Obrázky na stránke
PDF
ePub

He prayed the people, that wer there,

That they all still wold' stand,
For he that shoteth for such a wager
Behoveth a stedfast hand.

Muche people prayed for Cloudeslè,
That his lyfe saved myght be,

250

And whan he made hym redy to shote,

255

There was many weeping ee.

'But' Cloudeslè clefte the apple in two,

His sonne he did not nee.'

Over Gods forbode, sayde the kinge,

That thou shold shote at me.

I geve thee eightene pence a day,
And my bowe shalt thou bere,

And over all the north countrè

260

I make the chyfe rydère.

And I thyrtene pence a day, said the quene,

265

[blocks in formation]

And thy two brethren, yemen of my chambre,

For they are so semely to se.

Ver. 252. steedye. MS. Ver. 265. And I geve the xvij pence. PC.

Your

Your sonne, for he is tendre of age,
Of my wyne-seller he shall be ;

And when he commeth to mans estate,

275

Better avaunced shall he be.

And, Wyllyam, bring me your wife, said the quene,

Me longeth her sore to se:

She shall be my chefe gentlewoman,

To governe my nurserye.

The yemen thanked them all curteously.

To some byshop wyl we wend,

Of all the synnes, that we have done,

To be assoyld at his hand.

280

So forth be gone these good yemen,

285

As fast as they might he*';

And after came and dwelled with the kynge,

And dyed good men all thre.

Thus endeth the lives of these good yemen;

God send them eternall blysse ;

And all, that with a hand-bowe shoteth :
That of heven may never mysse. Amen.

Ver. 282. And sayd to some Bishopp wee will wend. MS. he. i. e. hie, hasten. See the Glossary.

290

II. THE

The harbenger of death,

To me I se him ride,

The cough, the cold, the gasping breath,
Doth bid me to provide

[blocks in formation]

A pikeax and a spade,

And eke a shrowding shete,

30

A house of clay for to be made
For such a guest most mete.

Me thinkes I heare the clarke,

That knoles the carefull knell ;

6

And bids me leave my wearye' warke,
Ere nature me compell.

[blocks in formation]

35

Of me that'shall bee cleane' forgot,

40

As I had 'ne'er' bene borne.

Thus must I youth geve up,

Whose badge I long did weare:
To them I yeld the wanton cup,
That better may it beare.

Lo here the bared skull;

By whose balde signe I know,

*

Alluding perhaps to Eccles. xii. 3.
V. 30. wyndynge-sheete. MS. V. 34. bell, MS.
V. 38. did. PC. V. 39. clene shat be. PC.
V. 45. bare-hedde. MS. and some PCC.

PC.

45

V. 35. wofull. V. 40. not. PC.

That

That stouping age away shall pull
'What' youthful yeres did sow.

For Beautie with her band,

These croked cares had wrought,
And shipped me into the land,
From whence I first was brought.:

[blocks in formation]

50.

55

V. 48. Which. PC. That. MS. What is conject. V. 56. wast. PC,

[ocr errors]

JEPHTHAH JUDGE OF ISRAEL.

In Shakespeare's HAMLET, act ii. the Hero of the Play takes occasion to banter Polonius with some scraps of an old Ballad, which has never appeared yet in any collection: for which reason, as it is but short, it will not perhaps be unacceptable to the Reader; who will also be diverted with the pleasant absurdities of the composition. It was retrieved from utter oblivion by a lady, who wrote it down from memory as she had formerly heard it sung by her father. I am indebted for it to the friendship of Mr. STEEVENS.

It has been said, that the original Ballad, in black-letter, is among Anthony à Wood's Collections in the Ashmolean Museum. But, upon application lately made, the volume which contained this Song was missing, so that it can only now be given as in the former Edition.

VOL. 1.

The

The Banter of Hamlet is as follows:

"HAMLET. "O Jeptha, Judge of Israel," what a "treasure hadst thou!

"POLONIUS. What a treasure had he, my Lord ? "HAM. Why, "One faire daughter, and no more, "The which he loved passing well."

"POLON. Still on my daughter.

"HAM. Am not I i' th' right, old Jeptha? "POLON. If you call me Jeptha, my Lord, I have "a daughter, that I love passing well.

"HAM. Nay, that follows not.

"POLON. What follows then, my Lord?

"HAM. Why, "As by lot, God wot:" and then you know, "It came to passe, As most like it was." "The first row of the pious chanson will shew you more."

Edit. 1793, vol. xv. p. 133.

HAVE you not heard these many years ago,

Jeptha was judge of Israel ?

He had one only daughter and no mo,

The which he loved passing well:
And, as by lott,

God wot,

It so came to pass,

As Gods will was,

That great wars there should be,

And none should be chosen chief but he.

10 And

« PredošláPokračovať »