and dull performance, but happily excited Shakspeare to undertake the subject which he has given with very different incidents. It is remarkable, that neither the circumstances of Leir's madness, nor his retinue of a select number of knights, nor the affecting deaths of Cordelia and Leir, are found in that first dramatic piece; in all which Shakspeare concurs with this ballad. But to form a true judgment of Shakspeare's merit, the curious reader should cast his eye over that previous sketch, which he will find printed at the end of the twenty plays of Shakspeare, republished from the quarto impressions by George Steevens, Esq., with such elegance and exactness as led us to expect that fine edition of all the works of our great Dramatic Poet, which he hath since published. The following ballad is given from an ancient copy in the "Golden Garland," bl. let. entitled, "A lamentable Song of the Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters. To the tune of When flying Fame." KING Leir once ruled in this land With princely power and peace; And had all things with hearts content, That might his joys increase. Amongst those things that nature gave, Three daughters fair had he, So princely seeming beautiful, As fairer could not be. Until my dying day. -is found in a little collection of Shakspeare's Sonnets, entitled, the "Passionate Pilgrime," the greatest part of which seems to relate to the amours of Venus and Adonis, being little effusions of fancy, probably writ ten while he was composing his larger Poem on that subject. The following seems intended for the mouth of Venus, weighing the comparative merits of youthful Adonis and aged Vulcan. In the "Garland of Good Will" it is reprinted, with the addition of four more such stanzas, but evidently written by a meaner pen. CRABBED Age and Youth XVII. The Frolicksome Duke, or the Tinker's Good Fortune. THE following ballad is upon the same sub- | English writer: "The said duke, at the marject as the Introduction to Shakspeare's Taming of the Shrew: whether it may be thought to have suggested the hint to the Dramatic poet, or is not rather of later date, the reader must determine. The story is told† of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy; and is thus related by an old Mentioned above, song xi. b. ii. + By Ludov. Vives in Epis. and by Pont. Heuter. Rerum Burgund. 1. 4. riage of Eleonora, sister to the king of Portugall, at Bruges in Flanders, which was solemnised in the deepe of winter; when as by reason of unseasonable weather he could neither hawke nor hunt, and was now tired with cards, dice, &c., and such other domestick sports, or to see ladies dance; with some of his courtiers, he would in the evening walke disguised all about the towne. It so fortuned, as he was walking late one night, he found a countrey fellow dead drunke, snorting on a bulke ; he caused his followers to bring him to his palace, and there stripping him of his old clothes, and attyring him after the court fashion, when he wakened he and they were all ready to attend upon his excellency, and persuade him that he was some great duke. The poor fellow admiring how he came there, was served in state all day long: after supper he saw them dance, heard musicke, and all the rest of those court-like pleasures: but late at night, when he was well tipled, and again fast asleepe, they put on his old robes, and so conveyed him to the place where they first found him. Now the fellow had not made them so good sport the day before, as he did now, when he returned to himself: all the jest was to see how he looked upon it. In conclusion, after some little admiration, the poore man told his friends he had seen a vision: constantly believed it; would not otherwise be persuaded, and so the jest ended." Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, pt. ii. sec. 2, memb. 4, 2d ed. 1624, fol. This ballad is given from a black-letter copy in the Pepys collection, which is entitled as above "To the tune of Fond boy." Now as fame does report a young duke keeps a court, One that pleases his fancy with frolicksome sport: But amongst all the rest, here is one I protest, Which will make you to smile when you hear the true jest: A poor tinker he found, lying drunk on the ground, As secure in sleep as if laid in a swound. 5 Did observe his behaviour in every case. To a garden of state, on the tinker they wait, Trumpets sounding before him: thought he, this is great: 34 Where an hour or two, pleasant walks he did view, With commanders and squires in scarlet and blew. A fine dinner was drest, both for him and his guests, He was plac'd at the table above all the rest, In a rich chair or bed,' lin❜d with fine crimson red, With a rich golden canopy over his head : 40 Having pull'd off his shirt, which was all As he sat at his meat, the musick play'd They did give him clean holland, this was no With the choicest of singing his joys to comgreat hurt: pleat. While the tinker did dine, he had plenty of | But his highness he said, Thou'rt a jolly bold wine, blade, 59 Such a frolick before I think never was plaid. XVIII. The Friar of Orders Gray. DISPERSED through Shakspeare's plays are | And he met with a lady faire innumerable little fragments of ancient ballads, the entire copies of which could not be recovered. Many of these being of the most beautiful and pathetic simplicity, the Editor was tempted to select some of them, and with a few supplemental stanzas to connect them together, and form them into a little Tale, which is here submitted to the reader's candour. Clad in a pilgrime's weedes. Now Christ thee save, thou reverend friar, 5 One small fragment was taken from Beaumont and Fletcher. Ir was a friar of orders gray My true love thou didst see. O, by his cockle hat, and staff, And by his sandal shoone.* 10 . * These are the distinguishing marks of a Pilgrim. The chief places of devotion being beyond sea, the pilgrims were wont to put cockle-shells in their hats to denote the intention of performance of their devotion. Warb. Shakesp vol. viii. p. 224. |