to his mother's court. If all these circumstances are considered, Mr. Carte's account
will be found more incoherent and improbable than that of the old ballad; which is
also countenanced by most of our old historians.
Indeed the true date of Geoffrey's birth, and consequently of Henry's
commerce with Rosamond, seems to be best ascertained from an ancient manuscript
in the Cotton Library; wherein it is thus registered of Geoffrey Plantagenet: "Natus est
5° Henry II. [1159.] Factus est miles 25° Henry II. [1179.] Elect. in Episcop. Lincoln.
28° Henry II. [1182.]" Vid. Chron. de Kirkstall (Domitian xii.) Drake's Hist. of York,
p. 422.
The Ballad ofFair Rosamondappears to have been first published in "Strange
Histories or Songs and Sonnets, of Kinges, Princes, Dukes, Lords, Ladyes, Knights,
and Gentlemen, &c. By Thomas Delone. Lond. 1612," 4to. It is now printed (with
conjectural emendations) from four ancient copies in black-letter; two of them in the
Pepys Library.
WHEN as King Henry rulde this land,
The second of that name,
Besides the queene, he dearly lovde
A faire and comely dame.
Most peerlesse was her beautye founde,
Her favour, and her face;
A sweeter creature in this worlde
Could never prince embrace.
Her crisped lockes like threads of golde
Appeard to each mans sight;
Her sparkling eyes, like Orient pearles,
Did cast a heavenlye light.
The blood within her crystal cheeks
Did such a colour drive,
As though the lillye and the rose
For mastership did strive.
Yea Rosamonde, fair Rosamonde,
Her name was called so,
To whom our queene, dame Ellinor,
Was known a deadlye foe.
The king therefore, for her defence,
Against the furious queene,
At Woodstocke builded such a bower,
The like was never scene.
Most curiously that bower was built
Of stone and timber strong,
An hundered and fifty doors
Did to this bower belong:
And they so cunninglye contriv'd
With turnings round about,
That none but with a clue of thread,
Could enter in or out.