The fellowe, that did take in hand
These children for to kill,

Was for a robbery judg'd to dye,
Such was God's blessed will:

Ver. 125, these . . babes. PPC.

145

Who did confess the very truth,
As here hath been display'd:
Their uncle having dyed in gaol,
Where he for debt was layd.

You that executors be made,
And overseers eke

Of children that be fatherless,
And infants mild and meek;
Take you example by this thing,
And yield to each his right,
Lest God with such like miserye
Your wicked minds requite.

150

155

XX.

A Lover of Late.

PRINTED, with a few slight corrections, from the Editor's folio MS.

A LOVER of late was I,

For Cupid would have it soe,
The boy that hath never an eye,
As every man doth know:

I sighed and sobbed, and cryed, alas!
For her that laught, and called me ass.

5

Then knew not I what to doe,

When I saw itt was in vaine

A lady soe coy to wooe,

Who gave me the asse soe plaine :

Yet would I her asse freelye bee,

Soe shee would helpe, and beare with mee.

10

cold have made, as wee,

15

Soe prettye a sympathye:

I was as kind as shee was faire,

But for all this wee cold not paire.

Paire with her that will for mee,

With her I will never paire;

That cunningly can be coy,

For being a little faire.

The asse Ile leave to her disdaine ;

And now I am myselfe againe.

Ver. 13, faine. MS.

20

XXI.

The King and Miller of Mansfield.

Of

IT has been a favourite subject with our English balladmakers, to represent our kings conversing, either by accident or design, with the meanest of their subjects. the former kind, besides the song of the King and the Miller, we have King Henry and the Soldier; King James I. and the Tinker; King William III. and the Forester, &c. Of the latter sort are King Alfred and the Shepherd; King Edward IV. and the Tanner; King Henry VIII. and the Cobler, &c.-A few of the best of these are admitted into this collection. Both the author of the following ballad, and others who have written on the same plan, seem to have copied a very ancient poem, entitled John the Reeve, which is built on an adventure of the same kind, that happened between King Edward Longshanks and one of his reeves or bailiffs. This is a piece of great antiquity, being written before the time of Edward the Fourth, and for its genuine humour, diverting incidents, and faithful picture of rustic manners, is infinitely superior to all that have been since written in imitation of it. The Editor has a copy in his ancient folio MS., but its length rendered it improper for this volume, it consisting of more than 900 lines. It contains also some corruptions, and the Editor chooses to defer its publication, in hopes that some time or other he shall be able to remove them.

The following is printed, with corrections, from the Editor's folio MS. collated with an old black-letter copy in the Pepys collection, entitled, "A pleasant ballad of King Henry II. and the Miller of Mansfield," &c.

PART THE FIRST.

HENRY, our royall king, would ride a hunting
To the greene forest so pleasant and faire ;
To see the harts skipping, and dainty does tripping:
Unto merry Sherwood his nobles repaire :
Hawke and hound were unbound, all things prepar'd
For the game, in the same, with good regard.

All a long summers day rode the king pleasantlye,

With all his princes and nobles eche one;

6

Chasing the hart and hind, and the bucke gallantlye,
Till the dark evening forc'd all to turne home. 10
Then at last, riding fast, he had lost quite
All his lords in the wood, late in the night.

Wandering thus wearilye, all alone, up and downe,
With a rude miller he mett at the last:
Asking the ready way unto faire Nottingham;

Sir, quoth the miller, I meane not to jest,
Yet I thinke, what I thinke, sooth for to say,
You doe not lightlye ride out of your way.

15

Why, what dost thou think of me, quoth our king

merrily,

20

Passing thy judgment upon me so briefe ? Good faith, sayd the miller, I meane not to flatter

thee;

I guess thee to bee but some gentleman thiefe ;