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第22节

ancient poems-第22节

小说: ancient poems 字数: 每页4000字

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'Wee gav her battel half a daye; And was faine to flee awaye For saving of oure lyfe; And Peter Dale wolde never blin; But ran as faste as he colde rinn; Till he cam till hys wyfe。'

The Warden sayde; 'I am ful woe That yow sholde bee torment soe; But wee had wyth yow beene! Had wee bene ther; yowr breders alle; Wee wolde hav garred the warlo (26) falle; That wrought yow all thys teene。'

Freer Myddeltone; he sayde soon; 'Naye; In faythe ye wolde hav ren awaye; When moste misstirre had bin; Ye all can speke safte wordes at home; The fiend wolde ding yow doone ilk on; An yt bee als I wene;

Hee luik'd sea grizely al that nyght。' The Warden sayde; 'Yon man wol fyght If ye saye ought but gode; Yon guest (27) hath grieved hym sea sore; Holde your tongues; and speake ne more; Hee luiks als hee wer woode。'

The Warden waged (28) on the morne; Two boldest men that ever wer borne; I weyne; or ere shall bee: Tone was Gilbert Griffin sonne; Ful mickle worship hadde hee wonne; Both by land and sea。

Tother a bastard sonne of Spaine; Mony a Sarazin hadde hee slaine; Hys dint hadde garred thayme dye。 Theis men the battel undertoke Agen the sewe; as saythe the boke; And sealed securitye;

That they shold boldly bide and fyghte; And scomfit her in maine and myghte; Or therfor sholde they dye。 The Warden sealed toe thayme againe; And sayde; 'If ye in fielde be slaine; This condition make I:

'Wee shall for yow praye; syng; and reade; Until Domesdaye wyth heartye speede; With al our progenie。' Then the lettres wer wele made; The bondes wer bounde wyth seales brade; As deeds of arms sholde bee。

Theise men…at…arms thatte wer sea wight; And wyth theire armour burnished bryght; They went the sewe toe see。 Scho made at thayme sike a roare; That for her they fear it sore; And almaiste bounde to flee。

Scho cam runnyng thayme agayne; And saw the bastarde sonne of Spaine; Hee brayded owt hys brande; Ful spiteouslie at her hee strake; Yet for the fence that he colde make; Scho strake it fro hys hande; And rave asander half hys sheelde; And bare hym backwerde in the fielde; Hee mought not her gainstande。

Scho wolde hav riven hys privich geare; But Gilbert wyth hys swerde of warre; Hee strake at her ful strang。 In her shouther hee held the swerde; Than was Gilbert sore afearde; When the blade brak in twang。

And whan in hande hee had her ta'en; Scho toke hym by the shouther bane; And held her hold ful faste; Scho strave sea stifflie in thatte stoure; Scho byt thro' ale hys rich armoure; Till bloud cam owt at laste。

Than Gilbert grieved was sea sare; That hee rave off the hyde of haire; The flesh cam fra the bane; And wyth force hee held her ther; And wanne her worthilie in warre; And band her hym alane;

And lifte her on a horse sea hee; Into two panyers made of a tree; And toe Richmond anon。 When they sawe the felon come; They sange merrilye Te Deum! The freers evrich one。

They thankyd God and Saynte Frauncis; That they had wonne the beaste of pris; And nere a man was sleyne: There never didde man more manlye; The Knyght Marone; or Sir Guye; Nor Louis of Lothraine。

If yow wyl any more of thys; I' the fryarie at Richmond (29) written yt is; In parchment gude and fyne; How Freer Myddeltone sea hende; Att Greta Bridge conjured a fiende; In lykeness of a swyne。

Yt is wel knowen toe manie a man; That Freer Theobald was warden than; And thys fel in hys tyme。 And Chryst thayme bles both ferre and nere; Al that for solas this doe here; And hym that made the ryme。

Raphe of Rokeby wid ful gode wyl; The freers of Richmond gav her tyll; This sewe toe mende ther fare; Freer Myddeltone by name; He wold bring the felon hame; That rewed hym sine ful sare。



Ballad: ARTHUR O'BRADLEY'S WEDDING。



'IN the ballad called ROBIN HOOD; HIS BIRTH; BREEDING; VALOUR AND  MARRIAGE; occurs the following line:…


And some singing Arthur…a…Bradley。


Antiquaries are by no means agreed as to what is the song of  ARTHUR…A…BRADLEY; there alluded to; for it so happens that there  are no less than three different songs about this same Arthur…a… Bradley。  Ritson gives one of them in his ROBIN HOOD; commencing  thus:…


See you not Pierce the piper。


He took it from a black…letter copy in a private collection;  compared with; and very much corrected by; a copy contained in AN  ANTIDOTE AGAINST MELANCHOLY; MADE UP IN PILLS COMPOUNDED OF WITTY  BALLADS; JOVIAL SONGS; AND MERRY CATCHES; 1661。  Ritson quotes  another; and apparently much more modern song on the same subject;  and to the same tune; beginning; …

All in the merry month of May。


It is a miserable composition; as may be seen by referring to a  copy preserved in the third volume of the Roxburgh Ballads。  There  is another song; the one given by us; which appears to be as  ancient as any of those of which Arthur O'Bradley is the hero; and  from its subject being a wedding; as also from its being the only  Arthur O'Bradley song that we have been enabled to trace in  broadside and chap…books of the last century; we are induced to  believe that it may be the song mentioned in the old ballad; which  is supposed to have been written in the reign of Charles I。  An  obscure music publisher; who about thirty years ago resided in the  Metropolis; brought out an edition of ARTHUR O'BRADLEY'S WEDDING;  with the prefix 'Written by Mr。 Taylor。'  This Mr。 Taylor was;  however; only a low comedian of the day; and the ascribed  authorship was a mere trick on the publisher's part to increase the  sale of the song。  We are not able to give any account of the hero;  but from his being alluded to by so many of our old writers; he  was; perhaps; not altogether a fictitious personage。  Ben Jonson  names him in one of his plays; and he is also mentioned in Dekker's  HONEST WHORE。  Of one of the tunes mentioned in the song; viz。;  HENCE; MELANCHOLY! we can give no account; the other; … MAD MOLL;  may be found in Playford's DANCING…MASTER; 1698: it is the same  tune as the one known by the names of YELLOW STOCKINGS and the  VIRGIN QUEEN; the latter title seeming to connect it with Queen  Elizabeth; as the name of Mad Moll does with the history of Mary;  who was subject to mental aberration。  The words of MAD MOLL are  not known to exist; but probably consisted of some fulsome  panegyric on the virgin queen; at the expense of her unpopular  sister。  From the mention of HENCE; MELANCHOLY; and MAD MOLL; it is  presumed that they were both popular favourites when ARTHUR  O'BRADLEY'S WEDDING was written。  A good deal of vulgar grossness  has been at different times introduced into this song; which seems  in this respect to be as elastic as the French chanson; CADET  ROUSELLE; which is always being altered; and of which there are no  two copies alike。  The tune of ARTHUR O'BRADLEY is given by Mr。  Chappell in his POPULAR MUSIC。'


COME; neighbours; and listen awhile; If ever you wished to smile; Or hear a true story of old; Attend to what I now unfold! 'Tis of a lad whose fame did resound Through every village and town around; For fun; for frolic; and for whim; None ever was to equal him; And his name was Arthur O'Bradley! O! rare Arthur O'Bradley! wonderful Arthur O'Bradley! Sweet Arthur O'Bradley; O!

Now; Arthur being stout and bold; And near upon thirty years old; He needs a wooing would go; To get him a helpmate; you know。 So; gaining young Dolly's consent; Next to be married they went; And to make himself noble appear; He mounted the old padded mare; He chose her because she was blood; And the prime of his old daddy's stud。 She was wind…galled; spavined; and blind; And had lost a near leg behind; She was cropped; and docked; and fired; And seldom; if ever; was tired; She had such an abundance of bone; So he called her his high…bred roan; A credit to Arthur O'Bradley! O! rare Arthur O'Bradley! wonderful Arthur O'Bradley! Sweet Arthur O'Bradley; O!

Then he packed up his drudgery hose; And put on his holiday clothes; His coat was of scarlet so fine; Full trimmed with buttons behind; Two sleeves it had it is true; One yellow; the other was blue; And the cuffs and the capes were of green; And the longest that ever were seen; His hat; though greasy and tore; Cocked up with a feather before; And under his chin it was tied; With a strip from an old cow's hide; His breeches three times had been turned; And two holes through the left side were burned; Two boots he had; but not kin; One leather; the other was tin; And for stirrups he had two patten rings; Tied fast to the girth with two strings; Yet he wanted a good saddle cloth; Which long had been eat by the moth。 'Twas a sad misfortune; you'll say; But still he looked gallant and gay; And his name it was Arthur O'Bradley! O! rare Arthur O'Bradley! wonderful Arthur O'Bradley! Sweet Arthur O'Bradley; O!

Thus accoutred; away he did ride; While Dolly she walked by his side; Till coming up to the church door; In the midst of five thousand or more; Then from the old mare he did alight; Which put the clerk in a fright; And the parson so fumbled and shook; That presently down dropped his book。 Then Arthur began for to sing; And made the whole church to ring; Crying; 'Dolly; my dear; come hither; And let us be tacked together; For the honour of Arthur O'B

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