The forrester replying, 195 And the cause descrying,* To the king these words did say, Well may they, by their mother, Strait he dubb'd her husband knight; Then made him erle of Flanders, And chiefe of his commanders: Thus were their sorrowes put to flight. 220 * i. e. describing. See Gloss. XVII. The Sweet Neglect. This little madrigal (extracted from Ben Jonson's Silent Woman, act i., sc. 1, first acted in 1609,) is in imitation of a Latin poem printed at the end of the variorum edit. of Petronius, beginning, "Semper munditias, semper Basilissa, decoras," &c. See Whalley's Ben. Jonson, vol. ii., p. 420. STILL to be neat, still to be drest, That strike mine eyes, but not my heart. XVIII. The Children in the Wood. The subject of this very popular ballad, (which has been set in so favourable a light by the Spectator, No. 85,) seems to be taken from an old play, entitled "Two lamentable Tragedies; the one of the murder of Maister Beech, a chandler in Thames-streete, &c. The other of a young child murthered in a wood by two ruffins, with the consent of his unkle. By Rob. Yarrington, 1601, 4to." Our balladmaker has strictly followed the play in the description of the father and mother's dying charge: in the uncle's promise to take care of their issue: his hiring two ruffians to destroy his ward, under pretence of sending him to school: their choosing a wood to perpetrate the murder in: one of the ruffians relenting, and a battle ensuing, &c. In other respects he has departed from the play. In the latter, the scene is laid in Padua: there is but one child: which is murdered by a sudden stab of the unrelenting ruffian : he is slain himself by his less bloody companion; but ere he dies gives the other a mortal wound: the latter living just long enough to impeach the uncle; who, in consequence of this impeachment, is arraigned and executed by the hand of justice, &c. Whoever compares the play with the ballad, will have no doubt but the former is the original the language is far more obsolete, and such a vein of simplicity runs through the whole performance, that, had the ballad been written first, there is no doubt but every circumstance of it would have been received into the drama: whereas this was probably built on some Italian novel. Printed from two ancient copies, one of them in black letter in the Pepys collection. Its title at large is,"The Children in the Wood: or, the Norfolk Gentleman's Last Will and Testament: to the tune of Rogero, &c." Now ponder well, you parents deare, A gentleman of good account Who did in honour far surmount Most men of his estate. Sore sicke he was, and like to dye, No helpe his life could save; His wife by him as sicke did lye, And both possest one grave. 5 10 No love between these two was lost, Each was to other kinde, In love they liv'd, in love they dyed, 15 The one a fine and pretty boy, Not passing three yeares olde; The other a girl more young than he, And fram'd in beautyes molde. 20 The father left his little son, As plainlye doth appeare, When he to perfect age should come, And to his little daughter Jane Ere they to age should come, 25 30 Their uncle should possesse their wealth; For so the wille did run. Now, brother, said the dying man, Be good unto my boy and girl, But little while be sure we have Within this world to staye. |