Now bricklay'rs, carpenters, and joiners, A ditch of water four feet wide, Where Taste would want its great first law, By whose miraculous assistance You gain a prospect two fields distance. The villa thus completely grac'd, All own that Thrifty has a taste; And Madam's female friends and cousins, Flock ev'ry Sunday to the seat, THE FRIAR OF ORDERS GREY. FIRST PUBLISHED BY DR. PERCY. It was a Friar of Orders Grey Walk'd forth to tell his beads; And he met with a lady fair "Now Christ thee save, thou reverend Friar, I pray thee tell to me, If ever at yon holy shrine My true love thou didst see." "And how should I your true-love know And by his sandal shoon. "Bu chiefly by his face and mien His flaxen locks that sweetly curl'd, "O Lady, he is dead and gone! "Within these holy cloysters long He languish'd and he died, Lamenting of a lady's love, And 'plaining of her pride. "Here bore him barefac'd on his bier, Six proper youths and tall, And many a tear bedew'd his grave, "And art thou dead, thou gentle youth! And art thou dead and gone! And didst thou die for love of me?-Break, cruel heart of stone!" "O weep not, Lady, weep not so; "O do not, do not, holy Friar, My sorrow now reprove; "And now, alas! for thy sad loss, "Weep no more, Lady, weep no more, Thy sorrow is in vain : For violets pluck'd, the sweetest showers Will ne'er make good again. "Our joys as winged dreams do fly, "O, say not so, thou holy Friar, pray thee, say not so; For since my true-love dy'd for me, 'Tis meet my tears should flow. "And will he never come again? Will he ne'er come again? Ah! no; he is dead, and laid in his grave, For ever to remain. His cheek was redder than the rose; The comeliest youth was he!- "Sigh no more, Lady, sigh no more, One foot on sea and one on land, "Hadst thou been fond, he had been false, And left thee sad and heavy; For young men e'er were fickle found, "Now say not so, thou holy Friar, I pray thee say not so; My love he had the truest heart O he was ever true! "And art thou dead, thou much-lov'd youth! And didst thou die for me? Then farewell home! for evermore A pilgrim I will be. "But first upon my true-love's grave My weary limbs I'll lay, And thrice I'll kiss the green-grass turf That wraps his breathless clay." |