For Beautie with her band, These croked cares had wrought, Have ye none other trust: 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' righ.. 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. 5 10 HAVE you not heard these many years ago, He had one only daughter and no mo, The which he loved passing well: 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. And when he was appointed judge, And chieftain of the company, A solemn vow to God he made; To burn That should meet with him, then, Off his house, when he should return agen. It came to pass, the wars was oer, His dear and only daughter first of all 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 He wrung his hands, and tore his hair, And troubled me so, That I know not what to do. For I have made a vow," he sed, * * * * * * * * "What thou hast spoke Do not revoke : What thou hast said, Be not affraid; Altho' it be I; Keep promises to God on high. But, dear father, grant me one request, That I may go to the wilderness, Three months there with my friends to stay; There to bewail my virginity; And let there be," Said she, "Some two or three Young maids with me." So he sent her away, For to mourn, for to mourn, till her dying day. IV. A ROBYN JOLLY ROBYN. IN his "Twelfth Night," Shakespeare introduces the Clown singing part of the two first stanzas of the following Song; which has been recovered from an ancient MS. of Dr. Harrington's at Bath, preserved among the many literary treasures transmitted to the ingenious and worthy possessor by a long VOL. I H line of most respectable ancestors. Of these only a small part "Clown. Hey Robin, jolly Robin. [singing.] Malvolio. Fool. Clown. My lady is unkind, perdy.' Malvolio. Fool. Clown. Alas, why is she so?' Malvolio. Fool I say. Clown. She loves another.'-Who calls, ha?" Dr. Farmer has conjectured that the Song should begin thus: "Hey, jolly Robin, tell to me 66 How does thy lady do?" 'My lady is unkind perdy"Alas, why is she so?" But this ingenious emendation is now superseded by the proper readings of the old song itself, which is here printed from what appears the most ancient of Dr. Harrington's poetical MSS., and which has, therefore, been marked No. I. (Scil. p. 68.) That volume seems to have been written in the reign of King Henry VIII. and, as it contains many of the Poems of Sir Thomas Wyatt, hath had almost all the Contents attributed to him by marginal directions written with an old but later hand, and not always rightly, as, I think, might be made appear by other good authorities. Among the rest, this Song is there attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt also; but the discerning Reader will probably judge it to belong to a more obsolete writer. In the old MS. to the 3d and 5th stanzas is prefixed this title, "Responce," and to the 4th and 6th, "Le Plaintif;" but in the last instance so evidently wrong, that it was thought better to omit these titles, and to mark the changes of the Dialogue by inverted commas. In other respects the MS. is strictly followed, except where noted in the margin-Yet the first stanza appears to be defective, and it should seem that a line is wanting, unless the four first words were lengthened in the tune. 5 'My lady is unkynde perde." "Alack! why is she so?" "She loveth an other better than me; "Ifynde no such doublenes : I fynde women true. My lady loveth me dowtles, And will change for no newe." "Thou art happy while that doeth last ; That women's love is but a blast, And torneth with the wynde." "Suche folkes can take no harme by love, That can abide their torn." "But I, alas, can no way prove "But if thou wilt avoyde thy harme At others fieres thy selfe to warme, 10 15 20 V. A SONG TO THE LUTE IN MUSICKE. THIS Sonnet (which is ascribed to Richard Edwards, in the "Paradise of Daintie Devises," fo. 31, b.) is by Shakespeare made the subject of some pleasant ridicule in his "Romeo and Juliet," A. iv. Sc. v., where he introduces Peter putting this Question to the Musicians. "Peter.... " why Silver Sound'? why Musicke with her silver sound'? what say you, Simon Catling? 1. Mus. Marry, sir, because silver hath a sweet sound. * Concerning him see Wood's Athen. Oxon., and Tanner's Biblioth. also Sir John Hawkins's Hist. of Music, &c. |