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I.

"TWWhen night and morning meet;

WAS at the filent, folemn hour,

In glided MARGARET's grimly ghost,
And flood at WILLIAM's feet.

II.

Her face was like an April morn,
Clad in a wintry cloud :

And clay-cold was her lilly-hand,
That held her fable fhroud.

So fhall the fairest face

III.

appear,

When youth and years are flown: Such is the robe that kings must wear, When death has reft their crown.

IV.

Her bloom was like a fpringing flower,

That fips the filver dew;

The role was budded in her cheek,
Juft opening to the view.

V.

But Love, had like the canker-worm,

Confum'd her early prime:

The rofe grew pale, and left her cheek; She'dy'd before her time.

VI.

Awake! fhe cry'd, thy true Love calls,

Come from her midnight grave;

Now let thy Pity hear the maid,
Thy Love refus'd to fave.

VII.

This is the dumb and dreary hour,
When injur d ghofts complain;
When yawning graves give up their dead,
To haunt the faithlefs fwain.

VIII.

Bethink thee, William, of thy fault,
Thy pledge and broken oath :
And give me back my maiden-vow
And give me back my troth.

IX.

Why did you promise love to me,
And not that promise keep?
Why did you fwear my eyes were bright,
Yet leave thofe eyes to weep?

X.

How could you fay my face was fair,
And yet that face forfake?

How could you win my virgin heart,
Yet leave that heart to break?

XI.

Why did you fay my lip was fweet,
And made the fcarlet pale?
And why did I, young witlefs maid !
Believe the flattering tale?

XII.

That face, alas! no more is fair;

Thofe lips no longer red:

Dark are my eyes, now clos'd in death, And every charm is fled.

XIII.

The hungry worm my fifter is;
This winding fheet I wear:
And cold and weary lafts our night,
Till that laft morn appear.

XIV.

But hark! the cock has warn'd me hence;

A long and late adieu !

Come, fee, falfe man, how low the lies,
Who dy'd for love of you.

XV.

The lark fung loud; the morning fmil'd,

With beams of rofy red:

Pale William quak'd in every limb,

And raving left his bed.

XVI.

He hy'd him to the fatal place
Where Margaret's body lay :
And stretch'd him on the green grass turf,
That wrap'd her breathlefs clay.

XVII.

And thrice he call'd on Margaret's name,

And thrice he wept full fore:

Then laid his cheek to her cold grave,

And word fpoke never more!

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On the publication of this ballad, in the year 1760, Mr. Mallet fubjoined an atteftation of the truth of the facts re-lated in it, which we shall give the reader literally :

Extract of a letter from the curate of Bowes in Yorkfhire, on the fubject of the preceding poem, to Mr. Copperthwaite at Marrick.

"Worthy fir,

"As to the affair mentioned in yours; it happened long "before my time. I have therefore been obliged to confult my clerk, and another perfon in the neighbourhood for "the truth of that melancholy event. The hiftory of it is " as follows:

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"The family-name of the young man was Wrightfon; of the young maiden Railton. They were both much of "the fame age; that is growing up to twenty. In their "birth was no difparity; but in fortune, alas! She was

his inferior. His father, a hard old man, who had by his toil acquired a handfome competency, expected and re"quired that his fon fhould marry fuitably. But, as amor "vincit omnia, his heart was unalterably fixed on the "pretty young creature already named. Their courtship. "which was all by ftealth, unknown to the family, con"tinued about a year. When it was found out, old Wright"fon, his wife, and particularly their crooked daughter "Hannah, flouted at the maiden, and treated her with "notable contempt for they held it as a maxim, and a ruftic one it is, that blood was nothing without groats.

66

66

"The young lover fickened, and took to his bed about Shrobe-tuesday, and died the Sunday fevennight after.

"On the last day of his illness, he defired to fee his miftrefs: he was civily received by the mother, who bid "her welcome-when it was too late. But her daughter "Hannah lay at his back to cut them off from all oppor"tunity of exchanging their thoughts.

"At her return home, on hearing the bell to toll out for "his departure, fhe fcreamed aloud that her heart was burft, and expired fome moments after.

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"The then curate of * Bowes inferted it in his register, "that they both died of love,

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grave, March 15, 1714.

and were buried in the fame

I am,

"Dear fir,

"Yours, &c.

*Bowes is a fmall village in Yorkshire, where in former ages the earls of Richmond had a caftle. It stands on the edge of that vaft and mountanious tract, named by the neighbouring people Stanemore; which is always expofed to wind and weather, defolate and folitary throughout. Camd. Brit.

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