Classic Poem

[The first Fitt.]

Behold : the touchstone of true loue,
Maudlin, the Merchants daughter of Bristow towne,
whose ffirme affection nought cold moue!
this ffauor beares the louely browne.
a gallant youth was dwelling by,
w hi ch long time had borne this Lady great good will;
shee loued him most ffaithffully,
but all her ffreinds w i thstoode itt still.
the young man now p er ceiuing well
he cold not gett nor winn the fauor of her ffreinds,
the fforce of sorrow to expell,
to vew strange countryes hee intends;
& now to take his last ffarwell
of his true loue & constant Maudlin,
w i th sweet musicke, tha t did excell,
he playes vnder her windowe then:
" farwell, " q uo th he, " my owne true Loue!
" ffarwell, " q uo th he, " the cheeffest tres[ure of my Heart]
Throughe ffortunes spite, tha t ffalse did proue,
I am inforcet ffrom thee to p ar te
into the Land of Italye;
there will I waite & weary out my dayes in woe.
seing my true loue is kept ffrom mee,
I hold my liffe a mortall ffoe.
therfore, ffaire Bristow towne, now adew!
for Padua shalbe my habitation now
although my loue doth Lodge in thee,
to welcome [whom] alone my heart I vow. "
w i th trickling teares this did hee singe;
w i th sighes & sobbs discendinge from his hart full sor[e],
he said, when hee his hands did wringe,
" ffarwell, sweet loue, ffor euer-more! "
ffaire Maudline from a window hye
beholding her true loue w i th Musicke where he sto[ode],
but not a word shee durst replye,
ffearing her parents angry moode.
in teares shee spends this woefull night,
wishing her (though naked) w i th her ffaithfull ffrein[d]
shee blames her ffriends & ffortunes spight
tha t wrought their Loue such Luckless end;
& in her hart shee made a vowe,
cleane to fforsake her country & her kinsfolkes all,
& ffor to ffollow her true loue
to bide what chance tha t might beffal.
the night is gone & the day is come,
& in the morning verry early shee did rise;
shee getts her downe to the Lower roome,
where sundry seamen shee espyes,
A gallant M aster amongst them all, —
the m aster of a gallant shipp was hee, —
w hi ch there stood waiting in the hall
to speake w i th her ffather, if itt might bee
shee kindly takes him by the hand;
" good S i r, " she said, " wold yee speake w i th any heere? "
q uo th hee, " ffaire mayd, therfore I stand. "
" then, gentle S i r, I pray you come neere
Into a pleasant p ar lour by. "
w i th hand in hand shee brings the seaman all alone;
sighing to him most pyteouslye,
shee thus to him did make her moane;
shee falls vpon her tender knee,
" good S i r, " shee said, " now pitty yee a womans case,
& proue a ffaithffull freind to mee,
tha t I to you my greeffe may show! "
" sith you repose yo u r trust, " hee sayd,
" to me tha t am vnknowne, & eke a stranger heere,
be you assured, p ro per maid,
most ffaithfull still I will appeare. "
" I haue a brother, " then q uo th shee,
" whom as my liffe I ffauor tenderlye.
In Padua, alas! is hee;
ffull sicke, god wott, & like to dye;
& ffaine I wold my brother see,
but tha t my father will not yeeld to let me goe.
therfore, good S i r, bee good to mee,
& vnto me this ffauor show.
some shippboyes garments bring to me,
tha t I disguised may goe away ffrom hence vnknowne,
& vnto sea Ile goe w i th thee
if thus much ffreindshipp may be showne. "
" ffaire mayd, " q uo th hee, " take heere my hand;
I will ffulfill eche thing tha t you now doe desire,
& sett you saffe in tha t same Land,
& in tha t place where you require! "
shee gaue him then a tender kisse,
& saith, " yo u r servant, gallant M aster , will I bee,
& proue yo u r ffaith-full ffreind ffor this.
sweet M aster , fforgett not mee! "
this done, as they had both decrcede,
soone after, earlye before the breake of day,
he brings her garments then w i th speed,
wherin shee doth her-selfe array
& ere he r ffather did arise,
shee meetes her M aster walkeing in the hall;
shee did attend on him likwise
euen vntill her ffather did him call.
but ere the Marchant made an end
Of all the matter to the M aster he cold saye,
his wiffe came weeping in w i th speed,
saying, " our daughter is gone away! "
the marchant, much amazed in minde,
" yonder vile wretch inticed away my child! "
but well I wott I shall him ffind
att Padua or in Italye "
w i th tha t bespake the M aster braue:
" worshippffull M aster , thither goes this pretty youth,
& any thing tha t you wold haue,
he will p er fforme itt, & write the truth. "
" sweete youth, " q uo th shee, " if itt be soe,
beare me a l ett re to the English Marchants there,
& gold on thee I will bestowe;
my daughters welfare I doe ffeare. "
her mother takes her by the hand:
" faire youth, " q uo th shee, " if thou dost my daughter see,
leitt me therof soone vnderstand,
& there is 20 crownes ffor thee. "
thus, through the daughters strange disguise,
the mother knew not when shee spake vnto her child;
& after her m aster straight shee hyes,
taking her leaue w i th countenance myld.
thus to the sea ffaire Maudlin is gone
w i th her gentle m aster . god send them a merry wind!
where wee a while must leaue them alone,
till you the second fitt doe ffind.

[The Second Fitt.]

" welcome, sweet Maudlin, ffrom the sea
where bitter stormes & tempests doe rise!
the pleasant bankes of Italye
wee may behold w i th morttall eyes "
thankes, gentle m aster , " then q uo th shee,
" a ffaithffull ffreind in all sorrowes hast thou beene!
if ffortune once doe smile on mee,
my thankffull hart shall then be seene
blest be the hand tha t ffeeds my loue,
blest be the place wheras his p er son doth abyde!
nor tryall will I sticke to proue
wherby my good will may be tryde.
now will I walke w i th ioyffull hart
to vew the towne wheras my darling doth remaine,
& seeke him out in euery p ar t
vntill I doe his sight attaine. "
" & I, " q uo th hee, " will not fforsake
Sweete Maudlin in her sorrowes vp & downe;
in wealth & woe, thy p ar t Ile take,
& bring thee saffe to Padua towne. "
& after many weary stepps
In Padua the arriued saffely att the Last:
for verry ioy her harte itt leapes,
shee thinkes not on her p er ills past
condemned hee was to dye, alas,
except he wold ffrom his religion turne;
but rather then hee wold goe to masse,
in ffiery fflames he vowed to burne.
now doth Maudlin weepe and waile,
her ioy changed to weeping, sorrow, greeffe & care;
but nothing can her plaints p re uaile,
ffor death alone must be his share.
shee walked vnder the prison walls
where her true loue doth lye & languish in distresse;
most woeffullye for ffood hee calls
when hungar did his hart oppresse;
he sighes, & sobbs, & makes great moane;
" farwell, " he said, " sweete England, now for eu er more!
& all my ffreinds tha t haue me knowne
In Bristow towne w i th health and store!
but most of all, ffarwell, " q uo th hee,
" my owne true loue, sweet Mau dlin , whom I left behind!
for neuer more I shall see thee.
woe to thy ffather Most vnkind!
how well were I if thou were here,
w i th thy ffaire hands to close vp both these wretched eyes!
my torments easye wold appeare;
My soule w i th ioy shall scale the skyes. "
when Mau dlin hard her louers moane,
her eyes w i th teares, her hart w i th sorrow, feild
to speake w i th him noe meanes was knowne,
such greeuous doome on him did passe.
then cast shee of her Ladds attyre;
a maydens weede vpon her backe shee seemlye sett;
to the iudges house shee did enquire,
& there shee did a service gett.
shee did her duty there soe well,
& eke soe prudently shee did her-selfe behaue,
w i th her in Loue her M aster ffell,
his servants ffavor he doth craue:
" Mau dlin , " q uo th hee, " my harts delight,
to whome my hart in affectyon is tyed,
breed not my death through thy despite!
a ffaithffull ffreind I wilbe tryed;
grant me thy loue, ffaire mayd, " q uo th hee,
" & att my hands desire what tho[u] canst d[e]uise,
& I will grant itt vnto thee,
wherby thy creditt may arrise. "
" I haue [a] brother, S i r, " shee sayd,
" ffor his religion is now condempned to dye;
in Lothesome prison is he Laid,
opprest w i th care and misery.
grant you my brothers [life], " shee sayd,
" to you my liffe & liking I will giue. "
" tha t may not be, " q uo th hee, " faire mayd;
" except he turne, he cannott liue "
" an English ffryer there is, " shee said,
" of learning great, & of a passing pure liffe;
lett him to my brother be sent,
& hee will soone ffinish the striffe "
her M aster granting her request,
the Marriner in ffryers weed shee did array,
& to her loue tha t lay distrest
shee doth a letter straight conuay.
when he had read those gentle lines,
his heauy hart was rauished w i th ioye;
where now shee was, ffull well hee knew.
the ffryer Likewise was not coye,
but did declare to him att large
the enterprise his loue had taken in hand.
the young man did the ffryer charge
his loue shold straight dep ar t the Land;
" here is no place for her, " hee sayd,
" but death & danger of her harmless liffe;
& testing death, I was betrayd,
but ffearfull fflames must end our striffe,
for ere I will my faith deny,
& sweare to ffollow my selfe damned A NTI-CHRIST ,
I will yeeld my body for to dye,
& liue in heauen w i th the hyest. "
" O S i r, " the gentle ffryer sayd,
" for yo u r sweet loue reccant, & saue yo u r wicked liffe. "
" a woeffull match, " q uo th hee, " is made,
where chr[i]st is left to win a wiffe. "
when shee had wrought all meanes shee might
to saue her ffreind, & tha t shee saw itt wold not bee,
then of the iudge shee claimed her right
to [dye] the death as well as hee.
when no p er swassyon wold p re uaile,
nor change her mind in any thing tha t shee had sayd,
shee was w i th him condemned to dye,
and for them both one Fire was made,
& arme in arme most Ioyffullye
these louers twaine vnto the ffyer they did goe.
the marriner most ffaith-ffullye
was likwise p ar tner of their woe:
but when the Iudges vnderstood
the ffaith-ffull ffreindshipp tha t did in them remaine,
they saued their liues, & afterward
to England sent them home againe
Now was their sorrow turned to Ioy,
And ffaithffull louers had now their harts desire;
their paines soe well they did imploy,
god granted tha t they did require;
& when they were to England come,
& in merry Bristowe arriued att the Last,
great Ioy there was to all & some
tha t heard the danger they had past.
her ffather, hee was dead, god wott,
& eke her mother was ioyfull of her sight;
their wishes shee denyed not,
but weded them w i th harts delight.
her gentle M aster shee desired
to be her ffather, & att Church to giue her then.
itt was ffulffilled as shee required,
vnto the ioy of all good men.