And still I him pursued with speed Where we did fight, of mortal life There all the noble chivalrye That doe on feates depend! There all the traiterous men were slaine Not one escapte away; And there dyed all my vallyant knightes. Two and twenty yeere I ware the crowne And thus by death was suddenlye 85 90 95 ICO [Ver. 83. Wherby appointed. V. 84. was agreed. V. 85-6. V. 92. upon.] Where wee did fight soe mortallye Of live eche other to deprive. V. 92. perhaps fates. [V. 96 is the end of the first part in the MS., the stanza King Arthur lived King 22 yeere in honor and great fame and thus by death suddenlye was deprived from the same ends the second part, which is printed by Percy as King Arthur's death, see previous ballad.] VI. A DYTTIE TO HEY DOWNE. Copied from an old MS. in the Cotton Library [British Museum] (Vesp. A. xxv. fol. 170), intitled, "Divers things of Hen. viij's time." HO sekes to tame the blustering winde, To "change" things frame by cunning That man I thinke bestoweth paine, Which never can by force be done : Who thinks to stryve against the streame, So he lykewise, that goes about To please eche eye and every eare, A golden gyft with hym to beare; Ver. 4. causse, MS. 10 15 20 God grant eche man one to amend; God send us all a happy place; And let us pray unto the end, That we may have our princes grace :. Amen, Amen! so shall we gaine A dewe reward for all our paine. 25 30 VII. GLASGERION. N ingenious Friend thinks that the following old Ditty (which is printed from the Editor's folio MS.) may possibly have given birth to the Tragedy of the Orphan, in which Polidore intercepts Monimia's intended favours to Castalio. See what is said concerning the hero of this song, (who is celebrated by Chaucer under the name of Glaskyrion) in the Essay affixed to vol. i. note H. pt. iv. (2). 66 [The hero of this ballad is the same as gret Glascurion," placed by Chaucer in the House of Fame by the side of Orpheus, and also associated with Orpheus by Gawain Douglas in the Palice of Honour. Percy's note in the Folio MS. is " It was not necessary to correct this much for the press;" (ed. Hales and Furnivall, vol. i. p. 246). It will be seen, however, by the collations at the foot of the page that several corrections were made, not always for the better. Thus ver. 96, "who did his ladye grieve," is certainly weaker than the original,— "And asked noe man noe leave.” Jamieson (Popular Ballads, 1806, vol. i. p. 91) prints an inferior version under the name of Glenkindie. Mr. Hale points out, however, that "the Scotch version is more perfect in one point-in the test question put to the page before the assignation is disclosed to him: 'O mith I tell you, Gib my man, Gin I a man had slain ?' Some such question perhaps would give more force to vv. 85-88 of our version." He also very justly observes, "perhaps there is no ballad that represents more keenly the great gulf fixed between churl and noble-a profounder horror at the crossing over it."] LASGERION was a kings owne sonne, And soe did hee in the queens chamber, Strike on, strike on, Glasgèrion, Of thy striking doe not blinne :1 But it glads my hart withinne. 5 10 Theres never a stroke comes oer thy harpe, Faire might he fall,' ladye, quoth hee, Who taught you nowe to speake! I have loved you, ladye, seven longe yeere 15 But come to my bower, my Glasgeriòn, When all men are att rest: As I am a ladie true of my promise, Home then came Glasgèrion, A glad man, lord! was hee. And, come thou hither, Jacke my boy; For the kinges daughter of Normandye Beffore the cocke have crowen. 20 25 [Ver. 4. where cappe and candle yoode, MS.] V. 6. wood, MS. [V. 8. sayd shee, MS. V. 9. saide, strike. V. 11. over this. V. 13. you fall. V. 15. 7 yeere. V. 16. my hart I durst neere breake. V. 21. but whom then. V. 24. her love is granted mee.] [1 cease. 2 well may be thine.] O master, master, then quoth hee, Lay your head downe on this stone: Afore it be time to gone. But up then rose that lither1 ladd, A coller he cast upon his necke, And when he came to the ladies chamber, He thrild upon a pinn.* The lady was true of her promise, Rose up and lett him in. He did not take the lady gaye To boulster nor to bed: "Nor thoughe hee had his wicked wille, "A single word he sed." 30 35 40 [Ver. 29. but come you hither Master, quoth he. V. 34. and did on hose and shoone. V. 42. nor noe bed. V. 43-4. but downe upon her chamber flore full soone he hath her layd.] * This is elsewhere expressed "twirled the pin," or "tirled at the pin" (see b. ii. s. vi. v. 3.) and seems to refer to the turning round the button on the outside of a door, by which the latch rises, still used in cottages. [The explanation given by Percy in this note is an unfounded guess. The Risp or tirling pin was very generally used in the north to do the duty afterwards performed by the knocker. There are several of these curious contrivances in the Antiquarian Museum at Edinburgh, and they are described by D. Wilson in his Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time, as follows,"These antique precursors of the knocker and bell are still frequently to be met with in the steep turnpikes of the Old Town, notwithstanding the cupidity of the Antiquarian collectors. The ring is drawn up and down the notched iron rod and makes a very audible noise within." (1848, vol. i. p. 97).] [1 wicked.] |