Tip-toe stands the anxious lover, Whispering forth a gentle sigh: Alla1 keep thee, lovely lady; Tell me, am I doom'd to die? Is it true the dreadful story, An old lord from Antiquera Thy stern father brings along ; But canst thou, inconstant Zaida, Thus consent my love to wrong? If 'tis true now plainly tell me, Nor thus trifle with my woes; Deeply sigh'd the conscious maiden, Our fond friendship is discover'd, Storms of passion shake the house. Threats, reproaches, fears surround me ; Ancient wounds of hostile fury Long have rent our house and thine; Why then did thy shining merit Win this tender heart of mine? Well thou know'st how dear I lov'd thee Tho' I fear'd my haughty father 1 Alla" is the Mahometan name of God. Well thou know'st what cruel chidings I no longer may resist them; This weak frame I must resign. Yet think not thy faithful Zaida Soon, lov'd youth, some worthier maiden Canst thou think I thus will lose thee? Canst thou, wilt thou yield thus to them? This fond heart shall bleed to save thee, These fond arms shall shelter thee. 'Tis in vain, in vain, Alcanzor, Spies surround me, bars secure : SERIES THE SECOND BOOK i Though some make slight of Libels, yet you may see by them how the wind sits: As, take a straw and throw it up into the air, you may see by that which way the wind is, which you shall not do by casting up More solid things do not shew the complexion of the times so well as Ballads and Libels. a stone. SELDEN'S TABLE-TALK. I. RICHARD OF ALMAIGNE "A ballad made by one of the adherents to Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, soon after the battle of Lewes, which was fought May 14, 1264." This piece affords a curious specimen of ancient satire, and shews that the liberty, assumed by the good people of this realm, of abusing their kings and princes at pleasure, is a privilege of very long standing. To render this antique libel intelligible, the reader is to understand that just before the battle of Lewes, which proved so fatal to the interests of Henry III. the barons had offered his brother Richard King of the Romans thirty thousand pounds to procure a peace upon such terms as would have divested Henry of all his regal power, and therefore the treaty proved abortive. The consequences of that battle are well known: the king, prince Edward his son, his brother Richard, and many of his friends, fell into the hands of their enemies: while two great barons of the king's party, John Earl of Warren, and Hugh Bigot the king's Justiciary, had been glad to escape into France. In the first stanza the aforesaid sum of thirty thousand pounds is alluded to; but, with the usual misrepresentation of party malevolence, is asserted to have been the exorbitant demand of the king's brother. With regard to the second stanza, the reader is to note that Richard, along with the earldom of Cornwall, had the honours of Wallingford and Eyre confirmed to him on his marriage with Sanchia, daughter of the Count of Provence, in 1243. Windsor castle was the chief fortress belonging to the king, and had been garrisoned by foreigners: a cir. cumstance which furnishes out the burthen of each stanza. The third stanza alludes to a remarkable circumstance which hap. pened on the day of the battle of Lewes. After the battle was lost, Richard King of the Romans took refuge in a windmill, which he barricadoed, and maintained for some time against the barons, but in the evening was obliged to surrender. See a very full account of this in the Chronicle of Mailros; Oxon. 1684. p. 229. The fourth stanza is of obvious interpretation: Richard, who had been elected King of the Romans in 1256, and had afterwards gone over to take_possession of his dignity, was in the year 1259 about to return into England, when the barons raised a popular clamour, that he was bringing with him foreigners to over-run the kingdom: upon which he was forced to dismiss almost all his followers, otherwise the barons would have opposed his landing. In the fifth stanza, the writer regrets the escape of the Earl of Warren; and, in the sixth and seventh stanzas, insinuates, that, if he and Sir Hugh Bigot once fell into the hands of their adversaries, they should never more return home; a circumstance which fixes the date of this ballad; for in the year 1265, both these noblemen landed in South Wales, and the royal party soon after gained the ascendant. See Holinshed, Rapin, &c. The following is copied from a very ancient manuscript in the British Museum. [Harl. MSS. 2253. s. 23.] This manuscript is judged, from the peculiarities of the writing, to be not later than the time of Richard II.; th being every where expressed by the character þ; the y is pointed after the Saxon manner, and the í hath an oblique stroke over it. SITTETH alle stille, ant herkneth to me; For te make the pees in the countre, Ant so he dude more. Richard, thah thou be ever trichard, Richard of Alemaigne, whil that he wes kying, Richard, thah thou be ever, &c. The Kyng of Alemaigne wende do ful wel, With hare sharpe swerdes he grounde the stel, To helpe Wyndesore, Richard, thah thou be ever, &c. The Kyng of Alemaigne gederede ys host, To store Wyndesore. Richard, thah thou be ever, &c. By God, that is aboven ous, he dude much synne, For love of Wyndesore. Richard, thah thou be ever, &c. 1 "Kyn.” MS. Sire Simond de Mountfort hath suore bi ys chyn, Shuld he never more come to is yn, Ne with sheld, ne with spere, ne with other gyn, Richard, thah thou be ever, &c. Sire Simon de Montfort hath suore bi ys cop, To helpe Wyndesore. Richard, thah thou be ever, &c. Be the luef, be the loht, Sire Edward,2 Shalt thou never more breke foreward; Ant that reweth sore Edward, thou dudest as a shreward, Richard, &c. *This ballad will rise in its importance with the reader, when he finds, that it is even believed to have occasioned a law in our Statute Book, viz. 'Against slanderous reports or tales, to cause discord betwixt king and people.' (Westm. Primer, c. 34. anno 3. Edw. I.) That it had this effect, is the opinion of an eminent writer. See "Observations upon the Statutes, &c." 4to. 2d. edit. 1766, p. 71. However, in the Harl. Collection may be found other satirical and defamatory rhymes of the same age, that might have their share in contributing to this first law against libels. II. ON THE DEATH OF KING EDWARD We have here an early attempt at elegy. Edward I. died July 7, 1307, in the 35th year of his reign, and 69th of his age. This poem appears to have been composed soon after his death. According to the modes of thinking peculiar to those times, the writer dwells more upon his devotion, than his skill in government; and pays less attention to the martial and political abilities of this great monarch, in which he had no equal, than to some little weaknesses of superstition, which he had in common with all his cotemporaries. The king had in the decline of life vowed an expedition to the Holy Land; but finding his 1 "G'te here," MS. i. e. grant their. Vid. Gloss. 2 This stanza was omitted in the former editions. VOL. I. TT |