See the bwildinge. [Page 56 of MS.] This song is to be found in the Roxburghe Collection of Black-letter Ballads, I. 454, with the title “A well-wishing to a place of pleasure. To an excellent new tune," and with six more lines in each stanza. We quote it here for contrast sake. A WELL-WISHING TO A PLACE OF PLEASURE. To an excellent new Tune. See the building Was pleasures essence, Without her presence : 'bout this house living, Doth resemble, If not dissemble, due praises giving.? Harke, how the hollow Windes do blow And seem to murmur for her long absence : Flora springing Dame Venus ease.? with melting kisses distilling blisses From her true selfe with joy did ravish me. The pretty nightingale did sing melodiously. Haile to those groves Where I injoyde those loves so many dayes. Let the flowers be springing, And sweet birds ever singing their Roundelayes, ? Many Cupids measures And cause for true Loves pleasures, Be dancd around, this day be found 2: And may the grass grow ever green where we two lying have oft been trying More severall wayes than beauties lovely Queen When she in bed with Mars by all the gods was seen. See the garden for my true love : Behold those places Where I receivde those graces the Gods might move. 2 The Queene of plenty With all the fruits are dainty, delights to please Not inelegant.-P. Note on a separate slip of paper : “This was once a very popular song, as appears from a parody of it inserted (as a solemn piece of music) in Hemming's Jew's Tragedy, act 4, 4to, 1662.-N.B. The marginal corrections are made from this Parody.”—P. 3-2 Not in the Percy Folio copy.-F. Mr. W. Chappell says that the “excellent new tune of this song was adopted for other songs." SEE the building which whilest my Mistress liued in was pleasures asseince 2 ! with-out her presence ! & how thé 3 Murmer in every corner 8 See the garden where we have loved, 12 5 See the garden where oft I had reward in trew loue ! they goddes might moue ! with melting kisses disstilling blisses the arbour where we kissed, 16 and the groves ! Blessings on them ; 20 Haile to those groves where wee inioyed our loues daies ! singing wheron wee, lying, haue oft beene tryinge and on the grass where we lay! 24 5 the.-P. 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 Leicestershire Lovers " begins thus: Walking in a meadow green For recreation's sake, That sorrowful did me make, Did hear each other's woe, Upon the meadow brow. 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 out, WALKING in a meadowe greene, fayre flowers for to gather, to welcome comers thither, 4 |