The Duke's Daughter's Cruelty- Pepys; c. 1690; Child P
[The offical title of this broadside ballad (Version P) is The Duke’s Daughter’s Cruelty, or, The Wonderful Apparition of Two Infants whom she Murther’d and Buried in a Forrest, for to hide her shame. According to Chappell, the broadside bears the imprint of Jonah Deacon at the sign of the Angel in Giltspur Street in London, where he was active as a bookseller from around 1684, and it was evidently licensed before the final lapse of the Licensing Act in 1695. Kittredge says "P is from a broadside of about 1690." P is an outstanding version with 25 verses. However there are 26 verses in the original broadside. This missing verse, intentionally taken out by Child, follows Verse 10 of Child's P. Child's notes say, After 10 is introduced, absurdly, this stanza, derived from 'The Famous Flower of Serving Men:'
11. She cut her hair, and changed her name
From Fair Elinor to Sweet William.
See the version below presented by the Ballad Society with the missing verse.
Both O and P are the oldest known versions and come from this similar source, The Duke’s Daughter’s Cruelty," a copy of the broadside was found in Percy's Papers. O is given "with no account of the derivation" and no date is offered.
At first this version- P was titled O in The English and Scottish Popular Ballads: Volume 2, Part 2 - Page 500- 1886. Later in the Additions and Corrections the mistake was rectified and it was retitled.
R. Matteson 2012]
Duke's Daughter's Cruelty Version P; Child 20- The Cruel Mother
Pepys Ballads, V, 4, No 2, from a transcript in the Percy Papers.
1. There was a duke's daughter lived in York,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
So secretly she loved her father's clark.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
2. She loved him long and many a day,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
Till big with child she went away.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
3. She went into the wide wilderness;
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
Poor she was to be pitied for heaviness.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
4. She leant her back against a tree,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there she endurd much misery.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
5. She leant her back against an oak,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
With bitter sighs these words she spoke.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
6. She set her foot against a thorne,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there she had two pretty babes born.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
7. She took her filliting off her head,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there she ty'd them hand and leg.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
8. She had a penknife long [and] sharp,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there she stuck them to the heart.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
9. She dug a grave, it was long and deep,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there she laid them in to sleep.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
10. The coldest earth it was their bed,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
The green grass was their coverlid.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
11. As she was a going by her father's hall,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
She see three children a playing at ball.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
12. One was drest in scarlet fine,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And the other[s was naked] as ere they was born.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
13. 'O mother, O mother, if these children was mine,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
I wold dress them [in] scarlet fine.'
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
14. 'O mother, O mother, when we was thine,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
You did not dress [us] in scarlet fine.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
15. 'You set your back against a tree,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there you endured great misery.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
16. 'You set your foot against a thorne,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there you had us pritty babes born.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
17. 'You took your filliting off your head,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there you bound us, hand to leg.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
18. 'You had a penknife long and sharp,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there you stuck us to the heart.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
19. 'You dug a grave, it was long and deep,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And there you laid us in to sleep.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
20. The coldest earth it was our bed,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
The green grass was our coverlid.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
21. 'O mother, mother, for your sin
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
Heaven-gate you shall not enter in.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
22. 'O mother, mother, for your sin
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
Hell-gates stands open to let you in.'
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
23. The lady's cheeks lookd pale and wan,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
'Alass I,' said she, 'what have I done!'
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
24. She tore her silken locks of hair,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
And dy'd away in sad despair.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
25. Young ladies all, of beauty bright,
Come bend and bear away the bows of yew
Take warning by her last good-night.
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
Notes: The Duke's Daughter's Cruelty, or, The Wonderful Apparition of two Infants who she murtherd and buried in a Forrest for to hide her Shame. Printed for J. Deacon at the Sign of the Angel in Guil[t]-spur Street.
Either the printer or the transcriber was careless.
5[2]. sights.
11[1]. gowing.
12[2]. was naked inserted by Percy.
16[1]. you foot; throne, and perhaps also in 61.
20[1]. coldeth.
23[1]. wand.
25[2]. waring.
After 10 is introduced, absurdly, this stanza, derived from 'The Famous Flower of Serving Men:'
She cut her hair, changed her name
From Fair Elinor to Sweet William.
The copy at II, 500 b (Pepys, V, 4, No 2), is also in the Crawford collection, No 1127, and in that from the Osterley Park library, British Museum, C. 39. k. 6 (60). It is dated 1688-95 in the Crawford catalogue, and 1690? in the Museum catalogue.
The text printed II, 500 is here corrected according to the Museum copy.
2[1]. lovd.
3[2]. for her heaviness.
6[2]. pritty.
8[1]. long and sharp.
12[2]. other as naked as.
13[2]. would.
14[2]. dress us.
21[1], 22[1]. O mother, O mother.
231. Alass! said.
After 10, etc.: hair and.
Title: Infants whom.
Imprint: London: Printed, etc.: Guiltspur.
(9[2], 19[2]. have into, wrongly.)
______________________
printed by J Deacon at the Sign of the Angel in Guiltspur-street, London.
Publications: Volume 37 - Page cv
Ballad Society - 1899
Take one instance of the inherent difference in tone and feeling between the earliest known original in English broadsides, and the much later legendary Scottish versions: viz., the beautiful and almost fantastic poems called 'The Cruel Mother,' 'The Bonny Bairns,' 'Fine Flowers in the Valley,' etc. Dear they are to all who love to dream "lone sitting on the shores of Old Romance." Here is the English analogue or antecedent of them, circd 1684.
Liv*** [Pepys Collection, V, 40; Jersey, III, 69; Lind., 1,127. No woodcut.]
Duke’s Daughter’s Cruelty,
or, The Wonderful Apparition of Two Infants whom she Murther’d and Buried in a Forrest, for to Hide her Shame
To an excellent new Tune. Licensed according to Order.
1. THere was a Duke's Daughter liv'd in York;
Come bend and bear away the Bows of Yew,
So secretly she loved her Father's Clark;
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
2. She loved him long and many a day,
Come bend, etc. [passim.
Till big with child she went away:
Gentle hearts, etc. [passim.
3. She went into the wide Wilderness,
Poor she was to be pitied for her heaviness.
4. She leant her back against a tree, [Cf. " O Waly, waly!"]
And there she endured much misery.
5. She leant her back against an Oak,
With bitter sighs these words she spoke.
6. She set her foot against a Thorn,
And there she had two pritty Babes born.
7. She took her filleting off her head,
And there she ty'd them hand and leg.
8. She had a Pen-knife long and sharp,
And there she stuck them to the heart.
9. She dug a Grave, it was long and deep,
And there she laid them into sleep.
10. The coldest Earth it was their bed,
The green Grass was their coverlid.
11. She cut her hair, and changed her name
From Fair Elinor to Sweet William.
12. As she was going by her Father's hall,
She see three Children a playing at ball:
13. One was drest in scarlet fine,
And the other as naked as e're they was born.
14. [The] mother [cry'd], "O, if these children was mine,
I would dress them [both in the] Scarlet fine."
15. "O Mother! 0 Mother! when we was thine,
You did not dress us in scarlet fine.
16. You set your back against a tree,
And there you endured great misery.
17. You set you[r] foot against a Thorne,
and there you had us pritty Babes born.
18. You took your filleting off your head,
And there you bound us hand to leg.
19. You had a penknife long and sharp,
And there you stuck us to the heart.
20. You dug a grave, it was long and deep,
And there you laid us into sleep.
21. The coldest Earth it was our Bed,
The green Grass was our Coverlid.
22. O Mother, O Mother, for your Sin,
Heaven's-gate you shall not enter in.
23. O Mother, O Mother, for your Sin,
Hell's-gate stands open to let you in."
24. The Lady's cheeks lookd pale and wan,
"Alas!" said she, "what have I done?"
25. She tore her silken locks of hair,
And dyed away in sad despair.
26. Young ladies all, of beauty bright,
Come bend and bear away the Bows of Yew;
Take warning by her last Good-night:
Gentle hearts, be to me true.
London: Printed for J. Deacon, at the sign of the Angel, Guiltspur-street.