Go, pytyous hart, rasyd with dedly wo, Persyd with payn, bleding with wondes smart, Bewayle thy fortune, with vaynys wan and blo. O Fortune vnfrendly, Fortune vnkynde thow art, To be so cruell and so ouerthwart, To suffer me so carefull to endure, That wher I loue best I dare not dyscure!
One ther is, and euer one shalbe, For whose sake my hart is sore dyseasyd; For whose loue, welcom dysease to me! 10 I am content so all partys be pleasyd: Yet, and God wold, I wold my payne were easyd! But Fortune enforsyth me so carefully to endure, That where I loue best I dare not dyscure.
Skelton, laureat, At the instance of a nobyll lady.
[225] _Here folowythe dyuers Balettys_, &c.] A tract so entitled, of four leaves, n. d. and without printer’s name, but evidently from the press of Pynson, consists of the five following pieces.
Ay, besherewe yow, be my fay, This wanton clarkes be nyse all way; Avent, avent, my popagay! What, will ye do no thyng but play? Tully valy, strawe, let be, I say! Gup, Cristian Clowte, gup, Jak of the vale! With, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale.
Be God, ye be a praty pode, And I loue you an hole cart lode. Strawe, Jamys foder, ye play the fode, 10 I am no hakney for your rode; Go watch a bole, your bak is brode: Gup, Cristian Clowte, gup, Jak of the vale! With, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale.
I wiss ye dele vncurtesly; What wolde ye frompill me? now, fy! What, and ye shalbe my piggesnye? Be Crist, ye shall not, no hardely; I will not be japed bodely: 20 Gup, Cristian Clowte, gup, Jake of the vale! With, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale. Walke forth your way, ye cost me nought; Now haue I fownd that I haue sought, The best chepe flessh that euyr I bought. Yet, for His loue that all hath wrought, Wed me, or els I dye for thought! Gup, Cristian Clowte, your breth[231] is stale! Go, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale! Gup, Cristian Clowte, gup, Jak of the vale! 30 With, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale.
[230] _Manerly Margery_, &c.] From the Fairfax MS., which formerly belonged to Ralph Thoresby, and now forms part of the Additional MSS. (5465. fol. 109) in the British Museum. It was printed (together with the music), by Hawkins, _Hist. of Music_, iii. 2. This song was inserted also in the first edition of _Ancient Songs_, 1790, p. 100, by Ritson, who observes,—“Since Sir J. Hawkins’s transcript was made, the ms. appears to have received certain alterations, occasioned, as it should seem, but certainly not authorised, by the over-scrupulous delicacy of its late or present possessor.” p. 102.