<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2009-06-02</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080846.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B04406">
<STC T="W">M2878A</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">47012535</BIBNO>
<VID>174502</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="ballad">
<PB REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 10 -->
<HEAD>A mo&s;t Excellent Ballad of an Old man and his Wife: Who in their great want and mi&s;ery &s;ought to their Children for &s;uccour, by whom they were di&s;dained, and &s;cornfully &s;ent them away &s;uccourle&s;s, and Gods vengeance &s;hewed on them for the &s;ame.</HEAD>
<OPENER>The tune is, Pri&s;cilla,</OPENER>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></P>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></P>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></P>
<LG>
<L>I<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> was an old man with his poor wife</L>
<L>in great di&s;tre&s;&s;e did fall,</L>
<L>They were &s;o f&eacute;eble with age <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ol <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ol</L>
<L>they could not work at all:</L>
<L>A gallant So<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> they had,</L>
<L>which lived wealthily,</L>
<L>To him they went with a full intent</L>
<L>to ea&s;e their mi&s;ery</L>
<L><HI>Alack and alas for woe.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>A hundred miles when they had gone,</L>
<L>with many a weary &s;tep,</L>
<L>At length they &s;aw their Sons fair hou&s;e</L>
<L>which made their hearts to leap:</L>
<L>They fate them on the Gr&eacute;en</L>
<L>their No&s;e and Shoos to trim,</L>
<L>They put their hands about their necks,</L>
<L>again&s;t they &s;hould enter in.</L>
<L><HI>Alack &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Vnto the Doore with trembling Ioynts</L>
<L>When the&s;e Old couple came,</L>
<L>The Woman with a &s;haking hand,</L>
<L>the Old man blind and lame.</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span">ly they knockt,</L>
<L>&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span"> offend,</L>
<L>At <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span"> frowningly came,</L>
<L>u<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span"> in the end,</L>
<L><HI>Alack &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Good folks qd. he what would you have?</L>
<L>methinks you are too bold,</L>
<L>Why get you not home to your own coun|try</L>
<L>now you are lame and old?</L>
<L>With that they both reply'd,</L>
<L>with &s;orrow, care and grief,</L>
<L>Here are w&eacute;e come to th&eacute;e our Son</L>
<L>for &s;uccour and reliefe.</L>
<L><HI>Alack &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>This is thy Father gentle Son,</L>
<L>and I thy loving Mother,</L>
<L>That brought the up &s;o tenderly,</L>
<L>and lov'd th&eacute;e above all other:</L>
<L>I bore th&eacute;e in this womb,</L>
<L>the&s;e brea&s;ts did nouri&s;h th&eacute;e,</L>
<L>And as it chanc'd, I often danc'd</L>
<L>th&eacute;e on my tender kn&eacute;e,</L>
<L><HI>Alack &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>And humbly now w&eacute;e th&eacute;e intreat</L>
<L>our dear and loving Son,</L>
<L>That you will doe for us in our age,</L>
<L>as w&eacute;e for you have done:</L>
<L>Now nay not &s;o he &s;aid,</L>
<L>your &s;uit is all in vain,</L>
<L>'Tis be&s;t for you I tell you true</L>
<L>to get you home again,</L>
<L><HI>Alack &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></P>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></P>
<LG>
<L>THe worlds not now as when I was born</L>
<L>al things are grown more dear,</L>
<L>My charge of Children likewi&s;e is great,</L>
<L>as plainly doth appear:</L>
<L>The be&s;t that I can doe</L>
<L>will hardly them maintain,</L>
<L>Therefore I &s;ay be packing away,</L>
<L>and get th&eacute;e home again.</L>
<L><HI>Alack and alas for woe.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>The Old m<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">n with his hat in hand,</L>
<L>full many a Leg did make,</L>
<L>The Woman wept and wrong her hands,</L>
<L>and prayd for Chri&s;t his &s;ake:</L>
<L>Not &s;o to &s;end them back,</L>
<L>di&s;tre&s;&s;ed and undone,</L>
<L>But let us lye in &s;ome Barn here by,</L>
<L>quoth &s;he my loving Son.</L>
<L><HI>Alack &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>By no means he would thereto con&s;ent,</L>
<L>but &s;ent them &s;oon away,</L>
<L>Quoth he you know the parill of the Law,</L>
<L>if long time here you &s;tay:</L>
<L>The Stocks and the Whipping-Po&s;t</L>
<L>&s;hall fall unto your &s;hare,</L>
<L>Then take you h&eacute;ed, and with all &s;p&eacute;ed</L>
<L>to your Country repair.</L>
<L><HI>Alack. &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Away then went this wofull Old Man,</L>
<L>full &s;ad in heart and mind,</L>
<L>With w&eacute;eping tears his Wife did lament,</L>
<L>their Son was &s;o unkind:</L>
<L>Thou wicked wretch quoth they,</L>
<L>for this thy cruell d&eacute;ed,</L>
<L>The Lord &s;end the as little pitty</L>
<L>when thou do&s;t &s;tand in n&eacute;ed.</L>
<L><HI>Alack. &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>His Children hearing their Father &s;et</L>
<L>his Parents thus at naught,</L>
<L>In &s;hort time after to have his Land</L>
<L>his death by &s;ubtile wrought:</L>
<L>What cau&s;e have w&eacute;e quoth they</L>
<L>more kindne&s;s to expre&s;s,</L>
<L>Then he unto his Parents did,</L>
<L>in their great wretchedne&s;&s;e.</L>
<L><HI>Alack &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>They murdered him in piteous &s;ort,</L>
<L>they weig'd not his intreats,</L>
<L>The more he pray'd compa&s;&s;ionately,</L>
<L>the greater were his threats:</L>
<L>Speak not to us, quoth they,</L>
<L>for thou the death &s;hall dye,</L>
<L>And with that word with a Dagger &amp; &s;word</L>
<L>they mangled him mon&s;trou&s;ly.</L>
<L><HI>Alack, &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>When they had got his Silver and Gold,</L>
<L>according to their mind,</L>
<L>They buried him in a &s;tinking Ditch,</L>
<L>where no man &s;hould him find:</L>
<L>But now hebold and &s;ee</L>
<L>Gods vengeance on them all,</L>
<L>To gain their Gold their Cou&s;in came</L>
<L>and flew them great and &s;mall.</L>
<L><HI>Alack, &amp;c.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>He came among them with great Club<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"></L>
<L>in dead time of the night,</L>
<L>Yea two of the Sons he brained there with,</L>
<L>and taking of his flight,</L>
<L>The Murderer takes was,</L>
<L>and &s;uffered for the &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">,</L>
<L>De&s;erved for that cruelty,</L>
<L>this vengeance upon them came,</L>
<L><HI>Alack and alas therefore,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Alack and alas therefore.</HI></L>
</LG>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>London, Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, and W Gilbert&s;on.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
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