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REIGN OF JAMES X. 253 |
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universality of ballads, as well as their influence upon the public mind; but limiting myself to dramatists, to Shakespeare's contemporaries, and to one passage from each author.
In Ben Jonson's Barlholomeio Fair, when Trash, the gingerbread-woman, quarrels with Leatherhead, the hobby-horse seller, she threatens him—
" 111 find a friend shall right me, and make a ballad of thee, and thy cattle all over." In Hey wood's A Challenge for Beauty, Valladaura says— " She has told all; I shall be balladed— Sung up and down by minstrels." In Fletcher's Queen of Corinth, Euphanes says—
. " and whate'er he be Can with unthankfulness assoil me, let him Dig out mine eyes, and sing my name in verse, In ballad verse, at every drinking-house." In Massinger's Parliament of Love, Chamont threatens Lamira—
. " I will have thee Pictured as thou art now, and thy whole story Sung to some villainous tune in a lewd ballad, And make thee so notorious in the world, That boys in the streets shall hoot at thee." In Chapman's Monsieur d'Olive, he says—
"I am afraid of nothing but I shall be balladed." In a play of Dekker's (Dodsley, iii. 224) Matheo says—
"Sfoot, do you long to have base rogues, that maintain a Saint Anthony's fire in their noses by nothing but two-penny ale, make ballads of you ? "
In Webster's Devil's Law Case, the officers are cautioned not to allow any to take notes, because—
" We cannot have a cause of any fame, But you must have some scurvy pamphlets and lewd Ballads engendered of it presently." In Ford's Love's Sacrifice, Fiormonda says—
. . " Better, Duke, thou hadst been born a peasant; Now boys will sing thy scandal in the streets,— Tune ballads to thy infamy." In Marlow's Edward II., Mortimer says to the King— " Libels are cast against thee in the street; Ballads and rhymes made of thy overthrow." In Machin's The Dumb Knight—
. " The slave will make base songs on my disgrace." In Middleton's The Jioaring Q-irl—
" O, if men's secret youthful faults should judge 'em, 'Twould be the general'st execution That e'er was seen in England! There would be few left to sing the ballads, There would be so much work." This is in allusion to the ballads on last dying speeches. |
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