Close ×

Search EBBA

Advanced Search

EBBA 30816

British Library - Roxburghe
Ballad XSLT Template
The New Way of Marriage.
OR,
A Pleasant Contract between John and Kate.
Marriage that simple Contract still doth bind,
And mittigate the freedom of the mind:
Kate for prevention of that endless strife,
Will be a Mistris rather then a Wife.
To a Pleasant New Tune. With Allowance.

John.
DEarest do,
You easily may,
The place is agreeing tot,
And no one can see us dot;
then dont delay:
The torment is so great,
that I endure;
That you must immediately
kill or cure:
For time admits of no demurr,
in such a case as this:
Ide rather dye,
Then be so nigh,
and not reap bliss.

Kate.
O kind John,
why so fast?
Yet for all this clatter,
I know no such matter,
theres no hast:
Im not at leisure yet
to be undone,
Though you languish
Still in pain,
and make moan:
Let the Parson speak some words,
and we shall soon agree;
For my mind is to be kind,
onely to thee.

John.
DEarest Love,
Think what you say,
If once the Parson prove it,
You never can remove it,
night nor day.
Marriage is a tye,
does fools confine,
They no sooner enter in,
but repine:
Then who would feed
In one poor Dish,
and that unwholsome drest:
When he is sure,
He can procure,
a nobler Feast?

Then dear Kate,
my only joy;
I have a way more easie,
And that I know will please thee,
mark what I say:
We will the modish way
of love pursue,
Love and lye without a tye,
yet still be true.
Thus in each others joys will we
receive the rapting bliss,
And this shall all the contract be,
seald with a kiss.

Kate.
But dear John,
it is well known,
Young-men their love doth last
No longer then the pleasures past,
and so be gone.
Therefore if you mean with me,
to ease your mind:

To this you must immediately
be confind.
That you on none but me do build,
your faith and love alone:
Then I will thus enviting yield,
come dear John.

John.
Dearest since
you thus comply,
I plight my faith in trust,
And to it will be just,
until I dye:
My fancy shall no more
a roving flye,
But to thee I constantly
my self will tye:
Till we have acted what we meant,
and cloyd each others heart,
Then as we came, with joynt consent,
wel kiss and part.

Kate.
Well kind John,
my love you have won,
I like this indefferent well,
When either with enjoyment swell,
to stay, or be gone.
Then dont with Courtship sue,
youve gaind the field,
But to pleasure pay its due,
I freely yield.
Being thus agreed, they went away
all sorrow to remove:
Within each other to enjoy,
the sweets of Love.


FINIS.
Printed for P. Prooksby, at the G[olden]
Ball, in West-smith-field.

View Raw XML