As gracious Queen Mary the Letter did read,
With pitty her heart then was ready to bleed;
"Sweet Babe, for thy Mother and dear Father's sake,
A careful provision for thee I will make :

And likewise be kind to thy Grandsire also,
If that thy dear Mother and him I did know."

A Lady of Honour then stood by the side
Of gracious Queen Mary, to whom she reply'd,
"Procure me a Nurse for this Child out of hand:
The Lady no longer disputing did stand,

But a careful Woman that hour did seek,
Who has for her Wages Six Shillings a Week.

This Child was a Girl about two years of age,
Whose pritty sweet actions does dayly engage
The Ladies of Honour to love it also,

In sumptuous apparel likewise it does go:

And thus by her Royal compassionate care,

The Queen with her Ladies doth nourish it there.

finis.

Licensed according to Order.

Printed for P. Brooksby, J. Deacon, J. Blare, J. Back.

[In Black-letter.

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60

66

Three woodcuts (the third is the Winter-piece Lady with gloves of our p. 344). Date, probably 1691-93; certainly before the end of 1695.]

The Dying Lover's Reprieve.

"The poor World is almost six thousand years old, and in all this time there was never any man died, in his own person, videlicet, in a Love-cause."

-As You Like It, iv. sc. 1.

It would have been satisfactory to find that the following "Re

T prieve" is the same that was mentioned in Bagford Ballads as "The Reprieved Captive" (with the tune known as belonging to "The Doubting Virgin" of our p. 339), for which we have been searching unsuccessfully a long time. But the metre is different, and the search must continue. Patience, and shuffle the cards.

Two tunes are here indicated for "The Dying Lover's Reprieve." To the first," Digby's Farewell," or "Captain Digby's Farewell," or briefly "Digby," allusion was made on p. 125. The music of it was composed by Robert Smith. It is found in John Playford's Choice Ayres, 1676, Book First, p. 10, where the words begin "And I'll go to my Love, where he lies in the deep." Elsewhere they appear

The Original "Captain Digby's Farewell."

393

either as "I will go to my Love," or, "I'll go to my Love." Thus they are met in three Drolleries published in 1671, viz. 1.—A New Academy of Complements, p. 291; 2.-Windsor Drollery, p. 12; 3.-Orford Drollery, Part Second (devoted to "various authors"), p. 126, where the full title is, "On a Gentleman in a late Engagement against the Turk [who] was slain and thrown overboard, and she [who loved him has] since gone mad." In a later Drollery, entitled Mock Songs, and Joking Poems, 1675, is a parody on the same song, probably written by Captain William Hicks, who was addicted to such frivolities, beginning, "I will go to my Love, where she lyes in the Park." We add it on p. 400, and give here the original song, which is short and good. It is somewhat of a "Bess of Bedlam" composition, like Henry Purcell's Mad Maid, "From silent Shades and the Elysian groves," or Tom D'Urfey's Altesidora, "From rosy Bowers, where sleeps the God of Love."

Captain Digby's Farewell.

'Le go to my Love, where he lies in the Deep,

And in my embraces my Dearest shall sleep:

When we wake, the kind Dolphins together shall throng,
And in Chariots of Shells shall draw us along.

The orient pearls, which the Ocean bestowes,
With corrall we'll mix, and a Crown soe compose;
The Sea-Nimphs shall sigh, and envy our bliss,

We will teach them to Love, and [like] Cockles to kiss.

The tune became a favourite with ballad-writers, and was often chosen afterwards. The words must have been written earlier than the date of our first known copies, 1671. It was lengthened into a broadside ballad, one version of which, "The Sorrowful Ladie's Complaint," we bring hither (and reprint on p. 398, from Roxburghe Collection, II. 434). It begins, "One morning I walk'd by myself on the shore."

The other tune mentioned, for "The Dying Lover's Reprieve,' was known as "Give me the Lass" (which tune agrees with one called "The French Rant "). As it does not meet us for a long time, being in Roxb. Coll., III. 90, we give it on p. 402 (first turning topsy-turvy a few of the silliest verses), following the ballad of the Sorrowful Ladie's Complaint; with the modern variation, and Hicks's Parody.

[Roxburghe Collection, II. 119; Wood's E. 25. fol. 20.]

The Dying Lover's Reprieve :

The Reward of True Love.

With sighs and tears her love he does desire,
Since Cupid hath his senses set on fire;
His torment and his pain to her he shews,
With all his protestations and his bows:
At last she yields to grant him some relief,
And make him joyfull after all his grief.
TUNE OF, Digby's Farewell; Or, Give me the Las, etc.
With Allowance; Ro[ger] L'Estrange.

Airest and dearest, to thee I am bound,

Firest

For love and affection thy servant to be;

Your skill I desire to heal up my wound,

There's none in the world that can cure it but thee:
Then, dearest, be pleased to do your endeavour,

And thus you compel me unto you to cry,

Grant me thy affection, or else I shall dye.

And I'le be your servant to wait on you ever;

8

"The ground of my torment to thee I'le impart,

'Twas Cupid with 's Arrow that wounded my heart,

Which pains me and grieves me, that I cannot rest,

Brings tears from my eyes, and deep sighs from my breast:

The Dying Lover's Reprieve.

Which makes me go mourning to think on my grief,
My heart lies a burning for want of relief;
No hopes I have left to be eased of pain,
Unless you requite me with true love again.

"Then, dearest, be pleased to hear my request,
And ease a poor patient, and set me at rest;
For you'r[e] the Physitian which can by your art
In this sad condition give ease to my heart:
'Tis onely your love that so much I desire,
Since thy charming [face] my senses doth fire:
Then, dearest, release me out of all my pain,
And strive to requite me with true love again.
"Let me be so happy your love to imbrace,
Or why did you shew me your beautiful face?
Why did you not cover your features so rare,
Which caused my heart to be caught in a snare?
Then might I have lived in peace and content,

295

16

[word lost.

24

And never have known what love's torments have meant;
But now you compel me unto you to cry,

I prithee, love, tell me, shall I live or dye?

32

"Your love then restore me, and grant what I crave,

Or else to remove me from hence to the Grave;

Except you release me, no joy I can find,

Whereby it may ease me and settle my mind:
For I am inthralled by your rowling eyes,

And you are the object wherein the fault lies:

Which makes me go mourning to think on my pain,
My heart lies a burning for cruel disdain.

"Although for my love you do prove so unkind,
I cannot refrain, but must utter my mind;

I have been your servant a long time in vain,
My love it was fervent, and doth still remain ;
No hopes to remove it I find to my grief,
Unless you in pitty do grant me relief:
Then do not deny me, when as I do cry,
O grant me your favour, or else I shall dye.

"Therefore, I beseech you to hear my complaint,
And take [now] some pitty before I do faint:
For I am cast down with one glance of your eye,
And when you do frown, 'tis O then I could dye.
A smile from your beauty doth ravish my mi[nd],
Because I am pleased when as you seem kind,
For then I do hope to find some relief,

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48

At the hand of my dear, who hath caused my [grief.]

56

"But when I consider you cast me aside,
O then, I do fear you will not be my Bride;
But this I desire, and this I do crave,
To have some requital for being your Slave.
And so [1] presume for to venture, my Dove,
To seal with a kiss the Indenture of Love:
Then make me no longer in vain for to cry,
But now tell me whether I shall live or dye."

[The Maid's Reply to her Lover.]

"Kind Sir, then" (she said) "since your love it is true,]
I will heal your wound, and be kind unto you,
For well I have minded your sorrow and pain,
Which you have endured by my cruel disdain;
But your fancy to please, I grant what you cr[ave,]
And your grief for to ease, my body you have:
Then wipe off your tears, and cast sorrows away,
For now I will please you by night and by day."

These words so revived his sorrowful mind,
He was overjoy'd for to see her so kind;

He straightway imbrac'd her, and gave her a kiss,]
To seal as a pledge of a true lover's bliss:

And so from that instant united in love,

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With constant affection that ne'r shall remove:

And now they live happy in joy and content,

And for what is [all] past have no cause to repent.

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Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and J. Clarke. [Slightly mutilated at edge. Black-letter. Four cuts. Date, before Aug., 1685.]