THE SALSBURY-BALLAD, With the Learned COMMENTARIES of a Friend to the Author's Memory. The First PART. I OH Salisbury People, given ear to my Song, And attention unto my new Ditty: For it is in the praise of your River Avon, Of your Bishop, your Church and your City. II And you Maior and Aldermen all on a row, Who govern that a The City of New Sarum built in the Bishop's Meadow. watered Mead, First b To the Ballad-singers. listen a while, upon your c In a posture of attention. tiptoe, Than carry this home and d Here the Poet is in a good humour, and supposes that all of them can read. read. III Therein you may found many an excellent e An old word frequent in Spenser, and (if we may join the best English Poet with the worst Rhymers in the world) in Sternbold and Hopkins, Thy law and eke thy lore, etc. I should cite the places, but that such Quotations would look strangely on the margin of a Ballad. It signifies Lesson or Doctrine. Vid. Skinner's Lexicon. Lore, That unto your Wives you may teach; Though f I found now I praised the Poet too soon; for this is an impudent and unmannerly supposition, and I approve it not; though it is something mollified by those words perhaps and your Worships. perhaps once and more our Poet may soar Clear out of your Worship's reach. IU. OH g This seems Heathenish to pray to Hills and Parks and Rivers; but 'tis no more than other Poets invoking Parnassus and Helicon; nevertheless I believe the Poet was a good Christian, for if you read to the end of this Part, you will found the Bishop was very much in his favour. Clarendon Park, and OH Clerbury Hill, Join with your old Friend the River, To inspire my Muse, and assist my Quill, In the great things I have to deliver. V School-Mistresses fine, to the number of h Not but that there are a greater number of School-Mistresses in the Close, but the Poet hath need of no more of them than there were Muses. Nine, I'll call on no Muses but you; Nor no other help to enter my i My young barking Muse. Maties Muse nourrie in Satire. Boi. Whelp, Unless it be k That word signifies fat or dancing. bouncing l A diminutive from Prudence, and seems to be put here for any Woman at large only to complete the Rhyme, it being a name suitable enough; for most Women are wise, if not cunning. I confess some who pretend to have been intimately acquainted with the Poet in his life-time, are very positive, that this name did not only point out a particular Woman, but even the Poet's Mistress; but I cannot agreed to this, for had it been so, he would have given her a more honourable Epither. Pru. VI Encourage you m The nine School-Mistresses and this bouncing Pru. Ten, the most timorous Pen That e'er such a task did begin: When you found any wit, then in my mouth spit, And chuck me under the chin. VII. I will not forget those n Stonehenge the noblest piece of Antiquity in England. Stones that are set In a round, upon Salisbury Plains; Though who brought 'em there, 'tis hard to declare, The o Here the Poet briefly sums up the several opinions of Historians and Antiquarians concerning the Founders of Stohengege. Romans, Merlin or Danes. VIII. Nor those pretty Sheep, whom greater p Shepherds. Beasts keep, Nor you Bustards that stalk thereby: You Bustards that choose to do like my Muse, Who walks because she can't fly. IX.. Nor q Doctor Peter Turberville, the best Oculist of this Age or any before him. you that know all the diseases of Eyes, And for all a sure remedy found; Who alone given light, after twenty years' night, To those who are born r The Daughter of George Turberville of Whitminster in Glocestershire, and one Peverel of Salisbury and divers others. stone-blind. X. Nor you the good s If you can have patience till you come to the nineteenth Stanza of the Second Part, you will know what this Bishop's name is. Bishop that come from the t Exeter. West, And spared neither pains nor cost, To build up the u The Bishops Palace in Salisbury. House, pulled down by v One Vanling a London-Tailor, who bought it of the sacrilegious Rebels. Pricklouse, And fit it for such an Host. XI. 'Twas you that let in y This I suppose is one of those places our Poet threatens the Aldermen with in the third Stanza; but I will not let him be obscure: He means the Deanery of St. Burien neare the Landsend in Cornwall, procured to be annexed to the Bishopric of Exeter, (by this Bishop before his Translation) upon the Death of Doctor Wykes, which happened in the time of Dr. Sparrow the present Bishop, who now enjoys it. St. Burien Streams To increase the small z River for Sea, not without a conceit. River * The name of the River upon which Exeter stands, put figuratively for the City. To increase the small River Ex, i.e. to augment the poor Bishopric of Exeter. Ex: 'Twas you brought again the a The Ensigns of the Chancellorship of the Garter, a Medal and a Gold-Chain. We are said to loose what we have been possessors of. The first Chancellor of the Garter was Bishop Beauchamp, A.D. 1450. and that honour was enjoyed by his Successors the Bishops of Salisbury, till the time of Cardinal Campegio, who having incurred the displeasure of K. Hen. VIII. for differing from him about the Match, retired to Rome and there died, A.D. 1539. and lies buried in Santa Maria Trastevere, that Office having continued in the Bishops of Salisbury 89 years. lost Badge and Chain, And did it to b Since which time it has been in lay hands, till it pleased K. Charles II (upon the humble Petition and claim of the present Bishop of Salisbury) to restore it to him and his Successors; the Letters Patents bear date Nou. 25, 1671. so that it was out of that Sea 132 years. Sarum annex. XII. You first made the Salisbury men c Beaten it into their heads. understand Their River might d For a very few thousand pounds. So Horace speaking of a River, Doctus iter melius, and in another place, Multa mole docendus aprico parcere campo. easily be taught To bear Ships up and down, and enrich the Town, e On the 20. of October, 1675. by a good token 'twas the very day and hour Northampton was burning. And you were the first at it wrought. XIII. 'Twas you that kept up the Citizens f At the meeting of the Commissioners for making the River navigable at Salisbury, Mar. 22. 1675. hearts, Or the g Diverse great Gentlemen of Hampshire; the Poet alludes to Beavais and Ascabert, whose Pictures are upon Hampton-Gate. Giants had overborne 'em▪ For them you did h To London to the King and Council. ride, for them you i Answered the Objections of the Opposers. replied, 'Twas you brought their Vessels to k Harnham-Bridge, where the Key is, i e. They owe the making their River navigable to your management. Harnham. FOURTEEN. l This is supposed to be ob●ected by the unattentive ●nd irreverent Reader, as if ●●e Poet had done nothing 〈◊〉 this while . But when will this paltry Poet begin, And show us a touch of his Art? m The Poets mild answer. It should have been a Glass of Chariot, if Rhyme would have permitted . With a cup of old Sack, he'll wind up his n His Engine wherewith he makes verses; so Chaucer, As winding up makes a jack go, good wine makes good verses flow. Jack, And o Twang is a very emphatical word, but not easily tran●●●●ed; it signifies as much as élatter in French, or rimbombar in Italian. twang it i'th' th' Second Part. The Second PART to the same Tune. I OLd Sarum was built on a a Vide infra Stanza 17. — From their hill, Where there was neither well nor spring. dry barren Hill, A great many years ago. 'Twas a Roman Town of strength and renown, As its stately Ruins show. II Therein was a Castle for men of Arms, And a Cloister for men of the Gown; There were Friars and Monks, and b Tradesmen. Liars and c Harlots. Punks, d This refers to Punks, noon celebrated in History; as Thais, Messalina, and others since. Though not any whose names are come down. III The Soldiers and Churchmen did not long agreed, For the surly men with the e Hilt for Sword, by a known Figure. Hilt on Made f By ask of them roguish questions. sport at the gate, with the Priests that come g After the Watch was set. late From h From doing their daily drudgery. shriving the Nuns of Wilton. IU. i This Whereupon is a very comprehensive word, and yet seems more than it is; one would think the Poet here makes a leap from the Foundation of Old Sarum by the Romans to Bishop Poor's time; but 'tis only from Herman the first Bishop of Salisbury, Anne 1083. to Richard Poor the seventh, 1217. This Whereupon therefore is as much as to say, After 134 years suffering the affronts of the Garrison, their patience was worn out, flesh and blood could endure not longer; but Bishop Poor being a stout man went to the King. Whereupon Bishop Poor went to the k Henry III King, And told him his piteous tale, That rather than abide such a thorn in his side, He'd build a new Church in the Vale. V I'll build a new Church in the Vale, said he, If your l According to the stile of those times. Highness will given me m Leave. scope. Who I? said the King, n Where note that King had no mind to incur the Pope's displeasure. In those days he was a terrible Fellow in England. Isle not do such a thing, Without our old Father the Pope. VI Than I'll go to that o This is a very hard place, why Bishop Poor being a Papist should call the Pope Whore? Some think the Bishop spoke it prophetically, knowing that in the succeeding times of Calvin and the Presbyterians, he should be proved to be the Whore. Others more acutely think this might be Pope joane: But this ingenious solution is against Chronology: For Pope joane (if ever there was such a one) was in the year 853. 374 years before Bishop Poor. The best reason in my opinion is taken out of the Context, the last verse of this Stanza, Where every thing is to be sold. Rome is a Whore, because it does kindnesses for Money only, not for love, which is the very definition of a Whore. Whore, replied Bishop Poor, With a Purse full of good old Gold; For why should I beg and make a low leg, Where every thing is to be sold? VII. He went, he prevailed, he returned in a trice, With ample Authority seized, To remove p The Walls of the City and Cathedral. Sarum's Stones, and q This S. Osmund was the second Bishop of Old Sarum; he was also Earl of Dorset and Lord Chancellor of England, he died 1099. and was removed with great Pomp to New Sarum, where he lies buried in the middle of our Lady-Chappel under a black Marblestone bearing only this Inscription, ANNO MXCIX He was Sainted by Pope Calixtus III Anno 1456. The Process and charge thereof may be seen in Salisbury Muniments. St. Osmund 's Bones, And to build a new Church where he pleased. VIII. To the Abbess of Wilton he shown his Bull, And how much he was in the Pope's grace; Though they two consulted their r A Proverbial Phrase used for Rymes sake; for I cannot believe what some of the wicked hint, that the Poet had any waggish meaning here. bellies full, Yet they could not agreed of a place. IX.. One time as this Prelate lay on his Downe-bed, Recruiting his Spirits with rest, There appeared, as 'tis said, a beautiful s Who that Maid and Babe were, the learned and devout understand. Maid, With her own dear Babe at her breast. X. To him thus she spoke, (the day was scarce broke, And his eyes yet to slumber did yield) Go build me a Church without any delay, Go build it in Merry-field. XI. He awakes and he rings, up ran Monks and Friars At the sound of his little Bell. I must know, said he, where Merry-field is, But the Devil a bit could they tell. XII. Full early he arose on a Morning grey, To meditate and to walk; And by chance overheard a Soldier on the Guard As he thus to his fellow did talk. XIII. I will lay on the side of my good Yewen Bow, That I shoot clean over the Corn, As far as that Cow in Merry-field, Which grazes under the thorn. FOURTEEN. Than the Bishop cried out, Where is Merry-field? For his mind was still on his Vow. The Soldier replied, By the Riverside, Where you see that brindle Cow. XU Upon this he declared his pious intent, And about the t Indulgences are a sort of Roman Coin the Pope's use to given to pious uses, as building of Churches, maintaining Rebellion against Protestant Princes, etc. To which sometimes they add dead Bodies, Promises and Hopes; so one of their own Poets: Le Cousin de la guerra andavan zoppe: I Bolognesis richiedean danari All Papa, ed egli respondeva cop, E mandava Indulgenze per gli Altari. c. 12. And in another place: Part 'eran Ghibelline, e favourite Da l' imperio Aleman per suo interesse. Part ' eran Guelfe, e con la Chiesa unite, Che le pascea di speme, e di promise. c. 1. Which last Verses may be thus translated in our Author's stile and measure: * The Ghibellines . These held that the Emperor was in the right, † The Guelves. Those that the Pope's Cause was good. They that were for the Popes were fed with thin hopes, And Pardons and ‖ Chips of the Cross. pieces of Wood Thus the Pope having promised twenty five thousand Crowns a Month towards carrying on the Rebellion in Ireland, paid them in this coin, and sent by the Irish Ambassadors, (the Bishop of Fern and Sir Nicolas Plunket) Anno 1647▪ from Rome two dead Bodies, which for aught any one knew, might have been Heathens, instead of ready money. Indulgences ran, And brought in bad people to build a good u Not that the Cathedral began by the Steeple, but Steeple is put here for Church, by the same Figure, as before Hilt for Sword. Steeple, And thus the Cathedral began. XVI. The Principal Stones in a x In an hour found out according to the rules of Astrology by the William Lilies of those times, this they took more care, because the Church built before by Bishop Osmund was founded in an ill hour; in an ill hour, I say, for the Steeple was burnt down by Lightning the day after 'twas finished. Vide Godw. fortunate hour, For the Pope, King and some of the y The five first Stones were laid by Pandulpho the Pope's Legate, the first for the Pope, the second for the King, the two next for the Earl and Countess of Salisbury, the fifth for the Bishop. Peers, Were laid by z Signifies no more than Pandulpho himself, as by such a one's Lordship or Worship we mean their persons; but this expression is more ancient and Poetical, being often used in Homer, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, etc. Pandulfo's Legantine Power, And 'twas finished in * And cost but forty thousand marks, Vid. The Account in Salisbury Muniments. Upon this excellent Pile, see also the Verses of Daniel Rogers, in Godwin and Camden's Britannia, which begin thus, Mira cano, etc. thirty years. XVII. Than the men of Old Sarum come down from their Hill, a In the first Verse of this Part, he calls it, A dry barren Hill. Where there was neither Well nor Spring; That they might have a Mill, and water at b At hand for all conveniences, as washing of dishes, drowning of children, etc. will, And hear the sweet c This is another place wherein the Poet Intended to walk incognito; but I'll pull of his mask, noble Citizens, he means Frogs. Aristophanes thought so well of their voices, that he makes 'em sustain the part of the Chorus in one of his Comedies: the words of their Song are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the meaning thereof, and the Tune I confess myself ignorant of. Fish sing. XVIII. But if I proceed, as I once had decreed, And d Here the Poet chides himself for his foolhardy undertaking in the first Part, and gins to take up. foolishly undertook, To let my e Poetical. vein run, I shall never have done, And instead of a Song make a Book. XIX. OH pardon me, pardon me, Bishop f Now I am out of your debt for what I promised in my Commentary upon the 9th Stanza of the first Part. Ward, For putting thy name in my Song; For I am alas but a silly g A Welsh Poet. Bard, And my Verses cannot live long. XX. Though sometimes a lucky Ballad may hit, And in spite of times Iron h Teeth. Fangs, Outlive greater Volumes stuffed fuller of wit, And conceived with more labour and pangs. XXI. But if I was owner of Virgil's Tromp Ette and Horace's well-tuned i An obsolete word signifying a Welsh Harp. Lyre, k Here the Poet shows his good inclination towards the Bishop. Jed wear 'em out to the very stump, But Jed make thy great name to aspire. XXII. Than answered my Muse, with a scornful smile Leave of such found thoughts, l How familiarly and obligingly the Muse speaks to the Poet. Poor heart, 'Tis fancy and skill, not love and goodwill, Must fit thee for such a part. XXIII. I'll make it the care of the ages to come, When thou shalt be dead and rotten, To publish his same, and embalm his name, That it never shall be m — Sopra te non haura possa, Quel duro, eterne, ineccitabil sonno, D'havere chiusa in cosi poca fossa, Si tanto i versi miti prometter ponno. forgotten. XXIV. While Lovers shall languish betwixt hopes and fears, A Poetical Description of a long time. With a visage pale, n This seems to be taken out of Horace, Et tinctus violâ pallor amantium. I hope the Ghost of a Ballad-maker will not be offended with me for this discovery. I am sure the best French Poet now living reputes it an honour that it was said of him. N'est qu'un gueux, revestu des depoüilles d'Horace. blue and forlorn: And all the world round, any wife may be found, Whose o The Poet does not think it strange, if Women who hate their Husbands should let them drink in Horns. dear Husband drinks in a p The meaning of this is, This Bishops name shall not be forgotten, till all the world over all loving Wives shall be so rich as to be able to provide their Husband's Cups of more precious matter than Horn, and there shall be found no Horn in any loving Wife's House. Horn. XXV. While the River of Avon runs down to the Sea, And Grass grows on Salisbury Plain, While q While the English follow the French fashions. This sort of Description is frequent both in Ancient and Modern Poets: So Virgil, Dum juga montis aper, fluvios dum piscis amabit, Dumque thymo pascentur apes, dum rore cicada, etc. So Ovid, — Tenedos dum stabit & Ida. Dum rapidus Simois in mare volvit aquas, etc. So the Italian Theotritus: Mentre per questi monti Andran le fere errando E gli alti pini hauran pungenti foglie. Mentre li vivi fonti Correran mormorando. Nel alto mar, che con amor gli accoglit, etc. And in another place: Mentre serpent in dumi Saranno, e pesci in fiumi, Ne Sol viurai, ne la mia stanca lingua, Ma per Pastor diversi, In mille altre sampogne, e mille versi. But in my opinion these are too general, whereas those of our Poet are particular and Satirical, and therefore more commendable. Englishmen dance to the Music of France, And Tradesmen mind nothing but gain. XXVI. But it is not for such weak r Alluding to that of Horace, Quid valeant humeri, quid serre recusent: And that of Virgil, Non tali auxilio & desensoribus istis. shoulders as thine To undergo such a s Of eternising the Bishop's name. care: For that I design a Poet t As if she should say with Horace, — Quibus ingenium est, & men's divinior atque os, Magna sonaturum, dabo NOMINIS HUJUS honorem. Divine; u Mark how precise the Muse is in observing old Customs. Wind thou up thy Song with a Prayer. XXVII. She said, I x The Poets ready obedience is remarkable; She said I obeyed: Dictum factum: It is a sign his Pegasus was well managed, that he stops so short, in his full career. obeyed. The Queen and the King God bless, and their Brother JAMES, And y Christ-church is a very ancient Town, by Ptolemy called Portus Alauni, by the Saxons Twinambourn, because it lies betwixt two Rivers, which answers to the Latin Interamnium, now Terni. Old Christ-church Haven, and New Sarum's Aven, And make it as good as the Thames. FINIS. LONDON: Printed for Henry Brome at the Gun at the West-end of St. Paul's Churchyard. 1676.