O then bespake the scullion-boye,

With a loud voice so hye:

If now you will your daughter see,
My lord, cut up that pye:

Wherein her fleshe is minced small,

And parched with the fire;

All caused her by her step-mother,

Who did her death desire.

And cursed bee the master-cook,

O cursed may he bee!

I proffered him my own heart's blood,

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From death to set her free.

Then all in blacke this lord did mourne;

And for his daughters sake,

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He judged her cruell step-mothèr

To be burnt at a stake.

Likewise he judg'd the master-cook

In boiling lead to stand;

And made the simple scullion-boye

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The heire of all his land.

P

VOL. III.

XVI.

A Hue and Cry after Cupid.

THIS song is a kind of translation of a pretty poem of Tasso's, called Amore fuggitivo, generally printed with his Aminta, and originally imitated from the first Idyllium of Moschus.

It is extracted from Ben Jonson's Masque at the marriage of Lord Viscount Hadington, on Shrove-Tuesday, 1608. One stanza, full of dry mythology, is here omitted, as it had been dropt in a copy of this song printed in a small volume, called Le Prince d'Amour. Lond. 1660, 8vo.

BEAUTIES, have yee seen a toy,
Called Love, a little boy,
Almost naked, wanton, blinde ;
Cruel now, and then as kinde?

If he bee amongst yee, say:
He is Venus' run away.

Shee, that will but now discover

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Where the winged wag doth hover,
Shall to-night receive a kisse,

How and where herselfe would wish:

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But who brings him to his mother

Shall have that kisse, and another.

Which, being shot, like lightning, in,

Nought but wounds his hand doth season,
And he hates none like to Reason.

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Trust him not his words, though sweet,
Seldome with his heart doe meet:

Beauties, be not nice, but show him.

Though yee had a will to hide him,

Now, we hope, yee'le not abide him,
Since yee heare this falser's play,

And that he is Venus' run-away.

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XVII.

The King of France's Daughter.

THE story of this ballad seems to be taken from an incident in the domestic history of Charles the Bald, king of France. His daughter Judith was betrothed to Ethelwulph king of England: but before the marriage was consummated, Ethelwulph died, and she returned to France; whence she was carried off by Baldwin, Forester of Flanders; who, after many crosses and difficulties, at length obtained the king's consent to their marriage, and was made Earl of Flanders. This happened about a. D. 863.-See Rapin, Henault, and the French historians.

The following copy is given from the Editor's ancient folio MS. collated with another in black-letter in the Pepys collection, entitled, "An excellent Ballad of a prince of England's courtship to the king of France's daughter, &c. To the tune of Crimson Velvet."

Many breaches having been made in this old song by the hand of time, principally (as might be expected) in the quick returns of the rhyme, an attempt is here made to repair them.

In the dayes of old,

When faire France did flourish,

Storyes plaine have told,

Lovers felt annoye.

The queene a daughter bare,

Whom beautye's queene did nourish :

She was lovelye faire,

She was her fathers joye.

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