14 To Strawberry Castle, boy, thou must goe,
To Thomas Pott there as hee can bee,
And giue him here this letter ffaire,
And on Guilford Greene bidd him meete me.
15 Looke thou marke his contenance well,
And his colour tell to mee;
And hye thee ffast, and come againe,
And forty shillings I will giue thee.
16 For if he blush in his fface,
Then in his hart hee'se sorry bee;
Then lett my ffather say what hee will,
For false to Potts I'le neuer bee.
17 And giue hee smile then with his mouth,
Then in his heart hee'le merry be;
Then may hee gett him a loue where-euer he can,
For small of his companye my part shalbe.
18 Then one while that the boy hee went,
Another while, God wott, rann hee,
And when hee came to Strawberry Castle,
There Thomas Potts hee see.
19 Then he gaue him this letter ffaire,
And when he began then for to reade,
They boy had told him by word of mouth
His loue must be the Lord Phenix bryde.
20 With that, Thomas a Pott began to blushe,
The teares trickeled in his eye:
'Indeed this letter I cannot reede,
Nor neuer a word to see or spye.
21 'I pray thee, boy, to me thou'le be trew,
And heer 's fiue marke I will giue thee;
And all these words thou must peruse,
And tell thy lady this ffrom mee.
22 'Tell her by ffaith and troth shee is mine owne,
By some part of promise, and soe itt's be found;
Lord Phenix shall neuer marry her, by night nor day,
Without he can winn her with his hand.
23 'On Gilford Greene I will her meete,
And bidd that ladye ffor mee pray;
For there I'le loose my liffe soe sweete,
Or else the wedding I will stay.'