Upon the lute Sweet-William play'd,
And to the same he sung and said,
With a sweet and noble voice,

Which made the old man to rejoice:

"My father was as brave a lord

As ever Europe did afford,
My mother was a lady bright,

My husband was a valiant knight.

And I myself a lady gay,
Bedeck'd with gorgeous rich array.
The bravest lady in the land

Had not more pleasure at command.

I had my music every day,
Harmonious lessons for to play;
I had my virgins fair and free,
Continually to wait on me.

But now, alas! my husband's dead,
And all my friends are from me fled;
My former joys are pass'd and gone,
For I am now a serving-man.”

At last the king from hunting came,
And presently, upon the same,
He called for this good old man,
And thus to speak the king began:

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What news, what news, old man? quoth he;

What news hast thou to tell to me?

Brave news, the old man he did say,
Sweet-William is a lady gay.

"If this be true thou tell'st to me
I'll make thee a lord of high degree;
But if thy words do prove a lie,
Thou shall be hang'd up presently.”

But when the king the truth had found,
His joys did more and more abound:
According as the old man did say,
Sweet-William was a lady gay.

Therefore the king, without delay,
Put on her glorious rich array,
And upon her head a crown of gold,
Which was most famous to behold.

And then, for fear of further strife,
He took Sweet-William for his wife.

The like before was never seen

A serving-man to be a queen.

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XXXIV.

THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD;

OR,

THE NORFOLK GENTLEMANS LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT,

-appears to have been written in 1595, being entered in that year on the stationers books.

Now ponder well, you parents dear,

The words which I shall write ;

A doleful story you shall hear,

In time brought forth to light:

A gentleman, of good account,

In Norfolk liv'd of late,

Whose wealth and riches did surmount
Most men of his estate.

Sore sick he was, and like to die,

No help then he could have;

His wife by him as sick did lie,

And both possess'd one grave.

No love between these two was lost,
Each was to other kind;

In love they lived, in love they died,

And left two babes behind:

[V. 10. that.]

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The one a fine and pretty boy,

Not passing three years old:

The other a girl, more young than he,

And made in beautys mould.

The father left his little son,

As plainly doth appear,

When he to perfect age should come,
Three hundred pounds a year;

And to his little daughter Jane
Five hundred pounds in gold,
To be paid down on marriage-day,
Which might not be controll'd:
But if the children chance to die

Ere they to age should come,
Their uncle should possess
their wealth,

For so the will did run.

Now, brother, said the dying man,

Look to my children dear; Be good unto my boy and girl, No friends else I have here: To god and you I do commend My children, night and day;

But little while, be sure, we have,

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With that bespake their mother dear,
O brother kind, quoth she,

You are the man must bring our babes
To wealth or misery.

And if you keep them carefully,
Then god will you reward;
If otherwise you seem to deal,
God will your deeds regard.
With lips as cold as any stone,
She kiss'd her children small:

"God bless you both, my children dear."
With that the tears did fall.

These speeches then their brother spoke

To this sick couple there:

The keeping of your children dear,

Sweet sister do not fear;

God never prosper me nor mine,

Nor ought else that I have,
If I do wrong your children dear,
When you are laid in grave.

Their parents being dead and gone,
The children home he takes,

And brings them home unto his house,
And much of them he makes.

He had not kept these pretty babes
A twelvemonth and a day,
But, for their wealth, he did devise
To make them both away.

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