A Bundle of Ballads

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Songs, English -- England -- Texts

These pretty babes, with hand in hand,
       Went wandering up and down;
     But never more could see the man
       Approaching from the town:
     Their pretty lips with black-berries,
       Were all besmeared and dyed;
     And when they saw the darksome night,
       They sat them down and cried.

     Thus wandered these poor innocents,
       Till death did end their grief;
     In one another's arms they died,
       As wanting due relief:
     No burial this pretty pair
       Of any man receives,
     Till Robin-red-breast piously
       Did cover them with leaves.

     And now the heavy wrath of God
       Upon their uncle fell;
     Yea, fearful fiends did haunt his house,
       His conscience felt an hell:
     His barns were fired, his goods consumed,
       His lands were barren made,
     His cattle died within the field,
       And nothing with him staid.

     And in a voyage to Portugal
       Two of his sons did die;
     And to conclude, himself was brought
       To want and miser-y:
     He pawned and mortgaged all his land
       Ere seven years came about;
     And now at length this wicked act
       Did by this means come out:

     The fellow that did take in hand
       These children for to kill,
     Was for a robbery judged to die;
       Such was God's blessed will;
     Who did confess the very truth,
       As here hath been displayed:
     Their uncle having died in gaol,
       Where he for debt was laid.

     You that executors be made,
       And overse-ers eke
     Of children that be fatherless
       And infants mild and meek;
     Take you example by this thing,
       And yield to each his right,
     Lest God with such like misery
       Your wicked minds requite.




THE BEGGAR'S DAUGHTER OF BETHNAL GREEN.

     PART THE FIRST.

     It was a blind beggar, had long lost his sight,
     He had a fair daughter of beauty most bright;
     And many a gallant brave suitor had she,
     For none was so comely as pretty Bessee.

     And though she was truly of favour most fair,
     Yet seeing she was but a poor beggar's heir,
     Of ancient housekeepers despis-ed was she,
     Whose sons came as suitors to pretty Bessee.

     Wherefore in great sorrow fair Bessy did say,
     "Good father, and mother, let me go away
     To seek out my fortune, whatever it be."
     This suit then they granted to pretty Bessee.

     Then Bessy, that was of a beauty so bright,
     All clad in grey russet, and late in the night
     From father and mother alone parted she;
     Who sigh-ed and sobb-ed for pretty Bessee.

     She went till she came into Stratford-le-Bow;
     Then knew she not whither, nor which way to go:
     With tears she lamented her hard destin-ie,
     So sad and so heavy was pretty Bessee.

     She kept on her journey until it was day,
     And went unto Rumford along the highway;
     Where at the Queen's Arms entertain-ed was she:
     So fair and well-favoured was pretty Bessee.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

A Bundle of Ballads

General

A Bundle of Ballads

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Songs, English -- England -- Texts

These pretty babes, with hand in hand,
       Went wandering up and down;
     But never more could see the man
       Approaching from the town:
     Their pretty lips with black-berries,
       Were all besmeared and dyed;
     And when they saw the darksome night,
       They sat them down and cried.

     Thus wandered these poor innocents,
       Till death did end their grief;
     In one another's arms they died,
       As wanting due relief:
     No burial this pretty pair
       Of any man receives,
     Till Robin-red-breast piously
       Did cover them with leaves.

     And now the heavy wrath of God
       Upon their uncle fell;
     Yea, fearful fiends did haunt his house,
       His conscience felt an hell:
     His barns were fired, his goods consumed,
       His lands were barren made,
     His cattle died within the field,
       And nothing with him staid.

     And in a voyage to Portugal
       Two of his sons did die;
     And to conclude, himself was brought
       To want and miser-y:
     He pawned and mortgaged all his land
       Ere seven years came about;
     And now at length this wicked act
       Did by this means come out:

     The fellow that did take in hand
       These children for to kill,
     Was for a robbery judged to die;
       Such was God's blessed will;
     Who did confess the very truth,
       As here hath been displayed:
     Their uncle having died in gaol,
       Where he for debt was laid.

     You that executors be made,
       And overse-ers eke
     Of children that be fatherless
       And infants mild and meek;
     Take you example by this thing,
       And yield to each his right,
     Lest God with such like misery
       Your wicked minds requite.




THE BEGGAR'S DAUGHTER OF BETHNAL GREEN.

     PART THE FIRST.

     It was a blind beggar, had long lost his sight,
     He had a fair daughter of beauty most bright;
     And many a gallant brave suitor had she,
     For none was so comely as pretty Bessee.

     And though she was truly of favour most fair,
     Yet seeing she was but a poor beggar's heir,
     Of ancient housekeepers despis-ed was she,
     Whose sons came as suitors to pretty Bessee.

     Wherefore in great sorrow fair Bessy did say,
     "Good father, and mother, let me go away
     To seek out my fortune, whatever it be."
     This suit then they granted to pretty Bessee.

     Then Bessy, that was of a beauty so bright,
     All clad in grey russet, and late in the night
     From father and mother alone parted she;
     Who sigh-ed and sobb-ed for pretty Bessee.

     She went till she came into Stratford-le-Bow;
     Then knew she not whither, nor which way to go:
     With tears she lamented her hard destin-ie,
     So sad and so heavy was pretty Bessee.

     She kept on her journey until it was day,
     And went unto Rumford along the highway;
     Where at the Queen's Arms entertain-ed was she:
     So fair and well-favoured was pretty Bessee.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

A Bundle of Ballads

A Bundle of Ballads

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