Story-Telling Ballads

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 Excerpt: ...tell thee, roister, it hath store Of beef and bacon fat, With sheaves of barley-bread to make Thy chaps to water at! Here stands my bottle, here my bag, If thou canst win them, roister; Against thy sword and buckler here, My sheep-hook is my master. Benedicitel quoth our good King It never shall be said, That Alfred, of the Shepherd's hook, Will stand a whit afraid. So foundly thus they both fell to't, And giving bang for bang; At ev'ry blow the Shepherd gave King Alfred's sword cried twang! His buckler proved his chiefest fence; For still the Shepherd's hook Was that the which King Alfred could In no good manner brook. At last, when they had fought four hours, And it grew just midday, And wearied both, with right good will, Desired each other's stay: A truce, I crave, quoth Alfred then Good Shepherd, hold thy hand, A sturdier fellow than thyself Lives not within the land! Nor a lustier roister than thou art, The churlish Shepherd said; To tell thee plain, thy thievish look Now makes my heart afraid. Else sure thou art some prodigal, Which hast consumed thy store, And now com'st wand'ring in this place To rob and steal for more. Deem not of me, then, quoth our King, Good Shepherd, in this sort. A gentleman well known I am In good King Alfred's Court. PART II--WHEREIN KINO ALFRED BECOMES A SHEPHERD THE Devil thou art! the Shepherd said, Thou go'st in rags all torn; Thou rather seem'st, I think, to be Some beggar basely born. But if thou wilt mend thy estate, And here a shepherd be; At night, to Gillian, my sweet wife, Thou shalt go home with me: For she's as good a toothless dame As mumbleth on brown bread; Where tho...