Her true love feeing this,

Did fetch a grievous groane,

As tho' his heart would burst in twaine,

And thus he made his moane.

105

Whose bride was brought unto the grave

A maiden and a wife.

A garland fresh and faire
Of lillies there was made,

In fign of her virginitye,
And on her coffin laid.

Six maidens, all in white,

Did beare her to the ground: The bells did ring in folemn fort,

And made a dolefull found.

120

125

In earth they laid her then,

For hungry wormes a preye;
So fhall the fairest face alive

At length be brought to claye.

130

XIII.

DULCIN A.

Each

Given from two ancient copies, one in black-print, in the Pepys collection; the other in the Editor's folio MS. of thefe contained a stanza not found in the other. feemed the beft readings were felected from both.

What

This fong is quoted as very popular in Walton's Compleat Angler, chap. 2. It is more ancient than the ballad of ROBIN GOOD-FELLOW printed below, which yet is fuppofed to have been written by Ben. Jonfon.

S at noone Dulcina refied

A$

In her sweete and fhady bower;

Came a fhepherd, and requested

In her lapp to fleepe an hour.

But from her looke

A wounde he tooke

Soe deepe, that for a further boone

The nymph he prayes.

Wherto fhee fayes,

Forgoe me now, come to me foone.

5

10

But

But in vayne fhee did conjure him

To depart her pretence foe;

Having a thousand tongues to allure him, toe to bid him goe:

And

Where lipps invite,

And eyes delight,

And cheekes, as fresh as rofe in june,
Perfuade delay;

What boots, fhe fay,

Forgoe me now, come to me foone?

He demands what time for pleasure

Can there be more fit than now:

She fayes, night gives love that leysure,
Which the day can not allow.

He fayes, the fight

'Improves delight.

'Which the denies: Nights mirkie noone

In Venus' playes

Makes bold, fhee fayes;

Forgoe me now, come to mee foone.`

30

But what promife or profeffion

From his hands could purchase fcope?

Who would fell the fweet pofleffion

Of fuche beautye for a hope?

Or for the fight

Of lingering night

35

Forgoe

Foregoe the prefent joyes of noone?
Though ne'er foe faire

Her speeches were,

Forgoe me now, come to me foone.

How, at laft, agreed these lovers ?

Shee was fayre, and he was young:

The tongue may tell what th'eye discovers;
Joyes unfeene are never fung.

Did fhee confent,,

Or he relent;

Accepts he night, or grants fhee noone;

Left he her a mayd,

Or not; fhe fayd

Forgoe me now, come to me foone.

40

45

66

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XIV.

THE LADY ISABELLA's TRAGEDY.

This ballad is given from an old black-letter copy in the Pepys collection, collated with another in the British Mufeum, H. 263. fulio. It is there intitled, "The Lady Ifabella's Tragedy, or the Step-Mother's Cruelty: being relation of a lamentable and cruel murther, committed on the body of the lady Ifabella, the only daughter of a “noble duke, &c. To the tune of, The Lady's Fall." To fome copies are annexed eight more modern ftanzas, intitled, "The Dutchess's and Cook's Lamentation."

46

a

THERE

HERE was a lord of worthy famne,

THE

Tand a hunting he would ride,

Attended by a noble traine

Of gentrye by his fide.

And while he did in chafe remaine,
To fee both sport and playe;
His ladye went, as fhe did feigne,
Unto the church to praye.

This lord he had a daughter deare,
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 fee.

Therefore her cruel step-mothès

Did envye her fo 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 faye.

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