"Thou hadst seven hundred wives at once,
For whom thou didst provide,

And yet, God wot, three hundred whores
Thou must maintain beside.

"And they made thee forsake thy God,
And worship stockes and stones;
Besides the charge they put thee to
In breeding of young bones.

65

"Hadst thou not bin beside thy wits,

Thou wouldst not thus have ventur'd;

70

And therefore I do marvel much

How thou this place hast enter'd."

"I never heard," quoth Jonas then,

66

So vile a scold as this;"

“Thou whore-son, run-away," quoth she, "Thou diddest more amiss."

66 6

They say,"" quoth Thomas,
Of aspen-leaves are made

75

womens tongues

80

"Thou unbelieving wretch," quoth she,

"All is not true that's sayd."

She came unto the gate;

When Mary Magdalen heard her then,

Quoth she, "Good woman, you must think

Upon your former state.

"Fond fool," quoth he, "knock not so fast,

Thou weariest Christ with cries."

"I grant the same, O Lord," quoth she;
"Most lewdly did I live;

But yet the loving father did
His prodigal son forgive."

"So I forgive thy soul," he sayd,
"Through thy repenting crye;
Come enter then into my joy,

I will not thee denye."

135

140

XIII.

The Bride's Burial.

From two ancient copies in black-letter: one in the Pepys Collection, the other in the British Museum.

VOL. II.

As cold as any stone;

Like Venus picture lacking life,
So was my love brought home.

At length her rosye red

Throughout her comely face,

As Phoebus beames with watry cloudes,
Was cover'd for a space.

50

55

P

When with a grievous groane,

And voice both hoarse and drye,

"Farewell," quoth she, "my loving friend,

For I this daye must dye;

"The messenger of God

60

With golden trumpe I see,

With manye other angels more

Which sound and call for mee.