%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> The Norfolke Gentleman his last VVill and Testament: / And how hee committed the keeping of his Children to his owne Brother, / who dealt most wickedly with them: and how God / plagued him for it. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center English Broadside Ballad Archive (EBBA) Director Patricia Fumerton Associate Director Carl G Stahmer 1635-1635 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 09/11/2018 36034

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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

S124244 2 Rogero Rogero Rogero To the same tune Rogero To the Same Tune [N]Ow ponder well you parents deare, / the words which I shall write, AWay then went these pretty Babes, / reioycing of that tide, Manchester Central Library Blackletter Ballads Editor none none none none Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 43 The Norfolke Gentleman his last VVill and Testament: / And how hee committed the keeping of his Children to his owne Brother, / who dealt most wickedly with them: and how God / plagued him for it. The Norfolk Gentleman his last Will and Testament: And how he committed the keeping of his Children to his own Brother, who dealt most wickedly with them: and how God plagued him for it. 1635-1635 I.W.

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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 9/11/2018 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 9/11/2018 2:19:22 PM XBallad McCants, Kristen Created XML Version of Ballad 9/11/2018 2:19:22 PM Transcription Supervisor McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 9/11/2018 2:19:22 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Adkison, Katie Transcription of ballad manuscript 9/11/2018 2:19:22 PM Transcriptionist Two McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 9/11/2018 2:19:22 PM Transcriptionist One Serrano, Douglas Transcription of ballad manuscript 11/17/2016 Bibliographer Rachel LevinsonEmley Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">The Norfolke Gentleman his last Will and Testament:</hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">And how hee committed the keeping of his Children to his owne Brother,</hi></seg> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">who dealt most wickedly with them: and how God</hi></seg> <seg n="4" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">plagued him for it.</hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">To the tune of Rogero.</hi></hi></seg>
[N]Ow ponder well you parents deare, the words which I shall write, [A dolefull] story you shall heare, [whi]ch time hath brought to light. [A Gen]tleman of good account, [in Nor]f[o]lke liv'd of late, [Whose wea]lth and riches did surmount [most men o]f his estate, [Sore sicke he was] and like to die, [no helpe that he cou]ld have, [His wife by him as sicke] did lie, [and both possest one grave. No love betweene these two was] lost, [each was to other kinde, In love they lived, in love they dide, and left two Babes behinde. The one a fine and pretty Boy, not passing three yeares old. The next a Girle more young than hee, and made of beauties mold. This Father left his little sonne, as well it doth appeare, When hee to perfect age should come, three hundred pounds a yeare. And to his little daughter Jane, three hundred pounds in Gold, To be paid downe at mariage day,]
which might not be contrould; But if these Children chance to die, ere they to age should come, Their Uncle should possesse this wealth, and so the Will did runne. Now Brother said the dying man, looke to my Children deare, Be good unto my Boy and Girle, no friends I else have here. To God and you I doe commend my Children night and day, A little time be sure wee have within this world to stay. You must be father and mother both, and Uncle all in one, [G]od knowes what will become of them, [when] wee are dead and gone. [With that bespake their mo]ther deare, [O brother mine (quoth shee) You are the man must bring] my Babes, [to wealth or misery. If you do keepe them carefully, then God will you reward, If otherwise you seeme to deale, your deede God will regard, With lips as cold as any clay, shee kist her Children small,]
God blesse you both my little lambes, with that the teares did fall. These speeches then their brother spoke to this sick couple there, The keeping of your Children young, sweet sister do not feare; God never prosper mee nor mine, or ought else that I have, If I do wrong your Children small, when you are laid in grave. Their Parents being dead and gone, the children home hee takes, And brings them home unto his house, and much of them hee makes. Hee had not kept these pretty Babes, a twelvemonth and a day, But for their wealth hee did devise, to make them both away. Hee bargain'd with two Ruffians rude, that were of furious mood That they should take the children young and slay them in the Wood: And told his Wife and all the rest, he did the Children send, To be brought up in faire London, with one that was his friend.
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">The second part. To the same tune.</hi></seg>
AWay then went these pretty Babes, rejoycing of that tide, And smiling with a merry minde, they should on cockhorse ride. They prate and prattle plesantly, as they rode on their way, To them that should their butchers bee, and worke their lives decay. So that the pretty speech they had, made murtherers hearts relent, And that they tooke this deede to doe, full sore they did repent: Yet one of them more hard of heart, did vow to doe his charge, Because the wretch that hired them, had paid them very large. The other would not gree thereto, so here they fell at strife, With one another they did fight, about these Childrens life. And he that was of mildest mood, did kill the other there, within an unfrequented Wood, whiles Babes did quake for feare. He tooke the children by the hand, when teares stood in their eye, And bade them come and goe with him, and looke they did not cry. And two long miles hee led them thus when they for bread complaine, Stay here (quoth he) Ile bring you bread when I doe come againe. Those pretty Babes with hand in hand, went wandering up and downe, But never more they saw the man, approaching from the towne. Their pretty lips with black-berries, were all besmear'd and dy'd, And when they saw the darksome night, they sate them downe and cry'd, Thus wandred these two little Babes till death did end their griefe.
In one anothers armes they dy'd, as Babes wanting reliefe, No buriall these pretty Babes, of any man receives, Till Robin Redbrest painefully, did cover them with leaves, And now the heavy wrath of God, upon their Uncle fell: Yea fearefull fiends did haunt his house his conscience felt at hell. His barns were fir'd, his goods consum'd, his land was barren made, His cattle dy'd within the fields, and nothing with him staid, And in the voyage of Portugall, two of his sonnes did die, And to conclude, himselfe was brought, to extreame misery. He pawn'd and morgag'd all his land, ere seaven yeares went about. And now at length this wicked act, did by this meanes come out. The fellow which did take in hand, the Children for to kill, Was for a robery judg'd to death, as was Gods blessed will, Who did confesse the very truth, the which is here exprest, Their Uncle died, while he for debt, in prison long did rest. Al you that be Executors made, and overseers eke, Of children that be fatherlesse, of Infants mild and meeke, Take you example by the same, and yeeld to each their right, Lest God with such like misery, your wicked minde requite.
FINIS Printed for I.W.