The Merchants Daughter of Bristow.
The Tune is, The Maidens Joy.
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BEhold the Touchstone of true love,
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Maudlin the Merchants daughter of Bristow town
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Whose firm affection nothing could move,
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Her favour bears the lovely brown.
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A gallant youth was dwelling by,
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Which many years had born this Maiden great good will,
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She loved him so faithfully,
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But all her friends withstood it still.
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The young-man now perceiving well,
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He could not get nor win the favour of her friends
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The force of sorrow to expel,
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And view strange Countries he intends:
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And now to take his last farewel
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Of his true Love, his fair and constant Maudlin,
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With Musick sweet that did excel,
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He plaid under her window then.
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Farewell (quoth he) mine own true love,
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Farewell my deare & chiefest treasure of my heart
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Through fortune spight that false did prove,
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I am inforc'd from thee to part.
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Into the Land of Italy:
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There will I wail & weary out my Life in woe,
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Seeing my true Love is kept from me,
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I hold my Life a mortal foe:
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Fair Bristow Town therefore adieu,
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For Padua shall be my habitation now,
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Although my Love doth rest in thee,
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To whom alone my heart I vow.
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With trickling tears thus did he sing,
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With sighs & sobs descending from his heart full sore,
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He said when he his hands did wring,
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Farewel sweet Love for evermore.
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Fair Maudlin from a window high,
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Beholding her true Love with musick where he stood,
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But not a Word she did reply,
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Fearing her Parents angry mood.
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In tears she spent that woful night,
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Wishing her self, though naked, with her faithful friend,
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She blames her friends and fortunes spight:
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That wrought her love such luckless end:
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A[n]d in her heart she made a vow,
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Clean to forsake her Country and her kindred all,
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And for to follow her true love,
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To abide all ochance that might befall.
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The night is gone, and the day is come,
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And in the morning very early did she rise,
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She gets her down into a lower room,
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Where sundry Seamen she espies:
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A gallant Master among them all,
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The Master of a great and goodly ship was he,
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Who there was waiting in the Hall,
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To speak with her Father if it might be.
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She kindly takes him by the hand,
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Good sir, said she, & would thou speak with any here
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Quoth he, fair Maid, and therefore I do stand,
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Then gentle sir, I pray draw near:
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Into a pleasant Parlor by,
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doth hand in hand she brings the seaman all alone,
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Sighing to him most piteously,
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She thus to him did make her moan
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She falls upon her bended knee,
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[Good sir, she sayd, now pitty you a maydens woe,]
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And prove a faithful friend to me,
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That I to you my grief may show:
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Sith you repose your trust he said,
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In me, who am unknown & eke a stranger here:
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Be you assur'd most proper Maid,
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Most faithul still I will appear:
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I have a Brother, then (quoth she)
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Whom as my Life I Love & favour tenderly,
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In Padua alas is he,
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Full sick God wot and like to die.
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Full fain I would my Brother see,
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But that my father will not yield to let me go,
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Therefore good sir be good to me,
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And unto me this favour show:
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Some ship-boys garment bring to me,
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That I disguis'd may go unknown,
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And unto Sea i'le go with thee,
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If thus much favour might be shown.
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Fair Maid (quoth he) take here my hand,
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I will fulfil each thing that you desire,
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And set you safe in that same Land,
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And in the place that you require.
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She gave to him a tender kiss;
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And saith to him, your servant Master will
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And prove your faithful friend for this,
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Sweet Master then forget not me:
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This done as thy had both agreed,
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Soon after that before the break of day
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He brings her garment then with speed,
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Therein her self she did array.
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And e're her Father did arise
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She meets her Master as he walked in the Hall
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She did attend on him likewise,
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Until her Father did him call.
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But e're the Merchant made an end
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Of all his weighty matters all
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His wife came weeping in with speed
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Saying our Daughters gone away
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The Merchant then amaz'd in mind
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Yonder vile wretch intic'd away my child (quod she[)]
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But I well wot I shall him find
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At Padua in Italy:
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With that bespake the Master brave
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Worshipful Merchant thither goes this Youth
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And any thing that you would crave
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He will perform, and write the truth
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Sweet youth (quod he) if it be so
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Bear me a letter to the English there
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And gold on thee I will bestow,
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My Daughters welfare I do fear
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Her Mother took her by the hand
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Fair youth (quod she) if e're thou dost my daughter s[ee]
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Let me soon thereof undertand
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And there is twenty Crowns for thee
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Thus through the daughters strange disguise
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Her Mother knew not when she spake unto her
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Then after he Master straight she hies
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Taking her leave with countenance Mild
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Thus to the Sea sweet Maudlin is gone
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With her gentle Master, God send them [a merry wind]
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Where we a while must let them alone
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Till you the second part do find.
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WElcome sweet Maudlin from the Seas,
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Where bitter storms & tempests do arise
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The pleasant banks of Italy,
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You may behold with mortal eyes;
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Thanks gentle Master then said she,
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A faithful Friend in sorrow thou has been,
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If forutne once do smile on me,
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My gentle heart shall soon be seen,
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Blest be the land that feeds my Love,
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Blest be the place whereas his person doth abide,
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No tryal will I stick to prove.
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Where by my true Love may be tri'd:
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Now will I walk with joyful heart,
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To view the Town whereas my darling doth re-main
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And seek him out in every part,
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Until his sight I do obtain;
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And I, quoth he, will not forsake
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Sweet Maudlin in her sorrows up and down,
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In wealth or woe thy part I'le take,
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And bring the safe to Padua Town:
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And after many weary steps,
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In Padua they safe arrived at the last,
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For very joy her heart it leaps,
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She thinks not on her sorrows past,
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Condemn'd he was to dye alas,
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Except he would from his Religion turn,
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But rather than he would to Mass,
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In fiery flames he vow'd to burn.
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Now doth sweet Maudlin weep and wail,
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Her joy is turn'd to weeping sorrow, grief & care,
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For nothing could her plaints prevail,
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For death alone must be his share.
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She walks under the Prison walls,
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Where her true love did lye & languish in distress
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Then wofully for food he calls,
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When hunger did his heart oppress.
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He sighs and sobs and makes great moan,
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Farewel sweet-heart for evermore,
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And all my friends that have me known,
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In Bristow Town with wealth and store.
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But most of all, farewel, quoth he,
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My own sweet Maudlin whom I left behind
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For never more thou shalt me see
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Woe to thy father most unkind:
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How well I were if thou wert here,
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With thy fair hands to close these my wretched eyes
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My torments easie would appear,
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My soul with joy would scale the skies.
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When maudlin heard her Lovers moan,
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Her eyes with tears, her heart with sorrow filled was,
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To speak with him no means was known
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Such grievious doom did on him pass.
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Then she put off her Lads attire,
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Her maidens weed upon her back she seemly set,
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To the Judges house she did inquire,
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And there she did a service get:
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She did her duty there so well,
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And eke so prudently she did her self behave,
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With her in lover her master fell,
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His servants favour he doth crave.
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Maudlin, quoth he, my hearts delight,
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To whom my heart in affection is ty'd,
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Breed not my death through thy dispight,
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A faithful friend thous shalt me find.
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O grant me thy love fair maid, quoth he,
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And at my hands-disire what thou canst devise;
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And I will grant it unto thee,
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Whereby thy credit may arise,
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I have a Brother, Sir said she
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For h[is religion is now condemnde to die;]
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In loathsome Prison he is cast,
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Opprest with grief and misery:
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Grant me my brothers Life (she said)
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And now to you my Love & likeing will I give:
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That may not be (quoth he) fair Maid;
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Except he turn he cannot live:
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An English Fryer there is (she said)
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Of learning great and passing pure of life,
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Let him to my brother be sent,
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And he will finish soon the strife:
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Her Master granted her request,
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The Marriner in Fryers weeds she did array.
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And to her love that lay distrest
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She did a Letter soon convey,
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When he had read these gentle lines,
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His heart was ravished with pleasant joy,
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Where now she is full well he knew,
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The Fryer likewise was not coy;
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But did declare to him at large,
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The enterprize his Love for him had taken in hand,
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The young mand did the Fryer charge,
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His Love should straight depart the Land.
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Here is no place for her (he said)
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But woful death and danger of her Life,
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Professing truth I was betraid,
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And fearful flames must end the strife.
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For e'r I will my faith deny,
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And swear myself to follow Damned Antichrist
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I'le yield my body for to dye,
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To live in heaven with the highest.
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O Sir the gentle Fryer said
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Consent thereto, and end the strife,
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A woful match (quoth he) is made,
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Where Christ is left to win a wife.
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When she had us'd all means she might,
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To save his Life, and yet all would not be,
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Then of the Judge she claim'd her right,
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To dye the death as well as he.
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When no perswasions could prevail,
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Nor change her mind in any thing that she had said
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She was with him condemn'd to dye,
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And for them both one fire was made.
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Yea arm in arm most joyfully,
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These Lovers twain unto the fire did go,
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The marriner most faithfully,
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Was likewise partner of their woe.
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But when the Judges understood,
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The faithful friendship did in them remain,
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They sav'd their lives, and afterwards
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To England sent them back again.
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Now was their sorrow turn'd to joy,
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And faithful Lovers have their hearts desire,
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Their pains so well they did imploy,
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God granted that they did desire.
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And when they did to England come,
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And in merry Bristow arrived at the last,
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Great joy there was to all and some,
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That heard the dangers they had past:
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Her Father he was dead God wot,
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And eke her Mother was joyfull at her sight,
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Their wishes she denyed not,
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But wedded them to hearts delight:
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Her gentle Master she desired,
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To be her father, and at Church to give her then,
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At was fulfilled as she required,
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To the joys of all good men.
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