MAUDLIN The Merchant's Daughter of BRISTOL.  
To the Tune of, The Maiden's joy, etc.  


Behold the touchstone of true love,  
Maudlin the Merchant's daughter of Bristol town,  
Whose fi●m affection nothing could move,  
her favour beats the lovely brown.  
A gallant youth was dwelling by,  
which many years h●d 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,  
and 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,  
farewel my dear and 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 beams her friends and fortune's 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 abide all chance that might befall.  
The night is gone, and he day is come,  
and in the morning very early did she rise,  
She gets her down into a lower room,  
where sundry seamen she espies:  
A gallant master among them all,  
the master of a great and godly 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, & would thou speak with any here?  
Quoth he Fair maid, and therefore I do stand.  
Then gentle sir, I pray draw near;  
Into a pleasant parlour by,  
both hand in hand she brings the seaman all alone,  
… ng to him most piteously,  
… us to him did make her moan,  
〈…〉 upon her bended knee,  
〈…〉 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 repo●e your trust, be said,  
in me who ●m unknown, & eke a stranger here,  
Be you assured most proper Maid,  
most fa … st●ill I will appear:  
I hav● a brother then (quoth she)  
whom as my life I love & favour tenderly,  
In Milan, alas! l … s he,  
full sick, God wots, and like to die,  
Full fai● I would my brother see,  
but that my father will not yield to let me go,  
Therefore, good sir, he good to me,  
and unto me this favour show:  
Some ship boy's garment bring to me,  
that I disguised may go unknown,  
And unto see I'll go with thee,  
if thus much favour might be shown.  
Fair maid (quoth he) take her 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 to him a tender kiss,  
and faith, your servant master I will 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 hill,  
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 all,  
His wife came weeping in with speed,  
saying, Our daughter's gone away.  
The merchant then amazed in mind,  
Yonder vile wretch enticed away my child (●d. he)  
But I well wots I shall him find  
at Milan in Italy.  
With that bespoke the master brave,  
Worshipful Merchant, thither goes this 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 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,  
her mother knew not when she spoke unto her,  
Then after her master strait she hies  
taking her leave with countenance mild;  
Thus to the sea sweet Maudlin is gone  
with her gentle master, God send them  
Where we a while must let them alone  
till you the second part do find.    

The Second PART of Sweet MAUDLIN,  
to the same Tune.  

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;  
Blest be the land that feeds my love,  
blessed be the place whereas his person doth abide,  
No trial will I stick to prove,  
thereby 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 sorrow up and down,  
In wealth or woe thy part I'll take,  
and bring thee safe to Milan town:  
And after many weary steps,  
in Milan they 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 fi●ry flames he vowed to burn.  
Now doth sweet Maudlin weep and wail,  
her joy is turned to weeping, sorrow, grief & care,  
●or 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,  
Then woefully for food he calls,  
when hunger did his heart ●●●ress;  
He sighs and sobs, and makes great moan,  
Farewell sweetheart for ever more,  
And all my friends that have me known,  
in Bristol town with wealth and store.  
But most of all, farewel, quoth he,  
my own sweet Maudlin whom I left behind,  
For never more thou shalt me see,  
〈◊〉 to thy father most unkind:  
Ho●●… well I were if thou were here,  
With thy fair hand to close these my wretched eyes  
My torment 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 found,  
such grievous doom did on him pass.  
Then she put off her lad's attire,  
her maiden's weed upon her back she seemly set,  
To the judge's 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 servant's favour he doth crave:  
Maudlin, quoth he, my heart's delight,  
to whom my heart in affection is tied,  
Br●●●● not my death through thy despite,  
a faithful friend then shalt ame 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 misrey:  
Grant me my brother's life (she said)  
and now to you my love & liking will I 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 fryer's 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 start 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 young man did the friar charge,  
his love should strait departed the land  
Here is no place for her (he said)  
but woeful death and danger other 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 heav … 〈…〉 the highest.  
O sir, the gentle 〈◊〉 ●●id  
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 that 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 passed:  
Her father he was dead God wots,  
and the 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,  
to the joys of all good men.     

Printed by and for W. O. and are to be sold by the Booksellers of Pie-corner and London-bridge.