Then shakes his lockes, and doth his temples rubb,
And, like the Cyclops, in his pride doth shout,

Sirra, fayes hee, I have you at a lift,

Now you are come unto your latest shift.

Perish forever: with this ftroke I fend thee
A medicine, will doe thy thirft much good;
Take noe more care of drinke before I end thee,
And then weele have carouses of thy blood:
Heres at thee with a butchers downright blow,
To please my furye with thine overthrow.

125

130

Infernall, falfe, obdurate feend, faid Guy,
That seemft a lumpe of crueltye from hell;
Ungratefull monster, fince thou dost deny

135

The thing to mee wherin I used thee well:
With more revenge, than ere my fword did make,
On thy accurfed head revenge Ile take,

Thy gyants longitude fhall fhorter fhrinke,

Except thy fun-fcorcht skin be weapon proof: 140 Farewell my thirst; I doe disdaine to drinke,

Streames keepe your waters to your owne behoof;

Or let wild beasts be welcome thereunto;
With those pearle drops I will not have to do.

Here, tyrant, take a taste of my good-will,

For thus I doe begin my bloodye bout:

You cannot chufe but like the greeting ill;

It is not that fame clubb will beare you out;

Į 3

And take this payment on thy fhaggye crowne.

A blowe that brought him with a vengeance downe. 150

Then Guy fett foot upon the monsters breft,

And from his shoulders did his head divide,
Which with a yawninge mouth did gape unbleft,
Noe dragons jawes were ever seene foe wide
To open
and to fhut, till life was spent.
Then Guy tooke keyes and to the castle went.

Where manye woefull captives he did find,
Which had beene tyred with extremitye,
Whom he in freindly manner did unbind,

And reasoned with them of their miserye:
Eche told a tale with teares, and fighes, and cryes,
All weeping to him with complaining eyes.

There tender ladyes in darke dungeon lay,

155

160

That were furprised in the defart wood,

And had noe other dyett everye day,

165

Than flesh of humane creatures for their food:

Some with their lovers bodyes had beene fed,
And in their wombes their husbands buryed.

Now he bethinkes him of his being there,

To enlarge the wronged brethren from their woes; 170 And, as he fearcheth, doth great clamours heare, By which fad founds direction on he goes, Untill he findes a darksome obscure gate, Armd ftrongly ouer all with iron plate.

That

That he unlockes, and enters, where appeares
The strangeft object that he ever faw;
Men that with famishment of many yeares,

175

Were like deathes picture, which the painters draw; Divers of them were hanged by eche thumb: Others head-downward: by the middle fome.

180

With diligence he takes them from the walls,
With lybertye their thraldome to acquaint:
Then the perplexed knight the father calls,

And fayes, Receive thy fonnes though poore and faint :
I promisd you their lives, accept of that;
But did not promife you they fhold be fat.

The caftle I doe give thee, héeres the keyes,
Where tyranye for many yeeres did dwell:
Procure the gentle tender ladyes ease,

For pittyes fake, ufe wronged women well:
Men eafilye revenge the wrongs men do:
But poore weake women have no strength thereto.

The good old man, even overjoyed with this,

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190

Fell on the ground, and wold have kist Guys feete: Father, quoth he, refraine foe base a kiss,

For age to honor youth I hold unmeete: Ambitious pryde hath hurt mee all it can, I goe to mortifie a finfull man.

195

III.

THE SHEPHERD's RESOLUTION.

This beautiful old fong is given from a very ancient copy in the editor's folio MS. In the fame copy was an additional ftanza, but fo inferior to the reft, that it was evidently Spurious. In that mall collection called "The golden garland of princely delights," may be seen five fuch Spurious ftanzas tagged to this fonnet. A proof how much it has been the favourite of the publick.

SHALL I, wafting in difpayre,

Shall

Dye because a womans fayre ?

my cheeks look pale with care,
Because anothers rofye are?
Be fhe fayrer than the daye,
Or the flowerye meades in Maye,
If the think not well of mee,
What care I howe fayre she bee?

Shall a womans goodneffe move
Mee to perish for her love?
Or her worthye merits knowne
Make mee quite forget my owne?
Be the meeker, kinder, than
The turtle-dove, or pelican,

If the bee not foe to mee,
What care I how kind fhee bee?

This feems to be the old fong quoted in Fletcher's" Knight of the burning pestle," Acts 2d and 3d; altho' the fix lines there preferved are fomewhat different from thofe in the ballad, as it ftands at prefent. The Reader will not wonder at this, when he is informed that this is only given from a modern printed copy picked up on a fall. It's full title is "Fair Margaret's Misfortunes; or Sweet William's fright"ful dreams on his wedding night, with the fudden death "and burial of thofe noble lovers.'

The lines preferved in the play are this diftich, "You are no love for me, Margaret, "I am no love for you."

And the following stanza,

"When it was grown to dark midnight,
"And all were fast asleep,

"In came Margarets grimly ghoft

"And food at Williams feet."

Thefe lines have acquired an importance by giving birth to one of the most beautiful ballads in our own or any language. See the fong intituled MARGARET'S GHOST, at the end of this volume.

AS