Reliques of ancient English poetry: consisting of old heroic ballads ...

148 ANCIENT SONGS
The woman's mad, quoth Solomon,
That thus doth taunt a king.
: ;
Not half fo mad as you, (he fayd
I trowe, in manye a thing. 60
Thou hadft feven hundred wives at once,
For whom thou didft provide
And yet, god wot, three hundred whores
Thou mull maintaine befide
And they made thee forfake thy God,
And worfhip ftockes and flones;
Befides the charge they put thee to
In breeding of young bones.
Hadft thou not bin befide thy wits,
Thou wouldft not thus have ventur'd ; 70
And therefore I do marvel much,
How thou this place haft enter'd.
I never heard, quoth Jonas then,
So vile a fcold as this.
Thou whore-fon run-away, quoth fhe,
Thou did deft more amifs.
« They fay' quoth Thomas, womens tongues
Of afpen- leaves are made.
Thou unbelieving wretch, quoth fhe,
All is not true that's fayd. 80
When
Ver. 77, I think, £\
75