A most pleasant ballad of patient Grissell To the tune of the brides good morrovv. Deloney, Thomas, 1543?-1600. 1600 Approx. 9 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2003-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A02251 STC 12384 ESTC S118558 99853765 99853765 19160 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A02251) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 19160) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 1205:10) A most pleasant ballad of patient Grissell To the tune of the brides good morrovv. Deloney, Thomas, 1543?-1600. Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375. 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n., [London : 1600] Attributed to Thomas Deloney. Based on book 10, novel 10 of: Boccaccio, Giovanni. Decamerone. Imprint from STC. A ballad. Verse - "A noble marques as he did ride on hunting hard by a forrest side:". Reproduction of the original in the British Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Ballads, English -- 17th century. 2002-08 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2002-09 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2002-10 Judith Siefring Sampled and proofread 2002-10 Judith Siefring Text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-12 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A most pleasant Ballad of patient Grissell . To the tune of the Brides good morrovv . A Noble Marques as he did ride on hunting hard by a Forrest side : A proper Mayden as she did fit a spinning his gentle eye espide . Most faire & louely , and of curteous grace was she , although in simple attire : She sung full sweet with pleasant voyce melodiously , which set the Lords hart on fire . The more he looked the more he might , Beautie bred his hartes delight . and to this dainty Damsell then he went : God speede quoth he , thou famous flower , Faire mistres of this homely bower , where loue & vertue liues with sweete content . With comely iesture & curteous milde behauiour she bad him welcome then : She entertaind him in faithful friendly maner and all his Gentlemen . the noble marques in his hart felt such a flame which set his sences at strife : Quoth he , faire maiden shew me soone what is thy name ? I meane to make thee my wife . Grissell is my name quoth she , Farre vnfit for your degree , a silly Mayden and of parents poore . Nay Grissell thou art rich he sayd , A vertuous faire and comely Mayd , graunt me thy loue , and I wil aske no more . At length she consented , & being both contented they married were with speed : Her contrey russet was changd to silk & veluet as to her state agreed . And when she was trimly tyred in the same , her beauty shined most bright , Far staining euery other braue & comly dame , that did appeare in her sight . Many enuied her therefore , Because she was of parents poore , and twixe her Lord & the great strife did raise Some sayd this , and some sayd that , Some did call her beggers brat , and to her lord they would her soone dispraise O noble Marques ( quoth they ) why doe you wrong vs thus bacely for to wed ? That might haue gotten an honorable Lady , into your Princely bed . Who will not now your noble issue still deride which shall hereafter be borne : That are of blood so base by their mothers side the which will bring them in scorne : Put her therefore quite away , Take to you a Lady gay , whereby your linage may renowned be : Thus euery day they seemde to prate , That malist Grisselles good estate , who tooke all this most milde and patiently . When that the marques did see that they were bent thus against his faithfull wife , Whom he most deerely , tenderly , and entirely , beloued as his life . Minding in secret for to proue her patient hart therby her foes to disgrace : Thinking to play a hard vncurteous part , that men might pittie her case . Great with childe this Lady was , And at length it came to passe , two goodly children at one birth she had : A sonne and daughter God had sent , Which did their father well content , and which did make their mothers hart full glad . Great royall feasting was at these Childrens christnings and princely triumph made : Sixe weeks together , al nobles that came thither were entertaind and staid : And whē that al those pleasant sportings quite were done the Marques a messenger sent : For his yōng daughter , & his prety smiling son declaring his full intent : How that the babes must murdred be , For so the Marques did decree , come let me haue the children then he sayd : With that faire Grissell wept full sore , She wrung her hands and sayd no more , my gracious Lord must haue his wil obaid . She tooke the babies euen from their nursing Ladies betweene her tender armes : She often wishes with many sorrowful kisses that she might helpe their harmes . Farewel farewel a thousand times my childrē deere , neuer shall I see you againe , T is long of me your sad & woful mother heere . for whose sake both must be slaine . Had I been borne of royall race , You mighe haue liu'd in happy case , but you must die for my vnworthines : Come messenger of death said shee , Take my despised babes to thee , and to their father my complaints expres . He tooke the children , and to his noble maister he brings them both with speed : Who secret sent them vnto a noble Lady , to be nurst vp in deed : Thē to faire Grissel with a heauy hart he goes where she sate mildly alone : A pleasant iesture & a louely looke she showes , as if this griefe she neuer had knowen . Quath he , my children now are slaine , What thinkes faire Grissell of the same , sweet Grissell now declare thy mind to mee ; Sith you my Lord are pleasd in it , Poore Grissell thinkes the action sit , both I and mine at your command will be , My nobles murmur faire Grissell at thy honor and I no ioy can haue : Til thou be banisht both frō my court and presence as they vniustly craue : Thou must be stript out of thy costly garments all . and as thou camest to me : In homely gray in steed of bisse & purest pall now all thy cloathing must be . My Lady thou shalt be no more , Nor I thy Lord , which grieues me sore , the poorest life must now content thy minde . A groat to thee I must not giue , To maintaine thee while I doe liue , against my Grissel such great foes I finde . When gentle Grissell did heare these wofull tidings , the teares stood in her eyes : She nothing answered , no words of discontent did from her lips arise . Her veluet gown most patienely she slipped off , her kirtles of silke with the same : her russet gown was broght again with many a scoffe to beare them all her selfe she did frame : When she was drest in this array , And ready was to part away , God send long life vnto my Lord quoth shee Let no offence be found in this , To giue my Lord a parting kisse , with watry eyes , farewel my deere quoth he . From stately Pallace vnto her fathers Cottage poore Grissell now is gone : Full sixteene winters she liued there contented no wrong she thought vpon : And at that time through all the land the speaches went : the Marques should married be : Unto a Lady of high and great discent : to the same all parties did agree . The Marques sent for Grissell faire , The Brides bed chamber to prepare , that nothing therein should be found awrye The Bride was with her brother come , Which was great ioy to all and some : and Grissell tooke all this most patiently . And in the morning when they should to the wedding , her patience now was tride : Grissel was charged her self in princely maner for to attire the Bride . most willingly she gaue consent to do the same the Bride in her brauery was drest : and presently the noble Marques thither came with all his Lords as her request . O Grissel I would aske quoth he , If she would to this match agree . me thinkes her lookes are waxen wondrous coy , With that they all began to smile , And Grissell she replide the while , God send Lord Marques many yeres of ioy The Marques was moued to see his best beloued thus patient in distresse : He stept vnto her , and by the hand he tooke her these wordes he did expresse : Thou art my Bride , & all the Brides I meane to haue : these two thine owne children be : The youthfull Lady on her knees did blessing craue her brother as willing as she , And you that enuied her estate , Whom I haue made my louing mate , now blush for shame , & honor vertuous life : The Chronicles of lasting fame , Shall euer more extoll the name , of patient Grissell my most constant wife . FINIS .