by the blind father." The subsequent editions omit the divisions into chapters, and in the copy before us, which is the seventh impression, the story commences at page 132, being part of the second book. As no other source for this narrative than the Arcadia has hitherto been traced, and as the similarity of incident is considerable, there can be little doubt but that this portion of King Lear must confess its obligation to the romance. The appellation, also, given to Cupid, in a passage in Much Ado about Nothing, is evidently to be referred to a line in the Arcadia. Don Pedro, speaking of Benedict, says, "he hath twice or thrice cut Cupid's bow-string, and the little hangman dare not shoot at him." (Act iii. sc. 2.) It has been conjectured, that the word in Italics should be henchman, a page or attendant; but to decide the question it is only necessary to quote the words of Sidney: "Millions of yeares this old drivell Cupid lives; While still more wretch, more wicked he doth prove: Til now at length that Jove him office gives, At Juno's suite, who much did Argus love, In this our world a hangman for to be Of all those fooles that will have all they see." * If, from this catalogue of allusions, our author's intimacy with the romances of his age may be considered as proved, his familiarity with the ballads and songs of the same period will not be deemed less extensive, or less admitting of demonstration. Throughout his dramas, indeed, a peculiar partiality for these popular little pieces is very manifest; he delights to quote them, wherever he can find a place for their introduction, and his own efforts in this line of poetry are often of the utmost simplicity and beauty. How strongly he felt this predilection for the strains of our elder minstrelsy. and how exquisitely he has expressed his attachment to them, must be in the recollection of all who have ever read, or seen performed, his admirable comedy of the Twelfth Night, in which the Duke exclaims, "Give me some music :-but that piece of song, Of these most brisk and giddy-paced times: Mark it, Cæsario; it is old, and plain: The spinsters and the knitters in the sun, And the free maids, that weave their thread with bones, Do use to chaunt it; it is silly sooth, And dallies with the innocence of love, Like the old age." Act ii. sc. 4. Before we notice, however, the ballads which Shakspeare has quoted, or to which he has alluded, it will be satisfactory, if, to the article specified in Captait Cox's" Bunch of Ballets and Songs," we add a few more of similar popularity and from a source equally rare and authentic. In the "British Bibliographer." Mr. Haslewood has given us a description of the fragment of a tract in his posses sion, entitled "The World's Folly" printed, as he concludes, from the type before 1600, and from which, "as every allusion," he justly observes, "to ou early ballads is interesting," he has obliged his readers with some very curiou quotations. "The author," he remarks, appears to describe the purgatory of Folly. He wanders from room to room, and to each new character assigns a ballad, that may be presumed was distin guished for popularity. A man, whose credit had decayed by trusting servants, and had com menced botcher, had standing by him, for meate and drinke, a pot of strong ale, which was ofte at his nose, that it kept his face in so good a colour, and his braine in so kinde a heate, as for getting part of his forepassed pride, in the good humour of grieving patience, made him with Arcadia, book ii p, 153. 1629. hemming sigh, ilfavourdly singe the ballad of Whiiom I was to the tune of Tom Tmker. A old man, shaking with palsy, who, having beene a man of some possessions, and with too fat feeding of horses, too high keeping of hawkes, and too much delighting in banquetinges, through lacke of husbandrie, was forced to leave himself without lande; after many a deepe sighe, with a hollow voice, in a solemne tune, with a heavie hearte, fell to sing the song of Oken leaves began wither: to the tune of Heavilie, heavilie. A dapper fellow that in his youth had spent more than he got, on his person, fell to singe the ballad of the blinde beggar: to the tune of Heigh ho. The general lover, having no further credit with beauty, howled out the dittie of When I was faire and young: to the tune of Fortune. The next is whimsically described as 'one that was once a virgin, had beene a little while a mayde, knew the name of a wife, fell to be a widdow,' and finally a procuress; she would sing the Lamentation of a sinner: to the tune of Welladaye.' A decayed prostitute, who had become laundress to the house, stood singing the ballet of All in a greene witlowe: to the famous tune of Ding Dong.' A man with good personage, with a froward wife, hummed out the balled of the breeches to the tune of Never, never,' His termagant spouse drewe from her pocket a ballad of the tinker's wife that beate her husbande.' To the last character in the fragment is also given Raleigh's ballad. He was one that had beene in love, sat looking on his mistresse picture, making such a legge to it, writing such verses in honour to it, and committing such idolatrie with it, that poore man, I pittied him and in his behalfe sorrowed to see how the Foole did handle him: but there sat he, hanging his head, listing up the eyes, and with a deepe sigh, singing the ballad of Come live with me and be my love, to the tune of adieu my deere'"' It is, notwithstanding, to the dramas of our poet, that we must look for more copious intimations relative to the ballad-poetry of the sixteenth century, and of the first ten years of the reign of James the First. The list which we shall collect from his works, in the order in which they are usually published, will sufficiently evince his love for these productions, and, at the same time, afford a pretty accurate enumeration of those which were esteemed the most popular of his age. Yet, in forming this catalogue of Shakspearean ballads and songs, it may be necessary to premise, that it is not our intention to comment on the original pieces of our author in this branch of poetry, which will fall under consideration in a subsequent chapter; but merely to confine our notices to his quotations from and allusions to the minstrel strains of others. We commence, therefore, with the ballad of Queen Dido, which the poet had no doubt in view, when he represents Gonzalo in the Tempest so familiar with her name and history. (Act ii. sc. 1.) That this was a favourite song with the common people appears from a passage in a scarce pamphlet quoted by Mr. Ritson, and published in 1604. O you ale-knights, you that devoure the marrow of the mault, and drinke whole aletubs into consumptions; that sing Queen Dido over a cupp, and tell strange newes over an ale-pot." Dr. Percy, who has published a correct copy of this old ballad from his folio MS. collated with two different printed copies, both in black letter, in the Pepysian collection, terms it "excellent," an epithet justly merited, for, though blended with the manners of a Gothic age, it is certainly both pathetic and interesting, Mrs. Ford, in the Merry Wives of Windsor, speaking of Falstaff's proposals, says, that his disposition and his words" do no more adhere and keep place together than the hundredth psalm to the tune of Green Sleeves." This seems to have been a very popular song about 1580, for it is licensed several times during this year, and entered on the book of the Stationers' Company, under the titles of "A newe northerne dittye of the Lady Green Sleeves," and "A new Northerno Song of Green Sleeves, beginning. "The bonniest lass in all the land." It is mentioned by Beaumont and Fletcher in "The Loyal Subject," but is supposed to be now longer extant. British Bibliographer, No. X. pp. 559, 560. [This fragment, says Mr. Haslewood, "is in black letter que sheet, and bears signature C." +Jacke of Dover, his quest of Inquirie, or his privy Search for the veriest foole in England, 410. In the same play, Falstaff alludes to another old song, which was entitled Fortune my foe (act iii. sc. 7), enumerating all the misfortunes incident to mankind through the instability of fortune. Of this ballad, which is mentioned by Brewer in his " Lingua,' twice by Beaumont and Fletcher,"† and by Burton in his Anatomy of Melancholy, ‡ the tune is said to be the identical air now known by the song of "Death and the Lady:" and the first stanza, observes Mr. Malone, was as follows: "Fortune, my foe, why dost thou frown on me? And will my fortune never better be? Sir Hugh Evans, in the first scene of the third act of this play, quotes, though from his trepidation very inaccurately, four lines from two of the most popular little madrigals at the close of the sixteenth century, entitled "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love," and "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd;" the first written by Christopher Marlowe, and the second by Sir Walter Raleigh. These had been attributed, however, to Shakspeare, in consequence of their being included in a copy of his smaller poems printed by William Jaggard in 1599. This edition being published during the life-time of the poet, gave currency to the ascription; but in the year following Marlowe's poem appeared in "England's Helicon," with his name annexed, and Raleigh's with his usual signature of Ignoto ;§ and Isaac Walton, in the first edition of his "Compleat Angler," printed in 1653, has attributed these pieces to the same authors, describing them as "that smooth song, which was made by Kit Marlowe, now at least fifty years ago; and an Answer to it, which was made by Sir Walter Raleigh in his younger days-old fashioned poetry," he adds, "but choicely good; I think much better than the strong lines that are now in fashion in this critical age.' Had Marlowe written nothing but this beautiful song, he would yet have descended to posterity as an excellent poet; the imitations of it have been numerous. The Twelfth Night presents us with a variety of fragments of ballads, songs, and catches; Sir Andrew Ague-cheek calls for the catch of Thou Knave," of which the words and musical notes are given by Sir J. Hawkins (Act ii. sc. 3); Sir Toby compares Olivia to "Peg-a Ramsay," a licentious song mentioned by Nash among several other ballads, such as "Rogero, Basilino, Turkelony, All the Flowers of the Broom, Pepper is black, Green Sleeves, Peggie Ramsay;" and immediately afterwards, this jovial knight quotes several detached lines from as many separate ballads; for instance, "Three merry men be we; There dwelt a man in Babylon, lady, lady; O the twelfth day of December; Farewell, dear heart, since I must needs be gone." Of these the first was a burden common to many ancient songs, and is called in "The old Wives Tale," by George Peele, 1595, an Old Proverb, and is thus given: "Three merrie men, and three merrie men, And three merrie men be wee; I in the wood, and thou on the ground, an association which acquired such notoriety as to become the frequent sign of an ale-house, under the appellation of "The Three Merry Boys." The second is the first line and burden of a ballad which was licensed by T. Colwell, in 1562, under the title of "The goodly and constant wyfe Susanna." It is preserved in the Pepysian collection, and the first stanza of it has been quoted by Dr. Perey in his Reliques; + the burden" lady, lady," is again alluded to by Mercutio in The Knight of the Burning Pestle, act v. Ancient British Drama, vol. ii. p 219. col. 1. § England's Helicon, 3d edit., reprint of 1812. p. 214, 215 tt Vol. i. p. 220. Romeo and Juliet (act ii. sc. 4). The third has not been traced to its source, but the fourth, and the subsequent lines, are taken, with a little variation, from "Corydon's Farewell to Phillis," published in a little black letter miscellany, called The Golden Garland of Princely Delights," and reprinted entire by Dr. Percy. * In act iv. sc. 2, the clown is introduced singing part of the two first stanzas of a song which has been discovered among the ancient MSS. of Dr. Harrington of Bath, and there ascribed, though perhaps not correctly, to Sir Thomas Wyatt. It is evident that Shakspeare trusted to his memory in the quotation of these popular pieces, for most of them deviate, in some degree, from the originals; in the present instance, the first two lines, as given by the clown, The commencement of a madrigal, the composition of William Elderton, is sung by Benedict, in Much Ado about Nothing. "The god of love, That sits above," &c. and a song beginning in a similar manner, is mentioned by Mr. Ritson, to be in "Bacchus' Bountie," 4to. bl. 1. 1593; Elderton's production was parodied by a puritan of the name of Birch, under the title of "The Complaint of a Sinner." In Love's Labour's Lost, a sweet air, as Armado terms it, commencing with the word "Concolinel," is sung by Moth (act iii. sc. 1), but no further intimation is given; and in another part of the same comedy, the burden of an ancient ditty is chaunted by Roseline and Boyet (act iv. sc. 1). In As You Like It, Touchstone quotes a stanza from a ballad of which the first line is "O sweet Oliver," and which appears to be the same with the ballad of "O sweete Olyver, Leave me not behinde thee, entered by Richard Jones, on the books of the Stationers' Company, August 6th, 1584; and in the subsequent act, Orlando alludes to a madrigal under the title of Wit whither wilt. Act iv. sc. 1. All's Well that Ends Well affords but two passages from the minstrel poesy of the day, which are put into the mouth of the clown; one of these is evidently taken from a ballad on the Sacking of Troy, and the other seems to be the chorus of a song on courtship or marriage. Act. i. sc. 3. From the Taming of the Shrew we collect the initial lines of two apparently very popular ballads; the first beginning "Where is the life that late I led," which is likewise quoted by Ancient Pistol, and referred to in "A gorgious Gallery of gallant Inventions," 4to. 1578; there is also a song or sonnet with this title, observes Mr. Malone, in "a handeful of pleasant Delites, containing Reliques, vol i. p. 220. Act iv. sc. I.-There appears to be allusions to two catches in this scene. Grumio exclaims "fire, fire; cast on no water," which Judge Blackstone traces to the following old catch in three parts: "Scotland burneth, Scotland burneth. Fire, fire; Fire, fire; Cast on some more water." Grumio a little afterwards calls out, “Why, Jack boy! ko boy!" the beginning, as Sir John Hawkins Aerts, of an old round in three parts, of which he has given us the musical notes. sundrie new Sonets," etc. 1584, where we read of "Dame Beautie's replie to the lover late at libertie, and now complaineth himselfe to be her captive, intituled, Where is the life that late I led : "The life that erst thou led'st, my friend, Was pleasant to thine eyes," &c. The second fragment with which Petruchio has favoured us, commencing has given rise to one of the most pleasing and pathetic of modern ballads, founded on a professed introduction of as many of our poet's ballad fragments as could consistently be adapted. "Dispersed through Shakspeare's plays," says the ingenious associator, "are innumerable little fragments of ancient ballads, the entire copies of which could not be recovered. Many of these being of the most beautiful and pathetic simplicity, the editor was tempted to select some of them, and with a few supplemental stanzas to connect them together, and form them into a little Tale.' That much taste and poetic spirit, together with a very successful effort in combination, have been exhibited in this little piece, the public approbation has unequivocally decided. To the character of Autolycus, in the Winter's Tale, a very humorous exemplar of the fallen state of the minstrel tribe, we are indebted for some illustration of the prevalency of ballad-writing at the commencement of the reign of James the First. Most of the songs attributed to this adroit rogue, are, there is reason to think, the composition of Shakspeare, with the exception of the catch beginning "Jog on, jog on, the foot-path way (act iv. sc. 2); but, in his capacity of ballad-vender, he throws considerable light on the subject to which these motley strains were devoted. He is represented as having ballads of all descriptions, and prettiest love-songs for maids"-" and where some stretched-mouthed rascal would, as it were, mean mischief, and break a foul gap into the matter, he makes the maid to answer, Whoop, do me no harm, good man; puts him off, slights him, with Whoop, do me no harm, good man." Accordingly at the Fair he is applied to for these precious wares: the " Percy's Reliques, vol. i. p. 259. † Act iv. sc. 3.-We shall add, in this note, in order to complete the catalogue, all the fragments of ancient minstrelsy that have escaped our enumeration in the text. In Troilus and Cressida, Pandarus, lamenting the approaching departure of Cressida, expresses sorrow by quoting an old song beginning— "O heart, o heart, o heavy heart, Why sigh'st thou without breaking." Hamlet, bantering Polonius, quotes part of the first stanza of a ballad entitled, Jephtha, Judge f Israel. This has been published by Dr. Percy, retrieved, as he relates, from utter oblivion by a lady, wrote it down from memory as she had formerly heard it sung by her father.-Percy's Reliques, vol. p. 189. It is probable that Hamlet, who appears to have been well versed in ballad-lore, has again introduced two morsels from this source, in his dialogue with Horatio on the conduct of the king at the play: th strongly mark his triumph in the success of his plan for unmasking the crimes of his uncle: "Why let the strucken deer go weep," &c. "For thou dost know, O Damon dear," &c. Jago in the drunken scene with Cassio, in the view of adding to his exhilaration, sings a portion of tw songs; the first apparently a chorus,— the second, "And let me the canakin, clink, clink," &c. 66 King Stephen was a worthy peer." from a humorous ballad of Scotch origin, preserved by Percy in his Reliques, vol. i. P. 204. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio, in the following passage, alludes to two ballads of consideraba notoriety: "Young Adam Cupid, he that shot so trim, the first line referring to the celebrated ballad of “Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and Wilham of |