"The nut-browne bride haes gowd and gear,

Fair Annet she has gat nane;

And the little beauty fair Annet has,
O it wull soon be gane."

And he has till his brother gane:

"Now, brother, rede ye mee;

A', sall I marrie the nut-browne bride,
And let fair Annet bee?"

"The nut-browne bride has oxen, brother,
The nut-browne bride has kye:

I wad hae ye marrie the nut-browne bride,
And cast fair Annet bye."

"Her oxen may dye i̇' the house, Billìe,
And her kye into the byre,

And I sall hae nothing to my-sell,

Bot a fat fadge by the fyre."

And he has till his sister gane:

Now, sister, rede ye mee;

O sall I marrie the nut-browne bride,

31

And set fair Annet free?"

"Ise rede ye take fair Annet, Thomas, And let the browne bride alane;

Lest ye sould sigh, and say, Alace,

What is this we brought hame!"

40

"No, I will tak my mithers counsel, And marrie me owt o' hand;

And I will tak the nut-browne bride;
Fair Annet may leive the land.”

45

Up then rose fair Annets father,
Twa hours or it wer day,

And he is gane into the bower,
Wherein fair Annet lay.

"Rise rise up,

up,

fair Annet,” he says,

"Put on your silken sheene;

Let us gae to St. Maries kirke,

And see that rich weddeen."

50

66

My maides, gae to my dressing-roome,
And dress to me my hair;

Whair-eir yee laid a plait before,
See yee lay ten times mair.

55

And her een they wer sae clear,

Lord Thomas he clean forgat the bride,
When fair Annet she drew near.

He had a rose into his hand,

85

And he gave it kisses three,

And reaching by the nut-browne bride,

Laid it on fair Annets knee.

He drew his dagger, that was sae sharp,
That was sae sharp and meet,

105

And drave it into the nut-browne bride,

That fell deid at his feit.

"Now stay for me, dear Annet," he sed, "Now stay, my dear," he cry'd;

110

Then strake the dagger untill his heart,
And fell deid by her side.

Lord Thomas was buried without kirk-wa',

V.

Unfading Beauty.

This little beautiful sonnet is reprinted from a small volume of "Poems by Thomas Carew, Esq., one of the gentlemen of the privie-chamber, and sewer in ordinary to his majesty. (Charles I.) Lond. 1640.” This elegant and almost-forgotten writer, whose poems have been deservedly revived, died, in the prime of his age, in 1639.

In the original follows a third stanza; which, not being of general application, nor of equal merit, I have ventured to omit.

HEE, that loves a rosie cheeke,
Or a corall lip admires,

Or from star-like eyes doth seeke
Fuell to maintaine his fires,
As old time makes these decay,

5

So his flames must waste away.

The subject of this ballad is sufficiently popular from the modern play which is founded upon it. This was written by George Lillo, a jeweller of London, and first acted about 1730. As for the ballad, it was printed at least as early as the middle of the last century.

It is here given from three old printed copies, which exhibit a strange intermixture of Roman and black-letter. It is also collated with another copy in the Ashmole Collection at Oxford, which is thus entitled, “An excellent ballad of George Barnwell, an apprentice of London, who ... thrice robbed his master and murdered his vncle in Ludlow" The tune is The Merchant.

This tragical narrative seems to relate a real fact; but when it happened, I have not been able to discover.

THE FIRST PART.

ALL youths of fair Englànd
That dwell both far and near,
Regard my story that I tell,
And to my song give ear.

A London lad I was,

A merchant's prentice bound;

My name George Barnwell; that did spend
My master many a pound.

Take heed of harlots then,

And their enticing trains;

For by that means I have been brought

To hang alive in chains.

As I upon a day,

Was walking through the street,

About my master's business,

A wanton I did meet.

A gallant dainty dame

And sumptuous in attire;

With smiling look she greeted me,
And did my name require.

Which when I had declar'd,

She gave me then a kiss,
And said, if I would come to her,
I should have more than this.

"Fair mistress,” then quoth I,
"If I the place may know,

This evening I will be with you;
For I abroad must go,

"To gather monies in,

That are my master's due:

30

And ere that I do home return

I'll come and visit you."