I grant the fame, O Lord, quoth fhe;
Moft lewdly did I live:

But yet the loving father did
His prodigal fon forgive.

So I forgive thy foul, he fayd,
Through thy repenting crye;
Come enter then into my joy,
I will not thee denye.

XIII.

THE AULD GOOD-MA N.

A SCOTTISH SONG,

We have not been able to meet with a more ancient copy of this humorous old Jong, than that printed in the Tea-Table mifcellany, &c. which feems to have admitted fome corruptions.

L

ATE in an evening forth I went

A little before the fun gade down,
And there I chanc't, by accident,
To light on a battle new begun :

A man and his wife wer fawn in a frife,
I canna weel tell ye how it began;

5

But aye fhe wail'd her wretched life,

And cryed evir, alake, mine auld goodman!

HE.

HE.

Thy auld goodman, that thou tells of,
The country kens where he was born,
Was but a filly poor vagabond,

And ilka ane leugh him to fcorn :
For he did spend and make an end
Of gear • his fathers nevir' wan,
He gart the poor ftand frae the door;
Sae tell nae mair of thy auld goodman.

SUE.

My heart, alake! is liken to break,

Whan I think on my winfome John, His blinkan ee, and gait fae free,

19

Was naithing like thee, thou dofend drone; 20 Wi' his rofie face, and flaxen hair,

And a fkin as white as ony fwan,

He was large and tall, and comely withall,
Thou'lt nevir be like mine auld goodman.

HE.

Why doft thou plein? I thee maintein,
For meal and mawt thou difna want;
But thy wild bees I canna please,

fcant.

Now whan our gear gins to grow
Of houthold ftuff, thou haft enough,
Thou wants for neither pot nor pan;

Of ficklike ware he left thee bare,

Sae tell nae mair of thy auld goodman.

25

30

SHE.

SHE.

Yes I may tell, and fret my fell,
To think on those blyth days I had,
Whan I and he, together ley

In armes into a well-made bed:
But now I figh and may be fad,

Thy courage is cauld, thy colour wan,

35

Thou falds thy feet and fa's afleep:

Thou'lt nevir be like mine auld goodman.

40

Then coming was the night fae dark,
And gane was a' the light of day?
The carle was fear'd to mifs his mark,
And therefore wad nae longer ftay:
Then he
up
and ran his way,
I trowe, the wife the day fhe wan,

And

gat,

aye the owreword of the fray
Was evir, alake! mine auld goodman.

45

66

XV.

THE LADY ISABELLA's TRAGEDY.

This ballad is given from an old black-letter copy in the Pepy's collection, collated with another in the British Museum, H. 263. folio. It is there entitled, "The Lady Isabella's Tragedy, or The Step-Mother's Cruelty: being a rela"tion of a lamentable and cruel murther, committed on the "body of the Lady Ifabella, the only daughter of a noble • duke, Sc. ——— To the tune of the Lady's Fall."

THERE

THE

HERE was a lord of worthy fame,
And a hunting he would ride,

Attended by a noble traine

Of gentrye by his fide.

And while he did in chase remaine,

To fee both sport and playe; His ladye went, as she did feigne, Unto the church to praye.

This lord he had a daughter faire,
Whose beauty fhone so bright,

She was belov'd, both far and neare,
Of many a lord and knight.

Fair Ifabella was fhe call'd,

A creature faire was fhee;

She was her fathers only joye;
As you fhall after see.

Therefore her cruel step-mothèr
Did envye her so much;

That daye by daye fhe fought her life,
Her malice it was fuch.

She bargain'd with the master-cook,

To take her life awaye :

And taking of her daughters book,

She thus to her did saye.

5

10

15

20

Go

Go home, fweet daughter, I thee praye,
Go haften prefentlìe;

And tell unto the master-cook,

These wordes that I tell thee.

And bid him dreffe to dinner freight,

That faire and milk-white doe ; That in the parke doth shine so bright, There's none fo faire to fhowe.

This ladye fearing of no harme,

Obey'd her mothers will;

25

30

And presentlye fhe hafted home,
Her pleasure to fulfill.

35

She freight into the kitchen went,
Her meffage for to tell;

And there fhe fpied the mafter-cook,

Who did with malice fwell.

40

Nowe, mafter-cook, it must be foe,

Do that which I thee tell :

You needes muft dreffe the milk-white doe,
Which you do knowe full well,