An excellent Ballad of George Barnwel an Apprentice of London, who was undone by a strumpet, who having thric [...] robbed his Master, and murdered his Vncle in Ludlow.
The tune is,
The Merchant.
ALL youths of faire
England,
that dwell both far and near
Regard my story that I tell,
and to my Song give ear;
A
London Lad I was,
a Merchants Prentice bound,
My name
George Barnwel that did spend
my Master many a pound,
Lake héed of Harlots then
and their inticing trains;
For by that means I have béen
brought
to hang alive in Chains.
As I upon a day
was walking through the stréet,
About my Masters business,
I did a woman méet;
A gallant dainty Dame
and sumptuous in attire,
With smiling looks she gréeted me
and did my name require.
Which when I had declar'd
the gave me then a kiss,
And said if I would come to her,
I should have more then this,
Infaith my Boy (quoth she)
such news I can thée tell,
As shall rejoyce thy very heart,
then come where I do dwell,
Fa
[...]r Mistris then said I,
if I the place may know,
This evening I will be with you,
for I abroad must go.
To gather mony in;
that is my Masters due,
And ere that I do home return,
Ile come and visit you.
Good
Barnwel then (quoth she)
do thou to
Shoreditch come,
And ask for Mis.
Milwood there
next door unto the Gun.
And trust me on my truth,
if thou kéep touch with me
For thy friends sake as my own heart
thou shalt right welcome be.
Thus parted we in peace,
and home I passed right,
Then went abroad and gathered in
by six a clock at night,
An undred pounds and one,
with bag under mine arm,
I went to Mis.
Milwoods house
and thought on little harm.
And knocking at the door
straight way her self came down.
Rustling in most brave attire,
her Hood and silken Gown.
Who though her beauty bright,
so gloriously did shine.
That she amaz'd my dazling Eys,
she seemed so Divine.
She took me by the hand,
and with a modest grace,
Welcom sweet
Barnwel then (qd.
she)
unto this homely place,
Welcom ten thousand times
more welcome then m
[...] brother▪
And better welcome I protest
then any one or other:
And seeing I have thee found,
as good as thy word to be,
A homely supper ere thou part
thou shalt take here with me,
O pardon me quoth I,
fair Mistris I you pray,
For why, out of my Masters house
so long I dare not stay.
Alas good Sir she said,
art thou so strictly ty'd,
You may not with your dearest friend
one hour or two abide:
Faith then the case is hard
if it be so (quoth she)
I would I were a Prentice bound
to live in house with thee.
Therefore my sweetest
George,
list well what I do say,
And do not blame a woman much
her fancy to bewray.
Let not affections force
be counted lewd desire,
Nor think it not immodesty
I would thy love require.
With that she turn'd aside
and with a blushing red,
A mournful motion she bewray'd,
by holding down her head:
A Hankerchiffe she had
all wrought with silk and gold,
Which she to stop her trickling tears
against her eys did hold.
This thing unto my sight
was wondrous rare and strange
And in my mind & inward thoughts
it wrought a sudden change.
That I so hardy was,
to take her by the hand.
Saying sweet Mistris why do you
so sad and heavy stand:
Call me no Mistris now,
but
Sara thy true friend,
Thy servant
Sara honouring thée,
untill her life hath end.
If thou wouldst here alledge,
thou art it years a boy,
So was
Adonis, yet was he
fair
Venus Love and Ioy.
Thus I that nere before
of women found such grace,
And seeing now so fair a Dame
gave me a kind imbrace.
I supt with her that night,
with joys that did abound,
And for the same paid presently
in mony twice thrée pound.
A hundred kisses then,
for my farewell she gave,
Saying swéet
Barnwel when shall I
again thy company have:
O stay not too long my dear
sweet
George have me in mind,
Her worlds bewitcht his childish-
[...]
she uttered them so kind
So that I made a vow,
next sunday without fail,
With my sweet
Sara once again
to tell some pleasant tale.
When she heard me say so
the tears fell from her eyes,
O
George quoth she if thou dost fail
thy
Sara sure will dye,
Though long yet so at last
the pointed time was come.
That I must with my
Sara méet
having a mighty sum.
Of mony in my hand.
unto her house went I
Whereas my Love upon her bed,
in saddest sort did lye.
What ayls my hearts Delight?
my
Sara Dear (quoth he)
Let not my Love lament & grieve,
nor sighing pain and dye,
But tell to me my Dearest friend
what may thy woes amend?
And thou shalt lack no means of help
tho forty pound I spend.
With that she turn'd her head,
& sickly thus did say,
O my sweet
George my grief is great
ten pounds I have to pay,
Vnto a cruel wretch,
and God he knows (quoth she)
I have it not. Tush rise quoth I
and take it here of me,
Ten pounds, nor ten times ten
shall make my love decay,
Then from his Bag into her lap,
he cast ten pounds straight way,
All blith and pleasant then,
to banquetting they go,
She proffered him to lye with her
and said it should be so.
And after that same time,
I gave her store of Coyn,
Yea sometimes fifty pound at once
all which I did purloyn.
And thus I did pass on,
untill my Master then,
Did call to have his reckoning in
cast up among his men
The which when as I heard,
I knew not what to say,
For well I knew that I was out,
two hundred pound that day
Then from my Master straight
I run in secret sort.
And unto
Sara Milwood then
my state I did report,
But how she us'd this youth,
in this his extream need,
The which did her necessity,
so oft with mony feed.
The second part behold,
shall tell it forth at large,
And shall a strumpets wily ways
with all her tricks discharge,
[Page] HEre coms young
Barnwel unto thée
swéet
Sara my delight,
I am undone except thou stand
my faithful friend this night
Our Master to command accompts
hath just occasion found,
And I am come behind the hand
almost two hundred pound.
And therefore knowing not at all,
what answer for to make,
And his displeasure to escape,
my way to thée I take.
Hoping that in this extremity,
thou wilt my succour be.
That for a time he may remain
in secret here with thée.
With that she knit and bent, her brows
and looking all aquoy
Qd. she what should I have to do,
with any prentice boy?
And seeing you have purloynd and got
your Masters goods away
The case is had, and therefore here
I mean thou shalt not stay
Why sweetheart thou knowst he said
that all which I did get,
I gave it and did spend it all
upon thee every whit:
Thou knowst I loved thee so well,
thou could'st not ask the thing,
But that I did incotinent,
the same unto thee bring.
Quoth she thou art a paultry
Jack
to charge me in this sort,
Being a woman of credit good.
and known of good report.
And therefore this I tel thee flat,
be packing with good speed
I do defie thée from my heart,
and scorn thy filthy deed
Is this the love & friendship which
thou didst to me protest,
Is this the greatest affection which
you seemed to exprese:
Now fie on all deceitfull shews
the best is I may spéed,
To get a lodging any where,
for mony in my need.
Therefore false woman now fare-well
while twenty pound doth last,
My Anchor in some other Haven.
I will with wisdome cast
When she perceiving by his words
that he had mony store.
That she had gul'd him in such sort
it griev'd her heart full sore.
Therefore to call him back again,
she did suppose it best.
Stay
George quoth she, thou art too quick
wyh man I do but jest?
Think'st thou for all my passed spéech
that I would let thée go:
Faith no qd, she my love to thée
I wis is more then so.
You will not deal with Prentice boys
I heard you even now swear
Therefore I will not trouble you:
my
George heark in thine ear,
Thou shalt not go to night qd. she
what chance so ere befall,
But man we'l have a bed for thée,
or else the Divel take all,
thus I y
t was with wiles bewitch'd
and snar'd with fancy still
Had not the power to put away
or to withstand her will
Then Wine and Wine I called in
and ch
[...]r upon good chear
And nothing in y
e world I thought,
for
Sarahs love too dear.
Whilst I was in her company,
in joy and merriment,
And all too little I did think,
that I upon her spent,
A fig for care and careful thought
when all my gold is gone,
In faith my girl we will have more
who ere it light upon.
My Father's rich, why then qd. I,
would I want any gold,
With a Father indeed quoth she
a son may well be bold.
I have a sister richly wed,
Ile rob her ere Ile want:
Why then qd.
Sara they may well,
consider of your want.
Nay more, then this an Uncle I have
at
Ludlovv he doth dwell.
He is a Graster which in wealth,
doth all the rest excell.
Ere I will live in lack quoth he,
and have no coyn for thee,
Ile rob y
e Church and murder him
why should you not quoth she,
Ere I would want, were I a man,
or live in poor estate,
On father, friends and all my kin
I would my talons grate;
For without mony
George qd. she
a man is but a beast,
And bringing mony thou shalt be
always my chiefest guest.
For say thou should'st pursued be,
with twenty Hues and cryes
And with a warrant searched for
with
Argo's hundred eyes,
Yet in my house thou shalt be safe
such privy wayes there be,
That if they sought an hundred yeare
they could not find out thée,
and so carousing in their cups
their pleasures to content,
George Barnwel had in little space
his mony wholly spent.
Which being done. to
Ludlow then
he did provide to go,
To rod his wealthy Uncle then
his Minion would it so,
And once or twice he thought to take
his father by the way,
But y
• he thought his Master there
took order for his stay,
Directly to his Uncle then.
he rode with might and main,
Where with good welcom and good cheer
he did him entertain.
A sennit space he stayed there
untill it chanced so,
His Uncle with fat Cattle did
unto a Market go.
His ki
[...]sman needs must ride with him
and when he saw right plain,
Great store of mony he had took
in coming home again,
Most suddenly within a wood
He struck his Uncle down,
And beat his brains out of his head
so sore he crackt his Crown.
And fourscore pound in ready coyn
out of his purse he took.
And coming unto
London straight
the Country quite forsook,
To
Sara Milwood, then he came,
shewing his store of gold,
And how he had his Uncle slain,
to her he plainly told,
Tush tis no matter
George qd. she
so we the mony have,
To have good
[...]héer in folly sort
and deck us fine and brave.
And thus they liv'd in fifthy sort,
till all his store was gone,
And means to get them any more
I wis poor
George had none.
And there
[...]ore now in ratling sort
she thrust him out of Door,
Which is the just reward they get,
that spend upon a Whore.
O do me not this vile disgrace,
in this my need quoth he,
She cal'd him thief and murderer,
with all despight may be:
And to the Constable she went
to have him apprehended,
And shew'd in each degree how far
he had the Law offended,
When
Barnwel saw her drist,
to Sea he got straight way,
Where fear & Dread, & Conscience sting
upon him still doth stay.
Vnto the Mayor of London then
he did a Letter write,
Wherein his own &
Sarahs faults
he did at large recite,
Whereby she apprehended was
and then to Ludlow sent.
where she was judg'd, condemnd & hangd
for murder incontinént.
And there this gallant Quean did dye
this was her greatest gains.
For murdering in
Polonia
was
Barnwel hang'd in chains
Lo here's the end of wilful youth,
that after Harlots haunt,
Who in the spoyle of other men
about the streets do flaunt.
FINIS.