For I must leave my fairest flower, And cross the seas to famous France, But yet, my Rose, be sure thou shalt When Rosamond, that ladye brighte, And from her cleare and crystall eyes Her lippes, erst like the corall redde, And falling down all in a swoone And twentye times, with watery eyes, He kist her tender cheeke, Untill he had revivde againe 'Why grieves my Rose, my sweetest Rose?' The king did often say, 'Because,' quoth shee, to bloodye warres But since your grace on forrayne coa Must goe to hazard life and limbe, Nay rather let me, like a page, Or lett mee, in your royal tent, And with sweete baths refresh your grace, So I your presence may enjoye But wanting you, my life is death; 'Content thyself, my dearest love; Faire ladies brooke not bloodye warres; My Rose shall rest in Woodstocke My Rose in robes of pearle, and golde, Shall dance the galliards of my love, And you, sir Thomas, whom I truste 353 And therewithall he fetcht a sigh, Not one plaine word could speake. And at their parting well they mighte For when his grace had past the seas, And forth she calles the trustye knighte, And when that they had wounded him, But when the queene with stedfast eye She was amazed in her minde 'Cast off from thee thy robes,' she said, 'That riche and costlye bee; And drinke thou up this deadlye draught, Then presentlye upon her knees And pardon of the queene she crav'd Take pitty on my youthfull yeares,' And lett mee not with poison stronge I will renounce my sinfuil life, And for the fault which I have done, And with these words, her lillie handes But nothing could this furious queene The cup of deadlye poyson stronge, Shee gave this comelye dame to drinke; And casting up her eyes to heaven, And drinking up the poison stronge, And when that death through everye limbe Her chiefest foes did plaine confesse Her body then they did entomb, At Godstowe, neare to Oxford towne, As [This ballad, the first two lines of which are sung by Falstaff, in Henry IV. pt. 2, Act ii. sc. 4, was given in Percy's Reliques,' from a printed copy, corrected in part by the Folio MS.' It is also contained in Ritson's 'Ancient Songs and Ballads,' where it is said to be by Thomas Deloney. Neither of these versions, however, is so correct as that of an old black-letter copy, in broadside, in the British Museum, entitled, To the tune of Flying Fame.' 'Printed by and for Alex. Milbourn, in Green-Arbor-Court, in the Little Old-Baily." From at copy it is here printed. In the same collection there is another copy, also in broadside, in Roman letter, the title of which is The Noble Atchievements of King Arthur, and his Knights of the Round Table.' To the tune of Flying Fame.' These titles, as Ritson remarks, and as the reader will see, are incorrect, though the subject of the ballad, as Dr. Percy points out, is taken from the ancient romance of King Arthur,' (commonly called Morte d'Arthur,') being a poetical translation of ch. cviii., cix., cx., in Part I., as they stand in edition 1634, 4to.] |