Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

present ballad, which is the oldest I have met with on the subject.

It is printed from Rich. Johnson's "Crown Garland of Goulden Roses," 1612, 12mo. (where it is intitled simply "A Song of a Beggar and a King ":) corrected by another copy.

I READ that once in Affrica
A princely wight did raine,
Who had to name Cophetua,
As poets they did faine :
From natures lawes he did decline,
For sure he was not of my mind,
He cared not for women-kinde,

But did them all disdaine.

But, marke, what hapned on a day,
As he out of his window lay,
He saw a beggar all in gray,

The which did cause his paine.

The blinded boy, that shootes so trim,
From heaven downe did hie;

He drew a dart and shot at him,

In place where he did lye :

Which soone did pierse him to the quicke,
And when he felt the arrow pricke,

Which in his tender heart did sticke,

He looketh as he would dye.

"What sudden chance is this," quoth he,
"That I to love must subject be,
Which never thereto would agree,

But still did it defie?"

10

5

15

20

Then from the window he did come,
And laid him on his bed,

25

A thousand heapes of care did runne
Within his troubled head :

For now he meanes to crave her love,

And now he seekes which way to proove
How he his fancie might remoove,

And not this beggar wed.

30

But Cupid had him so in snare,
That this poor begger must prepare
A salve to cure him of his care,

Or els he would be dead.

35

And, as he musing thus did lye,

He thought for to devise

How he might have her companye,

That so did 'maze his eyes.

"In thee," quoth he, "doth rest my life;

For surely thou shalt be my wife,

Or else this hand with bloody knife
The Gods shall sure suffice."
Then from his bed he soon arose,
And to his pallace gate he goes;
Full little then this begger knowes
When she the king espies.

"The gods preserve your majesty,"
The beggers all gan cry
"Vouchsafe to give your charity
Our children's food to buy."

The king to them his pursse did cast,
And they to part it made great haste;
This silly woman was the last

That after them did hye.

The king he cal'd her back againe,
And unto her he gave his chaine;
And said, "With us you shal remaine
Till such time as we dye :

For thou," quoth he, "shalt be my wife,
And honoured for my queene;
With thee I meane to lead my life,
As shortly shall be seene:

Our wedding shall appointed be,
And every thing in its degree :
Come on," quoth he "and follow me,
Thou shalt go shift thee cleane.

What is thy name, faire maid?" quoth he.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

"Penelophon,* O king," quoth she:
With that she made a lowe courtsèy;
A trim one as I weene.

Thus hand in hand along they walke
Unto the king's pallàce :

The king with courteous comly talke
This begger doth imbrace :

The begger blusheth scarlet red,
And straight againe as pale as lead,
But not a word at all she said,

She was in such amaze.

70

75

80

At last she spake with trembling voyce,

And said, "O king, I doe rejoyce

That you wil take me for your choyce,
And my degree's so base."

And when the wedding day was come,
The king commanded strait

The noblemen both all and some
Upon the queene to wait.
And she behaved herself that day,
As if she had never walkt the way;
She had forgot her gowne of gray,

Which she did weare of late.
The proverbe old is come to passe,
The priest, when he begins his masse,
Forgets that ever clerke he was ;
He knowth not his estate.

Here you may read, Cophetua,
Though long time fancie-fed,
Compelled by the blinded boy
The begger for to wed:

85

90

95

100

* Shakespeare (who alludes to this ballad in his "Love's Labour lost" Act iv. sc. i.) gives the Beggar's name "Zenelophon," according to all the old editions: but this seems to be a corruption; for "Penelophon," in the text, sounds more like the name of a woman.-The story of "the King and the Beggar " is also alluded to in "K. Rich. II." Act v. sc. iii.

Ver. 90. i. e. tramped the streets,

He that did lovers lookes disdaine,
To do the same was glad and faine,
Or else he would himselfe have slaine,
In storie, as we read.
Disdaine no whit, O lady deere,
But pitty now thy servant heere,
Least that it hap to thee this yeare,
As to that king it did.

And thus they led a quiet life

During their princely raigne ;
And in a tombe were buried both,
As writers sheweth plaine.
The lords they tooke it grievously,
The ladies tooke it heavily,
The commons cryed pitiously,

Their death to them was paine,

Their fame did sound so passingly,
That it did pierce the starry sky,
And throughout all the world did flye
To every princes realme.*

105

110

115

120

VII.

TAKE THY OLD CLOAK ABOUT THEE,

-is supposed to have been originally a Scotch Ballad. The reader here has an ancient copy in the English idiom, with an additional stanza (the 2d.) never before printed. This curiosity is preserved in the editor's folio MS. but not without corruptions, which are here removed by the assistance of the Scottish Edit. Shakespeare, in his "Othello," A. ii. has quoted one stanza, with some variations, which are here adopted: the old MS. readings of that stanza are however given in the margin.

* An ingenious friend thinks the two last stanzas should change place. Ver. 105. Here the poet addresses himself to his mistress. Ver. 112. "Sheweth" was anciently the plur, numb.

THIS winters weather itt waxeth cold,
And frost doth freese on every hill,
And Boreas blowes his blasts soe bold,
That all our cattell are like to spill;
Bell my wiffe, who loves noe strife,
She sayd unto me quietlye,

"Rise up, and save cow Crumbockes liffe,
Man, put thine old cloake about thee."

HE.

O Bell, why dost thou flyte and scorne'?
Thou kenst my cloak is very thin:

Itt is soe bare and overworne

A cricke he theron cannot renn :
Then Ile noe longer borrowe nor lend,
For once Ile new appareld bee,
To-morrow Ile to towne and spend,'
For Ile have a new cloake about mee.

SHE.

Cow Crumbocke is a very good cowe,
Shee ha beene alwayes true to the payle,

Shee has helpt us to butter and cheese, I trow,
And other things shee will not fayle ;

I wold be loth to see her pine,

Good husband, councell take of mee,

It is not for us to go soe fine,

Man, take thine old cloake about thee.

HE.

My cloake it was a verry good cloake,
Itt hath been alwayes true to the weare,
But now it is not worth a groat;

I have had it four and forty yeere:
Sometime itt was of cloth in graine,

"Tis now but a sigh clout as you may see, It will neither hold out winde nor raine; And Ile have a new cloake about mee.

SHE.

It is four and fortye yeeres agoe

Since the one of us the other did ken,

5

10

15

20

25

30

« ForrigeFortsæt »