But of their sumptuous marriage and feast,
What brave lords and knights thither were prest,
The SECOND FITT shall set forth to your sight,
With marvelous pleasure, and wished delight.

2

PART THE SECOND.

OFF a blind beggars daughter most bright,
That late was betrothed unto a younge knight,
All the discourse therof you did see,

135

But now comes the wedding of pretty Bessee.

5

Within a gorgeous palace most brave,
Adorned with all the cost they cold have,
This wedding was kept most sumptuouslìe,
And all for the creditt of pretty Bessee.

All kind of dainties and delicates sweete

Were bought for the banquet, as it was most meete;

Partridge, and plover, and venison most free,

11

Against the brave wedding of pretty Bessee.

This marriage through England was spread by report,

Soe that a great number thereto did resort,
Of nobles and gentles in every degree,

15

And all for the fame of prettye Bessee.

To church then went this gallant younge knight;
His bride followed after, an angell most bright,
With troopes of ladyes, the like nere was seene
As went with sweete Bessy of Bednall-greene.

20

This marryage being solempnized then,
With musicke performed by the skilfullest men,
The nobles and gentles sate downe at that tyde,
Each one admiring the beautifull bryde.

Now, after the sumptuous dinner was done,
To talke and to reason a number begunn,

25

They talkt of the blind beggars daughter most bright,
And what with his daughter he gave to the knight.

2 See an Essay on the word FIT at the end of the Second Part.

Then spake the nobles, "Much marveil have wee
This jolly blind beggar wee cannot here see.”

66

My Lords," quoth the bride, "my father's so base
He is loth with his presence these states to disgrace."
"The prayse of a woman in questyon to bringe,
Before her own face, were a flattering thinge;
But wee thinke thy father's baseness," quoth they,
"Might by thy bewtye be cleane put away."
They had noe sooner these pleasant words spoke,
But in comes the beggar cladd in a silke cloke,
A faire velvet capp and a fether had hee,
And now a musicyan, forsooth, he wold bee.

He touched the strings, which made such a charme ;

30

35

40

He had a daintye lute under his arme,

Saies, "Please you to heare any musicke of mee,
Ile sing you a song of pretty Bessee."

With that his lute he twanged straightway,
And thereon begann most sweetlye to play,

45

And after that lessons were playd two or three,

He strayn'd out this song most delicatelìe:

"A poore beggars daughter did dwell on a greene,
Who for her fairenesse might well be a queene,
A blithe bonny lasse, and a daintye was shee,
And many one called her pretty Bessee.

50

"Her father hee had noe goods, nor noe land,
But beggd for a penny all day with his hand,
And yett to her marriage hee gave thousands three,3
And still he hath somewhat for pretty Bessee.

55

"And if any one here her berth doe disdaine,
Her father is ready, with might and with maine,
To proove shee is come of noble degree,
Therfore never flout att prettye Bessee.'
With that the lords and the companye round
With harty laughter were readye to swound;
Att last said the lords, "Full well wee may see,
The bride and the beggar's behoulden to thee."

3 So the folio MS.

60

On this the bride all blushing did rise,

65

The pearlie dropps standing within her faire eyes;
"O pardon my father, grave nobles," quoth shee,
"That throughe blind affection thus doteth on mee."

70

66

If this be thy father," the nobles did say, "Well may he be proud of this happy day, Yett by his countenance well may wee see, His birth and his fortune did never agree. "And therfore, blind man, we pray thee bewray, (And looke that the truth thou to us doe say), Thy birth and thy parentage what itt may bee, For the love that thou bearest to pretty Bessee."

75

"Then give me leave, nobles and gentles, each one,
One song more to sing and then I have done;
And if that itt may not winn good report,
Then doe not give me a GROAT for my sport:

80

66

[Sir Simon de Montfort my subject shal bee; Once chiefe of all the great barons was hee, Yet fortune so cruelle this lorde did abase,

Now loste and forgotten are hee and his race.

84

"When the barons in armes did King Henrye oppose,

Sir Simon de Montfort their leader they chose;

A leader of courage undaunted was hee,

And oft-times he made their enemyes flee.

"At length in the battle on Eveshame plaine

The barons were routed, and Montfort was slaine;
Most fatall that battel did prove unto thee,

90

Thoughe thou wast not borne then, my prettye Bessee!

66

Along with the nobles that fell at that tyde, His eldest son Henrye, who fought by his side, Was fellde by a blowe he receivde in the fight! A blowe that deprivde him for ever of sight.

'Among the dead bodyes all lifelesse he laye,
Till evening drewe on of the following daye,
When by a yong ladye discoverd was hee;
And this was thy mother, my prettye Bessee!

95

100

V. 81, The eight succeeding stanzas are conjectured to be the work of Robert Dodsley.-Editor.

104

"A barons faire daughter stept forth in the nighte
To search for her father who fell in the fight,
And seeing yong Montfort, where gasping he laye,
Was moved with pitye and brought him awaye.
"In secrette she nurst him and swaged his paine,
While he throughe the realme was beleevd to be slaine;
At lengthe his faire bride she consented to bee,
And made him glad father of prettye Bessee.

"And nowe lest oure foes our lives sholde betraye,
We clothed ourselves in beggars arraye;
Her jewelles shee solde, and hither came wee;

110

All our comfort and care was our prettye Bessee.]

“And here have wee lived in fortunes despite,

Thoughe poore, yet contented, with humble delighte :
Full forty winters thus have I beene

A silly blind beggar of Bednall-greene.

115

"And here, noble lordes, is ended the song

Of one that once to your own ranke did belong;

And thus have you learned a secrette from mee,

That ne'er had beene knowne but for prettye Bessee."

Now when the faire companye everye one

121

Had heard the strange tale in the song he had showne,

They all were amazed, as well they might bee,

Both at the blinde beggar and pretty Bessee.

With that the faire bride they all did embrace,

125

Saying, "Sure thou art come of an honourable race;
Thy father likewise is of noble degree,

And thou art well worthy a lady to bee."

Thus was the feast ended with joye and delighte:

A bridegroome most happy then was the young knighte, 130 In joy and felicitie long lived hee,

All with his faire ladye, the pretty Bessee.

The word FIT, for part, often occurs in our ancient ballads and metrical romances; which, being divided into several parts for the convenience of singing them at public entertainments, were in the intervals of the feast sung by fits, or intermissions. So Puttenham, in

his Art of English Poesie, 1589, says, "the Epithalamie was divided by breaches into three partes to serve for three several FITS, or times to be sung."-p. 41.

From the same writer we learn some curious particulars relative to the state of ballad-singing in that age, that will throw light on the present subject: speaking of the quick returns of one manner of tune in the short measures used by common rhymers; these, he says, "glut the eare, unless it be in small and popular musickes, sung by these Cantabanqui, upon benches and barrels heads, where they have none other audience then boys or country fellowes, that passe by them in the streete; or else by blind harpers, or such like taverne Minstrels, that give a FIT of mirth for a groat, their matter being for the most part stories of old time, as the tale of Sir Topas, the reportes of Bevis of Southampton, Guy of Warwicke, Adam Bell and Clymme of the Clough, and such other old romances or historical rimes, made purposely for recreation of the common people at Christmasse dinners and brideales, and in tavernes and alehouses, and such other places of base resorte."-p. 69.

This species of entertainment, which seems to have been handed down from the ancient bards, was in the time of Puttenham falling into neglect; but that it was not, even then, wholly excluded from more genteel assemblies, he gives us room to infer from another passage. "We ourselves," says this courtly writer," have written for pleasure a little brief romance, or historical ditty, in the English tong, of the Isle of Great Britaine, in short and long meetres, and by breaches or divisions [i. e. FITS,] to be more commodiously sung to the harpe in places of assembly, where the company shal be desirous to heare of old adventures, and valiaunces of noble knights in times past, as are those of king Arthur and his knights of the round table, Sir Bevys of Southampton, Guy of Warwicke, and others like.”—p. 33.

In more ancient times, no grand scene of festivity was complete without one of these reciters to entertain the company with feats of arms and tales of knighthood, or, as one of these old minstrels says, in the beginning of an ancient romance on Guy and Colbronde, in the Editor's folio MS.

"When meate and drinke is great plentyè,
And lords and ladyes still wil bee,

And sitt and solace lythe ;5

Then itt is time for mee to speake,

Of keene knightes, and kempès great,

Such carping for to kythe."

If we consider that a groat in the age of Elizabeth was more than equivalent to a shilling now, we shall find that the old harpers were even then, when their art was on the decline, upon a far more reputable footing than the ballad-singers of our time. The reciting of one such

4 He was one of Q. Elizabeth's gent. pensioners, at a time when the whole band consisted of men of distinguished birth and fortune.-Vide Ath. Ox. 5 Perhaps "blythe."

VOL. I.

2 B