And this same nyght, before daylyght,
To wode-warde wyll I fle:

Yf that ye wyll all this fulfill,

Do it shortely as ye can:
Els wyll I to the grene wode go
Alone, a banyshed man."

She."I shall as nowe do more for you
Than longeth to womanhede,
To shorte my here, a bow to bere,
To shote in tyme of nede.
O my swete mother, before all other,
For you I have most drede!

But nowe, adue! I must ensue
Where fortune doth me lede.
All this mark ye: now let us fle;
The day cometh fast upon:

For in my mynde, of all mankynde
I love but you alone."

He.-"Nay, nay, nat so; ye shall nat go;
And I shall tell ye why:-
You appetyght is to be lyght
Of love, I wele espy:

For lyke as ye have sayed to me,
In lyke wyse, hardely,

Ye wolde answére, whosoever it were,

In way of company.

It is sayd of olde, Sone hote, sone colde,
And so is a woman;

Wherfore I to the wode wyll go
Alone, a banyshed man."

"Yf ye take hede, it is no nede

Such wordes to say by me;

For oft ye prayed, and longe assayed,

Or I you loved, pardé.

And though that I of auncestry

A barons daughter be,

Yet have you proved howe I you loved,

A squyer of lowe degré;

And ever shall, whatso befall,

To dy therfore anone:

For in my mynde, of all mankynde

I love but you alone."

He."A barons chylde to be begylde,

She.

It were a cursed dede!

To be feláwe with an outlawe,
Almighty God forbede!
Yet beter were the pore squyére
Alone to forest yede,

Than ye sholde say another day,

That by my cursed dede

Ye were betrayed; wherfore, good mayd,
The best rede that I can

Is that I to the grene wode go
Alone, a banyshed man."

"Whatever befall, I never shall

Of this thyng you upbrayd;
But yf ye go, and leve me so,
Than have ye me betrayd.

Remember you wele, howe that ye dele,

For yf ye, as ye sayd,

Be so unkynde to leve behynde

Your love, the Not-browne Mayd,

Trust me truly, that I shall dy,

Sone after ye be gone;

For in my mynde, of all mankynde
I love but you alone."

He."Yf that ye went, ye sholde repent,
For in the forest nowe

I have purvayed me of a mayd,
Whom I love more than you;
Another fayrére than ever ye were,

I dare it wele avowe:

And of you bothe eche sholde be wrothe

With other, as I trowe.

It were myne ese to lyve in pese;

So wyll I, yf I can:

Wherfore I to the wode wyll go
Alone, a banyshed man."

She."Though in the wode I undyrstode
Ye had a paramour,

All this may naught remove my thought,
But that I wyll be your;

And she shall fynde me soft and kynde,
And courteys every hour,

Glad to fulfyll all that she wyll

Commaunde me, to my power:
For had ye, lo, an hundred mo,
'Of them I wolde be one.'
For in my mynde, of all mankynde
I love but you alone."

He.-"Myne own dere love, I se the prove
That ye be kynde and true;
Of mayde and wyfe, in all my lyfe

"These tidings be more gladd to me

Than to be made a quene,

Yf I were sure they sholde endure;

But it is often sene,

Whan men wyll breke promýse, they speke

The wordès on the splene.

Ye shape some wyle me to begyle,

And stele from me, I wene:

Than were the case worse than it was,

And I more woe-begone;

For in my mynde, of all mankynde

I love but you alone."

"Ye shall nat nede further to drede:

I wyll nat dysparáge

You (God defend!), syth ye descend
Of so grete a lynáge.

Now undyrstande, to Westmarlande,
Which is myne herytage,

I wyll you brynge, and with a rynge,
By way of maryage,

I wyll you take, and lady make,

As shortely as I can:

Thus have you won an erlys son,
And not a banyshed man."

VOL. II.-10

Here may ye se, that women be

In love meke, kynde, and stable:
Late never man reprove them, than,
Or call them variable;

But rather pray God that we may

To them be comfortable,

Which sometyme proveth such as he loveth,
Yf they be charytable.

For syth men wolde that women sholde

Be meke to them each one,

Moche more ought they to God obey,

And serve but hym alone.

TAKE THY OLD CLOAK ABOUT THEE.

This winters weather itt waxeth cold,
And frost doth freese on every hill,
And Boreas blowes his blasts soe bold
That all our cattell are like to spill.
Bell my wife, who loves noe strife,
She sayd unto me quietlye,

"Rise up, and save cow Crumbockes liffe,
Man, put thine old cloake about thee."

"O Bell, why dost thou flyte and scorne?
Thou kenst my cloake is very thin;

Itt is soe bare and overworne,

A cricke he theron cannot runn:
Then Ile noe longer borrowe nor lend,
For once Ile new appareld bee,
To-morrow Ile to town and spend,

For Ile have a new cloake about mee."

She.-"Cow Crumbocke is a very good cowe,

She has beene alwayes true to the payle, Shee has helpt us to butter and cheese, I trow, And other things shee will not fayle;

I wold be loth to see her pine:

Good husband, councell take of mee,

It is not for us to go soe fine,

Man, take thine old cloake about thee."

He."My cloake it was a verry good cloake,
Itt hath been alwayes true to the weare,

But now it is not worth a groat,

I have had it four and forty yeere:
Sometime itt was of cloth in graine,

"Tis now but a sigh clout, as you may see;
It will neither hold out winde nor raine:

And Ile have a new cloake about mee."

She.

"It is four and fortye yeeres agoe

Since the one of us the other did ken,
And we have had betwixt us towe,

Of children either nine or ten;

Wee have brought them up to women and men,
In the feare of God I trow they bee :

And why wilt thou thyself misken?

Man, take thine old cloake about thee."

He.-"O Bell my wiffe, why dost thou floute!
Now is nowe, and then was then;

Seeke now all the world throughout,

Thou kenst not clownes from gentlemen;
They are clad in blacke, greene, yellowe, or gray,
Soe far above their owne degree:

Once in my life Ile doe as they,

For Ile have a new cloake about mee."

She."King Stephen was a worthy peere,

His breeches cost him but a crowne;
He held them sixpence all too deere;
Therefore he calld the taylor Lowne.
He was a wight of high renowne,

And thouse but of a low degree;

Itt's pride that putts the countrye downe:
Then take thine old cloake about thee."

He.

"Bell my wife she loves not strife,
Yet she will lead me if she can;

And oft, to live a quiet life,

I am forced to yield, though Ime goodman.
Itt's not for a man with a woman to threape,
Unlesse he first give o'er the plea;

As wee began wee now mun leave,

And Ile take mine old cloake about mee."