An Excellent BALLAD, intitul'd, The Unfortunate Love
of a Lancashire Gentleman, and the Hard Fortune of a fair young
Bride. To the Tune of, Come follow my Love, etc.
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LOok you faithful Lovers,
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on my unhappy state,
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See my tears distilling,
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but poured out too late;
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And buy no foolish fancy
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at too dear a rate;
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Alack for my love I shall dye.
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My Father is a Gentleman,
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well known of high degree,
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And tender of my welfare
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evermore was he;
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He sought for reputation,
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but all the worse for me,
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Alack, etc.
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There was a proper Maiden
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of favour sweet and fair,
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To whom in deep affection
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I closely did repair;
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In heart I dearly loved her,
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loe thus began my care;
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Alack, etc.
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For Nature had adorn'd her
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with qualities divine,
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Prudent in her actions,
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and in behaviour fine;
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Upon a sweeter creature,
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the sun did never shine;
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Alack, etc.
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Nothing wanting in her,
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but this the grief of all,
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Of birth she was but lowly,
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of substance very small,
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A simple hired Servant,
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and subject to each call;
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Alack, etc.
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Yet she was my pleasure,
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my joy and heart's delight,
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More rich then any treasure,
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more precious in m[y] sight;
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At length to one another
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our promise we did plight;
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Alack, etc.
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And thus unto my Father
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the thing I did reveal,
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Desiring of his favour,
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nothing I did conceal,
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But he my dear affection
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regarded ne'er a deal;
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Alack, etc.
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Quoth he, Thou graceless Fellow,
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thou art my only Heir;
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And for thy own preferment
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hast thou no better care?
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To marry with a Begger
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that is both poor and bare;
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Alack, etc.
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I charge thee on my blessing,
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thou do her sight refrain,
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And that into her company
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you never come again;
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That you should be so married,
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I take it in dis[d]ain;
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Alack, etc.
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Is there so many Gentlemen
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of worshipful degree,
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That have most honest Daughters
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of beauty fair and f[r]ee;
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And can none but a Begger's Brat
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content and pleasure thee?
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Alack, etc.
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By God that made all Creatures,
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this vaw to thee I make,
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If thou do not this Begger
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refuse and quite forsake,
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From thee thy due Inheritance
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I wholly mean to take;
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Alack, etc.
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These his bitter speeches
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did sore torment my mind,
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Knowing well how greatly
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he was to mirth inclin'd,
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My heart was slain with sorrow,
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no comfort I could find;
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Alack, etc.
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Then did I write a letter,
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and sent it to my Dear,
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Wherein my first affection
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all changed did appear;
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Which from [h]er fair eyes forced
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the pearled water clear;
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Alack, etc.
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For grief unto the messenger
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one word she could not speak,
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Those doleful heavy tydings
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her gentle heart did break;
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Yet sought not by her speeches
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on me her heart to wreak;
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Alack, etc.
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This deed within my conscience
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tormented me full sore,
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To think upon the promise
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I made her long before;
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And for the true performance
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how I most deeply swore;
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Alack, etc.
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I could not be in quiet
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till I to her did go;
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Who for my sake remained
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in sorrow, grief and woe;
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And unto her in secret,
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my full intent to show;
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Alack, etc.
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My sight rejoyced greatly
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her sad perplexed heart,
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From both her eyes on sudden
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the trickling tears did start,
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And in each others bosom
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we breathed forth our smart;
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Alack, etc.
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Unknown unto my Father,
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or any friend beside,
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Ourselves we closely married,
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she was my only Bride;
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Yet still within her service
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I caus'd her to abide;
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Alack, etc.
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But never had two Lovers
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more sorrow, care and grief,
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No means in our extremity
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we found for our relief:
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And now what further hapned
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here followeth in brief;
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Alack, etc.
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Now you loyal Lovers,
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attend unto the rest,
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See by secret marriage
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how sore I am opprest,
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For why my foul misfortune
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herein shall be exprest;
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Alack, etc.
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My Father came unto me
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upon a certain day,
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And with a merry countenance,
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these words to me did say:
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My Son, quoth he, come hither,
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and mark what I shall say;
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Alack, etc.
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Seeing you are disposed
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to lead a wedded life,
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I have unto your credit
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provided you a Wife;
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Where thou maist live delightful
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without all care and strife;
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Alack, etc.
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Master Senock's Daughter,
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most beautiful and wise,
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Three hundred pounds her porti-on
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may well thy mind suffice,
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And by her friends and kindred,
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thou maist to credit rise;
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Alack, etc.
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This is, my Son, undoubted
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a Match for thee most meet,
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She is a proper Maiden
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most delicate and sweet,
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Go woe her then and wed her,
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I shall rejoyce to see it;
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Alack, etc.
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Her Friends and I have talked,
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and thereon have agree'd,
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Then be not thou abashed,
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but speedily proceed;
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Thou shalt be entertained,
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and have no doubt to speed;
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Alack, etc.
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O pardon me, dear Father,
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with bashful looks I said,
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To enter into Marriage,
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I sorely am afraid,
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A single life is lovely,
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therein my mind is staid;
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Alack, etc.
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When he had heard my speeches,
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his anger did arise,
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He drove me from his presence,
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my sight he did despise;
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And straight to disinherit me,
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all means he did devise;
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Alack, etc.
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When I myself perceived
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in that ill case to stand,
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Most lewdly I consented
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unto his fond demand;
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And married with the other,
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and all to save my Land;
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Alack, etc.
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And at this hapless Marriage
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great cost my friends did keep,
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They spared not their poultrey,
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their oxen, nor their sheep;
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Whilst joyfully they danced,
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I did in corners weep;
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Alack, etc.
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My conscience was tormented,
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which did my joys deprive;
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I for to hide my sorrow,
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in thoughts did always strive;
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Quoth I, What shame will it be
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to have two Wives alive;
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Alack, etc.
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O my sweet Margaret,
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I did in sorrow say,
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Thou know'st not in thy service,
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of this my marriage-day,
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Tho' here my body resteth,
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with thee my heart doth stay;
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Alack, etc.
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And in my meditations
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came in my lovely Bride,
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With chains and jewels trimed,
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and silken robes beside,
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Saying, Why doth my true Love
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so sadly here abide?
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Alack, etc.
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Yea, twenty lovely kisses
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she did on me bestow,
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And forth abroad a walking,
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this lovely Maid did go;
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Yea, arm in arm most friendly,
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with him that was her foe,
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Alack, etc.
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But when that I had brought her
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where nobody was near,
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I embraced her most falsly,
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with a most feigned chear,
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Unto the heart I stabbed
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this Maiden fair and clear,
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Alack, etc.
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Myself in woful manner
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I wounded with a Knife,
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And laid myself down by her,
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by this my married Wife;
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And said that thieves to rob us,
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had wrought this deadly strife;
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Alack, etc.
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Great wailing and great sorrow
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was then upon each side,
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In woful sort they buried
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this fair and comely Bride;
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And my dissimulation,
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herein was quickly try'd;
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Alack, etc.
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And for this cruel Murther,
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to death that I am brought;
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For this my aged Father
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did end his days in nought;
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My Margaret at these tydings,
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her own destruction wrought;
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Alack, etc.
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Loe here the doleful peril,
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blind fancy brought me in,
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And mark what care and sorrow
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forc'd Marriage doth bring;
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All men by me be warned,
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and Lord forgive my sin;
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Alack for my love I shall dye.
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