Litle Musgreue- Percy; pre1650 Child B
The Percy Manuscript is the oldest version, compiled c. 1650 and dating back much earlier. The first page was lost and after verse 11 the "lower half of the page is lost: having broken away."
From Wiki: The Percy Folio is a folio book of English ballads used by Thomas Percy to compile his Reliques of Ancient Poetry. Although the manuscript itself was compiled in the 17th century, some of its material goes back well into the 12th century. It was the most important of the source documents used by Francis James Child for his 1883 ballad collection.
Those who owned the manuscript before Percy did not treat it well; its owners had probably regarded its Middle English and border dialect as incomprehensible and worthless. When Percy first came across the manuscript, in the house of its former owner Sir Humphrey Pitt of Shiffnal, pages were being used by his housemaids to start fires. Percy had the manuscript bound, and the bookbinder inflicted additional damage in trimming the edges of the sheets, losing first or last lines on many pages. Percy did not treat the manuscript particularly well himself; he wrote notes and comments in it and tore out some pages after binding.
The original folio is in the British Library, known as Additional MS. 27879. In its present form the manuscript consists of some 520 paper pages, containing 195 individual items. The works were transcribed in the middle decades of the 17th century. The handwriting in the manuscript appears to be the same throughout and bears some similarity with that of Thomas Blount but it cannot be determined for certain if he originally collected the work. The loose leaves that comprise the manuscript are now individually mounted and covered with gauze.
[Litle Musgreue] Child Version B; Child 81 Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard
Percy Manuscript, p. 53, Hales and Furnivall, I, 119. [this text is incomplete]
* * * * *
1 . . . . .
. . . . .
'For this same night att [Bucklesfeildberry]
Litle Musgreue is in bed with thy wife.'
2 'If it be trew, thou litle foote-page,
This tale thou hast told to mee,
Then all my lands in Buckle[s]feildberry
I'le freely giue to thee.
3 'But if this be a lye, thou little foot-page,
This tale thou hast told to mee,
Then on the highest tree in Bucklesfeildberry
All hanged that thou shalt bee.'
4 Saies, Vpp and rise, my merrymen all,
And saddle me my good steede,
For I must ride to Bucklesfeildberry;
God wott I had neuer more need!
5 But some they whistled, and some th'z sunge,
And some they thus cold say,
When euer as Lord Barnetts horne blowes,
'Away, Musgreue, away!'
6 'Mie thinkes I heare the throstlecocke,
Me thinkes I heare the iay,
Me thinkes I heare Lord Barnetts horne,
Away, Musgreue, away!'
7 'But lie still, lie still, Litle Musgreue,
And huddle me from the cold,
For it is but some sheaperds boy,
Is whistling sheepe ore the mold.
8 'Is not thy hauke vpon a pearch,
Thy horsse eating corne and hay?
And thou, a gay lady in thine armes,
And yett thou wold goe away!'
9 By this time Lord Barnett was come to the dore,
And light vpon a stone,
And he pulled out three silver kayes,
And opened the dores euery one.
10 And first he puld the couering downe,
And then puld downe the sheete;
Saies, How now? How now, Litle Musgreue?
Dost find my gay lady sweet?
11 'I find her sweete,' saies Litle Musgreue,
'The more is my greefe and paine;'
. . . . . .
. . . . .
* * * * *
12 . . . .
. . . . .
'Soe haue I done the fairest lady
That euer wore womans weede.
13 'Soe haue I done a heathen child,
Which full sore greiueth mee,
For which Ile repent all the dayes of my life,
And god be with them all three!'
-----------------
From Roxburghe Ballads:
[Percy Folio Manuscript, Brit. Mus. Add. MS. 27,879, fol. 63.]
[A Fragmt of ye Ballad of Lord Bamard & the Little Musgrave.]
[The beginning half-page it lost.]
For this same night att B[ . . . .] / litle Musgreue is in bed wlh thy wife:
If it be trew, thou litle foote page/ this tale thou hast told to mee,
then all my lands in Bucklefedberry He freely giue to thee.'
But if this be a lye, thtm litle foot page,/ this tale thou hast told to mee,
then on the highest tree in Bucklesfeiid-berry/ all hanged that thou shalt bee.
Saies Vpp & rise my merrymen all/ & saddle me my good steede,
for I must ride to Bucklesfeildberry/ god wott I had neuer more need.
But some they whistled, and some the sunge/ & some they thus cold say,
"When euer as Lo: Baraette home blowes/ away Musgerue, away!"
"Mie thinkes I heare the throstlecoeke,/ me thinkes I heare the Jay,
Me thinkes I heare Lo: Burnetts home :/ away, Musgreue, away.
"But lie still, lie still, litle Musgreue/ & huddle me from the cold,
for it is but some sheaperds boy/ is whistling sheepe ore the Mold.
"Is not thy hauke vpon a pearch/ thy horsso eating come & hay,
& thou, a gay lady in thine annes/ & yett thou wold goo awaw.
By this time Lo: Barnett was come to the dore/ & light vpon a stone,
and he pulled out 3 silver kayes/ & opened the dores euery one.
And first he puld the coucring doune/ & then puld doune the sheete,
Saies, " how now, how now, Litle Musgreue/ dost find my gay lady sweet?"
"I find her sweete," saies litle Musgreue/ the more is my greefe and paine;
[. . . Lower half of the page is lost: having broken away."]
Soe haue I done the fairest Lady/ yt euer wore womans weede, [fol. 54.
Soe haue I done a heathen child/ wch ffull sore grieueth mee,
for wch He repent all the dayes of my life,/ and god be with them all 3.
Finnis.
["Heathen child " was so misinterpreted as to be glossed "P wild, loose knight:" although the reference is clearly to an unbaptised because unborn infant.]