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As here it doth bid to despair and to dye,

O willow, &c.

So hang it, friends, ore me in grave where I lye:
O willow, &c.

Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland.

In grave where I rest mee, hang this to the view,
O willow, &c.

Of all that doe knowe her, to blaze her untrue.
O willow, &c.

Sing, O the greene willow, &c.

With these words engraven, as epitaph meet,
O willow, &c.

"Here lyes one, drank poyson for potion most sweet."

O willow, &c.

Sing, O the greene willow, &c.

O willow, &c.

Cause once well I loved her, and honoured her name:

O willow, &c.

Sing, O the greene willow, &c.

The name of her sounded so sweete in mine eare,

O willow, &c.

It rays'd my heart lightly, the name of my deare;

O willow, &c.

Sing, O the greene willow, &c.

As then 'twas my comfort, it now is my griefe;

O willow, &c.

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40

35

It now brings me anguish, then brought me reliefe.

O willow,

&c.

Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland!

Farewell, faire false hearted: plaints end with my breath! O willow, willow, willow!

50

Thou dost loath me, I love thee, though cause of my death. O willow, willow, willow!

O willow, willow, willow!

Sing, O the greene willow shall be my garland.

IX.

Sir Lancelot Du Lake.

55

THIS ballad is quoted in Shakspeare's Second Part of Henry IV. act ii. sc. 4. 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 espyd the Jolly Pindàr
As he sate under a thorne.

That ballad may be found on every stall, and therefore is not here reprinted.

WHEN Arthur first in court began,

And was approved king,

By force of armes great victoryes wanne,

And conquest home did bring.

Then into England straight he came
With fifty good and able
Knights, that resorted unto him,

And were of his round table:

And he had justs and turnaments,
Wherto were many prest,

Wherein some knights did then excell
And far surmount the rest.

But one Sir Lancelot du Lake,

Who was approved well,

He for his deeds and feates of armes,
All others did excell.

When he had rested him a while

In play, and game, and sportt,
He said he wold goe prove himselfe
In some adventurous sort.

He armed rode in forrest wide,
And met a damsell faire,
Who told him of adventures great,
Whereto he gave good eare.

Such wold I find, quoth Lancelott:

For that cause came I hither.

Thou seemst, quoth she, a knight full good,

And I will bring thee thither.

Wheras a mighty knight doth dwell,

Ver. 18, to sportt. MS. V. 29, where is often used by our old writers for whereas here it is just the contrary.

If thou be of the Table Round,
Quoth Tarquin speedilye,

Both thee and all thy fellowship
I utterly defye.

That's over much, quoth Lancelott tho,
Defend thee by and by.

They sett their speares unto their steeds,
And each att other flye.

Percy. I.

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60

They coucht their speares, (their horses ran,
As though there had been thunder)

And strucke them each immidst their shields,
Wherewith they broke in sunder.

Their horsses backes brake under them,
The knights were both astound:

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70

To avoyd their horsses they made haste
And light upon the ground.

They tooke them to their shields full fast,
Their swords they drew out than,

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With mighty strokes most eagerlye

Each at the other ran.

They wounded were,

and bled full sore,

For both for breath did stand,

And leaning on their swordes awhile,

Quoth Tarquine, Hold thy hand,

And tell to me what I shall aske.

Say on, quoth Lancelot tho.

Thou art, quoth Tarquine, the best knight

That ever I did know;

And like a knight, that I did hate:

Soe that thou be not hee,

I will deliver all the rest,

And eke accord with thee.

That is well sayd, quoth Lancelott;
But sith it must be soe,

What knight is that thou hatest thus?
I pray thee to me show.

His name is Lancelot du Lake,
He slew my brother deere;
Him I suspect of all the rest:
I would I had him here.