But I would be in a good house, But I will cut my pretty green coat, knee; A foot above my And I will clip my yellow locks, And I will buy a little white horse, Thereon forth for to ride; "Yet, stay thee, lady, turn again, "Now, farewell grief, and welcome joy, Once more unto my heart; For, since I have found thee, lovely youth, 70 80 XVIII. ROBIN LEND TO ME THY BOW. A canon in the unison, for four voices, from "Pammelia. Musicks Miscellanie. Or, Mixed varietie of Pleasant Roundelayes, and delightfull Catches, of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, parts in one. Lond. 1609, 4to." That it was a popular song in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths reign appears from its being cited (amongst others) in a curious old musical piece, (MSS. Harl. 7578, before mentioned) containing the description and praises of the city of Durham, written about that time; but of which the corresponding parts are unfortunately lost. It is likewise quoted in "A very mery and pythie commedie, called The longer thou livest the more foole thou art." By W. Wager, London, 4to. b. l. n. d. Now Robin lend to me thy bow, Sweet Robin lend to me thy bow, For I must now a hunting with my lady goe, With my sweet lady goe. Now, ut sup. And whither will thy lady goe? Sweet Wilkin tell it unto mee; And thou shalt have my hawke, my hound, and eke my bow, To wait on thy lady. My lady will to Uppingham*, To Uppingham forsooth will shee; And I my selfe appointed for to be the man, To wait on my lady. A market town in Rutlandshire. 10. Adieu, good Wilkin, all beshrewde, Thy hunting nothing pleaseth mee; But yet beware thy babling hounds stray not abroad, For angring of thy lady. My hounds shall be led in the line So well I can assure it thee; Unlesse by view of straine some pursue I may finde, To please my sweet lady. With that the lady shee came in, And wild them all for to agree ; For honest hunting never was accounted sinne, 20 XIX. FLODDON FIELD. BY THOMAS DELONEY. The battle of Floddon, in Northumberland, was fought the 9th of September, 1513, being the fifth year of King Henry the 8th (who, with a great army, was then before Terouen in France) between Thomas Howard, earl of Surrey, commander-in-chief of the English forces, and James the 4th, king of Scots, with an inferior army of 15,000 men, who were entirely routed with great slaughter, their heroic sovereign being left dead upon the field. The relation of this signal victory and defeat has been the subject of as much rejoicing with the poets of England as of sorrow to those of her sister kingdom. No event in English history has produced a greater number of poetical effusions than the field of Floddon. In 1664 was published "A metrical History of the battle of Floddon," the composition, as it is conjectured, of some Northcountry schoolmaster in the time of Q. Elizabeth. Two different editions of this old piece appeared in the year 1774. One in a small 12mo. with the name of J. Benson Philomath. The other was printed at Berwick, from an old MS. and attended with a number of annotations and historical remarks, with other interesting, useful, and curious communications, by the reverend Mr. Lambe, vicar of Norham upon Tweed. It was likewise printed, though very incorrectly, by old Gent of York. And there is a MS. copy of it in the British Museum (Harl. Lib. 3526). In the above library are also the following poems relative to this event. No. 367. beginning "Now lette us talke of the mounte of Floden." No. 293. "A Ballate of the Batalle of Flodene-feeld,".... (in praise of the Stanleys, and the men of Lancashire and Cheshire). No. 2252. beginning— "As I lay musing myself alone." And in the same number is that beginning “O Rex Regum in thy Realme celestial,” printed in "The Mirror for Magistrates," which, with another by Ulpian Fulwell, is inserted by Mr. Lambe in his Appendix, No. VI. and VIII. p. 133. 153. Skelton, in his rude way, exults very much on the subject. See his Works, ed. 1736, p. 102. Lambes Appendix, No. VII. p. 143. A defeat is never a favourite and rarely a successful topic of poetry. The Scotish muse must however on this occasion be allowed the baya. The beautiful and affecting little ballad which appears to have been composed immediately after the battle, beginning— "I've heard of a lilting," is as sweet and natural a piece of elegiac poetry as any language can boast. A MS. poem on the battle of Flowden hill is mentioned in the catalogue of the Advocates Library at Edinburgh; but appeared, on enquiry, to be either lost or mislaid. The following ballad may possibly be as ancient as any thing we have on the subject. It is given from "The most pleasant and delectable history of John Winchcomb, otherwise called Jack of Newberry," written by Thomas Deloney, who thus speaks of it: "In disgrace of the Scots, and in remembrance of the famous atchieved victory, the commons of England made this song: which TO THIS DAY is not forgotten of many." It will not be contended, however, that the ballad here printed exhibits the genuine English of Henry the 8ths time. Honest Thomas, no doubt, like greater editors, had too refined a taste to prefer accuracy and fidelity to pleasing the eyes or tickling the cars of his readers. This author is mentioned by Kempe, (Nine Days Wonder, 1600, 4to.) as "the great ballade maker T. D. or Thomas Deloney, chronicler of the memorable Lives of the Six Yeomen of the West, JACK OF NEWBERY, The Gentle Craft, and such like honest men, omitted by Stowe, Hollinshed, Grafton, Hall, Froissart, and the rest of those well-deserving writers." (Warton, Hist. Eng. Poet. iii. 430.) He had satirized Kempe in what he calls "abhominable ballets." Nashe, in his "Have with you to Saffronwalden, or, Gabriell Harveys Hunt is up," 1596, 4to. calls him "Thomas Deloney the balleting silke-weaver," and says that he "hath rime inough for all myracles, and wit to make a Garland of good will more than the premisses, with an Epistle of Momus and Zoylus: whereas his Muse from the first peeping foorth, hath stood at livery at an Ale-house wishe, never exceeding a penny a quart day nor night; and this deare yeare, together with the silencing of his looms, scarce that; he being constrained to betake him to carded Ale: whence it proceedeth, that since Candlemas or his Jigge of John for the King, not one merrie dittie will come from him, but The Thunderbolt against Swearers, Repent England repent, and The Strange Judgements of God." "John Winscombe, called commonly Jack of Newberry," as we are told by Fuller, "was the most considerable clothier (without fancy and fiction) England ever beheld... In the expedition to Floddenfield, he marched with an hundred of his own men, (as well armed, and better clothed 'than' any) to shew that the painfull to use their hands in peace, could be valiant, and imploy their armes in He feasted King Henry the eighth and his first Queen Katherine at his own house, extant at Newberry at this day." war. |