And thy two brethren, yemen of my chambre,
For they are so semely to se.

Your sonne, for he is tendre of age,

Of my wyne-seller he shall be;

And when he commeth to mans estate,
Better avaunced shall he be.

275

And, Wyllyam, bring me your wife," said the quene,

"Me longeth her sore to se:

She shall be my chefe gentlewoman,
To governe my nurserye."

The yemen thanked them all curteously.
"To some byshop wyl we wend,

Of all the synnes, that we have done,
To be assoyld at his hand."

So forth be gone these good yemen,
As fast as they might he'

*

And after came and dwelled with the kynge,
And dyed good men all thre.

Thus endeth the lives of these good yemen :
God send them eternall blysse ;

And all, that with a hand-bowe shoteth :
That of heven may never mysse. Amen.

280

285

290

II.

THE AGED LOVER RENOUNCETH LOVE.

THE Grave-digger's song in "Hamlet," A. 5, is taken from three stanzas of the following poem, though greatly altered and disguised, as the same were corrupted by the ballad-singers of Shakespeare's time; or perhaps so designed by the poet himself, the better to suit the character of an illiterate clown.

"he." i. e. hie, hasten. See the Glossary.

Ver. 282, And sayd to some Bishopp wee will wend. MS.

The original is preserved among Surrey's Poems, and is attributed to Lord Vaux, by George Gascoigne, who tells us, it "was thought by some to be made upon his death-bed;" a popular error which he laughs at. (See his Epist. to Yong Gent. prefixed to his Posies, 1575, 4to.) It is also ascribed to Lord Vaux in a manuscript copy preserved in the British Museum.* This Lord was remarkable for his skill in drawing feigned manners, &c., for so I understand an ancient writer. "The Lord Vaux his commendation lyeth chiefly in the facilitie of his meetre, and the aptnesse of his descriptions such as he taketh upon him to make, namely in sundry of his Songs, wherein he showeth the counterfait action very lively and pleasantly." Arte of Eng. Poesie, 1589, p. 51. See another Song by this Poet in Vol. ii. No. viii.

I LOTH that I did love,

In youth that I thought swete,
As time requires: for my behove
Me thinkes they are not mete.
My lustes they do me leave,
My fansies all are fled;

And tract of time begins to weave
Gray heares upon my hed.

For Age with steling steps,

Hath clawde me with his crowch,
And lusty Youthe' awaye he leapes,
As there had bene none such.

My muse doth not delight

Me, as she did before:

My hand and pen are not in plight,

As they have bene of yore.

For Reason me denies,

'Ail' youthly idle rime;

* Harl. MSS. num. 1703, § 25. The readings gathered from that copy are distinguished here by inverted commas. The text is printed from the "Songs, &c. of the Earl of Surrey and others, 1557," 4to.

Ver. 6. be. PC. [printed copy in 1557.] perhaps should be "Clouch," clutch, grasp. away she. PC. Ver. 18. This. PC.

Ver. 10. "Crowch "
Ver. 11. Life

And day by day to me she cries,
"Leave off these toyes in tyme."

The wrinkles in my brow,

The furrowes in my face,

Say, "Limping age will 'lodge' him now,
Where youth must geve him place."

The harbenger of death,

To me I se him ride,

The cough, the cold, the gasping breath,
Doth bid me to provide

A pikeax and a spade,

And eke a shrowding shete,
A house of clay for to be made
For such a guest most mete.

Me thinkes I heare the clarke,

That knoles the carefull knell ;

And bids me leave my 'wearye' warke,
Ere nature me compell.

*

My kepers knit the knot,

That youth doth laugh to scorne,

Of me that shall bee cleane' forgot,
As I had 'ne'er' bene borne.

Thus must I youth geve up,

Whose badge I long did weare :
To them I yeld the wanton cup,
That better may it beare.

Lo, here the bared skull;

By whose balde signe I know, That stouping age away shall pull 'What youthful yeres did sow.

*Alluding perhaps to Eccles. xii. 3.

20

25

30

35

40

45

Ver. 23. So Ed. 1583; tis" hedge" in Ed. 1557, "hath caught him." MS. Ver. 30. wyndynge-sheete. MS. Ver. 34. bell. MS. Ver. 35. wofull. PC. Ver. 38. did. PC. Ver. 39. clene shal be. PC. Ver. 40. not. PC. Ver. 45. bare-hedde. MS. and some PCC. Ver. 48. Which. PC. That. MS. "What" is conject.

For Beautie with her band,

These croked cares had wrought,
And shipped me into the land,
From whence I first was brought.
And ye that bide behinde,
Have ye none other trust:
As ye of claye were cast by kinde,
So shall ye turne' to dust.

III.

JEPHTHAH JUDGE OF ISRAEL.

IN Shakespeare's "Hamlet," A. ii. the Hero of the Play takes occasion to banter Polonius with some scraps of an old Ballad, which has never appeared yet in any collection: for which reason, as it is but short, it will not perhaps be unacceptable to the Reader; who will also be diverted with the pleasant absurdities of the composition. It was retrieved from utter oblivion by a lady, who wrote it down from memory as she had formerly heard it sung by her father. I am indebted for it to the friendship of Mr. Steevens.

It has been said, that the original Ballad, in black-letter, is among Anthony à Wood's Collections in the Ashmolean Museum. But, upon application lately made, the volume which contained this Song was missing, so that it can only now be given as in the former edition.

The Banter of Hamlet is as follows:

"Hamlet. 'O Jeptha, Judge of Israel,' what a treasure hadst

thou!

Polonius. What a treasure had he, my Lord?

Ham. Why, 'One faire daughter, and no more,

The which he loved passing well.'

Polon. Still on my daughter.

Ham. Am not I i' th' right, old Jeptha?

Polon. If you call me Jeptha, my Lord, I have a daughter, that

I love passing well.

Ver. 56. wast. PC.

Ham. Nay, that follows not.

Polon. What follows then, my Lord?

Ham. Why, As by lot, God wot:' and then you know, 'It came to passe, As most like it was.' The first row of the pious chanson will shew you more."

Edit. 1793, Vol. xv. p. 133.

HAVE you not heard these many years ago,
Jeptha was judge of Israel?

He had one only daughter and no mo,
The which he loved passing well:
And, as by lott,

God wot,

It so came to pass,

As Gods will was,

That great wars there should be,

And none should be chosen chief but he.

10

And when he was appointed judge,

And chieftain of the company,

A solemn vow to God he made;
If he returned with victory,
At his return

That should meet with him then,

Off his house, when he should return agen.

It came to pass, the wars was oer,
And he returned with victory;

His dear and only daughter first of all
Came to meet her father foremostly:
And all the way

She did play

On tabret and pipe,

Full many a stripe,

With note so high,

For joy that her father is come so nigh.

But when he saw his daughter dear
Coming on most foremostly,

5

15

20

25

30