"O first he sang a merry song,
And then he sang a grave;
And then he pecked his feathers gray,
To her the letter gave."
J.
[64], at the chin. Sic.
[120]. This stanza has been altered, to introduce a little variety, and prevent the monotonous tiresomeness of repetition. J.
THE OLD BALLAD OF LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND THE LADY BARNARD.
The popularity of this ancient ballad is evinced by its being frequently quoted in old plays. In Beaumont and Fletcher's Knight of the Burning Pestle, (produced in 1611,) the fourteenth stanza is cited, thus:
"And some they whistled and some they sung,
Hey, down, down!
And some did loudly say,
Ever as the lord Barnet's horn blew,
Away, Musgrave, away."
Act V. Scene 3.