The ladies tooke it heavily,
The commons cryed pitiously,
Their death to them was paine,
Their fame did sound so passingly,
That it did pierce the starry sky,
And throughout all the world did flye
To every princes realme.[8]
NOTES
- See above, Preface to Song i. Book ii.
- Since this conjecture first occurred, it has been discovered thatshot so trimwas the
genuine reading.-- See Shaksp. ed, 1793, xiv. 393. - See Mere'sWits Treas. fol. 283.Arte of Eng. Poes. 1589, p. 51, 111, 143, 169.
- Shakspeare (who alludes to this ballad in hisLove's Labour Lost,act iv. sc. 1.)
gives the Beggars nameZenelophon, according to all the old editions: but this seems
to be a corruption; forPenelophon, in the text, sounds more like the name of a
woman. The story of the King and the Beggar is also alluded to in King Rich. II. act v.
sc. 3.
5.i.e. Tramped the streets.
- Here the poet addresses himself to his mistress.
7.Shewethwas anciently the plural number.
- An ingenious friend thinks the last two stanzas should change place.
VII. Take Thy Auld Cloak About Thee. ...................................................................
This is supposed to have been originally a Scotch ballad. The reader here has
an ancient copy in the English idiom, with an additional stanza (the second) never
before printed. This curiosity is preserved in the Editor's folio manuscript, but not
without corruptions, which are here removed by the assistance of the Scottish edition.
Shakspeare, in hisOthello, act ii. has quoted one stanza, with some variations, which
are here adopted.
THIS winters weather it waxeth cold,
And frost doth freese on every hill,
And Boreas blowes his blasts sae bold,
That all our cattell are like to spill;
Bell my wiffe, who loves noe strife,
She sayd unto me quietlye,
"Rise up, and save cow Crumbockes life,
Man, put thine old cloake about thee."
HE"O Bell, why dost thou flyte and scorne?
Thou kenst my cloak is very thin:
Itt is soe bare and overworne