The Merchants Daughter of Bristow.
The Tune is,
The Maidens joy.
BEhold the touchstone of true love,
Maudlin the Merchants daughter of
Bristow town
Whose firm affection nothing could move,
This favour bears the lovely brown,
A gallant youth was dwelling by,
Which many years had born this Maiden great good will,
She loved him so faithfully,
But all her friends withstood it still.
The young man now perceiving well
he could not get nor win y
e favour of her friends,
The force of sorrow to expel,
To view strange Countries he intends.
And now to take his last farewel,
Of his true love, his fair and constant
Maudlin,
With Musick sweet that did excel
He plaid under her window then:
Farewel, quoth he, mine own true love,
Farwel my dear & chiefest treasure of my heart,
Through Fortunes spight that false did prove,
I am enforc'd from thee to part.
Into the Land of
Italy,
There will I wail and weary out my life in woe
Seeing my true love is kept from me,
I hold my life a mortal foe:
Fair
Bristow Town therefore adieu,
For
Padua shall be my habitation now,
Although my love doth rest in thee,
To whom alone my heart I vow.
With trickling tears thus did he sing,
With sighs & sobs descending from his heart full sore,
He said when he his hands did wring,
Farewel sweet love for evermore.
Fair
Maudlin from a window high,
Beholding her true love with musick where he stood
But not a word she did reply,
Fearing her parents angry mood.
In tears she spent that woful night,
Wishing her self, though naked, with her faithful friend
She blames her friends and fortunes spight,
That wrought her love such luckless end:
And in her heart she made a vow,
Clean to forsake her Country and her kindred all
And for to follow her true love,
To bide all chance that might befall.
The night is gone and the day is come,
And in the morning early did she rise,
She gets her down into a lower room,
Where sundry Seamen she espys.
A gallant Master among them all.
The Master of a great and goodly Ship was he,
Who there was waiting in the Hall,
To speak with her father if it might be.
She kindly takes him by the hand,
Good sir, said she, and would you speak with any here
Quoth he, fair Maid, & therfore I do stand,
Then gentle Sir, I pray draw near:
Into a pleasant Parlor by,
With hand in hand she brings the Seaman all alone
Sighing to her self most piteously,
She thus to him did make her mone.
She falls upon her bended knée,
Good sir, said she, now pitty you a womans woe,
And prove a faithful friend to me,
That I to you my grief may show.
Sith you repose your trust he said,
In me, who am unknown, & eke a stranger here,
Be you assur'd most proper Maid,
Most faithful still I will appear.
I have a Brother, then quoth she,
Whom as my life I love and favour tenderly,
In
Padua alas is he,
Full sick God wot and like to dye.
Full fain I would my brother see,
But that my father will not yield to let me go,
Therefore good Sir, be good to me,
And unto me this favour show;
Some Ship-boys garment bring to me,
That I disguis'd may go unknown,
And unto Sea I'le go with thée,
If so much favour might be shown,
Fair Maid, quoth he, take here my hand,
I will fulfil each thing that you desire,
And set you safe in that same Land,
And in the place that you require,
She gave him then a tender kiss,
And saith to him, your servant Master will I be,
And prove your faithful friend for this,
Sweet Master then forget not me.
This done as they had both agreed,
Soon after that before the break of day,
He brings her garments then with spéed,
Therein her self she did array.
And e're her father did arise,
She méets her Master as he walked in the hall,
She did attend on him likewise,
Until her father did him call.
But e're the Merchant made an end,
Of all his weighty matters he had then to say,
His Wife came weeping in with speed,
Saying our daughters gone away:
The Merchant then amaz'd in mind,
Yonder vile wretch intic'd away my child, qd. she
But I well wot I shall him find,
At
Padua in Italy:
With that bespake the Master brave,
Worshipful Merchant, thither goes this pre
[...]ty youth
And any thing that you would crave:
He will perform and write the truth:
Sweet youth (qd. he) if it be so,
Bear me a letter to the English Merchant there
And gold on thee I will bestow,
My Daughters welfare I do fear:
Her Mother took her by the hand,
fair youth (qd. she) if e'r thou dost my daughter sée
Let me soon thereof understand,
And there is twenty Crowns for thee.
Thus through the daughters strange disguise,
The Mother knew not when she spake unto her child
And after her Master straight she
[...]ies,
Taking her leave with countenance mild.
Thus to the Seas fair
Maudlin is gone,
with her gentle Master God lend them a merry wind
Where we a while must let them alone
Till you the second part do find.
WElcome sweet
Maudlin from the Seas,
Where bitter storms & tempests do arise,
The pleasant banks of
Italy,
You may behold with mortal eyes;
Thanks gentle Master then said she,
A faithful friend in sorrow thou hast been,
If fortune once do smile on me.
My gentle heart shall soon be seen.
Blest be the Land that féeds my love,
Blest be the place whereas his person doth abide
No tryal will I stick to prove,
Whereby my true love may be try'd:
Now will I walk with joyful heart,
To view the town whereas my darling doth remain
And seek him out in every part,
Until his sight I do obtain:
And I (quoth he) will not forsake,
Sweet
Maudlin in her sorrows up and down,
In wealth or woe thy parti'le take,
And bring thee safe to
Padua Town:
And after many weary steps,
In
Padua they safe arrived at the last,
For very joy her heart it leaps;
She thinks not on her sorrows past.
Condemn'd he was to dye alas,
Except he would from his Religion turn,
But rather then he would to Masse,
In fiery flames he vow'd to burn.
Now doth swéet
Maudlin weep and wail
Her joy is turn'd to weeping sorrow grief and care
For nothing could her plaints prevail.
For death alone must be his share.
She walks under the Prison walls
Where her true love did lye & languish in distress
When wofully for food he calls,
When hunger did his heart oppresse.
He sighs and sobs and makes great moan,
Farewel swéet love for evermore;
And all my friends that have me known
In
Bristow town with wealth and store:
But most of all farewel (quoth he)
My own sweet
Maudlin whom I left behind;
For never more thou shalt me see,
Woe to thy father most unkind;
How well I were if thou wert here
With thy fair hands to close these my Wretched eyes
My torments easie would appear,
My soul with joy would scale the Skies.
When
Maudlin heard her lovers moan,
Her eyes with tears her heart with sorrow filled was
To speak with him no means was known,
Such grieveus doom on him did passe.
Then she put off her Lads attire,
Her Maidens wéed upon her back she séemly set
To the judges house she did enquire,
And there she did a service get:
She did her duty there so well,
And eke so prudently she did her self behave,
With her in love her Master fell,
His servants favour he did crave
Maudlin (quoth he) my hearts delight.
To whom my heart in affection is ty'd,
Breed not my death through thy dispight,
A faithful friend thou shalt me find.
O grant me thy love fair Maid (quoth he)
And at my hands desire what thou canst devise,
And I will grant it unto thee,
Whereby thy credit may arise.
I have a Brother, Sir, said she,
For his Religion is now condemn'd to dye,
In loathsom Prison he is cast,
Opprest with grief and misery:
Grant me my Brothers life (she said)
And now to you my love and liking I will give
That may not be (quoth he) fair Maid,
Except he turn he cannot live:
An English Fryer there is (she said)
Of learning great and passing pure of life,
Let him to my brother be sent,
And he will finish soon the strife:
Her Master granted her request,
The Marriner in Fryers weeds she did array,
And to her love that lay distrest,
She did a Letter soon convey.
When he had read these gentle lines,
His heart was ravisht with pleasant joy;
Where now she is full well he knew,
The Fryer likewise was not coy;
But did declare to him at large,
the enterprize his love for him had taken in hand
The young-man did the Fryer charge,
His love should streight depart the Land.
Here is no place for her (he said)
But woful death and danger of her life,
Professing truth I was betray'd
And fearful flames must end the strife.
For e're I will my faith deny,
And swear my self to follow damned Antichrist
I'le yield my body for to dye,
To live in Heaven with the highest.
O Sir the gentle Fryer said,
Consent thereto and end the strife,
A woful match (quoth he) is made,
Where Christ is left to win a wife.
When she had us'd all means she might,
To save his life, and yet all would not be;
Then of the judge she claim'd her right,
To dye the death as well as he.
When no perswasions could prevail,
Nor change her mind in any thing y
t she had said
She was with him condemn'd to dye,
And for them both one fire was made.
Yea arm in arm most joyfully,
These Lovers twain unto the fire did go,
The Marriner most faithfully,
Was likewise Partner of their woe.
But when the judges understood,
The faithful friendship did in them remain:
They sav'd their lives and afterwards
To
England sent them back again.
Now was their sorrow turn'd to joy,
And faithful Lovers have their hearts desire,
Their pains so well they did imploy,
God granted that they did desire,
And when they did to
England come,
And in merry
Bristow arrived at the last;
Great joy there was to all and some
That heard the dangers they had past.
Her father he was dead God wot,
And eke her Mother was joyful at her sight
Their wishes she denyed not,
But wedded them to hearts delight:
Her gentle Master she desired,
To be her father, and at Church to give her then:
It was fulfilled as she required,
Unto the joys of all good men.