"I dreamt in my dream on Thursday eve,
In my bed wheras I laye,

I dreamt a grype and a grimlie beast
Had carryed my crowne awaye;

"My gorgett and my kirtle of golde,
And all my faire head-geere;
And he wold worrye me with his tush
And to his nest y-beare.

"Saving there came a little 'gray' hawke,
A merlin him they call,

Which untill the grounde did strike the grype, That dead he downe did fall.

"Giffe I were a man, as now I am none,
A battell wold I prove,

To fight with that traitor Aldingar;
Att him I cast my glove.

"But seeing I'm able noe battell to make,
My liege, grant me a knight
To fight with that traitor Sir Aldingar,
To maintaine me in my right."

"Now forty dayes I will give thee
To seeke thee a knight therin :
If thou find not a knight in forty dayes
Thy bodye it must brenn."

Then shee sent east, and shee sent west,
By north and south bedeene:
But never a champion colde she find,
Wolde fight with that knight soe keene.

Now twenty days were spent and gone,
Noe helpe there might be had;
Many a teare shed our comelye queene,
And aye her hart was sad.

Then came one of the queenes damsèlles,
And knelt upon her knee,

"Cheare up, cheare up, my gracious dame,
I trust yet helpe may be:

"And here I will make mine avowe,
And with the same me binde;
That never will I return to thee,
Till I some helpe may finde."

Then forthe she rode on a faire palfràye
O'er hill and dale about:

But never a champion colde she finde,
Wolde fighte with that knight so stout.

And nowe the daye drewe on a pace,
When our good queene must dye;
All woe-begone was that faire damsèlle,
When she found no helpe was nye.

All woe-begone was that faire damsèlle,
And the salt teares fell from her eye:
When lo! as she rode by a rivers side,
She met with a tinye boye.

A tinye boye she mette God wot,
All clad in mantle of golde;

He seemed noe more in mans likenesse,
Then a childe of four yeere olde.

"Why grieve you, damselle faire," he sayd,
"And what doth cause you moane?"
The damsell scant wolde deigne a looke,
But fast she pricked on.

"Yet turn againe, thou faïre damsèlle,
And greete thy queene from mee :
When bale is att hyest, boote is nyest,
Nowe helpe enoughe may bee.

"Bid her remember what she dreamt
In her bedd, wheras shee laye;

How when the grype and the grimly beast Wolde have carried her crowne awaye,

"Even then there came the little gray hawke, And saved her from his clawes:

Then bidd the queene be merry at hart,
For heaven will fende her cause."

Back then rode that faire damsèlle,
And her hart it lept for glee:
And when she told her gracious dame,
A gladd woman then was shee.

But when the appointed day was come,
No helpe appeared nye:

Then woeful, woeful was her hart,
And the teares stood in her eye.

And nowe a fyer was built of wood;
And a stake was made of tree;
And nowe Queene Elinor forth was led,
A sorrowful sight to see.

Three times the herault he waved his hand,
And three times spake on hye:

"Giff any good knight will fende this dame,
Come forth, or she must dye."

No knight stood forth, no knight there came,
No helpe appeared nye:

And nowe the fyer was lighted up,

Queen Elinor she must dye.

And now the fyer was lighted up,

As hot as hot might bee;

When riding upon a little white steed,

The tinye boy they see.

Away with that stake, away with those brands, And loose our comlye queene:

I am come to fight with Sir Aldingar,

And prove him a traitor keene."

Forthe then stood Sir Aldingar,
But when he saw the chylde,

He laughed, and scoffed, and turned his backe,
And weened he had been beguylde.

"Now turne, now turne thee, Aldingar,
And eyther fighte or flee;

I trust that I shall avenge the wronge,
Though I am so small to see."

The boye pulld forth a well good sworde So gilt it dazzled the ee;

The first stroke stricken at Aldingar

Smote off his leggs by the knee.

"Stand up, stand up, thou false traitòr,
And fight upon thy feete,

For and thou thrive, as thou begin'st,
Of height wee shall be meete."

"A priest, a priest," sayes Aldingàr,
"While I am a man alive.

"A priest, a priest," sayes Aldingàr, "Me for to houzle and shrive.

"Forgive, forgive me, queene, madame, The short time I must live: "Nowe Christ forgive thee, Aldingar, As freely I forgive."

"Here take thy queene, our King Harryè, And love her as thy life,

For never had a king in Christentye,
A truer and fairer wife."

King Henrye ran to claspe his queene,
And loosed her full sone;

Then turnd to look for the tinye boye;
-The boye was vanisht and gone.

But first he had touchd the lazar man,
And stroakt him with his hand :
The lazar under the gallowes tree
All whole and sounde did stand.

The lazar under the gallowes tree
Was comelye, straight and tall;
King Henrye made him his head stewarde
To wayte withinn his hall.

THE GENTLE HERDSMAN.

GENTLE herdsman, tell to me,
Of curtesy I thee pray,
Unto the towne of Walsingham
Which is the right and ready way.

"Unto the towne of Walsingham
The way is hard for to be gon;
And verry crooked are those pathes
For you to find out all alone."

Weere the miles doubled thrise,
And the way never soe ill,
Itt were not enough for mine offence;
Itt is soe grievous and soe ill.

"Thy yeeares are young, thy face is faire,
Thy witts are weake, thy thoughts are greene;
Time hath not given thee leave, as yett,
For to committ so great a sinne."

Yes, herdsman, yes, soe woldest thou say,
If thou knewest soe much as I ;
My witts, and thoughts, and all the rest,
Have well deserved for to dye.

I am not what I seeme to bee,

My clothes and sexe doe differ farr: I am a woman, woe is me!

Born to greeffe and irksome care.

For my beloved, and well-beloved,
My wayward cruelty could kill;
And though my teares will nought avail,
Most dearely I bewail him still.

He was the flower of noble wights,
None ever more sincere colde bee;
Of comely mien and shape hee was,
And tenderlye hee loved mee.