_And she is gone; sweet human love is gone!_ _’Tis only when they spring to heaven that angels_ _Reveal themselves to you; they sit all day_ _Beside you, and lie down at night by you_ _Who care not for their presence, muse or sleep,_ _And all at once they leave you, and you know them!_ Modified in succeeding reigns, the ballad of “The Queen [Elizabeth]’s Old Courtier, and A New Courtier of the King [James]” has already known two hundred and fifty years’ popularity. The earliest printed copy was probably issued by T. Symcocke, by or after 1626. We find it in several books about the time of the Restoration, when parodies became frequent. It is in _Le Prince d’Amour_, 1660, p. 161; _Wit and Drollery_, 1682 (not in 1656, 1661 edits.), p. 278, “With an old Song,” _&c._; _Wit and Mirth_, 1684, p. 43; _Dryden’s Misc. Poems_ (ed. 1716, iv. 108); with the Music, in _Pills_, iii. 271; in _Philomel_, 130, 1744; Percy’s _Reliques_, ii. Bk. 3, No. 8, 1767; Ritson’s _English Sgs._, ii. 140, and Chappell’s _Pop. Music_, p. 300, to which refer for a good introduction, with extract from Pepys Diary of 16th June, 1668. Accompanying a Parody by T. Howard, Gent. (beginning similarly, “An Old Song made of an old aged pate”), it meets us in the Roxburghe Coll., iii. 72, printed for F. Coles (1646-74). Among other parodies may be mentioned one entitled “An Old Souldier of the Queen’s” (in _Merry Drollery, Compleat_, 31, and in _Wit and Drollery_, 248, 1661); another, “The New Souldier” (_Wit and Drollery_, 282, 1682), beginning:— _With a new Beard but lately trimmed,_ _With a new love-lock neatly kemm’d,_ _With a new favour snatch’d or nimm’d,_ _With a new doublet, French-like trimm’d;_ _And a new gate, as if he swimm’d;_ Like a new Souldier of the King’s, And the King’s new Souldier. _With a new feather in his Cap;_ _With new white bootes, without a strap_; &c. In the same edition of _Wit and Drollery_, p. 165, is yet another parody, headed “_Old Souldiers_,” which runs thus (see _Westminster-Drollery_, ii. 24, 1672,):— _Of Old Souldiers the song you would hear,_ _And we old fiddlers have forgot who they were._ John Cleveland had a parody on the Queen’s Courtier, about 1648, entitled The Puritan, beginning “With face and fashion to be known, For one of sure election.” Another, called The Tub-Preacher, is doubtfully attributed to Samuel Butler, and begins similarly, “With face and fashion to be known: With eyes all white, and many a groan” (in his _Posthumous Works_, p. 44, 3rd edit., 1730). The political parody, entitled “Saint George and the Dragon, _anglicé Mercurius Poeticus_,” to the same tune of “The Old Courtier,” is in the Kings Pamphlets, XVI., and has been reprinted by T. Wright for the Percy Soc., iii. 205. It bears Thomason’s date, 28 Feb., 1659-[60], and is on the overthrow of the Rump, by General Monk. It begins thus:—