A most pleasant Ballad of patient Grissell. To the tune of the Brides good morrow.
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A Noble Marques as he did ride on hunting
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hard by a Forrest side:
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A proper Mayden as she did sit a spinning
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his gentle eye espide.
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Most faire & lovely, and of curteous grace was she,
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although in simple attire:
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She sung full sweet with pleasant voyce me-lodiously,
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which set the Lords hart on fire.
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The more he looked the more he might,
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Beautie bred his hartes delight,
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and to this dainty Damsell then he went:
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God speede quoth he, thou famous flower,
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Faire mistres of this homely bower,
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where love & vertue lives with sweete content.
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With comely jesture & curteous milde behavi-our
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she bad him welcome then:
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She entertaind him in faithful friendly maner
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and all his Gentlemen.
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the noble marques in his hart felt such a flame
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which set his sences at strife:
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Quoth he, faire maiden shew me soone what is thy name?
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I meane to make thee my wife.
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Grissell is my name quoth she,
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Farre unfit for your degree,
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a silly Mayden and of parents poore.
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Nay Grissell thou art rich he sayd,
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A vertuous faire and comely Mayd,
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graunt me thy love, and I wil aske no more.
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At length she consented, & being both contented
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they married were with speed:
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Her contrey russet was changd to silk & velvet
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as to her state agreed.
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And when she was trimly tyred in the same,
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her beauty shined most bright,
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Far staining every other brave & comly dame,
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that did appeare in her sight.
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Many envied her therefore,
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Because she was of parents poore,
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and twixt her Lord & she great strife did raise
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Some sayd this, and some sayd that,
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Some did call her beggers brat,
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and to her lord they would her soone dispraise
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O noble Marques (quoth they) why doe you wrong us
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thus bacely for to wed?
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That might have gotten an honorable Lady,
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into your Princely bed.
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Who will not now your noble issue still deride
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which shall hereafter be borne:
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That are of blood so base by their mothers side
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the which will bring them in scorne:
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Put her therefore quite away,
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Take to you a Lady gay,
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whereby your linage may renowned be:
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Thus every day they seemde to prate,
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That malist Grisselles good estate,
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who tooke all this most milde and patiently.
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When that the marques did see that they were bent thus
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against his faithfull wife,
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Whom he most deerely, tenderly, and entirely,
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beloved as his life.
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Minding in secret for to prove her patient hart
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therby her foes to disgrace:
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Thinking to play a hard uncurteous part,
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that men might pittie her case.
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Great with childe this Lady was,
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And at length it came to passe,
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two goodly children at one birth she had:
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A sonne and daughter God had sent,
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Which did their father well content,
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and which did make their mothers hart full glad.
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Great royall feasting was at these Childrens christnings
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and princely triumph made:
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Sixe weeks together, al nobles that came thi-ther.
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were entertaind and staid:
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And when that al those pleasant sportings quite were done
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the Marques a messenger sent:
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For his yong daughter, & his prety smiling son
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declaring his full intent:
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How that the babes must murdred be,
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For so the Marques did decree,
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come let me have the children then he sayd:
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With that faire Grissell wept full sore,
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She wrung her hands and sayd no more,
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my gracious Lord must have his wil obaid.
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She tooke the babies even from their nursing Ladies
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betweene her tender armes:
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She often wishes with many sorrowful kisses
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that she might helpe their harmes.
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Farewel farewel a thousand times my children deere,
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never shall I see you againe,
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Tis long of me your sad & woful mother heere
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for whose sake both must be slaine.
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Had I been borne of royall race,
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You mighe have liv'd in happy case,
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but you must die for my unworthines:
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Come messenger of death said shee,
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Take my despised babes to thee,
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and to their father my complaints expres.
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He tooke the children, and to his noble maister
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he brings them both with speed:
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Who secret sent them unto a noble Lady,
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to be nurst up indeed:
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Then to faire Grissel with a heavy hart he goes
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where she sate mildly alone:
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A pleasant jesture & a lovely looke she showes,
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as if this griefe she never had knowen.
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Quoth he, my children now are slaine,
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What thinkes faire Grissell of the same,
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sweet Grissell now declare thy mind to mee?
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Sith you my Lord are pleasd in it,
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Poore Grissell thinkes the action fit,
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both I and mine at your command will be,
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My nobles murmur faire Grissell at thy honor
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and I no joy can have:
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Til thou be banisht both from my court and pre-sence
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as they unjustly crave:
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Thou must be stript out of thy costly garments all.
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and as thou camest to me:
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In homely gray insteed of bisse & purest pall
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now all thy cloathing must be.
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My Lady thou shalt be no more,
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Nor I thy Lord, which grieves me sore,
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the poorest life must now content thy minde.
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A groat to thee I must not give,
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To maintaine thee while I doe live,
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against my Grissel such great foes I finde.
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When gentle Grissell did heare these wofull ti-dings,
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the teares stood in her eyes:
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She nothing answered, no words of discontent
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did from her lips arise.
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Her velvet gown most patienely she slipped off,
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her kirtles of silke with the same:
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her russet gown was broght again with many a scoffe
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to beare them all herselfe she did frame:
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When she was drest in this array,
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And ready was to part away,
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God send long life unto my Lord quoth shee
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Let no offence be found in this,
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To give my Lord a parting kisse,
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with watry eyes, farewel my deere quoth he.
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From stately Pallace unto her fathers Cot-tage
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poore Grissell now is gone:
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Full sixteene winters she lived there contented
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no wrong she thought upon:
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And at that time through all the land the speaches went
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the Marques should married be:
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Unto a Lady of high and great discent:
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to the same all parties did agree.
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The Marques sent for Grissell faire,
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The Brides bedchamber to prepare,
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that nothing therein should be found awrye
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The Bride was with her brother come,
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Which was great joy to all and some:
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and Grissell tooke all this most patiently.
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And in the morning when they should to the wedding,
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her patience now was tride:
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Grissel was charged herself in princely maner
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for to attire the Bride.
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most willingly she gave consent to do the same
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the Bride in her bravery was drest:
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and presently the noble Marques thither came
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with all his Lords as he request.
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O Grissel I would aske quoth he,
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If she would to this match agree,
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methinkes her lookes are waxen wondrous coy,
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With that they all began to smile,
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And Grissell she replide the while,
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God send Lord Marques many yeres of joy
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The Marques was moved to see his best belo-ved
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thus patient in distresse:
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He stept unto her, and by the hand he tooke her
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these wordes he did expresse:
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Thou art my Bride, & all the Brides I meane to have:
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these two thine owne children be:
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The youthfull Lady on her knees did blessing crave
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her brother as willing as she,
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And you that envied her estate,
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Whom I have made my loving mate,
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now blush for shame, & honor vertuous life:
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The Chronicles of lasting fame,
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Shall ever more extoll the name,
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of patient Grissell my most constant wife.
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