Page images
PDF
EPUB

My Lady thou must be no more,
Nor I thy Lord, which grieves me fore,
The poorest Life

Must now content thy Mind :
A Groat to thee I dare not give,
Thee to maintain while I do live,
Against my Griffel,

Such great Foes I find.

When gentle Griffel

Did hear these woeful Tydings,
The Tears flood in her Eyes,
Nothing the answer'd,

No Words of Discontentment
Did from her Lips arise.
Her Velvet Gown

Moft patiently she stripped off,

Her Kertle of Silk with the fame : Her Ruffet Gown

Was brought again with many a Scoff,

To hear them her felf fhe did frame :
When she was dress'd in this Array,
And ready for to pass away,
God fend long Life

Unto my Lord, quoth fhe;
Let no Offence be found in this,
To give my Lord a parting Kifs,
With watery Eyes

Farewel, my Dear, faid fhe.

From Princely Palace
Unto her Father's Cottage,

Poor Griffel the is gone;

Full fifteen Winters

She lived there contented,

No Wrong the thought upon : And at this time through all The Land the Speeches went,

The Marquifs fhould married be,

Unto

Unto a Noble Lady,

Of high Defcent,

And to the fame all Parties did agree.
The Marquifs fent for Griffel fair,

The Bride's Bed-Chamber to prepare,
That nothing therein

Might be found awry.

The Bride was with her Brother come,
Which was great Joy to all and some;
But Griffel took all this
Most Patiently.

And in the Morning

When as they should be wedded,

Her Patience there was try'd,

Griffel was charged,

Herself in friendly manner

For to attire the Bride:

Moft willingly

She gave confent to do the fame ;
The Bride in Bravery was drefs'd,

And presently

The Noble Marquifs thither came,
With all his Lords at his Request.
O Griffel, I will ask of thee,

If to this Match thou wilt agree?
Methinks thy Looks

Are waxed wond'rous coy :
With that they all began to fmile,
And Griffel the reply'd the while,
God fend Lord Marquifs
Many Years of Joy.

The Marquifs was moved,
To see his best beloved

Thus Patient in Distress ;

He stept unto her,

And by the Hand he took her,
These Words he did exprefs:

Thou

Thou art my Bride,

And all the Brides I mean to have :

These two thine own Children be.

The youthful Lady

On her Knees did Bleffing crave,

Her Brother as well as the.

And you that envy her Estate,

Whom I have made my chofen Mate,
Now blush for Shame,

And honour virtuous Life ;
The Chronicles of lafting Fame,
Shall evermore extol the Name
Of Patient GRISSEL,
My most constant Wife.

XXXVII. The

XXXVII. A Godly Warning to all
Maidens, by the Example of God's
Judgments shewed on Ferman's
Wife of Clifton in the
Nottingham, who lying
Bed, was borne away, and
and never

heard of afterwards.

County of

in

To the Tune of, The Lady's Fall, &c.

Child

Among the feveral Subjects I have hitherto entered upon, I have not yet touch'd upon the Miraculous, to the no little Difappointment, I am afraid, of my aged Female Readers, who, like the Justice in the What d'ye Call it, doubtless expect in fuch a Collection a Competency of Ghosts. To comply with their Tafte, I have inferted the two following Songs, which, as they are very extraordinary in their Kind, will, I hope,make fome Amends for their waiting fo long; the former indeed is a very popu lar One, and I am well affur'd the latter has its Admirers.

You

YOU dainty Dames fo finely fram'd
In Beauty's chiefeft Mould,

You

And you that trip it up and down,
Like Lambs in Cupid's Fold,
Here is a Leffon to be learn'd,

Most wond'rous in its Kind,
For fuch as will prove falfe in Love,
And bear a faithlefs Mind.

Not far from Nottingham, of late,
In Clifton, as I hear,

There dwelt a fair and comely Dame,

For Beauty without Peer;

Her Cheeks were like the Crimson Rofe,
Yet as you may perceive,

The fairest Face, the falfeft Heart,
And fooneft will deceive.

This gallant Dame she was belov'd
Of many in that Place,

And many fought in Marriage Bed
Her Body to embrace :

At last a handfome proper Youth,
Young Bateman call'd by Name,
In hopes to make a married Wife,
Unto this Maiden came.

Such Love and Liking here was found,
That he from all the reft,

Had ftol'n away the Maiden's Heart,
And she did love him beft;
Then plighted Promife fecretly

Did pafs between them two,

That nothing could but Death itself,
This true Love's Knot undo.

He brake a Piece of Gold in twain,
One half to her he gave,
The other as a Pledge, quoth he,
Dear Heart my felf will have.

« PreviousContinue »