%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> Two Unfortunate LOVERS: / Or, A Relation of the lamentable End of John True and Susan Mease. / Their Lives this Ditty doth relate, / And how she dy'd unfortunte University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center English Broadside Ballad Archive (EBBA) Director Patricia Fumerton Associate Director Carl G Stahmer ?-? Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 07/09/2021 37473

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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

R185837 1 The Bride's Burial, &c. In Peascod Time The Bride's Burial, etc. ATtend you Lovers and give ear, / unto my mournful Song, British Library - Bagford Editor none none none none Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 2: 121 2: 122 Two Unfortunate LOVERS: / Or, A Relation of the lamentable End of John True and Susan Mease. / Their Lives this Ditty doth relate, / And how she dy'd unfortunte Two Unfortunate LOVERS: Or, A Relation of the lamentable End of John True and Susan Mease. Their Lives this Ditty doth relate, And how she died unfortunate Printer W.O. ?-? W.O. A. Bettesworth

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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 7/9/2021 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 7/9/2021 6:53:28 PM XBallad Henderson, Olivia Created XML Version of Ballad 7/9/2021 6:53:28 PM Transcription Supervisor McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/9/2021 6:53:28 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Stark, Nicole Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/9/2021 6:53:28 PM Transcriptionist Two McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/9/2021 6:53:28 PM Transcriptionist One Raychawdhuri, Anita Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/4/2019 Bibliographer Kristen McCants Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Two Unfortunate LOVERS:</hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Or,</hi> A Relation of the lamentable End of</hi> John True <hi rend="italic">and</hi> Susan Mease.</seg> <lb/> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Their Lives this Ditty doth relate,</hi></hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="4" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">And how she dy'd unfortunte</hi></hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">To the Tune of, <hi rend="bold">The Bride's Burial,</hi> etc.</hi></seg>
ATtend you Lovers and give ear, unto my mournful Song, Of two that loved faithfully, yet did each other wrong: At Coventry in Warwickshire, this young Man he did dwell, His name John True, a Shoomaker, and liv'd of it full well. At Corly did this Maiden dwell, three miles from Coventry, Yet for the love he bore to her, he would her often see: And coming to her on a day, he told to her his mind, Susan, quoth he, I love thee dear, be not to me unkind. If thou canst love and fancy me, in heart and eke in mind, I will prove loving unto thee, be not to me unkind. Thy chearful looks rejoyce my heart, and merry make my mind; Sweet Susan then love me again, be not to me unkind.
Good John, I thank you for your love and wish you at home to tarry, I am too young for you to wed, and have no mind to marry. Where you do dwell are maidenstore of beauty fair and free, Set not thy love upon me then, for I cannot love thee. This answer struck him to the heart as cold as any stone, Then homewards strait he did return with many a sigh and groan: Wishing that he had ne'r been born, or in his cradle dy'd; Unhappy Man to love so true, and yet to be deny'd: Quoth he, I will to her again, and hear what she doth say, It may be she may be more kind, though first she said me nay; Then coming to the town again, he sent for her straitway, Desiring her to speak with him, but still she said him nay.
Then did he sigh, lament, and grieve, and knew not what to say, Then did he take his pen in hand, and writ these words straitway: My Heart's Delight and only Joy, kill me not with disdain, Vouchsafe that I may speak with thee, to rid me out of pain: Resolve me, Sweetest, I thee pray, why is thy hatred such? I know no cause, unless it be for loving thee too much: As is my name, true is my love, sweet Susan, unto thee; True is my name, true is my love, and ever so shall be. My love is loyal, just, and good, kill me not with disdain, Rather do me the courtesie, to love for love again. When she had read and understood his mind and his intent, She then began to like and love, and yield him heart's content. John, I am thine, if thou be'st mine, forever and for aye, It was to try thy constancy, that I did say thee nay. But here's my hand, my heart and love i'll ne'r thee more deny; My love is constant, firm and true, and shall be till I dye. Then they imbrac'd each others love, and joyn'd in heart and voice, That she of him; and he of her had made so sweet a choice. But Fortune that doth often frown, where she before did smile, The Man's delight, the Maiden's joy full soon she did beguile: When she was setled in her love, then he would change his mind, And for to try her constancy, would be to her unkind:
And thus resolved in his mind, he'd come to her no more, But went and wooed another Maid, which griev'd her heart full sore. Quoth he, She proved unto me hard-hearted and unkind; But now her true love I have won, i'll bear the selfsame mind. When she perceived his love to her not as 'twas wont to be, She did lament, sigh, weep and grieve, and then these words said she: False-hearted wretch adieu, quoth she, disloyal and unkind, And if I dye for love of thee, thou shalt not know my mind. Woe to the time I did believe that flattering tongue of thine, Would God that I had never seen the tears of thy false eyn. Hard hap had I to set my love on one that mocked me, Sure all the country did not yield a Man so false as he. Thus was she brought to mean estate, all comfort from her fled, She did desire to speak with him, before that she was dead. Her friends did seek to chear her up, and to make glad her mind, But she was kill'd with loving him, who prov'd to her unkind: False-hearted Man, may never Maid love thee as I have done, But may my death remembred be, to time that is to come. But may all Maids example take by this my mournful death, And now, O Lord, receive my soul, to thee I yield my breath. Thus dy'd the Pattern of true love, thus dy'd a vertuous Maid, Thus dy'd as good a harmless Lass as ever love betray'd.
Six Maids in white, as custom is did bear her to the grave; Her Parents grieve, lament and mourn no child at all they have. Whenas her Lover understood, for truth that she was dead, He rag'd, and ready was to tare the hair from off his head: But when he came unto the place where his true Lover lay, He straightway ran unto the grave, and there these words did say: Susan, quoth he, I'll kiss thy grave, upon my bended knee, Whereby I'll shew to all the World, how dear I loved thee. And as he lay upon the ground, he heard a voice to say, John True, if e'r thou lov'dst me dear, make hast and come away. Then started he up from the grave, and stood like one struck dumb, And when he had regain'd his speech, he said, I come, I come. And thus like one out of his wits, he rag'd in pitious sort, That all the Neighbours presently were griev'd at his report. And thus with sorrow & grief of heart he lay a whole fortnight, And when he had confest his fault, he yield up his spirit. According to his heart's desire, and as he did request, They dig'd his grave, and laid him down by her whom he lov'd best. You young men all that have true loves be sure unto your friend, And if you love, be sure your love be true unto the end. And thus I end my story true, so full of grief and woe; May never any seek again to wrong each other so.
London: Printed by and for W.O. and are to be sold by A. Bettesworth, at the Red Lion on London-bridge.