Walking in a Meadow gren. [Page 93 of MS.] PERHAPS the following may have been suggested by the ballad of "The Two Leicestershire Lovers; to the tune of And yet methinks I love thee," a copy of which is in the Roxburghe Collection, I. 412. The subject of each is two lovers; both poems are in nearly the same metre, and begin with the same line. The difference is in the after-treatment. The "Two Leicester shire Lovers" begins thus: Walking in a meadow green For recreation's sake, To drive away some sad thoughts I spied two lovely lovers, Did hear each other's woe, This was printed by John Trundle, at the sign of "The Nobody," in Barbican-the ballad-publisher immortalized by Ben Jonson in his "Every Man in his Humour." (" Well, if he read this with patience, I'll go and troll ballads for Master John Trundle yonder, the rest of my mortality.") The printed copy is therefore as old as the manuscript.-W. C. WALKING in a meadowe greene, where p[r]imrose rankes did stand on bankes Walking out, They lay soe close together, they made me much to wonder; I knew not which was wether, vntill I saw her vnder. then off he came, & blusht for shame His lookes were dull & verry sadd, & play about at in & out; once more, & none can mend it." And then he thought to venter her, thinking the ffitt was on him; but when he came to enter her, the poynt turnd1 backe vpon him. Yet shee said, "stay! goe not away although the point be bended! but toot againe, & hit the vaine ! once more, & none can Mend it." Then in her Armes shee did him fold, There is a tag to the d like an s.-F. 40 44 48 "Adew, adew, sweet hart," quoth hee, "for in faith I must be gone." nay, then you doe me wronge," quoth shee, "to leaue me thus alone." Away he went when all was spent, wherat shee was offended; Like a troian true she made a vow and cried still "Once more." He declined and went away. 5 She declared she'd get some one else. ffins. Qui n'en a qu'un, n'en a point: Prov. (Meant of Cocks, Bulls, &c., and sometimes alledged by lascivious women,) as good have none as have no more but one. Cotgrave.-F. ℗ Jolly Robin.' [Page 95 of MS.] Iolly Robin, hold thy hande ! I pray thee leaue thy foolinge, heyda! I must cry out! I cannot holde: heyda, fie! heyda, fye! oh! oh! oh! oh! "what was that you sayd? heyda! heyda! heyda! heyda ! "O Iolly Robin, doe thy worst! I pray thee leaue thy fooling: heyda! I pray thee Robin let me goe: heyda, fye!" "what a deale of doe is heere, is heere, is heere!" "I begin to fainta. &c." I wretched stuff.--Percy. ffins. 2 MS. lydain.-F. When Phebus addrest. [Page 96 of MS.] THIS song is printed in "Merry Drollery Complete," Part 2, 1661 and 1670, also in "Wit and Drollery, Jovial Poems," 1656, p. 35. The tune is printed under the title of the burden “O doe not, doe not kill me yet," in J. J. Starter's "Boertigheden," Amsterdam, 4to, 1634, with a Dutch song written to the tune. This proves that the popularity of the song had extended to Holland twenty-two years before the earliest English copy that I have hitherto found. If the date given for the Percy folio, about 1620, is right, it contains the earliest copy known.-W. C. 4 WHEN Phebus addrest himselfe to the west, & set vp his rest below, her bewtie on me to bestow; & walking alone, attended by none, by chance I hard one crye "O doe not, doe not, kill me yett, By moonlight, walking 12 16 With that I drew neare to see & to heare, & strange did appeare such a showe; the Moone it was bright, & gaue such a light as ffitts not each wight to know: a man & a Mayd together were Laid, "O doe not, doe not, kill me yet, I, I saw a strange show, and still |