The second part of the Marchants Daughter of Bristow.
To the tune of the Maidens Ioy.
WElcome swéet Maudlin from the sea,
where bitter storms & cruel tempests did arise:
The pleasant banks of Italy,
We may behold with ioyfull eies.
Thankes gentle maister then quoth she,
A faithful friend in al my sorows thou hast béene
If fortune once doth smile on me,
My thankfull heart shall well be séene.
Blest be the land that féedes my Loue,
Blest be that place whereas he doth abide,
No trauell will I sticke to proue:
Whereby my good will may be tride.
Now will I walke with ioyfull heart,
to view the town wheras my darling doth remaine
And séek him out in euery part,
Untill I do his sight attaine.
And I quoth he will not forsake,
Swéete M. in al her iorneys vp and downe
In wealth and woe thy part Ile take,
And bring thée safe to Padua towne.
And after many weary steps,
In Padua they safe ariued at the last,
For verie ioy her heart it leapes,
She thinkes not on her perills past.
But now alas behold the lucke,
Her own true loue in woful prison doth she find,
Which did her heart in péeces plucke,
And gréeude her gentle mind.
Condemnd he was to die alas,
Except he would his faith and his religion turne:
But rather then he would go to masse,
In fiery flames he vowed to burne.
Now doth faire Maudlin wéepe and waile
her ioy is changd to wéeping sorow gréefe & care
but nothing can her plaints preuaile,
For death alone must be his share.
She walkes vnder the prison walles,
where her true loue doth ly and languish in distresse
Most wofully for foode he calls,
When hunger did his heart oppresse.
He sighes and sobs and makes great mone
farwel said he sweet England now for euer more
and al my friends y
t haue me known
In Bristow towne with wealth and store.
But most of al farewel quoth he,
My owne true loue swéete M. whom I left behind
For neuer more I shal thée sée,
Woe to thy father most vnkind.
How wel were I if thou wast here
w
t thy fair handsto close vp both these wretched eys
My torments easie would appéere,
My soule with ioy should scale the skies.
When M. heard her louers mone,
her eies w
t tears, her hart with sorow filled was,
To speak with him no means was known
Such grieuous
[...] on him did passe.
Then cast she off her Ladies attire,
A maidens weede vpon her back she séemly set
To the iudges house she did enquire,
And there she did a seruice get.
She did her dutie there so wel,
And eke so prudently her self she did behaue
With her in loue her maister fell,
His seruants fauour he doth craue.
Maudlin quoth he my hearts delight,
To whom my hart in firme affections tide,
Bréede not my death through thy dispight,
A faithful friend I will be tride.
Graunt me thy loue faire maide quoth he,
and at my hands desire what thou canst deuise,
And I wil grant it vnto thée,
Whereby thy credite may arise.
O sir she said how blest am I,
With such a kind and gentle maister for to meete,
I will not your request denie,
So you will grant what I do séeke,
I haue a brother sir she said,
For his religion is now condemnde to die
In loathsome prison he is laide,
Opprest with care and miserie.
Graunt me my brothers life she said,
And to you my loue and liking
[...] wil giue
That may not be quoth he faire maide,
Except he turne he may not liue.
An English Friar there is she said,
Of learning great, and of a passing pure life
Let him be to my brother sent,
And he will finish soone the strife.
Her maister granted this request,
The mariner in Friars wéed she doth aray
And to her loue that lay distrest,
She doth a letter straightway conuay.
When he had read her gentle lines,
His heauy hart was rauished with inward ioy
Where now she was ful wel he finds
The friar likewise was not coy.
But did declare to him at large,
the enterprise his loue for him had taken in hand
The yongman did the friar charge,
His loue should straight depart the land.
Here is no place for her he said,
but woful death and danger of her harmles life,
Professing truth I was betraid,
And freareful flames must end our strife.
For ere I wil my faith denie,
And sweare my self to follow damnde antichrist,
Ile yéeld my bodie for to die,
To liue in heauen with the highest.
O sir the gentle friar said,
For your swéete loue, recant and saue your wished life
A wofull match quoth he is made,
Where Christ is lost to winne a wife.
When she had wroght al means she might
to saue her friend & that she saw it wold not be
Then of the iudge she claimd her right
To die the death as well as he.
For looke what faith he doth professe,
in that same faith be sure that I wil liue & dy
Then ease vs both in our distresse,
Let vs not liue in miserie.
When no perswasion would preuaile,
Nor change her mind in any thing that she had said
she was with him cōdemnd to die
And for them both one fire made.
And arme in arme most ioyfully,
these louers twain vnto the fire then did go
The mariners most faithfully,
Were likewise partners of their woe.
But when the iudges vnderstood,
the faithful frindship in them al that did remaine
They saude their liues, and afterward,
To England sent them home againe.
Now was their sorrowes turnde to ioy,
and faithful louers had now their harts desire
their paines so wel they did imploy,
God granted what they did require.
And when they were in England come,
And to mery
Bristow arriued at the last,
Great ioy there was of al and some,
that heard the dangers they had past.
Her father he was dead God wot,
And eke her mother was ioyful of her sight
their wishes she denied not,
But wedded them with hearts delight.
Her gentle maister she desirde,
to be her father, & at church to giue her then
It was fulfild as she requirde,
Vnto the ioy of all good men.
FINIS