Rebecca his wife had often wish'd
To sit in St. Michael's chair;
For she should be the mistress then
If she had once sat there.
It chanced that Richard Penlake fell sick,
They thought he would have died;
Rebecca his wife made a vow for his life
As she knelt by his bed-side.
Now hear my prayer, St. Michael! and spare
My husband's life, quoth she;
And to thine altar we will go,
Six marks to give to thee.
Richard Penlake repeated the vow,
For woundily sick was he;
Save me St. Michael and we will go
Six marks to give to thee.
'When Richard grew well Rebecca his wife Teized him by night and by day:
O mine own dear! for you I fear,
If we the vow delay.
Merrily merrily rung the bells,
The bells of St. Michael's tower,
When Richard Penlake and Rebecca his wife
Arrived at the church door.
Six marks they on the altar laid,
And Richard knelt in prayer :
She left him to pray and stole away
To sit in St. Michael's chair.
Up the tower Rebecca ran,
Round and round and round;
"Twas a giddy sight to stand a-top
And look upon the ground.
A curse on the ringers for rocking
The tower! Rebecca cried,
As over the church battlements
She strode with a long stride.
A blessing on St. Michael's chair!
She said as she sat down :
Merrily merrily rung the bells
And out Rebecca was thrown.
Tidings to Richard Penlake were brought
That his good wife was dead :
Now shall we toll for her poor soul
The great church-bell? they said.
Toll at her burying, quoth Richard Penlake,.
Toll at her burying, quoth he;
But don't disturb the ringers now
In compliment to me..
Of a YOUNG MAN that would read unlawful Books, and how he was punished.
VERY PITHY AND PROFITABLE.
CORNELIUS AGRIPPA went out one day,
His Study he lock'd ere he went away,
And he gave the key of the door to his wife,
And charg'd her to keep it lock'd, on her life.
And if any one ask my Study to see,
I charge you trust them not with the key,
Whoever may beg, and intreat, and implore,
On your life let nobody enter that door.
There liv'd a young man in the house who in vain
Access to that Study had sought to obtain,
And he begg'd and pray'd the books to see,
Till the foolish woman gave him the key.
On the Study-table a book there lay,
Which Agrippa himself had been reading that day,
The letters were written with blood within,
And the leaves were made of dead mens skin..
And these horrible leaves of magic between
Were the ugliest pictures that ever were seen,
The likeness of things so foul to behold,
That what they were is not fit to be told.
The young man, he began to read
He knew not what, but he would proceed,
When there was heard a sound at the door
Which as he read on grew more and more.
And more and more the knocking grew,
The young man knew not what to do;
But trembling in fear he sat within,
Till the door was broke and the Devil came in.
Two hideous horns on his head he had got
Like iron heated nine times red hot;
The breath of his nostrils was brimstone blue,
And his tail like a fiery serpent grew.
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