The Merchant's Daughter of Bristol.  
The Tune is, The Maiden's joy.  

BEhold the touchstone of true love,  
Maudlin the Merchant's daughter of Bristol town  
Whose firm affection nothing could move,  
This favour bears the lovely brown,  
A gallant youth was dwelling by,  
Which many years had born this Maiden great good will,  
She loved him so faithfully,  
But all her friends withstood it still.  
The young man now perceiving well  
he could not get nor win the favour of her friends,  
The force of sorrow to expel,  
To view strange Countries he intends.  
And now to take his last farewell,  
Of his true love, his fair and constant Maudlin,  
With Music sweet that did excel  
He played under her window then:  
Farewell, quoth he, mine own true love,  
Farewell my dear & chiefest treasure of my heart,  
Through Fortune's spite that false did prove,  
I am enforced from thee to part.  
Into the Land of Italy,  
There will I wail and weary out my life in woe  
Seeing my true love is kept from me,  
I hold my life a mortal foe:  
Fair Bristol Town therefore adieu,  
For Milan shall be my habitation now,  
Although my love doth rest in thee,  
To whom alone my heart I vow.  
With trickling tears thus did he sing,  
With sighs & sobs descending from his heart full sore,  
He said when he his hands did wring,  
Farewell sweet love for evermore.  
Fair Maudlin from a window high,  
Beholding her true love with music where he stood  
But not a word she did reply,  
Fearing her parents angry mood.  
In tears she spent that woeful night,  
Wishing herself, though naked, with her faithful friend  
She blames her friends and fortunes spite,  
That wrought her love such luckless end:  
And in her heart she made a vow,  
Clean to forsake her Country and her kindred all  
And for to follow her true love,  
To bide all chance that might befall.  
The night is gone and the day is come,  
And in the morning early did she rise,  
She gets her down into a lower room,  
Where sundry Seamen she espys.  
A gallant Master among them all.  
The Master of a great and goodly Ship was he,  
Who there was waiting in the Hall,  
To speak with her father if it might be.  
She kindly takes him by the hand,  
Good sir, said she, and would you speak with any here  
Quoth he, fair Maid, & therefore I do stand,  
Then gentle Sir, I pray draw near:  
Into a pleasant Parlour by,  
With hand in hand she brings the Seaman all alone  
Sighing to herself most piteously,  
She thus to him did make her moan.  
She falls upon her bended knee,  
Good sir, said she, now pity you a woman's woe,  
And prove a faithful friend to me,  
That I to you my grief may show.  
Sith you repose your trust he said,  
In me, who am unknown, & eke a stranger here,  
Be you assured most proper Maid,  
Most faithful still I will appear.  
I have a Brother, than quoth she,  
Whom as my life I love and favour tenderly,  
In Milan alas is he,  
Full sick God wot and like to die.  
Full fain I would my brother see,  
But that my father will not yield to let me go,  
Therefore good Sir, be good to me,  
And unto me this favour show;  
Some Ship-boys garment bring to me,  
That I disguised may go unknown,  
And unto Sea I'll go with thee,  
If so much favour might be shown,  
Fair Maid, quoth he, take here my hand,  
I will fulfil each thing that you desire,  
And set you safe in that same Land,  
And in the place that you require,  
She gave him then a tender kiss,  
And saith to him, your servant Master will I be,  
And prove your faithful friend for this,  
Sweet Master then forget not me.  
This done as they had both agreed,  
Soon after that before the break of day,  
He brings her garments then with speed,  
Therein herself she did array.  
And e'er her father did arise,  
She meets her Master as he walked in the hall,  
She did attend on him likewise,  
Until her father did him call.  
But e'er the Merchant made an end,  
Of all his weighty matters he had then to say,  
His Wife came weeping in with speed,  
Saying our daughters gone away:  
The Merchant then amazed in mind,  
Yonder vile wretch enticed away my child, qd. she  
But I well wot I shall him find,  
At Milan in Italy:  
With that bespoke the Master brave,  
Worshipful Merchant, thither goes this pre●ty youth  
And any thing that you would crave:  
He will perform and write the truth:  
Sweet youth (qd. he) if it be so,  
Bear me a letter to the English Merchant there  
And gold on thee I will bestow,  
My Daughter's welfare I do fear:  
Her Mother took her by the hand,  
fair youth (qd. she) if e'er thou dost my daughter see  
Let me soon thereof understand,  
And there is twenty Crowns for thee.  
Thus through the daughter's strange disguise,  
The Mother knew not when she spoke unto her child  
And after her Master strait she ●ies,  
Taking her leave with countenance mild.  
Thus to the Seas fair Maudlin is gone,  
with her gentle Master God lend them a merry wind  
Where we a while must let them alone  
Till you the second part do find.   

WElcome sweet Maudlin from the Seas,  
Where bitter storms & tempests do arise,  
The pleasant banks of Italy,  
You may behold with mortal eyes;  
Thanks gentle Master than said she,  
A faithful friend in sorrow thou hast been,  
If fortune once do smile on me.  
My gentle heart shall soon be seen.  
Blessed be the Land that féeds my love,  
Blessed be the place whereas his person doth abide  
No trial will I stick to prove,  
Whereby my true love may be tried:  
Now will I walk with joyful heart,  
To view the town whereas my darling doth remain  
And seek him out in every part,  
Until his sight I do obtain:  
And I (quoth he) will not forsake,  
Sweet Maudlin in her sorrows up and down,  
In wealth or woe thy parti'le take,  
And bring thee safe to Milan Town:  
And after many weary steps,  
In Milan they safe arrived at the last,  
For very joy her heart it leaps;  
She thinks not on her sorrows past.  
Condemned he was to die alas,  
Except he would from his Religion turn,  
But rather than he would to Mass,  
In fiery flames he vowed to burn.  
Now doth sweet Maudlin weep and wail  
Her joy is turned to weeping sorrow grief and care  
For nothing could her plaints prevail.  
For death alone must be his share.  
She walks under the Prison walls  
Where her true love did lie & languish in distress  
When woefully for food he calls,  
When hunger did his heart oppress.  
He sighs and sobs and makes great moan,  
Farewell sweet love for evermore;  
And all my friends that have me known  
In Bristol town with wealth and store:  
But most of all farewell (quoth he)  
My own sweet Maudlin whom I left behind;  
For never more thou shalt me see,  
Woe to thy father most unkind;  
How well I were if thou wert here  
With thy fair hands to close these my Wretched eyes  
My torments easy would appear,  
My soul with joy would scale the Skies.  
When Maudlin heard her lover's moan,  
Her eyes with tears her heart with sorrow filled was  
To speak with him no means was known,  
Such grieveus' doom on him did pass.  
Then she put off her Lads attire,  
Her Maiden's weed upon her back she seemly set  
To the judges house she did inquire,  
And there she did a service get:  
She did her duty there so well,  
And eke so prudently she did herself behave,  
With her in love her Master fell,  
His servants favour he did crave  
Maudlin (quoth he) my heart's delight.  
To whom my heart in affection is tied,  
Breed not my death through thy despite,  
A faithful friend thou shalt me find.  
O grant me thy love fair Maid (quoth he)  
And at my hands desire what thou canst devise,  
And I will grant it unto thee,  
Whereby thy credit may arise.  
I have a Brother, Sir, said she,  
For his Religion is now condemned to die,  
In loathsome Prison he is cast,  
Oppressed with grief and misery:  
Grant me my Brother's life (she said)  
And now to you my love and liking I will give  
That may not be (quoth he) fair Maid,  
Except he turn he cannot live:  
An English Friar there is (she said)  
Of learning great and passing pure of life,  
Let him to my brother be sent,  
And he will finish soon the strife:  
Her Master granted her request,  
The Mariner in Friars weeds she did array,  
And to her love that lay distressed,  
She did a Letter soon convey.  
When he had read these gentle lines,  
His heart was ravished with pleasant joy;  
Where now she is full well he knew,  
The Friar likewise was not coy;  
But did declare to him at large,  
the enterprise his love for him had taken in hand  
The youngman did the Friar charge,  
His love should straight depart the Land.  
Here is no place for her (he said)  
But woeful death and danger of her life,  
Professing truth I was betrayed  
And fearful flames must end the strife.  
For e'er I will my faith deny,  
And swear myself to follow damned Antichrist  
I'll yield my body for to die,  
To live in Heaven with the highest.  
O Sir the gentle Friar said,  
Consent thereto and end the strife,  
A woeful match (quoth he) is made,  
Where Christ is left to win a wife.  
When she had used all means she might,  
To save his life, and yet all would not be;  
Then of the judge she claimed her right,  
To die the death as well as he.  
When no persuasions could prevail,  
Nor change her mind in any thing 't she had said  
She was with him condemned to die,  
And for them both one fire was made.  
Yea arm in arm most joyfully,  
These Lovers twain unto the fire did go,  
The Mariner most faithfully,  
Was likewise Partner of their woe.  
But when the judges understood,  
The faithful friendship did in them remain:  
They saved their lives and afterwards  
To England sent them back again.  
Now was their sorrow turned to joy,  
And faithful Lovers have their hearts desire,  
Their pains so well they did employ,  
God granted that they did desire,  
And when they did to England come,  
And in merry Bristol arrived at the last;  
Great joy there was to all and some  
That heard the dangers they had past.  
Her father he was dead God wot,  
And eke her Mother was joyful at her sight  
Their wishes she denied not,  
But wedded them to heart's delight:  
Her gentle Master she desired,  
To be her father, and at Church to give her then:  
It was fulfilled as she required,  
Unto the joys of all good men.    

Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, and J. Wright.