A most sweet Song of an English Merchant, borne at Chichester.
To an excellent new Tune.
A Rich Merchant man,
That was both graue and wise,
Did kill a man at E [...]den Towne,
Through quarrels that did rise.
Through quarrels that did rise,
The German hee was dead,
And for this fact the Merchant man
was iudg'd to lose his head.
A sweet thing is love,
It rules both heart and mind;
There is no comfort in the world
to women that are kind.
A Scaffold builded was,
Within the Market-place,
And all the people farre and néere,
Did thither flocke apace.
Did thither flocke apace,
This dolefull sight to sée,
Who, all in veluet blacke as Iet,
vnto the place came hee,
A sweet thing is love, &c.
Bare-headed was hee brought,
His hands were bound before,
A Cambricke Ruffe about his necke,
As white as milke hee wore:
His Stockings were of silke,
As fine as fine might be
Of person, and of countenance,
a proper man was hée.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
When hee was mounted vp,
Upon the Scaffold high,
All women said great pity 'twas,
So sweet a man should die.
The Merchants of the Towne,
From death to set him free,
Did proffer there two thousand pound,
but yet it would not be.
A sweet thing is love,
It rules both heart and mind;
There is no comfort in the world
to women that are kind.
The Prisoner hereupon,
Began to speake his mind,
Quoth hee, I haue deserued death,
In conscience I doe find:
Yet sore against my will,
This man I kild, quoth hee,
As Christ doth know, which of my soule
must onely Sauiour be.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
With heart I doe repent
This most vnhappy deed;
And for his wife and children small,
My very soule doth bleed:
This deed is done and past,
My hope of life is vaine,
And yet the losse of this my life,
to them is little gaine.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
Unto the widow poore,
And her two Babes therefore,
I giue a hundred pound a piece,
Their comfort to restore:
Desiring at their hands,
No one request but this,
They will speake well of English [...]
though I haue done amisse.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
This was no sooner sp [...]ke [...]
But that to stint his griefe,
Ten goodly Maids did proffer him,
For loue to beg his life:
This is our law, quoth they,
We may your death remoue,
If you in lieu of our good will,
will grant to vs your loue.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
Braue Englishman, quoth one,
'Tis I will beg thy life:
Nay, quoth the second, it is I,
If I must be thy wife:
'Tis I, the third did say;
Nay, quoth the fourth, 'tis I:
So each one after other said,
still waiting his reply.
A sweet thing is love,
It rules both heart and mind;
There is no comfort in the world
to women that are kind.
The second Part, To the same tune.
FAire Maidens all, quoth hee,
I must confesse and say,
That each of you full worthy is,
To be a Lady gay:
And I vnworthy farre,
The worst of you to haue,
Though you haue offered willingly
my loathed life to saue.
A sweet thing is love,
It rules both heart and mind;
There is no comfort in the world
to women that are kind.
Then take a thousand thanks
Of mee a dying man:
But speake no more of loue nor life,
For why, my life is gone.
To Christ my loue I giue,
My body vnto death:
For none of you my heart can loue,
though I doe lose my breath.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
Faire Maids lament no more,
Your Country Law is such,
It takes but hold vpon my life,
My goods it cannot touch:
Within one chest I haue
In gold a thousand pound,
I giue it equall to you all,
for loue which I haue found.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
And now deare friends farewell,
Sweet England eake adieu,
And Chicester where I was borne,
Where first this breath I drew.
And now thou man of death,
Unto thy weapon stand:
Ah nay another Damsell cry'd,
sweet Headsman hold thy hand.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
Now heare a Maidens plaint,
Braue Englishman, quoth shee,
And grant her loue for loue againe,
That craues but loue of thee:
I wooe and sue for loue,
That haue beene wooed ere this,
Then grant mee loue, and therewithall
shee proffers him a kisse.
A sweet thing is love,
It rules both heart and mind;
There is no comfort in the world
to women that are kind.
And die within mine armes,
If thou wilt die, quoth shee;
Yea liue or die sweet Englishman,
Ile liue and die with thee.
But can it be, hee said,
That thou dost loue mee so:
'Tis not by long acquaintance sir,
whereby true loue doth grow.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
Then beg my life, quoth hee,
And I will be thine owne;
If I should seeke the world for loue,
More loue cannot be showne.
The people on that word,
Did giue a ioyfull cry,
And said, it had great pitie been,
so sweet a man should die
A sweet thing is love, &c.
I goe my Loue, shee said,
I run, I flye for thee;
And gentle Headsman spare a while,
My Louers life for mee:
Unto the Duke shee went,
Who did her griefe remoue;
And with an hundred Maidens more,
shee went to fetch her Loue.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
With musicke sounding sweet,
The [...]ormost of the traine,
This gallant Maiden like a Bride,
Did fetch him backe againe:
Yea hand in hand they went
Unto the Church that day,
And they were married presently
in sumptuous rich array.
A sweet thing is love, &c.
To England came hee then,
With this his louely Bride,
A fairer woman neuer lay
By any Merchants side:
Where I must leaue them now,
In pleasure and delight;
But of their name aud dwelling place,
I must not here recite.
A sweet thing is love,
It rules both heart and mind;
There is no comfort in the world
to women that are kind.
FINIS.
Printed at London for Francis Coules in the Old-Bayley.