%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> A NOBLE RIDDLE/ Wisely Expounded: OR/ The Maids answer to the Knights three Questions./ She with her excellent wit and Civil carriage,/ Won a young Knight to joyn with her in Marriage;/ This gallant Couple now is Man and Wife,/ And she with him doth lead a pleasant life. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center Director Patricia Fumerton 0 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 08/19/2007 21012

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

3.19r R188690 1 Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom Lay the Bent to the Bony Broom Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom THere was a Lady of the North=Country/ lay the bent to the bonny broom, lay the bent to the bonny broom, (line 2 of each stanza); fa la la la, fa la la la ra re (line 4 of each stanza) hinged broadside with verso:"[T]he Venturing Lover, / Or, John and Betties Wooing "; original text faces left. Pepys 3.19r Wing N1215[A]; Rollins (2) 1959 (March 1, 1675, ii, 496). 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. 3: 19 A NOBLE RIDDLE/ Wisely Expounded: OR/ The Maids answer to the Knights three Questions./ She with her excellent wit and Civil carriage,/ Won a young Knight to joyn with her in Marriage;/ This gallant Couple now is Man and Wife,/ And she with him doth lead a pleasant life. A NOBLE RIDDLE Wisely Expounded: OR, The Maids answer to the Knights three Questions. She with her excellent wit and Civil carriage, Won a young Knight to joyn with her in Marriage; This gallant Couple now is Man and Wife, And she with him doth lead a pleasant life. A Noble Riddle Wisely Expounded: Or, The Maid's Answer to the Knight's Three Questions. She With Her Excellent Wit and Civil Carriage, Won a Young Knight to Join With Her in Marriage; This Gallant Couple Now Is Man and Wife, And She With Him Leads a Pleasant Life. 1/2 sheet oblong folio, hinged, 195 x 300 cropped left edge, torn bottom right corner, creased, damaged surface, uneven inking, verso shows through 0 Printed for W. Thackeray, E.M. and A.M. W. Thackeray, E.M., A.M.

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 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 8/19/2007 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America Love Pleasant love marriage nobility/court sex/sexuality 08/19/2007 Checker Laura Miller Checked transcription, edited metadata, xml verified 08/10/2006 Transcriber Summer Star Original Transcription 2004 Bibliographer Simone Chess Bibliographic SQL Database Record Created
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">A NOBLE RIDDLE</hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left">Wisely Expounded:<hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">OR,</hi></hi></seg> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">The Maids answer to the Knights three <hi rend="bold">Questions</hi>.</hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="4" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">She with her excellent wit and Civil carriage,</hi></seg> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Won a young Knight to joyn with her in Marriage;</hi></seg> <seg n="6" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">This gallant Couple now is Man and Wife,</hi></seg> <seg n="7" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">And she with him doth lead a pleasant life.</hi></seg> <seg n="8" rend="indent"><hi rend="italic">Tune is, L<hi rend="bold">ay the bent to the bonny broom</hi>.</hi></seg>
THere was a Lady of the North-Country lay the bent to the bonny broom, And she had lovely Daughters three, fa la la la, fa la la la ra re. There was a Knight of Noble worth, lay the bent, etc. Which also lived in the North, fa la, etc. The Knight of Courage stout and brave, lay the bent, etc. A wife he did desire to have, fa la, etc. He knocked at the Ladies Gate, lay the bent, etc. One Evening when it was late; fa la, etc. The youngest Sister let him in, lay the bent, etc. And pin'd the door with a Silver pin; fa la, etc.
The second Sister she made his bed, lay the bent, etc. And laid soft Pillows under his head, fa la, etc. The youngest that same night, lay the bent, etc. She went to bed to this young Knight, fa la, etc. And in the Morning when it was day, lay the bent, etc. These words unto him she did say: fa la, etc. Now you have had your will (quoth she, lay the bent, etc. I pray sir Knight will you Marry me, fa la, etc. The young brave Knight to her reply'd, lay the bent, etc. Thy suit fair Maid shall not be deny'd, fa la, etc.
IF thou canst answer me questions three, lay the bent, etc. This very day I will marry thee: fa la, etc. Kind Sir, in Love, O then quoth she, lay the bent, etc. Tell me what your three questions be, fa la, etc. O what is longer then the way? lay the bent etc. Or what his deeper then the Sea, fa la, etc. Or what is louder then the Horn? lay the bent, etc. Or what his sharper then a thorn? fa la, etc. Or what is greener then the Grass? lay the bent, etc. Or what is worse then a woman was: fa la, etc. Here followeth the Damsels Answer to the Knights three Questions. O Love is longer then the way, lay the bent, etc. And Hell is deeper then the Sea, fa la, etc.
And thunder's louder than the horn, lay the bent, etc. And Hunger's sharper then a thorn, fa la, etc. And Poyson's greener then the grass, lay the bent, etc. And the Devils worse then the woman was, fa la, etc. When she these questions answered had, lay the bent, etc. The Knight became exceeding glad, fa la, etc. And having truly try'd her wit, lay the bent, etc. He much commended her for it, fa la, etc. And after, as 'tis verifi'd, lay the bent, & c. He made of her his lovely Bride: fa la, etc. So now fair Maidens all adieu, lay the bent, etc. This Song I dedicate to you: fa la, etc. I wish that you may constant prove lay the bent to the bonny broom Unto the man that you do love, fa la la la, fa la la la ra re.
Printed for W. Thackeray, E.M. and A.M.