"Now help me up, thou fine fellowe, 'Tis time that I were gone : When I come home to Gyllian my wife,

Sheel say I am a gentilmon. "

When the tanner he was in the kinges sadèlle,
And his foote in his stirrup was,
He marvelled greatlye in his minde,
Whether it were golde or brass.

But when his steede saw the cows taile wagge,

And eke the blacke cowe-horne,

He stamped, and stared, and awaye he ranne,
As the devil had him borne.

The tanner he pulld, the tanner he sweat,
And held by the pummil fast;

At length the tanner came tumbling downe,

His necke he had well-nye brast.

"Take thy horse again with a vengeance," he sayd, "With mee he shall not byde ;"

"My horse wolde have borne thee well enoughe, But he knewe not of thy cowe-hide.

"Yet if againe thou faine woldst change,

As change full well may wee,

By the faith of my bodye, thou jolly tannèr,

I will have some boote of thee."

"What boote wilt thou have?" the tanner replyd,

"Nowe tell me in this stounde;

"Noe pence, nor half-pence, sir, by my aye, But I will have twentye pound."

"Here's twentye groates out of my purse,

And twentye I have of thine;

And I have one more, which we will spend
Together at the wine."

The king set a bugle horne to his mouthe,
And blewe both loude and shrille;

And soone came lords, and soone came knights,
Fast ryding over the hille.

"Nowe, out alas," the tanner he cryde,

"That ever I sawe this daye!

Thou art a strong thiefe; yon come thy fellowes Will beare my cowe-hide away."

"They are no thieves," the king replyde,

"I sweare, soe mote I thee;

But they are lords of the north country,
Here come to hunt with mee."

And soone before our king they came,
And knelt downe on the grounde;
Then might the tanner have beene awaye,
He had lever than twentye pounde.

"A coller, a coller, here," sayd the king,
"A coller," he loud gan crye ;
Then woulde he lever then twentye pound,
He had not beene so nighe.

"A coller! a coller!" the tanner he sayd,
"I trowe it will breed sorrowe;
After a coller commeth a halter;

I trow I shall be hang'd to-morrowe."

"Be not afraid, tanner," said our king;
"I tell thee, so mought I thee,
Lo here I make thee the best esquire
That is in the North countrie.

"For Plumpton-parke I will give thee, With tenements faire beside,

'Tis worth three hundred markes by the yeare,― To maintaine thy good cow-hide."

"Gramercye, my liege," the tanner replyde;
"For the favour thou hast me showne,
If ever thou comest to merry Tamworth,
Neates leather shall clout thy shoen."

THE FROLICKSOME DUKE; OR, THE TINKER'S

GOOD FORTUNE.

This story was probably derived from the East. It is the same as the tale of "The Sleeper awakened” in the Arabian Nights. The ballad is given from a black-letter copy in the Pepys collection.

OW as fame does report, a young duke keeps a

court,

One that pleases his fancy with frolicksome sport :
But amongst all the rest, here is one I protest,
Which will make you to smile when you hear the
true jest:

A poor tinker he found, lying drunk on the ground,
As secure in sleep as if laid in a swound.

The duke said to his men, "William, Richard, and Ben,
Take him home to my palace, we'll sport with him then."
O'er a horse he was laid, and with care soon convey'd

To the palace, altho' he was poorly arrai'd:

Then they stript off his cloaths, both his shirt, shoes, and hose, And they put him to bed for to take his repose.

Having pull'd off his shirt, which was all over durt,

They did give him clean holland, this was no great hurt :

On a bed of soft down, like a lord of renown,

They did lay him to sleep the drink out of his crown.

In the morning, when day, then admiring he lay,

For to see the rich chamber, both gaudy and gay.

T

Now he lay something late, in his rich bed of state,
Till at last knights and squires they on him did wait;
And the chamberlain bare, then did likewise declare,
He desired to know what apparel he'd ware :
The poor tinker amaz'd, on the gentleman gaz'd,
And admired how he to this honour was rais'd.