on  his  p  erf  on  f.  The  Earl  was 
then  at  his  houfe  at  Tcpcliffe  in  Yorkjhire.  When  rijing 
hajtily  out  of  bed,  hs  w.tbareiv  to  the  Earl  cf  Wejlmore- 
land,  at  Srancepeth,  where  the  country  cams  in  to  them,  and 
prejjed  them  to  take  arms  in  their  own  defence.  They  ac- 
cordingly fet  up  their  ftandards,  declaring  their  intent  was 
to  reftore  the  ancient  religion ;  to  get  the  fuccejfion  of  the 
creivn  firmly  fettled*  and  to  prevent  the  deftru&ion  of  the 

ancient 


tircit>rjti>;:i  is  »-nr'.<,'A:Ji  in  tbt  l 


ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S*       273 

ancient  nobility,  &c.  'Their  common  tanner  f  (on  which 
was  difplayed  the  crofs,  together  with  the  Jive  wounds  of 
Chrift)  was  borne  by  an  ancient  gentleman,  Richard  Norton, 
Efq',  of  Norton-conyers  :  who  with  bis  fans  (among  whom, 
Chriftopher,  Marmaduke,  and  Thomas,  are  exprejsly  namtd 
ly  Camden)  diftinguijhed  himfelf  on  this  occajion.  Having 
entered  Durham,  they  tore  the  Bible,  &c.  and  caufed  maft 
to  be  faid  there  :  they  then  marched  on  to  Clifford-  moor  near 
Wetherbye,  inhere  they  muftered  their  men.  Their  intention 
was  to  have  proceeded  on  to  York,  but  altering  their  mindt 
they  fell  upon  Barnard's  caftle,  which  Sir  George  Bowes 
held  out  againft  them  for  eleven  days.  The  two  earls,  who 
fpent  their  large  eftates  in  hojpitality,  and  were  extremely 
beloved  on  that  account,  tuere  maJJers  of  litile  ready  money  ; 
the  E.  of  Northumberland  bringing  with  him  only  8 COO 
crowns,  and  the  E.  of  Wcftmoreland  nothing  at  all  for  the 
fubfeftence  of  their  forces,  they  were  not  able  to  march  to 
London,  as  they  had  at  ftrft  intended.  In  thefe  circum- 
jiances,  Weftmor  eland  began  fo  vijlbly  to  defpond  that  many 
of  his  men  Jlunk  away,  tho'  Northumberland  ft  ill  kept  up 
his  refolution,  and  was  m  after  of  the  field  till  December  13, 
ivhen  the  Earl  of  Suffix,  accompanied  with  Lord  Hunfden 
and  others,  having  marched  out  of  York  at  the  head  cf  a. 
large  body  of  forces,  and  being  followed  by  a  ftill  larger 
army  under  the  command  of  Ambrofe  Dudley  Earl  of  War- 
wick, the  infur gents  retreated  northward  towards  the 
Itrders,  and  there  difmij/ing  their  followers,  made  their- 
efcape  into  Scotland.  Tho>  this  infur  region  had  been  fup- 
prejjed  with  fo  little  bloodjbed,  the  Earl  of  SuJJex  and  Sir 
George  Bowes,  marjkal  of  the  army,  put  vajt  numbers  to 
death  by  martial  law,  without  any  regular  trial.  TLt 
former  of  thefe  caufed  at  Durham  Jixty-tbree  conjiables  to  be 
hanged  at  once.  And  the  latter  made  his  boaft  that  for  Jixty 
miles  in  length  and  forty  in  breadth,  betwixt  Ne-wcajfle 
-and  Wetherby,  there  was  hardly  a  town  or  village  wherein 
be  had  not  executed  fame  of  the  inhabitants.  This  exceeds 
VOL.  I.  T  the 

•f  Ptfidtt  tilt,  tit  ttl.'aJ  miKiins  the  fefarate  bar.<-.i-\  of  tit  tv» 
WMltmtn, 


274       ANCIENT     P  O  E'M  S. 

the  cruelties  praSifed  in  the  Weft  after  Monmouth's  relel* 
lion  :  but  that  'was  not  the  age  of  tendernejs  and  humanity. 
Such  is  the  account  collected  from  Stow,  Speed,  Camden, 
Guthrie,  Carte,  and  Rapin  ;  it  agrees  in  mojl  particulars 
•with  the  following  ballad,  "which  was  apparently  the  pro- 
duction of  fomz  northern  minftrel^  'who  was  well  affected  to 
the  two  noblemen.  It  is  here  printed  from  two  MS  copies, 
one  of  them  in  the  editor's  folio  collection.  They  contained 
considerable  "variations,  out  cf  which  fuch  readings  were 
chofen  as  feemed  mojl  poetical  and  confonant  to  biftory. 


LISTEN,  lively  lordings  all, 
Lithe  and  liften  unto  nice, 
And  I  will  fing  of  a  noble  earle, 
The  nobieft  earle  in  the  north  countne. 

Earle  Percy  is  into  his  garden  gone, 
And  after  him  walkes  his  faire  ladie  f: 

I  heare  a  bird  fing  in  mine  eare, 
That  I  muft  either  fight,  or  flee. 

Now  heaven  forefend,  my  deareft  lord, 

That  ever  fuch  harm  fhould  hap  to  thee  :         \9 

But  goe  to  London  to  the  court, 
And  fair  fall  truth  and  honeftie. 

Now  nay,  now  nay,  my  lady  gay, 

Alas  !  thy  counfell  fuits  not  mee  ; 
Mine  enemies  prevail  fo  faft,  15 

That  at  the  court  I  may  not  bee. 

O  goe 

1  Tits  lady  was  Anne,  <i**gbttr  of  Henry  Smcrfet,  E,  »f  Worc&r. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      275 

O  goe  to  the  court  yet,  good  my  lord, 
And  take  thy  gallant  men  with  thee  :     * 

If  any  dare  to  doe  you  wrong, 

Then  your  warrant  they  may  bee.  20 

Now  nay,  now  nay,  thou  lady  faire, 

The  court  is  full  of  fubtiltie  ; 
And  if  I  goe  to  the  court,  lady, 

Never  more  I  may  thee  fee. 

Yet  goe  to  the  court,  my  lord,  fhe  fayes,  25 

And  I  myfelfe  will  goe  wi'  thee  : 
At  court  then  for  my  deareft  lord, 

His  faithfull  bcrrowe  I  will  bee. 

Now  nay,  now  nay,  my  lady  deare  ; 

Far  lever  had  I  lofe  my  life,  30 

Than  leave  among  my  cruell  foes 

My  love  in  jeopardy  and  ilrife. 

But  come  thou  hither,  my  little  foot-page, 

Come  thou  hither  unto  mee, 
To  maifter  Norton  thou  muft  goe  35 

In  all  the  hafte  that  ever  may  bee. 

Commend  me  to  that  gentleman, 

And  beare  this  letter  here  fro  mee  ; 
And  fay  that  earneftly  I  praye, 

He  will  ryde  in  my  companie.  40 

T  *  One 


276      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

One  while  the  little  footpage  went, 

And  another  while  he  ran  ; 
Untill  he  came  to  his  journeys  end, 

The  little  footpage  never  blan.  \ 

When  to  that  gentleman  he  came,  45 

Down  he  knelt  upon  his  knee  ; 
Quoth  he,  My  lord  commendeth  him, 

And  fends  this  letter  unto  thee. 

And  when  the  letter  it  was  redd 

Affore  that  goodlye  companye,  50* 

I  wis,  if  you  the  truthe  wold  know, 

There  was  many  a  weeping  eye. 

He  fayd,  Come  thither,  Chriftopher  Norton, 
A  gallant  youth  thou  feemft  to  bee  ; 

What  doeft  thou  counfell  me,  my  fonne,  55 

Now  that  good  carle's  in  jeopardy  ? 

Father,  my  counfelle's  fair  and  free  ; 

That  earle  he  is  a  noble  lord, 
And  whatfoever  to  him  you  hight, 

I  wold  not  have  you  breake  your  word.  6« 

Gramercy,  Chriftopher,  my  fonne, 

Thy  counfell  well  it  liketh  mee, 
And  if  we  fpeed  and  fcape  with  life, 

Well  advanced  thou  fhalt  bee. 

2  Come 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       277 

Come  you  hither,  my  nine  good  fonnes,  6; 

Gallant  men  I  trowe  you  bee  : 
How  many  of  you,  my  children  deare, 

Will  ftand  by  that  good  earle  and  mee  ? 

Eight  of  them  did  anfvver  make, 

Eight  of  them  fpake  haftilie,  70 

O  father,  till  the  daye  we  dye 

We'll  ftand  by  that  good  earle  and  thee. 

Gramercy  now,  my  children  deare, 

You  fhowe  yourfelves  right  bold  and  brave ; 

And  whetherfoe'er  I  live  or  dye,  je 

A  fathers  blefiing  you  foal  have. 

Bat  what  fayft  thou,  O  Francis  Norton, 
Thou  art  mine  eldeft  fonn  and  heire  : 

Somewhat  lyes  brooding  in  thy  breaft  ; 

Whatever  it  bee,  to  mee  declare.  89 

Father,  you  are  an  aged  man, 

Your  head  is  white,  your  bearde  is  gray  ; 
It  were  a  fhame  at  thefe  your  yeares 

For  you  to  ryfe  in  fuch  a  fray. 

Now  fye  upon  thee,  coward  Francis,  85 

Thou  never  learnedft  this  of  mee  : 
When  thou  wert  yong  and  tender  of  age, 

Why  did  I  make  foe  much  of  thcc  ? 

T  3  But, 


278      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Bat,  father,  T  will  wend  with  you, 

Unarm'd  and  naked  will  I  bee  ;  go 

And  he  that  ftrikes  againft  the  crowne, 

Ever  an  ill  death  may  he  dee. 

Then  rofe  that  reverend  gentleman, 
And  with  him  came  a  goodlye  band 

To  join  with  the  brave  Earl  Percy,  95 

And  all  the  flower  o'  Northumberland. 

With  them  this  noble  Nevill  came, 
The  earle  of  Weflmorland  was  hee  : 

At  Wetherbye  they  muftrcd  their  hoft, 

Thirteen  thoufand  faire  to  fee.  100 

Lord  Weftmorland  his  ancyent  rajfde, 

The  Dun  Bull  he  rays'd  on  hye, 
Three  Dogs  with  golden  collars  brave 

Were  there  fett  out  moft  royallye  *. 

Earl 

*  Ver.  102.  Dun  Cull,  &c.]  The  fupporters  of  the  NEVILLES 
Earls  of  Wfftircrehnd  -were  T-wo  Bulls  Argent,  ducaily  cellared  Gold, 
armed  Or,  &c.  But  I  have  not  difco'-jered  the  Device  mentioned  in  the 
Ballad,  airing  the  Badges,  &c.  given  by  that  Hcu'e.  'This  however  it 
certain,  tlat  air.tr.g  ib',je  of  the  NEVILLES  Lords  ALerga-venny  (<wbt 
•were  of  the  fame  family  )  is  a  Dux  Cow  loitb  a  golden  Collar  :  and  tie 
NEVILLES  tfCkyfe  in  Ytrljktre,  (of  the  Wtfimareland  Brand)  gave 

for  tfeir  Creft  in  I  51  ?,  a  DOG'S  (Gry-botind'sJ  Head  eraj'ed. ?o  riot 

"it'is   not   'improbable  but  CHARLES  NEVILLE,  the   unhappy   Earl  ef  , 
ffejhaorelaftd  here  mentioned,  tr.if.tt  or.  tbis  cccafion  gi-ve  the  ab^-ve  Dvv'tct 
en  bis  Banner. — After  all  cur  eld  K'inftrers  -verges  hire  may  have  un-  \ 
dcrgor.e  i^rr:e  ecrrupii^n  j  for  in  anolbef  Bailed  in  tke  :anit  fclio  frfS.  and 
apparently  written  iy   the  fame  tanJ,  containing  tbe  Sequel  of  this  Lcrd 
Weflmtrelar.ft  Hiflvy,  bis  Banner  is  ilus  defcnbed,  mere  conformable  t» 
bit  ktiyjjn  Bearings :  t 

"  Sett  me  ;;p  my  faire  Dun  Bull, 

"  Wi'  th'  Gilden  Homes,  hee  beares  foe  hye," 


A  N  C  I  E  N  T      POEMS.      279 

Earl  Percy  there  his  ancyent  fpred,        •  105 

The  Halfe-Moone  mining  all  foe  faire  *  : 

The  Nortons  ancyent  had  the  crofle, 

And  the  five  wounds  our  Lord  did  beare. 

Then  Sir  George  Bowes  he  flraitwaye  rofe, 

After  them  fome-fpoyle  to  make  :  1 10 

Thofe  noble  carles  turn'd  backc  agnine, 
And  aye  they  vowed  that  knight  to  take. 

That  baron  he  to  his  caflle  fled, 

To  Barnard  caftle  then  fled  hce. 
The  jutermoft  walles  were  eathe  to  win,  1 1  $ 

The  carles  have  wonne  them  prefentlie. 

The  nttermofl  walles  were  lime  and  bricke  ; 

But  thoughe  they  won  them  foon  anone, 
Long  e'er  they  wan  the  iflnermoft  walles, 

l;or  they  were  cut  in  rocke  of  ftone.  120 

T  4  TI.en 

*Vtr.   ior>.  The   Ilalf-Moone,   &r.]  To.'   Sn.vr.R    CnF.sczNT 
f>  a  iutli-'kn<.ivn  Cfj)  nr  Ba-.iv'  nf  tbt  Northumberland  family,     1;  -was 
p>nbably  brouglt  ky:r  from  Jt.trt  of  the  Cruxades  aga'injl  t~bc  Saraxers. 
Jn  an  arreirrtf  Ptdigrct  in  vtrft,  fnely  tllvrninaied  on  a  Ri/l     • 
and  ivrittti  in  ;be  ruga  of  Henry  PH.  tie  family)  wt 

ka-vt  this  fal'uliu!  account  g':->  tr.  of  its  'riginj.'.—Tbe  author  I,- 
kt  r.amt  of  Gernoa  or  Algernon  ;   eft  en  I, 
Pcrcies  :   iui">  Lr  Jays  -Wire 

....  Gcrnons  ("yift  named  of  P.rutys  blonde  of  Troy  : 

Which  valliantly  fyghtynge  in  the  Isnd  of  Pertf  {Perfif} 
At  pointe  terrible  ayance  the  mifcrrants  on  i  ; 
An  hevynly  myft^ry  was  fchewyd  hym,  old  booky;  r 
In  hys  ftheld  did  fchyne  a  MOKE  jery 


ANCIENT    POEMS. 

Then  newes  unto  Iceve  London  came 
In  all  the  fpeede  that  ever  may  bee, 

And  word  is  brought  to  our  royall  queene 
Of  the  ryfing  in  the  North  countrie. 

Her  grace  flie  turned  her  round  about, 
And  like  a  royall  queene  fhe  fwore  *, 

I  will  ordayne  them  fuch  a  breakfaft, 
As  never  was  in  the  North  before. 


She  caus'd  thirty  thoufand  men  be  rays'd, 

With  horfe  and  harneis  faire  to  fee  ;  130 

She  caufed  thirty  thoufand  men  be  raifed, 
To  take  the  carles  i'th'  North  countrie. 

Wi'  them  the  falfe  Earle  Warwick  went, 
Th'  earle  Suffex  and  the  lord  Hunfden  ; 

Untill  they  to  Yorke  caftle  came  135 

I  wifs,  they  never  ftint  ne  blan. 


Which  to  all  the  oofte  yave  a  perfyttc  fyght, 

To  vaynquys  his  enmys,  and  to  deth  them  perfue  ; 

And  therefore  the  Perscs  [Percies]  the  Creflant  doth  renew. 

In  tbe  dark  agts  r.ti  Family  loas  deemed  confiderable  that  did  not  derive 
its  decent  from  tbe  Trojan  Brutus  j  or  that  tuat  net  diftinguijbed  by 
prodigies  and  miracles. 


*  This  is  quite  in  cbaratfer :  Itr  majejly  iveuld  fomctlmts  Jwear  f! 
ter  noblei,  as  "well  as  bex  their  eaiit 


ANCIENT      POEMS.      281 

Now  fpread  thy  ancyent,  Weftmorland, 

Thy  dun  bull  faine  would  we  fpye: 
And  thou,   the  Earl  o'  Northumberland, 

Now  rayfe  thy  half  moone  up  on  hye.  140 

But  the  dan  bulle  is  fled  and  gone, 
And  the  halfe  moone  vanifhed  away  : 

The  Earles,  though  they  were  brave  and  bold, 
Againft  foe  many  could  not  ftay. 

Thee,  Norton,  wi'  thine  eight  good  fonnes,       145 
They  doom'd  to  dye,  alas !  for  ruth  ! 

Thy  reverend  lockes  thee  could  not  fave, 
Nor  them  their  faire  and  blooming  youthe. 

Wi'  them  full  many  a  gallant  wight 

They  cruel  lye  bereav'd  of  life;  150 

And  many  a  childe  made  fatherlefle, 

And  widowed  many  a  tender  wife. 


IV. 

NORTHUMBERLAND    BETRAYED 
BY   DOUGLAS. 

Tbii  ballad  may  be  confedered  as  the  fequel  of  the  pn- 
teding.     After  the    unfortunate  Earl  of  Northumberland 

had 


ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S. 

fforfcken  cf  .-,  be  endeavoured  to 

•withdraw   into  Scotland,   tut  falling  into  tbe  bands  cf  the 
tbievijb   bordirers,  was  ftript    and   otbervui/e    ill-treated 
f-v  tktir..     At    length   be    reached  tbe  boufe  cf  h. 
Harla~ju,  am  Armftrong,  tvitb  wbom   be  beped  to  lie  con- 
eealed :  for  Heciir  bad  c  -  to  be  true  to 

bim,  and  was  under  vreat  obligations  to  tbis  ;. 
mag.     But  tbisftutk-kfs  <xreub  betrayed  bis  gueft  for  a  fum 
ef  money  ts  Murray  tbf  Recent  t :'-  .'  him  to- 

tbe  fnftle  of  Lcuvb-leven,  then  bcla*gin-  3  uglas. 

— AU  tbe  writers  r  .-"are»us  tbzt  EeS: 

•icas  ricb  before,  fell JbsrtJy  after  info  po---erfj,  and  became 
J9  iitfc.-  )  TAKE  HECTOR'S  CLOAK,  grew  into 

-prefi  e.  man*  ~wbo  tetrayt  bis  friend.      See 
. 

Loru  -  -  :iin:ted  in  tbe  c  a  file  cf  Lcugb- 

:• !!  tee  rear  1572  ;  ivben  Jamts  Daugizs  Earl  cf 
chSeji  Rcgczi*    be  was  given  up  to  tbe  Lord 
-:,  and  being  carried  to  1  crk, 

depended  on  Elizabeth  for  fro- 

.  c*.  depart  II  ':s  "  it  ivas  fcarce  pojfiblt 

•:  to  rrfufe  pvttitt*  into  ber  bands,  a  per/on  who  bad 

taken  up  a-n;  agaixft  ber.     But  M   a  fiaa  cf  msney  ivat 

ford  en   thai  ~:rton  and  bis 

'as,  tbe  former   of  nubom  during  bis  exile  in 

.-'•ted to  Korr  friend- 

•  abandoning  tbif  unhappy    niblentan  to  inevitable 

.  .ieful  and  mere  en  a 
Robertjlns  Hift. 

r  b:ftsry  coir-  '..~d,  ivbicb  teas  ap- 

l~ard,  foon  after  t.';c  event. 

Tr;  interfojaloftbe  WITCH-LADY  (v.    53.^  is  probably 

::efrcnt 

LaJv  Jai:z  Douglas, 

Lady  Glanti-.  :-.r!«  related  to 

-.•fa,  bad fujfercd  death  for  the  pretended 
crime  of  iiv/okw  it    is  frffumcd,  is  tbe  lady 

etll*dtd  to  ia  -Tfr/e  133. 

97* 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      283 

Tbtfettfamig  it  printed  (like  the  former)  from  tiuoctpiet: 
ene  f'f  them  in  the  Editor* s  fdio  MS  :  Which  alfo  contain* 
another  Ballad  en  the  efcape  of  the  E.  of  II 'eft  mar  eland, 
rv.ho  got  Jafc  into  Flanders,  and  is  feigned  in  the  ballad  tt 
have  undergone  a  gnat  'variety  of  adventures. 

HO  W  long  fhall  fortune  faile  roe  nowe. 
And  harrowe  me  with  fear  and  dread  ? 
How  long  fhall  I  in  bale  abide, 
Jn  mifery  my  life  to  lead  .? 

To  fall  from  my  blifs,  alas  the  while !  5 

It  was  my  fore  and  heavye  lott  : 
And  I  muft  leave  my  native  knd, 

And  I  muft  live  a  man  forgot. 

One  gentle  Armftrcng  I  doe  ken, 

A  Scot  he  is  much  bound,  to  mee  :  1O 

He  dwelleth  on  the  border  fidr, 

To  him  I'll  goe  right  privilie. 

Thus  did  the  noble  Percy  'plalne, 
With  a  heavy  heart  and  wel-away, 

When  he  ivith  all  his  gallant  men  15 

On  Eramham  mocr  Lid  loft  the  day. 

But  when  he  to  the  Armftrongs  came, 
They  dealt  with  him  all  treachero- 
For  they  did  drip  that  noble  ear'e  : 

.1  ever  an  ill  death  may  they  dye.  20 

Falfc 


2*4      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Falfe  He&or  to  Earl  Murray  fent, 

To  {hew  him  where  his  gueft  did  hide  : 

Who  fent  him  to  the  Lough-Ieven, 
With  William  Douglas  to  abide. 

And  when  he  to  the  Douglas  came, 
He  halched  him  right  curteouflie  : 

Say'd,  Welcome,  welcome,  noble  earle, 
Here  thou  fliait  fafelye  bide  with  rnee. 

When  he  had  in  Lough- leven  been 
Many  a  month  and  many  a  day  > 

To  the  regent  *  the  lord  warden  f  fent, 
That  bannifht  earle  for  to  betray. 

He  offered  him  great  (lore  of  gold, 
And  wrote  a  letter  fair  to  fee  : 

Saying,  Good  my  lord,  grant  me  my  boon, 
And  yield  that  banifht  man  to  mee. 

Earle  Percy  at  the  fupper  fate 
With  many  a  goodly  gentleman  : 

The  wylie  Douglas  then  befpake, 
And  thus  to  flyte  with  him  began: 


What 


*  Janes  Dcuglas  Earl  ef  fcorlon,  elcfted  regent  cf  Scotland,  N»v, 
24.  1572. 

•\  Of  «nt  vf  tbc  Ef.glijrj  marches,    Lsrd  Hirnfae*, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       285 

What  makes  you  be  fo  fad,  my  lord, 
And  in  your  mind  fo  forrowfullye  ?  , 

To-morrow  a  fhootinge  will  bee  held 
Among  the  lords  of  the  North  countryc. 

The  butts  are  fett,  the  fhooting's  made,  45- 

And  there  will  be  great  royaltie  : 
And  I  am  fworne  into  my  bille, 

Thither  to  bring  my  lord  Percie. 

I'll  give  thee  my  hand,  thou  gentle  Douglas, 
And  here  by  my  true  faith,  quoth  hee,  50 

If  thou  wilt  ride  to  the  worldes  end, 
I  will  ride  in  thy  companie. 

And  then  befpake  a  lady  faire, 

Mary  a.  Douglas  was  her  name  : 
You  (hall  bide  here,  good  Englifii  lord,  j^; 

My  brother  is  a  traiterous  man. 

He  is  a  traitor  (lout  and  ftrong, 

As  I  tell  you  in  privitie  : 
For  he  has  tane  liverance  of  the  carle  *, 

Into  England  nowe  to  'liver  thee.  (o 

Now  nay,  now  nay,  thou  goodly  lady, 

The  regent  is  a  noble  lord  : 
Ne  for  the  gold  in  all  England, 

The  Douglas  wold  not  break  his  word. 

When 

•   Oftbt  tar!  if'MtrUn,  ftt  Ri;  •:. 


286      ANCIENT     POEM  S. 

When  the  regent  was  a  baniftu  man,  65 

With  me  he  did  faire  welcome  find  ; 

And  whether  weal  or  woe  betide, 
I  ftill  {hall  find  him  true  and  kind. 

i 
Tween  England  and  Scotland  'twold  break  truce, 

And  friends  again  they  wold  never  bee,  70 

If  they  {hold  'liver  a  banifht  earle 

Was  driven  out  of  his  own  ccuntrie. 

Alas  !  alas  !  my  lord,  ftie  fayes, 

Ncvve  mickle  is  their  traitorie  ; 
Then  let  my  brother  ride  his  ways,  -75 

And  tell  thofe  Englim  lords  from  thee, 

How  that  you  cannot  with  him  ride, 
Becaufe  you  are  in  an  jfle  of  the  fea  *, 

Then  ere  my  brother  come  againe 

To  Edinbrow  caille  f  He  carry  thee.  8r> 

To  the  Lord  Hume  I  will  thee  bring, 
He  is  well  knowne  a  true  Scots  lord, 

And  he  will  lofe  both  land  and  life, 
Ere  he  wi:h  thee  will  break  his  word. 


JVIuch 


*  t.  e.  Lake  of  Liven,  <wb;cb  bail  ctmmunicauon  with  tbefet. 
•\  At  that  time  in  tbe  bands  of  the  sfpe/ite  fafiion. 


ANCIENT      POEMS.       287 

Much  is  my  woe,  Lord  Percy  fayd,  .        2$ 

When  I  thinkie  on  my  own  countric, 

When  I  thinke  on  the  heavye  happe 
My  friends  have  fuffered  there  for  mee. 

Much  is  my  woe,  Lord  Percy  fayd, 

And  fore  thofe  wars  my  minde  diftrefle  ;         go 
Where  many  a  widow  loft  her  mate, 

And  many  a  child  was  fatherless. 

And  now  that  I  a  baniflu  man, 

Shold  bring  fuch  evil  happe  with  me?, 

To  caufe  my  f; lire  and  noble  friends  g- 

To  be  fufpeft  of  treacherie  : 

This  rives  my  heart  with  double  woe  ; 

And  lever  had  I  dye  thh  day, 
Than  thinke  a  Douglas  can  be  falfe, 

Or  ever  he  will  his  gueft  betray.  100 

'If  you'll  give  me  no  truft,  my  lord, 

Nor  unto  mee  no  credence  yield; 
Yet  ftep  one  moment  here  afide, 

He  fhowe  you  all  your  foes  in  field. 

Lady,  I  never  loved  witchcraft,  10$ 

Never  dealt  in  privy  wyle  ; 
But  evermore  held  the  high-waye 

Of  truth  and  honours,  free  from  guile. 

6  If 


288      ANCIENT     POEM  S, 

If  you'll  not  come  yourfelfe  my  lorde, 

Yet  fend  your  chamberlaine  with  mee  ;         no 

Let  me  but  fpeak  three  words  with  him, 
And  he  mall  come  again  to  thec. 

James  Swynard  with  that  lady  went, 

She  mowed  him  through  the  weme  of  her  ring 

How  many  Englifh  lords  there  were  115 

Waiting  for  his  mailer  and  him. 

And  who  walkes  yonder,  my  good  lady, 

So  royallye  on  yonder  greene  ? 
O  yonder  is  the  lord  Hunfden  *  : 

Alas !  he'll  doe  you  drie  arid  teene.  120 

And  who  beth  yonder,  thou  gay  ladye, 
That  walkes  fo  proudly  him  befide  ? 

That  is  Sir  William  Drury  f,  me  fayd, 
A  keen  captaine  he  is  and  tryed. 

How  many  miles  is  it,  madame,  125 

Betwixt  yond  Englifh  lords  and  mee  ? 

Marry  it  is  thrice  fifty  miles, 
To  fayl  to  them  upon  the  fea. 


I  never 


*  tye  Lord  Warden  of  the  Eajt  marches, 
•f"  Gfvern»r  of  Berwick, 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      289 

I  never  was  on  Englifii  ground, 

Ne  never  fawe  it  with  mine  eye,  130 

But  as  my  book  it  Iheweth  mee, 

And  through  my  ring  I  may  defcrye. 

My  mother  me  was  a  witch  ladye, 

And  of  her  flcille  (he  learned  mee  ; 
She  wold  let  me  fee  out  of  Lough-leven  135 

What  they  did  in  London  citie. 

But  who  is  yond,  thou  lady  faire, 

That  looketh  with  fie  an  aufterne  face  ? 

Yonder  is  Sir  John  Fofler  f,  quoth  mee, 

Alas"!  he'll  do  ye  fore  difgrace.  149 

He  pulled  his  hatt  down  over  his  browe, 
And  in  his  heart  he  was  full  of  woe; 

And  he  is  gone  to  his  noble  Lord, 
Thofe  forrowful  tidings  him  to  mow. 

Now  nay,  now  nay,  good  James  Swynard,       145 
I  may  not  believe  that  witch  ladie  : 

The  Douglafles  were  ever  true, 

And  they  can  ne'er  prove  falfe  to  mee. 

I  have  now  in  Lough-leven  been 

The  moft  part  of  thefe  years  three,  1 50 

VOL.  L  U  And 

t  W*rdt9  of  tlit  Middli  marck. 


ago        ANCIENT      POEMS. 

And  I  have  never  had  noe  outrake, 
Ne  no  good  games  that  I  cold  fee. 

Therefore  I'll  to  yond  mooting  wend, 
As  to  the  Douglas  1  have  hight : 

Betide  me  weale,  betide  me  woe, 
He  ne'er  {hall  find  my  promife  light, 

He  writhe  a  gold  ring  from  his  finger, 
And  gave  it  to  that  faire  ladle  : 

Sayes,  It  was  all  that  I  cold  fave, 
In  Harley  woods  where  I  could  be  *. 

And  wilt  thou  goe,  thou  noble  lord, 
Then  farewell  truth  and  honeftie  ; 

And  farewell  heart  and  farewell  handj 
For  never  more  I  mall  thee  fee. 

The  wind  was  faire,  the  boatmen  call'd} 
And  all  the  faylors  were  on  borde  j 

Then  William  Douglas  took  to  his  boat, 
And  with  him  went  that  noble  lord. 

Then  he  caft  up  a  filver  wand, 

Says,  Gentle  lady,  fare  thee  well  ! 

The  lady  fett  a  frgh  foe  deep, 

And  in  a  dead  fwoone  down  fhee  fell. 


*  /'.  «»  Wotrc  I  was,     An  ancient  Mem. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      291 

Now  let  us  goe  back,  Douglas,  he  fayd, 
A  ficknefs  hath  taken  yond  faire  ladie j 

If  ought  befall  yond  lady  but  good,  175 

Then  blamed  for  ever  I  mall  bee. 

Come  on,  come  on,  my  lord,  he  fayes  ; 

Come  on,  come  on,  and  let  her  bee  : 
There's  ladyes  enow  in  Lough-leven 

For  to  chear  that  gay  ladie.  180 

If  you'll  not  turne  yourfelf,  my  lord, 
Let  me  goe  with  my  cbamberlaine ; 

We  will  but  comfort  that  faire  lady, 
And  wee  will  return  to  you  againe. 

Come  on,  come  on,  my  lord,  he  fayes,  185 

Come  on,  come  on,  and  let  her  bee  : 

My  fifter  is  crafty,  and  wold  beguile 
A'thoufand  fuch  as  you  and  mee. 

When  they  had  fayled  *  fifty  mile, 

Fifty  mile  upon  the  fea  ;  190 

He  fent  his  man  to  afk  the  Douglas, 

When  they  fiiold  that  mooting  fee. 

U  2  Faire 


*  There  is   no  navigable  flream  btPwter.  Lfugt-leven  and  tit  fta  , 
lui  a  tiellad-maktr  it  n«(  tbliged  ta  underhand  Geography, 


292       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Faire  words,  quoth  he,  they  make  fools  faine, 
And  that  by  thee  and  thy  lord  is  feen  : 

You  may  hap  to  think  it  foon  enough,  195 

Ere  you  that  fhooting  reach,  I  ween. 

Jamey  his  hatt  pulled  over  his  browe, 
He  thought  his  lord  then  was  betray'd  ; 

And  he  is  to  Earle  Percy  againe, 

To  tell  him  what  the  Douglas  fayd.  200 

Hold  up  thy  head,  man,  quoth  his  lord ; 

Nor  therefore  let  thy  courage  fail : 
He  did  it  but  to  prove  thy  heart, 

To  fee  if  he  cold  make  it  quail. 

When  they  had  other  fifty  fayld,  205 

Other  fifty  mile  upon  the  fea, 
Lord  Percy  call'd  to  the  Douglas  himfelfe, 

Sayd,  What  wilt  thou  nowe  doe  with  mee  ? 

Looke  that  your  bridle  be  wight,  my  lord, 

And  your  horfe  goe  fwift  as  fhip  at  fea :        210 

Looke  that  your  fpurres  be  bright  and  marp, 
That  you  may  prick  her  while  fhe'll  away. 

What  needeth  this,  Douglas,  he  faid  ; 

What  needeft  thou  to  flyte  with  mee  } 
For  I  was  counted  a  horfeman  good  215 

Before  that  ever  I  met  with  thee. 

A  falfe 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      295 

A  falfe  Heftor  he  hath  my  horfe, 

Who  dealc  with  mee  fo  treacherouflie  r 

A  falfe-Armftrong  he  hath  my  fpurres, 

And  all  the  geere  that  belongs  to  mee.          220 

When  they  had  fayled  other  fifty  mile, 

Other  fifty  mile  upon  the  fea : 
They  landed  him  at  Berwick  towne, 

The  Douglas  landed  Lord  Percie. 

Then  he  at  Yorke  was  doomde  to  dye,  225 

It  was,  alas !  a  forrowful  fight  ; 
Thus  they  betrayed  that  noble  earle, 

Who  ever  was  a  gallant  wight. 


V. 

MY  MIND  TO   ME   A  KINGDOM  IS. 

916/j  excellent  philofophical  fong  appear  t  to  have  been  fa- 
mous in  the  Jixteenth  century.  It  is  quoted  by  Ben  Jon/on  in 
bis  play  of  "  Every  man  out  of  his  humour,1'  frjt  aftea  in 
1599.  A.  l,  fc.  I.  tuber e  an  impatient  perfon  fays  t 

"  /  am  no  fuch  pil'd  cynique  fo  belecve 
"  That  Ifggtry  is  the  onely  happinefie, 

U3  "  Or, 


294     ANCIENT      POEMS. 

'*  Or,  nv ith  a  number  nf  thefe  patient  fooks, 
"  To-fing,  "  My  minde  to  me  a  kingdoms  *"/," 
"  When  the  lanke  hungrie  belly  barkes  for  foode" 

It  is  here  chiefly  printed  from  a  thin  quarto  Mujic  took, 
intitled,  "  BaJJiis.  Pjalmes,  Sonets  and  Songs  offadnes  and 
"  pietie,  made  into  Mujlcke  of  fi-ue  parts  :  &c.  ByWil- 
"  liam  Byrd,  one  of  the  Gent,  of  the  Queenes  Maiffties  ho- 
"  norable  ChapfelL — Printed  by  Thomas  Eaft,  &c."  4/0. 
no  date  :  but  Ames  in  his  Typo*,  has  mentioned  another  edit, 
of  the  fame  book,  dated  1588,  which  I  take  to  have  been 
later  than  this  cfoitrs. 

Some  improvements  and  an  additional  Jlanza  (fc.  the 
$tb.)  ivere  had  from  tivo  other  ancient  copies  ;  one  of  them 
in  black  letter  in  the  Pepys  Collection,  thus  infcribed,  "  A 
fiveet  and  pleafant  fonet,  entituled^  "  My  Minde  to  me  a 
"  Kingdom  is.  To  the  tune  of,  In  Crete,  &c." 

To  thefe  laft  were  fuhjdned four  other  Jianxas,  as  part  of 
the  fame  poem,  and  nvere  accordingly  fo  printed  in  our  firft 
edit,  but  as  they  are  gi-ven  feparatc  by  Byrd,  as  an  inde- 
pendent piece,  they  are  accordingly  fo  printed  here  :  See  below, 
en  VII. 


My  minde  to  me  a  kingdome  is; 
Such  perfect,  joy  therein  I  finde 
As  farre  exceeds  all  earthly  blifTe, 

That  God  or  Nature  hath  aflignde  : 
Though  much  I  want,  that  moft  would  have,        5 
Yet  dill  my  mind  forbids  to  crave. 

Content  I  live,  this  is  my  flay  ; 
I  fcek  no  more  than  may  fuffice : 

I  prefle 


ANCIENT     P  O  E  M  S.       295 

I  prefle  to  beare  no  haughtie  fway  ; 

Look  what  I  lack  my  mind  fupplies.  10 

Loe  !  thus  I  triumph  like  a  king, 
Content  with  that  my  mind  doth  bring. 

I  fee  how  plentie  furfets  oft, 

And  haftie  clymbers  fooneft  fall : 
I  fee  that  fuch  as  fit  aloft  15 

Miftiap  doth  threaten  mod  of  all : 
Thefe  get  with  toile,  and  keep  with  feare  : 
Such  cares  my  mind  could  never  beare. 

No  princely  pompe,  nor  welthie  (lore, 
No  force  to  winne  the  viclorie,  20 

No  wylie  wit  to  falve  a  fore, 
No  fhape  to  winne  a  lovers  eye  ; 

To  none  of  thefe  I  yee!d  as  thrall, 

For  why  my  mind  difpifeth  all. 

Some  have  too  much,  yet  ftill  they  crave,  25 

I  little  have,  yet  feek  no  more  :      , 
They  are  but  poore,  tho'  much  they  have  ; 

And  I  am  rich  with  little  flore  : 
They  poor,  I  rich  ;  they  beg,  I  give  ; 
They  lacke,  I  lend  ;  they  pine,  I  live.  30 

I  laugh  not  at  anothers  lofle, 
I  grudge  not  at  anothers  gaine  ; 

TT  ,  NO 


296      A  N  C  I  E  N  T    P  O  E  M  S. 

No  worldly  wave  my  mind  can  tofle, 

I  brooke  that  is  anothers  bane  : 
I  feare  no  foe,  nor  fawne  on  friend  ;  35 

I  loth  not  life,  nor  dread  mine  end. 

My  welth  is  health,  and  perfect  eafe  ; 
/        My  confcience  clere  my  chiiefe  defence  : 
I  never  feeke  by  brybes  to  pleafe, 

Nor  by  defert  to  give  offence  :  40 

Thus  do  I  live,  thus  will  I  die; 
Would  all  did  fo  as  well  as  1 1 


VI. 
THE    PATIENT     COUNTESS. 

T'he  following  tale  is  found  in  an  ancient  poem  intitled 
ALBION'S  ENGLAND,  written  by  W.  WARNER,  a  cele- 
brated Poet  in  the  reign  of  ^  Elizabeth,  tbo1  bis  name  and 
works  are  now  equally  forgotten.  'The  reader  will  fad  fame 
account  of  him  in  Vol.  II,  Book  II.  Song  24. 

The  following  ft  anzas  are  printed  from  the  author's  im- 
proved edition  of  his  work,  printed  in  \  6oz.  4/0.  'The  third 
imprejflon  cf  which,  appear edfo  early,  as  11592,  in  bl.  let. 
4/0.— The  edition  in  1602  ;'/  in  thirteen  Books,  and  fo  it 
is  reprinted  in  16 1 2,  4/0.  ;  yet  in  1606,  was  publifeed  "  A 
"  Continuance  of  Alb ion's  England  by  the  firjt  author, 
"  W.  W.  Lend.  4/0.  ;"  this  contains  Books  xiv.  x<v.  xiii. 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 


297 


In  Ames 's  Typography,  is  preferred  the  memory  of  another  pub- 
lication of  this  writer's,  infilled,  "WARNER'S  POETRY," 
printed  in  1586,  I  zmo.  and  reprinted  in  1602.  'There  it 
alfo  extant  under  the  name  of  Warner,  "  Syrinx,  or  fe-ven- 
"  fold  Hi/},  pleafant,  and  profitable,  comical,  and  tragi- 
"  cat."  4/0. 

It  is  proper  to  premife,  that  the  following  lines  luere  not 
written  by,  the  Author  in  Jianzas,  but  in  long  Alexandrines 
of  14  fyllablts  ;  which  the  narro*wneff  of  our  page  made  it 
here  necejfary  to  fubdiiiide. 

IMpatience  chaungeth  fmoke  to  flame,  - 
But  jeloufie  is  hell; 
Some  wives  by  patience  have  reduc'd 

111  hufbands  to  live  well : 

As  did  the  ladie  of  an  earle,  5 

Of  whom  I  now  ihall  tell. 

An  earle  '  there  was'  had  wedded,  lov'd ; 

Was  lov'd,  and  lived  long 
Full  true  to  his  fayre  ccunteflc  ;  yet 

At  laft  he  did  her  wrong.  ,  *• 

Once  hunted  he  untill  the  chace, 

Long  falling,  and  the  heat 
Did  houfe  him  in  a  peakifh  graunge 

Within  a  foreft  great. 

Where  knowne  and  welcom'd  (as  the  place        15 

And  perfons  might  afforde) 
Browne  bread,  whig,  bacon,  curds  and  milke 

Were  fet  him  on  the  borde. 

A  cufhioa 


298     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

A  cumion  made  of  lifts,  a  ftoole 

Halfe  backed  with  a  hoope  20 

Were  brought  him,  and  he  iitteth  down 

Befides  a  forry  coupe. 

The  poore  old  couple  wiiht  their  bread 
Were  wheat,  their  whig  were  perry, 

Their  bacon  beefe,  their  milke  and  curds  25 

Were  creame,  to  make  him  merry. 

Meane  while  (in  ruflet  neatly  clad, 

With  linen  white  as  fwanne, 
Herfelfe  more  white,  fave  rofie  where 

The  ruddy  colour  ranne  :  30 

Whome  naked  nature,  not  the  aydes 

Of  arte  made  to  excell) 
The  good  man's  daughter  fturres  to  fee 

That  all  were  feat  and  well ; 
The  earle  did  marke  her,  and  admirs  35 

Such  beautie  there  to  dwell. 

Yet  fals  he  to  their  homely  fare, 

And  held  him  at  a  feaft : 
But  as  his  hunger  flaked,  fo 

An  amorous  heat  increaft.  40 

When  this  repaft  was  paft,  and  thanks, 
And  welcome  too  ;  he  fayd 

,  Unt» 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      299 

Unto  his  holt  and  hofteffe,  in 
The  hearing  of  the  mayd  : 

Yee  know,  quoth  he,  that  I  am  lord  45 

Of  this,  and  many  townes  ; 
I  alfo  know  that  you  be  poore, 

And  I  can  fpare  you  pownes. 

Soe  will  I,  fo  yee  will  confent, 

That  yonder  lafle  and  I  jjO 

May  bargaine  for  her  love  ;  at  leaft, 

Doe  give  me  leave  to  trye. 
Who  needs  to  know  it  ?  nay  who  dares 

Into  my  doings  pry  ? 

Firft  they  miflike,  yet  at  the  length  55 

For  lucre  were  mifled  ; 
And  then  the  gamefome  earle  did  wowe 

The  dam  fell  for  his  bed. 

He  took  her  in  his  armes,  as  yet 

So  coyifh  to  be  kift,  6» 

Ai  mayds  that  know  themfelves  belov'd, 

And  yieldingly  refift. 

In  few,  his  offers  were  fo  large 

She  laftly  did  confent  ; 
With  whom  he  lodged  all  tfiat  night,  65 

And  early  home  he  went. 

He 


3oo      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

He  tooke  occafion  oftentimes 

In  fuch  a  fort  to  hunt. 
Whom  when  his  lady  often  mift, 

Contrary  to  his  wont,  70 

And  laftly  was  informed  of 

His  amorous  haunt  elfewhere  ? 
It  greev'd  her  not  a  little,  though        / 

She  feem'd  it  well  to  beare. 

And  thus  fhe  reafons  with  herfelfe,  75 

Some  fault  perhaps  in  me  ; 
Somewhat  is  done,  that  fo  he  doth  : 

Alas  !  what  may  it  be  ? 

How  may  I  winne  him  to  myfelf  ? 

He  is  a  man,  and  men  8a 

Have  imperfections  ;  it  behooves 

Me  pardon  nature  then. 

To  checke  him  were  to  make  him  checke  f» 

Although  hee  now  were  chafte : 
A  man  controuled  of  his  wife,  85 

To  her  makes  letter  hafte. 

If 


f  Ts  CHICK  is  a  term  in  falconry,  appFied  ivktn  a  hawk  flops  and 
furm  away  from  bis  proper  purfuit :  To  CBKCK  aljofgnife:  to  reprove 
»r  chide.  It  it  in  tbtt  verfe  ujed  in  both  faffs* 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      301 

If  duty  then,  or  daliance  may 

Prevayle  to  alter  him  ; 
I  will  be  dutifull,  and  make 

My  felfe  for  daliance  trim.  oo 

So  was  me,  and  fo  lovingly 

Did  entertaine  her  lord, 
As  fairer,  or  more  faultles  none 

Could  be  for  bed  or  bord. 

Yet  ftill  he  loves  his  leiman,  and  95 

Did  dill  purfue  that  game, 
Sufpefting  nothing  lefs,  than  that 

His  lady  knew  the  fame  : 
Wherefore  to  make  him  know  me  knew, 

She  this  devife  did  frame  :  100 

When  long  {he  had  been  wrong'd,  and  fought 

The  forefayd  meanes  in  vaine, 
She  rideth  to  the  fimple  graunge 

But  with  a  flender  traine. 

She  lighteth,  entreth,  greets  them  well,  105 

And  then  did  looke  about  her  : 
The  guiltie  houfliold  knowing  her, 

Did  wifh  themfelves  without  her  ; 
Yet,  for  (he  looked  merily, 

The  lefle  they  did  mifdoubt  her.  no 

When 


302      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

When  fhe  had  feen  the  beauteous  wench 

(Then  blufhing  fairnes  fairer) 
Such  beauty  made  the  countefle  hold 

Them  both  excus'd  the  rather. 

Who  would  not  bite  at  fuch  a  bait  ?  115 

Thought  fhe  :  and  who  (though  loth) 

So  poore  a  wench,  but  gold  might  tempt  ? 
Sweet  errors  lead  them  both. 

Scarfe  one  in  twenty  that  had  bragg'd 

Of  proffer'd  gold  denied,  I2O 

Or  of  fuch  yeelding  beautie  baulkt, 
But,  tenne  to  one,  had  lied. 

Thus  thought  fhe :  axsd  fhe  thus  declares 

Her  caufe  of  coming  thether  ; 
My  lord,  oft  hunting  in  thefe  partes,  125 

Through  travel,  night  or  wether, 

Hath  often  lodged  in  your  houfe  ; 

I  thanke  you  for  the  fame  ; 
For  why  ?  it  doth  him  jolly  eafe 

To  lie  fo  neare  his  game.  130 

But,  for  you  have  not  furniture 

Befeeming  fuch  a  gueft, 
I  bring  his  owne,  and  come  myfelfe 

To  fee  his  lodging  dreft. 

3  With 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      303 

With  that  two  fumpters  were  difcharg'd,  135 

In  which  were  hangings  brave, 
Silke  coverings,  curtens,  carpets,  plate, 

And  al  fuch  turn  fhould  have. 


When  all  was  handfomly  difpos'd, 

S he  prayes  them  to  have  care  140 

That  nothing  hap  in  their  default, 

That  might  his  health  impair : 

And,  Damfell,  quoth  fhee,  for  it  feeme» 

This  houfhold  is  but  three, 
And  for  thy  parents  age,  that  this  14.5 

Shall  chiefely  reft  on  thee  ; 

Do  me  that  good,  elfe  would  to  God 

He  hither  come  no  more, 
bo  tooke  (he  horfe,  and  ere  (he  went 

Bellowed  gould  good  ilore.  150 

Full  little  thought  the  countie  that 

His  countefle  had  done  fo  ; 
Who  now  return'd  from  far  affaires 

Did  to  his  fweet-heart  go. 

No  fooner  fat  he  foote  within  155 

The  late  deformed  cote, 
But  that  the  formall  change  of  things 

His  wondring  eics  did  note. 

But 


304      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

But  when  he  knew  thofe  goods  to  be 

His  proper  goods  ;  though  late,  ,  160 

Scarce  taking  leave,  he  home  returnes 

The  matter  to  debate. 

The  countefle  was  a-bed,  and  he 

With  her  his  lodging  tooke  ;, 
Sir,  welcome  home  (quoth  fhee) ;  this  night    165 

For  you  I  did  not  look?. 

Then  did  he  queftion  her  of  fuch 

His  ftuffe  beftowed  foe. 
Forfooth,  quoth  {he,  becaufe  I  did 

Your  love  and  lodging  knowe  :  170 

Your  love  to  be  a  proper  wench, 

Your  lodging  nothing  leffe  ; 
I  held  it  for  your  health,  the  houfe 

More  decently  to  dreffe.. 

Well  wot  I,  notwithftanding  her,  175 

Your  lordfhip  loveth  me  ; 
And  greater  hope  to  hold  you  fuch 

By  quiet,  then  brawles,  '  you'  fee. 

Then  for  my  duty,  your  delight, 

And  to  retaine  your  favour,  1 80 

.      All  done  I  did,  and  patiently 
Expeft  your  wonted  'haviour. 

Her 


ANCIENT     POEMS.     305 

Her  patience,  witte  and  anfwer  wrought 

His  gentle  teares  to  fall : 
When  (kifling  her  a  fcorc  of  times)  185 

Amend,  fweet  wife,  I  (hall : 
He  faid,  and  did  it ;  '  fo  each  wife 

*  Her  hufband  may'  recall. 


VII. 

THE      GOLDEN     MEAN. 

7  *  he  four  ftanzas  follcivin^  are  commonly  printed  as  part 
of  the  foregoing  fong,  Num.  V.  MY  MIND  TO  ME  A  KJNC- 
DOM  is;  and  accordingly  fo  Jtand  in  our  firft  edition.  But 
as  they^  are  found  dijiintt  and  fcparate,  after  the  manner  of 
an  independent  poem,  'with  different  notes  of  mujic,  i 
BASS  us,  it  <vuas  thought  prefer  Jo  ta  gi-~ut  them  here. 

I  JO  Y  not  in  no  earthly  blifll-  ; 
I  weigh  not  Crefus'  welth  a  ftraw  j 
For  care,  I  care  not  what  it  is  ; 

I  fcare  not  fortunes  fatall  law  : 
My  mind  is  fuch  as  may  not  move 
For  bcautie  briht  or  force  of  love. 


I  wifti  but  what  I  have  at  will  ; 

1  wander  not  to  feelce  for  mure  ; 
Voi.,  1  X 


3o5     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

I  like  the  plaine,  I  clime  no  hill  ; 

In  greateft  ftormes  I  fitte  on  fhore,  10 

And  laugh  at  them  that  toile  in  vaiae 
To  get  what  mull  be  loft  againe. 

I  kifle  not  where  I  wifli  to  kill  ; 

I  faine  not  love  where  mod  I  hate  ; 
I  breake  no  fleep  to  winne  my  will  ;  15 

I  wayte  not  at  the  tr.ighties  gate  ; 
I  fcorne  no  poore,  I  feare  no  rich  ; 
I  fecle  no  want,  rcr  have  too  much. 

The  court,  ne  cart,  I  like,  ne  loath  ; 

Extreames  are  counted  worft  of  all ;  20 

The  golden  meane  betwixt  them  both, 

Doth  fureft  fit,  and  fears  no  fall  : 
This  is  my  choyce,  for  why  I  finde, 
No  wealth  is  like  a  quiet  minde. 


VIII. 
D    O    W    S    A    B    E    L    L. 

<Tbe  filler  fta;iz.as  "jj;re  written  by  MICHAEL 
D  R  A  v  T  o  N,  a  poet  of  ft  me  eminence  in  the  reigns  of ^ 
Elizabeth,  James  /.  and  Charles  7.  *  *They  are  infer  ted  it 

ont 

*  He  «?«:  Isrr.  m  1563.  and  did  in  1651,     Siog.  Brit. 


ANCIENT      POEMS. 


3°7 


tne  of  bis  Paftoral;,  the  firji  edition  of  which  tears  tbis 
nubim/ical  Title.  ' '  Idea.  The  Shepbeard;  Garland  fa- 
*'  Jhioned  in  nine  Eglogs.  Rowlands  facrifce  to  the  nine 
"  mufss.  Land.  1593."  4/0.  They  are  infcriled  with 
the  Author's  name  at  length  "To  the  ntbk  and  valcrous 
ff  gentleman  majter  Robert  Dudley,  tSc."  It  is  'very  re- 
markable that  <vjben  Drayton  reprinted  them  in  the  firft folio 
Edit,  of  his  works,  1619,  he  bad  given  tbofe  Eclogues  fo 
thorough  a  revifal  that  there  is  hardly  a  line  to  bt  found  the 
fame  as  in  the  old  edition.  ,  Tbis  poem  bad  received  ibe 
fewejt  corrections,  and  therefore  is  chiefly  given  from  the 
ancient  copy,  where  it  is  thus  introduced  by  ens  of  bis 
Shepherds  : 

Liften  to  meet  my  lovely  Jhepheards  joye,  " 

And  tbou  jhalt  beare,  with  mirth  and  mickle  glet, 
A  pretie  tale,  which  --when  I  --was  a  bey, 

My  tootbles  grandame  oft  batb  tolde  to  me. 

The  Author  has  profejfidly  imitated  the  Jlyle  and  metre  of 
fame  of  the-  old  metrical  Romances  ;  particularly  that '  of 
SIR  IsENBRASf,  (alluded to  in  <v.  •$.)  as  the  reader  may 
judge  from  the  following  fpecimen  : 

Lordynges,  lyjien,  and  you  jkal  here,  &c. 

***** 

Ye  fuall  luell  beare  of  a  knight, 
That  was  in  warre  full  wjgbt, 

And  doughty  e  of  bis  dede  : 

His  name  was  Sjr  Ifenbras,  !• 

Man  nobler  then  he  'was 

Lyved  none  with  breade. 
Hi  was  lyvely,  large,  and  longt, 
With  Jhoulders  broade,  and  armes  jlronge, 

That  myghtie  ivas  to  fe  :  I  5 

Xz  //' 

I     •       f  At  alfi  Chaucer" i  Rhyme  tfSir  ftfai,  v,  6. 


3o8     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

He  ivas  a  hardye  man,  and  bye, 
All  men  hym  loved  that  hym  fe, 

For  a  gentyll  knight  was  he  : 
Harpers  h*ved  him  in  ball. 
With  other  minft  rills  all, ' 

For  he  gave  them  golde  and  fee,  &c. 


This  ancient  Legend  ivas  printed  in  black  letter,  4/0,  by 
CBpflpam  CayUrto  ;  no  date, — In  the  Co:tsn  Library  (Calig. 
d.  2.)  is  a  MS.  copy  of  the  fame  Romance  containing  the 
greateft  'variations.  7 hey  are  probably  two  different  trar.j- 
lations  of  fame  French  Original, 


FAR  RE  in  the  coantrey  of  Arden, 
There  won'd  a  knight,  hight  Cafiemen, 
As  bolde  as  Ifenbras : 
Fell  was  he,  and  eg^r  bent, 

In  battell  and  in  tournament,  5 

As  was  the  good  Sir  Topas. 

He  had,  as  antique  ftories  tell, 
A  daughter  cleaped  Dowfabel, 

A  mayden  fayre  and  free  : 

And  for  fhe  was  her  fathers  heire,  i« 

Full  well  fhe  was  y-cond  the  leyre 

Of  mickle  curtefie. 

The  filke  well  couth  fhe  twift  and  twine, 
And  make  the  fine  march-pine, 

And  with  the  needle  werke :  1 5 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      309 

And  fhe  couth  helpe  the  prieft  to  fay 
His  mattins  on  a  holy-day, 
And  fing  a  pfalme  in  kirke. 

She  ware  a  frock  of  frolicke  greenc, 

Might  well  befeeme  a  mayden  queene,       -        20 

Which  feemly  was  to  fee ; 
A  hood  to  that  fo  neat  and  fine, 
In  colour  like  the  colombine, 

Y-wrought  full  featoufly. 

Her  features  all  as  frefh  above,  25 

As  is  the  grafle  that  growes  by  Dove ; 

And  lyth  as  lafTe  of  Kent. 
Her  {kin  as  foft  as  Lemfter  wooll, 
As  white  as  fnow  on  Peakifh  Hull, 

Or  fwanne  that  fwims  in  Trent.  30 

This  mayden  in  a  morne  betime 

Went  forth,  when  May  was  in  her  prime, 

To  get  fweete  cetywall, 
The  honey-fuckle,  the  harlocke, 
The  lilly  and  the  lady-fmocke,  3J 

To  deck  her  fummer  hall. 

Thus,  as  fhe  wandred  here  and  there, 
Y-picking  of  the  bloomed  breere, 

She  chanced  to  efpie 

A  fhepheard  fitting  on  a  bancke,  4° 

X  3  Like. 


3io     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Like  chanteclere  he  crowed  crancke, 
And  pip'd  full  merrilie. 

He  lear'd  his  meepe  as  he  him  lift, 
When  he  would  whittle  in  his  fift, 

To  feede  about  him  round  ; 
Whilft  he  full  many  a  carroll  fung, 
Untill  the  fields  and  medowes  rung, 

And  all  the  woods  did  found. 

In  favour  this  fame  fhepheards  fwayne 
Was  like  the  bedlam  Tamburlayne  *, 

Which  helde  prowd  kings  in  awe  : 
But  meeke  he  was  as  Iamb  mought  be  ; 
And  innocent  of  ill  as  he 

Whom  his  lewd  brother  flaw. 

The  fhepheard  ware  a  flieepe-gray  cloke, 
Which  was  of  the  fineft  loke, 

That  could  be  cut  with  fheere  : 
His  mittens  were  of  bauzens  flcinne, 
His  cockers  were  of  cordiwin, 

His  hood  of  ineniveere. 

His  aule  and  lingell  in  a  thong, 
His  tar-boxe  on  his  broad  belt  hong, 
His  breech  of  coyntrie  blewe  : 


*  Alluding  to  "  Tamlurlaine  the  great,  or  tbr Scythian  Stefhard, 
1590.  Svs,  an  tld  ranting phy  ctenoid  1 9  Marh-we. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      3ri 

Full  crifpe  and  curled  were  his'lockes, 
His  browes  as  white  as  Albion  rocks :  65 

So  like  a  lover  true, 

And  pyping  ftill  he  fpent  the  day, 
So  merry  as  the  popingay  ; 

Which  liked  Dowfabel  : 

That  would  fhe  ought,  or  would  fhe  nought,       79 
This  lad  would  never  from  her  thought ; 

She  in  love-longing  fell. 

At  length  fhe  tucked  up  her  frocke, 
White  as  a  lilly  was  her  fmocke, 

She  drew  the  fhepheard  nye  ;  75 

But  then  the  fhepheard  pyp'd  a  good, 
That  all  his  fheepe  forfooke  their  foode, 

To  heare  his  melodye. 

Thy  fheepe,  quoth  fhe,  cannot  be  leane, 

That  have  a  jolly  fhepheards  fvvayne,  80 

The  which  can  pipe  fo  well  : 
Yea  but,  fayth  he,  their  fhepheard  may, 
If  pyping  thus  he  pine  away, 

In  love  of  Dowfabel. 

Of  love,  fond  boy,  take  thon  no  keepe,  85 

Quoth  (he ;  looke  thou  unto  thy  fheepe, 
Left  they  fhould  hap  to  ftray. 

X  4  Quoth 


3i2      ANCIENT      P  O  E  M  S. 

Quoth  fhe,  fo  had  I  done  full  well, 
Had  I  not  feen  fayre  Dowfabell 

Come  forth  to  gather  maye.  go 

With  that  ftie  gan  to  vaile  her  head, 
Her  cheeks  were  like  the  rofes  red, 

But  not  a  word  fhe  fayd  : 
With  that  the  fhepheard  gan  to  frowne, 
He  threw  his  pretie  pypes  ado\vr.e,  95 

And  on  the  ground  him  layd. 

Sayth  fhe,  I  may  not  ftay  till  night, 
And  leave  my  fummer-hall  undight, 

And  all  for  long  of  thee. 

My  coate,  fayth  he,  nor  yet  my  foulde  ico 

Shall  neither  fheepe,  nor  fhepheard  hould, 

Except  thou  favour  mee. 

Sayth  me,  Yet  lever  were  I  dead, 
Then  I  fhould  lofe  my  mayden-head, 

And  all  for  love  of  men.  105 

Sayth  he,  Yet  are  you  too  unkind, 
If  in  your  heart  you  cannot  finde 

To  love  us  now  and  then. 

And  I  to  thee  will  be  as  kinde 
As  Colin  was  to  Rofalinde,  ijo 

Of  curtefie  the  flower, 

Then 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       3,3 

Then  will  I  be  as  true,  quoth  flie, 
As  ever  mayden  yet  might  be 
Unto  her  paramour. 

With  that  (he  bent  her  (now-white  knee, 
Downe  by  the  fliepheard  kneeled  fhec, 

And  him  (he  fweetely  kift  : 
With  that  the  fliepheard  whoop'd  for  joy, 
Quoth  he,  ther's  never  {hepheards  boy 

That  ever  was  fo  blift.      .  120 


IX. 


THE    FAREWELL    TO    LOVE, 

Frc/m  Beaumont  and  Fletcher's  play,  intillcd  The  Lcwr'j 
Prcgrefs.     A.  ^fc.  \. 


ADIEU,  fond  love,  farewell  you  wanton  powers  ; 
I  am  free  again. 
Thou  dull  difeafe  of  bloud  and  idle  hours, 

Bewitching  pain, 

Fly  to  fools,   that  figh  away  their  time  :  5 

My  nobler  love  to  heaven  doth  climb, 

And 


3i4      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

And  there  behold  beauty  flill  young, 

That  time  can  ne'er  corrupt  nor  death  deflroy, 

Iftmortal  fsveetnefs  by  fair  angels  fung, 

And  honoured  by  eternity  and  joy  :  10 

There  lies  my  love,  thither  my.  hopes  afpire, 

Fond  love  declines,  this  heavenly  love  grows  higher. 


X. 

UiL  Y  S  S  E  S    AND    THE    S  Y  R  E  N, 

— affords  a  pretty  poetical  coniejl  between  Pleafure  euid 
Honour.  It  is  found  at  the  end  of  "  flymen's  triumph:  a 
*'  pajloral  tragicomedie"  ^written  by  Daniel*  and  printed 
amony  his  ^ivorks,  4/0.  1623.— DAN  IEL,  ivboivas  a  contem- 
porary of  Drayron's,  and  is  faid  to  have  been  poet  laureat  to 
^j-teen  Elizabeth,  vjas  born  in  1562,  and  died  in  1619. 
ANNE  Countefs  cf  Dor/et,  Pembroke,  and  Montgomery  (to 
•whom  Daniel  had  been  Tutor)  has  inferted  a  fmall  Portrait 
of  him  in  a  full-length  Pi  Slur  e  cf  herfelf,  prefer-Tjed  at 
dppleby  Caftle  in  Cumberland. 

"•fhis  little  poem  is  the  rather  fell  Sled  for  a  fpecimen  cf 
Daniel's  pcelic  powers,  as  it  is  omitted  in  the  later  edition  - 
efbif'&tr&j.  2  vol.  \zrno.  1718. 

SYREN. 

COME,  worthy  Greeke,  Ulyffes  come, 
PofTefle  thefe  Ihores  with  me, 

The 


ANCIENT     POE  M  S.       315 

The  windes  and  feas  are  troublefome, 

And  here  we  may  be  free. 
Here  may  we  fit  and  view  their  toyle,  c 

That  travaile  in  the  deepe, 
Enjoy  the  day  in  mirth  the  while, 

And  fpend  the  night  in  fleepe. 

'  ULYSSES. 

Faire  nymph,  if  fame  or  honour  were 

To  be  attain'd  with  eafe,  10 

Then  would  I  come  and  reft  with  thee, 

And  leave  fuch  toiles  as  thefe  : 
But  here  it  dwels,  and  here  muft  I 

With  danger  feek  it  forth  ; 
To  fpend  the  time  luxurioufly  15 

Becomes  not  men  of  worth. 

SYREN. 

UJyfies,  O  be  not  deceiv'd 

With  that  unreall  name  : 
This  honour  is  a  thing  conceiv'd> 

And  refts  on  others'  fame.  2ft 

Begotten  only  to  moleft 

Our  peace,  and  to  beguile 
(The  belt  thing  of  our  lifr)  our  reft, 

And  give  us  up  to  toyle  ! 

U  L  Y  s  s  E  i. 


3i6        ANCIENT     POEMS. 

ULYSSES. 
DeJkjcus  nymph,  fuppofe  there  were  25 

No  honour,  or  report, 
Yet  manlinefTe  would  fcorne  to  weare 

The  time  in  idle  fport : 
For  toyle  doth  give  a  better  touch 

To  make  us  feele  our  joy  ;  30 

And  eafe  findes  tedioufnes,  as  much 

A3  labour  yeelds  annoy. 

S  Y  R  E  K. 

Then  pleafure  likewife  feemes  the  fhorc, 

Whereto  tendes  all  your  toyle  ; 
Which  you  forego  to  make  it  more,  3  5 

And  periih  oft  the  while. 
Who  may  di fport  them  di verity, 

Find  never  tedious  day  ; 
And  eafe  may  have  variety, 

As  well  as  action  may.  4« 

ULYSSES. 

Bat  natures  of  the  nobleft  frame 

Thefe  toyles  and  dangers  pleafe  ; 
And  they  take  comfort  in  the  fame, 
As  much  as  ycu  in  eafe  : 

And 


ANCIENT     POEMS,       $<7 

And  with  the  thought  of  actions  pall  45 

Are  recreated  Hill  : 
When  pleafure  leaves  a  touch  at  laft 

To  fhew  that  it  was  ill. 

SYREN. 

That  c?oth  opinion  only  caufe, 

That's,  out  ofcuftom  bred  ;  5* 

Which  makes  us  many  other  laws, 

Than  ever  nature  did. 
No  widdowes  waile  for  our  delights, 

Our  fpprts  are  without  blood  ; 
The  world  we  fee  by  warlike  wight*  55 

Receix'es  more  hurt  than  good. 

ULYSSES. 

But  yet  the  (late  of  things  require 

Thefe  motions  of  unreil, 
And  thefe  great  fpirits  of  high  defire 

Seem  borne  to  turne  them  belt :  60 

To  purge  the  mifchiefcs,  that  incrcafe 

AuJ  all  good  order  mar  : 
For  oft  we  fee  a  wicked  peace. 

To  be  well  chang'd  for  war. 


S  Y  It  E  K. 


3i8       A  N  C  I  E  N.T    POEM  S. 

SYR  E  N. 

Well,  well,  UlyfTes,  then  I  fee  6- 

I  {hall  not  have  thee  here ; 
And  therefore  I  will  come  to  thee, 

And  take  my  fortune  there. 
I  muft  be  wonne  that  cannot  win, 

Yet  loft  were  I  not  wonne  :  70 

For?beauty  hath  created  bin 

T'  undoo  or  be  undone. 


XT. 

C  U  P  I  D's      PASTIME. 


*Tkif  leautiful  poem,  lub^cb  pofjejjes  a  clajjjcal  elegance 
lardly  to  be  expected  in  the  age  of  James  I.  is  printed  from 
the  4/£  edition  of  Da--cifon  s  poems  *,  &c.  1621.  //  is  aljo 

f tund  in  a  later  milcellany,  intitled,  "  Le  Princi  d'amour." 
l66c.  Sc-3. — Francis  Da-ui/cn,  editor  of  the  poems  above 
referred to,  was  Jon  of  that  unfortunate  fecretary  of  ft  ate, 
*ujbo  fitffered  fo  much  from  the  affair  of  Mary  S^  of  Scofs, 
fbcfe  pccjns,  be  tells  us  in  his  preface,  ivere  written  by 
bitty  elf,  by  bis  brother  \Walt  er\,  ivho  was  afoldier  in.  the 
lean  tf  the  Lo-iu  Countries,  ana  by  feme  dear  friends 
"  ancmmoi.'*  Among  them  are  found  pieces  by  Sir  J. 
Davis,  the  Conntefs  if  Pembroke,  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  Spen- 

Jir,   and  other  wiits  of  thojt  times. 

In 
*  See  tit  full  title  in  *•«/.  2.  Bmk  III.  Ni.  If. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      3,9 

In  the  fourth  vol.   of  Dry  den's  Mifcellanies,  this  poem  it 

attributed  to  Sydney  Godolphin,   Efq;   tut  erroneoujly,  being 

probably  written  before  he  ixat  born.      One  edit,  of  Davi- 

Jon's  book  was  f'ublijhed  in  1 608.    Godolpbin  iuas  born  in 

1610,  and  died  ii:  1642-3.  Ath.  Ox.  11.  23. 

IT  chanc'd  of  late  a  mepherd  fwain, 
That  went  to  feek  his  flraying  fheep, 
Within  a  thicket  on  a  plain 
Efpied  a  dainty  nymph  afleep. 

Her  golden  hair  o'erfpred  her  face  ;  5 

Her  carelefs  arms  abroad  were  caft  ; 

Her  quiver  had  her  pillows  place  ; 
Her  breaft  lay  bare  to  every  blalt. 

The  mepherd  flood  and  gaz'd  his  fill ; 

Nought  durft  he  do  ;  nought  durft  he  fay  ;      10 
Whilft  chance,  or  elfe  perhaps  his  will, 

Did  guide  the  god  of  love  that  way. 

The  crafty  boy  thus  fees  her  fleep, 
Whom  if  (he  wak'd  he  durft  net  fee  ; 

Behind  her  clofely  feeks  to  creep,  Ij 

Before  her  nap  mould  ended  bee. 

There  come,  he  fleals  her  mafts  away, 
And  puts  his  own  into  their  place  ; 

Nor  dares  he  any  longer  ftay, 

But,  ere  flie  wakes,  hies  rhcncc  apace.  20 

4  Scarce 


320      ANCIENT     POEMS. 

Scarce  was  he  gone,  but  fhe  awakes, 
And  fpies  the  fhepherd  Handing  by  : 

Her  bended  bow  in  halte  fhe  takes, 
And  at  the  fimple  fwain  lets  flye. 

Forth  flew  the  fhaft,  and  pierc'd  his  heart,         25 
That  to  the  ground  he  fell  with  pain  : 

Yet  up  again  forthwith  he  ftart, 
And  to  the  nymph  he  ran  amain. 

Amazed  to  fee  fo  ftrange  a  fight, 

She  (hot,  and  (hot,  but  all  in  vain  ;  30 

1  he  more  his  wounds,  the  more  his  might, 

Love  yielded  itrength  amidil  his  pain. 

Her  angry  eyes  were  great  with  tears, 

She  blames  her  hand,  (he  blames  her  (kill ; 

The  bluntnefs  of  her  (hafts  (he  fears,  35 

And  try  them  on  herfelf  fhe  will. 

Take  heed,  fweet  nymph,  trye  not  thy  (haft, 
Each  little  touch  will  pierce  thy  heart : 

Alas !  thou  know'ft  not  Cupids  craft ; 

Pvcvenge  is  joy  ;  the  end  is  fmart.  40 

Yet  try  fhe  will,  and  pierce  fome  bare  ; 

Her  hands  were  glov'd,  but  next  to  hand 
Was  that  fair  breaft,  that  bread  fo  rare, 

That  made  the  fhepherd  fenfelefs  ftand. 

That 


ANCIENT     POEMS.     321 

That  brcaft  fhe  pierc'd  ;  and  through  that  breafl  45 

Love  found  an  entry  to  her  heart ; 
At  feeling  of  this  new  come  gueft, 

Lord  !  how  this  gentle  nymph  did  ftart  ? 

She  runs  not  now  ;  fhe  (hoots  no  more ; 

Away  (he  throws  both  fhaft  and  bow  :  50 

She  feeks  for  what  fhe  fhunn'd  before, 

She  thinks  the  fhepherds  hafte  too  flow. 

Though  mountains  meet  not,  lovers  may  : 

What  other  lovers  do,  did  they  : 

The  god  of  love  fate  on  a  tree,  55 

And  laught  that  pleafant  fight  to  fee. 


XII. 
THE  CHARACTER  OF  A  HAPPY  LIFE. 

rhis  lit  fie  moral  poem  'was  writ  by  Sir  HENRY  WOT- 
TON,  who  died  Provojl  of  Eaton,  in  1639.  *Et.  72.  It 
is  printed  from  a  little  colleMoa  of  his  pieces,  intitled  RE- 
LIQUI;E  W 'TTONiAN/E,  1651.  izrno',  compared  with 
one  or  t'juo  other  copies. 

VOL.  I.  Y  HOW 


,322       A  N  C-I  E  N  T     POEMS. 

HO  W  happy  is  he  born  or  taught, 
That  ferveth  not  anothers  will ; 
Whofe  armour  is  his  honeft  thought, 
And  fimple  truth  his  higheft  fidll  : 

Whofe  paffions  not  his  mailers  are  ;  5 

Whofe  foul  is  ftill  prepar'd  for  death  ; 

Not  ty'd  unto  the  world  with  care 
Of  princes  ear,  or  vulgar  breath  : 

Who  hath  his  life  from  rumours  freed  ; 

Whofe  confcience  is  his  flrong  retreat ;  i-o 

Whofe  ftate  cau  neither  flatterers  feed, 
'    Nor  ruine  make  oppreflbrs  great : 

Who  envies  none,  whom  chance  doth  raife, 

Or  vice  :  Who  never  underftood 
How  deepeft  wounds  are  given  with  praife  ;         15 

Ner  rules  of  ftate,  but  rules  of  good  : 

Who  God  doth  late  and  early  pray 
More  of  his  grace  than  gifts  to  lend  ; 

And  entertaines  the  harmlefs  day 

With  a  well-chofcn  book  or  friend.  2* 

This  man  is  freed  from  fervile  bands 

Of  hope  to  rife,  or  feare  to  fall  ; 
Lord  of  himfelfe,  though  not  of  lands ; 

And  having  nothing,  yet  hath  all. 

XIII.    GILDEROY, 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 


323 


xnr. 

G    I    L    D    E    R    O    Y, 

—  <was  a  famous  robber,  *vuho  li-ved  about  tht  middle 
of  the  laft  century,  if --we  may  credit  the  hijioriet  and  jiory- 
books  of  highwaymen,  which  relate  many  improbable  feats 
of  bint,  as  his  robbing  Cardinal  Richlieu,  Oliver  Cromwell, 
&c.  But  thefe  Jlories  have  probably  no  other  authority, 
than  the  records  of  Grub-jheet  ;  At  leaji  the  GILDS  ROY, 
ivho  is  the  hero  of  Scottijh  Kongjlers,  /ferns  to  have  lived  in 
an  earlier  age  ;  for  in  Thompfon's  Orpheus  Caledenius, 
•vel.  2.  17.33.  81/0.  is  a  copy  of  this  ballad,  •which,  thai* 
corrupt  and  interpolated,  contains  fame  lints  that  appear  to 
be  of  genuine  antiquity  :  in  thefe  he  is  reprefented  as  contem- 
porary nuith  Mary  ^  of  Scots  :  ex.  gr. 

"   The  Queen  of  Scots  po/ejjed  nought, 

"  'That  my  love  let  me  want  : 
"   For  foiu  and  ew  he  brought  to  rue, 

*'  And  ein  --whan  they  were  fcaiit." 

Thefe  lines  perhaps  might  fefely  b*<ve  kit*  infer  ted  among 
the  foth-ivingjianzas,  iu/jii.b  are  given  from  a  i^rittea  cofjt 
that  Jeems  to  have  received  fome  modern  cor  re;:, 
the  commin  popular  ballad  contained Jvme  indecent  luxuriances 
that  required  the  pruning-hook. 

Y  2  GILDEROY 


324      A  N  C  I  E  N  T    P  O  E  M  S. 

GILDER OY  was  a  bonnie  boy, 
Had  rofes  tull  his  fhoone, 
His  ftockings  were  of  filken  foy, 

Wi'  garters  hanging  doune  : 
It  was,  I  weene,  a  comelie  fight, 

To  fee  fae  trim  a  boy  ; 
He  was  my  jo  and  hearts  delight, 
My  handfome  Gilderoy. 

Oh  !  fike  twa  charming  een  he  had, 

A  breath  as  fweet  as  rofe, 
He  never  ware  a  Highland  plaid, 

But  coilly  filken  clothes ; 
He  gain'd  the  luve  of  ladies  gay, 

Nane  eir  tull  him  was  coy, 
Ah  !  wae  is  mee  !  I  mourn  the  day, 

For  my  dear  Gilderoy. 

My  Gilderoy  and  I  were  borrt, 

Baith  in  one  toun  together, 
We  fcant  were  feven  years  beforn, 

We  gan  to  luve  each  other; 
Our  dadies  and  our  mammies  thay, 

Were  fill'd  wi'  mickle  joy, 
To  think  upon  the  bridal  day, 

T wixt  me  and  Gilderoy. 


ANCIENT    POEMS.      325 

For  Gilderoy  that  luve  of  mine,  25 

Gude  faith,  I  freely  bought 
A  wedding  fark  of  holland  fine, 

Wi'  filken  flowers  wrought : 
And  he  gied  me  a  wedding  ring, 

Which  I  receiv'd  wi'  joy,  30 

Nae  lad  nor  laflie  eir  could  fmg, 

Like  me  and  Gilderoy. 

Wi'  mickle  joy  we  fpent  our  prime, 

Till  we  were  baith  fixteen, 
And  aft  we  paft  the  langfome  time,  35 

Among  the  leaves  fae  green  ; 
Aft  on  the  banks  we'd  fit  us  thair, 

And  fweetly  kifs  and  toy, 
Wi'  garlands  gay  wad  deck  my  hair 

My  handfome  Gilderoy.  40 

Oh  !  that  lie  ftill  had  been  content, 

Wi'  me  to  lead  his  life, 
But,  ah !  his  manfu'  heart  was  bent, 

To  ftir  in  feates  of  flrife  : 
And  he  in  many  a  venturous  deed,  45 

His  courage  bauld  wad  try, 
And  now  this  gars  mine  heart  to  bleed, 

For  my  dear  Gilderoy. 

Y  3  And 


326      ANCIENT    POEMS. 

And  when  of  me  his  leave  he  tuik, 

The  tears  they  wat  mine  ee,  50 

I,gave  tull  him  a  parting  luik, 

"  My  benifon  gang  wi'  thee  ! 
God  fpeed  the  well,  mine  ain  dear  heart, 

For  gane  is  all  my  joy ; 
My  heart  is  rent  fith  we  maun  part,  55 

My  handfome  Gilderoy." 

My  Gilderoy  baith  far  and  near, 

Was  fear'd  in  every  toun, 
And  bauldly  bare  away  the  gear, 

Of  many  a  lawland  loan  ;  -  60 

Nane  eir  durft  meet  him  man  to  man, 

He  was  fae  brave  a'boy, 
At  length  wi'  numbers  he  was  tane, 

My  winfome  Gilderoy. 

Wae  worth  the  loun  that  made  the  laws,  65 

To  hang  a  man  for  gear, 
To  'reave  of  life  for  ox  or  afs, 

For  fheep,  or  horfe,  or  mare  : 
Had  not  their  laws  been  made  fae  ftrick, 

I  neir  had  loft  my  joy,  /o 

Wi'  forrow  neir  had  wat  my  cheek, 

For  my  dear  Gilderoy. 

Giff 


ANCIENT. POEMS.      327 

Giff  Gilderoy  had  done  amifle, 

He  mought  hae  baniflit  been, 
Ah  !  what  fair  cruelty  is  this,  -j 

To  hang  fike  handfome  men  : 
To  hang  the  flower  o'  Scottifh  land, 

Sae  fweet  and  fair  a  boy  ; 
Nae  lady  had  fae  white  a  hand, 

As  thee,  my  Gilderoy.  80 

Of  Gilderoy  fae  fraid  they  were, 

They  bound  him  miclde-ftrong, 
Tull  Edenburrow  they  led  him  thair, 

And  on  a  gallows  hung: 
They  hung  him  high  aboon  the  reft,  85 

He  was  fae  trim  a  boy ; 
Thair  dyed  the  youth  whom  I  lued  beft, 

My  handforae  Gilderoy. 

Thus  having  yielded  up  his  breath, 

I  bare  his  corpfe  away,  90 

Wi'  tears,  that  trickled  for  his  death, 

I  wafht  his  comelye  clay  ; 
And  fiker  in  a  grave  fae  deep, 

I  laid  the  dear-lued,boy, 
And  now  for  evir  maun  I  weep,  95 

My  winfome  Gilderoy.  *•* 


y  4  XIV.    W  I  N  I- 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 


XIV. 


W  I  N  I  F  R  E  D  A. 

fbis  beautiful  addrefs  to  conjugal  love,  a  fubjefi  too 
much  negletled  by  the  libertine  Mufes,  was,  I  believe,  fir  ft 
printed  in  a  -volume  of  "  Mifcellaneous  poems,  by  federal 
bands,  publijhed  by  D.  [David]  Lews,  1726.  8fo." 

//  is  there  faid,  ho<w  truly  I  know  not,  to  be  a  tranjla- 
tion  "from  the  ancient  Eritijh  language" 

AWAY  ;  let  nought  to  love  difpleafing, 
My  Winifreda,  move  your  care ; 
Let  nought  delay  the  heavenly  bleffing, 
Nor  fqueamifh  pride,  nor  gloomy  fear. 

What  tho'  no  grants  of  royal  donors  5 

With  pompous  titles  grace  our  blood  ? 

We'll  mine  in  more  fubftantial  honors, 
And  to  be  noble  we'll  be  good. 

Our  name,  while  virtue  thus  we  tender, 

Will  fweetly  found  where-e'er  'tis  fpoke:        10 

And  all  the  great  ones,  they  mail  wonder 
How  they  refpeft  fuch  little  folk. 

What 


ANCIENT    POEMS.       329 

What  though  from  fortune's  lavifh  bounty 

No  mighty  treafures  we  poflefs. 
We'll  find  within  our  pittance  plenty,  15 

And  be  content  without  excefs. 

Still  fhall  each  returning  feafon 

Sufficient  for  our  wifhes  give  ; 
For  we  will  live  a  life  of  reafon, 

And  that's  the  only  life  to  live.  20 

Through  youth  and  age  in  love  excelling, 

We'll  hand  in  hand  together  tread  ; 
Sweet-fmiling  peace  ftall  crown  our  dwelling, 

And  babes,  fweet-fmiling  babes,  our  bed. 

How  fhould  I  love  the  pretty  creatures,  25 

While  round  my  knees  they  fondly  clung1; 

To  fee  them  look  their  mothers  features, 
To  hear  them  lifp  their  mothers  tongue. 

And  when  with  envy  time  tranfported, 

Shall  think  to  rob  us  of  our  joys,  30 

You'll  in  your  girls  again  be  courted, 
And  I'll  go  a  wooing  in  my  boys. 


XV.   THfi 


330      ANCIENT     POEMS. 


XV. 
THE    WITCH    OF    W  O  K  E  Y, 


publijhed  in  a  fmall  collection  of  poems  infilled, 

EtITHEMIA,  OR  THEPoWER  OF  HARMONY,  &C.  1J$6. 
written  by  an  ingenious  Phyjician  near  Bath,  nubo  chofe  ts 
conceal  bis  name.  The  following  contains  fome  'variations 
from  the  original  copy,  which  it  is  hoped  the  author  will 
pardon,  nvben  be  is  informed  they  came  from  the  elegant  pen 
of  the  late  Mr.  Skenfione. 

WOKEY-HOLE  is  a  noted  cavern  in  Somerfetjhire,  'which 
has  given  birth  to  as  many  wild  fanciful  ftories  as  the 
Sybil's  Cave  in  Italy.  Thro1  a  'very  narroiv  entrance,  it 
fpens  into  a  large  vault,  the  roof  whereof,  either  on  ac- 
count of  its  height,  or  the  tbicknefs  of  the  gloom,  cannot  be 
difc  overtd  by  the  light  of  torches.  It  goes  winding  a  great 
•way  -under  ground,  is  croft  by  a  ft  ream  of  very  cold  'water, 
and  is  all  horrid  with  broken  pieces  of  rock  :  many  of  thefe 
are  evident  petrifactions  ;  which,  on  account  of  their  Jingu- 
lar  forms,  have  given  rife  to  the  fables  alluded  to  in  this 
foem. 


IN  aunciente  days,  tradition  fhowes, 
A  bafe  and  wicked  elfe  arofe, 
The  Witch  of  Wokey  hight  : 
Oft  have  I  heard  the  fearfull  tale 
From  Sue,  and  Roger  of  the  vale,  5 

On  force  long  winter's  night. 

5  Deep 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      331 

Deep  in  the  dreary  difmall  cell, 
Which  feem'd  and  was  ycleped  hell, 

This  blear-eyed  hag  did  hide  : 
Nine  wicked  elves,  as  legends  faigne,  jo 

She  chofe  to  form  her  guardian  trayne, 

And  kennel  near  her  fide. 

Here  fcreeching  owls  oft  made  their  neft, 
While  wolves  its  craggy  fides  polTeft, 

Night-howling  thro'  the  rock  :  15 

No  \vholefome  herb  could  here  be  found  ; 
She  blafted  every  plant  around, 

And  blifter'd  every  flock. 

Her  haggard  face  was  foull  to  fee  ; 

Her  mouth  unmeet  a  mouth  to  bee  ;  20 

Her  eyne  of  deadly  leer. 
She  nought  devis'd,  but  neighbour's  ill ; 
She  wreak'd  on  all  her  wayward  will, 

And  marr'd  all  goodly  chear. 

All  in  her  prime,  have  poets  fung,  25 

No  gaudy  youth,  gallant  and  young, 
.    E'er  bleft  her  longing  armes : 
And  hence  arofe  her  fpight  to  vex, 
And  blatt  the  youth  of  either  fex, 

By  dint  of  hcllifh  charmcs.  3° 

From 


331      ANCIF.  NTPOE  M  S. 

From  Glafton  came  a  lerned  wight, 
Full  bent  to  marr  her  fell  defpight, 

And  well  he  did,  I  ween  : 
Sich  mifchief  never  had  been  known, 
And,  fiuce  his  mickle  lerninge  fhown,  35 

Sich  mifchief  ne'er  has  been. 

He  chauntcde  out  his  godlie  booke, 
He  croft  the  water,  bled  the  brooke, 

Then — pater  nofter  done, 

The  ghaftly  hag  he  fprinkled  o'er  :  40 

When  lo  !  where  flood  a  hag  before, 

Now  Hood  a  ghaftly  ftone. 

Fall  well  'tis  known  adown  the  dale : 
Tho'  patting  ilrange  indeed  the  tale, 

And  doubtfull  may  appear,  45 

Fin  bold  to  fay,  there's  never  a  one, 
That  has  not  feen  the  wirch  in  ftone, 

With  all  her  houiehold  gear. 

Bnt  tho'  this  lernede  clerke  did  well  ; 

With  grieved. heart,  alas  !  I  tell,  50 

She  left  this  curfe  behind  : 
That  VVokey-ny:rphs  forfaken  quite, 
Tho'  fcnfe  and  beauty  both  unite, 

Should  find  no  lenian  kind. 


For 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       333 

For  lo  !  even,  as  the  fiend  did  fay,  .    55 

The  fex  have  found  it  to  this  day, 

That  men  are  wondrous  fcant : 
Here's  beauty,  wit,  and  fenfc  combined, 
With  all  that's  good  and  virtuous  jom'd, 

Yet  hardly  one  gallant.  60 

Shall  then  fich  maids  unpitisd  moane  ? 
They  might  as  well,  like  her,  be  ftone, 

As  thus  forfaken  dwell. 
Since  Glafton  now  can  boaft  no  clerks; 
Ccme  down  from  Oxenford,  ye  fparks,  65 

And,  oh  !  revoke  the  fpcll. 

Yet  (lay — nor  thus  defpond,  ye  fair; 
Virtue's  the  gods'  peculiar  care  ; 

I  hear  the  gracious  voice  : 

Your  fex  fhall  foon  be  bleit  agen,  70 

We  only  wait  to  find  fich  men, 

As  belt  deferve  your  choice. 


XVI. 

BRYAN     AND     P  E  R  E  E  N  K, 
.A     WEST-INDIAN     BALLAD, 

— is  founded  on  a  realfatt,  that  happtntJ  in  the  f/lanJ 
of  St.  Chrijtopbers  a  few  year;  age.     *ihc  i\lito>~  <• 

/f..'. 


334     ANCIENT     POEMS. 

following  ftanzas  to  the  friendjhip  of  Dr.  JAMES  GRAIN- 
GER J,  *ivho  vjas  an  eminent  Phyjlcian  in  that  ijland,  ~uuben 
this  tragical  incident  happened,  and  died  there  much  ho- 
ntured  and  lamented,  in  1767.  To  this  ingenious  gentleman 
the  public  is  indebted  far  the  fine  ODE  ON  SOLITUDE 

printed  in  the  I  fab  vol.  of  Dodjley's  Mi  feel.  p.  229.  in 
nuhich  are  ajjembled  fome  of  the  Jubhmeft  images  in  nature. 
The  reader  will  pardon  the  infer t ion  of  the  firjl  Jtanza  here, 

for  the  fake  of  rectifying  the  tvjo  I  aft  lines,  which  'were 
thus  given  by  the  Author. 

0  Solitude,  romantic  maid, 
Whether  by  nodding  toiuers  you  tread, 
Or  haunt  the  dejert's  tracklejs  glocrn, 
Or  hover  o'er  the  yawning  tcmb, 

Or  climb  the  Andes'1  cliftidjlde, 
Or  by  the  Nile's  coyfource  abide. 
Or  jJarting  from  your  half-year's  JIecpt 
From  Hecla  vie-iv  the  thaiuing  deep, 
Or  at  the  purple  dawn  of  day 
'Tadmor  's  marble  vcajlei  furvey,  ^<r. 

alluding  to  the  account  of  Palmyra  publijhed  bv  fame  fate  in- 
genious travellers,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  luertflnuk 
at  ihifirji  fight  of  thofe  magnificent  ruins  by  break  of  day  \. 

THE  north-eaft  wind  did  briikiy  blow, 
The  fhip  was  iafely  moor'd, 
Young  Bryan  thought,  the  boa:'s-crew  flow, 
And  fo  leapt  over- board. 

Pereene,  the  pride  of  Indian  dames,  5 

His  heart  ioag  h?'d  in  thrall, 
And  whoib  his  impatience  blames, 

1  wot,  ne'er  l.ov'd  at  all. 

A  long 

J  Author  ofdpt:m  on  the  Culture  of  the  SuGAR-CA!?E. 
•f  So  inpag.  335.  nad,  Turn'd  her  magic  ray. 


ANCIENT     POEMS.       335 

A  long  long  year,  one  month  and  day, 

He  dwelt  on  Englifh  land,  !O 

Nor  once  in  thought  or  deed  would  dray, 
Tho'  ladies  fought  his  hand. 

For  Bryan  he  was  tall  and  ftrong, 

Right  blythfome  roll'd  his  een, 
Sweet  was  his  voice  whene'er  hefung,  j; 

He  fcant  had  twenty  feen. 

But  who  the  countlefs  charms  can  draw, 

That  grac'd  his  miftrefs  true  ; 
Such  charms  the  old  world  feldora  faw, 

Nor  oft  1  ween  the  new.  JO 

Her  raven  hair  plays  round  her  neck, 

Like  tendrils  of,  the  vine  ; 
Her  cheeks  red  dewy  rofe  buds  deck, 

Her  eyes  like  diamonds  fliine. 

Soon  as  his  well-known  (hip  flie  fpied,  25 

She  cafl  her  weeds  away, 
And  to  the  palmy  fliore  me  hied, 

All  in  her  belt  array. 

In  fea-green  filk  fo  neatly  clad, 

She  there  impatient  flood  ;          •  30 

The  crew  with  wonder  faw  the  lad 

Repell  the  foaming  flood. 

Her 


336      ANCIENT      POEM  S. 

Her  hands  a  handkerchief  difplay'd, 

Which  he  at  parting-  gave  ; 
Well  pleas'd  the  token  he  furvcy'd,  35 

And  manlier  beat  the  wave. 

Her  fair  companions  one  and  a!!, 

Rejoicing  crowd  the  llrand ; 
For  now  her  lover  fwam  in  call, 

And  almoft  touch'd  the  land.  40 

Then  through  the  white  furf  diJ  flie  haHe, 

To  clafp  her  lovely  fwain  ; 
When,  ah  !  a  {hark  hit  through  his  wafte  : 
•*-^*k*'   His  heart's  blood  dy'd  the  main  ! 

He  fhriek'd  !  his  half  fprang  from  the  wave,      45 

Streaming  with  purple  gore, 
And  foon  it  found  a  living  grave, 

And  ah  !  was  feen  no  more. 

Now  hafle,  new  hafte,  ye  maiJs,  I  pray, 

Fetch  water  from  the  fpring  :  50 

She  falls,  fhe  fwoons,  fhe  dies  away, 
And  foon  her  knell  they  ring. 

Now  each  May  morning  round  her  tomb 

Ye  fair,  frefh  flowerets  ilrew, 
So  "hi-.'.y  your  lovers  fcape  his  doom,  55 

Her  Iianlefs  fate  fcape  you. 
"    ,  XVII.  GEN- 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      337 


XVII. 
GENTLE    RIVER,     GENTLE    RIVER, 

T  R  A  N  SLATED    FROM     T!)E    SPANISH. 

Although  the  Englija  are  remarkable  for  the  number  anif 
•variety  of  their  ancient  Ballads^  ana1  retain  perhaps  a  greater 
fondne/sfcr  ibej'e  old ftmple  rbapftdies  cf  their  anceftors,  than 
moji  other  nations  ;  they  are  not  the  only  people  who  have 
dijlinguijbed  tbemfelves  by  compactions  nf  this  kind.  The 
Spaniards  ha-ve  great  multitudes  of  them,  many  cf  which 
are  of  the  higbcjt  merit.  They  call  them  in  their  language 
Romances,  and  have  collected  them  into  'volumes  under  the 
titles  of  El  Romancero,  El  Cancioncro  f,  bV.  Moft  of 
them  te/ate  to  their  conflicts  with  ths  Moors,  and  dijplay  a 
fpirit  cf  gallantry  peculiar  to  that  romantic  people.  But  of 
all  the  Spanijh  ballads,  none  exceed  in  poetical  merit  tbofe 
inf tried  in  a  little  Spanijh  "  Htftory  of  the  civil  wars  of 
"  Granada,"  defer ibing  the  dijjenfions  which  raged  in  that 
loft  feat  of  Maori jh  empire  before  it  was  conquered  in  the 
reign  of  Ferdinand  ana  Ifabella,  in  1491.  In  t.hit  Hijlorv 
(or  perhaps,  Romance}  a  great  number  of  bet  oic  Jongs  are 
infer  ted  and  appealed  to  as  authentic  'vouchers  fir  the  truth 
offatfi.  In  reality,  the proje  narrative Jccna  to  bt  drawn 
up  for  no  other  end,  but  to  intrcd.ice  a>;d  il':<jt','ale  tbc/e  beau- 
tiful pieces. 

The  Spanifi  editor  pretends  (hciv  tru!;<  I  in  civ  net)  that 
they  mrttranjlations  fr*m  the  Arabic  or  Mori/d  Ian -urge.  In- 
deed from  : he  plain  unadorned  aatrrc  cf  the  ver^e,  and  tit 
native  Jimf-licity  of  the  language  and  J^r.timfnt,  •which  runs 
through  tbcjc  pcems,  one  would  judgt  them  to  have  teem 
ciimpo/ed  J'oor.  after  the  conqucft  nf  Granada  *  abtrve  mrn- 
i toned;  as  the  prcfe  narrative  trt  v.'hi.^  tbrt  are  injerttd 
WAS  p*blijheci  about  a  century  after.  It  JbouM  Jtem,  at 
If  aft,  that  they  were  written  brfart  the  Cajiiliians  haJ 
formed  them/fives  Jo  gentralh,  a,  it;c?  ia-ce  done  find,  tn 

VnJ.  I.  Z  tbt 

f  i,  e.  TLf  t.illad-fr.g.-r .  *  S«  Vol.  11!.  ;.  ic.  ncte. 


338        A  N  C  IE  NT     POEMS. 

the  model  of  the  T'ufcan  poets,  or  bad  imported  from  Italy  that 
fondnefs  for  conceit  and  refinement,  'which  has  for  near 
t-ivo  centuries  pafl  fo  much  inftfled  the  Spanijh  poetry,  and 
rendered  itfo  frequently  affected,  and  obfcure. 

A!  a  fpecimen  of  the  ancient  Spanifo  manner,  'which  'very 
much  refembles  that  of  our  old  Englijh  Bards  and  Minjlrels, 
the  Reader  is  dejired  candidly  to  accept  the  two  following 
poems.  They  are  given  from  afmall  Colleilion  of  pieces  of 
this  kind,  which  the  Editor  fomt  years  ago  tranjlated  for 
his  amufement  when  he  was  ftudying  the  Spanijh  language. 
As  the  firft  is  a  pretty  clofe  tranjlation,  to  gratify  the  curious 
it  is  accompanied  luith  the  original.  The  Metre  is  the  fame  in 
all  thefe  old  Spanijh  Ballads  :  it  is  of  the  moji  Jimple  conjlruc- 
tion,  and  is  jiill  ufed  by  the  common  people  in  their  extempora- 
neous fongs,  as  <we  learn  from  Barettfs  Travels.  It  runs  in 
(hort  jlanzas  of  four  lines,  of  which  the  fecond  and  fourth 
alone  correfpond  in  their  terminations  ;  and  in  theft  it  is  only 
required  that  the  *vo--wels  Jhould  be  alike,  the  confonants  may 
be  altogether  different,  as 

pone  cafa          metcn  arcojs,^^ 

noble         caiias        muere          gamo 

Yet 
'  'O  I  O  verde,  rio  verde, 

A^.  Quanto  cuerpo  en  ti  fe  baiia  • 
'  De  Chriftianos  y  de  Moros 
'  Muertos  por  la  dura  efpada  ! 

*  Y  tus  ondas  criftalinas  5 
'  De  roxa  facgre  fe  efmaltan  : 

*  Entre  Moros  y  Chriftianos 

'  Muy  gran  batalla  fe  trava. 

•  '  Murieron  Duques  y  Condes, 

'  G  randes  fenores  de  falva  :  10 

'  Murio  gente  de  valia 
•'  De  la  ncbleza  de  Efpaira. 

6  "En 


ANCIENT     POEMS.     339 

Tit  has  this  kind  ofvtrfe  a  fort  ofjimple  barmonieusJJw, 
which  atones  for  the  imperfeQ  nature  of  the  rhyme,  and 
renders  it  not  unpleajing  to  the  ear.  The  fame  flow  of  num- 
bers has  beenftudied  in  the  following  verjlons,  Thejirjl  of 
them  is  given  from  tivo  different  originals,  both  of 'which 
are  printed  in  the  Hift.  de  las  civiles  guerras  de  Granada. 
Mad.  1694.  One  of  them  hath  the  rhymes  ending  ui  AA, 
the  other  in  IA.  It  is  the  former  of  theje  that  is  here  rt- 
printed,  They  both  cf  them  begin  ivith  the  fame  Hue, 

Rio  verde,  rio  vcrde  f, 
•which  could  not  be  tranjlated faithfully  ; 

Verdant  river,  verdant  river, 

•would  bai>e  given  an  ajfeged  jlijfnefs  to  the  vcrfe  ;  the  great 
merit  of  <which  is  its  eajy  Jimphcity  ',  and  therefore  a  mart 
fimplt  epithet  wets  adopted,  though  lefs  pottical  cr  txprcjfive. 

f  Literalh,  Green  river,  green  river. 
I  J>  * 


E  N  T  L  E  river,  gentle  river, 
Lo,  thy  ftreams  are  Itain'd  with  gore, 
Many  a  brave  and  noble  captain 
Floats  along  thy  willow'd  fhore. 

All  befide  thy  limpid  wat-rs,  5 

All  befide  thy  fands  fo  bright, 
Moorifh  Chiefs  and  Chriftian  Warriors 

Join'd  in  fierce  and  mortal  fight. 

Lords,  and  dukes,  and  noble  princes 

On  thy  fatal  banks  were  {lain  :  10 

Fatal  banks  that  gave  to  (laughter 

All  the  pride  and  flower  of  Spain. 

Z  2  There 


ANCIENT     POEMS. 

•  EntimuriodonAlonfo, 

«  Que  de  Aguilar  fe  llamaba ; 
'  El  valerofo  Urdiales,  15 

«  Con  don  Alonfo  acababa. 

'  For  un  ladera  arriba 

«  El  baen  Sayavedra  marcha  ; 
«  Naturel  es  de  Sevilla, 

«  De  la  gente  mas  granada.  zo 

«  Tras  el  iba  un  Renegade, 

«  Defta  manera  le  habla, 
«  Date,  date,  Sayavedra, 

«  No  huyas  de  la  Batalla. 

•  Yo  te  conozco  muy  biea,  *$ 

'  Gran  tiempo  efluve  en  tu  cafa ; 
"  Y  en  la  Pla$a  de  Sevilla 

4  Bien  te  vide  jugar  caiias. 

«  Conozco  a  tu  padre  y  madje, 

«  Y  a  tu  muger  dona  Clara  ;  3 

«  Siete  anos  fui  tu  cautivo, 

«  Malamente  me  tratabas. 

«  Yauraloferasmio, 

«  Si  Mahoma  me  ayudara  ; 
«  Y  tambien  te  tratare,  3 

«  Como  a  mi  me  tratabas. 

<s'" 


ANCIENT     POEMS.      341 

There  the  hero,  brave  Alonzo 
Full  of  wounds  and  glory  died: 

There  the  fearlefs  Urdiales  ,. 

_,  „       .n.  StmJ  otowfcv  IS  '      *3 

Fell  a  viftim  by  his  fide. 

' 

Lo  !  where  yonder  Don  Saavedra 

Thro'  their  fquadrons  flow  retires ; 
Proud  Seville,  his  native  city, 

Proud  Seville  his  worth  admires.  20 

Clofe  behind  a  renegado 

Loudly  fhouts  with  taunting  cry  ; 
Yield  thee,  yield  thee,  Don  Saavedra, 

Doft  thou  from  the  battle  fly  ? 

Well  I  know  thee,  haughty  Chriftian,  25 

Long  I  Hv'd  beneath  thy  roof; 
0ft  I've  in  the  lifts  of  glory 

Seen  thee  win  the  prize  of  proof. 

Well  I  know  thy  aged  parents, 

Well  thy  blooming  bride  I  know  ;  30 

Seven  years  I  was  thy  captive, 

Seven  years  of  pain  and  woe. 

May  our  prophet  grant  my  wiflies, 
Haughty  chief,  thou  (halt  be  mine  : 

Thou  fhalt  drinlc  that  cup  of  furrow,  35 

Which  I  drank  when  I  was  thine. 

Z  3  Like 


342     ANCIENT      POEMS. 

'  Sayavedra  que  lo  oyera, 
'  Al  Moro  bolvio  la  cara  ; 

*  Tirole  el  Moro  nna  flecha, 

'  Pero  nunca  le  acertaba.  4.9 

'  Hiriole  Sayavedra 

*  De  una  herida  muy  mala  : 
'  Muerto  cayo  cl  Renegado 

'  Sin  poder  hablar  palabra. 

'  Sayavedra  fue  cercado  45 

'  De  mucha  Mora  canalla, 
'  Y  al  cabo  cayo  alii  muerto 

'  De  una  muy  mala  langada. 

*  Don  Alonfo  en  efte  tiempo 

'  Bravamente  peleava,  je> 

'  Y  el  cavallo  le  avian  muerto, 
'  Y  le  tiene  por  muralla. 

'  Mas  cargaron  tantos  Moros 
*  Que  mal  le  hieren  y  tratan  : 

*  De  la  fangre,  que  perdia,  55 
'  Don  Alonfo  fe  defmaya. 

*  Al  fin,  al  iin  cayo  muerto 
'  Al  pie  dc  un  pena  alta. 

•'  •  Muerto  queda  don  Alonfo, 

.'  Eterna  fama  ganara.'  60 


ANCIENT     POEMS.     34j 

Like  a  lion  turns  the  warrior, 

Back  he  fends  an  angry  glare: 
Whizzing  came  the  Moorifli  javelin, 

Vainly  whizzing  thro'  the  air.  40 

Back  the  hero  full  of  fury 

Sent  a  deep  and  mortal  wound  : 
Inflant  funk  the  Renegado, 

Mute  and  lifelefs  on  the  ground. 

With  a  thoufand  Moors  furrounded,  45 

Brave  Saavedra  ftands  at  bay  : 
Wearied  out  but  never  daunted, 

Cold  at  length  the  warrior  lay. 

Near  him  fighting  great  Alonzo 

Stout  refifts  the  Paynim  bands  ;  50 

From  his  flaughter'd  fteed  difmounted 

Firm  intrench'd  behind  him  ftands. 

Furious  prefs  the  hoflile  fquadron, 

Furious  he  repels  their  rage  : 
Lofs  of  blood  at  length  infeebles  :  55 

Who  can  war  with  thoufands  wage  ! 

Where  yon  rock  the  plain  o'erfhadows 

Clofe  beneath  its  foot  retir'd, 
Fainting  funk  the  bleeding  hero, 

And  without  a  groan  expir'd.  60 

Z4  V     /* 


344      AN  C  I.  EN  T     F 


*.*  In  the  Spanijb  original  of  the  foregoing  Ballad, 
follow  a  few  moreftanzas,  but  being  of  inferior  tflerit  were 
qot  tranjlated. 

RE  K  E  G  A  DO  properly  Jignines  an  Apoftate  ;  But  it  is  feme- 
times  ufed  to  exprefs  an  Infidel  in  general  ;  as  it  fecms  to  do 
above  in  *ver.  2  i  &c  . 

The  image  of  the  LION,  &c.  in  <ver.  37.  is  taken  front 
jhe  other  Sfanijh  copy,  the  rhymes  of  which  end  in  IA,  viz- 
'  Sayavedra,  que  lo  oyera, 
*  Como  un  Icon  rebolbia.' 


•  ?te7/ 

\  has  oj  23>«q  3d  rtO 
i  V/OK  ,won  -gniqqoiii 


ALCANZOR     AND     Z 

<332: 

A     MOORISH     TALE, 

IMITATED  FROM  THE  SPANISH. 
i  oT 

The  foregoing  verjion  ivas  rendered  as  literal  as  the  nature 
•af  the  two  .languages  would  admit.  In  the  following  a 
I'jider  cempafs  hath  been  taken.  The  Spanijh  poem  that 
fi'.'as  chiefly  bad  in  ~uieiv,  is  preferred  in  the  fame  hi/lory  of 
the  Civil  --wars  of  Granada,  f.  22.  and  begins  with  thefe 
lines, 

'  For  la  calle  de  fu  daraa 
'  Pafieando  fe  anda,  &c.T 

SOFTLY 


low  the  evening  breezis, ^     V 
O   Softly  fall  the  dews  of  night; 
m.v  Yonder  walks  the  Moor  Alcan,or, 

Shunning  every  glare  of  light.  ,  iw'ix 

In  yon  palace  lives  fair  Zaida,  j 

Whom  he  loves  with  flame  fo  pure: 

Lovelieft  (lie  of  Moorish  ladies  ; 
He  a  young  and  noble  Moor. 

Waiting  for  the  appointed  minute, 

Oft  he  paces  to  and  fro  ;  w 

Stopping  now,  now  moving  forwards, 

Sometimes  quick,  and  fometimcs  flew. 

Hope  and  fear  alternate  teize  him, 
Oft  he  fighs  with  heart-felt  care.— — 

See,  fond  youth,  to  yonder  window  i^ 

Softiy  fteps  the  timorous  fair. 

Lovely  feems  the  moon's  fair  luflre 

To  the  loft  benighted  fwain, 
When  all  frlvery  bright  flie  rifes, 

Gilding  mountain,  grove,  and  plain.  20 

Lovely  fcems  the  fun's  full  glory 

To  the  fainting  feaman's  eyes, 
When  fome  horrid  itorni  difpcrfing, 

O'er  the  wave  hii  radiance  flies. 

But 


346       ANCIENT     POEMS. 

But  a  thoufand  times  more  lovely  25 

To  her  longing  lover's  fight 
Steals  half-feen  the  beauteous  maiden 

Thro'  the  glimmerings  of  the  night. 

Tip-toe  ftands  the  anxious  lo\rer, 

Whifpering  forth  a  gentle  figh  :  30 

Alia  *  keep  thee,  lorely  lady ; 

Tell  me,  am  I  doom'd  to  die  ? 

Is  it  true  the  dreadful  Aory, 

Which  thy  damfel  tells  my  page, 
That  feduc'd  by  fordid  riches  35 

Thou  wilt  fell  thy  bloom  to  ag«  ? 

An  old  lord  from  Antiquera 

Thy  flern  father  brings  along  ; 
JJut  canft  thoii,  inconftant  Zaida, 

Thus  confent  my  love  to  wrong  I  4.0 

If  'tis  true  now  plainly  tell  me, 

Nor  thus  trifle  with  my  woes ; 
Hide  not  then  from  me  the  fecret, 

Which  the  world  fo  clearly  knows. 

Deeply  figh'd  the  confcious  maiden,  45 

While  the  pearly  tears  defccnd  ; 

Ah! 

*  Alia  is  tbe  Mahometan  tiamt  of  GU. 


ANCIENT     POEMS       347 

Ah  !  my  lord,  too  true  the  ftory  ; 
Here  our  tender  loves  muft  end. 

Our  fond  friendlhip  is  difcover'd, 

Well  are  known  our  mutual  vows ;  FQ 

All  my  friends  are  full  of  fury ; 

Storms  of  paffion  fliake  the  houfe. 

Threats,  reproaches,  fears  furrouml  me ; 

My  ftern  father  breaks  my  heart ; 
Alia  knows  how  dear  it  colls  me,  jj 

Generous  youth,  from  thce  to  part. 

Ancient  wounds  of  hoftile  fury 

Long  have  rent  our  houfe  and  thint ; 

Why  then  did  thy  mining  merit 

Win  this  tender  heart  of  mine  ?  6« 

Well  thou  know'ft  how  dear  I  lov'd  thee 

Spite  of  all  their  hateful  pride, 
Tho'  I  fear'd  my  haughty  father 

Ne'er  would  let  me  be  thy  bride. 

Well  thou  know'lt  what  cruel  chidings  65 

Oft  I've  from  my  mother  borne, 
What  I've  fuffered  here  to  meet  thee 

Still  at  eve  and  early  morn. 

I  no  longer  may  refift  them  ; 
All,  to  force  my  hand  combine  ;  70 


T  Kpi<3  EMS. 

And  to-morrow  to  thy  rival         1  n^o^  iidT 
This  weak  franve  I  iriuft  refign. 

Yet  think  not  thy  faithful  ZaicU-fsv  ni  siT' 

Can  furvive  fo  great  a  wrong  ; 
Well  my  breaking  heart  aflures  me  75 

That  my  woes  will  not  be  long. 

Farewell  then,  my  dear  Alcanzor  !        -;;H 

Farewell  too  my  life  with  thee  ! 
Take  this  fcarf  a  parting  token  ;        flam  I 

When  thou  wear'ft  it  think  on  rnc.-i3  So 

Soon,  lov'd  youth,  fome  worthier  maiden 

Shall  reward  thy  generous  truth  j 
Sometimes  tell  her  how  thy  Zaida 

Died  for  thee  in  prime  of  youth. 

•—To  him  all  amaz'd,  confounded,  S^ 

Thus  fhe  did  her  woes  impart  : 
Beep  he  figh'd,  then  cry'd,  O  Zaid% 

Do  not,  do  not  break  my  heart. 

Canft  thou  think  I  thus  will  lofe  thee  ? 

Carft  thou  hold  my  love  fo  fmall  ?  go 

No  !  a  thoufand  times  I'll  perim  ! 

My  caril  rivJ  too  ihall  fall. 


Canft  thou,  wilt  :hou  yield  thus  to  them  ? 

O  break  forth,  and  By  to  me  ! 
20  JO    A  This 


This  fond  heart  mall  bleed  to  fave  th»f,ka/^      9$ 
Thefe  fond  arms  fhall  flicker  thec. 

'Tis  in  vain,  in  vain,  Alcan2or,    -Jnjrf,  ^y 

Spies  furround  me,  bars  fecure  : 
Scarce  I  fleal  this  laft  dear  moment, 

While  my  damfel  keeps  the  door.  100 


Hark,  I  hear  my  father  ftorming  I 

Hark,  I  hear  my  mother 
I  muft  go  :  farewell  for  ever!          , 

Gracious  Alia  be  thy  guide  l>d,  riadV/ 


{  /fjmj  euoiansg  yrfj  bi 

ifno2 


,bV>         ^T-^ 
THE  END  OF  THE  THIRD  BOOK. 


Hi*  d  AntD 

*  iiarai  ol  »voJ  ^«n  blorf  worfj 
»•  —  !  rfh'iaq  ll'I  «ami3 

-i(M 


rnarij  OJ  zud:  bbjv  uori;  l<i«  ,uoH]  ftmC 


urn  oj 


A    GLOS- 


35® 

A     GLOSSARY 

OF  THE  OBSOLETE  AND  SCOTTISH  WORDS  IN 
VOLUME   THE    FIRST. 


be  Scotti/b  word's  are  denoted  by  s.  Ft  er.ch  by  f.  Latin  iy 
1.  Anglo- raxon  Ay  A.  S.  Icelandic  iy  Ifl.  &c.  For  the 
etymology  of  ibe  words  in  this  and  the  following  Volume'.,  the 
Reader  is  referred  to  JUNIJ  ETIMOLOGICON  ANGM- 
CANUM.  EDIDIT  EDW.  LYE,  OXON.  1743.  FOL. 


If  any  words  Jbould  not  occur  here,  they  will  be  found 
GloJJaries  to  the  other  Volumes. 


ttf 


A. 

Ancyent.  Jlandard. 

Aras./>.  5.  arros./>.  9.«rre~iv, 

A',  au.  s.  all. 
A  Twyde.  /.  6.  of 

Arcir.  />.  83.  archer. 
Aflinde.  ajfigned. 

Tweed. 
Abacke.  back. 

Affoyl'd,  affoylcd.  abfol<ved. 
Aftate.  eflate. 

Abone,  aboon.  s.  abovt. 

Aftound./.  a03.aftdnyed./?.v7;- 

Abowght.  about. 

ncd,  aftonijbed,  confounded. 

Abraid.  abroad. 

Ath,  p.  6.  athe.  /.  9.  <?'  th\ 

Afton.  p.   53.  a  kind  of  ar- 

of the. 

mour    made  of  taffaiy,    tr 

Aureat.  zolden. 

leather  quilted,    &c.   worn 

Aufterne.  p.it<).JIern,avfleri>. 

under  the  habergeon,  1ofa<ve 
the   body  from   bruifes.    f. 

Avoyd./>   103.  i.'0^,  vacate. 
Avowe.  p.  29.  «i;<?-7i'. 

Hocqueton. 

Axed.  p.  107.  *?/&•;/. 

Aft.  s.  oft. 

Ayance.  /.  Z79-  aga-njl. 

Agayne.  again/I. 

Agoe.  gone. 

B 

Ain,  awin.  s,  ow. 

Al  gife.  although. 

Ba.  s.  *«//. 

ALate./.  107.  of  late. 

Bacheleere.  p.  44..  ^t-.  knight. 

An.  p.  83.  and. 

Bairne.  s.  child. 

Ane.  s.  one,  an. 

Baith,  $.  bathe,  p.  1  1  .  £«£. 

Baile, 

A     GLOSSARY. 


Baile,  bale.  p.  44.  87.  evil, 
hurt,  vtifchief,  mifery. 

Balys  bete. />.  17.  better  cur 
tales,  i.  e.  remedy  our  evils. 

Band.^>.  52.  bond,  covenant. 

Bane.  p.  it.  bone. 

Bar.  bare. 

Bar  bed.  bcre-bcadtor periapt 
bared. 

Barne.^.  7.  berne.  p.  22.  man, 
per/on. 

Bafe  court./>.  \o-.tke  lo--u.tr 
court  of  a  ca/lle. 

Bafnete,  bafnile,  bafnyte,  baf- 
fonet,  baffonete.  helmet. 

Bau/.tn's-fkinne.  p.  310.  per- 
haps, fheep's  leather  drejjed 
and  coloured  red.  f.  bazane, 
Jheep^s  leather.  In  Scotland, 
fbeepjkin  mittens  with  the 
nvool  on  the  injide,  are  called 
Bauzon-mittens.  —  Baulbn 
alfo  fignif.es  a  badger,  in  old 
Englijb  ;  it  may  therefore  Jig- 
tiify  perhaps  badger-fiin. 

Be  that.  />.  6.  by  that  time. 

Bearing  arow.  />.  171.  an  ar- 
row that  carries  in-fll. — Or, 
perhaps  bering,  er  birring, 
i.  e.  nvbirring,  or  nvbizxt'ig 
arrow  :  from  Ifl.  Bir.  Ven- 
tus,  or  A.  S.  Bepe,  fremi- 

tUi. 

Bedioht.  bedecked. 
Bed y Is.  beadles. 
BehL-aid.  beard. 
Beete.  did  beat. 
Befom.  before. 


Bfgylde.  beguiled,  deceived. 

Behefts.ro/7JOTii/zJ!;,  injunctions. 

Behove./..  17 6.  behoof. 

Belyfe.  p.  166.  belive.  imme- 
diately,by  and  by,  jhortly. 

Bende-bow.  a  bent  bo~M.  qu. 

Ben,  bene.  been. 

Benifon.  blfffing. 

Bent.  /.  5.  bents,  p.  45. 
(where  bents,  long  faarft 
grafs,  i^c.gro'w)  the  fold -y 
fields. 

Benvnge./>.  103.  benigne,^- 
nignt  kind. 

Belie,  beefl,  art. 

Beltis.  beajls. 

Bellrawghted.  p.  183.  dif- 
trafled. 

Beth,  be,  are. 

Bickarte.  /.  5.  bicker'd.  JKr- 
mijbed.  (It  is  alfo  uftdjbme- 
times  in  thejenfeof"  S\-»iftIr 
coxirfeil"  which  fctntt  to  if 
tbeferfe.  p.  5.  Mr.Lexre.)* 

Bill,  &-c./>.  185.  /  have  deli- 
*vered  a  promife  in  i^t ;:::;-, 
confirmed  by  an  oath. 

Blane.  p.  12.  blannr.  p.  48. 
<//./t>!in.  ».  e.fop,  ctafe. 

Blaw.  s.  blow. 

Blare,  to  emblazon,  tfifrky. 

Blee.  colour,  complexion* 

Blcid.  s.  blede.  bleed. 

Bl.it.  blf/cd. 

Blive.  p.  94.  bdive. 
ately. 

Bloomed,  p.  309.  befet  -n •-•»>* 
blcom. 

Biude 


•  Mr.  Lambe  alfo  interprets"  BICKERING. "by  rattl/ni;.  e.  5. 
And  on  that  fte  Ulyfles  head 
Sad  curies  down  kloe*  BICKER. 

Tranflat.  of  Ovid. 


35Z 


A     GLOSSARY. 


Elude,    blood.   bl»id  reid.    s. 

blocd  red. 

Bluid,  lluidy.  s.  blood,  bloody. 
Blyve.  />.  170.  belive.2K/?a«//>. 
Boase.  £arr. 

Bode.  p.  99.  abode,  flayed. 
Boltes.yj^vz/j.r,  flrroocy. 
Bomen.  /.  5.  bowmen. 
Bonny,  bonnie.  s.  comely. 
Boone.  a  favour,  nqueft,  peti- 

tion. 
Boot,  boote.  p.  87.  ad-vantage, 

help,  fijijla 


.   153.  to  redeem  by 

a  pledge. 
Borrowed,  p.  34.  warranted, 

j>ledged>  was  exchanged  for. 
Bot  and.  s  ./>.  1  2  1  .  (It  jbould  pro- 

bably be  both  and.)  andalfo. 
Bot.  *«/. 

Bote.  £oo/.  advantage. 
BougiH.  s.  bugle-born,  bunting- 

horn. 
Bourde,    bovvynd,     bowned. 

prepared^  got  ready.     The 

word  is  al/o  ufed  in  the  north 

in  tkefsnfe  of  l  went*  or  '  was 

gwg'* 

Bowr.des.  bounds. 
Bowne  ye.    prepare  jet  get 

ready. 
Bowne.  ready  ;  bowned,  /r<»- 

pared. 
Bowne  to  dine,  :'.  e.  going  to 

dint.  p.  43.   Bowne,     is  a 

common  iwrd  in  the  north 

fsr  '  going,'  e.  g.  Where  aa  e 

VDU  bowne  to?  txhtre  are 

ycu  going  ? 
Bowre,  />.  56.  bower,  habita- 

tion :  chatnher,  parlour,  per- 

bafsjrom  Ijl.  bouan, 


Bowre-window.  chamber  win- 
dow. 

Bowys.   boius. 
Braid,  s.  broad,  large. 
Brandes.  Jword<. 
Breere./>.  89.  brere.  briar. 
Bred  banner,  broad  banner. 
Breech,  p.  310.  breeches. 
Breeden  bale,  breed  mifchief. 
Breng.  bryng.  bring. 
Broad  arrow,  a  broad  forked 

headed  arro^v.  s. 
Brodinge.  pricking. 
Brooke./).  16.  enjty. 
Brooke,  p.  296.  bear,  endure, 
Browd.  p.  broad. 
Bryttlynge,  p.  6.  brytlyng.  p. 

7 .    catting    up,    quartering) 

car  wig. 

Bugle,  bugle-born  jkunting-horn. 
Bufhmem.     /.    100.   ambufb- 

ment,    ambu/b,    a.  fnare  ta 

bring  them  ifito  trouble. 
Bufke  ye.  drefsye. 
Buflcet,  bufkt,  dre/ed. 
Bufkt  them.  />.  100.  prepared 

tkemjtl-ves,  made  themfdves 

ready. 
Buflc  and  boun.  p.   144.  /'.  e. 

make  your fel-ves  ready  anJgi. 

Boun.  to  go.  (nor.  county.') 
But  it",  unltj's. 
Buttes.  buti  tojbcot  at. 
B)  thre.  p.  145.  of  three. 
Bye.  p.  153.  buy,pajjor  ;  alp 

zbye.fufferjbr. 
Byears.  beeres.  biers. 
Bydys.  bide-,  abiats. 
Byll.  p.  6.  bill,  an  ancient  kind1 

of  kalbert,  orbattU-ax. 
Byn,  bine,  bin.  ivrv,  :-e,  are. 
Byrche. birch-trcr.  ••a  :h-  wood. 
By  tie,  beett.   art. 

Byfie. 


A     GLOSSARY. 

„„,,,, 


CaMe, 

Camlcho. 

Can, 


Cawte.  iv./.  /. 

Caytifie.  p.  47.    cai' 

-      -     •  -  •^•••fc  •91       - 
l^tffi.;    ^ 

,.  fltiwill.  /k 
tirriati:  alf"  mcuntain 

'bal. 


C  !u:i  !, 


CnWw^faW&l.  tore,/"a-atcf:- 

cd.p.i-jb.  figuratively ,  &•<*/. 

Clcaped.clepcd.  callcJ.,  nutned. 

L:!m'.  //v  contrarian  of  Cle- 
ment. 

Clough.  «  wrtb-ciiuitry  -;v;n/ 
.  ,-oken  cl'.ff,       i   *  Jli 
'•tagc- 
o.  <7/c-r/  of'v!"- 


Coupc./-.29?.< 
Couth.  «ai/. 
Coyntrie.  />.  3i< 
Craticky.  merry, 

in  p.     191. 

rttfy  y/wa//  /»/; 
Criftescors./..  S. 
Crotch.  <-'K/rA  (/«  /.  176.^ 

'^/.J  /9  /•<(>... 

clutch,  graff. 
Cryancc.  ulitf._ikb 


.   1. 


Deepe- 


354 


A    GLOSSARY. 


Deepc-fette.  deep-fetched. 
Deid.s.  dede.  deed.  Item. dead. 
Deip.  s.  depe.  deep. 
Deir.  s.  deere,  dere.  dear. 
Dell,  part,  p.  107.  every  dell. 

eivy  pan. 

Denay.  deny,  (rbitbmi  gratia.) 
Depured./>.  loj.purifed,  run 

clear. 

Defcrceve.  defcribe. 
Bight,  decked,  put  on. 
Dill.  p.  41 .  dole, grief,  pain. — 

dil!  I  drye.    p.   41.  pain  I 

fufcr.  dill  was  dight.  p.  40. 

grief  was  upon  him. 
Dint,  flroke,  blonv. 
Dis.  p.  83.  /A//. 
Difcuft.  difcu/ed. 
Dites.  dities. 
Dochter.  s.  daughter. 
Dole.  p.  4.0.  grief. 
Doleful  dumps,  p.   183,  266. 

firrwuffufglooM }  or  bea'vi- 

nefi  of  heart. 

Dolours,  dolorous,  mournful. 
Doth,  dotlie,  doeth.  do. 
Doughfe;Doughete,  doughetie, 

dowghtye.  doughty,  formida- 
ble. 

Doughetie.  i.  e.  doughty  man. 
Downae.  s.^.  40.  am  not  able. 

properly,     cannot    take   the 

trouble. 

Dome,  doubt.  Item.  fear. 
Doutted.  doubted,  feared. 


Dois.  s.  doy*.  does. 

Drap.  s.  drop. 

Dre.  p.  13.  drie.  p.  l^^.fufftr. 

Dreid.  s.  dtrede.  crede  dread. 

Dreips.  s.  drips,  drops. 

Drovyers,     drovers,    p.    257. 

fitch  as  drive  herds  of  cattle, 

deer,  &e. 

Dryvars.  p.  5.  idem. 
Drye./.  -L^.fuffer. 
Dryghnes.  drytiefs. 
Duble  Dyfe.  double  (falft)  dice. 
Duglitie.  doughty. 
Dule.  s.  dole,  grief. 
Dyd.  dyde.  did. 
Dyght.  p.    12.  dight.  /.   56. 

drejfed,  put  on,  put. 
Dynte.  dint,  blo 


Eame,  eme.  p.  26.  uncle. 

Eathe.  eajy. 

Ee.  s.  eie.  eye.  Een,  eyre.  eyes. 

Ech,  eche,  eiche,  elke.  each. 

Ein,  s.  even. 

Eir,  evir.  s.  e  'er,  e<ver. 

Eke.  alfo.   Eike.  each. 

Eldern.  s.  elder. 

Eldridge  *,  (  Static*  Elriche, 
Elritch,  Eirifchej  tvild,  hi- 
deous,gboflly.  Item,  lonefome, 
uninhabited,  except  by  fpec- 
rcs,&c.Glo/.  to  A.  Ramfey. 


lke. 


*  In    the  Ballad  of  SIR  CAWLINE,    we  have   «  Eldridge 
'  Hills,'1  p.   45.    '  Eldridge  Knight.'    p.  45.    54.    '  Eldridge 

'  Sword,'  p.  48,  56. So  Gawin  Douglas  calls  the  Cyclops, 

the  ««  ELRICHE  BRETHIR,"  i.  e.  brethren  (b.  ii.  p.  91.  1. 
1 6.)  and  in  his  Prologue  to  b.  vii.  (p.  202.  1.  3.)  he  thus 
dcfcribes  the  Night- Owl. 

"  Laithety 


A    GLOSSARY. 


355 


Elke.  p.  29.  each. 

Ellumynynge.  /.  101.  tmbel- 
lijbing.  To  illumine  a  book, 
ivas  to  ornament  it  iuith 
paintings  in  miniature. 

Elljconys.  Helicon's. 

End)ed.  dyed. 

Enharpid,£;V./>.  i  o i .  hooted,  or 
edged  -ivith  mortal  dread. 

Enkankered.  cankered. 

En  vie.  p.  23.    envye 
malice,  ill- 'will,  injury. 

Erft.  s.  heretofore. 

Etermynable.  p.  104.  inter- 
minable, unlimited. 

Everych-one.  every-one. 

F. 

Fa.  s.fatt. 

Fach,  feche.  fetch. 

Fain,  fayne.  glad,  fond. 

Faine  of  fighte./.  70.  fond  of 

fighting. 

Faine,  fayne.  feign. 
T?t&,faije.  llem.falleth. 
Fare./.  61.  pafs. 
Farden.  />.  $4..  fared,  fajbed. 
Farley.  <wonder. 
Faulcone.  faulcon. 
Fay.  faith. 
Fay  ere.  p.  z$.fair. 
Faytori.  p.    103.    deceivers, 

aiJJ'etfiblers,  cheats. 


Fe.fee,  reward:  alfo,  bribe. 
But  properly  Fee  is  applied  to 
Lands  and  Tenements,  'which 
are  held  by  perpetual  r'.gbt, 
and  by    acknowledgment  of 
fuperioritf  to  a  higher  Lord. 
Ikus p.   103.  in  fee.  i.  e.  in 
Feudal  Service.  L.  Feudum. 
&c.  (Blour.t.) 
Feat.  p.  298,  nice,  neat. 
p.  26.     Featoufly.  neatly,  dextroufi. 
Feere,  fere,  mate,  companion. 
Feir.  s.  fere.  fear. 
Fendys  pray,  &c.  p.  104.  from 

bein$  the  prey  oj  tbtfiendt. 
Ferfly.  fiercely.       • 
Feiante.  pkeafant. 
Fette.  fetched. 
Fetteled,  fatekd.prrpared,  ad- 

drejfed,  made  ready. 
T'Adc.fieU. 

Finaunce.   p.    104.  fine,  for- 
feiture. 

Fit.  p.  9.  fyt.  p.  153.  fytte.  f>. 
83.  Part  or  Di<v(l\on  of  a 
Jong.  Hence  in  p.  74.  fitt  w  a 
Jlrain  of  mufic.  See  vol.  i.f. 
1 6 8,  andGlofs. 
Flyte,  p.  191.  284.  to  contend 

•with  'words,  fcold- 
Foo.  p.  31.  foes. 
For.  on  account  of. 
¥  or  bode .  commandment.  / .  1 7  3 . 
A  a  i  Over 


"  Laithely  of  forme,  with  crukit  camfcho  beik, 
"  Ugfome  to  here  was  hir  wyld  ELRISCHE  fkreik." 
In  Bannntyne's  MS.  Poems,  (<ol.  135.  in  the  Advocates  Li- 
brary at  Edinburgh)  is  a  whimf-cal  Rhapfody,  of  a  dcceaTed  old 
woman,  travelling  in  the  other  world  ;  in  which 

"  Scho  wanderit,  and  7eid  by,  to  an  ELRICH  well." 
In  the  Gloflary  to  G.  Douglas,  ELRICHB*  &c«  is  explained 
j-y  «  wild,  hideous  :  Lat.   Trux,  immanis."  but   it  feenu  to 
imply  fomewhat  more,  as  in  Allan  Ramfey's  Gloflaries. 


356 


A    GLOSSARY. 


Over  God's  forbode.    ["r,f- 

ter  Deiprsfceptumfit.]  q.  d. 

God  forbid. 

Forefend.  prevent,  dcjlird. 
Foruiare.  former. 
Forthyrrketh./).  1  56  .  repentcth, 

<vexeth,  troublctb. 
Forfede.     p.     100.    regarded, 

heeded. 

Forft,/>.  77.  forced,  compelled. 
Foftcrs  of  the  fe.  p.  160.  fur- 

refers  of  the  king's  de»;rfner. 
Fou,  fow.  s,  full.  alfo,fu.:',!l,\L 
Fowarde,  vawarde.  the  'van. 
F  re-bore,  p.  %•$.  free-born. 
Freake,    freke,    freyke.  man, 

perjon,  human  creature.  A:jl>, 

a  -ivhim  or  maggot. 
Freckys.  p.    10.  perfons. 
Frie.  s.  f  re.  free. 
Freits.  s.  ill  omens,  ill  luck  ;  any 

old  fuperftitious  farw,  or  *///- 

prejjion  *. 

Fruward.  froward. 
Fuyfon,    foylbn.   plenty,    ttlj'a, 

fubflance. 

Fykkill./.  loi.ficl/k. 
Fyll.  p.  w.feil. 


G. 

Gair.  s.  gfff,  drefs. 

Gamon.  p.  4.7.  To  make  gatrtt, 
to  (part.  A.  S.  n.imenibn, 
jocari.  Hence  Backgamon. 

Gane,  gan.  began. 

Garde,  p.  10.  made. 


Ganyde.  p.  10.  gained. 
Gare,  gar.    s.    make,    caufe ; 

force,  compel. 
Gai'sceyld.  /.  ro6.  from  Gar- 

gouilie.  f.    /Ae    //>(?«;    of  a 

gutter.     The  tower  -Mas  a- 

dornsd  ivitbfpoutf  cut  iti  tbs 

figures  of  grey  bounds,  lions* 

Sfr. 
Garland,  p.  89.  the  ring,  ivitk- 

in  which  the  prick  or  mark 

was  f ?t  to  be  /hot  £t. 
Gear.  s.  geer. />.  326. goods. 
Gefinne.  p.  25.  what  he  had 

got,  his  plunder,  bioty. 
Geve,  gevend.  ^ive,  given* 
Gi,  gie.  s.  give. 
Gifs,  giff.  z/: 
Gin.  s.  «/z,  if. 
Give  owie.  s.furrender. 
Glede,  p.  7.  «  red  hot  coal. 
Glent.  p.  5.  glanced. 
G'.cie.  p.  9% .  jet  a  falfe  glrfet 

or  colour. 
Gode.  good. 

Goddes.  p.  100.  gffddefs, 
Goggling  eyen.  goggle   eve:. 
Gone./.  51. go. 
Gowd.  s.  gotild.  gold. 
Graiue.  p.  148.  i^t.fcarlet. 
Giamercye.  i.  e.  I  thank  you. 

fr.  Grand-meicie. 
Gt'aunge.    />.    297.  granary; 

alfo,  a  lone  country  houfe. 
Gr<_a-hondes.  grey-bounds. 
Grece.  a  fiep.  p.  107.  a  flight 

offteps. 

Greece. 


*  An  ingenious  correfpon-.lent  in  the  north,  thinks  FR.EIT  is 
not  '  an  uniuckly  omen,'  but  "  that  thing  which  terrifies."  viz. 
Terrors  will  puri'ua  them  that  look  after  frightful  things. 
FRIGHT  is  pronounced  by  the  common  people  in  the  north, 
FRtET. 


A    GLOSSARY. 


357 


Greece,  p.   163.  fat    (a  fat 

ha>'t)  n'om  f.  graifTe. 
Gremiyne:.  />.  77.  grinning. 
Gret,  grat.  great. 
Grevts.  groves,  bufhei. 
Gryiely  groned.  p.  32.  dread- 
fully groaned. 
Ground wa.  grtan^naU', 
Growende,  growynd.  ground. 
Gude,  guid,  geud.  s.  good. 

H. 

Hi,  hae.  s.  have.  Item.  hall. 

Habergeon,  i.  a  lejj'er  coat  of 
mail. 

HabJe.  p.  99.  able. 

Haltlied,  hailed,  faluted,  em- 
braced, fell  on  his  neck,  from 

Hahe.  the  neck  ;  throat. 

Halefbme.  nvbolefome,  health. 

Harxlbow.  p.  174.  the  long- 
bow, or  £omm-m  bain,  at 
dijlinguijbed  Jrom  the  crofs- 
bo<w. 

Haried,  harried,  haryetl,  ha- 
rowed.  />.  2^,  156.  robbed, 
pillaged,  plundered.  "  He 
"  harried abird'sneJl."Vttlg. 

Hirlocke.  p.  309.  ferhapt 
CharJocke,  or  Wild  Rape, 
nvhich  bears  a  vfllonvjlonver, 
and  grows  among  corn,  &c. 

Hartly  luft.  />.  102.  hearty 
defire. 

Haftardd  is./>.  9  5  .perhaps  'Ha  fly 
'rajbfello'ws,  orSupftarts.'qu. 

Haviour.  behaviour. 

H:uild.  ?.  to  hold.  Item,  hold, 
Jlrong  hold. 

lla.w\,erk.acoatofmai[,  con-' 
Jifling  of  iron  rings,  &c. 


lln\'\\. a  faanlavf. profit. (p.m. 

for  the  prcJit'cfallEni^tfin^. 

A.  S.  Hsel.yaAM. 

He.  p.  5.  bee.  p.  44..  hye.  bi\rb. 

He.  p.    164.  hye.   /o  ^>r,  or 

Heal.  p.  10.  £/»/. 
Hear.  />    n.  i/r^. 
Hc.ire,  heares.  hair,  bain. 
Hal,  bede.  ^fl</. 
Heere.  p.  94.  A/r/tr. 
Hcnd.  kind,  gentle. 
Heir.  s.  here.  />.  9.  /rar. 
Heft.  ^.         baft. 
Hell.  p.  4.7.  command,  injunc- 
tion. 

Hcther.  p.  i^?.  hither. 
JJeawyng,  hcwinge.    hewing, 

hacking. 

Hewyne  in  to.  beiva  in  two. 
Hi,  hie.  p.  83.  he. 
Hie,  hye,  he,  hee.  high. 
Hight.  ^.  49.  />.n.  engage, 

engaged,  promifed.  (/>.  14.5. 

nmnzd,  called.) 
Hiliys.  /'////. 
Hitulc,  liend.  gentle. 
Hit.  s.  /vr. 
Iliilel.  s.  herfelf. 
Hit.  />.n.  ;'/. 
Hoo,  bo.  />.  ao.  aw  interjefllon 

of  flopping  or  defying :  benct 
flotage. 

Hode.  p.  155.  bood,  eof. 
Hole.  p.  98.  acfo/*.  holl.  /^w. 
Holtes.    ivoods,   gro-vej.      In 

Norfolk    a     Plantation    of 

tberry -trett     is     called    a. 

««  clierry-holt"— Alfo  fome- 

times  "  hills  •  -.     ' 

A  a  3  Holy. 


*  HOLTES  feems  evidently  to  fignify  HIM.*  in  the  following 
pnfTaere  from  Turberville's  "  Songs  and  Sonnets"  nmo.  1567. 
fol.  56.  «  Ye« 


35* 


A    GLOSSARY. 


Holy.  p.  103.  wholly.  Or  per- 
haps hole,  tuhcle. 

Horn,  hem.  them. 

Hondridth,  hondred.  hundred. 

Honge.  hang,  hung, 

Hontyng.  hunting. 

Hoved.  p.  1 06.  heaved ;  or  per- 
haps,hovered,  (p.  14.. )  but"; 
moving.  (Gl.  Cbauc.)  Hoved 
or  hoven  means  in  the  north, 
'/welled:.  But  Mr.  Lambe 
thinks  it  is  the  fame  as  Houd, 
fill  ufed  in  the  north,  and 
applied  to  any  light  fubflance 
bea-vimr  to  and  fro  on  an  un  - 
dulatingfurjace.  The  nio~Mel 
u  is  often  ufed  therefor  tie 
cenfon.  \. 

Hount.  p.  7.  bunt. 

Hyghte.  p.  30.  on  high,  aloud. 

I. 

I'feth.  in  faith. 

I  ween.  ( I  think  :)  verily. 

I  wys,  I  wis.  (/  kno-du:)  verily. 

I  wot.   (I  kno-ja :)  verily. 

Iclipped./.  107.  called. 

Iff.  if. 

Jimp.  s.Jlender. 

lid.  I'd,  I  would. 

He.  Ill, 


Ilka.  s.  every. 

Im.  p.  82.  him. 

In  tere.  I  t'cre.  together. 

Into.  s.  in. 

Litres,  p.  107.  entrance,  ad» 

mittance. 

Jo.  p.  3  i^.f-wect-h^arf,  friend. 
Jogelers.  />.  i^s-J'JS'iers' 
I-tuned.  p.  106.  tunsd. 
lye.  eye. 
Is./.  83.  /';,  his. 

K. 

Kail./..  104..  cc.tt. 

Kan.  p.  101.  can. 

Karls.  carls,  churls,  karlis  of 
kind./.  98.  churls  by  nature. 

Kauld.  /.  81.  ffl//cJ. 

Kav.-ts  and  keene.  p  26.  f««- 
</raj  and  atiive.  1.  cauuis. 

Keepe.  /.  311.  care,  heed.  So 
in  the  old  play  of  Hick 
Scomer,  (in  the  laji  leaf  but 
one}  "  Ikeepenottoclymbe 
«'  fo  hye."  ;.  ^.  //«</)»  not  } 
° 


Kempe.  afoLlier. 
Kemperj'e  man.  />.  jo.feUiert 
warrior,  fighting  man*. 

Kerns. 


«*  Yee  that  frequent  the  hilles, 

"  And  higheft  HOLTES  of  all  ; 
"  AiTift  me  with  your  fkilfull  quillss, 

"  And  Men  when  I  call". 
As  alfo  in  this  other  Verfe  of  an  ancient  Poet. 
<l  Underneath  the  HOLTES  fo  hoar." 

*  "  Germanu  Camp,  Exercitutn,  nut  Lccum  ubi  Exercilus 
"  caftrametatur,  fignificat :  inde  ipjis  Vir  Caflrenjis  et  Militant 
"  kemffer,  et  kenipher,  et  kemper,  et  kimber,  et  kamper, 
**  pro  isarietate  dialeeiorum,  vocatur :  Vocabulum  hoc  nojirofer- 


A     GLOSSARY. 


Kerns,  s.  combs. 
Ken,  kenlt.  ftno-iv, 
Kepers,£?r./>.i77.&r. 

•ivatcb  by  the  corpl'e,  /ball  tye 

up  my  winding  jbeet. 
Kind,  nature. 
Kir.  p.  101.  cut. 


Livdin   laid. 

Layne,  J,in.  wul.  I.-ar.r. 
Leane.  />.   29.  conttal,  bidt. 

Item.  Ije.  (quey.) 
Leanyde.  leaned. 
Le.ii    d    learned,  taitgbt. 


Wiihouten  kale? 
Leafy nge.  /,/W?,  faljlood. 
Ler    .    nq.  Ln.tbejield. 


Kithe   or  kin.   acquaintance,      Ltale. />.  164.  A-iW,  jalftntd 

jw  kindred. 
Knnve.  p.  93. 
Knicht.  s.  ki;:<^ht. 
Knights  fee.  p.  ^.fuch  a  par-     Leeche.  pbyf.cian. 

lion  cflaaiJ  as  required  the     Leechmge.  />.    43. 

psfiejjar  to  ferve  ivitb  man 

and  bqrfe. 
Knowles.  knolls,  little  hills. 


Kowaixie.  coward. 
Kuntrey    p.  lor.  country. 
Knrreis.  p.  \^\.  courteous. 
Ky  rti  i  I ,  ki  rtie .  petiu  oai ,  ^ifU>fi . 

L. 

Laithlv.  s.  loatlfbme,  hideous. 
Langfomc.   s.   /.    31 

tedioui.     Lnng.  s    long. 
Laiicli,     laxiched.    s.     laugh, 

laughed. 
Latinde  [>.  163.  lai'.'ft. 


medicinal  care. 
Leer.  /•. 
Leeve  London,  p   r3». 

London,  an  eld -tbrafe. 
Lecveth.  Mulatto. 
Lcfe.  p.  167.  ieeve.  dear. 
Lefe.  L~a;.  Itvc*.  . 
Leive.  s.  leave. 
Leman,  I 

mi/fref.     A.  S.  Icifman. 
I.enger.  longer. 
Lere.  ^.53.  face,  eomjde.riai, 

A.  S.  hieane,  fades,  vultus. 
Lerneii.  learned,  tu  • 
LeCynge.  *.  1 6S .  Itafn.g.  tying, 

faljbood. 

Let.  />.  5 .  kinder. p.  j  i .  kindred. 
Letteft.  hindtrefl,  dtta'wtjl. 


Lay  land.  />.  47.  land  that  is  L«ttsnp./>.  \6$. hindrance. i.e. 

not  plowed:  gretnfivarti.  -without  i!,-Ly. 

Lay-lands.  />.  55.  lands  in  ge-  Lev«r.  raihr. 

neral.  A  a  4  Leyre, 

"  none  nondum  penitus  exoh'vit  j  Nofdlcienfiifniin  flcbcio  et pro- 
"  letario  fermone  dicunt  "  He  is  a  k  em  per  old  mnn,  /.  ^.  Senrx 
"  fe$erns   efl:" — ////?r  Cimhris  y«w/«  nomcn:    "  kiiii' • 
«l  Howe  bdlicofus,  pugit,  rchuftus 'miles  tJc.f>r>tificnt".  SherinR- 
ham  de   Anglor.   gentis  orig.  pag.  57.    Kftfui  autf-m  l.aziui 
[apud  eundem  p.  49.]   "  Cimbros  a  belle  quid  kamrt",  et  Saxo* 
"  nice  kamp  nuncupatos  credhlerim  :  utuit   itl^itorc.'   - 
'«  Kempfter,  Die  Kemper". 


A    GLOSSARY. 


Ley  re,lere./>.  308  .learning, lore. 

Lig.  s.  lie, 

Lightfome.  />.  45.  cbearful, 
fprightlj. 

LikeH .  p.  311.  pleafed. 

Lincle.  p.  162.  the  lime  tree  ; 
or  ccttetfi-Tjel},  lime  trees  j  or 
trees  in  general. 

Lingeil.  p.  310.  a  thread  of 
bemp  rubbed  -ivitb  rojin,  &c. 
v.fed  by  rufrics  for  mending 
their  /hoes. 

Lith,  lithe,  lythe./>.  146.  at- 
tend, hearken,  liflen. 

Lither.  p.  72.  idle,  ivorthlefs, 
naughty,  fro-ivard. 

Liver,  deliver. 

Liverance./).  285.  deliverance, 
(money,  or  a  pledge  for  de- 
livering you  up.) 

Loke.  p.  310.  lock  ofnvool. 

Longes.  belongs. 

Loolet,  lofed.  loofed- 

Lope,  leaped, 

Loveth.  love.  plur.  number. 

Lough,  p.  161.  laugh. 

Louked.  looked. 

Loun.s.  p.  3i6.1own./>.  193. 
loon,  rafcal,  from  the  Irijb 
liun.  fiotbful,  Jluggijb. 

Louted,  lowttede.  bowed,  did 
obeyfance. 

Lowe.  ^  92.  a  little  kill. 

Lurden./>.  1 5 5 .Jluggard, drone . 

Lynde.  />.  161.  lyne.  p.  90. 
'See  Linde. 


Lyth.  f.  309.  lytlie.  Ut 

pliant  ,  flexible  ,  eafj,  gentle. 

M. 


Maiefte,maift,  mayeitt.ma 
Mair.  s.  mare.  mote. 
Makys,  maks.  mates  *. 
Male.  p.  10.  coat  of  mail. 
Mane./.  7.  man.  Item, 
March  perti.  pag.  15.  in  the 

Part!  lying  upon  thr  Marches. 
March-pine,  p.  368.   march- 

pane. a  kind  ofbifcuit. 
Malt,  mafte.  mafft. 
Mafterye.  />.  89.   mayftry.  p. 

170.    a  tryal  ef  Jkiil,  high 

proof  of  Jkill. 
Mauger.  f.  4-.fpite  of. 
Mann.  s.  mun.  muft. 
May.  maid,  (rkythmi  gratia.) 
Ma  yd,  mayde.  maid. 
Mayne.  p.  $-j.  force,  jlrengik. 

p.  85  .  horfe's  mane. 
M<-any.  />.  5.  retinue,  train, 

company. 

Meed,  meede.  reward. 
Mtn  of  arnies.  f.  zS.  gens  a* 

ar/Kes. 

Meniveere.  />.  310.  '•jchitefur. 
Merches.  marches. 
Met.  p.  6.  rneit.  s.  mete.  meett 

fit,  proper. 

Mcyne.^.  iSi.fee  Meany. 
Alickle.  much. 

Minged. 


*  As  the  words  MAKE  and  MATE  were,  in  fome  cafes, 
ufed  promil'cucufly  by  ancient  writers  ;  lb  the  words  CAKE  and 
CATE  feem  to  have  been  applied  with  the  fame  inditierency : 
this  will  illuftrate  that  common  Engiifh  Proverb  "  To  turn 
"  CAT.  (i.  e.  CATE)  in  pan."  A  PAN- CAKE  is  in  Northamp- 
toafhiie  Itill  called  a  PAN-CATE, 


A    GLOSSARY. 


Minted,  p.  4.6.  mentioned. 

M  iici  ean;s./>.  179  .unbAievers. 

Mifduubt.  ^oi.fufpefi,  doubt. 

Milken.  aifiake\  alfo  in  the 
Scottijb  Idiom,  '*  let  a  thing 
"  aione".  (Mr.  Lambe.) 

Mo;ie.  p.  \di.  mood. 

Monrnday.  Monday. 

Mores  p.4$.bil 

Morne.^./>.  79. 

Mort.  p.  6.  death  of  the  deer. 

Molt.  wK/7. 

Mought,  mot,  mote,  migbt. 

Mun,  maun.  s.  wi//?. 

Mure,  mures,  s.  <u>//</  downs, 
heaths,  &c. 

Muiis.   mufef. 

Mightte.  mighty. 

Myllan.  Milan fleel. 

Myne-ye-ple.  p.  10.  perhapt. 
many-plies,  or,  folds.  Mo- 
nyple  is  J} ill  ujed  in  this  i'tnfe 
in  the  north.  (Mr.  Larnbe.) 

Myrrv.  merry. 

Myiiiryd.  p.  99.  mifufed,  ap- 
plied  to  a  bad  purpoje. 

N. 

Na,  nae.  s   no,  none. 

Narns.  names. 

Nar.  p.  6.  nare.  nor.  It.  than. 

Nat.  not. 

Nee,  ne.  nigh. 

Neigh    him   neare.    approach 

h'm  near. 

Neir.  s.  neie.  ne"ert  never. 
Neir.  s.  neie.  near. 
Nicked   him  of  nave.  /.    65. 

nicked  kirn  -jcith  a  refufal. 
Nipt,  pinched. 

Nobles./-.  ()7.noblefstnob!cnefi. 
None.  noon. 
Nourice.  s.  nurfe. 


Nye,  ny.  nigh. 
O. 

O  gin,  s.  O  if! 

On.  one.  on   man."  p.'%.  cue 

man.  One.  p.  45.  on. 
Onfbwgluen,unfoughten.  un- 


Or,  ere.  p.  10.  14  before. 

Or  cir.  ;,.  A^irf  ever. 

Orifons.  prayers. 

OH,  ofie,  ool\.  p.  1*0.  toft. 

Out  ower.  s.  quite  over  •  over. 

Out-horn.  ?.  j 60.  tbefummon- 
ing  to  arms,  by  the  found  cf 
a  horn. 

Ontrake.  p.  490.  an  out  r'nie\ 
or  expedition.  To  raik.  s.  is  ta 
gofaji.  Outrake  is  a  com- 
mon term  among  Shepherds, 
it: ken  their /beep  have  ajree 
pa/agefrom  inclofedpaflurcst 
into  open  and  airy  gronndi, 
they  call  it  a  ^Woutrake. 
(Mr.  Lambe.) 

Oware  of  none,  hour  of  noon. 

Owre.  owr.  s.  o'er. 

Owt.  cut. 

P. 

Pa.  s.  the  river  To. 

Paile.  p.  53.  a  robe  of  Jtnte. 
Purple  and  pall.  ;'.  /.  a  pur- 
ple robe,  or  cloak,  a  ftrafe. 

Paramour.^.  313.  lovtr.  i'.ttr.. 
a  miflrefi. 

Paregall.  j>.  loa   equal. 

Parti,  ]ttr,\.p.  8.  a  part. 

Pave*,  p.  98.  a  pnviee. 
jt:rL:  ,  whole 

boJj.  i.  jiavois. 

Pavillianc. 


A     GLOSSARY. 


PavilHane.  pavilion,  tent. 
Pay .  p.  167.  likingifatifeiSiou : 

hence,\vt\\  apaid, i.e. pleat- 
ed, highly  [atiified. 
Peakifh.  />.  309. 
Peere,  pere.  peer,  eqvaJ. 
Peron.  a  banner,  or  ftr earner 

born  on  tke  top  of  a  Linct. 
Perelous,     parlous,    perilous; 

dangerous. 
Pcrfight.  perfetf. 
Perleie. />.  104.  peerlefs. 
Perte.  part. 
Pertyd./..  9.  parted. 
Play -feres,  play  felio*-jus. 
Plaining,  complaining. 
Pleafance.  pleafure. 
Pight,  pyght.  f .  24.  pitcbfd. 
Pil'd.  f..»9iJ.  pftffJ,  bald. 
Pine.  f.  •i()Q.j'arrujh,J\ar<ve. 
Pious    Cban'oru  p,     jjy.    a 

godly  jvng  or  ballad*. 
Tire,  pittyC)  pyie-  /'{>'• 
Pompal.  p,  233-  pompom, 
Portres./).  joj.porttrfjs. 
Popingay.  3'J.  a  parrot. 
Pow,  pen  s    pow'd.    s.   pull, 

pulled. 
Pownes,/>.295/o«Wj-j  (rJytb- 

tni  gratia.) 
Prtte,  preie.  prefs. 
Freced.  />.  164.  f  \-efed.preJJed. 
Pitft.  />.  200.  ready. 
.Prcftly.  />.    164.   prdllye.  />. 


Prickes,  />.  89.  the  marks  to 

Jhoot  «t. 
Pricke-wand.  f.   89.  a  nvand 

fet  up  for  a  mark. 
Piicked.fpurred  on,  bajled. 
Prowes.  p    ico.  pro-uit'/j. 
Pry  eke.  p.    170.     the  mark; 

commonly  a  bfizle-ward. 
Piyme./>.  146  day-break. 
Puide.  f.  10.  pulled. 


Quail,  p.  55.  293.yZ>r/«£. 

Qjiadrant.^.  \o(>.j'sur  fquare. 

Quarry.^  258.  in  HuftliH",  •# 
Hawking,  if  the  faugh  -tcrt'd 
g'>me,  &c.  See.  pcge  6. 

Quere,  quire,  chcir. 

Qiieft.  />.  157.  inqueft. 

Quha.  s.  fwho. 

Qiihun.  s.  iv/vff. 

Qul'ar.  s.  'where. 

Qiihat.  s.  ivbat. 

Quhatten.  s.  ivbat. 

Qiilien.  s.  ivbt'u. 

Qiihy.  s.  ivhy. 

Qnyn  y  .p.  6  .  See  quarry  above, 

Quyte./>.  16.  requited. 

R. 

Raine.  reign. 
Rafhing  /(?*»« 

z'yzg-  /fr//z  ^cr  tbejirtike  made 
by 


*  Mr.  Powe's  Edit,  lias  "  The  firft  Row  of  the  Kubrick  ;" 
which  ba-  b-en  fuppofed  by  a  great  Ciiric  to  refer  to  the  Red- 
iettr;ied  Titles  of  old  Bailads."  But  in  a'l  the  Col  eflions  I 
have  ever  feen,  I  never  met  with,  one  fingle  Ballad  with  its  title 
printed  In  Rtd  Letters. 


A     GLOSSARY. 


363 


fyawilftoarwitt 

Ro^  ght.  rout. 

~  probably  th: 

Rowy 

Rav  ., 

Rowned,  ro-.vnvd.  nuhirpfta1. 

/•.  21.  race. 
Reachles./>.  89.  carelefs. 

Rues.  p.    i9s.'rtiethc.  *.  13. 
pitieth. 

-.  -..  p.  5.  rai,t. 

Ryde.  p.   471;.  /.  f.  mail  e  an 

Keave  berta<ve. 
Reckt.  re- 

inronJ.  ];y.!u.  ;'«;.  69    (-u. 
1^8.)  jhsulJ  l>e   riff.      &•. 

Rea<!e.  p.  2z.  rede,  advife.  p. 

28.  hit  iff. 
Reek.  s.  fm-jke. 

i  arifefrcmau.' 
Rydere.  />.  173.  ranger. 
Ryn.Ii-.  ^.  10.  rent. 

Reid.  «.  rede,  reed.  red. 

Kyfc.  /..  145.  ra//ir.  ya. 

Reid-roan,  s.  red-roan. 

Rekeies,  reckleffe.  regardhfs, 

S. 

'void  of  c.tre,  ra/b. 

Renifh.  p.  65.  renifht.  p.  71. 

Sa,  fae.  s.  /b. 

Reniftu.  p.  65.  71.  perhaps  a 

Salt',  s. 

derivation  from  reniteo,  to 

Sail.  s./W/. 

fdne. 

Sar.  /cr/. 

Renne.  run. 

Sark.  /Zi/V/  /U/'?. 

Renyed./..  too.  refufea. 

Sat.  fete.  ;>.  3^7^. 

Rewth.  ruth.  Re\ve.  pity. 

Savydi. 

Riall,  rvali.  />.  107.  rojal. 

Say.  f.  13.  yiiw.    5"«  f.  i. 

Richt.  s.  rirbt. 

*.  I"*?. 

Ride.  p.  285.  make  an  inroad. 

Sav  us  no  harme.  *.  71-  foj  no 

Roche,  rock. 

it/  of  us. 

Ronne.ra//.  Ronne.p.t^.run. 

Sayne.yi)1. 

Roode.  crcfs,  crucifix. 

Scathe.  A«r/t  injury. 

Roufe.  roof. 

Schapped.^.  30.  perhaps  fwap- 

Routhe,  ruih.  pity. 

pcd.  q.  v. 

Row,  rosvd.  s.  roll,  rolUJ. 

Schip.  s./i//). 

Scho. 

*  In  pag.  105.  the  true  reading  doubtlefs  ought  to  be 

Like  unto  wild  boars  RA.- 
So  in  K.  Lear,  aft  III",  fc.  vii.  4^0. 
— "  Nor  thy  fierce  filler 
"  In  his  anointed  flefh  RASH  boarifh  fangs." 
Again  in  K.  Richard  III.  atl  III.  fc.  ii. 

"  He  dicain'd  the  boa:  had  RASED  oflfhis  hflm." 
Acjain  in  Warner's  A'bion's England,  1601.  b.  VII.  ch.xxxvi. 
—  ha  !  cu:  avaunt !  the  boar  fo  RASE  thy  hide. 
10  Mr.  STEEVKM. 


3%  A     G  L  O  S  S  A  R  Y. 


Scho.  fche,  p.  24.  s./fo. 

Sle,  flee.y/^).  fleefi._/J(y^. 

Schone.  p.  zz.foone. 

Skip.  s.  wye.Jieep. 

Schoote.  /W>  let  go. 

S!o  ^.98.  floe.y7«y. 

Schowte,  fchowtte.  Jbout. 

Slode.  f.  46.  y///,  y)>//'/. 

Schriil.  s.firill. 

Slone.  /-.  48.  yJwW. 

Se.  s.  fee.yh?.  p.  6.  fee. 

Sl^i^he.  *.  9.yfcav. 

Seik.  s.  like.  J<.J:. 

Smi'luTs.'  $.  /mothers. 

Sene.  f.  y.feeu. 

Soldain,  foldnnjovvdan.  f:Jtan. 

tertr.yne,    feitcnlye.    certain, 

Soil,  foullt1,  fowle.  /o/</. 

certa'u.ly. 

Sort.  p.  icOj  104.  co>>-pf"y. 

Selywan.     See  retiwall. 

So'h-Y:;eionde.  StiulkLi:g.land. 

/.-.  84.  lit'.le  fjcod.1:. 

Soth,    lothe,     i'outh,     loathe. 

.  s.  entirely,  (peaitus.) 

/OO//?',     /'-»/.<F 

Sheele.  Jhe  '#,  foe  it,'///. 

Soulil.  s.  fl.'ould. 

Shcene.  tiieneijihukg. 

Soudin,  loudain.  fulifn. 

Slieits.  s.  (he  tes.  /&«//. 

Sowdcn,  Sowdain.  Julian. 

Shent.  difgraced. 

So--''i.j.  /5>»y. 

^t'nnmtFi'nz-Jti^snrJryfltat'ts, 

t)jv/:e,   foarc.  /Lri?. 

Shoke.  ^.  ioi.yZW/y//. 
SI>o!d,  fliolde.  "faulJ. 

Sowter.  *.  77.  aft>aemnker. 
Soy.  f.y;/*. 

^  Shocn  .  s.  (hoone.  ^.  z^&.fites. 

Spak,  ipnik.  s.  fyake. 

Shote.  (*.  9.  fiat. 

Sped./-.  67.  ft.ceded. 

Sliraddet  .  />„  84.  <yjrW.  locum. 

Sptrik  .  s.  fpeak. 

Shrift.-  canfefficn. 

Spcndvde.  p.  iz.  probably  tke 

Shroeg-.  />.  ly.Jhrubs,  thorns. 

fame  as  Spanned,  r1 

brier.'.  G.  Dsug.  fcroggis. 

Spere,  Ipeei'e.  J'pear. 

Shulde.  >»caW. 

Spill,  p.    191.    f|iille.    f.  57. 

Shyars.  flirts. 

fpoilf  come  to  harm. 

Sib.  /•>.•  rt^w,  related. 

Fprcnte.  \o.j'purtcd,l'prung  nut. 

Side.  /«£. 

Spurn,  fpurne.  a  kick.  p.    16. 

Sic,  fich,  fick.  t.fucb. 

See  Tt:ar. 

Sik,  fikc.  y?«-^. 

Spyde.  j'pied. 

Sifd.  s.faiv. 

Spylt.Jpoilfdj  dufircyed. 

Siker.  /    •$i'j.furely,  certainly. 

Spyt.  p.  7.  fpyte.  fpite. 

Sigh-clout,    ^.    192.    (fytbe- 

Sia'liyle.  /».  ioj  .  perhaps,  jlalf- 

clcut)  ^  f/o«r  /o  flrain  m:lk 

l.jb. 

ikrouph  :  a  Ji  raining  clout. 

Stniwottlilve,  p.  21.  foully. 

Sith./>.  -j.fince. 

Stane.  s.  ftean.  p.  %i.  ftone. 

Sladf.  />.  86.  /z/?/>  of  grecn- 

Stark,  p.  55.  y?/^".  />.   100.  «*- 

fnverd  bet~jje.cn  plo-iv  lanJs, 

tinly. 

cr  luotds. 

Steedye._/7#*7^v. 

~\Q.jlf."JC.  (Sc.  AW.) 

Steid.  s.  itede.  /?^. 

1    an,   ilonc.yL-;.'.'. 

Stek./>.  ii-jletl. 

Sterne. 

A    GLOSSARY, 


-  or  perhaps  Jan*. 


35; 


Stcite._//^rf. 

Stcrte,  ikit« 

Merte,  (tart.  f.  ^zo.jlarted. 

Steven./;.  93. 

Steven,  f.  89.  i-nte. 

fcvil.  p   11.  quiet ,  ftlcnt . 

Stint,  flop,  flipped. 

Siirar.de  Uage.  f.  zi.  Afriend 

interprets   this,     "  many   a 
jurney." 
Stonderes. /<ra 
Stcund,  Stownde.  p.  157.29. 

time,  nvbilf. 

Stonr.  ^.  13.  75  ftower. />.  4-6. 
I  ftc*ver.  />.  19.  $<,.  fight.  Jif- 

tiirbance .  G"<".   77>;j  -Tx-'or^/  // 
:  /.".-  «(?r//;  tojigrt'jjr 


dujl  agltatid  and  fui 

:  c.3   'a} 
of  a  room,  &c 


:  c.3   'a}  the  fiveeping 


fui  ir.i 
fiveepin 


Streighr.  p.  io.Jirai$bt. 

•::.  JJricken,  jirittk. 
S  \rct.Jircct. 
Strick,  Jiriff. 
Stroke.  />.  \o.Jiruck. 
St«clc.  s.  flood. 
" 


Suar 

Sum  .  s.  fame. 

Sumpters.  />.  303.  korfts  that 


Swapte,  p.  10.  lw.ipps.-il  /> 


.    huck  <vio- 


hapi '  exchange  if  (f.  bto*wj  : 
Jo  iwap  <"•  IwoppJIgtiifes. 
Swat.fwatte.  ^.  aS.  iwyUe./. 

18.  didf<v,\at. 
Swear  ^>.  6.jivcire, 
Svreanl.  fiver d. 
Sweat  en.  />.  84.  A  dream. 

:*ete.  fwtt. 

Swjth.  />.  75.  quicklj,  injlantlj. 
Syd.  yL', . 
Syde  ftiear.  ^.  5.  fvdis  (hear. 

^     6.  5.7  Clljidit. 

Syne.  />.  15.  i-j.tbiu,  afttr- 

nuaras. 
Syth.  ^f«rr. 

T. 

T.ikf.  te*«. 

Talents.  />.  66.  p^rf-aps golden 

ornaments  hung  fr  ota  htr  bead 

la    the  value   of  taler.fi  of 

gold. 

Taine.  s.  Mne.  rc^/w. 
Tear.  ^.16.  /^«  /</>«j  /o  i/  a 

proverb,  ' '  Titf/  tearuig  *r 

"  pulling  tccetjioned  • 

*'  cr  kick.'" 
Teenefu'.  s./..  115. full  eftn- 

di^natk  n,  ivrathjuljurious. 
Teir.  s.  tcre.  //or. 
Teene.  />.   153.  tenc.  ^.  97. 

Jjrrov.',  iHJ;$rtationt  ivralb. 

Property,  injury,  affront. 
Teriuagaunt.    the  God  c.f  the 
Sarazeni* 


*  But  in  p.  10.  it  fcems  ufed  in  the  famf  fcnfe,  as  a  cant 
vulgar  phraie  of  the  north.  For  example  :  ««  Have  you  a  Ihu- 
"  ling  in  your  pocket  ?"  ArlWt-r,  "  Shatn  a  ftenw  ',  i.  e.  not 
one.  rh-j  fenfe  then  of  <4X  my  It-rne  they  Itruck  down,  tee. 
is,  They  Itruck  down  :h-ai»ht  many  a  one  through  rich  coat  o, 
iiuil  and  many  fold.,  &c.  Mr-  "*•»« 


A     GLOSSARY. 


Sarazens.    See  a  Memoir  on 

this  fubjeR  in  pag.-j6  *. 
Thair.//;«r.Thair1thare.//rn.'. 
Thame.  s.   them.  Than.  then. 
The.  thce.  Thtnd.  the  end. 
The.  they.  The  wear./-.  5.  they 

ivert. 

Thear.  p.  23.  ther./>.  6.  there. 
Thee,  thrive,   mote  he  thee. 

may  he  thrive. 
Ther.  />.  5.  their.  \ 

Therfor.  p.  7.  therefore, 
Xherto.   thereto.  Thes.  thefe. 
Theyther  ward,  p.   14.8.  thi- 

ther-ward,    towards    that 

place. 

Thie.  thy.  Thowe. 
Thoufc.  s.  />.  1 
Throw,  s.  />.  6 1.  throvgh. 
Thrall./).  195.  captive,  p.  114. 

thraldom,  captivity. 
Thrang.  s.  throng. 
Thee,  thrie.  s.  three. 
Threape.  p.  193.  to  argue,  to 

affirm  or  affert  in  a  pcjltive 

overbearing  manner. 
Thiiite.   thirty. 
Throng.  />.  154..  haJJened. 
Till./.  1 6.  unto. p.  73.  entice. 
Tine.  /o/Jr.  tint.  /«/?. 
To.  /oo.  /ffw.  /W0. 
Ton.  />.  7.  tone,  the  one. 


Tow.  s.  />.  123.  to  let  down 

'with  a  ropet  &c. 
Tow,  towe.  two.  Twa. s.  tivo. 
Towyn.  p.  12.  to-iun. 
Treytory,  traitory,  treachery. 
Tride.  tryed, 
Trim./>.  184.  186.  exafl. 
Trow./>.  171.  thiaky  c onceivf, 

know. 

Tro'wthe.  troth.  Tru.  true. 
Tuik.  s.  took. 
Tul.  s.  /*'//,  to. 
Turn./>.  303.  fuch  turn,  fuck 

an  occajion. 
Tvvinn'd,  s.  p.  39.  parted,  fe- 

parated.  <uid.  G.  Dougla:. 

V.    U. 

Ugfome.  s.  /hocking,  horrible. 

Vices,  {probably  contraEiedjor 
J5evices,)/>.  -iof>.fcrenvs,  or 
perhaps  turning  pins, fiui'veh. 
An  ingenious  friend  thinks  a 
\ice  is  rather  <>  a  Jfindle  of 
"  a  prefs :"  that  gocth  fa  a 
vice,  that feemeth  to  mo<vt  cf 
itfclj.  "  Automates,  adj." 
Diftion. 

Vilane.  p.  95.  rafcally. 

Undight.  undecked,  undre/sd. 

Untnacklye.  mifiapen. 

Unfttt 


*  The  old  French  Romancers,  who  had  corrupted  TERMA- 
CA'H'T  into  TER VACANT,  couple  it  with  the  name  of  MAHO- 
MET as  conitantly  as  ours }  thus  in  the  old  Roman  de  Blan- 
ckardin, 

"  Cy  guerpifon  tuit  Apolin, 

"  Et  Me,  ' 


•lahomet  et  TERVAGANT." 
Hence  Fontaine  with  great  humour  in  his  Tale,  intituled,  La 
Fiancee  du  Roy  de  Garbe,  lays, 

«'  Et  reitiant  Mahom,  Jup:n,  et  TERVAGAN'T, 
"  A-vec  maint  autre  D:ex  nan  mains  txtra-vagant." 

Mem.  del'  Acad.  des  inicrir-t.  toiu.  20.  4.10.  p.  35*. 


A     GLOSSARY. 


367 


Uni".-(t  fteven.  p.  89.  unap- 
pointed  time,  unexpectedly. 

Untyll.  unto.  p.  154..  againfi. 

Vovded.  />.  158.  quitted,  left 
the  place. 

w. 

Wad.  s.  wold,  wolde,  would. 
Wae  worth,  s.  woe  betide. 
Waltering.  weltering. 
Wane.  p.  ii.the  fume  as  ane, 

one :  Jo  wone. ^.13.  is  one*. 
War.  p.  6.  aware. 
Waridis.  s.  nvorUs. 
Warj-fon.  reward. 
Wat.  p.    S.  wot.  know,    am 

aware. 
Wat.  s.  wet. 
Wavde.  p.  115.  waved. 
Wayward,  p.   1^1.  f toward, 

peevijb. 
Weale.  p.  in.  kappinrfs  pro- 

Jperitj. 

-Weal.  p.  15.  wail. 
Wedous.  widows. 
Weedes.  do  this. 
Weel .  tuill,  we  'will. 
Weene,ween'd.  tbink  j  thought. 
Weet.  $.  wet. 
Weil.  s.  wepe.  weep. 
Wel-away.  p.  283.  an  inter- 

jeftion  of  grief. 
Wei  of"  v\iz.fource  of  pity. 
Weme.  womb,  belly,  hollow. 
Wende.    />.     163.     listened, 

thought. 


Wend,  wends.  got  goei. 
Werke.  work. 
Weftlings.  wejlern. 
While,  p.  491.  untill. 
Whoard.  board. 
Whos.  p.  100.  wbo/9. 
Whyllys.  whilfl. 
Wight,  p.  \%$.perfon.p.  151. 

Jtrong,  lujly. 
Wigluy.  p.  85.  ftrong,  luflj, 

aSiiie,  nimble. 
VVie;litlve.  p.  4.1. 
Will.  s'.p.  7).Jbal. 
WiHulle.  p.  88.  waxSe;  ing, 

erring. 

Windling.  s.  winding. 
Winnae.  8.  will  not. 
Winfome.  s.. 


engaging. 

Wils.^.  iZo.knoiv.  wift.l«iu. 
Withouten,       witliowghtcn. 

•without. 

Wo.  woo.  p.  9.  wot. 
Woe  begone.  ^.53.  loft  intuof, 
•  over-whelmed  with  gruf. 
Won'd./>.  308.  wonn'^td.wflt. 
Wone./>.  13.  one. 
Wonderfly.  wonderly,  p.  108. 

wonderoufly. 

Wode,  wood,  mad:  wild. 
Won  DC,  dwelt. 
Woodweele.  p.  84..  or  wode- 

wilej     the  gol'ien  ouzJe,    a 

birdofthethrujk-kind.  Gle/. 

Ckauc.  The  ori%.   MS.  hat 

bere  woodweete. 

Worthe. 


*  In  fol.  355,  of  Bannatyne's  MS.  is  a  ftiort  fragment,  in 
which  '  Wane'  is  ufed  tor  '  ane'  or  '  one',  viz. 
"  Amonglt  the  Monfters  that  we  find, 
"  There's  WANE  belovved  of  woman- keind, 
"  Renowned  tor  antiquity, 
"  From  Adarae  driv*  his  pedegree." 


368  .     A    GLOSSARY. 


VVorthe.  worthy. 

Wot.  bio  iv.  w  otes.  knows. 

Wouch.  f.   9.  .mif-bjef,  e-fiL 

A.S.'pob-X  i.e.  Wohg.  maium, 
Wright.  />.  ioo.  write. 
Wrang.  s.  <zc>  ? 
Vv'reke,  wreak.  n--v£nge. 
Wringe.  p  .  ioo.  contend  iv'itb 

'violence. 
Writhe,     f.     290.    writhed, 

twifled. 

Wroken.  revenged. 
Wronge.  nvrong. 
Wul.  s.  ivill. 

Wyght,  ».  icj.Jlromr,  fujiy. 
Wyghtye.  f.  1  70.  the  jatr.e. 
Wyjd.  p.  5.  it7/i/  ^/fifr. 
Wyndvr.  p.       ivfnde,  go. 
Wynne,  f.  -15.  joy. 
\Vyftc.  />.  6.  X;;r-u,'. 

Y. 

Y  cleped.  named,  called. 
Y-con\l.  taught,  injlruScd. 
Y  fere,  together. 
Y  founcle.  JtunJ. 
Y-picking.    ^.    309.  picking) 
culling,  gathering. 


Yite.  gale. 

Ych,  yche.  (acb. 

Ych\f'e!eci.     cut      with     tt'e' 

chizzle. 

Ychcne,  p.  31.  each  we. 
Ydlc.  idle. 

Ye  bent,  y-bent.  bent.     -\  .-is^d 
Ye  f'cth,  y-feth.  injuith. 
Yee .  p.  28.  ^)-^ . 
Yenoughe.  yncughe.  enz: : 

Yeralchy.  *.  104..  hierarchy. 
Yere,  yeeie.  jf/zr,  yeiarf.  :- 
Yeiio. />.  8.  yerlle.  «ir/.    •Wo*> 
Yerly.  />.  5.  «zr/y. 
Yeilreen.  s.\ejler-ev<ni*g.&  ISM 

Yf.  //: 

Ygrorannce.  ignorance. 

Yngglifhe  Ynglyfsl  e.  " 

Ynsjlonde.    England. 

Yode,  ivent. 

Youe.  p.  j.jou. 

Yt.  ;>. 

Yth.  *.  6.  /«  the. 


Y-wetc. 

Y-wis.  />.  109.  vtrll;. 
Y-5*r<Niglit.  wrought. 
Yave.  /.  zZo.gavt, 


Z. 


Ze,  zea.  s.je 
Zcir.  s.jear 
Zei.'cw. 
Zonuer. 
Zons.  s.  young 
Zour.  s.  your. 


>'..'•••  The  printer?  have  ufrally  fubftituted  the  letter  z  to  ex- 
pre^  the  charader  3,  which  occurs  in  old  MSS  :  but  we  are  not 
to  iufpoi'e  that  this  ~  was  ever  pronounced  ac  our  modern  z  ;  it 
hacWafher  the  force  oi  y  (ami  peihaps  of  gh)  being  no  other 
than "fhc  Sra^on  letter  j,  which  roth  the  Scots  ami  EngtifKhave 
in  many  inftances  changed  into  y,  as  Jfrarit)  yard,  Ze~P-  J£^rt 

•    -  '• 
THE   END    OF   THE    GLOSSARY. 


ADDITIONS 

T  O 

THE  ESSAY  ON  THE  ORIGIN  OK  THEKNOLIIH  STAGE. 

J  T  is  noteafy  to  ascertain  the  time  when  Plays  of  Mi- 
racles began  in  England,  but  they  appear  to  have 
been  exhibited  here  very  foon  after  the  conqueft.  Mat. 
Paris  tells  us,  that  Geoffery,  afterwards  Abbot  of  St. 
Albans,  a  Norman,  who  had  been  fent  for  over  by 
Abbot  Richard  to  take  upon  him  the  direction  of  the 
fchool  of  that  monaftery,  coming  too  late,  went  to 
Dunftable,  and  taught  in  the  abby  there  ;  where  he 
caufed  to  be  adted  (probably  by  his  fcholars)  a  MIRACLE- 
PLAY  of  ST.  CATHARINE,  compofed  by  himfelf  *.  This 
was  long  before  the  year  1119,  and  probably  within  the 
nth  century.  The  above  play  of  St.  CATHARINE  was, 
for  aught  that  appears,  the  firft  fpedacle  of  this  fort  that 
was  exhibited  in  thefe  kingdoms  :  And  an  eminent 
French  Writer  thinks  it  was  even  the  firft  attempt  to- 
ivards  the  revival  of  Dramatic  Entertainments  in  all 
Europe ;  being  long  before  the  Representations  of 
MYSTERIES  in  France ;  for  thefe  did  not  begin  till  the 
year  1398  J. 

Again,  the  learned  and  ingenious  hiftorian  of  the 
council  of  Conftance  t  afcribes  to  the  Englifh  the  in- 
troduction of  Plays  into  Germany.  He  tells  us  that  the 
Emperor  having  been  abfent  from  the  council  for  fome 

*  Apud.  Duneftapliam  ....  yutnJam  ludum  de  ftnfl*  Kattrina  (<pnm 
MIIACULA  •vulganter  apfcllamus)  ftcit.  Adqutt  dtcartnda,  fttla 
a  f*e rifta  fancii  Aibani,  ut  fibi  Catee  Cboralet  accommdarentur,  tt  <J>ti- 
nuit.  Etfuit  ludm  ilk  dtfanaa  Kaurina.  Vitz  Abbat.  ad  fin.  Hift.  Mat. 
Paris,  tol.  1639.  p.  56.— We  fee  here  that  Plays  of  Miracles  tfere 
become  common  enough  in  the  time  of  Mat.  Paris,  who  flourished  about 
JZ40.  But  that  indeed  appears  from  the  more  early  account  of  FIT«- 
STEPHENS  :  f.e  p.  134.  note:  fee  alfo  the  very  correft  Edit.on  of 
this  old  writer,  with  valuable  notes,  [lately  published  by  the  Rer. 
Mr.  PEGGE,]  LonJ,  1774,  4l<>- 

tVid.AbregeChron.  del'Hift. dcFr. par M.Hn.AUi.T.al  an.  Il7f« 
f  M.  L'IKTANT.  vid.  Hift.  du  Cone,  dc  ConlUact.  v»L».p.44O' 
VOL.  I.  B  b  time. 


372       ADDITIONS    TO    ESSAY 

time,  was  at  his  return  received  with  great  rejoicings, 
and  that  the  Englifh  fathers  in  particular  did  upon 
that  occafion,  caufe  a  facred  comedy  to  be  a  died  before 
him  on  Sunday  31.  Jan.  1417;  the  fubjefts  of  which 
were:  THE  NATIVITY  OF  OUR  SAVIOUR  ;  THE  ARRI* 

VAX,  OF   THE   EASTERN    MAGI  ;      and  THE   MASSACRE  BY 

HEROD.  Thence  it  appears,  fays  this  writer,  that  the 
Germans  are  obliged  to  the  Englilh  for  the  invention  of 
this  fort  of  fpe&acles,  unknown  to  them  before  that 
period. 

But  the  fondnefs  of  our  anceftors  for  this  piece  of  dra- 
matic exhibition,  and  fome  other  curious  particulars  re- 
lating to  the  early  hiftory  of  the  Englifti  ftage,  will 
appear  from  a  large  MS.  containing  the  ESTABLISH* 

WENT    OF  THE  HOUSHOLD   OF  HENRY  PERCY    5th  Earl 

of  Northumberland  I,  Anno  Dom.  1512,  In  the  follow- 
ing Extra^s  from  this  book  it  will  be  feen  that  the  ex- 
hibiting of  the  old  myfteries  or  fcripture  plays  entered 
into  the  ftated  regulations  of  dorneftic  ceconomy  in  the 
houfes  of  our  ancient  nobility,  and  that  it  was  as  much 
the  bufinefs  of  the  Chaplain  in  thofe  days  to  compofe 
Plays  for  the  family,  as  it  is  now  for  him- to  make 
Sermons. 

I  mall  give  the  extracts  in  the  fame  order  in  which 
they  occur  in  different  parts  of  the  book,  viz. 

Seft.  I.  p.  22. 
4<  ITEM  to  be  payd for  Rewards  of  Players  for 

"  Playes  playd  in  Chriftynmas  by  ftranegers  in  my 

"  houfe  after  xx.  *d.  every  Play  by  eftimacion :  fum. 

*'  xxxiij.  s.  iiij.  d.  f. 

Seft. 

J  This  MS.  belongs  to  the  prefent  ILLUSTRIOUS  DESCEN- 
DANTS of  that  Nobleman,  who  have  with  their  ufual  condefcenfion 
been  prevailed  on  to  have  a  fmall  number  of  copies  printed  from  this 
very  curious  and  invaluable  MS.  (Lond.  1770.  8vo.)  which  fliows  be- 
yond any  other  monument  of  antiquity  now  extant  the  alrhoft  royal 
tfate  and  fplendor  of  our  ancient  Barons,  the  umber  of  their  atten- 
dants, the  regulations  of  their  houfhold,  and  the  whole  plan  of  their 
domeftic  oeconomy. 

*  This  was  not  fo  fmall  a  fum  then  as  it  may  now  appear;  for  in 
another  part  of  this  MS.  the  price  ordered  to  be  given  for  a  fat  ox  is 
but  139.  4d.  and  fora  lean  one  8s. 
•f  At  rhis  rate  the  aumber  of  Plays  aftcd  muft  hav«  been  twenty. 


ON    THE    ENGLISH    STAGE. 


373 


Sea.  y.  P.  44. 

ft  My  Lords  Chapleyns  in  houfeholde  vj.  viz.  the  Al- 
"  monar,  and  if  he  be  a  MAKER  OF  iNrtRLUDYs, 
"  than  he  to  have  a  fervaunt  to  the  intent  for  writ- 
"  tynge  of  the  parts :  and  ells  to  have  none.  The 
"  Maifler  of  gramar,  &c. 

Sea.  XLIV.  p.  HO. 

<c  ITEM,  my  lorde  ufith  and  accuitomith  to  gyf  yerely 
"  when  his  lordfhip  is  at  home  to  every  Erles  PLAV- 
"  ERS  that  comes  to  his  lordfhip  betwixt  criftynmas 
"  and  candilmas  if  he  be  his  fpeciall  lorde  and 
"  frinde  and  kinfman  —  xx  s. 
Ibid. 

"  ITEM,  my  lorde  ufith  and  accuftomyth  to  gyf  yerly 
"  when  his  lordfhip  is  at  home  to  every  Lordis 
"  PLAYERS,  that  comyth  to  his  lordfhip  betwixt  crif- 
"  tynmas  and  candilmas, — xs. 

Sea.  XLIV.  p.  343. 

"  ITEM,  my  lorde  ufith  and  accultomyth  to  gyf  yerely 
"  if  is  lordfhip  kepe  a  chapell  and  be  at  home,  them 
"  of  his  lordfchips  chapell,  if  they  doo  play  the  Play 
"  of  the  NATIVITE  uppon  criftynmas  day  in  the 
"  mornynge  in  my  lords  chapell  before  his  lord- 
*'  (hip — xxs. 

Ib.  p.  345. 

"  ITEM, to  them  of  his  lordfliips  chappell  and 

"  other  his  lordfhipis  fervaunts  that  doith  play  the 
«•  Play  before  his  lordfhip  uppon  SHROF-TEWSDAY  at 
"  night  yerely  in  reward — xs. 
Ibid. 

"ITEM to  them  ....  that  playth  the  Play  of 

"  RESURRECTION  upon  cftur  day  in  the  mornynge  in 
"  my  lordis  '  chapell '  befor  his  lordfhipe — xxs. 
Ibid.  p.  346. 

««  ITEM,  My  lorde  ufeth  and  accurtomyth  yerly  to  gif 

"  hym  which  isordcyned  to  be  the  MAISTKR  OK  THK 

"  REVELS  yerly  in  my  lordis  hous  in  crilHnmas  for 

•«  the  overfevngc  and   orderinge   of   his    lordfhip« 

B  b  2  " 


374        ADDITIONS    TO    ESSAY 

"  Playes,  Interludes  and  Drefinge  that  is  plaid  befor 
"  his  lordfhip  in  his  hous  in  the  xij  dayes  of  Criftirt- 
"  mas  and  they  to  have  a  rewarde  for  that  caus  yerly 
"  —xx.  s. 

Ibid.  p.  351. 

**  ITEM.  My  lorde  ufeth  and  accuflomyth  to  gyf  every 
"  of  the  Four  Perfons  that  his  lordfchip  admyted  as 
"  his  PLAYERS  to  come  to  his  lordfchip  yerly  at  Cry- 
*'  flynmas  and  at  all  other  fuch  tymes  as  his  lordfhip 
*'  {hall  comande  them  for  playing  of  Playes  and  Inter- 
•'  ludes  befor  his  lordfhip  in  his  lordfhipis  hous  for 
"  every  of  their  fees  for  an  hole  yere"  .... 

I  mall  conclude  this  fubjeft  with  the  following  mtf- 
cellaneous  remarks. 

THERE  is  reafon  to  think  that  about  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  great  numbers  of  PLAYS  were  printed, 
though  fo  few  of  that  age  are  now  to  be  found  ;  for 
part  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  INJUNCTIONS  in  1559  are 
particularly  dire&ed  to  the  fupprefiing  of  "  Many 
«'  Pamphlets,  PLAYES,  and  Ballads:  that  no  manner  of 
"  Perfon  {hall  enterprize  to  print  any  fuch,  &c.  but 
"  under  certain  reitridYtons."  Vid.  feft.  5. 

With  regard  to  the  Play-houfe  PRICES,  an  ancient 
fatirical  piece  called  the  "  Blacke-Booke,  Lond.  1604." 
410.  talks  of  "  the  SIXPENNY  roomes  in  play-houfes :" 
and  leaves  a  legacy  to  one  whom  he  calls  "  Arch- 
•'  tobacco-taker  of  England,  in  ordinaries,  upon 

"  STAGES  both  common  and  private." And  in  the 

"  Belmans  Night-walks  by  DECKER,  1616."  4to.  I 
find  this, — "  Pay  thy  TWO-PENCE  to  a  Player,  in  this 
"  gallery  thou  mayft  fit  by  a  harlot."  Yet  fmall  as 
thefe  PRICES  may  now  be  thought,  the  Profeflion  of  an 
Acior  appears  to  have  been  rather  lucrative;  this  might 
be  inferred  from  the  paflage  quoted  in  pag.  140. 
(Not.  d.}  to  which  may  be  added  the  following  extract 
from  **OREENE'sGroatfworth  of  wit,  1625."  410.  (Se* 
Roberto's  Talc,  Sign.  D.  3.  b.)  *'  WHAT  is  your  pro- 
6  "  fefiionf 


ON    THE    ENGLISH    STAGE.    37? 

feflion?" —  "  Truly,  Sir,  ...  I  am  a  PLAYER." 
A  Player  ?  ,  .  .  I  took  you  rather  for  a  Gentleman  of 
great  living  ;  for  if  by  outward  Habit  men  fhould  be 
cenfured,  I  tell  you,  you  would  be  taken  for  a  fub- 

ftantial  man."    "  So  1  am  where  I  dwell What 

though  the  world  once  went  hard  with   me,  when  I 

was  fayne  to  carry  my  playing-fardle  a  foot  backe : 

^Tempera  mutantur  ....  for  my  very  fhare  in  playing 

apparrell  will  not  be  fold  for  TWO  HUNDRED  pounds. 

**  ....  Nay  more,  I  can  ferve  to  make  a  pretty  fpeech, 

'*  for  I  was   a  country  Author,  paffing  at  a  MORAL, 

"  fcfr." 

Lattly,  with  regard  to  the  Decorations  of  the  Stage, 
mean  as  they  then  were,  Coryate  thought  them  fplendid 
compared  to  what  he  faw  abroad:  Speaking  of  the 
Theatre  for  Comedies  at  Venice,  he  fays,  "  The  houfe 
"  is  very  beggarly  and  bafe  in  comparifon  of  our  (lately 
*'  PLAY-HOUSES  in  England:  neythcr  can  their  actors 
•'  compare  with  ours  for  apparrell,  fliews,  and  muHcke. 
•'  Here  J  obferved  certaine  things  that  I  never  faw  be- 
"  fore:  For  I  faw  WOMEN  ACT,  a  thing  that  I  never 
"  faw  before,  though  I  have  heard  that  it  hath  been 
"  fome  times  ufed  in  London ;  and  they  performed 
"  it  with  as  good  a  grace,  action,  gcfture,  and  what- 
"  foever  convenient  for  a  Player,  as  ever  1  faw  any 
"  mafculine  Actor."  Coryate's  Crudities,  410.  1611. 
p.  247. 

It  ought  however  to  be  obferved,  that  amid  fuch  a 
multitude  of  PLAY  HOUSES  as  fubfilied  in  the  Metropo- 
lis before  the  Civil  Wars,  there  muft  have  beer. 
difference  between  their  feveral  Accommodations.  Or- 
naments,  and   Prices  ;    and  that  fome  would    be  much 
more  fhewy  than  others,  though  probably  ell  \ve;; 
inferior  in  fplendor  to  the  two  great  Theatres  after  the 
Restoration. 


THE    END   OF    THE   ESSAY. 


37$        ADDITIONAL    NOTES. 

Page  293. 

fkefe  Stanzas  infilled  MY  MIND  TO  ME  A  KING- 
DOM is,  and  ibofe  given  belmu  in  page  305,  under  the 
Title  of  THE  GOLDEN  MEAN,  'are  both  parts  of  the 
fame  Song,  being  only  feparated  by  BIRD  for  the  fake  of 
bis  Mujic. 

Page  296. 

ThefubjeB  of  this  Story  of  THE  PATIENT  COUNTESS 
is  taken  frcm  that  entertaining  Colloquy  £/~ERASMUS,  in- 
titled  *'  Uxor  'M.$i/.'\.<tyeLyLQStJicve  Conjugium  :"  rivhich  hat 
teen  agreeably  modernized  by  the  late  Mr.  Spence,  in  hit 
little  Mifcellaneous  Publication,  infilled  "  MORALITIES," 
&f.  by  Sir  Harry  Beaumont."  I753>  8vo.  pag.  42. 

THE   END   OF   THE  FIRS  T  VOLUME. 


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Thefe  FOUR  by  the  Editor  of  the  RELIO^JES, 


£  T  M  3  T  VL  O  D 
ERRATA  in  the  R  E  L  r  QJJ  E  s,  &c, 

•*•   •  tp^Q   , 3 

VOL.    I. 

^iJtjS^SfcW&s 

13.  v.  94.  r.  bal-fuk 

21.  /.  15.  r.  <W;>  .-  T£;j  /><r£tf/>j     #;</.  v.  2.  r.  Whan 

—  JVor.  /.  z.f»r  The  Orig.  MS.  r.  The  Hart.  MS. 

26.  bottom.  A  Ymzjhwldftand'tn  the  Middle  of  the  Page. 

31. .v.  in.  &/<.'  he. 

32.  -y.  113.  r.  The  Stonderds. ...  eke  fyde. 

51.  -v.  ii.  r.    There  fette 
205,  -v.  no.  r.  ra/hing 
3.58.  Note  I.  i.   r.  an-  at  prefent  void  of  deer  and  almojl  flr'ipt 

of  their  woods. 
303.  VII.  /.  7.  /«•  BASSUS  r.  Book. 

VOL.    II. 

Page       ii.  line  8.  /w  397,  read  403. 

17.  i/.  59.  r.  armed  ham. 

18.  v.  84.  r.   And  a  broche. 

—  Note,  1.  ult.  r.  faucon. 

79.  Nate.    r.  See  at  the  end  of  tilt  Ballad. 

83.  /.2.  r.f.  37*. 
106.  t/.  239.  r.  nrakeeir 

III.  /.  22.  r.   playand  pibrochs 

TZI.  /.  8.  r.  «  the  firft  Jianxa 

186.  i/.  99.  r.  tane  thee  froe 

217.  i/.  49.  <&7«  the  cclon  (  : )  after  hill :  * 

305.  qtb  line  from  the  bottom,  r.  firft  edition 

340.  i>.  89.  r.  When  he  was. 

351.  /.  5.  r.  S/r  JOHN  HAWKINS. 

VOL.    III. 

Page       x.  line  n.  rf/wf.  as  to  dragons 

—    Note  I.  3.  r.  (fee  Vol.  I.   pag.  337.) 
xxiii.  Note  (*  )  /.  1.  r.   L?  beaux 
163.  -P.  88.  a  full  Jicp  after  wafte. 
274.  -z>.  4.  r.  beauties'  queen. 


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