It is printed from an ancient black-letter copy, corrected in part by the Editor's folio MS.
[Sir John Popham and Sir Richard Levison are not the only candidates for the honour of being associated with the Spanish Lady, for strong claims have also been brought forward in favour of Sir Urias Legh of Adlington, Cheshire, and of Sir John Bolle of Thorpe Hall, Lincolnshire. A descendant of the latter worthy wrote a letter in his favour, which appeared in the Times of May 1, 1846, and from which the following particulars are extracted:—"In Illingworth's Topographical Account of Scampton, with Anecdotes of the family of Bolles, it is stated, 'the portrait of Sir John, drawn in 1596, at the age of thirty-six years, having on him the gold chain given him by the Spanish Lady, &c., is still in the possession of Captain Birch.' That portrait is now in the possession of Captain Birch's successor, Thomas Bosvile, Esq., of Ravensfield Park, Yorkshire." The writer of the letter signs himself Charles Lee, and dates from Coldrey, Hants. He adds another extract from Illingworth's Scampton, which is as follows: "On Sir John Bolle's departure from Cadiz, the Spanish Lady sent as presents to his wife, a profusion of jewels, and other valuables, amongst which was her portrait, drawn in green, plate, money, and other treasure. Some articles are still in the possession of the family, though her picture was unfortunately and by accident, disposed of about half a century since. This portrait being drawn in green, gave occasion to her being called in the neighbourhood of Thorpe Hall, the Green Lady, where to this day there is a traditionary superstition among the vulgar that Thorpe Hall was haunted by the Green Lady, who used nightly to take her seat in a particular tree near the mansion."
Mr. Chappell points out that this ballad is quoted in Cupid's Whirligig, 1616, and parodied in Rowley's A Match at Midnight, 1633. It is also quoted in Mrs. Behn's Comedy, The Rovers, or the banished Cavaliers, and in Richard Brome's Northern Lasse.
Shenstone was not satisfied with the beautiful simplicity of this charming ballad, and attempted in his Moral Tale of Love and Honour to place it before his readers "in less grovelling accents than the simple guise of ancient record." The mode he adopted was to spin it out by the frequent introduction of Ah me and 'tis true, and addresses to the "generous maid," Elvira, Iberia, &c. Wordsworth acted far differently, when he founded his exquisite Armenian Lady's Love upon this ballad:
"You have heard of a Spanish Lady,
How she wooed an English man;
Hear now of a fair Armenian,
Daughter of the proud Soldàn."
The copy in the folio MS. (ed. Hales and Furnivall, vol. iii. p. 393) begins with verse 33, the early part having been torn out.]
Will you hear a Spanish lady,
How she wooed an English man?
Garments gay as rich as may be
Decked with jewels she had on.
Of a comely countenance and grace was she, 5
And by birth and parentage of high degree.