"Guy earl of Warwicke, by SAMUEL ROWLANDS, Lon"don, printed by J. Bell, 1649, 4to." in xii cantos, beginning thus: "When dreadful Mars in armour every day." Whether the edition in 1649, was the firft, is not known, but the author SAM. ROWLANDS was one of the minor pocts who lived in the reigns of 2 Elizabeth and James I. and perhaps later. His other poems are chiefly of the religious kind, which makes it probable that the hift. of Guy was one of his earlieft performances There are extant of his (.) "The betraying of Chrift, Judas in difpaire, the feven "words of our Saviour on the croffe, with other poems on "the paffion, Sc. 1598, 4to. [Ames Typ. p. 428.]—(2) A "Theatre of delightful Recreation. Lond. printed for A. "Johnson, 1605," 4to. (Penes editor.) This is a book of poems on fubjects chiefly taken from the old Tament. (3.) Memory of Chrift's miracles, in verfe Lond. 10:8, 4to." (4.) "Heaven's glory, earth's vanity and hell's horror." Lond 1038, 800. [Thefe two in Bo.l. Cat.] In the prefent edition the foregoing poem has been much improved from the printed copy. III. THE AULD GO O D.MA N. A SCOTTISH SONG. I have not been able to meet with a more ancient copy of this humorous old fong, than that printed in the Tea-Table mifcellany, c. which feems to have admitted fome corrup tions. L ATE in an evening forth I went A little before the fun gade down, To light on a battle new begun: A man A man and his wife wer fawn in a ftrife, But aye she wail'd her wretched life, Cryeng, Evir alake, mine auld goodman! HE. Thy auld goodman, that thou tells of, And ilka ane leugh him to fcorn: For he did spend and make an end his fathers nevir' wan; Of gear He gart the poor ftand frae the door; Sae tell nae mair of thy auld goodman. SHE. My heart, alake! is liken to break, His blinkan ee, and gait fae free, Was naithing like thee, thou dosend drone; Wi' his rofie face, and flaxen hair, And skin as white as ony swan, He was large and tall, and comely withall; HE. 10 Of houshold ftuff thou hast enough; Thou wants for neither pot nor pan; Of ficklike ware he left thee bare; Sae tell nae mair of thy auld goodman. SHE. 30 Then coming was the night fae dark, I trowe, the wife the day she wan; And aye the owreword of the fray Was, Evir alake! mine auld goodman. 45 IV. FAIR MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM. This feems to be the old fong quoted in Fletcher's " Knight of the burning pestle," Acts 2d and 3d; altho' the fix lines there preferved are fomewhat different from thofe in the ballad, as it ftands at prefent. The Reader will not wonder at this, when he is informed that this is only given from a modern printed copy picked up on a tall. It's full title is "Fair Margaret's Misfortunes; or Sweet William's "frightful dreams on his wedding night, with the fudden "death and burial of thofe noble lovers." The lines preferved in the play are this diftich, And the following ftanza, "When it was grown to dark midnight, "In came Margarets grimly ghoft "And flood at Williams feet." Thefe lines have acquired an importance by giving birth to one of the most beautiful ballads in our own or any language. See the fong intitled MARGARET'S GHOST, at the end of this volume. Since the first edition fome improvements have been inferted, which were communicated by a lady of the firft diftinction as fhe had heard this fong repeated in her infancy. AS A S it fell out on a long fummer's day They fat together that long fummer's day, I fee no harm by you, Margaret, Before to-morrow at eight o' the clock A rich wedding you fall fee. Fair Margaret fat in her bower-window, Combing her yellow hair; There she fpyed fweet William and his bride, Then down fhe layd her ivory combe, And braided her hair in twain: She went alive out of her bower, But ne'er came alive in't again. When day was gone, and night was cóme, Then came the spirit of fair Marg❜ret, And flood at Williams feet. Are you awake, fweet William? fhee faid; And me of my winding fleet. 5 28 20 Whe |