Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 235 



The ballad stanza is, however, customarily written in four verses ; 

 thus, in 'Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight,' first stanza/ 



Or in ' Georgie 







- — oo o — 



» ( 1 i 



c c c c 



1 1 1 



? 2 



secon 



d stanza — 







U 



o — o - — 



O U 





u 



fj t> 



o o 



It may be added in passing that a rare form of ballad stanza, that 

 of the 'IsTot-browne Mayd,'^ is derived from the iambic dimeter 

 under Ex. 8. Second stanza. 



o — o -J 



o o -' j 



(J KJ KJ <* 



O uv ^ 



O U ''J 



o- 



— 



o — 



o 



— 



o • 



v ■ 



— 



o — 



u 





o 



o 





O - — 



o 





• u 



o 



— 



u 



u 





u 



u 





- o 



u 





O 



This affords an illustration of the resolution of the full stanza of 

 Ex. 8, and keeps the proportion of the type between ' pedes ' and 

 * Cauda.' 



To return again to the septenar, and cite additional illustrations 

 of the close modeling of the English stanza upon the Latin. 



Ex. 11. A song.^ Fifth stanza. Southern dialect. 



Be stille, hou fol, y calle bou riht, II cost hou neuer blynne? 

 "bou art wayted ddy & nyht II vfih fader & al my kynne ; 

 be 'bou in mi bour ytdke, ll lete bey for no synne 

 me to holde, & ]?e to slou : || he de]? so Jjou malit wynne? 





\J — c/ — C U " (J — ^ u 





— o — u — O — '"J — oo— ^ — u 





U U O '• U — U u 





\J U O "U U O (J 



Characteristics : 



Those of Ex. 2 and Ex. 9 



entrelacee. 





1 Child, vol 1, p. 57. 2 Child, vol. 7, p. 140. 



3 Percy, vol. 2,. p. 193. * Boddekcr, p. 172. 



