%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> The Tormented Lovers. / Maidens Lament their present State, / And count they meet with rigid Fate; / But e're they will their minds explain, / They'l dye of their Tormenting Pain. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center English Broadside Ballad Archive (EBBA) Director Patricia Fumerton Associate Director Carl G Stahmer 1678-1678 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 07/16/2014 33403

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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

R228583 1 Oh Love! if e're thoul't ease a Heart. UNKNOWN Oh Love! if e're thoul't ease a Heart. O Love if e're thou'lt ease a Heart, / that owns thy power Divine, Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 918 The Tormented Lovers. / Maidens Lament their present State, / And count they meet with rigid Fate; / But e're they will their minds explain, / They'l dye of their Tormenting Pain. The Tormented Lovers. Maidens Lament their present State, And count they meet with rigid Fate; But ere they will their minds explain, They'll die of their Tormenting Pain. 1678-1678 Charles Passenger

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 Early Modern Center Ballad Project Keyword Taxonomy advice affliction/ health alcohol Americas animals/ nature Bible/ biblical figures buildings/ architecture catastrophe children class clothing/ appearance country/ nation crime death economics/ commerce entertainments family Featured folklore gender holidays/ seasons infidelity labor/ craft law London love maritime marriage military/ war monstrosity mythology/ Classical news nobility/ court politics/ government procreation punishment race/ ethnicity religious concepts religious figures religious groups royalty rural life servitude sex/ sexuality supernatural/ magic travel trickery/ deceit urban life vice violence virtue vulgar humor youth/ age Library of Congress Subject Heading Taxonomy 7/16/2014 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America affliction/ health death gender love Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 7/16/2014 8:19:30 AM XBallad Saylor, Colton Created XML Version of Ballad 7/16/2014 8:19:30 AM Transcription Supervisor Meyer, Shannon Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/16/2014 8:19:30 AM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Palmer Browne, Megan Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/16/2014 8:19:30 AM Transcriptionist Two Liebe, Lauren Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/16/2014 8:19:30 AM Transcriptionist One Yonker, Tori Transcription of ballad manuscript 2/22/2013 Checker William Hildalgo Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 11/5/2012 Bibliographer Shannon Meyer Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">The Tormented Lovers. </hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Maidens Lament their present State,</hi></seg> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">And count they meet with rigid Fate;</hi></seg> <seg n="4" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">But e're they will their minds explain,</hi></seg> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">They'l dye of their Tormenting Pain.</hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="6" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">[To] a pleasant Play-house Tune, called, <hi rend="bold">Oh Love! if e're thoul't ease a Heart.</hi></hi></seg>
O Love if e're thou'lt ease a Heart, that owns thy power Divine, That Bleeds with thy too cruel Dart; Yea, Burns with never ceasing smart; take pitty now on mine: Beneath the shades, I fainting lye; Ten Thousand times I wish to dye; Yet when I find cold Death draw nigh, I grive to loose my pleasing pain, and call my Wishes back again. Thus I sate musing all alone, in the shady myrtle Grove, As to myself, I made a moan, And every Eccho gave a Groan; came by the Man I Lov'd. Oh! How I strove, my Griefs to hide, I Panted, Sigh'd, and almost Dy'd, Yet did each tatling Eccho chide; for fear some Breath of moving Air, should to his Ears my Sorrows bear.
And now you Powers, I dye to gain, but one poor parting kiss; Yet will endure this deadly pain, E're Ile one Wish or Thought retain, that Honour thinks amiss. Thus are poor maids unkindly us'd, By Love and Nature, both abus'd, All kinds of Comforts are refus'd: for when we burn with secret Flame, we hide our griefs, or dye with shame. Such Torments we poor Maids endure; the like was never known, In any former Age 'tis sure, Nor can we hope to find a cure which moves us thus to moan: In secret places, where we lye, Each Minute ready for to dye; And all in vain, for help we cry. For comfortless we still remain, tortur'd with grief, and wreckt with pain.
OUr Lives are comfortless to us, except we them injoy; Who cause us for to Languish thus: Who'd think the want of one poor Buss, could Maidens thus annoy; That night and day we should Lament, And wast away in discontent; Our Follies still we do repent: but 'tis in vain, for 'tis too late, for to lament our rigid fate. We must these Torments still endure, except Men prove more kind; Nought else to us can joy procure, Or bring that Bliss which will endure, as comfort to the mind. Languishing thoughts do us consume, And in the end will prove our doom; Yea, bring each Maiden to her Tomb; who can her Love no ways obtain, but dies, because she Loves in vain. What rigid fate is this we meet, each hour of every day, Whilst Men their days are blest and sweet, In e'ry part our Pulses beat, and we consume away. Where's Cupids court of equity, For Poets say, it so should be; But such a thing, I ne'r could see, which forces me for to complain, although I find 'tis all in vain.
Then let us bid this World farewell, since we no joys can find. Elizium will this place excell; For this to us is present Hell, tormenting every mind; Who feels the smart of Cupids Bow, Is weary of her Life, I know She doth Torments undergo, and therefore will be free to part, from this sad world, to ease her Heart. Yet those who can their Loves injoy, thrice happy sure are they, Nothing on Earth can them annoy; What crosses can their Bliss destroy, who surfeit every day. Banquets of kisses do they tast; While we for want consume and wast: Unto the Grave, then let us hast; for Death must be our chiefest friend, and put our Sorrows to an end. Tormented Heart, then brake and dye, since Ime so slighted here; In flames of fire, I scorch and fry, And so shall do perpetually, till I injoy my dear; Which if I never can obtain, To hope to Live, as all in vain; For I with Sorrow shall be Slain; yet freely will this Word depart, with a true Lovers Broken-Heart.
London[.] Printed for Charles Passenger, on London-Bridge.