Then went owre kynge, with alle his ofte, Deo gratias, &c. Than for fothe that knyzt comely Ther dukys, and erlys, lorde and barone, Now gracious God he fave owre kynge, Deo gratias: Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria. 15 20 25 39 VI. THE THE VI. NOT-BROWNE MAY D. The fentimental beauties of this ancient ballad have always recommended it to Readers of taste, notwithstanding the ruft of antiquity, which obscures the ftyle and expreffion. Indeed if it had no other merit, than the having afforded the groundwork to Prior's HENRY AND EMMA, this ought to preferve it from oblivion. That we are able to give it in fo correc a manner, is orving to the great care and exactness of the accurate Editor of the PROLUSIONS 8vo. 1760; who has formed the text from two copies found in two different edi tions of Arnolde's Chronicle, a book supposed to be first printed about 1521. From the Copy in the Prolufions the following is printed, with a few additional improvements gathered from another edition of Arnolde's book prejerved in the public Library at Cambridge. All the various readings of this Copy will be found here, either received into the text, or noted in the margin. The references to the Prolufions will fhew where they occur. In our ancient folio MS. defcribed in the preface, is a very corrupt and defective copy of this ballad, which yet afforded a great improvement in one paffage. It has been a much easier task to settle the text of this poem, than to afcertain its date. The Ballad of the NUTBROWNE MAYD was first revived in " The Mufes Mercury for June, 1707." 4to. being prefaced with a little Efay on the "ald English Poets and Poetry :" in which this poem is concluded to be 66 near 300 years old," upon reasons, which, though they appear inconclufive to us now, were fufficient to determine Prior; who there first met with it. However, this opinion had the approbation of the learned WANLEY, an excellent judge of ancient books. For that whatever related to the reprinting of this old piece was referred to Wanley, * This (which my friend Mr. Farmer supposes to be the firft Edition) is in folio: the folios are numbered at the bottom of the leaf: the Song begins at folio 75. In this 3d Edit. the poem has been collated with a very fine copy that was in the collection of the late James Weft, E'q; the readings extracted thence are denoted thus Mr. W. Wanley, appears from two letters of Prior's preferved in the British Mufeum [Harl. MSS. N° 3777.] The Editor of the Prolufions thinks it cannot be older than the year 1500, becaufe in Sir Thomas More's tale of THE SERJEANT, &c. which was written about that time, there appears a fameness of rhythmus and orthography, and a very near affinity of words and phrafes, with those of this ballad. But this reafoning is not conclufive; for if Sir Thomas More made this ballad his model, as is very likely, that will account for the fameness of measure, and in fome refpect for that of words and phrafes, even tho' this had been written long before: and as for the orthography, it is well known that the old Printers reduced that of most books to the standard of their own times. Indeed it is hardly probable that an antiquarian like Arnolde would have inferted it among his hiftorical Collections, if it had been then a modern piece; at least he would have been apt to have named its author. But to fheww how little can be inferred from a refemblance of rhythmus or ftyle, the editor of these volumes has in his ancient folio MS. a poem on the Victory of Floddenfield, written in the fame numbers, with the fame alliterations, and in orthography, phrafeology, and ftyle nearly refembling the Vifions of Pierce Plowman, which are yet known to have been compofed above 160 years before that battle. As this poem is a great curiofity, we shall give a few of the introductory lines, "Grant gracious God, grant me this time, "That I may 'fay, or I ceafe, thy felven to please ; “ And Mary his mother, that maketh this world ; "And all the feemlie faints, that fitten in heaven ; "I will carpe of kings, that conquered full wide, "That dwelled in this land, that was alyes noble ; "Henry the feventh, that foveraigne lord, &c. With regard to the date of the following ballad, we have taken a middle courfe, neither placed it fo high as Wanley and Prior, nor quite Jo low as the editor of the Prolufions: we Should have followed the latter in dividing every other line into two, but that the whole would then have taken up more room, than could be allowed it in this volume. BE BE E it ryght, or wrong, thefe men among Affyrmynge this, how that it is A labour spent in vayne, To love them wele; for never å dele They love a man agayne : For late a man do what he can, Theyr favour to attayne, Laboureth for nought; for from her thought I say nat nay, but that all day It is bothe writ and fayd That womans faith is, as who fayth, All utterly decayd ; But, neverthelesse, ryght good wytnèsse In this cafe might be layd, That they love true, and continùe : Recorde the not-browne mayde: Which, when her love came, her to prove, To her to make his mone, Wolde nat depart; for in her hart She loved but hym alone. 5 10 20 Than My friend Mr. Farmer proposes to read the first lines thus as a Lafinism: Be it right or wrong, 'tis men among, On women to complayne. Ver. 2. Woman, Prolafons, and Mr. Weft's copy. Ver. 11. her. i. e. their. Than betwaine us late us dyscus What was all the manere Betwayne them two: we wyll also Tell all the payne, and fere, That she was in. 'Nowe I begyn, So that ye me answère; Wherfore, all ye, that prefent be I pray you, gyve an ere. 25 30 "I am the knyght; I come by nyght, As fecret as I can ; Sayinge, Alas! thus ftandeth the cafe, 35 I am a banyfhed man." SHE. And I your wyll for to fulfyll In this wyll nat refuse; Truflying to fhewe, in wordès fewe, That men have an yll use 40 (To theyr own fhame) women to blame, And caufeleffe them accufe: Therfore to you I anfwere nowe, All women to excufe, Myne owne hart dere, with you what chere? 45 I pray you, tell anone; For, in my mynde, of all mankynde I love but you alone. |