The Merchants Daughter of Bristow.
To the Tune of The Maidens Joy.
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BEhold the Touch-stone of true love,
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Maudlin the Marchants daughter of Bristow towne,
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Whose firme affection nothing could move:
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This favour beares the lovelie browne.
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A gallant youth was dwelling by,
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Which many yeeres had borne this Lady great good will,
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Shee 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 expell,
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To view strange Countreys hee intends,
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And now to take his last farewell,
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Of his true love, his faire and constant Maudlin,
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With musicke sweete that did excell,
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Hee plaies under her window then.
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(Farewell quoth he) mine owne true love,
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Farewell my deere and chiefest treasure of my heart,
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Through fortunes spight that false did prove,
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I am inforcd from thee to part:
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Into the land of Italy:
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There will I waile and weary out my dayes in wo,
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Seeing my true Love is kept from mee,
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I hold my life a mortall fo.
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Faire Bristow towne therefore adieu,
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For Padua shall bee my habitation now,
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Although my love doth lodge in thee,
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To whom alone my heart I vow.
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With trickling teares this hee did sing,
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With sighs and sobs descending from his heart full sore,
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Hee said when he his hands did wring,
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Farewell sweet love for evermore.
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Faire Maudlin from a window nigh,
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Beholding her true Love with Musicke where hee stood,
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But not a word shee durst reply,
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Fearing her Parents angry mood.
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In teares shee spent this dolefull night,
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Wishing (though naked) with her faithfull friend,
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She blames her friends and fortunes spight,
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That wrought their loves such lucklesse end.
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And in her heart shee made a vow,
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Cleane to forsake her Countrey and her kinsfolkes all,
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And for to follow her true Love,
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To hide all chance 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 shee did rise:
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She gets her downe in a lower roome,
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Where sundrie Sea-men shee espies.
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A gallant Master amongst them all,
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(The Master of a faire and goodlie ship was he,)
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Who there stood waiting in the Hall,
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To speake 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 shee) and would you speake with any heere,
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Quoth he, faire Maid therefore I stand,
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Then gentle sir I pray you draw neere,
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Into a pleasant Parlour by,
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With hand in hand shee brings the Sea-man all alone,
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Sighing to him most piteously
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She thus to him did make her moane.
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She falls upon her tender knee,
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Good sir (she said) now pittie you a womans woe,
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And prove a faithfull friend to me,
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That I my griefe to you may shew,
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Sith you repose your trust, he said,
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To me that am unknowne, and eke a stranger heere,
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Be you assurd most proper maid,
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Most faithfull still I will appeare.
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I have a Brother then quoth shee,
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Whom as my life I love, and favour tenderlie,
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In Padua (alas) is he,
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Full sicke God wot, and like to die.
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And faine I would my Brother see,
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But that my Father will not yeeld to let me goe:
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Wherefore good sir be good to me,
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And unto me this favour shew.
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Some ship-boyes garment bring to mee,
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That I disguisd may goe away from hence unknowne,
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And unto Sea Ile goe with thee,
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If thus much favoar may be showne.
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Faire Maid (quoth he) take heere my hand,
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I will fulfill each t[h]ing that you desire,
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And set you safe in that same Land,
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And in that place that you require.
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She gave him then a tender kisse,
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And saith, your servant gallant Master will I be,
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And prove your faithfull friend for this,
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Sweete Master then forget not me.
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This done as they had both decreed,
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Soone after (early) before the breake of day,
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He brings her garments then with speed,
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Wherein shee doth her selfe array,
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And ere her Father did arise,
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Shee meets her Master as he walkes in the Hall,
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Shee did attend on him likewise,
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Even till her Father did him call.
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But ere the Merchant made an end,
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Of all the matters to the master hee could say,
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His wife came weeping in with speed,
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Saying, our Daughter is gone away.
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The Merchant thus amazd in mind,
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Yonder vile wretch inticd away my child, quoth he,
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But well I 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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Worshipfull Master thither goes this pretty youth,
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And any thing that you would have,
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He will performe it, and write the truth.
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Sweet youth (quoth hee) if it be so,
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Beare me a letter to the English Marchants there,
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And gold on thee I will bestow,
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My Daughters welfare I doe feare,
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Her M[o]ther takes her by the hand,
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Faire youth (quod she) if there thou dost my daughter see,
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Let me thereof soone understand,
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And the[r]e is twenty Crownes for thee.
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Thus through the Daughters strange disguise,
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The Mother knew not when shee spake unto her Child,
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And after her Master straight shee hies,
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Taking her leave with countenance milde.
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Thus to the Sea faire Maud[l]in is gone,
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With her gentle Master, God send them a merry wind,
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Where wee a while must let them alone,
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Till you the second part doe find.
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The second part, To the same tune.
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WElcome sweete Maudlin from the Sea,
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Where bitter stormes and tempests doe arise,
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The plesant bankes of Italy,
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Wee may behold with mortal eyes.
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Thankes gentle Master then quoth shee,
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A faithfull friend in sorrow hast thou beene,
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If fortune once doth smile on mee,
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My thankfull heart shall well bee seene.
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Blest be the Land that feedes my Love,
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Blest be the place whereas his person doth abide,
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No triall will I sticke to prove,
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Whereby my true Love may be tride.
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Nowe will I walke witd joyfull heart,
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To viewe the Town whereas my darlinge doth remaine
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And seeke him out in everie part;
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Untill I doe his sight attaine.
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And I quoth he will not forsake,
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Sweete Maudlin in her sorrow up and downe,
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In wealth and woe thy part Ile take
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And bringe thee safe to Padua towne.
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And after many wearie steps,
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In Padua they safely arrive at last,
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For very joy her heart it leapes,
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She thinkes not of her sorrowes past.
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Condemned to dye hee was alas,
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Except hee would from his Religion turne,
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But rather then hee would to Masse,
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In fiery flames hee vowd to burne.
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Now doth Maudlin weepe and waile,
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Her joy is changd to weeping, sorrow greife, and care,
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But nothing could her plaints prevaile,
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For death alone must be his share
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Shee walked under the prison walls,
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Where her true love doth lie and languish in distresse,
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Most wofully for foode he calls,
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When hunger did his heart oppresse.
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He sighs and sobs, and makes great moane.
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Farewell hee said sweete England now for evermore,
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And all my friends that have me knowne,
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In Bristow towne with wealth and store.
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But most of all farewell quoth hee,
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My owne true Love, sweet Maudlin, whom I left behind,
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For never more I shall see thee,
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Woe to thy Father, most unkind.
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How well were I if thou wert here,
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With thy faire hands to close up these wretched eyes,
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My torments easie would appeare,
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My soule with joy shall scale the skies.
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When Maudlin heard her Lovers moane,
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Her eyes with teares, her heart with sorrow filled,
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To speake with him no meanes is knowne,
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Such grievous doome on him did passe.
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Then shee cast off her lads attire,
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A Maidens weed upon her back she seemely set,
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To the Judges house shee did enquire,
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And there shee 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 selfe behave,
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With her in love her Master fell,
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His servants favour hee doth crave.
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Maudlin quoth hee, my hearts delight,
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To whom my heart in affection is tied,
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Breed not my death through thy despight,
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A faithfull friend I will be tryed.
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Grant me thy love, faire maid quoth hee,
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And at my hands require 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, she said,
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For his Religion is now condemned to Die,
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In loathsome prison hee is layd,
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Opprest with griefe and misery.
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Grant me my Brothers life, shee said,
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And to you my love and liking will I give,
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That may not be quoth hee faire maid,
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Except he turne, he cannot live.
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An English Frier there is shee 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 soone the strife.
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Her Master hearing this request,
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The Marriner in Friers weed she did array,
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And to her Love that lay distrest,
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Shee did a letter straight convey.
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When hee had read these gentle lines,
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His heart was ravished with sudden joy,
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Where now shee was full well hee knew,
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The Frier likewise was not coy,
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But did declare to him at large,
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The enterprise his Love for him had taken in hand:
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The young man did the Frier charge,
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His Love should straight depart the Land:
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Here is no place for her hee said,
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But woefull death, and danger of her harmelesse lif[e]
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Professing Truth, I was betraid,
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And fearefull flames must end my strife:
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For ere I will my Faith deny,
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And sweare my selfe to follow damned Antichrist,
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Ile yeeld my body for to die,
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To live in heaven with the Highest,
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O sir, the gentle Frier said,
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For your sweet Love, recant and save your wished l[ife]
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A wofull match quoth hee is made,
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Where Christ is lost to win a Wife.
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When shee had wrought all meanes that might,
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To save her friend, and that shee saw it would not b[e]
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Then of the Judge shee claimed her right,
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To die the death as well as hee.
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When no perswasion could prevaile,
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Nor change her mind in any thing that shee had said
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She was with him condemned to die.
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And for them both one fire was made,
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And arme in arme most joyfully,
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These Lovers twaine unto the fire they did goe,
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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 faithfull friendship did in them remaine,
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They saved their lives, and afterward,
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To England sent them home againe.
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Now was their sorrow turned to joy,
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And faithfull Lovers had now their hearts desire,
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Their paines so well they did imploy,
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God granted that they did require.
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And when they were 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 Gentle Master shee desired,
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To be her Father, and at the Church to give her then,
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it was fulfilled, as shee required,
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Unto the joy of all good men.
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