A most execellent and vertuous Ballad of the Patient Grissell.
To the tune of The Brides good morrow.
3 ELIA. 18
3. AHA 20
4 ELIA. 2
A Noble Marquesse,
As he did ride a hunting
hard by a Forrest side,
A faire and comely Maiden,
As she did sit a spinning,
his gentle eye espide:
Most faire and louely,
And of comely grace was she,
although in simple attire;
She sung full sweetly,
With pleasant voyce melodiously,
which set the Lords heart on fire;
The more he lookt, the more he might,
Beauty bred his hearts delight,
And to this Damsell
then he went.
God speed (quoth he) thou famous flower,
Faire Mistris of this homely Bower,
Where loue and vertue
dwels with sweet content.
With comely gesture,
And modest mild behauiour
she bade him welcome then,
She entertain'd him
In faithfull friendly manner,
and all his Gentlemen.
The Noble Marquesse
In's heart felt such a flame,
which set his senses at strife,
Quoth he, faire Maiden,
Shew me soone what is thy name,
I meane to make thee my wife.
Grissell is my name quoth she,
Farre vnfit for your degree,
silly Maiden,
and of Parents poore.
Nay, Grissell, thou art rich, he said,
A vertuous, faire, and comely Maid,
Grant me thy loue,
and I will aske no more.
At length she consented,
And being both contented,
they married were with speed:
Her Countrey Russet
Was chang'd to Silke and Veluet,
as to her state agreed:
And when that she
Was trimly tired in the same,
her beauty shined bright,
Farre staining euery
Other faire and Princely Dame
that did appeare in her sight.
Many enuied her therefore,
Because she was of Parents poore,
And t'wixt her Lord and she
great strife did raise:
Some said this, and some said that,
And some did call her Beggers brat,
And to her Lord
they would her oft dispraise.
O Noble Marquesse,
Quoth they, why dost thou wrong vs,
thus basely for to wed,
That might haue gotten
An honorable Lady
into your Princely bed?
Who will not now
Your Noble Issue still deride,
which shall hereafter be borne,
That are of bloud so base,
Borne by the Mothers side,
the which will bring them in scorne.
Put her therefore quite away,
And take to you a Lady gay,
Whereby your Linage
may renowned be.
Thus euery day they seem'd to prate,
That malic'd Grissells good estate,
Who all this while
tooke it most patiently.
When that the Marquesse
Did see that they were bent thus
against his faithfull Wife,
Whom he most dearely,
Tenderly, and intirely,
beloued as his life,
Minding in secret
For to proue her patient heart
thereby her foes to disgrace,
Thinking to shew her
A hard discourteous part,
that men might pitty her case:
Great with child this Lady was,
And at last it came to passe,
Two goodly children
at one birth she had,
A Son and Daughter God had sent,
Which did their Father well content,
And which did make
their Mothers heart full glad,
Great royall Feasting
Was at these Childrens Christning,
and Princely triumph made,
Sixe weekes together,
All Nobles that came thither
were entertain'd and staid,
And when all these pleasant
Sportings quite were done,
the Marquesse a Messenger sent
For his young Daughter,
And his pretty smiling Son,
declaring his full intent,
How that the Babes must murdred be,
For so the Marquesse did decree:
Come, let me haue
the Children, than he said.
With that faire Grissel wept full sore,
She wrung her hands & said no more,
My gracious Lord
must haue his will obeyd.
The second part
To the same tune.
SHe tooke the Babies,
Euen from the nursing Ladies,
betweene her tender armes,
She often wishes
With many sorrowfull kisses,
that she might ease their harmes:
Farewell, farewell
A thousand times my children deare,
neuer shall I sée you againe;
'Tis long of me
Your sad and wofull mother here,
for whose sake both must be slaine;
Had I béene borne of Royall race,
You might haue béene in happy case,
But you must dye
for my vnworthinesse.
Come messenger of death (quoth she)
Take my dearest Babes to thee,
And to their Father
my complaints expresse.
He tooke the Children,
And to his Noble Master
he brought them both with spéed,
Who in secret sent them
Vnto a Noble Lady
to be brought vp indeed.
Then to faire Grissell
With a heavy heart he goes
where she sate mildly all alone,
A pleasant gesture,
And a louely looke she shewes,
as if no griefe she had knowne.
(Qd. he) my children now are slaine,
What thinks faire Grissell of the same,
Sweet Grissell now
declare thy mind to me.
Sith you, my Lord are pleas'd with it,
Poore Grissell thinks the action fit,
Both I and mine
at your command will be.
My Nobles murmur,
Faire Grissell at thy honour,
and I no ioy can haue
Till thou be banisht
Both from my Court and presence,
as they vniustly craue,
Thou must be stript
Out of thy stately garments all,
and as thou cam'st to me
In homely gray
In stead of Bisse and purest Pall,
now all thy clothing must be.
My Lady thou must be no more,
Nor I thy Lord, which grieues me sore,
The poorest life
must now content thy mind.
A groat to thee I must not giue,
Thee to maintaine while I doe liue,
Against my Grissell
such great foes I find.
When gentle Grissell
Did heare these wofull tidings,
the teares stood in her eyes,
Nothing she answered,
No words of discontentment
did from her lips arise;
Her Velvet Gowne
Most patiently she slipped off,
her Kirtle of Silke with the same,
Her Russet Gowne
Was brought againe with many a scoffe
to beare them her selfe she did frame,
When she was drest in this array,
And was ready to part away,
God send long life
vnto my Lord (quoth she)
Let no offence be found in this,
To giue my Lord a parting kisse,
With watry eyes,
farewell my deare, he said.
From Princely Palace,
Vnto her Fathers Cottage,
poore Grissell now is gone:
Full sixteene Winters
She liued there contented,
no wrong she thought vpon:
And at that time through
All the Land the speeches went,
the Marquesse should married be,
Vnto a Noble Lady great,
Of high discent,
and to the same all parties did agr [...]
The Marquesse sent for Grissell faire
The Brides bed-chamber to prepare
That nothing therein
might be found awry;
The Bride was with her Brother com [...]
Which was great ioy to all and som [...]
But Grissell tooke
all this most patiently.
And in the morning,
When as they should be wedded,
her patience then was tride;
Grissell was charged,
Her selfe in friendly manner,
for to attire the Bride,
Most willingly
She gaue consent to doe the same,
the Bride in her brauery was dres [...]
And presently
The Noble Marquesse thither came
with all his Lords at his request,
O Grissell, I would aske of thee,
If to this match thou wilt agree,
Me thinks thy lookes
are waxed wondrous coy.
With that they all began to smile,
And Grissell she replide the while,
God send Lord Marquesse
many yeares of ioy.
The Marquesse was moued
To see his best beloued
thus patient in distresse,
He stept vnto her,
And by the hand he tooke her,
these words he did expresse,
Thou art my Bride,
And all the Brides I meane to haue,
these two thine owne children be,
The youthfull Lady
On her knees did blessing craue,
her brother as well as she.
And you th [...]t enuied her estate,
Whom I haue made my louing [...]
Now blush for shame,
and honour vertuous life.
The Chronicles of lasting fame
Shall euermore extoll the name
Of Patient Grissell
my most constant Wife.
FINIS.
London Printed for Iohn Wright.