His cattle dyed within the field,
And nothing with him stayd.

And in a voyage to Portugal,
Two of his fonnes did dye;

And to conclude, himfelfe was brought
To want and miferye:

He pawn'd and mortgaged all his land

Ere feven yeares came about.

And now at length this wicked act

135

140

XIX.

A LOVER OF LATE.

From the Editor's folio Manufcript.

A Lover of late was I,

For Cupid would have it foe,
The boye that hath never an eye,

As everye man doth knowe:

I fighed and fobbed, and cryed, alas !
For her that laught, and call'd me afs.

Then knew not I what to doe,

When I faw it was all in vaine

A ladye fo coy to woe,

Who gave me the affe fo plaine :

Yet would I her affe freelye bee,

Soe shee would helpe and beare with mee.

An' I were as faire as shee,

Or fhee were as fond as I,

What paire cold have made, as wee,

So prettye a fympathye:

I was as fond as fhee was was faire,
But for all this we could not paire.

Paire with her that will for mee,
With her I will never paire ;
That cunningly can be coy,
For being a little faire.

The affe I'll leave to her difdaine;
And now I am myfelfe againe.

20

XX.

THE KING AND MILLER OF MANSFIELD..

છું..

It has been a favourite subject with our English ballad. makers to represent our kings converfing, either by accident or defign, with the meanest of their subjects. Of the former kind, befides this fong of the King and the Miller; we have K. Edward IV, and the Tanner; K. Henry and the Soldier; K. James I. and the Tinker, &c. Of the latter fort, are K. Alfred and the Shepherd; K. Henry VIII. and the Cobler, A few of the best of these we have admitted into this collection. Both the author of the following ballad, and others who have written on the fame plan, seem to have copied a very ancient poem, intitled JOHN THE REEVE, which is built on an adventure of the fame kind, that hap pened between K. Edward Longshanks, and one of his Reeves or Bailiffs. This is a piece of great antiquity, being written before the time of Edward IV, and for its genuine humour, diverting incidents, and faithful picture of ruftic manners, is infinitely fuperior to all that have been fince written in imitation of it. The editor has a copy in his ancient folio M S. but its length rendered it improper for this work, it confifting of more than 900 lines. It contains alfo fome corruptions, and the editor chufes to defer its publication in hopes that fome time or other he shall be able to remove them.

The following is printed from the editor's ancient" folio MS. collated with an old black-letter copy in the Pepys collection, intitled "A pleasant ballad of K. Henry II. and the "Miller of Mansfield, &c."

PART THE FIRST

ENRY, our royall king, would ride a hunting
To the greene foreft fo pleasant and faire;

To fee the harts skipping, and dainty does tripping:
To merry Sherwood his nobles repaire :

Hawke and hound were unbound, all things prepar❜d 5 For the game, in the fame, with good regard.

All a long fummers day, rode the king pleasantlye,
With all his princes and nobles eche one;

Chafing the hart and hind, and the bucke gallantlye,
Till the dark evening enforc'd hem turne home.
Then at last, riding faft, he had loft quite
All his lords in the wood, late in the night.

Wandering thus wearilye, all atone, up and downe,
With a rude miller he mett at the laft:
Afking the ready way unto faire Nottingham;
Sir, quoth the miller, I meane not to jeft,
Yet I thinke, what I thinke, footh for to say,
You doe not lightlye goe out of your way.

is

Why, what doft thou think of me quoth, our king merrily, Paffing thy judgment upon me fo briefe ?

Good

Good faith, fayd the miller, I meane not to flatter thee;

I guess thee to bee but fome gentleman thiefe:, Stand thee backe, in the darke; light not adowne, Left that I presentlye cracke thy knaves crowne.

Thou doft abuse me much, quoth the king, faying thus ; I am a gentleman; lodging doe lacke.

26

Thou haft not, quoth th' miller, ore groat in thy purse;

All thy inheritance hanges on thy backe,

I have gold to discharge all that I call;
If it be forty pence, I will pay all.

30

If thou beeft a true man, then quoth the miller,

I sweare by my toll-dish, I'll lodge thee all night... Here's my hand, quoth the king, that was I ever

Nay, foft, quoth the miller, thou mayft be a fprite. Better I'll know thee, ere hands we will fhake; With none but honeft men hands will I take.

Thus they went all along unto the millers houfe;
Where they were feething of puddings and foufe:
The miller first enter'd in, after him went the king;
Never came hee in foe smoakye a house.
Now, quoth hee, let me fee here what you are?
Quoth our king, looke your fill, and doe not fpare.

35

40

I like well thy countenance, thou haft an honest face;
With my fon Richard this night thou shalt lye.
Quath his wife, by my troth, it is a handfome youth, 45
N 3

Yet