Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England

by Unknown

Transcribed from the 1857 John W. Parker and Son edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

ANCIENT POEMS
BALLADS AND SONGS
OF THE
PEASANTRY OF ENGLAND.

TAKEN DOWN FROM ORAL RECITATION AND TRANSCRIBED FROM
PRIVATE MANUSCRIPTS, RARE BROADSIDES AND
SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.

EDITED BY ROBERT BELL

LONDON
JOHN W. PARKER AND SON WEST STRAND
1857

LONDON:
SAVILL AND EDWARDS, PRINTERS
CHANDOS STREET.

CONTENTS

	PAGE
Introduction	[7]
Poems.
The Plain-Dealing Man	[11]
The Vanities of Life	[15]
The Life and Age of Man	[20]
The Young Man’s Wish	[22]
The Midnight Messenger	[24]
A Dialogue betwixt an Exciseman andDeath	[29]
The Messenger of Mortality	[32]
England’s Alarm	[36]
Smoking Spiritualized	[39]
The Masonic Hymn	[42]
God Speed the Plow, and Bless theCorn-mow	[44]
A Dialogue between the Husbandman andthe Servingman	[46]
The Catholick	[49]
Ballads.
The Three Knights	[50]
The Blind Beggar of BednallGreen	[51]
The Bold Pedlar and RobinHood	[59]
The Outlandish Knight	[61]
Lord Delaware	[64]
Lord Bateman	[68]
The Golden Glove; or, the Squire ofTamworth	[70]
King James I. and theTinkler	[72]
The Keach i’ theCreel	[75]
The Merry Broomfield; or, the WestCountry Wager	[77]
Sir John Barleycorn	[80]
Blow the Winds, I-ho!	[82]
The Beautiful Lady of Kent; or, theSeaman of Dover	[84]
The Berkshire Lady’sGarland	[90]
The Nobleman’s GenerousKindness	[98]
The Drunkard’s Legacy	[100]
The Bowes Tragedy	[106]
The Crafty Lover; or, the LawyerOutwitted	[110]
The Death of Queen Jane	[113]
The Wandering Young Gentlewoman; or,Catskin	[115]
The Brave Earl Brand and the King ofEngland’s Daughter	[122]
The Jovial Hunter of Bromsgrove; or,the Old Man and his Three Sons	[124]
Lady Alice	[127]
The Felon Sewe of Rokeby and theFreeres of Richmond	[127]
Songs.
Arthur O’Bradley’sWedding	[138]
The Painful Plough	[143]
The Useful Plow; or, thePlough’s Praise	[145]
The Farmer’s Son	[146]
The Farmer’s Boy	[148]
Richard of Taunton Dean; or, DumbleDum Deary	[149]
Wooing Song of a Yeoman ofKent’s Sonne	[153]
The Clown’s Courtship	[155]
Harry’s Courtship	[155]
Harvest-home Song	[156]
Harvest-home	[157]
The Mow	[158]
The Barley-mow Song	[159]
The Barley-mow Song (Suffolk version)	[162]
The Craven Churn-supperSong	[162]
The Rural Dance about theMay-pole	[164]
The Hitchin May-day Song	[166]
The Helstone Furry-day Song	[167]
Cornish Midsummer BonfireSong	[169]
Suffolk Harvest-home Song	[170]
The Haymaker’s Song	[171]
The Sword-dancers’Song	[172]
The Sword-dancers’ Song andInterlude	[175]
The Maskers’ Song	[180]
Gloucestershire Wassailers’Song	[183]
The Mummers’ Song	[184]
Fragment of the HagmenaSong	[186]
The Greenside Wakes Song	[187]
The Swearing-in Song orRhyme	[188]
Fairlop Fair Song	[191]
As Tom was a-Walking	[193]
The Miller and his Sons	[194]
Jack and Tom	[195]
Joan’s Ale was New	[197]
George Ridler’s Oven	[199]
The Carrion Crow	[202]
The Leathern Bottel	[203]
The Farmer’s Old Wife	[204]
Old Wichet and his Wife	[206]
The Jolly Waggoner	[208]
The Yorkshire Horse-dealer	[209]
The King and the Countryman	[210]
Jone o’ Greenfield’sRamble	[212]
Thornehagh-moor Woods	[214]
The Lincolnshire Poacher	[216]
Somersetshire Hunting Song	[217]
The Trotting Horse	[218]
The Seeds of Love	[220]
The Garden-gate	[221]
The New-mown Hay	[223]
The Praise of a Dairy	[224]
The Milk-maid’s Life	[226]
The Milking-pail	[228]
The Summer’s Morning	[229]
Old Adam	[231]
Tobacco	[232]
The Spanish Ladies	[234]
Harry the Tailor	[235]
Sir Arthur and CharmingMollee	[236]
There was an Old Man came over theLea	[237]
Why Should we Quarrel forRiches	[238]
The Merry Fellows	[239]
The Old Man’s Song	[240]
Robin Hood’s Hill	[241]
Begone Dull Care	[243]
Full Merrily sings theCuckoo	[244]
Jockey to the Fair	[245]
Long Preston Peg	[247]
The Sweet Nightingale	[247]
The Old Man and his ThreeSons	[250]
A Begging we will go	[251]

INTRODUCTION.