look world there. With the manners, the old poetry ted thefe manners would remain likewife; and portion as thei: boundaries became more contra&ed, and their neighbours refined, the poetry of those mer would be more diftinctly peculiar, and that more ftrikingly remarked. The Reader will obferve in the mere ancient ballads of the collection, a caft of style and measure very different from bc of contemporary poets of a higher clafs: many plates and idioms, which the Minstrels feem to have approprated to themselves, and a very remarkable licence of the accent of words at pleasure, in order to h. the flow of the verse, particularly in the rhimes: barpèr baticl Countrie morning Ladie finger damsèl loving, intead of country, dy, barper, finger, &c.-This li berty is but fparingly affumed by the claffical poets of the fame age; or even by the latter compofers of Heccal Ballads: I mean by fuch as profeffedly wrote for the prefs. For it is to be obferved, that so long as the Votrels fubfifted, they feem never to have defigned their by for publication, and probably never committed to writing themfelves: what copies are preserved of I were doubtless taken down from their mouths. But old Minstrels gradually wore out, a new race of writers fucceeded, an inferior fort of minor poets, te narrative fongs meerly for the prefs. Inftances be found in the reign of Elizabeth. The elt birces in the genuine ftrain of the old MinAt I can discover, are No. III. and IV. of Book Na volume. Lower than these I cannot trace de of writing.. Mitrol-ballads are in the northern dialect, que words and phrafes, are extremely d into the utmost licence of metre; they Cette wildness, and are in the true fpirit 9 other fort are written in exacter mea fure, have a low or fubordinate correctness, sometimes bordering on the infipid, yet often well adapted to the pathetic; these are generally in the fouthern dialect, exhibit a more modern phrafeology, and are commonly descriptive of more modern manners.-To be fenfible of the difference between them, let the Reader compare in this volume No. III. of book III. with No. IX. of Book II. Towards the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign, (as is mentioned above) the genuine old Minftrelfy feems to have been extinct, and thenceforth the ballads that were produced were wholly of the latter kind, and these came forth in fuch abundance, that in the reign of James I. they began to be collected into little Mifcellanies under the name of GARLANDS, and at length to be written purposely for fuch collections*. • In the Pepyfian, and other libraries, are preferved a great number of thefe in black letter, 12mo. under the following quaint and affected titles, viz. 2. 1. A Crowne Garland of Goulden Rofes gathered out of England's Royall Garden, &c. by Richard Johnfon, 1612. [In the Bodleyan Library.]- The Golden Garland of Princely Delight.3. The Garland of Good-will, by T. D. 1631.4. The Royal Garland of Love and Delight, by T. D.-5. The Garland of Love and Mirth, by Thomas Lanfier.-6. The Garland of Delight, &c. by Tho. Delone. -8. The -7. Cupid's Garland fet round with guilded Rofes.Garland of withered Rofes, by Martin Parker, 1656.-9. The Shepherd's Garland of Love, Loyalty, &c.-10. The Country Garland.II. The Golden Garland of Mirth and Merriment.-12. The Lover's Garland.-13. Neptune's Fair Garland.- -14. England's fair Garland.-15. Robin Hood's Garland.-16. The Lover's Garland.-17. The Maiden's Garland.-18. A loyal Garland of Mirth and Paftime.&c. &c, &c. This fort of petty publications were anciently called PENNYMERRIMENTS: as little religious tracts of the fame fize went by the name PENNY GODLINESSES: In the Pepys Library are multitudes of both kinds. CON 2. The aged Lover renounceth Love - 8. Corydon's Farewell to Phillis. 11. Titus Andronicus's Complaint 12. Take thofe lips away 13. King Leir and his three daughters 14. Youth and Age 15. 2:9 The Frolickfome Duke, or the Tinker's good Fortune 221 16. The Friar of Orders gray BOOK THE THIRD. 1. The more modern ballad of Chevy-chafe 2. Death's final conqueft 3. The Rifing in the North 4. Northumberland betrayed by Douglas 5. My mind to me a kingdome is 6. The Patient Countess 7. You meaner beautyes 3. Dorfabell 225 18. Bryan and Percene. A Weft India Ballad 19. Gentle River, Gentle River. Tranflated from the Spanish 20. Alcanzor and Zayda, a Moorish Tale 313 317 324 I never heard the old fong of Percie and Douglas, that I found not my heart moved more than with a trumpet: and yet it' is fung but by fome blinde crowder, with no rougher voice, than rude ftile; which beeing fo evill aparelled in the duft and cobweb of that uncivill age, what would it work, trimmed in the gorgeous |