LOVE in a BARN.  
Or, Right Country Courtship.  
 woman milking a cow  

COME all ye brisk country girls,  
And London lasses too;  
A merry ditty I have to tell,  
Which certainly is true.  
In Reygate lived a buxom las●,  
Both beautiful and fair,  
Her beauty was her portion,  
As hereafter you shall here.  
Her father was a farmer,  
Who did at Ryegate dwell,  
Just by lived a noble Lord,  
Whose name I must not tell:  
Whose country house at Ryegate was,  
In the sweet pleasant air,  
And this Lord he fell in love  
With the farmer's daughter fair.  
He ofentimes beholded her  
A- milking in the moon,  
And he must go to drink the m●●k  
From the cow while it was warm.  
The draft of love he drank so sweet  
By gazing on her charms,  
That the sweet creature he would oft  
w sh for in his arms,  
He said, I've slighted ladies,  
Of honour, birth, and famed:  
Now Cupid has betrayed me  
To an innocent country dame.  
I must reveal my passion.  
Or for her lose my life;  
If money her virtue will overcome.  
I soon will end the strife.  
Next morning he goes to her,  
As she a-milking were,  
And he began the story  
To the farmer's daughter fair.  
Thou fairest of all creatures,  
My heart is in love with thee;  
If thou canst love a London Lord,  
A Lady thou shalt be.  
Sir, said she, What do you mean,  
More fit I am, I vow,  
To mind my father's dairy,  
And feed the pigs and sow.  
I cannot dress up in the mode,  
As London lasses wear.  
Said he, but I will keep a maid,  
To wait on thee, my dear.  
A maid! said the country lass,  
I can but laugh at that:  
Must I ride to the church in my short cloak,  
With a feather in my cap?  
No, no, my dear, that is the dress  
My jewel thou shalt were,  
When thou along with me dost go  
To take the rural air.  
Then, Gaffer, said the country girl,  
Yet something I've to say,  
Among the ladies I cannot dance,  
Except it be the ha●.  
But thou canst dance in bed, my dear,  
And that's the prettiest sport.  
Ay, never fear, I'll warrent thee,  
As well as the best at court.  
This was Right COUNTRY COURTSHIP,  
And made the Lord to smile,  
But his whole intention was  
This maiden to beguile.  
But the country girls are not such fools,  
For to be taken in,  
So now come here the country bite,  
Which she did put on him.  
He made her many presents  
Of watches, jewels, rings,  
The girl she was well pleased  
At sight of such fine things.  
The cow-house was the chamber  
In which they used to court:  
At length be must bef ooling  
Under her petticoats.  
She said, is this the way  
That courtiers come to wooe?  
There's no harm, says he, my dear.  
We serve the ladies so.  
I do not like the fashion,  
The country girl replied.  
I will not be a lady  
Until I am a bride.  
She finding he had store of gold,  
Says she, I plainly see,  
That he has no intention  
That I his bride shall be;  
He shall not have my maidenhead,  
I solemnly do swea●,  
But I'll bite him of a portion,  
Then wed with Ralph my dear.  
Next morning came the Lord,  
As he was used to do,  
With a pretence to drink the milk  
Warm sir from the cow.  
Then with the charming milk-maid  
Still fooling he would be,  
Says he, five hundred pounds I'll give  
One night to lye with thee;  
Then afterwards I will thee wed,  
So no barm can there be.  
Well, If I lose my maidenhead,  
It shall be in my father's barn:  
So now the money put me down,  
And treat me well with wine,  
Then to-night at twelve o'clock,  
It is the only time.  
He was delighted for to catch  
The maiden in the mind,  
Then unto the barn he took  
A bottle of rhenish wine.  
A gang of Gypsies used to lye,  
Sir in the barn all night,  
Then here this dansel soon she played  
A country crafty bite.  
She  told unto the Gypsies  
How she the scheme had laid,  
So bid them to conceal themselves  
Among the corn and hay.  
She said, I'll give you notice  
In every degree;  
And if you bite this amorous blade.  
Rewarded you shall b●.  
about twelve o'clock to her he came  
Just as the appointment were,  
When no light but what the moon  
Granted unto them there.  
Thus they sit down among the straw  
His arms round her he twines;  
Full merrily they toss about  
The bottle of rhenish wine.  
The girl oft kissed the bottle,  
But never touched the wine,  
Until his Lordship's eyes began  
To twinkle very fine.  
He laid him down amid the straw,  
And fast asleep he falls;  
The fa mer's daughter then arose,  
And the Gypsies soon did call:  
Says she, Go strip you all buff,  
Then down by him golie,  
And the little gypsy at his back,  
I beg that you would tie.  
Both his hands I have made fast  
Not easy to be undone,  
Then as he rises in a fright,  
Like a devil he will run.  
Five pound she to the gypsies gave,  
Then home she straight did steer.  
The Lord began to awake, sir,  
In the morning fair and clear.  
He took a roll upon his back,  
The gypsy began to squeak,  
His hands being tied he then began  
To scramble on his feet.  
The gypsies all were standing up,  
Their coal-black hair hung down,  
He took them all for devils in bust,  
And run into the town,  
With the bastard sq ua●●g at his back.  
His wig was tag'd with straw,  
Sure such a sight as this  
No mortal ever saw.  
The servants were amazed  
When they did let him in,  
They took the gppsy from his back,  
And soon relieved him.  
So the child he is like to keep,  
For the gypsies they are gone▪;  
Thus now he is the talk of all  
The women in the town  
But yet he is w●ll pleased  
With the pranks that she has played,  
He said, I am resolved to wed  
This virtuous country maid.  
For virtue is her portion,  
Of that she has her share▪  
O now this Lord has married  
This furmer's daughte● f●●●.