(Not like other men)

In partye-colours ftrange to fee;
The right fide cloth of gold,

The left fide to behold,

Of woollen cloth ftill framed hee.

Men thereatt did wonder; ·

Golden fame did thunder

This strange deede in every place :
The king of France came thither,
Being pleasant weather,

In these woods the hart to chase,

The children then they bring,

So their mother will'd it,
Where the royall king,

Muft of force come bye:
Their mothers riche array,
Was of crimson velvet;
Their fathers all of gray,
Seemelye to the eye,

Then this famous king,

170

175

180

185

And the caufe defcrying*,

To the king these words did fay, Well may they, by their mother, Weare rich clothes with other, Being by birth a princesse gay.

The king aroufed thus,

More heedfullye beheld them, Till a crimfon blush

200

Strait he dubb'd her husband knight,

Then made him erle of Flanders,

And chiefe of his commanders,

Thus were their forrowes put to flight.

220

* i. e. defcribing. See Glofs.

XVII.

XVII.

THE SWEET NEGLECT.

From Ben Johnson's Silent Woman, Act. 1. Sc. 1. Fir acted in 1609.

TILL to be neat, fill to be drest,
As you were going to a feaft;

Still to be pou'dred, ftill perfum'd:
Lady, it is to be presum'd,

Though arts hid caufes are not found,
All is not fweet, all is not found.

Give me a looke, give me a face;
That makes fimplicitie a grace;
Robes loosely flowing, haire as free:
Such sweet neglect more taketh me,

Than all th'adulteries of art,

They ftrike mine eyes, but not my heart.

5

10

XVIII.

THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD.

The fubject of this very popular ballad (which has been fet in jo favourable a light by the Spectator, N° 85.) feems to be taken from an old play, intitled, Two lamentable Tragedies

"Tragedies, The one of the murder of Maifter Beech, a chandler in Thames-freete, &c. The other of a young child murthered in a wood by two ruffins, with the con"fent of his unkle. By Rob. Yarrington, 1601. 4to." Our ballad-maker has ftrictly followed the play in the defcription of the father and mother's dying charge: in the uncle's promife to take care of their issue: bis hiring two ruffians to deftroy his ward, under pretence of fending to School: their chufing a wood to perpetrate the murder in: one of the ruffians relenting, and a battle enfuing, &c. In other reSpects he has departed from the play. In the latter the scene is laid in Padua: there is but one child: which is murdered by a fudden ftab of the unrelenting ruffin: he is flain himself by his lefs bloody companion, but ere he dies gives the other a mortal wound; the latter living but just long enough to impeach the uncle: who in confequence of this impeachment is arraigned and executed by the band of justice, &c. Whoever compares the play with the ballad, will have no doubt but the former is the original: the language is far more obfolete, and fuch a vein of fimplicity runs thro' the whole performance, that had the ballad been written first, there is no doubt but every circumftance of it would have been received into the drama: whereas this was probably built on fome Italian novel.

Printed from two ancient copies one of them in black letter in the Pepys Collection. It's title at large is, "The Children "in the Wood: or, The Norfolk Gentleman's Laft Will and Teftament: To the tune of Rogero, Sc."

WOW ponder well, you parents deare,

No

Thefe wordes, which I fhall write ;

A doleful story you shall heare,

In time brought forth to light:
4

A gentle