ANCIENT POEMS
BALLADS AND SONGS
OF THE
PEASANTRY OF ENGLAND.

TAKEN DOWN FROM ORAL RECITATION AND TRANSCRIBED FROM
PRIVATE MANUSCRIPTS, RARE BROADSIDES AND
SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.

EDITED BY ROBERT BELL

LONDON
JOHN W. PARKER AND SON WEST STRAND
1857

p. iiLONDON:
SAVILL AND EDWARDS, PRINTERS
CHANDOS STREET.

In 1846, the Percy Society issued to its members a volume entitled Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England, edited by Mr. James Henry Dixon.  The sources drawn upon by Mr. Dixon are intimated in the following extract from his preface:—

This traditional, and, for the most part, unprinted literature,—cherished in remote villages, resisting everywhere the invasion of modern namby-pamby verse and jaunty melody, and possessing, in an historical point of view, especial value as a faithful record of the feeling, usages, and modes of life of the rural population,—had been almost wholly passed over amongst the antiquarian revivals which constitute one of the distinguishing features of the present age.  While attention was successfully drawn to other forms of our early poetry, this peasant minstrelsy was scarcely touched, and might be considered unexplored ground.  There was great difficulty in collecting materials which lay scattered so widely, and which could be procured in their genuine simplicity only from the people amongst whom they originated, and with whom they are as ‘familiar as household words.’  It was even still more difficult to find an editor who combined genial literary taste with the local knowledge of character, customs, and dialect, indispensable to the collation of such reliques; and thus, although their national interest was universally recognised, they were silently permitted to fall into comparative oblivion.  To supply this manifest desideratum, Mr. Dixon compiled his volume for the Percy Society; and its pages, embracing only a selection from the rich stores he had gathered, abundantly exemplified that gentleman’s remarkable qualifications for the labour he had undertaken.  After stating in his preface that contributions from various quarters had accumulated so largely on his hands as to compel him to p. 8omit many pieces he was desirous of preserving, he thus describes generally the contents of the work:—

The novelty of the matter, and the copious resources disclosed by the editor, acquired for the volume a popularity extending far beyond the limited circle to which it was addressed; and although the edition was necessarily restricted to the members of the Percy Society, the book was quoted not only by English writers, but by some of the most distinguished archæologists on the continent.

It had always been my intention to form a collection of local songs, illustrative of popular festivals, customs, manners, and dialects.  As the merit of having anticipated, and, in a great measure, accomplished this project belongs exclusively to Mr. Dixon, so to that gentleman I have now the pleasure of tendering my acknowledgments for the means of enriching the Annotated Edition of the English Poets with a volume which, in some respects, is the most curious and interesting of the series.

Subsequently to the publication of his collection by the Percy Society, Mr. Dixon had amassed additional materials of great value; and, conscious that the work admitted of considerable improvement, both in the way of omission and augmentation, he resolved upon the preparation of a new edition.  His reasons for rejecting certain portions of the former volume are stated in the following extract from a communication with which he has obliged me, and which may be considered as his own introduction to the ensuing pages.

Bex, Canton de Vaud,
Switzerland.

The present volume differs in many important particulars from the former, of the deficiencies of which Mr. Dixon makes so frank an avowal.  It has not only undergone a careful revision, but has received additions to an extent which renders it almost a new work.  Many of there accessions are taken from extremely rare originals, and others are here printed for the first time, including amongst the latter the ballad of Earl Brand, a traditional lyric of great antiquity, long familiar to the dales of the North of England; and the Death of Queen Jane, a relic of more than ordinary intesest.  Nearly forty songs, noted down from recitation, or gathered from sources not generally accessible, have been added to the former collection, illustrative, for the most part, of historical events, country pastimes, and local customs.  Not the least suggestive feature in this department are the political songs it contains, which have long outlived the occasions that gave them birth, and which still retain their popularity, although their allusions are no longer understood.  Amongst this class of songs may be specially indicated Jack and Tom, Joan’s Ale was New, George Ridler’s Oven, and The Carrion Crow.  The songs of a strictly rural character, having reference to the occupations and intercourse of the people, possess an interest which cannot be adequately measured by their poetical pretensions.  The very defects of art with which they are chargeable, constitute their highest claim to consideration as authentic specimens of country p. 10lore.  The songs in praise of the dairy, or the plough; or in celebration of the harvest-home, or the churn-supper; or descriptive of the pleasures of the milk-maid, or the courtship in the farm-house; or those that give us glimpses of the ways of life of the waggoner, the poacher, the horse-dealer, and the boon companion of the road-side hostelrie, are no less curious for their idiomatic and primitive forms of expression, than for their pictures of rustic modes and manners.  Of special interest, too, are the songs which relate to festival and customs; such as the Sword Dancer’s Song and Interlude, the Swearing-in Song, or Rhyme, at Highgate, the Cornish Midsummer Bonfire Song, and the Fairlop Fair Song.

In the arrangement of so multifarious an anthology, gathered from nearly all parts of the kingdom, the observance of chronological order, for obvious reasons, has not been attempted; but pieces which possess any kind of affinity to each other have been kept together as nearly as other considerations would permit.

The value of this volume consists in the genuineness of its contents, and the healthiness of its tone.  While fashionable life was masquerading in imaginary Arcadias, and deluging theatres and concert rooms with shams, the English peasant remained true to the realities of his own experience, and produced and sang songs which faithfully reflected the actual life around him.  Whatever these songs describe is true to that life.  There are no fictitious raptures in them.  Love here never dresses its emotions in artificial images, nor disguises itself in the mask of a Strephon or a Daphne.  It is in this particular aspect that the poetry of the country possesses a permanent and moral interest.

R. B.

[The oldest copy of the Plain Dealing Man with which we have been able to meet is in black letter, printed by T. Vere at the sign ‘Of the Angel without Newgate.’  Vere was living in 1609.]

A crotchet comes into my mind
Concerning a proverb of old,
Plain dealing’s a jewel most rare,
And more precious than silver or gold:
And therefore with patience give ear,
And listen to what here is penned,
These verses were written on purpose
The honest man’s cause to defend.
For this I will make it appear,
And prove by experience I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

Yet some are so impudent grown,
They’ll domineer, vapour, and swagger,
And say that the plain-dealing man
Was born to die a beggar:
p. 12But men that are honestly given
Do such evil actions detest,
And every one that is well-minded
Will say that plain dealing is best.
For this I will make it appear,
And prove by experience I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

For my part I am a poor man,
And sometimes scarce muster a shilling,
Yet to live upright in the world,
Heaven knows I am wondrous willing.
Although that my clothes be threadbare,
And my calling be simple and poor,
Yet will I endeavour myself
To keep off the wolf from the door.
For this I will make it appear,
And prove by experience I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

And now, to be brief in discourse,
In plain terms I’ll tell you my mind;
My qualities you shall all know,
And to what my humour’s inclined:
I hate all dissembling base knaves
And pickthanks whoever they be,
And for painted-faced drabs, and such like,
They shall never get penny of me.
For this I will make it appear,
And prove by experience I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

Nor can I abide any tongues
That will prattle and prate against reason,
About that which doth not concern them;
Which thing is no better than treason.
p. 13Wherefore I’d wish all that do hear me
Not to meddle with matters of state,
Lest they be in question called for it,
And repent them when it is too late.
For this I will make it appear,
And prove by experience I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

O fie upon spiteful neighbours,
Whose malicious humours are bent,
And do practise and strive every day
To wrong the poor innocent.
By means of such persons as they,
There hath many a good mother’s son
Been utterly brought to decay,
Their wives and their children undone.
For this I will make it appear,
And prove by experience I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

O fie upon forsworn knaves,
That do no conscience make
To swear and forswear themselves
At every third word they do speak:
So they may get profit and gain,
They care not what lies they do tell;
Such cursed dissemblers as they
Are worse than the devils of hell.
For this I will make it appear,
And prove by experience I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

O fie upon greedy bribe takers,
’Tis pity they ever drew breath,
For they, like to base caterpillars,
Devour up the fruits of the earth.
p. 14They’re apt to take money with both hands,
On one side and also the other,
And care not what men they undo,
Though it be their own father or brother.
Therefore I will make it appear,
And show very good reasons I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

O fie upon cheaters and thieves,
That liveth by fraud and deceit;
The gallows do for such blades groan,
And the hangmen do for their clothes wait.
Though poverty be a disgrace,
And want is a pitiful grief,
’Tis better to go like a beggar
Than to ride in a cart like a thief.
For this I will make it appear,
And prove by experience I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

And now let all honest men judge,
If such men as I have here named
For their wicked and impudent dealings,
Deserveth not much to be blamed.
And now here, before I conclude,
One item to the world I will give,
Which may direct some the right way,
And teach them the better to live.
For now I have made it appear,
And many men witness it can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

1.  I’ th’ first place I’d wish you beware
What company you come in,
For those that are wicked themselves
May quickly tempt others to sin.

p. 152.  If youths be inducèd with wealth,
And have plenty of silver and gold,
I’d wish them keep something in store,
To comfort them when they are old.

3.  I have known many young prodigals,
Which have wasted their money so fast,
That they have been driven in want,
And were forcèd to beg at the last.

4.  I’d wish all men bear a good conscience,
And in all their actions be just;
For he’s a false varlet indeed
That will not be true to his trust.

And now to conclude my new song,
And draw to a perfect conclusion,
I have told you what is in my mind,
And what is my [firm] resolution.
For this I have made it appear,
And prove by experience I can,
’Tis the excellen’st thing in the world
To be a plain-dealing man.

[The following verses were copied by John Clare, the Northamptonshire peasant, from a MS. on the fly-leaves of an old book in the possession of a poor man, entitled The World’s best Wealth; a Collection of choice Councils in Verse and Prose.  Printed for A. Bettesworth, at the Red Lion in Paternoster-row, 1720.  They were written in a ‘crabbed, quaint hand, and difficult to decipher.’  Clare remitted the poem (along with the original MS.) to Montgomery, the author of The World before the Flood, &c. &c., by whom it was published in the Sheffield Iris.  Montgomery’s criticism is as follows:—‘Long as the poem appears to the eye, it will abundantly repay the trouble of perusal, being full of condensed and admirable thought, as well as diversified with exuberant imagery, and embellished with peculiar felicity of language: the moral points in the closing couplets of the stanzas are often powerfully enforced.’  Most readers will agree in the justice of these remarks.  p. 16The poem was, probably, as Clare supposes, written about the commencement of the 18th century; and the unknown author appears to have been deeply imbued with the spirit of the popular devotional writers of the preceding century, as Herbert, Quarles, &c., but seems to have modelled his smoother and more elegant versification after that of the poetic school of his own times.]

What are life’s joys and gains?
   What pleasures crowd its ways,
That man should take such pains
   To seek them all his days?
Sift this untoward strife
   On which thy mind is bent,
See if this chaff of life
   Is worth the trouble spent.

Is pride thy heart’s desire?
   Is power thy climbing aim?
Is love thy folly’s fire?
   Is wealth thy restless game?
Pride, power, love, wealth and all,
   Time’s touchstone shall destroy,
And, like base coin, prove all
   Vain substitutes for joy.

Dost think that pride exalts
   Thyself in other’s eyes,
And hides thy folly’s faults,
   Which reason will despise?
Dost strut, and turn, and stride,
   Like walking weathercocks?
The shadow by thy side
   Becomes thy ape, and mocks.

Dost think that power’s disguise
   Can make thee mighty seem?
It may in folly’s eyes,
   But not in worth’s esteem:
p. 17When all that thou canst ask,
   And all that she can give,
Is but a paltry mask
   Which tyants wear and live.

Go, let thy fancies range
   And ramble where they may;
View power in every change,
   And what is the display?
—The country magistrate,
   The lowest shade in power,
To rulers of the state,
   The meteors of an hour:—

View all, and mark the end
   Of every proud extreme,
Where flattery turns a friend,
   And counterfeits esteem;
Where worth is aped in show,
   That doth her name purloin,
Like toys of golden glow
   That’s sold for copper coin.

Ambition’s haughty nod,
   With fancies may deceive,
Nay, tell thee thou’rt a god,—
   And wilt thou such believe?
Go, bid the seas be dry,
   Go, hold earth like a ball,
Or throw her fancies by,
   For God can do it all.

Dost thou possess the dower
   Of laws to spare or kill?
Call it not heav’nly power
   When but a tyrant’s will;
Know what a God will do,
   And know thyself a fool,
Nor tyrant-like pursue
   Where He alone should rule.

p. 18Dost think, when wealth is won,
   Thy heart has its desire?
Hold ice up to the sun,
   And wax before the fire;
Nor triumph o’er the reign
   Which they so soon resign;
In this world weigh the gain,
   Insurance safe is thine.

Dost think life’s peace secure
   In houses and in land?
Go, read the fairy lure
   To twist a cord of sand;
Lodge stones upon the sky,
   Hold water in a sieve,
Nor give such tales the lie,
   And still thine own believe.

Whoso with riches deals,
   And thinks peace bought and sold,
Will find them slippery eels,
   That slide the firmest hold:
Though sweet as sleep with health,
   Thy lulling luck may be,
Pride may o’erstride thy wealth,
   And check prosperity.

Dost think that beauty’s power,
   Life’s sweetest pleasure gives?
Go, pluck the summer flower,
   And see how long it lives:
Behold, the rays glide on,
   Along the summer plain,
Ere thou canst say, they’re gone,—
   And measure beauty’s reign.

Look on the brightest eye,
   Nor teach it to be proud,
But view the clearest sky
   And thou shalt find a cloud;
p. 19Nor call each face ye meet
   An angel’s, ‘cause it’s fair,
But look beneath your feet,
   And think of what ye are.

Who thinks that love doth live
   In beauty’s tempting show,
Shall find his hopes ungive,
   And melt in reason’s thaw;
Who thinks that pleasure lies
   In every fairy bower,
Shall oft, to his surprise,
   Find poison in the flower.

Dost lawless pleasures grasp?
   Judge not thou deal’st in joy;
Its flowers but hide the asp,
   Thy revels to destroy:
Who trusts a harlot’s smile,
   And by her wiles is led,
Plays with a sword the while,
   Hung dropping o’er his head.

Dost doubt my warning song?
   Then doubt the sun gives light,
Doubt truth to teach thee wrong,
   And wrong alone as right;
And live as lives the knave,
   Intrigue’s deceiving guest,
Be tyrant, or be slave,
   As suits thy ends the best.

Or pause amid thy toils,
   For visions won and lost,
And count the fancied spoils,
   If e’er they quit the cost;
And if they still possess
   Thy mind, as worthy things,
Pick straws with Bedlam Bess,
   And call them diamond rings.

p. 20Thy folly’s past advice,
   Thy heart’s already won,
Thy fall’s above all price,
   So go, and be undone;
For all who thus prefer
   The seeming great for small,
Shall make wine vinegar,
   And sweetest honey gall.

Wouldst heed the truths I sing,
   To profit wherewithal,
Clip folly’s wanton wing,
   And keep her within call:
I’ve little else to give,
   What thou canst easy try,
The lesson how to live,
   Is but to learn to die.

[From one of Thackeray’s Catalogues, preserved in the British Museum, it appears that The Life and Age of Man was one of the productions printed by him at the ‘Angel in Duck Lane, London.’  Thackeray’s imprint is found attached to broadsides published between 1672 and 1688, and he probably commenced printing soon after the accession of Charles II.  The present reprint, the correctness of which is very questionable, is taken from a modern broadside, the editor not having been fortunate enough to meet with any earlier edition.  This old poem is said to have been a great favourite with the father of Robert Burns.]

In prime of years, when I was young,
   I took delight in youthful ways,
Not knowing then what did belong
   Unto the pleasures of those days.
At seven years old I was a child,
And subject then to be beguiled.

p. 21At two times seven I went to learn
   What discipline is taught at school:
When good from ill I could discern,
   I thought myself no more a fool:
My parents were contriving than,
How I might live when I were man.

At three times seven I waxèd wild,
   When manhood led me to be bold;
I thought myself no more a child,
   My own conceit it so me told:
Then did I venture far and near,
To buy delight at price full dear.

At four times seven I take a wife,
   And leave off all my wanton ways,
Thinking thereby perhaps to thrive,
   And save myself from sad disgrace.
So farewell my companions all,
For other business doth me call.

At five times seven I must hard strive,
   What I could gain by mighty skill;
But still against the stream I drive,
   And bowl up stones against the hill;
The more I laboured might and main,
The more I strove against the stream.

At six times seven all covetise
   Began to harbour in my breast;
My mind still then contriving was
   How I might gain this worldly wealth;
To purchase lands and live on them,
So make my children mighty men.

At seven times seven all worldly thought
   Began to harbour in my brain;
Then did I drink a heavy draught
   Of water of experience plain;
p. 22There none so ready was as I,
To purchase bargains, sell, or buy.

At eight times seven I waxèd old,
   And took myself unto my rest,
Neighbours then sought my counsel bold,
   And I was held in great request;
But age did so abate my strength,
That I was forced to yield at length.

At nine times seven take my leave
   Of former vain delights must I;
It then full sorely did me grieve—
   I fetchèd many a heavy sigh;
To rise up early, and sit up late,
My former life, I loathe and hate.

At ten times seven my glass is run,
   And I poor silly man must die;
I lookèd up, and saw the sun
   Had overcome the crystal sky.
So now I must this world forsake,
Another man my place must take.

Now you may see, as in a glass,
   The whole estate of mortal men;
How they from seven to seven do pass,
   Until they are threescore and ten;
And when their glass is fully run,
They must leave off as they begun.

[From an old copy, without printer’s name; probably one from the Aldermary Church-yard press.  Poems in triplets were very popular during the reign of Charles I., and are frequently to be met with during the Interregnum, and the reign of Charles II.]

If I could but attain my wish,
I’d have each day one wholesome dish,
Of plain meat, or fowl, or fish.

p. 23A glass of port, with good old beer,
In winter time a fire burnt clear,
Tobacco, pipes, an easy chair.

In some clean town a snug retreat,
A little garden ‘fore my gate,
With thousand pounds a year estate.

After my house expense was clear,
Whatever I could have to spare,
The neighbouring poor should freely share.

To keep content and peace through life,
I’d have a prudent cleanly wife,
Stranger to noise, and eke to strife.

Then I, when blest with such estate,
With such a house, and such a mate,
Would envy not the worldly great.

Let them for noisy honours try,
Let them seek worldly praise, while I
Unnoticèd would live and die.

But since dame Fortune’s not thought fit
To place me in affluence, yet
I’ll be content with what I get.

He’s happiest far whose humble mind,
Is unto Providence resigned,
And thinketh fortune always kind.

Then I will strive to bound my wish,
And take, instead of fowl and fish,
Whate’er is thrown into my dish.

Instead of wealth and fortune great,
Garden and house and loving mate,
I’ll rest content in servile state.

I’ll from each folly strive to fly,
Each virtue to attain I’ll try,
And live as I would wish to die.

OR, A SUDDEN CALL FROM AN EARTHLY GLORY TO THE COLD GRAVE.

In a Dialogue between Death and a Rich Man; who, in the midst of all his Wealth, received the tidings of his Last Day, to his unspeakable and sorrowful Lamentation.

To the tune of Aim not too high, [24] &c.

[The following poem, and the two that immediately follow, belong to a class of publications which have always been peculiar favourites with the peasantry, in whose cottages they may be frequently seen, neatly framed and glazed, and suspended from the white-washed walls.  They belong to the school of Quarles, and can be traced to the time when that writer was in the height of his popularity.  These religious dialogues are numerous, but the majority of them are very namby-pamby productions, and unworthy of a reprint.  The modern editions preserve the old form of the broadside of the seventeenth century, and are adorned with rude woodcuts, probably copies of ruder originals—

         —‘wooden cuts
Strange, and uncouth; dire faces, figures dire,
Sharp-kneed, sharp-elbowed, and lean-ankled too,
With long and ghostly shanks, forms which once seen,
Can never be forgotten!’—Wordsworth’s Excursion.]

DEATH.

Thou wealthy man of large possessions here,
Amounting to some thousand pounds a year,
Extorted by oppression from the poor,
The time is come that thou shalt be no more;
Thy house therefore in order set with speed,
And call to mind how you your life do lead.
Let true repentance be thy chiefest care,
And for another world now, now prepare.
For notwithstanding all your heaps of gold,
Your lands and lofty buildings manifold,
Take notice you must die this very day;
And therefore kiss your bags and come away.

p. 25RICH MAN.

[He started straight and turned his head aside,
Where seeing pale-faced Death, aloud he cried],
Lean famished slave! why do you threaten so,
Whence come you, pray, and whither must I go?

DEATH.

I come from ranging round the universe,
Through courts and kingdoms far and near I pass,
Where rich and poor, distressèd, bond and free,
Fall soon or late a sacrifice to me.
From crownèd kings to captives bound in chains
My power reaches, sir; the longest reigns
That ever were, I put a period to;
And now I’m come in fine to conquer you.

RICH MAN.

I can’t nor won’t believe that you, pale Death,
Were sent this day to stop my vital breath,
By reason I in perfect health remain,
Free from diseases, sorrow, grief, and pain;
No heavy heart, nor fainting fits have I,
And do you say that I am drawing nigh
The latter minute? sure it cannot be;
Depart, therefore, you are not sent for me!

DEATH.

Yes, yes, I am, for did you never know,
The tender grass and pleasant flowers that grow
Perhaps one minute, are the next cut down?
And so is man, though famed with high renown.
Have you not heard the doleful passing bell
Ring out for those that were alive and well
The other day, in health and pleasure too,
And had as little thoughts of death as you?
For let me tell you, when my warrant’s sealed,
The sweetest beauty that the earth doth yield
At my approach shall turn as pale as lead;
’Tis I that lay them on their dying bed.

p. 26I kill with dropsy, phthisic, stone, and gout;
But when my raging fevers fly about,
I strike the man, perhaps, but over-night,
Who hardly lives to see the morning light;
I’m sent each hour, like to a nimble page,
To infant, hoary heads, and middle age;
Time after time I sweep the world quite through;
Then it’s in vain to think I’ll favour you.

RICH MAN.

Proud Death, you see what awful sway I bear,
For when I frown none of my servants dare
Approach my presence, but in corners hide
Until I am appeased and pacified.
Nay, men of greater rank I keep in awe
Nor did I ever fear the force of law,
But ever did my enemies subdue,
And must I after all submit to you?

DEATH.

’Tis very true, for why thy daring soul,
Which never could endure the least control,
I’ll thrust thee from this earthly tenement,
And thou shalt to another world be sent.

RICH MAN.

What! must I die and leave a vast estate,
Which, with my gold, I purchased but of late?
Besides what I had many years ago?—
What! must my wealth and I be parted so?
If you your darts and arrows must let fly,
Go search the jails, where mourning debtors lie;
Release them from their sorrow, grief, and woe,
For I am rich and therefore loth to go.

DEATH.

I’ll search no jails, but the right mark I’ll hit;
And though you are unwilling to submit,
Yet die you must, no other friend can do,—
Prepare yourself to go, I’m come for you.
p. 27If you had all the world and ten times more,
Yet die you must,—there’s millions gone before;
The greatest kings on earth yield and obey,
And at my feet their crowns and sceptres lay:
If crownèd heads and right renownèd peers
Die in the prime and blossoms of their years,
Can you suppose to gain a longer space?
No!  I will send you to another place.

RICH MAN.

Oh! stay thy hand and be not so severe,
I have a hopeful son and daughter dear,
All that I beg is but to let me live
That I may them in lawful marriage give:
They being young when I am laid in the grave,
I fear they will be wronged of what they have:
Although of me you will no pity take,
Yet spare me for my little infants’ sake.

DEATH.

If such a vain excuse as this might do,
It would be long ere mortals would go through
The shades of death; for every man would find
Something to say that he might stay behind.
Yet, if ten thousand arguments they’d use,
The destiny of dying to excuse,
They’ll find it is in vain with me to strive,
For why, I part the dearest friends alive;
Poor parents die, and leave their children small
With nothing to support them here withal,
But the kind hand of gracious Providence,
Who is their father, friend, and sole defence.
Though I have held you long in disrepute,
Yet after all here with a sharp salute
I’ll put a period to your days and years,
Causing your eyes to flow with dying tears.

RICH MAN.

[Then with a groan he made this sad complaint]:
My heart is dying, and my spirits faint;
p. 28To my close chamber let me be conveyed;
Farewell, false world, for thou hast me betrayed.
Would I had never wronged the fatherless,
Nor mourning widows when in sad distress;
Would I had ne’er been guilty of that sin,
Would I had never known what gold had been;
For by the same my heart was drawn away
To search for gold: but now this very day,
I find it is but like a slender reed,
Which fails me most when most I stand in need;
For, woe is me! the time is come at last,
Now I am on a bed of sorrow cast,
Where in lamenting tears I weeping lie,
Because my sins make me afraid to die:
Oh! Death, be pleased to spare me yet awhile,
That I to God myself may reconcile,
For true repentance some small time allow;
I never feared a future state till now!
My bags of gold and land I’d freely give,
For to obtain the favour here to live,
Until I have a sure foundation laid.
Let me not die before my peace be made!

DEATH.

Thou hast not many minutes here to stay,
Lift up your heart to God without delay,
Implore his pardon now for what is past,
Who knows but He may save your soul at last?

RICH MAN.

I’ll water now with tears my dying bed,
Before the Lord my sad complaint I’ll spread,
And if He will vouchsafe to pardon me,
To die and leave this world I could be free.
False world! false world, farewell! farewell! adieu!
I find, I find, there is no trust in you!
For when upon a dying bed we lie,
Your gilded baits are nought but misery.
p. 29My youthful son and loving daughter dear,
Take warning by your dying father here;
Let not the world deceive you at this rate,
For fear a sad repentance comes too late.
Sweet babes, I little thought the other day,
I should so suddenly be snatched away
By Death, and leave you weeping here behind;
But life’s a most uncertain thing, I find.
When in the grave my head is lain full low,
Pray let not folly prove your overthrow;
Serve ye the Lord, obey his holy will,
That he may have a blessing for you still.
[Having saluted them, he turned aside,
These were the very words before he died]:

A painful life I ready am to leave,
Wherefore, in mercy, Lord, my soul receive.

[Transcribed from a copy in the British Museum, printed in London by J. C[larke]., 1659.  The idea of Death being employed to execute a writ, recalls an epitaph which we remember to have seen in a village church-yard at the foot of the Wrekin, in Shropshire, commencing thus:—

‘The King of Heaven a warrant got,
And sealèd it without delay,
And he did give the same to Death,
For him to serve straightway,’ &c.]

Upon a time when Titan’s steeds were driven
To drench themselves beneath the western heaven;
And sable Morpheus had his curtains spread,
And silent night had laid the world to bed;
’Mongst other night-birds which did seek for prey,
A blunt exciseman, which abhorred the day,
Was rambling forth to seek himself a booty
’Mongst merchant’s goods which had not paid the duty;
But walking all alone, Death chanced to meet him,
And in this manner did begin to greet him.

p. 30DEATH.

Stand, who comes here? what means this knave to peep
And skulk abroad, when honest men should sleep?
Speak, what’s thy name? and quickly tell me this,
Whither thou goest, and what thy business is?

EXCISEMAN.

Whate’er my business is, thou foul-mouthed scold,
I’d have you know I scorn to be controlled
By any man that lives; much less by thou,
Who blurtest out thou know’st not what, nor how;
I go about my lawful business; and
I’ll make you smart for bidding of me stand.

DEATH.

Imperious coxcomb! is your stomach vexed?
Pray slack your rage, and hearken what comes next:
I have a writ to take you up; therefore,
To chafe your blood, I bid you stand, once more.

EXCISEMAN.

A writ to take me up! excuse me, sir,
You do mistake, I am an officer
In public service, for my private wealth;
My business is, if any seek by stealth
To undermine the state, I do discover
Their falsehood; therefore hold your hand,—give over.

DEATH.

Nay, fair and soft! ’tis not so quickly done
As you conceive it is: I am not gone
A jot the sooner for your hasty chat,
Nor bragging language; for I tell you flat
’Tis more than so, though fortune seem to thwart us,
Such easy terms I don’t intend shall part us.
With this impartial arm I’ll make you feel
My fingers first, and with this shaft of steel
I’ll peck thy bones! as thou alive wert hated,
So dead, to dogs thou shalt be segregated.

p. 31EXCISEMAN.

I’d laugh at that; I would thou didst but dare
To lay thy fingers on me; I’d not spare
To hack thy carcass till my sword was broken,
I’d make thee eat the words which thou hast spoken;
All men should warning take by thy transgression,
How they molested men of my profession.
My service to the State is so well known,
That should I but complain, they’d quickly own
My public grievances; and give me right
To cut your ears, before to-morrow night.

DEATH.

Well said, indeed! but bootless all, for I
Am well acquainted with thy villany;
I know thy office, and thy trade is such,
Thy service little, and thy gains are much:
Thy brags are many; but ’tis vain to swagger,
And think to fight me with thy gilded dagger:
As I abhor thy person, place, and threat,
So now I’ll bring thee to the judgment-seat.

EXCISEMAN.

The judgment-seat!  I must confess that word
Doth cut my heart, like any sharpened sword:
What! come t’ account! methinks the dreadful sound
Of every word doth make a mortal wound,
Which sticks not only in my outward skin,
But penetrates my very soul within.
’Twas least of all my thoughts that ever Death
Would once attempt to stop excisemen’s breath.
But since ’tis so, that now I do perceive
You are in earnest, then I must relieve
Myself another way: come, we’ll be friends;
If I have wrongèd thee, I’ll make th’ amends.
Let’s join together; I’ll pass my word this night
Shall yield us grub, before the morning light.
Or otherwise (to mitigate my sorrow),
Stay here, I’ll bring you gold enough to-morrow.

p. 32DEATH.

To-morrow’s gold I will not have; and thou
Shalt have no gold upon to-morrow: now
My final writ shall to th’ execution have thee,
All earthly treasure cannot help or save thee.

EXCISEMAN.

Then woe is me! ah! how was I befooled!
I thought that gold (which answereth all things) could
Have stood my friend at any time to bail me!
But grief grows great, and now my trust doth fail me.
Oh! that my conscience were but clear within,
Which now is rackèd with my former sin;
With horror I behold my secret stealing,
My bribes, oppression, and my graceless dealing;
My office-sins, which I had clean forgotten,
Will gnaw my soul when all my bones are rotten:
I must confess it, very grief doth force me,
Dead or alive, both God and man doth curse me.
Let all Excisemen hereby warning take,
To shun their practice for their conscience sake.

OR LIFE AND DEATH CONTRASTED IN A DIALOGUE BETWIXT DEATH AND A LADY.

[One of Charles Lamb’s most beautiful and plaintive poems was suggested by this old dialogue.  The tune is given in Chappell’s Popular Music, p. 167.  In Carey’s Musical Century, 1738, it is called the ‘Old tune of Death and the Lady.’  The four concluding lines of the present copy of Death and the Lady are found inscribed on tomb-stones in village church-yards in every part of England.  They are not contained, however, in the broadside with which our reprint has been carefully collated.]

DEATH.

Fair lady, lay your costly robes aside,
No longer may you glory in your pride;
Take leave of all your carnal vain delight,
I’m come to summon you away this night!

p. 33LADY.

What bold attempt is this? pray let me know
From whence you come, and whither I must go?
Must I, who am a lady, stoop or bow
To such a pale-faced visage?  Who art thou?

DEATH.

Do you not know me? well! I tell thee, then,
It’s I that conquer all the sons of men!
No pitch of honour from my dart is free;
My name is Death! have you not heard of me?

LADY.

Yes!  I have heard of thee time after time,
But being in the glory of my prime,
I did not think you would have called so soon.
Why must my morning sun go down at noon?

DEATH.

Talk not of noon! you may as well be mute;
This is no time at all for to dispute:
Your riches, garments, gold, and jewels brave,
Houses and lands must all new owners have;
Though thy vain heart to riches was inclined,
Yet thou must die and leave them all behind.

LADY.

My heart is cold; I tremble at the news;
There’s bags of gold, if thou wilt me excuse,
And seize on them, and finish thou the strife
Of those that are aweary of their life.
Are there not many bound in prison strong,
In bitter grief of soul have languished long,
Who could but find the grave a place of rest,
From all the grief in which they are oppressed?
Besides, there’s many with a hoary head,
And palsy joints, by which their joys are fled;
p. 34Release thou them whose sorrows are so great,
But spare my life to have a longer date.

DEATH.

Though some by age be full of grief and pain,
Yet their appointed time they must remain:
I come to none before their warrant’s sealed,
And when it is, they must submit and yield.
I take no bribe, believe me, this is true;
Prepare yourself to go; I’m come for you.

LADY.

Death, be not so severe, let me obtain
A little longer time to live and reign!
Fain would I stay if thou my life will spare;
I have a daughter beautiful and fair,
I’d live to see her wed whom I adore:
Grant me but this and I will ask no more.

DEATH.

This is a slender frivolous excuse;
I have you fast, and will not let you loose;
Leave her to Providence, for you must go
Along with me, whether you will or no;
I, Death, command the King to leave his crown,
And at my feet he lays his sceptre down!
Then if to kings I don’t this favour give,
But cut them off, can you expect to live
Beyond the limits of your time and space!
No! I must send you to another place.

LADY.

You learnèd doctors, now express your skill,
And let not Death of me obtain his will;
Prepare your cordials, let me comfort find,
My gold shall fly like chaff before the wind.

DEATH.

Forbear to call, their skill will never do,
They are but mortals here as well as you:
p. 35I give the fatal wound, my dart is sure,
And far beyond the doctor’s skill to cure.
How freely can you let your riches fly
To purchase life, rather than yield to die!
But while you flourish here with all your store,
You will not give one penny to the poor;
Though in God’s name their suit to you they make,
You would not spare one penny for His sake!
The Lord beheld wherein you did amiss,
And calls you hence to give account for this!

LADY.

Oh! heavy news! must I no longer stay?
How shall I stand in the great judgment-day?
[Down from her eyes the crystal tears did flow:
She said], None knows what I do undergo:
Upon my bed of sorrow here I lie;
My carnal life makes me afraid to die.
My sins, alas! are many, gross and foul,
Oh, righteous Lord! have mercy on my soul!
And though I do deserve thy righteous frown,
Yet pardon, Lord, and pour a blessing down.
[Then with a dying sigh her heart did break,
And did the pleasures of this world forsake.]

Thus may we see the high and mighty fall,
For cruel Death shows no respect at all
To any one of high or low degree
Great men submit to Death as well as we.
Though they are gay, their life is but a span—
A lump of clay—so vile a creature’s man.
Then happy those whom Christ has made his care,
Who die in the Lord, and ever blessèd are.
The grave’s the market-place where all men meet,
Both rich and poor, as well as small and great.
If life were merchandise that gold could buy,
The rich would live, the poor alone would die.

OR THE PIOUS CHRISTIAN’S SPEEDY CALL TO REPENTANCE

For the many aggravating sins too much practised in our present mournful times: as Pride, Drunkenness, Blasphemous Swearing, together with the Profanation of the Sabbath; concluding with the sin of wantonness and disobedience; that upon our hearty sorrow and forsaking the same the Lord may save us for his mercy’s sake.

[From the cluster of ‘ornaments’ alluded to in the ninth verse of the following poem, we are inclined to fix the date about 1653.  The present reprint is from an old broadside, without printer’s name or date, in possession of Mr. J. R. Smith.]

You sober-minded christians now draw near,
Labour to learn these pious lessons here;
For by the same you will be taught to know
What is the cause of all our grief and woe.

We have a God who sits enthroned above;
He sends us many tokens of his love:
Yet we, like disobedient children, still
Deny to yield submission to His will.

The just command which He upon us lays,
We must confess we have ten thousand ways
Transgressed; for see how men their sins pursue,
As if they did not fear what God could do.

Behold the wretched sinner void of shame,
He values not how he blasphemes the name
Of that good God who gave him life and breath,
And who can strike him with the darts of death!

The very little children which we meet,
Amongst the sports and pastimes in the street,
We very often hear them curse and swear,
Before they’ve learned a word of any prayer.

’Tis much to be lamented, for I fear
The same they learn from what they daily hear;
Be careful then, and don’t instruct them so,
For fear you prove their dismal overthrow.

p. 37Both young and old, that dreadful sin forbear;
The tongue of man was never made to swear,
But to adore and praise the blessèd name,
By whom alone our dear salvation came.

Pride is another reigning sin likewise;
Let us behold in what a strange disguise
Young damsels do appear, both rich and poor;
The like was ne’er in any age before.

What artificial ornaments they wear,
Black patches, paint, and locks of powdered hair;
Likewise in lofty hoops they are arrayed,
As if they would correct what God had made.

Yet let ’em know, for all those youthful charms,
They must lie down in death’s cold frozen arms!
Oh think on this, and raise your thoughts above
The sin of pride, which you so dearly love.

Likewise, the wilful sinners that transgress
The righteous laws of God by drunkenness,
They do abuse the creatures which were sent
Purely for man’s refreshing nourishment.

Many diseases doth that sin attend,
But what is worst of all, the fatal end:
Let not the pleasures of a quaffing bowl
Destroy and stupify thy active soul.

Perhaps the jovial drunkard over night,
May seem to reap the pleasures of delight,
While for his wine he doth in plenty call;
But oh! the sting of conscience, after all,

Is like a gnawing worm upon the mind.
Then if you would the peace of conscience find,
A sober conversation learn with speed,
For that’s the sweetest life that man can lead.

Be careful that thou art not drawn away,
By foolishness, to break the Sabbath-day;
Be constant at the pious house of prayer,
That thou mayst learn the christian duties there.

p. 38For tell me, wherefore should we carp and care
For what we eat and drink, and what we wear;
And the meanwhile our fainting souls exclude
From that refreshing sweet celestial food?

Yet so it is, we, by experience, find
Many young wanton gallants seldom mind
The church of God, but scornfully deride
That sacred word by which they must be tried.

A tavern, or an alehouse, they adore,
And will not come within the church before
They’re brought to lodge under a silent tomb,
And then who knows how dismal is their doom!

Though for awhile, perhaps, they flourish here,
And seem to scorn the very thoughts of fear,
Yet when they’re summoned to resign their breath,
They can’t outbrave the bitter stroke of death!

Consider this, young gallants, whilst you may,
Swift-wingèd time and tide for none will stay;
And therefore let it be your christian care,
To serve the Lord, and for your death prepare.

There is another crying sin likewise:
Behold young gallants cast their wanton eyes
On painted harlots, which they often meet
At every creek and corner of the street,

By whom they are like dismal captives led
To their destruction; grace and fear is fled,
Till at the length they find themselves betrayed,
And for that sin most sad examples made.

Then, then, perhaps, in bitter tears they’ll cry,
With wringing hands, against their company,
Which did betray them to that dismal state!
Consider this before it is too late.

Likewise, sons and daughters, far and near,
Honour your loving friends, and parents dear;
Let not your disobedience grieve them so,
Nor cause their agèd eyes with tears to flow.

p. 39What a heart-breaking sorrow it must be,
To dear indulgent parents, when they see
Their stubborn children wilfully run on
Against the wholesome laws of God and man!

Oh! let these things a deep impression make
Upon your hearts, with speed your sins forsake;
For, true it is, the Lord will never bless
Those children that do wilfully transgress.

Now, to conclude, both young and old I pray,
Reform your sinful lives this very day,
That God in mercy may his love extend,
And bring the nation’s troubles to an end.

[The following old poem was long ascribed, on apparently sufficient grounds, to the Rev. Ralph Erskine, or, as he designated himself, ‘Ralph Erskine, V.D.M.’  The peasantry throughout the north of England always call it ‘Erskine’s song,’ and not only is his name given as the author in numerous chap-books, but in his own volume of Gospel Sonnets, from an early copy of which our version is transcribed.  The discovery however, by Mr. Collier, of the First Part in a MS. temp. Jac. I., with the initials G. W. affixed to it, has disposed of Erskine’s claim to the honour of the entire authorship.  G. W. is supposed to be George Withers; but this is purely conjectural; and it is not at all improbable that G. W. really stands for W. G., as it was a common practice amongst anonymous writers to reverse their initials.  The history, then, of the poem, seems to be this: that the First Part, as it is now printed, originally constituted the whole production, being complete in itself; that the Second Part was afterwards added by the Rev. Ralph Erskine; and that both parts came subsequently to be ascribed to him, as his was the only name published in connexion with the song.  The Rev. Ralph Erskine was born at Monilaws, Northumberland, on the 15th March, 1685.  He was one of the thirty-three children of Ralph Erskine of Shieldfield, a family of repute descended from the ancient house of Marr.  He was educated at the college in Edinburgh, obtained his licence to preach in June, 1709, and was ordained, on an unanimous invitation, over the church at Dunfermline p. 40in August, 1711.  He was twice married: in 1714 to Margaret Dewar, daughter of the Laird of Lassodie, by whom he had five sons and five daughters, all of whom died in the prime of life; and in 1732 to Margaret, daughter of Mr. Simson of Edinburgh, by whom he had four sons, one of whom, with his wife, survived him.  He died in November, 1752.  Erskine was the author of a great number of Sermons; a Paraphrase on the Canticles; Scripture Songs; a Treatise on Mental Images; and Gospel Sonnets.

Smoking Spiritualized is, at the present day, a standard publication with modern ballad-printers, but their copies are exceedingly corrupt.  Many versions and paraphrases of the song exist.  Several are referred to in Notes and Queries, and, amongst them, a broadside of the date of 1670, and another dated 1672 (both printed before Erskine was born), presenting different readings of the First Part, or original poem.  In both these the burthen, or refrain, differs from that of our copy by the employment of the expression ‘drink tobacco,’ instead of ‘smoke tobacco.’  The former was the ancient term for drawing in the smoke, swallowing it, and emitting it through the nostrils.  A correspondent of Notes and Queries says, that the natives of India to this day use the phrase ‘hooka peue,’ to drink the hooka.]

PART I.

This Indian weed, now withered quite,
Though green at noon, cut down at night,
      Shows thy decay;
      All flesh is hay:
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

The pipe so lily-like and weak,
Does thus thy mortal state bespeak;
      Thou art e’en such,—
      Gone with a touch:
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

And when the smoke ascends on high,
Then thou behold’st the vanity
      Of worldly stuff,
      Gone with a puff:
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

p. 41And when the pipe grows foul within,
Think on thy soul defiled with sin;
      For then the fire
      It does require:
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

And seest the ashes cast away,
Then to thyself thou mayest say,
      That to the dust
      Return thou must.
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

PART II.

Was this small plant for thee cut down?
So was the plant of great renown,
      Which Mercy sends
      For nobler ends.
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

Doth juice medicinal proceed
From such a naughty foreign weed?
      Then what’s the power
      Of Jesse’s flower?
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

The promise, like the pipe, inlays,
And by the mouth of faith conveys,
      What virtue flows
      From Sharon’s rose.
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

In vain the unlighted pipe you blow,
Your pains in outward means are so,
      Till heavenly fire
      Your heart inspire.
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

The smoke, like burning incense, towers,
So should a praying heart of yours,
      With ardent cries,
      Surmount the skies.
         Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

[This is a very ancient production, though given from a modern copy; it has always been popular amongst the poor ‘brethren of the mystic tie.’  The late Henry O’Brien, A.B., quotes the seventh verse in his essay On the Round Towers of Ireland.  He generally had a common copy of the hymn in his pocket, and on meeting with any of his antiquarian friends who were not Masons, was in the habit of thrusting it into their hands, and telling them that if they understood the mystic allusions it contained, they would be in possession of a key which would unlock the pyramids of Egypt!  The tune to the hymn is peculiar to it, and is of a plaintive and solemn character.]

Come all you freemasons that dwell around the globe,
That wear the badge of innocence, I mean the royal robe,
Which Noah he did wear when in the ark he stood,
When the world was destroyed by a deluging flood.

Noah he was virtuous in the sight of the Lord,
He loved a freemason that kept the secret word;
For he built the ark, and he planted the first vine,
Now his soul in heaven like an angel doth shine.

Once I was blind, and could not see the light,
Then up to Jerusalem I took my flight,
I was led by the evangelist through a wilderness of care,
You may see by the sign and the badge that I wear.

On the 13th rose the ark, let us join hand in hand,
For the Lord spake to Moses by water and by land,
Unto the pleasant river where by Eden it did rin,
And Eve tempted Adam by the serpent of sin.

When I think of Moses it makes me to blush,
All on mount Horeb where I saw the burning bush;
My shoes I’ll throw off, and my staff I’ll cast away,
And I’ll wander like a pilgrim unto my dying day.

When I think of Aaron it makes me to weep,
Likewise of the Virgin Mary who lay at our Saviour’s feet;
p. 43’Twas in the garden of Gethsemane where he had the bloody sweat;
Repent, my dearest brethren, before it is too late.

I thought I saw twelve dazzling lights, which put me in surprise,
And gazing all around me I heard a dismal noise;
The serpent passèd by me which fell unto the ground,
With great joy and comfort the secret word I found.

Some say it is lost, but surely it is found,
And so is our Saviour, it is known to all around;
Search all the Scriptures over, and there it will be shown;
The tree that will bear no fruit must be cut down.

Abraham was a man well belovèd by the Lord,
He was true to be found in great Jehovah’s word,
He stretchèd forth his hand, and took a knife to slay his son,
An angel appearing said, The Lord’s will be done!

O, Abraham! O, Abraham! lay no hand upon the lad,
He sent him unto thee to make thy heart glad;
Thy seed shall increase like stars in the sky,
And thy soul into heaven like Gabriel shall fly.

O, never, O, never will I hear an orphan cry,
Nor yet a gentle virgin until the day I die;
You wandering Jews that travel the wide world round,
May knock at the door where truth is to be found.

Often against the Turks and Infidels we fight,
To let the wandering world know we’re in the right,
For in heaven there’s a lodge, and St. Peter keeps the door,
And none can enter in but those that are pure.

St. Peter he opened, and so we entered in,
Into the holy seat secure, which is all free from sin;
St. Peter he opened, and so we entered there,
And the glory of the temple no man can compare.

A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE HUSBANDMAN AND SERVINGMAN.

The tune is, I am the Duke of Norfolk.

[This ancient dialogue, though in a somewhat altered form (see the ensuing poem), has long been used at country merry-makings.  It is transcribed from a black-letter copy in the third volume of the Roxburgh collection, apparently one of the imprints of Peter Brooksby, which would make the composition at least as old as the close of the fifteenth century.  There are several dialogues of a similar character.]

ARGUMENT.

The servingman the plowman would invite
To leave his calling and to take delight;
But he to that by no means will agree,
Lest he thereby should come to beggary.
He makes it plain appear a country life
Doth far excel: and so they end the strife.

My noble friends give ear, if mirth you love to hear,
I’ll tell you as fast as I can,
A story very true, then mark what doth ensue,
Concerning of a husbandman.
A servingman did meet a husbandman in the street,
And thus unto him began:

SERVINGMAN.

I pray you tell to me of what calling you be,
Or if you be a servingman?

HUSBANDMAN.

Quoth he, my brother dear, the coast I mean to clear,
And the truth you shall understand:
I do no one disdain, but this I tell you plain,
I am an honest husbandman.

SERVINGMAN.

If a husbandman you be, then come along with me,
I’ll help you as soon as I can
Unto a gallant place, where in a little space,
You shall be a servingman.

p. 45HUSBANDMAN.

Sir, for your diligence I give you many thanks,
These things I receive at your hand;
I pray you to me show, whereby that I might know,
What pleasures hath a servingman?

SERVINGMAN.

A servingman hath pleasure, which passeth time and measure,
When the hawk on his fist doth stand;
His hood, and his verrils brave, and other things, we have,
Which yield joy to a servingman.

HUSBANDMAN.

My pleasure’s more than that to see my oxen fat,
And to prosper well under my hand;
And therefore I do mean, with my horse, and with my team,
To keep myself a husbandman.

SERVINGMAN.

O ’tis a gallant thing in the prime time of the spring,
To hear the huntsman now and than
His bugle for to blow, and the hounds run all a row:
This is pleasure for a servingman!
To hear the beagle cry, and to see the falcon fly,
And the hare trip over the plain,
And the huntsmen and the hound make hill and dale rebound:
This is pleasure for a servingman!

HUSBANDMAN.

’Tis pleasure, too, you know, to see the corn to grow,
And to grow so well on the land;
The plowing and the sowing, the reaping and the mowing,
Yield pleasure to the husbandman.

SERVINGMAN.

At our table you may eat all sorts of dainty meat,
Pig, cony, goose, capon, and swan;
And with lords and ladies fine, you may drink beer, ale, and wine!
This is pleasure for a servingman.

p. 46HUSBANDMAN.

While you eat goose and capon, I’ll feed on beef and bacon,
And piece of hard cheese now and than;
We pudding have, and souse, always ready in the house,
Which contents the honest husbandman.

SERVINGMAN.

At the court you may have your garments fine and brave,
And cloak with gold lace laid upon,
A shirt as white as milk, and wrought with finest silk:
That’s pleasure for a servingman!

HUSBANDMAN.

Such proud and costly gear is not for us to wear;
Amongst the briers and brambles many a one,
A good strong russet coat, and at your need a groat,
Will suffice the husbandman.
A proverb here I tell, which likes my humour well,
And remember it well I can,
If a courtier be too bold, he’ll want when he is old.
Then farewell the servingman.

SERVINGMAN.

It needs must be confest that your calling is the best,
No longer discourse with you I can;
But henceforth I will pray, by night and by day,
Heaven bless the honest husbandman.

[This traditional version of the preceding ancient dialogue has long been popular at country festivals.  At a harvest-home feast at Selborne, in Hampshire, in 1836, we heard it recited by two countrymen, who gave it with considerable humour, and dramatic effect.  It was delivered in a sort of chant, or recitative.  Davies Gilbert published a very similar copy in his p. 47Ancient Christmas Carols.  In the modern printed editions, which are almost identical with ours, the term ‘servantman’ has been substituted for the more ancient designation.]

SERVINGMAN.

Well met, my brother friend, all at this highway end,
   So simple all alone, as you can,
I pray you tell to me, what may your calling be,
   Are you not a servingman?

HUSBANDMAN.

No, no, my brother dear, what makes you to inquire
   Of any such a thing at my hand?
Indeed I shall not feign, but I will tell you plain,
   I am a downright husbandman.

SERVINGMAN.

If a husbandman you be, then go along with me,
   And quickly you shall see out of hand,
How in a little space I will help you to a place,
   Where you may be a servingman.

HUSBANDMAN.

Kind sir! I ‘turn you thanks for your intelligence,
   These things I receive at your hand;
But something pray now show, that first I may plainly know
   The pleasures of a servingman.

SERVINGMAN.

Why a servingman has pleasure beyond all sort of measure,
   With his hawk on his fist, as he does stand;
For the game that he does kill, and the meat that does him fill,
   Are pleasures for the servingman.

HUSBANDMAN.

And my pleasure’s more than that, to see my oxen fat,
   And a good stock of hay by them stand;
My plowing and my sowing, my reaping and my mowing,
   Are pleasures for the husbandman.

p. 48SERVINGMAN.

Why it is a gallant thing to ride out with a king,
   With a lord, duke, or any such man;
To hear the horns to blow, and see the hounds all in a row,
   That is pleasure for the servingman.

HUSBANDMAN.

But my pleasure’s more I know, to see my corn to grow,
   So thriving all over my land;
And, therefore, I do mean, with my plowing with my team,
   To keep myself a husbandman.

SERVINGMAN.

Why the diet that we eat is the choicest of all meat,
   Such as pig, goose, capon, and swan;
Our pastry is so fine, we drink sugar in our wine,
   That is living for the servingman.

HUSBANDMAN.

Talk not of goose nor capon, give me good beef or bacon,
   And good bread and cheese, now at hand;
With pudding, brawn, and souse, all in a farmer’s house,
   That is living for the husbandman.

SERVINGMAN.

Why the clothing that we wear is delicate and rare,
   With our coat, lace, buckles, and band;
Our shirts are white as milk, and our stockings they are silk,
   That is clothing for a servingman.

HUSBANDMAN.

But I value not a hair your delicate fine wear,
   Such as gold is laced upon;
Give me a good grey coat, and in my purse a groat,
   That is clothing for the husbandman.

SERVINGMAN.

Kind sir! it would be bad if none could be had
   Those tables for to wait upon;
There is no lord, duke, nor squire, nor member for the shire,
   Can do without a servingman.

p. 49HUSBANDMAN.

But, Jack! it would be worse if there was none of us
   To follow the plowing of the land;
There is neither king, lord, nor squire, nor member for the shire,
   Can do without the husbandman.

SERVINGMAN.

Kind sir! I must confess’t, and I humbly protest
   I will give you the uppermost hand;
Although your labour’s painful, and mine it is so very gainful,
   I wish I were a husbandman.

HUSBANDMAN.

So come now, let us all, both great as well as small,
   Pray for the grain of our land;
And let us, whatsoever, do all our best endeavour,
   For to maintain the good husbandman.

[The following ingenious production has been copied literally from a broadside posted against the ‘parlour’ wall of a country inn in Gloucestershire.  The verses are susceptible of two interpretations, being Catholic if read in the columns, but Protestant if read across.]

(TRADITIONAL.)

[The Three Knights was first printed by the late Davies Gilbert, F.R.S., in the appendix to his work on Christmas Carols.  Mr. Gilbert thought that some verses were wanting after the eighth stanza; but we entertain a different opinion.  A conjectural emendation made in the ninth verse, viz., the substitution of far for for, seems to render the ballad perfect.  The ballad is still popular amongst the peasantry in the West of England.  The tune is given by Gilbert.  The refrain, in the second and fourth lines, printed with the first verse, should be repeated in recitation in every verse.]

There did three Knights come from the west,
With the high and the lily oh!
And these three Knights courted one ladye,
As the rose was so sweetly blown.
The first Knight came was all in white,
And asked of her if she’d be his delight.
The next Knight came was all in green,
And asked of her if she’d be his queen.
The third Knight came was all in red,
And asked of her if she would wed.
‘Then have you asked of my father dear?
Likewise of her who did me bear?
‘And have you asked of my brother John?
And also of my sister Anne?’
‘Yes, I’ve asked of your father dear,
Likewise of her who did you bear.
‘And I’ve asked of your sister Anne,
But I’ve not asked of your brother John.’
Far on the road as they rode along,
There did they meet with her brother John.
p. 51She stoopèd low to kiss him sweet,
He to her heart did a dagger meet. [51]
‘Ride on, ride on,’ cried the servingman,
‘Methinks your bride she looks wondrous wan.’
‘I wish I were on yonder stile,
For there I would sit and bleed awhile.
‘I wish I were on yonder hill,
There I’d alight and make my will.’
‘What would you give to your father dear?’
‘The gallant steed which doth me bear.’
‘What would you give to your mother dear?’
‘My wedding shift which I do wear.
‘But she must wash it very clean,
For my heart’s blood sticks in every seam.’
‘What would you give to your sister Anne?’
‘My gay gold ring, and my feathered fan.’
‘What would you give to your brother John?’
‘A rope, and a gallows to hang him on.’
‘What would you give to your brother John’s wife?’
‘A widow’s weeds, and a quiet life.’

SHOWING HOW HIS DAUGHTER WAS MARRIED TO A KNIGHT, AND HAD THREE THOUSAND POUND TO HER PORTION.

[Percy’s copy of The Beggar’s Daughter of Bednall Green is known to be very incorrect: besides many alterations and improvements which it received at the hands of the Bishop, it contains no less than eight stanzas written by Robert Dodsley, the author of The Economy of Human Life.  So far as poetry is concerned, there cannot be a question that the version in the Reliques is far superior to the original, which is still a popular favourite, and a correct copy of which is now given, as it appears in all the p. 52common broadside editions that have been printed from 1672 to the present time.  Although the original copies have all perished, the ballad has been very satisfactorily proved by Percy to have been written in the reign of Elizabeth.  The present reprint is from a modern copy, carefully collated with one in the Bagford Collection, entitled,

‘The rarest ballad that ever was seen,
Of the Blind Beggar’s Daughter of Bednal Green.’

The imprint to it is, ‘Printed by and for W. Onley; and are to be sold by C. Bates, at the sign of the Sun and Bible, in Pye Corner.’  The very antiquated orthography adopted in some editions does not rest on any authority.  For two tunes to The Blind Beggar, see Popular Music.]

PART I.

This song’s of a beggar who long lost his sight,
And had a fair daughter, most pleasant and bright,
And many a gallant brave suitor had she,
And none was so comely as pretty Bessee.

And though she was of complexion most fair,
And seeing she was but a beggar his heir,
Of ancient housekeepers despisèd was she,
Whose sons came as suitors to pretty Bessee.

Wherefore in great sorrow fair Bessee did say:
‘Good father and mother, let me now go away,
To seek out my fortune, whatever it be.’
This suit then was granted to pretty Bessee.

This Bessee, that was of a beauty most bright,
They clad in grey russet; and late in the night
From father and mother alone parted she,
Who sighèd and sobbèd for pretty Bessee.

She went till she came to Stratford-at-Bow,
Then she know not whither or which way to go,
With tears she lamented her sad destiny;
So sad and so heavy was pretty Bessee.

She kept on her journey until it was day,
And went unto Rumford, along the highway;
And at the King’s Arms entertainèd was she,
So fair and well favoured was pretty Bessee.

p. 53She had not been there one month at an end,
But master and mistress and all was her friend:
And every brave gallant that once did her see,
Was straightway in love with pretty Bessee.

Great gifts they did send her of silver and gold,
And in their songs daily her love they extolled:
Her beauty was blazèd in every decree,
So fair and so comely was pretty Bessee.

The young men of Rumford in her had their joy,
She showed herself courteous, but never too coy,
And at their commandment still she would be,
So fair and so comely was pretty Bessee.

Four suitors at once unto her did go,
They cravèd her favour, but still she said no;
I would not have gentlemen marry with me!
Yet ever they honourèd pretty Bessee.

Now one of them was a gallant young knight,
And he came unto her disguised in the night;
The second, a gentleman of high degree,
Who wooèd and suèd for pretty Bessee.

A merchant of London, whose wealth was not small,
Was then the third suitor, and proper withal;
Her master’s own son the fourth man must be,
Who swore he would die for pretty Bessee.

‘If that thou wilt marry with me,’ quoth the knight,
‘I’ll make thee a lady with joy and delight;
My heart is enthrallèd in thy fair beauty,
Then grant me thy favour, my pretty Bessee.’

The gentleman said, ‘Come marry with me,
In silks and in velvet my Bessee shall be;
My heart lies distracted, oh! hear me,’ quoth he,
‘And grant me thy love, my dear pretty Bessee.’

‘Let me be thy husband,’ the merchant did say,
‘Thou shalt live in London most gallant and gay;
My ships shall bring home rich jewels for thee,
And I will for ever love pretty Bessee.’

p. 54Then Bessee she sighèd and thus she did say:
‘My father and mother I mean to obey;
First get their good will, and be faithful to me,
And you shall enjoy your dear pretty Bessee.’

To every one of them that answer she made,
Therefore unto her they joyfully said:
‘This thing to fulfil we all now agree,
But where dwells thy father, my pretty Bessee?’

‘My father,’ quoth she, ‘is soon to be seen:
The silly blind beggar of Bednall Green,
That daily sits begging for charity,
He is the kind father of pretty Bessee.

‘His marks and his token are knowen full well,
He always is led by a dog and a bell;
A poor silly old man, God knoweth, is he,
Yet he’s the true father of pretty Bessee.’

‘Nay, nay,’ quoth the merchant, ‘thou art not for me.’
‘She,’ quoth the innholder, ‘my wife shall not be.’
‘I loathe,’ said the gentleman, ‘a beggar’s degree,
Therefore, now farewell, my pretty Bessee.’

‘Why then,’ quoth the knight, ‘hap better or worse,
I weigh not true love by the weight of the purse,
And beauty is beauty in every degree,
Then welcome to me, my dear pretty Bessee.

‘With thee to thy father forthwith I will go.’
‘Nay, forbear,’ quoth his kinsman, ‘it must not be so:
A poor beggar’s daughter a lady shan’t be;
Then take thy adieu of thy pretty Bessee.’

As soon then as it was break of the day,
The knight had from Rumford stole Bessee away;
The young men of Rumford, so sick as may be,
Rode after to fetch again pretty Bessee.

As swift as the wind to ride they were seen,
Until they came near unto Bednall Green,
And as the knight lighted most courteously,
They fought against him for pretty Bessee.

p. 55But rescue came presently over the plain,
Or else the knight there for his love had been slain;
The fray being ended, they straightway did see
His kinsman come railing at pretty Bessee.

Then bespoke the blind beggar, ‘Although I be poor,
Rail not against my child at my own door,
Though she be not deckèd in velvet and pearl,
Yet I will drop angels with thee for my girl;

‘And then if my gold should better her birth,
And equal the gold you lay on the earth,
Then neither rail you, nor grudge you to see
The blind beggar’s daughter a lady to be.

‘But first, I will hear, and have it well known,
The gold that you drop it shall be all your own.’
With that they replièd, ‘Contented we be!’
‘Then here’s,’ quoth the beggar, ‘for pretty Bessee!’

With that an angel he dropped on the ground,
And droppèd, in angels, full three thousand pound;
And oftentimes it proved most plain,
For the gentleman’s one, the beggar dropped twain;

So that the whole place wherein they did sit,
With gold was coverèd every whit.
The gentleman having dropped all his store,
Said, ‘Beggar! your hand hold, for I have no more.’

‘Thou hast fulfillèd thy promise aright,
Then marry my girl,’ quoth he to the knight;
‘And then,’ quoth he, ‘I will throw you down,
An hundred pound more to buy her a gown.’

The gentlemen all, who his treasure had seen,
Admirèd the beggar of Bednall Green;
And those that had been her suitors before,
Their tender flesh for anger they tore.

Thus was the fair Bessee matchèd to a knight,
And made a lady in other’s despite.
A fairer lady there never was seen
Than the blind beggar’s daughter of Bednall Green.

p. 56But of her sumptuous marriage and feast,
And what fine lords and ladies there prest,
The second part shall set forth to your sight,
With marvellous pleasure and wished-for delight.

Of a blind beggar’s daughter so bright,
That late was betrothed to a young knight,
All the whole discourse therefore you may see;
But now comes the wedding of pretty Bessee.

PART II.

It was in a gallant palace most brave,
Adornèd with all the cost they could have,
This wedding it was kept most sumptuously,
And all for the love of pretty Bessee.

And all kind of dainties and delicates sweet,
Was brought to their banquet, as it was thought meet,
Partridge, and plover, and venison most free,
Against the brave wedding of pretty Bessee.

The wedding through England was spread by report,
So that a great number thereto did resort
Of nobles and gentles of every degree,
And all for the fame of pretty Bessee.

To church then away went this gallant young knight,
His bride followed after, an angel most bright,
With troops of ladies, the like was ne’er seen,
As went with sweet Bessee of Bednall Green.

This wedding being solemnized then,
With music performèd by skilfullest men,
The nobles and gentlemen down at the side,
Each one beholding the beautiful bride.

But after the sumptuous dinner was done,
To talk and to reason a number begun,
And of the blind beggar’s daughter most bright;
And what with his daughter he gave to the knight.

Then spoke the nobles, ‘Much marvel have we
This jolly blind beggar we cannot yet see!’
p. 57‘My lords,’ quoth the bride, ‘my father so base
Is loth with his presence these states to disgrace.’

‘The praise of a woman in question to bring,
Before her own face is a flattering thing;
But we think thy father’s baseness,’ quoth they,
‘Might by thy beauty be clean put away.’

They no sooner this pleasant word spoke,
But in comes the beggar in a silken cloak,
A velvet cap and a feather had he,
And now a musician, forsooth, he would be.

And being led in from catching of harm,
He had a dainty lute under his arm,
Said, ‘Please you to hear any music of me,
A song I will sing you of pretty Bessee.’

With that his lute he twangèd straightway,
And thereon began most sweetly to play,
And after a lesson was played two or three,
He strained out this song most delicately:—

‘A beggar’s daughter did dwell on a green,
Who for her beauty may well be a queen,
A blithe bonny lass, and dainty was she,
And many one callèd her pretty Bessee.

‘Her father he had no goods nor no lands,
But begged for a penny all day with his hands,
And yet for her marriage gave thousands three,
Yet still he hath somewhat for pretty Bessee.

‘And here if any one do her disdain,
Her father is ready with might and with main
To prove she is come of noble degree,
Therefore let none flout at my pretty Bessee.’

With that the lords and the company round
With a hearty laughter were ready to swound;
At last said the lords, ‘Full well we may see,
The bride and the bridegroom’s beholden to thee.’

With that the fair bride all blushing did rise,
With crystal water all in her bright eyes,
p. 58‘Pardon my father, brave nobles,’ quoth she,
‘That through blind affection thus doats upon me.’

‘If this be thy father,’ the nobles did say,
‘Well may he be proud of this happy day,
Yet by his countenance well may we see,
His birth with his fortune could never agree;

And therefore, blind beggar, we pray thee bewray,
And look to us then the truth thou dost say,
Thy birth and thy parentage what it may be,
E’en for the love thou bearest pretty Bessee.’

‘Then give me leave, ye gentles each one,
A song more to sing and then I’ll begone,
And if that I do not win good report,
Then do not give me one groat for my sport:—

‘When first our king his fame did advance,
And sought his title in delicate France,
In many places great perils passed he;
But then was not born my pretty Bessee.

‘And at those wars went over to fight,
Many a brave duke, a lord, and a knight,
And with them young Monford of courage so free;
But then was not born my pretty Bessee.

‘And there did young Monford with a blow on the face
Lose both his eyes in a very short space;
His life had been gone away with his sight,
Had not a young woman gone forth in the night.

‘Among the said men, her fancy did move,
To search and to seek for her own true love,
Who seeing young Monford there gasping to die,
She savèd his life through her charity.

‘And then all our victuals in beggar’s attire,
At the hands of good people we then did require;
At last into England, as now it is seen,
We came, and remainèd in Bednall Green.

‘And thus we have livèd in Fortune’s despite,
Though poor, yet contented with humble delight,
p. 59And in my old years, a comfort to me,
God sent me a daughter called pretty Bessee.

And thus, ye nobles, my song I do end,
Hoping by the same no man to offend;
Full forty long winters thus I have been,
A silly blind beggar of Bednall Green.’

Now when the company every one,
Did hear the strange tale he told in his song,
They were amazèd, as well they might be,
Both at the blind beggar and pretty Bessee.

With that the fair bride they all did embrace,
Saying, ‘You are come of an honourable race,
Thy father likewise is of high degree,
And thou art right worthy a lady to be.’

Thus was the feast ended with joy and delight,
A happy bridegroom was made the young knight,
Who lived in great joy and felicity,
With his fair lady dear pretty Bessee.

[This ballad is of considerable antiquity, and no doubt much older than some of those inserted in the common Garlands.  It appears to have escaped the notice of Ritson, Percy, and other collectors of Robin Hood ballads.  The tune is given in Popular Music.  An aged woman in Bermondsey, Surrey, from whose oral recitation the present version was taken down, said that she had often heard her grandmother sing it, and that it was never in print; but we have since met with several common stall copies.  The subject is the same as that of the old ballad called Robin Hood newly revived; or, the Meeting and Fighting with his Cousin Scarlett.]

There chanced to be a pedlar bold,
   A pedlar bold he chanced to be;
He rolled his pack all on his back,
   And he came tripping o’er the lee.
      Down, a down, a down, a down,
         Down, a down, a down.

p. 60By chance he met two troublesome blades,
   Two troublesome blades they chanced to be;
The one of them was bold Robin Hood,
   And the other was Little John, so free.

‘Oh! pedlar, pedlar, what is in thy pack,
   Come speedilie and tell to me?’
‘I’ve several suits of the gay green silks,
   And silken bowstrings two or three.’

‘If you have several suits of the gay green silk,
   And silken bowstrings two or three,
Then it’s by my body,’ cries bittle John,
   ‘One half your pack shall belong to me.’

Oh! nay, oh! nay,’ says the pedlar bold,
   ‘Oh! nay, oh! nay, that never can be,
For there’s never a man from fair Nottingham
   Can take one half my pack from me.’

Then the pedlar he pulled off his pack,
   And put it a little below his knee,
Saying, ‘If you do move me one perch from this,
   My pack and all shall gang with thee.’

Then Little John he drew his sword;
   The pedlar by his pack did stand;
They fought until they both did sweat,
   Till he cried, ‘Pedlar, pray hold your hand!’

Then Robin Hood he was standing by,
   And he did laugh most heartilie,
Saying, ‘I could find a man of a smaller scale,
   Could thrash the pedlar, and also thee.’

‘Go, you try, master,’ says Little John,
   ‘Go, you try, master, most speedilie,
Or by my body,’ says Little John,
   ‘I am sure this night you will not know me.’

Then Robin Hood he drew his sword,
   And the pedlar by his pack did stand,
They fought till the blood in streams did flow,
   Till he cried, ‘Pedlar, pray hold your hand!’

p. 61‘Pedlar, pedlar! what is thy name?
   Come speedilie and tell to me.’
‘My name! my name, I ne’er will tell,
   Till both your names you have told to me.’

‘The one of us is bold Robin Hood,
   And the other Little John, so free.’
‘Now,’ says the pedlar, ‘it lays to my good will,
   Whether my name I chuse to tell to thee.

‘I am Gamble Gold [61] of the gay green woods,
   And travellèd far beyond the sea;
For killing a man in my father’s land,
   From my country I was forced to flee.’

‘If you are Gamble Gold of the gay green woods,
   And travellèd far beyond the sea,
You are my mother’s own sister’s son;
   What nearer cousins then can we be?’

They sheathèd their swords with friendly words,
   So merrily they did agree;
They went to a tavern and there they dined,
   And bottles cracked most merrilie.

[This is the common English stall copy of a ballad of which there are a variety of versions, for an account of which, and of the presumed origin of the story, the reader is referred to the notes on the Water o’ Wearie’s Well, in the Scottish Traditional Versions of Ancient Ballads, published by the Percy Society.  By the term ‘outlandish’ is signified an inhabitant of that portion of the border which was formerly known by the name of ‘the Debateable Land,’ a district which, though claimed by both England and Scotland, could not be said to belong to either country.  The people on each side of the border applied the term ‘outlandish’ to the Debateable residents.  The tune to The Outlandish Knight has never been printed; it is peculiar to the ballad, and, from its popularity, is well known.]

p. 62An Outlandish knight came from the North lands,
   And he came a wooing to me;
He told me he’d take me unto the North lands,
   And there he would marry me.

‘Come, fetch me some of your father’s gold,
   And some of your mother’s fee;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
   Where they stand thirty and three.’

She fetched him some of her father’s gold,
   And some of the mother’s fee;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
   Where they stood thirty and three.

She mounted her on her milk-white steed,
   He on the dapple grey;
They rode till they came unto the sea side,
   Three hours before it was day.

‘Light off, light off thy milk-white steed,
   And deliver it unto me;
Six pretty maids have I drownèd here,
   And thou the seventh shall be.

‘Pull off, pull off thy silken gown,
   And deliver it unto me,
Methinks it looks too rich and too gay
   To rot in the salt sea.

‘Pull off, pull of thy silken stays,
   And deliver them unto me;
Methinks they are too fine and gay
   To rot in the salt sea.

‘Pull off, pull off thy Holland smock,
   And deliver it unto me;
Methinks it looks too rich and gay,
   To rot in the salt sea.’

p. 63‘If I must pull off my Holland smock,
   Pray turn thy back unto me,
For it is not fitting that such a ruffian
   A naked woman should see.’

He turned his back towards her,
   And viewed the leaves so green;
She catched him round the middle so small,
   And tumbled him into the stream.

He droppèd high, and he droppèd low,
   Until he came to the side,—
‘Catch hold of my hand, my pretty maiden,
   And I will make you my bride.’

‘Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
   Lie there instead of me;
Six pretty maids have you drownèd here,
   And the seventh has drownèd thee.’

She mounted on her milk-white steed,
   And led the dapple grey,
She rode till she came to her own father’s hall,
   Three hours before it was day.

The parrot being in the window so high,
   Hearing the lady, did say,
‘I’m afraid that some ruffian has led you astray,
   That you have tarried so long away.’

‘Don’t prittle nor prattle, my pretty parrot,
   Nor tell no tales of me;
Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
   Although it is made of a tree.’

The king being in the chamber so high,
   And hearing the parrot, did say,
‘What ails you, what ails you, my pretty parrot,
   That you prattle so long before day?’

p. 64‘It’s no laughing matter,’ the parrot did say,
   ‘But so loudly I call unto thee;
For the cats have got into the window so high,
   And I’m afraid they will have me.’

‘Well turned, well turned, my pretty parrot,
   Well turned, well turned for me;
Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
   And the door of the best ivory.’ [64]

(TRADITIONAL.)

[This interesting traditional ballad was first published by Mr. Thomas Lyle in his Ancient Ballads and Songs, London, 1827.  ‘We have not as yet,’ says Mr. Lyle, ‘been able to trace out the historical incident upon which this ballad appears to have been founded; yet those curious in such matters may consult, if they list, Proceedings and Debates in the House of Commons, for 1621 and 1662, where they will find that some stormy debating in these several years had been agitated in parliament regarding the corn laws, which bear pretty close upon the leading features of the ballad.’  Does not the ballad, however, belong to a much earlier period?  The description of the combat, the presence of heralds, the wearing of armour, &c., justify the conjecture.  For De la Ware, ought we not to read De la Mare? and is not Sir Thomas De la Mare the hero? the De la Mare who in the reign of Edward III., A.D. 1377, was Speaker of the House of Commons.  p. 65All historians are agreed in representing him as a person using ‘great freedom of speach,’ and which, indeed, he carried to such an extent as to endanger his personal liberty.  As bearing somewhat upon the subject of the ballad, it may he observed that De la Mare was a great advocate of popular rights, and particularly protested against the inhabitants of England being subject to ‘purveyance,’ asserting that ‘if the royal revenue was faithfully administered, there could be no necessity for laying burdens on the people.’  In the subsequent reign of Richard II, De In Mare was a prominent character, and though history is silent on the subject, it is not improbable that such a man might, even in the royal presence, have defended the rights of the poor, and spoken in extenuation of the agrarian insurrectionary movements which were then so prevalent and so alarming.  On the hypothesis of De la Mare being the hero, there are other incidents in the tale which cannot be reconciled with history, such as the title given to De la Mare, who certainly was never ennobled; nor can we ascertain that he was ever mixed up in any duel; nor does it appear clear who can be meant by the ‘Welsh Lord, the brave Duke of Devonshire,’ that dukedom not having been created till 1694 and no nobleman having derived any title whatever from Devonshire previously to 1618, when Baron Cavendish, of Hardwick, was created the first Earl of Devonshire.  We may therefore presume that for ‘Devonshire’ ought to be inserted the name of some other county or place.  Strict historical accuracy is, however, hardly to be expected in any ballad, particularly in one which, like the present, has evidently been corrupted in floating down the stream of time.  There is only one quarrel recorded at the supposed period of our tale as having taken place betwixt two noblemen, and which resulted in a hostile meeting, viz., that wherein the belligerent parties were the Duke of Hereford (who might by a ‘ballad-monger’ be deemed a Welsh lord) and the Duke of Norfolk.  This was in the reign of Richard II.  No fight, however, took place, owing to the interference of the king.  Our minstrel author may have had rather confused historical ideas, and so mixed up certain passages in De la Mare’s history with this squabble; and we are strongly inclined to suspect that such is the case, and that it will be found the real clue to the story.  Vide Hume’s History of England, chap. XVII. A.D. 1398.  Lyle acknowledges that he has taken some liberties with the oral version, but does not state what they were, beyond that they consisted merely in ‘smoothing down.’  Would that he had left it ‘in the rough!’  The last verse has every appearance of being p. 66apocryphal; it looks like one of those benedictory verses with which minstrels were, and still are, in the habit of concluding their songs.  Lyle says the tune ‘is pleasing, and peculiar to the ballad.’  A homely version, presenting only trivial variations from that of Mr. Lyle, is still printed and sung.]

In the Parliament House, a great rout has been there,
Betwixt our good King and the Lord Delaware:
Says Lord Delaware to his Majesty full soon,
‘Will it please you, my liege, to grant me a boon?’

‘What’s your boon,’ says the King, ‘now let me understand?’
‘It’s, give me all the poor men we’ve starving in this land;
And without delay, I’ll hie me to Lincolnshire,
To sow hemp-seed and flax-seed, and hang them all there.

‘For with hempen cord it’s better to stop each poor man’s breath,
Than with famine you should see your subjects starve to death.’
Up starts a Dutch Lord, who to Delaware did say,
‘Thou deserves to be stabbed!’ then he turned himself away;

‘Thou deserves to be stabbed, and the dogs have thine ears,
For insulting our King in this Parliament of peers.’
Up sprang a Welsh Lord, the brave Duke of Devonshire,
‘In young Delaware’s defence, I’ll fight this Dutch Lord, my sire;

‘For he is in the right, and I’ll make it so appear:
Him I dare to single combat, for insulting Delaware.’
A stage was soon erected, and to combat they went,
For to kill, or to be killed, it was either’s full intent.

p. 67But the very first flourish, when the heralds gave command,
The sword of brave Devonshire bent backward on his hand;
In suspense he paused awhile, scanned his foe before he strake,
Then against the King’s armour, his bent sword he brake.

Then he sprang from the stage, to a soldier in the ring,
Saying, ‘Lend your sword, that to an end this tragedy we bring:
Though he’s fighting me in armour, while I am fighting bare,
Even more than this I’d venture for young Lord Delaware.’

Leaping back on the stage, sword to buckler now resounds,
Till he left the Dutch Lord a bleeding in his wounds:
This seeing, cries the King to his guards without delay,
‘Call Devonshire down,—take the dead man away!’

‘No,’ says brave Devonshire, ‘I’ve fought him as a man,
Since he’s dead, I will keep the trophies I have won;
For he fought me in your armour, while I fought him bare,
And the same you must win back, my liege, if ever you them wear.’

God bless the Church of England, may it prosper on each hand,
And also every poor man now starving in this land;
And while I pray success may crown our King upon his throne,
I’ll wish that every poor man may long enjoy his own.

[This is a ludicrously corrupt abridgment of the ballad of Lord Beichan, a copy of which will be found inserted amongst the Early Ballads, An. Ed. p. 144.  The following grotesque version was published several years ago by Tilt, London, and also, according to the title-page, by Mustapha Syried, Constantinople! under the title of The loving Ballad of Lord Bateman.  It is, however, the only ancient form in which the ballad has existed in print, and is one of the publications mentioned in Thackeray’s Catalogue, see ante, p. 20.  The air printed in Tilt’s edition is the one to which the ballad is sung in the South of England, but it is totally different to the Northern tune, which has never been published.]

Lord Bateman he was a noble lord,
   A noble lord of high degree;
He shipped himself on board a ship,
   Some foreign country he would go see.

He sailèd east, and he sailèd west,
   Until he came to proud Turkèy;
Where he was taken, and put to prison,
   Until his life was almost weary.

And in this prison there grew a tree,
   It grew so stout, and grew so strong;
Where he was chainèd by the middle,
   Until his life was almost gone.

This Turk he had one only daughter,
   The fairest creature my eyes did see;
She stole the keys of her father’s prison,
   And swore Lord Bateman she would set free.

‘Have you got houses? have you got lands?
   Or does Northumberland belong to thee?
What would you give to the fair young lady
   That out of prison would set you free?’

‘I have got houses, I have got lands,
   And half Northumberland belongs to me
I’ll give it all to the fair young lady
   That out of prison would set me free.’

p. 69O! then she took him to her father’s hall,
   And gave to him the best of wine;
And every health she drank unto him,
   ‘I wish, Lord Bateman, that you were mine!

‘Now in seven years I’ll make a vow,
   And seven years I’ll keep it strong,
If you’ll wed with no other woman,
   I will wed with no other man.’

O! then she took him to her father’s harbour,
   And gave to him a ship of fame;
‘Farewell, farewell to you, Lord Bateman,
   I’m afraid I ne’er shall see you again.’

Now seven long years are gone and past,
   And fourteen days, well known to thee;
She packed up all her gay clothing,
   And swore Lord Bateman she would go see.

But when she came to Lord Bateman’s castle,
   So boldly she rang the bell;
‘Who’s there? who’s there?’ cried the proud portèr,
   ‘Who’s there? unto me come tell.’

‘O! is this Lord Bateman’s castle?
   Or is his Lordship here within?’
‘O, yes! O, yes!’ cried the young portèr,
   ‘He’s just now taken his new bride in.’

‘O! tell him to send me a slice of bread,
   And a bottle of the best wine;
And not forgetting the fair young lady
   Who did release him when close confine.’

Away, away went this proud young porter,
   Away, away, and away went he,
Until he came to Lord Bateman’s chamber,
   Down on his bended knees fell he.

‘What news, what news, my proud young porter?
   What news hast thou brought unto me?’
‘There is the fairest of all young creatures
   That ever my two eyes did see!

p. 70‘She has got rings on every finger,
   And round one of them she has got three,
And as much gay clothing round her middle
   As would buy all Northumberlea.

‘She bids you send her a slice of bread,
   And a bottle of the best wine;
And not forgetting the fair young lady
   Who did release you when close confine.’

Lord Bateman he then in a passion flew,
   And broke his sword in splinters three;
Saying, ‘I will give all my father’s riches
   If Sophia has crossed the sea.’

Then up spoke the young bride’s mother,
   Who never was heard to speak so free,
‘You’ll not forget my only daughter,
   If Sophia has crossed the sea.’

‘I own I made a bride of your daughter,
   She’s neither the better nor worse for me;
She came to me with her horse and saddle,
   She may go back in her coach and three.’

Lord Bateman prepared another marriage,
   And sang, with heart so full of glee,
I’ll range no more in foreign countries,
   Now since Sophia has crossed the sea.’

OR, THE SQUIRE OF TAMWORTH.

[This is a very popular ballad, and sung in every part of England.  It is traditionally reported to be founded on an incident which occurred in the reign of Elizabeth.  It has been published in the broadside form from the commencement of the eighteenth century, but is no doubt much older.  It does not appear to have been previously inserted in any collection.]

p. 71A wealthy young squire of Tamworth, we hear,
He courted a nobleman’s daughter so fair;
And for to marry her it was his intent,
All friends and relations gave their consent.

The time was appointed for the wedding-day,
A young farmer chosen to give her away;
As soon as the farmer the young lady did spy,
He inflamèd her heart; ‘O, my heart!’ she did cry.

She turned from the squire, but nothing she said,
Instead of being married she took to her bed;
The thought of the farmer soon run in her mind,
A way for to have him she quickly did find.

Coat, waistcoat, and breeches she then did put on,
And a hunting she went with her dog and her gun;
She hunted all round where the farmer did dwell,
Because in her heart she did love him full well:

She oftentimes fired, but nothing she killed,
At length the young farmer came into the field;
And to discourse with him it was her intent,
With her dog and her gun to meet him she went.

‘I thought you had been at the wedding,’ she cried,
‘To wait on the squire, and give him his bride.’
‘No, sir,’ said the farmer, ‘if the truth I may tell,
I’ll not give her away, for I love her too well’

‘Suppose that the lady should grant you her love,
You know that the squire your rival will prove.’
‘Why, then,’ says the farmer, ‘I’ll take sword in hand,
By honour I’ll gain her when she shall command.’

It pleasèd the lady to find him so bold;
She gave him a glove that was flowered with gold,
And told him she found it when coming along,
As she was a hunting with her dog and gun.

The lady went home with a heart full of love,
And gave out a notice that she’d lost a glove;
And said, ‘Who has found it, and brings it to me,
Whoever he is, he my husband shall be.’

p. 72The farmer was pleased when he heard of the news,
With heart full of joy to the lady he goes:
‘Dear, honoured lady, I’ve picked up your glove,
And hope you’ll be pleased to grant me your love.’

‘It’s already granted, I will be your bride;
I love the sweet breath of a farmer,’ she cried.
‘I’ll be mistress of my dairy, and milking my cow,
While my jolly brisk farmer is whistling at plough.’

And when she was married she told of her fun,
How she went a hunting with her dog and gun:
‘And now I’ve got him so fast in my snare,
I’ll enjoy him for ever, I vow and declare!’

(TRADITIONAL.)

[This ballad of King James I. and the Tinkler was probably written either in, or shortly after, the reign of the monarch who is the hero.  The incident recorded is said to be a fact, though the locality is doubtful.  By some the scene is laid at Norwood, in Surrey; by others in some part of the English border.  The ballad is alluded to by Percy, but is not inserted either in the Reliques, or in any other popular collection.  It is to be found only in a few broadsides and chap-books of modern date.  The present version is a traditional one, taken down, as here given, from the recital of the late Francis King. [72b]  It is much superior to the p. 73common broadside edition with which it has been collated, and from which the thirteenth and fifteenth verses were obtained.  The ballad is very popular on the Border, and in the dales of Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Craven.  The late Robert Anderson, the Cumbrian bard, represents Deavie, in his song of the Clay Daubin, as singing The King and the Tinkler.]

And now, to be brief, let’s pass over the rest,
Who seldom or never were given to jest,
And come to King Jamie, the first of our throne,
A pleasanter monarch sure never was known.

As he was a hunting the swift fallow-deer,
He dropped all his nobles; and when he got clear,
In hope of some pastime away he did ride,
Till he came to an alehouse, hard by a wood-side.

And there with a tinkler he happened to meet,
And him in kind sort he so freely did greet:
‘Pray thee, good fellow, what hast in thy jug,
Which under thy arm thou dost lovingly hug?’

‘By the mass!’ quoth the tinkler, ‘it’s nappy brown ale,
And for to drink to thee, friend, I will not fail;
For although thy jacket looks gallant and fine,
I think that my twopence as good is as thine.’

‘By my soul! honest fellow, the truth thou hast spoke,’
And straight he sat down with the tinkler to joke;
They drank to the King, and they pledged to each other;
Who’d seen ’em had thought they were brother and brother.

p. 74As they were a-drinking the King pleased to say,
‘What news, honest fellow? come tell me, I pray?’
‘There’s nothing of news, beyond that I hear
The King’s on the border a-chasing the deer.

‘And truly I wish I so happy may be
Whilst he is a hunting the King I might see;
For although I’ve travelled the land many ways
I never have yet seen a King in my days.’

The King, with a hearty brisk laughter, replied,
‘I tell thee, good fellow, if thou canst but ride,
Thou shalt get up behind me, and I will thee bring
To the presence of Jamie, thy sovereign King.’

‘But he’ll be surrounded with nobles so gay,
And how shall we tell him from them, sir, I pray?’
‘Thou’lt easily ken him when once thou art there;
The King will be covered, his nobles all bare.’

He got up behind him and likewise his sack,
His budget of leather, and tools at his back;
They rode till they came to the merry greenwood,
His nobles came round him, bareheaded they stood.

The tinkler then seeing so many appear,
He slily did whisper the King in his ear:
Saying, ‘They’re all clothed so gloriously gay,
But which amongst them is the King, sir, I pray?’

The King did with hearty good laughter, reply,
‘By my soul! my good fellow, it’s thou or it’s I!
The rest are bareheaded, uncovered all round.’—
With his bag and his budget he fell to the ground,

Like one that was frightened quite out of his wits,
Then on his knees he instantly gets,
Beseeching for mercy; the King to him said,
‘Thou art a good fellow, so be not afraid.

‘Come, tell thy name?’  ‘I am John of the Dale,
A mender of kettles, a lover of ale.’
‘Rise up, Sir John, I will honour thee here,—
I make thee a knight of three thousand a year!’

p. 75This was a good thing for the tinkler indeed;
Then unto the court he was sent for with speed,
Where great store of pleasure and pastime was seen,
In the royal presence of King and of Queen.

Sir John of the Dale he has land, he has fee,
At the court of the king who so happy as he?
Yet still in his hall hangs the tinkler’s old sack,
And the budget of tools which he bore at his back.

[This old and very humorous ballad has long been a favourite on both sides of the Border, but had never appeared in print till about 1845, when a Northumbrian gentleman printed a few copies for private circulation, from one of which the following is taken.  In the present impression some trifling typographical mistakes are corrected, and the phraseology has been rendered uniform throughout.  Keach i’ the Creel means the catch in the basket.]

A fair young May went up the street,
   Some white fish for to buy;
And a bonny clerk’s fa’n i’ luve wi’ her,
   And he’s followed her by and by, by,
   And he’s followed her by and by.

‘O! where live ye my bonny lass,
   I pray thee tell to me;
For gin the nicht were ever sae mirk,
   I wad come and visit thee, thee;
   I wad come and visit thee.’