Printed, with a few slight corrections, from the Editor's folio MS.
[This song is printed, Hales and Furnivall's edition of the MS. vol. iii. p. 389.]
A lover of late was I, For Cupid would have it soe, The boy that hath never an eye, As every man doth know: I sighed and sobbed, and cryed, alas! 5 For her that laught, and called me ass.
Then knew not I what to doe, When I saw itt was in vaine[390] A lady soe coy to wooe, Who gave me the asse soe plaine:[391] 10 Yet would I her asse freelye bee, Soe shee would helpe, and beare with mee.
An' I were as faire as shee,[392] Or shee were as kind as I,[393] What payre cold have made, as wee, 15 Soe prettye a sympathye: I was as kind as she was faire, But for all this wee cold not paire.
Paire with her that will for mee, With her I will never paire; 20 That cunningly can be coy, For being a little faire. The asse Ile leave to her disdaine; And now I am myselfe againe.
[390] [Ver. 8. when I see itt was vaine.]
It has been a favourite subject with our English ballad-makers to represent our kings conversing, either by accident or design, with the meanest of their subjects. Of the former kind, besides this song of the King and the Miller; we have K. Henry and the Soldier; K. James I. and the Tinker; K. William III. and the Forrester &c. Of the latter sort, are K. Alfred and the Shepherd; K. Edward IV. and the Tanner;[394] K. Henry VIII. and the Cobler, &c.--A few of the best of these are admitted into this collection. Both the author of the following ballad, and others who have written on the same plan, seem to have copied a very ancient poem, intitled _John the Reeve_, which is built on an adventure of the same kind, that happened between K. Edward Longshanks, and one of his Reeves or Bailiffs. This is a piece of great antiquity, being written before the time of Edward IV. and for its genuine humour, diverting incidents, and faithful picture of rustic manners, is infinitely superior to all that have been since written in imitation of it. The Editor has a copy in his ancient folio MS. but its length rendered it improper for this volume, it consisting of more than 900 lines. It contains also some corruptions, and the Editor chuses to defer its publication in hopes that some time or other he shall be able to remove them.