But as he fat with fmiling Cheer,
The Event of all to fee,

His Dame brought forth a Piece of Dough,
Which in the Fire throws fhe;

Where lying on the Hearth to bake,

By chance, the Cake did burn:

What, can't thou not, thou Lout, (quoth fhe)
Take pains the fame to turn?
Thou art more quick to take it out,

And eat it up half Dough,
Than thus to stay till 't be enough,
And fo thy Manners show.

But ferve me fuch another Trick,
I'll thwack thee on the Snout:
Which made the patient King, poor Man,
Of her to ftand in doubt.
But, to be brief, to Bed they went,

The old Man and his Wife;

But never fuch a Lodging had
King Alfred in his Life ;

For he was laid in white Sheep's Wool,
New pull'd from tanned Fells;
And o're his Head hang'd Spiders Webs,
As if they had been Bells.

Is this the Country Guife, thought he ?
Then here I will not stay,

But hence be gone, as soon as breaks
The Peeping of next Day.

The cackling Hens and Geese kept rooft,
And perched at his Side;

Where, at the laft, the watchful Cock

Made known the Morning Tide: Then up got Alfred, with his Horn, And blew fo long a Blast,

That it made Gillian and her Groom,

In Bed, full fore aghast.

Arife, quoth fhe, we are undone ;
This Night we lodged have,
At unawares, within our House,
A false diffembling Knave:

Rife, Husband, rife; he'll cut our Throats;
He calleth for his Mates:

I'd give, Old Will, our good Cade Lamb,
He would depart our Gates.

But ftill King Alfred blew his Horn
Before them, more and more,

Till that an Hundred Lords and Knights
All lighted at the Door:

Who cry'd, All hail, all hail, good King;
Long have we fought your Grace.
And here you find (my merry Men all)
Your Sov'reign in this Place.

We furely must be hang'd up both,
Old Gillian, I much fear,
The Shepherd faid, for ufing thus
Our good King Alfred here.

O Pardon, my Liege, quoth Gillian then,
For my Husband, and for me :
By these Ten Bones, I never thought
The fame that now I fee.

And, by my Hook, the Shepherd said,
(An Oath both good and true)
Before this Time, O Noble King,
I ne're your Highness knew:
Then pardon me, and my old Wife,
That we may after say,

When firft you came into our House
It was a Happy Day.

It shall be done, faid Alfred, ftraight;
And Gillian, thy old Dame,

For this her churlish using me
Deferveth not much Blame;

To be thus bluntish still;
And where the plaineft Meaning is,
Remains the smallest Ill.

And, Master, lo I tell thee now;
For thy late Manhood shown,
A Thousand Wethers I'll bestow
Upon thee, for thy own;

And Pasture-Ground, as much as will
Suffice to feed them all :
And this thy Cottage I will change
Into a stately Hall.

And for the fame, as Duty binds,
The Shepherd faid, Good King,
A Milk-white Lamb, once ev'ry Year
I'll to your Highness bring:
And Gillian, my Wife, likewise,
Of Wool to make you Coats,

Will give you as much at New Year's Tid
As fhall be worth Ten Groats:

And in your Praise, my Bag-pipes fhall
Sound sweetly once a Year,
How Alfred, our renowned King,
Most kindly hath been here.
Thanks, Shepherd, Thanks, quoth he aga
The next Time I come hither,

My Lords with me, here in this House,
Will all be merry together.

[53]

leafant Ballad of King Henry and the Miller of Mansfield:

w he was Entertain'd and Lodg'd at the Miller's House.

Tune of The French Levalto, &c.

ng Song is grounded upon a Story the fame Nature as the former; ,in this, King Henry's wandering lental; in the other, King Alfred's n'd. Both our Poets, I believe, had t to hint at the Hofpitality used Days of Old, common to the Engeneral, now confin'd to Rufticks ut as I have nothing to fay directly act of this Ballad, I fhall forbear gmy Reader with a long and impertroduction. But, to be before-hand ticks, I fhall juft obferve, That the this Song is none of the fmootheft, or lar. However,thosewhoaredifpleas'd ay find fome Amendsinthe Thoughts; fthey are capable of relishing SentiDiction trulyruftickinevery Point, the leaft Difguife,or Covering of Art. our Royal King, would ride a hunting, e green Foreft, so pleasant and fair; ne Hart chafed, and dainty Does tripping; erry Sherwood his Nobles repair:

Hawk

For the fame, to the Game, with good Regar

All a long Summer's Day, rode the Ki

With all his Princes and Nobles each one: Chafing the Hart and Hind, and the B

Till the dark Evening forc'd him to turn ho Then at the last, riding faft, he had loft quite All his Lords in the Wood, late in a dark Nig

Wand'ring thus warily, all alone, up and down With a rude Miller he met with at last ; Asking the ready Way unto fair Nottingham? Sir, quoth the Miller, your Way you have l Yet I think, what I think, Truth for to say, You do not likely ride out of your Way.

Why, what doft thou think of me? qu King Paffing thy Judgment upon me so brief: Good faith, faid the Miller, I mean not

t

I guess thee to be fome Gentleman Thief: Stand thee back, in the dark; light thee not d Left that I presently crack thy Knave's Crown

Thou haft abus'd me much, quoth the Ki in

I am a Gentleman, and Lodging I lack. Thou haft not, quoth the Miller, one G

All thy Inheritance hangs on thy Back.

I have Gold to discharge all that I call;
If it be Forty Pence, I will pay all.

thy