Reliques of ancient English poetry, by T. Percy, ed. by J. V. Prichard

They sayd, 'Fye upon thee; we may thee curse! "Theire' leases continue, and we fare the worse.' "And then I was forced a begging to goe

To husbandmens houses, who greeved right sore,

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And sware that their landlords had plagued them so,

That they were not able to keepe open doore,

Nor nothing had left to give to the poore.

Therefore to this wood I doe me repayre

With hepps and hawes; that is my best fare.

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"Yet within this same desert some comfort I have
Of Mercy, of Pittye, and of Almes-deeds,
Who have vowed to company me to my grave.
Wee are 'all' put to silence, and live upon weeds,
And hence such cold house-keeping proceeds;'
Our banishment is its utter decay,

The which the riche glutton will answer one day."

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"Why then," I said to him, "me-thinks it were best
To goe to the Clergie; for dailye they preach
Eche man to love you above all the rest;
Of Mercye and Pittie, and Almes-' deeds' they teach."
"O," said he, noe matter of a pin what they preach,
For their wives and their children soe hange them

upon,

That whosoever gives almes they will

Then laid he him down, and turned him

And prayd me to goe and leave him to rest.
I told him, I haplie might yet see the day
For him and his fellowes to live with the best.
"First," said he, "banish Pride, then all England were

blest;

For then those wold love us that now sell their

land,

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And then good' house-keeping wold revive' out of hand."

II.

Plain Truth and Blind Ignorance.

This excellent old ballad is preserved in the little ancient Miscellany entitled, The Garland of Goodwill. Ignorance is here made to speak in the broad Somersetshire dialect. The scene we may suppose to be Glastonbury Abbey.