ANCIENT POEMS.

147

bis mother's court. If all these circumstances are confidered, Mr. Carte's account will be found more incoherent and improbable than that of the old ballad; which is also countenanced by most of our old biftorians.

Indeed the true date of Geoffrey's birth, and consequently of Henry's commerce with Rofamond, feems to be beft afcertained from an ancient manufcript in the Cotton library: wherein it is thus registered of Geofferey Plantagenet, "Na"tus eft 5°. Hen. II. [1159.] Factus eft miles 25°. Hen. "II. [1179.] Elect. in Epifcop. Lincoln. 28°. Hen. II. [1182.]." Vid. Chron. de Kirkstall. (Domitian XII.) Drake's Hift. of York, p. 422.

The following ballad is printed from four ancient copies in black letter; two of them in the Pepys library.

7HEN as king Henry rulde this land,

WHE

The fecond of that name,

Befides the queene, he dearly lovde

A faire and comely dame.

(with

conjectural emsidations)