n
the Clough_, and _William of Cloudsley_, _the Churl and the
Burd_, _the Seaven Wise Masters_, _the Wife lapt in a
Morel's skin_, _the Sakful of Nuez_, _the Sergeaunt that
became a Fryar_, _Skogan_, _Collyn Cloout_, _the Fryar and
the Boy_, _Elynor Rumming_, and _the Nutbrooun Maid_, with
many more than I rehearse here. I believe he has them all at
his finger's ends," p. 36. The preceding is a list of the
worthy Captain's ROMANCES; some of which, at least in their
original shape, were unknown to Ritson: what would be the
amount of their present produce under the hammer of those
renowned black-letter-book auctioneers in King-street,
Covent Garden--? Speak we, in the next place, of the said
military bibliomaniac's collection of books in "PHILOSOPHY
MORAL and NATURAL." "Beside _Poetry_ and _Astronomy_, and
other hid sciences, as I may guess by the omberty of his
books: whereof part are, as I remember, _The Shepherd's
Kalendar_, _the Ship of Fools_, _Daniel's Dreams_, _the Book
of Fortune_, _Stans_, _puer ad mensam_, _the bye way to the
Spitl-house_, _Julian of Brainford's Testament_, _the Castle
of Love_, _the Booget of Demaunds_, _the Hundred Mery
Talez_, _the Book of Riddels_, _the Seaven Sorows of Wemen_,
_the Proud Wives' Pater-Noster_, _the Chapman of a
Penniworth of Wit_: Beside his AUNCIENT PLAYS; _Youth and
Charitee_, _Hikskorner_, _Nugize_, _Impacient Poverty_, and
herewith Doctor _Boord's Breviary of Health_. What should I
rehearse here, what a bunch of BALLADS AND SONGS, all
ancient?!--Here they come, gentle reader; lift up thine eyen
and marvel while thou dost peruse the same: _Broom Broom on
Hill_, _So wo iz me begon_, _trolly lo Over a Whinny Meg_,
_Hey ding a ding_, _Bony lass upon a green_, _My bony on
gave me a bek_, _By a bank az I lay_; and _two more_ he hath
fair wrapt up in parchment, and bound with a whipcord!" It
is no wonder that Ritson, in the historical essay prefixed
to his collection of _Scottish Songs_, should speak of some
of these ballads with a zest as if he would have sacrificed
half his library to untie the said "whipcord" packet. And
equally joyous, I ween, would my friend Mr. R.H. Evans, of
Pall-Mall, have been--during his editorial labours in
publishing a new edition of his father's collectio