Yet to their fancy foon a caufe wil find; Such caitives count to be come of Cains kind; For our reverend father hath fet forth an order, For bribery was never fo great, fince born was our Lord, rowed hel, And poor men are fo fore punished commonly through the world, That it would grieve any one, that good is, to hear tel : For al the homilies and good books, yet their hearts be fo quel, That if a man do amiffe, with mischiefe they wil him wreake; The fashion of thefe new fellows it is fo vile and fell: But that I little John Nobody dare not speake. Thus to live after their luft, that life would they have, And in lechery to leyke al their long life; For Ver. 3. Cain's kind.] So in Pierce the Plowman's creed, the proud friars are faid to be “Of Capmes kind,” Vid. Sig, Cij. b. For al the preaching of Paul, yet many a proud knave But of thefe frantic il fellowes, few of them do thrife; If thou company with them, they wil currifhly carp, and not care According to their foolish fantacy; but faft wil they naught: Prayer with them is but prating; therefore they it forbear: Both almes deeds, and holiness, they hate it in their thought: Therefore pray we to that prince, that with his bloud us bought, That he wil mend that is amifs: for many a manful freyke Is forry for thefe fects, though they fay little or nought; And that I little John Nobody dare not once speake. Thus in No place, this NOBODY, in No time I met, Where NO man, ne NOUGHT was, nor NOTHING did appear; * Through the found of a fynagogue for forrow I fwett, then. MSS. and P. C. + Hercules, MSS. and PC. IV. Q. ELIZABETH's VERSES, WHILE PRISONER AT WOODSTOCK. WRIT WITH CHARCOAL ON A SHUTTER, are preferved by Hentzner, in that part of his Travels, which has lately been reprinted in fo elegant a manner at STRAWBERRY HILL. In Hentzner's book they were wretchedly corrupted, but are here given as amended by bis ingenious Editor. The old orthography, and one or two ancient readings of Hentzner's copy are here restored. H, Fortune! how thy reftleffe wavering state And freeing thofe that death had 'well deferved. So God fend to my foes all they have thoughte. 5 A. D. MDLV. ELIZABETHE, PRISONNER. V. THE Ver. 4. Could beare, is an ancient idiom, equivalent to Did bear or Hath borne. See below the Beggar of Bednal Green, ver, 57. Could fay. V. THE HEIR OF LINNE. This old ballad is given from a copy in the editor's folio MS; fome breaches and defects in which, rendered the infertion of a few fupplemental ftanzas neceffary. Thefe it is hoped the reader will pardon. From the Scottish phrases here and there difcernable in this poem, it should feem to have been originally compofed beyond the Tweed. The Heir of Linne appears not to have been a Lord of Parliament, but a LAIRD, whose title went along with bis eftate. PART THE FIRST. IT HE and liften, gentlemen, - It is of a lord of faire Scotland, Which was the unthrifty heire of Linne. His father was a right good lord, His mother a lady of high degree; And he lov'd keeping companie. 5 To spend the daye with merry cheare, To ride, to runne, to rant, to roare, To alwaye spend and never fpare, I wott, an' it were the king himselfe, Of gold and fee he mote be bare. Soe fares the unthrifty lord of Linne His house, and landes, and all his rent. His father had a keen flewàrde, And John o' the Scales was called hee: 10 15 20 Sayes, Welcome, welcome, lord of Liane, 25 Let nought disturb thy merry cheere, Iff thou wilt fell thy landes foe broad, Good ftore of gold Ile give thee here. My gold is gone, my money is fpent; My lande nowe take it unto thee: 30 Then |