Whofe carcaffe I did send to Rome

Cladd poorlye on a beere;
And afterward I paft Mount-Joye

The next approaching yeere.

Then I came to Rome, where I was mett

Right as a conquerour,

And by all the cardinalls folempnelye

I was crowned an emperour.

One winter there I made abode:

Then word to mee was brought

Howe Mordred had opprefsd the crowne:
What treafon he had wrought

55

60

Att home in Brittaine with my queene;

65

Therfore I came with speede

To Brittaine backe, with all my power,
To quitt that traiterous decde:

And foone at Sandwiche I arrivde,

Where Mordred me with stoode:

70

But yett at last I landed there,

With effufion of much blood.

For there my nephew fir Gawaine dyed,

Being wounded in that fore,

The whiche fir Lancelot in fight

Had given him before.

75

Thence

Two and twenty yeere I ware the crowne

In honor and great fame;

And thus by death was fuddenlye

Deprived of the fame.

100

Ver. 92. perhaps fates.

VI.

A DYTTIE TO HEY DOWNE.

Copied from an old MS. in the Cotton Library, [Vesp. A. 25.] intitled, "Divers things of Hen. viij's time."

WHO fekes to tame the bluftering winde,

WHO

Or cause the floods bend to his wyll,

Or els against dame nature's kinde

To'change' things frame by cunning skyll:

That man I thinke bestoweth paine,

Thoughe that his laboure be in vaine.

Who ftrives to breake the sturdye fteele,
Or goeth about to staye the funne;
Who thinks to caufse an oke to reele,

Which never can by force be done:
That man likewise bestoweth paine,
Thoughe that his laboure be in vaine.

5

10

Who thinks to ftryve against the streame,
And for to fayle without a maste;
Unlesse he thinks perhapps to faine,

15

His travell ys forelorne and wafte;

And fo in cure of all his paine,

His travell ys his cheffeft gaine.

Ver. 4. cauffe, MS.

So

So he lykewife, that goes about
To please eche eye and every eare,
Had nede to have withouten doubt

A golden gyft with hym to beare;
For evyll report shall be his gaine,
Though he bestowe both toyle and paine.

God grant eche man one to amend;

God send us all a happy place;

20

25

An ingenious Friend thinks that the following old Ditty (which is printed from the Editor's folio MS.) may poffibly have given birth to the Tragedy of the ORPHAN, in which Polidore intercepts Monimia's intended favours to Caftalio.

See what is faid concerning the hero of this song, (who is celebrated by CHAUCER under the name of GLASKYRION) in the Efay prefixed to Vol. I. Note H. Pt. IV. (2).

G

Lafgerion was a kings owne fonne,
And a harper he was goode:
He harped in the kinges chambere,
Where cuppe and caudle stoode.

And

And foe did hee in the queens chamber,
Till ladies waxed 'glad.'

And then befpake the kinges daughter;
And thefe wordes thus fhee fayd.

Strike on, ftrike on, Glafgèrion,

Of thy ftriking doe not blinne:

Theres never a ftroke comes cer thy harpe,
But it glads my hart withinne

Faire might he fall, ladye, quoth hee,

Who taught you nowe to fpeake!

I have loved you, ladye, feven longe yeere
My minde I neere durft breake.

15

But come to my bower, my Glafgeriòn,

When all men are at: rest:

As I am a ladie true of my promise,

Thou shalt bee a welcome guest.

Home then came Glafgèrion,

A glad man, lord! was hee.

And, come thou hither, Jacke my boy;

Come hither unto mee.

20