OF Leinfter, fam'd for maidens fair, Ο Bright Lucy was the grace; Nor e'er did Liffy's limpid stream Till luckless love, and pining care Her coral lip, and damask cheek, Oh! have you feen a lily pale, So droop'd the flow-confuming maid; By Lucy warn'd, of flattering fwains Take heed, ye easy fair: Of vengeance due to broken vows, Three times, all in the dead of night, Too well the love-lorn maiden knew "I hear a voice, you cannot hear, "Which fays, I must not stay: "I fee a hand, you cannot fee, "Which beckons me away. "By a false heart, and broken vows, "In early youth I die. "Am I to blame, because his bride "Is thrice as rich as I? 25 30 * Ah Colin! give not her thy vows; "Vows due to me alone: "Nor thou, fond maid, receive his kiss, "Nor think him all thy own. 35 "To-morrow in the church to wed, "But know, fond maid, and know, false man, "That Lucy will be there. "Then, bear my corfe; ye comrades, bear, "The bridegroom blithe to meet; "He in his wedding-trim so gay, "I in my winding-fheet." She spoke, the dy'd ;-her corfe was borne, 45 The bridegroom blithe to meet; He in his wedding-trim fo gay, She in her winding-fheet. Then Then what were perjur'd Colin's thoughts? 50 The bride-men flock'd round Lucy dead, And all the village wept. Confufion, shame, remorse, despair At once his bofom fwell: The damps of death bedew'd his brow, 55 From the vain bride (ah bride no more!) The varying crimson fled, Then to his Lucy's new-made grave, Convey'd by trembling fwains, One mould with her, beneath one fod, For ever now remains. Oft at their grave the constant hind And plighted maid are seen; With garlands gay, and true-love knots But, fwain forfworn, whoe'er thou art, This hallow'd fpot forbear; Remember Colin's dreadful fate, And fear to meet him there. Za 65 70 XVIII. THE XVIII. THE BOY AND THE MANTLE, AS REVISED AND ALTERED BY A MODERN HAND. Mr. Warton, in his ingenious Obfervations on Spenfer, has given his opinion, that the fiction of the Boy and the Mantle is taken from an old French piece intitled LE COURT MANTEL quoted by M. de St. Palaye in his curious "Memoires fur l'ancienne Chevalerie,' Paris, 1759, 2 tom. 12mo. who tells us the ftory resembles that of Ariofto's inchanted cup. 'Tis poffible our English poet may have taken the hint of this fubject from that old French Romance, but he does not appear to have copied it in the manner of execution: to which (if one may judge from the specimen given in the Memoires) that of the Ballad does not bear the leaft refemblance. After all, 'tis most likely that all the old ftories concerning K. Arthur are originally of British growth, and that what the French and other fouthern nations have of this kind, were at firft exported from this island. Memoires de l'Acad. des Infcrip. tom. xx. p. 352. N Carleile dwelt king Arthur, IN A prince of paffing might; And there maintain'd his table round, Befet with many a knight. See And there he kept his Christmas With mirth and princely cheare, I 5 A kir A kirtle, and a mantle This boy had him upon, With brooches, rings, and owches Full daintily bedone. He had a farke of filk About his middle meet; And thus, with feemely curtefy, He did king Arthur greet. "God fpeed thee, brave king Arthur, ΙΟ 15 "That fair and peerleffe flowre. Ye gallant lords, and lordings, "I wish you all take heed, "Left, what ye deem a blooming rofe "Should prove a cankred weed." Then ftraitway from his bofome A little wand he drew ; And with it eke a mantle 20 25 Of wondrous fhape, and hew. "Now have thou here, king Arthur, 30 "All-shapen as you fee. |