%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> The Lamenting Lady,/ Who for the wrongs done to her by a poore woman, for hauing two children at one burthen, was by the hand of God/ most strangely punished, by sending her as many children at one birth, as there are daies in the yeare, in re-/ membrance whereof, there is now a monument builded in the Citty of Lowdon, as many En-/ glish men now liuing in Lowdon, can truely testifie the same and hath seene it. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center Director Patricia Fumerton 1620 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 02/16/2008 20210

The University of California makes a claim of copyright only to original contributions made by Early Modern Center participants and other members of the university community. The University of California makes no claim of copyright to the original text. Permission is granted to download, transmit or otherwise reproduce, distribute or display the contributions to this work claimed by The University of California for non-profit educational purposes, provided that this header is included in its entirety. For inquiries about commercial uses, please contact:

Patricia Fumerton Early Modern Center - English Department University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93105 United States of America EMail: pfumer@english.ucsb.edu

1.44-45 S126140 1 the Ladies Fall The Lady's Fall REgard my griefe kinde Ladies all,/ my heart now bleeding dyes, AT which affright my biggsweld/ (wombe/ deliuered forthin feare Top edge cropped: [The Lamenting Lady], Second line inking uneven: Who for the wr[o]ngs . . . Pepys 1.44-45 STC 15120 for H. Gosson, [c.1620?] Woodblock 1: first 1/2 sheet, over columns 1 & 2: Two women stand in the frame of the picture, facing each other. The woman on the left side of the cut holds a swaddled baby in each arm. She wears a simple dark dress, with lighter colored sleeves and collar, an apron, and a small cap. Her ankles and low shoes are visible beneath the hem of her skirt. Under her right arm (attached to her belt?), she holds a basket. An indeterminate object lies on the ground before her. What appear to be two clouds hang in the sky above her. The woman in the right of the cut stands in the arched doorway of a brick structure. She is dressed in a dark aristocratic dress with puffed sleeves and a frilly collar, and a hat with a long train. Her shoes and ankles are also visible beneath the hem of her dress. She holds her left arm across her stomach, and her right arm upraised. : 117 x 88 Woodblock 2: second 1/2 sheet, over columns 4 & 5: A woman lies in an ornate canopied and curtained bed. She wears a veil and is wrapped as an invalid. She holds her hands in an attitude of prayer and gazes to her left with a smile towards the basket on the table. To her left stands a large table. Upon the table is a container in which several small faces are visible (presumably her babies). Behind the table stands a middle class woman, clad in a dark dress with a high collar and ruff. She holds both hands in the air, and looks to the right of the cut (her left). Behind her, in the right rear corner of the cut, a latticed window stands closed.: 119 x 128 Pepys Library The Pepys ballads : facsimile volume Editor W.G. Day D.S. Brewer Cambridge [England] 1987 Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 44 The Lamenting Lady,/ Who for the wrongs done to her by a poore woman, for hauing two children at one burthen, was by the hand of God/ most strangely punished, by sending her as many children at one birth, as there are daies in the yeare, in re-/ membrance whereof, there is now a monument builded in the Citty of Lowdon, as many En-/ glish men now liuing in Lowdon, can truely testifie the same and hath seene it. The Lamenting Lady, Who for the wrongs done to her by a poore woman, for having two children at one burthen, was by the hand of God most strangely punished, by sending her as many children at one birth, as there are daies in the yeare, in remembrance thereof, there is now a monument builded in the Citty of Lowdon, as many English men now living in Lowdon, can truely testifie the same and hath seene it. The Lamenting Lady, Who for the Wrongs Done to Her by aPoore Woman, for Having Two Children at One Burthen, Was by the Hand of God Most Strangely Punished, by Sending Her as Many Children at One Birth, as There Are Days in the Year, in Remembrance Thereof, There Is Now a Monument Built in the City of Lowdon, as Many Englishmen Now Living in Lowdon, Can Truly Testify the Same and Have Seen It. The second part. The second part. The Second Part. 1/2 sheet folio, originally left part, 286 x 182 1/2 sheet folio, originally right part, 288 x 137 cropped top edge, cropped and torn left edge, creased, uneven inking damaged surface, uneven inking cast fleurons 1620 Printed at London for Henry Gosson,/ and are to be sold at his shop/ on London Bridge. Henry Gosson Weinstein: STC STC 15120 fi H. Gosson, [c. 1620?]

This document follows the guidelines specified for TEI.

XML Generated Automatically at 2/16/2008 2:15:38 PM Using EMC

XBallad Parsing Engine developed by Carl Stahmer.

TEI Template developed by Gerald Egan and Modified by Carl Stahmer

All apostrophes are encoded as '.

Any dashs occurring in line breaks have been removed;

All dashs are encoded as ‐ and all em dashes as —.

 Taxonomy used by Pepys to Organize Ballads in Albums A Small Promiscuous Supplement Devotion & Morality Drinking & Good Fellowship History - True & Fabulous Humour, Frollicks &c Love Pleasant Love Pleasant and Unfortunate Love Unfortunate Marriage Sea State & Times Tragedy Various Subjects Early Modern Center Ballad Project Keyword Taxonomy advice affliction/health alcohol animals/nature appearance Bible/biblical figures buildings/architecture catastrophe children class clothing/fashion country/nation crime death economics/trade entertainment family/procreation folklore gender historical figures & events holidays/seasons infidelity law London love maritime marriage military/war monstrosity mythology/Classical world news nobility/court politics/government punishment religious concepts religious figures religious types & sects royalty rural life servitude sex/sexuality supernatural/magic The New World travel trickery/deceit urban life vice violence virtue vulgarities/crass humor Library of Congress Subject Heading Taxonomy 2/16/2008 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America Devotion & Morality class family/procreation monstrosity punishment Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 2/16/2008 Checker Kris McAbee checked transcription and metadata, formatted xml 6/15/2006 Transcriber Casey Dolan original transcription 7/12/2004 Bibliographer Liberty Stanavage Bibliographic SQL Database Record Created
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">The Lamenting Lady,</hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Who for the wrongs done to her by a poore woman, for having two children at one burthen, was by the hand of God</hi></seg> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">most strangely punished, by sending her as many children at one birth, as there are daies in the yeare, in re-</hi></seg> <seg n="4" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">membrance whereof, there is now a monument builded in the Citty of <hi rend="bold">Lowdon</hi>, as many En-</hi></seg> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">glish men now living in <hi rend="bold">Lowdon</hi>, can truely testifie the same and hath seene it.</hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="6" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">To the tune of the Ladies fall.</hi></seg>
REgard my griefe kinde Ladies all, my heart now bleeding dyes, And shewers of silver pearled teares falls from my weeping eyes: I once was lovely, faire, and young, by nature sweet and kinde, And had those joyes that might content a gallant Ladies minde. But barren grew my wished hopes, no children I could have, Which twixt my wedded Lord and me much cause of sorrowes gave: My tender body pure and faire, and of a princely frame Could not abstaine these sugred joyes that came by Cupids game. Yet beggers borne of low degree such blessings did possesse, Which when I saw my heart grew full of woes and heavinesse: O why should people poore (quoth I) those happy joyes obtaine When I that am a Lady brave should barren thus remaine? I feed on sweet delicious meates, and drinke of purest wine, Yet are there homely bodies still as faire and cleere as mine, and have more sweet fac'd smiling babes then Ladies of degree, And of as tender flesh and bloud as can be shewed by me.
In griefe of heart complaining thus, by chance a woman poore With two sweet children in her armes came begging to my doore: Poore pretty babes they smiled sweete, whereat I needs must know If those two smiling children were the womans owne or no? They are (sweet Madam) both (said she) and both borne at one birth, The which are now my chiefest wealth and blessings on the earth: Can Beggers have what Ladies want in anger I repli'd, And can thy wombe be fruitfull made when mine is still deni'd? I goe attyr'd in garments rich bedeck'd with burnish'd gold, And waited on with worldly pompe, and pleasures manifold, Whilst thou in rags all rent and torne, for thy reliefe dost crave, And with two children blest at once, when I not one can have. Thou art some Strumpt sure I know, and spend'st thy dayes in shame, And stained sure thy marriage bed with spots of black defame: Else unto these two lovely babes thou canst no mother be, When I that live in greatest grace no such content can see.
A hundreth such like taunting tearmes I gave this woman poore Whilst she for pitty and reliefe stood begging at the doore: Reviling her most spightfully with harlots hatefull name, Dissembling with a shamelesse face to cover up her shame. Her heart hereat with inward griefes did feele such mortall paine, And as it were before my face did seeme to breake in twaine: Her pretty babes which at her breasts did sweetly sucking lye To see their mothers bitter moane did sadly sob and crye. Whereat, halfe kild with woe alas, I with my wrongs (quoth she) That these my babes may be reveng'd proud Lady upon thee: And as I am both true and just unto my marriage bed so let Gods wondrous worke be show on thee when I am dead. And for these children two of mine heaven send thee such a number At once, as dayes be in the yeare, to make the world to wonder. For I as true a wife have beene, unto my husbands love: As any Lady on the earth, unto her Lord can prove. Hereat relenting I began, to mourne for this misdeed: And houre by houre in griefe thereof, my sorrowing hart doth bleed At last a heavie hand of heaven, revengd this womans woes: And on my bodies pampered pride, a fearefull Judgement shoes. My cheekes that were so lovely red, of natures choycest dye: Grew blacke and ugly to behould, to every weeping eye. And in my wombe distempered griefes, so vext me day and night: I sweld so bid that I appeard, a strange and monstrous wight. Remembring then the womans words she grieving did impart, A thousand strange misdoubting feares incompast round my heart. And then me thought I sawe her come, in person unto me, With her two children in her armes, my sodaine shame to see.
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">The second part</hi>.</seg>
AT which affright my bigg sweld wombe delivered forth in feare As many children at one time as daies were in the yeare: In bignesse all like new bred mice, yet each one shap'd aright, And every male from female knowne, by Gods great power and might. My husband hereat grieved much, with inward cares and woe, And knew not in what place he should these pretty ympes bestowe: The strange report of this rare birth made people much admire, And of the truth thereof to know the neighbours did desire. Which caus'd my sorrowes still increase being made my Countryes scorne, I wish'd I had in child-bed dyed before they had beene borne: Then had this shame unto my friends beene never seene nor knowne, Nor I in Countries farre and neere a wonder thus be showne. But marke faire women of the world how Heaven did pitty me, When I made sorrowe for my sinnes, and in extremity:
God tooke from hence my cause of shame my children, weake and small: The which poore creatures in one grave were strangely buried all. And on the grave where now they lye a monument still stands To shew this wondrous hap of mine unto all Christian lands, That such as be of high degree may beare a meeker minde, Least they despising of the poore the like misfortune finde. The Lord we see his blessings sends to many women poore As well as to the noble sort, that have aboundant store: Therefore let none desire to have the joyes of worldly things Except it be his sacred will that is the King of Kings.
FINIS. Printed at London for Henry Gosson, and are to be sold at his shop on London Bridge.