XXVII.-CORYDON'S DOLEFUL KNELL.

THIS little simple elegy is given, with some corrections, from two copies, one of which is in The golden garland of princely delights.

SERIES THE SECOND.-BOOK III.

I. THE COMPLAINT OF CONSCIENCE.

I SHALL begin this Third Book with an old allegoric satire, entitled The Complaint of Conscience-a manner of moralizing which, if it was not first introduced by the author of Pierce Plowman's Visions, was at least chiefly brought into repute by that ancient satirist. The kind of verse used in this ballad has a strong affinity with the peculiar metre of that writer.

The following song, entitled The Complaint of Conscience, is printed from the Editor's folio manuscript. Some corruptions in the old copy are here corrected; the corrections are placed between inverted "commas.

As I walked of late by "an" wood side,
To God for to meditate was my entent;
Where under a hawthorne I suddenlye
spyed

A silly poor creature ragged and rent,
With bloody teares his face was besprent,
His fleshe and his color consumed
away,

And his garments they were all mire,
mucke, and clay.

This made me muse, and much "to" desire

To know what kind of man hee shold bee; I stept to him straight, and did him require

His name and his secretts to shew unto
mee.

His head he cast up, and wooful was hee,
My name, quoth he, is the cause of my

care,

And makes me scorned, and left here so bare.

Then straightway he turnd him, and prayd "me" sit downe,

And I will, saithe he, declare my whole greefe ;

My name is called Conscience :-wheratt

he did frowne,

He pined to repeate it, and grinded his

teethe,

"Thoughe now, silly wretche, I'm denyed all releef,"

"Yet" while I was young, and tender of yeeres,

I was entertained with kinges, and with peeres.

There was none in the court that lived in such fame,

For with the kings councell "I" sate in commission;

Dukes, earles, and barrons esteem'd of my name;

And how that I liv'd there needs no re

petition:

I was ever holden in honest condition,

For howsoever the lawes went in Westminster-hall,

When sentence was given, for me they wold call.

No incomes at all the landlords wold take,
But one pore peny, that was their fine;
And that they acknowledged to be for
my sake.

The poore wold doe nothing without
councell mine:

I ruled the world with the right line:

Good Lord, long preserve my king, Then Westminster-hall was noe place for

And there thou and wee most friendly Why then, I said to him, methinks it

And at letting their farmes "how always Then laid he him down, and turned him I came."

II.-PLAIN TRUTH AND BLIND IGNORANCE.

THIS excellent old ballad is preserved in the little ancient miscellany, entitled The Garland of Goodwill. Ignorance is here made to speak in the broad Somersetshire The scene we may suppose to be Glastonbury Abbey.