Yet to their fancy foon a caufe wil find;
As to live in luft, in lechery to leyke :

Such caitives count to be come of Cains kind;
But that I little John Nobody durft not fpeake.

For our reverend father hath fet forth an order,
Our fervice to be faid in our feignours tongue;
As Solomon the fage fet forth the fcripture;
Our fuffrages, and fervices, with many a sweet song,
With homilies, and godly books us among,
That no ftiff, ftubborn ftomacks we should freyke:
But wretches nere worfe to do poor men wrong;
But that I little John Nobody dare not speake.

For bribery was never fo great, fince born was our Lord,
And whoredom was never les hated, fith Chrift har-

rowed hel,

And poor men are fo fore punished commonly through the world,

That it would grieve any one, that good is, to hear tel : For al the homilies and good books, yet their hearts be fo quel,

That if a man do amiffe, with mischiefe they wil him wreake;

The fashion of thefe new fellows it is fo vile and fell: But that I little John Nobody dare not speake.

Thus to live after their luft, that life would they have, And in lechery to leyke al their long life;

For

Ver. 3. Cain's kind.] So in Pierce the Plowman's creed, the proud friars are faid to be “Of Capmes kind,” Vid. Sig, Cij. b.

For al the preaching of Paul, yet many a proud knave
Wilmove mifchiefe in their mind both to maid and wife
To bring them in advoutry, or elfe they wil ftrife,
And in brawling about baudery, Gods commandments
breake:

But of thefe frantic il fellowes, few of them do thrife;
Though I little John Nobody dare not speake.

If thou company with them, they wil currifhly carp, and not care

According to their foolish fantacy; but faft wil they naught:

Prayer with them is but prating; therefore they it forbear: Both almes deeds, and holiness, they hate it in their thought:

Therefore pray we to that prince, that with his bloud us bought,

That he wil mend that is amifs: for many a manful freyke Is forry for thefe fects, though they fay little or nought; And that I little John Nobody dare not once speake.

Thus in No place, this NOBODY, in No time I met, Where NO man, ne NOUGHT was, nor NOTHING did

appear;

*

Through the found of a fynagogue for forrow I fwett,
That Aeolus t'through the eccho did caufe me to hear.
Then I drew me down into a dale, whereas the dumb deer
Did fhiver for a shower; but I fhunted from a freyke:
For I would no wight in this world wift who I were,
But little John Nobody, that dare not once speake.
IV. Q

then. MSS. and P. C.

+ Hercules, MSS. and PC.

IV.

Q. ELIZABETH's VERSES, WHILE PRISONER AT WOODSTOCK.

WRIT WITH CHARCOAL ON A SHUTTER,

are preferved by Hentzner, in that part of his Travels, which has lately been reprinted in fo elegant a manner at STRAWBERRY HILL. In Hentzner's book they were wretchedly corrupted, but are here given as amended by bis ingenious Editor. The old orthography, and one or two ancient readings of Hentzner's copy are here restored.

H, Fortune! how thy reftleffe wavering state
Hath fraught with cares my troubled witt!
Witnes this prefent prifonn, whither fate
Could beare, me, and the joys I quitt.
Thou caufedeft the guiltie to be lofed
From bandes, wherein are innocents inclofed:
Caufing the guiltles to be ftraite reserved,

And freeing thofe that death had 'well deferved.
But by her envie can be nothing wroughte,

So God fend to my foes all they have thoughte.

5

A. D. MDLV.

ELIZABETHE, PRISONNER.

V. THE

Ver. 4. Could beare, is an ancient idiom, equivalent to Did bear or Hath borne. See below the Beggar of Bednal Green, ver, 57. Could fay.

V.

THE HEIR OF LINNE.

This old ballad is given from a copy in the editor's folio MS; fome breaches and defects in which, rendered the infertion of a few fupplemental ftanzas neceffary. Thefe it is hoped the reader will pardon.

From the Scottish phrases here and there difcernable in this poem, it should feem to have been originally compofed beyond the Tweed.

The Heir of Linne appears not to have been a Lord of Parliament, but a LAIRD, whose title went along with bis eftate.

PART THE FIRST.

IT HE and liften, gentlemen, -
To fing a fong I will beginne:

It is of a lord of faire Scotland,

Which was the unthrifty heire of Linne.

His father was a right good lord,

His mother a lady of high degree;
But they, alas! were dead, him froe,

And he lov'd keeping companie.

5

To spend the daye with merry cheare,
To drinke and revell every night,
To card and dice from eve to morne,
It was, I ween, his hearts delighte.

To ride, to runne, to rant, to roare,

To alwaye spend and never fpare, I wott, an' it were the king himselfe,

Of gold and fee he mote be bare.

Soe fares the unthrifty lord of Linne
. Till all his gold is gone and fpent;
And he mun fell his landes fo broad,

His house, and landes, and all his rent.

His father had a keen flewàrde,

And John o' the Scales was called hee:
But John is become a gentel-man,
And John has gott both gold and fee.

10

15

20

Sayes, Welcome, welcome, lord of Liane,

25

Let nought disturb thy merry cheere, Iff thou wilt fell thy landes foe broad,

Good ftore of gold Ile give thee here.

My gold is gone, my money is fpent;

My lande nowe take it unto thee:
Give me the golde, good John o' the Scales,
And thine for aye my lande fhall bee.

30

Then