That stouping age away shall pull For Beautie with her band, These croked cares had wrought, And shipped me into the land, From whence I first was brought. And ye that bide behinde, Have ye none other trust: As ye of claye were cast by kinde, So shall ye "urne' to dust. 50 55 V. 48. Which, PC. That. MS. What is conject. V. 56. wast. PC. III. JEPHTHAH JUDGE OF ISRAEL. In Shakspeare's HAMLET, act ii. the Hero of the Play takes occasion to banter Polonius with some scraps of an old Ballad, which has never appeared yet in any collection: for which reason, as it is but short, it will not perhaps be unacceptable to the Reader; who will also be diverted with the pleasant absurdities of the composition. It was retrieved from utter oblivion by a lady, who wrote it down from memory as she had formerly heard it sung by her father. I am indebted for it to the friendship of Mr. STEVENS. It has been said, that the original Ballad, in blackletter, is among Anthony à Wood's Collection in the Ashmolean Museum. But, upon application lately made, the volume which contained this Song was missing, so that it can only now be given as in the former Edition. The Banter of Hamlet is as follows: "HAMLET. "O Jeptha, Judge of Israel," what a "treasure hadst thou! "POLONIUS. What a treasure had he, my Lord? "HAM. Why "One fair daughter, and no more, "The which he loved passing well." "POLON. Still on my daughter. "HAM. Am not I i' th' right, old Jeptha? "POLON. If you call me Jeptha, my Lord, I have "a daughter, that I love passing well. "HAM. Nay, that follows not. "POLON. What follows then, my Lord? "HAM. Why, "As by lot, God wot:" and then "you know, "It came to passe, As most like it was.” "The first row of the pious chanson will shew you "more." HAVE you not heard these many years ago, He had one only daughter and no mo, The which he loved passing well: And when he was appointed judge, And chieftain of the company, A solemn vow to God he made; If he returned with victory, Off his house, when he should return agen. 20 It came to pass, the wars was oer, And he returned with victory; His dear and only daughter first of all Came to meet her father foremostly: And all the way, She did play On tabret and pipe, Full many a stripe, With note so highe, For joy that her father is come so nigh. But when he saw his daughter dear Coming on most foremostly, He wrung his hands, and tore his hair, And cryed out most piteously; Oh! it's thou, said he, That have brought me Low, But, dear father, grant me one request, That I may go to the wilderness, Three months there with my friends to stay; 50 There to bewail my virginity; And let there be, Said she, Some two or three Young maids with me." So he sent her away, For to mourn, for to mourn, till her dying day. IV. A ROBYN JOLLY ROBYN. In his TWELFTH NIGHT, Shakspeare introduces the Clown singing part of the two first stanzas of the following Song; which has been recovered from an ancient MS. of Dr. Harrington's at Bath, preserved among the many literary treasures transmitted to the ingenious and worthy possessor by a long line of most respectable ancestors. Of these only a small part hath been printed in the NUGE ANTIQUE, 3 vols. 12mo; a work which the Public impatiently wishes to see continued. The Song is thus given by Shakspeare, act iv. sc. 2. (Malone's edit. iv. 93.) CLOWN. "Hey Robin, jolly Robin." [singing.] "Tell me how thy lady does." MALVOLIO. Fool. CLOWN. "My lady is unkind, perdy." MALVOLIO. Fool. CLOWN. "Alas, why is she so ?" MALVOLIO. Fool, I say. CLOWN. "She loves another."-Who calls, ha? DR. FARMER has conjectured that the Song should begin thus: "Hey, jolly Robin, tell to me "How does thy lady do? "My lady is unkind perdy— "Alas, why is she so ?" But this ingenious emendation is now superseded by the proper readings of the old Song itself, which is here printed from what appears the most ancient of |