Part 42

22. Ophelia's Songs, p. 76, Hamlet IV, v.

(a) How should I your true love know from a-noth-er one? By his cockle hat and staff, And his san-dal shoon.

(b) He is dead and gone lady, He is dead and gone; At his head a grass green turf, At his heels a stone.

(c) White his shroud as the mountain snow, Larded with sweet flowers; Which bewept to the grave did go, With true love showers.]

This is certainly old, early 16th century. The tune has a striking likeness to 'Walsingham,' which is the first piece in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. See Percy's Reliques, Vol. II. p. 75. But the date of the next is not so certain, though probably it is of Shakespeare's time.

(a) Good morrow, 'tis St Valentine's day All in the morn betime, And I a maid at your window To be your Valen-tine.

(b) For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.]

The next two are of the same period as I.

They bore him bare-faste on the bier; And in his grave rain'd many a tear.]

(a) And will he not come a-gain? And will he not come a-gain? No, no, he is dead, Go to thy death bed; He never will come a-gain.

(b) His beard as white as snow, All flax-en was his poll; He's gone, he's gone, And we cast away moan; God ha' mer-cy on his soul!]

L. 184, 'Bonny sweet Robin.' With the exception of this one line, and the title, 'My Robin is to the greenwood gone,' nothing remains of this song, but the following tune, which is of some date before 1597.

My Robin is to the greenwood gone. For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.]

23. Catches, of 16th century, prob. long anterior to Shakespeare.

I. 'Hold thy peace,' see p. 77, Tw. Nt. II, iii. For three voices, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Feste the clown, who begins the catch. The second man follows when the first has arrived at [segno symbol]. For the explanation see p. 90.

Hold thy peace, and I prithee hold thy peace, [segno symbol] Thou knave, Hold thy peace thou knave, Thou knave.]

'Thou knave' will be heard nine times for every once the whole tune is sung by one of the voices.

II. 'Jack boy, ho boy, news,' see p. 92, and Shrew IV, i, 42. This is very old, prob. quite early 16th century (see Introduction).

For four voices. The second man comes in at [segno symbol], as before.

Jack, boy, ho! boy, news; [segno symbol] The cat is in the well, Let us ring now for her knell, Ding, dong, ding, dong, bell.]

24. Threeman songs (corrupted into 'Freeman,' see p. 83). These were entirely different from Catches. A Threeman song is merely (as a rule) a song with three parts,--e.g., two trebles and a tenor, etc. Winter's Tale IV, ii, 41, and IV, iii, 285-327.

Here is a Threeman song, published in 1609, but probably much older than that.

V.1. Wee be souldiers three, Pardonez moy je vous en prie: Late-ly come forth of the low coun-try, With nev-er a penny of mony.

V.2. Here good fellow, I drinke to thee, Pardonez moy je vous en prie: To all good fel-lowes wher-ever they be, With nev-er a penny of mony.]

There are two more verses of the same sort.

25. 'Canst thou not hit it,' L.L.L. IV, i, 125. No more words known, except this one verse.

The tune is mentioned as a dance in an Elizabethan play, and is alluded to in an old ballad 'Arthur a Bradley.'

Thou can'st not hit it, hit it, hit it, Thou can'st not hit it, my good man, An' I cannot, cannot, cannot, An' I cannot, an-o-ther can.]