Malvolio. Fool. Clown. "Alas, why is she so ?" Malvolio. Fool, I say. Clown. "She loves another."-Who calls, ha? Dr. Farmer has conjectured that the song should begin thus: "Hey, jolly Robin, tell to me How does thy lady do? But this ingenious emendation is now superseded by the proper readings of the old song itself, which is here printed from what appears the most ancient of Dr. Harrington's poetical MSS, and which has, therefore, been marked No. I. (scil. p. 68.) That volume seems to have been written in the reign of King Henry VIII, and as it contains many of the poems of Sir Thomas Wyat, hath had almost all the contents attributed to him by marginal directions written with an old but later hand, and not always rightly, as, I think, might be made appear by other good authorities. Among the rest, this song is there attributed to Sir Thomas Wyat also; but the discerning reader will probably judge it to belong to a more obsolete writer. In the old MS. to the 3d and 5th stanzas is prefixed this title, Responce, and to the 4th and 6th, Le Plaintif; but in the last instance so evidently wrong, that it was thought better to omit these titles, V. A SONG TO THE LUTE IN MUSICKE. THIS sonnet (which is ascribed to Richard Edwards, in the "Paradise of Daintie Devises," fo. 31, b.) is by Shakespeare made the subject of some pleasant ridicule in his " Romeo and Juliet", act iv. sc. 5, where he introduces Peter putting this question to the musicians. "Peter....why 'Silver Sound"? why Musicke with her silver sound'? what say you, Simon Catling? "1. Mus. Marry, sir, because silver hath a sweet sound. "Pet. Pretty! what say you, Hugh Rebecke? "2. Mus. I say, silver sound, because musicians sound for silver. "Pet. Pretty too! what say you, James Soundpost? "3. Mus. Faith, I know not what to say, "Pet.....I will say it for you: It is musicke with her silver sound,' because musicians have no gold for sounding." Edit. 1793, vol. xiv. p. 529. Concerning him, see Wood's Athen. Oxon. and Tanner's Biblioth.; also Sir John Hawkins's Hist. of Music, &c. This ridicule is not so much levelled at the song itself (which for the time it was written is not inelegant) as at those forced and unnatural explanations often given by us painful editors and expositors of ancient authors. This copy is printed from an old quarto MS. in the Cotton Library (Vesp. A. 25), entitled, Divers things of Hen. viij's time:" with some corrections from The Paradise of Dainty Devises, 1596. WHERE gripinge grefes the hart would wounde, In joye yt maks our mirthe abounde, 5 -is a story often alluded to by our old dramatic writers. Shakespeare, in his Romeo and Juliet, act ii, sc. 1, makes Mercutio say, -"Her (Venus's) purblind son and heir, Young Adam Cupid, he that shot so true, When King Cophetua loved the beggar-maid." As the 13th line of the following ballad seems here particularly alluded to, it is not improbable that Shakespeare wrote it "shot so trim,"which the players or printers, not perceiving the allusion, might alter to "true.' The former, as being the more humorous expression, seems most likely to have come from the mouth of Mercutio +. In the 2d part of Hen. IV. act v, sc. 3, Falstaff is introduced effectedly saying to Pistoll, "O base Assyrian knight, what is thy news? Let King Cophetua know the truth thereof." These lines, Dr. Warburton thinks, were taken from an old bombast play of "King Cophetua. No such play is, I believe, now to be found; but it does not therefore follow that it never existed. Many dramatic pieces are referred to by old writers, which are not now extant, or even mentioned in any list. In the infancy of the stage, plays were often exhibited that were never printed It is probably in allusion to the same play that Ben Jonson says, in his Comedy of "Every Man in his Humour," act iii. sc. 4, "I have not the heart to devour thee, an' I might be made as rich as King Cophetua." At least there is no mention of King Cophetua's riches in the 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 entitled simply "A Song of a Beggar and a King:) corrected by another copy. I READ that once in Affrica A princely wight did raine, From natures lawes he did decline, -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, act 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. 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, Shee sayd unto me quietlye, Rise up, and save cow Cumbockes liffe, Man, put thine old cloake about thee. 5 Shakespeare (who alludes to this ballad in his "Love's Labour lost," act iv. sc. 1.) 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. 3 "My mother had a maid call'd Barbara : She was in love; and he she lov'd prov'd mad, Ed. 1793, vol. xv. p. 613. This is given from a black-letter copy in the Pepys collection, thus entitled, A Lover's Complaint, being forsaken of his Love." To a pleasant tune. A POORE Soule sat sighing under a sicamore tree; With his hand on his bosom, his head on his knee : Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland. He sigh'd in his singing, and after each grone, Come willow, &c. I am dead to all pleasure, my true-love is gone; O willow, &c. 5 O pitty me, (cried he,) ye lovers, each one; Her heart's hard as marble; she rues not my mone. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. 20 The cold streams ran by him, his eyes wept apace; O willow, &c. The salt tears fell from him, which drowned his face: O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. 25 The mute birds sate by him, made tame by his mones: O willow, &c. [stones. The salt tears fell from him, which softened the O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland! Let nobody blame me, her scornes I do prove ; She was borne to be faire; I, to die for her love. Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland. 30 35 10 40 Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland. My love she is turned; untrue she doth prove: O willow, &c. She renders me nothing but hate for: my love. O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. V. 41, flyte, MS. Lowe lay'd by my sorrow, begot by disdaine; O willow, willow, willow! Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland! O love too injurious, to wound my poore heart! To suffer the triumph, and joy in my smart: Sing, O the greene willow, &c. O willow, willow, willow! the willow garland, O willow, &c. 60 10 A sign of her falsenesse before me doth stand: O willow, &c. 15 Sing, O'the greene willow, &c. 25 [sweet." "Here lyes one, drank poyson for potion most O willow, &c. Sing, O the greene willow, &c. Though she thus unkindly hath scorned my love, And carelesly smiles at the sorrowes I prove; Sing, O the greene willow, &c. I cannot against her unkindly exclaim, O willow, &c. 30 35 [name Cause once well I loved her, and honoured her 20 O willow, willow, willow! Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland. 55 IX. SIR LANCELOT DU LAKE. THIS ballad is quoted in Shakespeare's second part of Henry IV. act ii. The subject of it is taken from the ancient romance of King Arthur, (commonly called Morte Arthur), being a poetical translation of chap. cviii., cix., cx., in part 1st, as they stand in ed. 1634, 4to. In the older editions the chapters are differently numbered.-This song is given from a printed copy, corrected in part by a fragment in the editor's folio MS. In the same play of 2 Henry IV. Silence hums a scrap of one of the old ballads of Robin Hood. It is taken from the following stanza of "Robin Hood and the Pindar of Wakefield." All this beheard three wighty yeomen, Twas Robin Hood, Scarlet, and John: With that they espy'd the jolly Pindàr As he sate under a throne. |