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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This favor 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 wil
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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 sorrows to expell,
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To view strange Countryes he intends,
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And now to take his last farewell,
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Of his true love his fair and constant Maudlin,
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With Musick sweet that did excell,
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He plaid under her window then,
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Farewell quoth he my own true Love,
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Farewell my dear 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 wail and weary out my life in wo,
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Seeing my true Love is kept from me.
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I hold my life a mortall foe.
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Fair Bristow Town therefore adiew,
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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 and sobs discending from his heart full sore,
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He said when he his hands did wring,
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Farewell 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 dirst reply,
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Fearing her Parents angry mood.
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In tears she spent that wofull night,
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Wishing her self though naked with her faithfull 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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And 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 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 did she rise,
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She gets her down into a lower Room,
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Where sundry Seamen she espyes.
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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 and would you speak with any here,
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Quoth he fair Maid therefore I do stand,
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Then gentle sir I pray draw neer.
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Into a pleasant parlor by,
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With 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 tender knee,
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Good sir said she now pitty you a womans wo.
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And prove a faithfull 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 and eke a stranger here.
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Be you assurd most proper maid,
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Most faithfull 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 and favor tenderly.
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In Padua alas is he,
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Full sick God wot and like to dye,
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Full fain I would my brother see.
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But that my Father will not yeeld 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 boyes Garment bring to me,
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That I disguisd may go unknown,
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And unto Sea Ile 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 fulfill each thing 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 kiss,
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And saith to him your servant Master will I be;
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And prove your faithfull friend for this,
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Sweet master then forget not me,
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This done as they had both agreed,
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Soon after that before the break of day,
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He brings her garments then with speed,
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Therein her self she did array,
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And ere 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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Untill her Father did him call,
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But ere the Merchant made an end,
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Of all his weighty matters he had then to say,
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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 am[a]zd in mind,
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Yonder vile wretch inticd away my child quoth she,
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But I well wot I shall him find
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At padua in I[t]aly
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With that bespake their master brave
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Wo, shipfull merchant thither goes this pretty youth,
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And any thing that you would crave,
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he will performe and write the truth,
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Sweet youth quoth he if it be so,
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Bear me a leter to the English merchant ther
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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 quoth she if ere thou dost my daughter see,
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Let me therefore soon understand,
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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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The mother knew not when she spake unto her child,
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and after her master stright she hyes,
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Taking her leave with countenance mild,
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Thus to the Sea fair Maudlins gone,
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With her gentle master God send them a merry mind.
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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 and tempests do arise
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The pleasant banks of Italy
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You may behold with mortall eyes
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Thanks gentle master then said she,
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A faithful friend in sorrow thou hast been,
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If fortune 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 triall will I stick to prove
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Whereby my true-love may be trid.
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Now will I walk with joy full heart
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To view the town whereas my darling doth remain
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And seek him out in every p art,
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Untill his sight I do obtain.
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And I quoth he wil not forsake.
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Sweet Maudlin in her sorrows up and dow[n]
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In wealth or wo thy part ile take,
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And bring thee 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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Condemnd to die he was alas
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Except he would from his Religion turn,
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but rather then he would to masse
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In fiery flames he vowd to burn.
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Now doth sweet Maudlin weep and wail,
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Her joy is turnd to weeping sorrow grief and 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 lie and languish in distresse
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When wofully for food he calls,
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When hunger did his heart oppresse.
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he sighs a nd sobs and makes great moan,
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Farewell sweet love for ev[e]rmore.
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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 farewell 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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Wo to thy father most unkind,
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how well were I if [t]hou were here
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With thy fair hands to close these my wretched eies
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My torments easie would appear
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My soul with joy should scale the Skies.
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When Maudlin heard her Lovers moan
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her eies with tears her heart with sorrow filled was
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To speak with him no mea was known
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Such grievous doom on him did passe.
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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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Ant eke so prudently she did herself behave
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With her in love 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 tied,
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breed not my death through thy despight,
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A faithfull friend thou shalt me find
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O grant me thy love fair maid quoth he
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And at my hands desire 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 his Religion is now condemn.d to dye.,
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In loathsome prison he is cast
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Opprest wi[t]h grief and misery
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Grant me my brothers life she said
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And now to you my love and liking wil 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 [E]nglish Fryer ehere is sh[e] said
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Of [lea]rning great and assing pure of life
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Let him to my brother be sent
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and he will finish soon thr strife.
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Her master granted her request
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The Marriner in Friars 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 [t]hese gentle lines
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his heart was ravished with present 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 youngman did the Fryar 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 wofull death and danger of her life,
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Professing truth I was betraid.
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And fearfull flames must end the strife.
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For ere I will my faith deny
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and swear my self to folow damned anti-christ
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Ile yield 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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A wofull match quoth he is amnde
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Where Christ is left to Win a wife.
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When she had usd all me ans 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 die the death as well as he.
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When no perswasion 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 condemnd 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 this Wo.
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but When the judges understood
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The faithfull friendship did in them remain
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they savd rheir lives and afterwards
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to England sent them back again
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Now was their sorrow turnd to joy
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and faithfull lovers have their herts 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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aud when they did to Englandeome
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and in merry bristow arrived at che 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 Got wot
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and eke her mother was joyfull at her sight
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Their wishes she denied 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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It was fulfilld as she requird
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Unto the joyes of all good men.
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