He had a daintye lute under his arme,

He touched the strings, which made such a charme,
Saies, Please you to heare any muficke of mee
Ile fing you a fong of prettye Bessee.

With that his lute he twanged straight way,
And thereon begann moft fweetlye to play;
And after that leffons were playd two or three,
He'ftrayned out this fong moft delicatelìe.

"A poore beggars daughter did dwell on a greene,
"Who for her faireneffe might well be a queene :
"A blithe bonny laffe, and dainty was shee,
"And many one called her prettye Bessee.

40

45

"Her father he had noe goods, nor noe land,
"But beggd for a penny all day with his hand;
"And yett to her marriage he gave thousands three,
"And ftill he hath fomewhat for prettye Befsee.

"And if any one here her birth doe difdaine,
"Her father is ready, with might and with maine,
"To prove fhee is come of noble degree:
"Therfòre never flout at prettye Befsee.

With that the lords and the company round
With hearty laughter were readye to fwound;
At laft fayd the lords, Full well wee may fee,
The bride and the beggar's beholden to thee.

On this the bride all blufhing did rife,
The pearlie dropps ftanding within her faire eyes,
O pardon my father, grave nobles, quoth fhee,
That throughe blind affection thus doteth on mee.

55

60

If this be thy father, the nobles did fay,
Well may he be proud of this happy day;
Yett by his countenance well may wee fee,
His birth and his fortune did never agree:

65

And therfore blind man, we pray thee bewray,
(And looke that the truth thou to us doe fay)
Thy birth and thy parentage, what it may bee,
For the love that thou beareft to prettye Befsee.

70

"Then give me leave, nobles and gentles, each one,
"One fong more to fing, and then I have done;
"And if that itt may not winn good report,
"Then do not give me a groat for my sport.

cc [Sir Simon de Montfort my fubject fhal bee;
"Once chiefe of all the great barons was hee,
"Yett fortune fo cruelle this lorde did abafe,
"Now lofte and forgotten are hee and his race.

"When the barons in armes did king Henrye oppofe, "Sir Simon de Montfort their leader they chose;

"A leader of courage undaunted was hee,
"And oft-times hee made their enemyes flee.

75

80

85

"At length in the battle on Eveshame plaine "The barons were routed, and Montfort was flaine; "Mofte fatall that battel did prove unto thee, "Thoughe thou waft not borne then, my prettye Befsee!

Along with the nobles, that fell at that tyde, "His eldeft fonne Henrye, who fought by his fide, "Was fellde by a blowe, he receivde in the fight," "A blowe that deprivde him for ever from fight.

« Among

66 Among the dead bodyes all lifeleffe he laye,
"Till evening drewe on of the following daye,
"When by a yong ladye difcoverd was hee;
"And this was thy mother, my prettye Befsee!

"A barons faire daughter ftept forth in the nighte
To fearch for her father, who fell in the fight,
"And feeing yong Montfort, where gafping he laye,
"Was moved with pitye, and brought him awaye.

95

100

"In fecrette fhe nurft him, and fwaged his paine, “While hee throughe the realme was beleevd to be flaines "At lengthe his faire bride fhee confented to bee,

«And made him glad father of prettye Bessee.

"And nowe left oure foes oure lives fholde betraye, 105 "We clothed ourfelves in beggars arraye;

"Her jewelles fhee folde, and hither came wee:
"All our comfort and care was our prettye Befsee.]

"And here have we lived in fortunes defpite,

109

"Thoughe meane, yet contented with humble delighte: "Thus many longe winters nowe have I beene "The fillye blinde beggar of Bednall - greene.

"And here, noble lordes, is ended the fonge

"Of one, that once to your owne ranke did belong : "And thus have you learned a fecrette from mee, "That ne'er had beene knowne, but for prettye Befsee.,

115

Now when the faire companye everye one,

Had heard the ftrange tale in the fong he had fhowne,
They all were amazed, as well thy might bee,
Both at the blind beggar, and prettye Beffee.

120

With that the fweete maiden they all did embrace,
Saying, Sure thou art come of an honourable race,
Thy father likewife is of noble degree,

And thou art right worthye a ladye to bee.

Thus was the feaft ended with joye, and delighte,

125

A bridegroome most happye then was the yong knighte, In joye and felicitie long lived hee,

All with his faire ladye, the prettye Befsee.

IX.

THE STURDY ROCK.

This poem, fubfcribed M. T. [ perhaps invertedly for T. Marshall ,] is preferved in the The Paradife of daintie devifes, quoted above in pag. 150. The two first stanzas may be found accompanied with mufical notes in "An howres recreation in muficke, &c. " by Richard Alifon, Lond. 1606. 4to.:, usually bound up with 3 or 4 Sets of Madrigals

fet to music by Tho. Weelkes. Lond. 1597. 1600. 1608, 4to. „ One of these madrigals is so compleat an example of the Bathos, that I cannot forbear prefenting it to the reader.

Thule, the period of cofmographie,

Doth vaunt of Hecla, whofe Sulphurious fire Doth melt the frozen clime, and thaw the Skie,

Trinacrian Etnas flames afcend not hier:

These things feeme wondrous, yet more I,

Whose hart with feare doth freeze, with love doth fry.

* Vid. Athen. Oxon. p. 152. 316.

The

The Andelufian merchant, that returnes

Laden with cutchinele and china dishes, Reports in Spaine, how strangely Fogo burnes

Amidst an ocean full of flying fishes:

These things feeme wondrous, yet more wondrous I,
Whose hart with feare doth freeze, with love doth fry.

Mr. Weelkes feems to have been of opinion with many of his brethren of later times, that nonfenfe was beft adapted to dif play the powers of mufical compofure.

THE fturdy rock for all his ftrength

By raging feas is rent in twaine:

The marble stone is pearft at length,
With little drops of drizling rain:
The oxe doth yeeld unto the yoke,
The fteele obeyeth the hammer stroke.

The stately ftagge, that feemes fo ftout,
By yalping hounds at bay is fet:
The fwifteft bird, that flies about,

Is caught at length in fowlers net:
The greateft fish, in deepest brooke,
Is foone deceived by fubtill hooke.

Yea man himselfe, unto whofe will

All thinges are bounden to obey,
For all his wit and worthie fkill,

Doth fade at length, and fall away.
There is nothing but time doeth wafte;

The heavens, the earth confume at laft.

But