The wooing Maid, OR
A faire maid neglected,
Forlorne and reiected,
That would be respected:
Which to have effected,
This generall Summon
She sendeth in common,
Come Tinker, come Broomman,
She will refuse no man.
To the tune of, Is'be the dad ont.
I Am a faire Maid
if my glasse doe not flatter,
Yet by the effects
I can find no such matter:
For euery one else
can haue Suters great plenty,
Most marry at fourtéene,
but I am past twenty.
Come gentle, come simple,
come foolish, come witty,
O if you lack a maid,
take me for pitty.
I sée by experience,
which makes me to wonder,
That many haue Swéethearts
at fiftéene, and vnder,
And if they passe sixtéen
they think their time wasted,
O what shall become of me,
I am out-casted:
Come gentle, come simple,
come foolish, come witty,
O if you lack a maid,
take me for pitty.
I vse all the motiues
my sex will permit me,
To put men in mind,
that they may not forget me:
Nay sometimes I set
my commission o'th tenters,
Yet let me doe what I will
neuer a man venters.
Come gentle, come simple,
come foolish, come witty,
O if you lack a maid
take me for pitty.
When I goe to weddings,
or such merry méetings,
I sée other maids
how they toy with their swéetings,
But I [...] alone
like an abiect forsaken,
Woe's me for a husband
what course shall be taken?
Come gentle, come simple,
come foolish, come witty,
O if you lack a maid
take me for pitty.
When others to dancing
are courteously chosen,
I am the last taken
among the halfe dozen,
And yet among twenty
not one can excell me:
What shall I doe in this case,
some good man tell me.
Come gentle, come simple,
come foolish, come witty,
O if you lack a maid
take me for pitty.
The second part
To the same tune.
TIs said that one wedding
produceth another,
This I haue heard told
by my father and mother:
Before one shall scape me,
Ile goe without bidding,
O that I could find out
some fortunate wedding.
Come gentle, come simple,
come foolish, come witty,
O if you lack a maid
take me for pitty.
Sure I am vnfortunate
of all my kindred,
Else could not my happinesse
be so long hindred:
My mother at eightéene
had two sons and a daughter,
And I'm one and twenty,
not worth looking after.
Come gentle, &c.
My sister that's nothing
so handsome as I am,
Had sixe or seuen Suters,
and she did deny them:
Yet she before sixtéene
was luckily marry'd,
O Fates, why are things
so vnequally carry'd?
Come gentle, &c.
My kinswoman Sisly
in all parts mis-shapen,
Yet she on a husband
by fortune did happen,
Before she was ninetéene
years old (at the furthest)
Among all my Linage
am I the vnworthiest.
Come gentle, &c.
There are almost forty
both poorer and yonger,
Within few yeares marry'd,
(yet I must stay longer)
Within foure miles compasse,
O is't not a wonder,
Scant none aboue twenty,
some s [...]téene, some vnder.
Come gentle, &c.
I hold my selfe equall
with most in the parish,
For feature, for parts,
and what chiefly doth cherish,
The fire of affection,
which is store of money,
And yet there is no man
will set loue vpon me.
Come gentle, come simple,
come foolish, come witty,
O let me not die a maid,
take me for pitty.
Who euer he be
that will ease my affliction,
And cast vpon me
an auspicious affections
Shall find me tractable
still to content him,
That he of his bargaine
shall neuer repent him.
Come gentle, &c.
Ile neither be giuen
to scold nor be iealous,
He nere shall want money,
to drink with good fellows▪
While he spends abroad,
I at home will be sauing,
Now iudge, am not I a Lasse
well worth the hauing?
Come gentle, &c.
Let none be offended,
nor say I'm vnciuill,
For I néeds must haue one,
be he good or euill:
Nay rather then faile
Ile haue a Tinker or Broom-man,
A Pedler, an Inkman,
a Mat man, or some man,
Come gentle, come simple,
come foolish, come witty,
O let me not die a maid,
take me for pitty,
M.P.
FINIS.
Printed at London for Thomas Lambert, at the signe of tho Hors-shoo in Smithfield▪