Reliques of Ancient English Poetry consisting of Old Heroic Ballads, Songs, and other Pieces of our earlier Poets, (Chiefly of the Lyric kind.) Together with some few of later Date |
1. |
2. |
2. |
I. |
II. |
I. |
II. |
III. |
IV. |
V. |
VI. |
VII. |
VIII. | VIII. QUEEN ELEANOR'S CONFESSION. |
IX. |
X. |
XI. |
XII. |
XIII. |
XIV. |
XV. |
XVI. |
XVII. |
XVIII. |
XIX. |
XX. |
XXI. |
XXII. |
XXIII. |
XXIV. |
XXV. |
XXVI. |
XXVII. |
III. |
3. |
Reliques of Ancient English Poetry | ||
VIII. QUEEN ELEANOR'S CONFESSION.
“Eleanor, the daughter and heiress of William duke of Guienne, and count of Poictou, had been married sixteen years to Louis VII. king of France, and had attended him in a croisade, which that monarch commanded against the infidels; but having lost the affections of her husband, and even fallen under some suspicions of gallantry with a handsome Saracen, Louis, more delicate than politic, procured a divorce from her, and restored her those rich provinces, which by her marriage she had annexed to the crown of France. The young count of Anjou, afterwards Henry II. king of England, tho' at that time but in his nineteenth year, neither discouraged by the disparity of age, nor by the reports of Eleanor's gallantry, made such successful courtship to that princess, that he married her six weeks after her divorce, and got possession of all her dominions as a dowery. A marriage thus founded upon interest was not likely to be very happy: it
It is needless to observe, that the following ballad (given from an old printed copy) is altogether fabulous; whatever gallantries Eleanor encouraged in the time of her first husband, none are imputed to her in that of her second.
And afraid that she should dye:
Then she sent for two fryars of France
To speke with her speedilye.
By one, by two, by three;
“Earl marshall, Ile goe shrive the queene,
And thou shalt wend with mee.”
And fell on his bended knee;
That whatsoever queene Elianor saye,
No harme therof may bee.
My sceptre, crowne, and all,
That whatsoere queen Elianor sayes
No harme thereof shall fall.
And Ile put on another;
And we will to queen Elianor goe
Like fryar and his brother.
When they came to Whitehall,
The bells did ring, and the quiristers sing,
And the torches did lighte them all.
They fell on their bended knee;
A boone, a boone, our gracious queene,
That you sent so hastilee.
As I suppose you bee?
But if you are two Englishe fryars,
You shall hang on the gallowes tree.
As you suppose we bee,
We have not been at any masse
Sith we came from the sea.
I will to you unfolde;
Earl marshall had my maidenhed,
Beneath this cloth of golde.
May God forgive it thee!
Amen, amen, quoth earl marshall;
With a heavye heart spake hee.
To you Ile not denye,
I made a boxe of poyson strong,
To poison king Henrye.
May God forgive it thee!
Amen, amen, quoth earl marshall;
And I wish it so may bee.
To you I will discover;
I poysoned fair Rosamonde,
All in fair Woodstocke bower.
May God forgive it thee!
Amen, amen, quoth earl marshall;
And I wish it so may bee.
A tossing of the balle?
That is earl marshalls eldest sonne,
And I love him the best of all.
A catching of the balle?
That is king Henryes youngest sonne,
And I love him the worst of all.
His nose is like a boare.
No matter for that, king Henrye cryd,
I love him the better therfore.
And appeared all in redde:
She shrieked, and cryd, and wrung her hands,
And sayd she was betrayde.
And a grimme look looked hee,
Earl marshall, he sayd, but for my oathe,
Or hanged thou shouldst bee.
Reliques of Ancient English Poetry | ||