Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Popular music of the olden time > Volume 1

174
ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC.
QUEEJSr ELEANOR'S CONFESSION.
This is the traditional tune to the ballad which is printed in Percy's Reliques^
of Ancient Poetry (No. 8, series ii., book 2). A copy is in the Bagford Collection,
i. 26, to be sung to "a pleasant new tune."
Moderate time.
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ESSEX'S LAST GOOD-NIGHT, or WELL-A-DAY.
This air is contained in Elizabeth Rogers' MS. Virginal Book (Brit. Mus.) ;
and in a transcript of virginal music made by Sir John Hawkins, now in the pos-
session of Dr. Rimbault. In the former it is entitled Essex's last Grood-night, and
there are but eight bars in the tune ; the latter is called Well-a-day, and consists
of sixteen bars.
The ballad of Essex's last Good-nigld is in the Pepys Collection, i. 106 ; and
Roxburghe, i. 101, and 185. In the Pepys Collection it is called "A lamentable
new ballad upon the Earl of Essex his death ; to the tune of Tlie King's last
Good-nighty In the Roxburghe, i. 101, to the tune of Essex's last Oood-night.
It is printed in Evans' Old Ballads, iii. 167 (1810) ; but, as usual, without the
name of the tune. The first verse of the Pepys copy is as follows : —
" All you that cry hone, O hone ! [alas],
Come now and sing Lord with me ;
For why our jewel is from us gone,
The valiant knight of chivalry.
Of rich and poor belov'd was he ;
In time an honorable knight ;
When by our laws condemn'd was he.
And lately took his last Good-night."
This is on the death of Walter Devereux, Earl of Essex (father of Queen Eliza-
beth's favorite), who died in Dublin, in 1576. Another on the same subject, and
in the same metre, has been printed by Mr. Payne Collier, in his Extracts from
the Registers of the Stationers' Company, ii. 35 ; beginning thus : —