Popular Music Of The Olden Time Vol 2

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	634 ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC.

	might have conference with him, noting him to be a subject of great ability," &c. From The Pleasant Historie of Thomas of Heading: or the Sixe worthie Yeomen of the West. " Now the sixth time corrected and enlarged." London : Printed by Eliz. Allde for Robert Bird, 1632. Dr. Wm. King, a humourous writer, who was born in 1663, quotes some of the words of " Old King Cole " in No. 6 of his Useful Transactions; but he mixes them up with those of " Four-and-twenty fiddlers all of a row." " Good King Cole And twice fiddle, fiddle, And he called for his bowl, For 'twas my lady's birthday ; And he called for his fiddlers three; Therefore we keep holyday. And there was fiddle, fiddle, And come to be merry." I have no earlier authority for the tune than is to be found in the ballad-operas. In Gay's Achilles, published in 1733 (after the death of the author), the song, " No more be coy, give a loose to joy," is to the air of Old King Cole, and it differs altogether from the way in which it is now commonly sung. The following version of the air is from Achilles:—



	The following traditional air bears a slight family likeness to The British Grenadiers, although the one is major and the other minor.