is chiefly composed of Warner's lines, with a few contractions and interpolations, but
all greatly for the worse. See the Collection ofHistorical Ballads, 1727, 3 vols. 12mo.
Though here subdivided into stanzas, Warner's metre is the old-fashioned
Alexandrine of fourteen syllables. The reader therefore must not expect to find the
close of the stanzas consulted in the pauses.
THE Brutons being departed hence
Seaven kingdoms here begonne,
Where diversly in divers broyles
The Saxons lost and wonne.
King Edel and King Adelbright
In Diria jointly raigne;
In loyal concorde during life
These kingly friends remaine.
When Adelbright should leave his life,
To Edel thus he sayes;
"By those same bondes of happie love,
That held us friends alwaies;
"By our by-parted crowne, of which
The moyetie is mine;
By God, to whom my Soule must passe,
And so in time may thine;
"I pray thee, nay I conjure thee,
To nourish, as thine owne,
Thy niece, my daughter Argentile,
Till she to age be growne;
And then, as thou receivest it,
Resigne to her my throne."
A promise had for his bequest,
The testatòr he dies;
But all that Edel undertooke,
He afterwards denies.
Yet well he fosters for a time
The damsell that was growne
The fairest lady under heaven;
Whose beautie being knowne,
A many princes seeke her love;
But none might her obtaine;
For grippell Edel to himselfe
Her kingdome sought to gaine;
And for that cause from sight of such
He did his ward restraine.
By chance one Curan, sonne unto
A prince in Danske, did see
The maid, with whom he fell in love,
As much as man might bee.