He in his wedding trim so gay, She in her winding-sheet. Then what were perjur'd Colin's thoughts? The bride-men flock'd round Lucy dead, Confusion, shame, remorse, despair At once his bosom swell: The damps of death bedew'd his brow, From the vain bride (ah bride no more!) When, stretch'd before her rival's corse, Then to his Lucy's new-made grave, Convey'd by trembling swains, One mould with her, beneath one sod, For ever now remains. Oft at their graye the constant hind And plighted maid are seen; With garlands gay, and true-love knots But, swain forsworn, whoe'er thou art, Remember Colin's dreadful fate, And fear to meet him there. 65 70 XVIII. THE BOY AND THE MANTLE, AS REVISED AND ALTERED BY A MODERN HAND. Mr. Wharton in his ingenious Observations on Spenser, has given his opinion, that the fiction of the Boy and the Mantle is taken from an old French piece intitled 'Le court Mantel' quoted by M. de St. Palaye in his curious Memoires sur l'ancienne Chevalerie,' Paris, 1759, 2 tom. 12mo, who tells us the story resembles that of Ariosto's enchanted cup. 'Tis possible our English poet may have taken the hint of this subject from that old French Romance, but he does not appear to have copied it in the manner of execution to which (if one may judge from the specimen given in the Memoires) that of the ballad does not bear the least resemblance. After all, 'tis most likely that all the old stories concerning K. Arthur are originally of British growth, and that what the French and other southern nations have of this kind, were at first exported from this island. See Memoires de l'Acad. des Inscrip. tom. xx. p. 352. [Since this volume was printed off, the 'Fabliaux ou Contes' 1781, 5 tom. 12mo, of M. Le Grand, have come to hand and in tom. I. p. 54 he hath printed a modern version of the old tale Le Court Mantel,' under a new title, Le Manteau maltaillé;' which contains the story of this ballad much enlarged, so far as regards the mantle; but without any mention of the knife, or the horn. Addit. Note Ed. 1794.] IN Carleile dwelt king Arthur, A prince of passing might; And there maintain'd his table round, And there he kept his Christmas With mirth and princely cheare, When, lo! a straunge and cunning boy 5 A kirtle, and a mantle This boy had him upon, With brooches, rings, and owches Full daintily bedone. 10 He had a sarke of silk About his middle meet; And thus, with seemely curtesy, 'God speed thee, brave king Arthur, Ye gallant lords, and lordings, Then straitway from his bosome Of wondrous shape, and hew. 'Now have thou here, king Arthur, And give unto thy comely queen, No wife it shall become, That once hath been to blame.' Then every knight in Arthur's court And first came lady Guenever, When she had tane the mantle, One while it was too long, Another while too short, And wrinkled on her shoulders Now green, now red it seemed, Then all of sable hue. 'Beshrew me,' quoth king Arthur, 'I think thou beest not true.' Down she threw the mantle, To her chamber flung away. She curst the whoreson weaver, That had the mantle wrought: And doubly curst the froward impe, Who thither had it brought. 'I had rather live in desarts Beneath the green-wood tree: 281 Than here, base king, among thy groomes, Sir Kay call'd forth his lady, And bade her to come near: 45 50 55 60 65 Downe she threw the mantle, No longer bold or gay, Then forth came an old knight, And all the time of Christmass Plumb-porridge shall be thine, If thou wilt let my lady fair Within the mantle shine.' A saint his lady seemed, With step demure, and slow, And gravely to the mantle With mincing pace doth goe. 80 |