ou flouted me, you scouted me,
And many another one,
Now the reward is come at last,
For all that you have done.'

13.
The rings she took from off her hands,
The rings by two and three:
'O take, O take these golden rings,
By them remember me.'

14.
She had a white wand in her hand,
She strake him on the breast:
'My faith and troth I give back to thee,
So may thy soul have rest.'

15.
'Prithee,' said he, 'forget, forget,
Prithee forget, forgive;
O grant me yet a little space,
That I may be well and live.'

16.
'O never will I forget, forgive,
So long as I have breath;
I'll dance above your green, green grave
Where you do lie beneath.'

FAIR MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM

+The Text+ is from a broadside in the Douce Ballads, with a few
unimportant corrections from other stall-copies, as printed by Percy
and Ritson.

+The Story+ is much the same as _Lord Thomas and Fair Annet_, except in
the manner of Margaret's death.

None of the known copies of the ballad are as early in date as _The
Knight of the Burning Pestle_ (a play by Beaumont and Fletcher, first
produced, it is said, in 1611), in which the humorous old Merrythought
sings two fragments of this ballad; stanza 5 in Act II. Sc. 8, and the
first two lines of stanza 2 in Act III. Sc. 5. As there given, the lines
are slightly different.

The last four stanzas of this ballad again present the stock ending,
for which see the introduction to _Lord Lovel_. The last stanza condemns
itself.

FAIR MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM

1.
As it fell out on a long summer's day,
Two lovers they sat on a hill;
They sat together that long summer's day,
And could not talk their fill.

2.
'I see no harm by you, Margaret,
Nor you see none by me;
Before tomorrow eight a clock
A rich wedding shall you see.'

3.
Fair Margaret sat in her bower-window,
A combing of her hair,
And there she spy'd Sweet William and his bride,
As they were riding near.

4.
Down she lay'd her ivory comb,
And up she bound her hair;
She went her way forth of her bower,
But never more did come there.

5.
When day was gone, and night was come,
And all men fast asleep,
Then came the spirit of Fair Margaret,
And stood at William's feet.

6.
'God give you joy, you two true lovers,
In bride-bed fast asleep;
Loe I am going to my g