Jan. 25. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



51 



floating about the country, is " King Henrle the 

 ITittli's Conquest : " — 



" As our King lay musing on his bod. 

 He bethought himself upon a time, 

 Of a tribute that was due frou France, 

 Had not been paid for so long a time." 

 It was first printed from " oral communication," 

 by Sir Harris Nicolas, who inserted two versions 

 in the Appendix to his History of the Battle of 

 Agiitcoiirt, 2d edition, 8vo. 1832. It aorain ap- 

 peared (not from either of Sir Harris Nicolas's 

 copies) in the Rev. J. C. Tyler's Henri/ of Mon- 

 mouth, Svo. vol. ii. p. 197. And, lastly, in Mr. 

 Dixon's Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the 

 Peasantry of England, printed by the Percy So- 

 ciety in 1846. These copies vary considerably 

 from each other, wliich cannot be wondered at, 

 when we find that tlioy were obtained from inde- 

 pendent sources. ]\lr. Tyler does not allude to 

 Sir Harris Nicolas's copies, nor does Sir. Di.xon 

 seem aware that any printed version of the tra- 

 ditional ballad had preceded his. The ballad, 

 however, existed in a printed " broad-side " long 

 before the publications alluded to, and a copy, 

 "•Printed and sold in Aldermary Church Yard," 

 is now before me. It is called " King Henry V., 

 his Conquest of France in Revenge lor the Affront 

 offered by the French Kins^ in sending him (instead 

 of the Tribute) a ton of Tennis Balls." 



An instance of the various changes and muta- 

 tions to which, in the course of ages, a popular 

 ballad is subject, exists in the " Frog's Wedding." 

 The pages of the " Notes and Queries " testify to 

 this in a remarkable degree. But no one has yet 

 hit upon the original ballad; unless, indeed, the 

 following be it, and I think it has every appearance 

 of being the identical ballad licensed to Edward 

 Wiiite in 1580-1. It is taken from a rare mu- 

 sical volume in my library, entitled Melismata; 

 Masicall Phansies, fitting the Court, Citie, and 

 Countrey Humours. Printed by William Stanshy 

 for Thomas Adams, 1611. 4to. 



" THE MARUIAGE OF THE FK.OGGE AXD THE MOUSE. 



" It was the Frogge in the well, 

 Humble-dum, humble dum ; 

 And the merrie blouse in the mill, 

 Tweedle, twecdie twino. 



" Tlie Fi'ogge would a- wooing ride, 

 Iluinble-duni, &c. 

 Sword and buckler by his side, 

 Tweedle, &c. 



" When he was upon his high horse set. 

 Humble dum, &c. 

 His boots they shone as blacke as jet, 

 TweL'dle, ilc. 



" When he came to the merry mill pin, 

 Huinblc-dum, &c. 

 Lady Mouse, beene you within? 

 Tweedle, &c. 



" Then came out the dusty IMouse, 

 Humble-dum, &e. 

 I am Lady of this house, 

 Tweedle, &c.' 



" Hast thou any minde of me ? 

 Humble-dum, &e. 

 I have e'ne great minde of thee, 

 Tweedle, &c. 



" Who sliall this marriage make ? 

 Humble-dum, &c. 

 Our Lord, which is the Rat, 

 Tweedle, &c. 



" What shall we have to our supper? 

 Humble-dum, &c. 

 Three beanes in a pound of butter, 

 Tweedle, &c. 



" When supper they were at, 

 Humble-dum, &c. 

 The Frogge, the Mouse, and even the Rat, 

 Tweedle, &c. 



" Then came in Gib our Cat, 

 Humble-dura, &e. 

 And catcht the Mouse even by the backe, 

 Tweedle, &c. 



"■ Then did they separate, 

 Humblo-diim, &c. 

 And the Frogge leapt on the floore so flat, 

 Tweedle, &c. 



'• Then came in Dicke our Drake, 

 Humble-dum, &c. 

 And drew the Frogge even to the lake, 

 Tweedle, &c. 



" The Rat ran up the wall, 

 Humble-dum, &c. 

 A goodly company, the Divell goe with all, 

 Tweedle, &c." 



I rom what I have shown, the reader will agree 

 with me, that a collector of ballads from oral tra- 

 dition should possess some acquaintance with the 

 labours of his predecessors. This knowledge is 

 surely the smallest part of the duties of an editor. 



I remember reading, some years ago, in the 

 writings of old Zarlino (an Italian author of the 

 si.xteenth century), an amusing chapter on the 

 necessary qualifications for a " complete mu- 

 sician." The recollection of this forcibly returns 

 to me after perusing the following extract from 

 the pref;ice to a Collection of Ballads (2 vols. Svo. 

 Edinburgh, 1828), by our "simple" but well- 

 meaning friend, " Mr. Peter Buchan of Peter- 

 head." 



" No one has yet conceived, nor has it entered the 

 mind of man, what patience, perseverance, and general 

 knowledge are necessary for an editor of a Collection 

 of Ancient Ballads ; nor what mountains of ditliculties 

 he has to overcome ; what hosts of enemies he has to 

 encounter; and what myriads of little-minded (piibblers 

 he has to silence. The writing of CNplanatory notes is 

 like no other species of literature. History throws 



