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

56
ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC.
"Pastime with good Company."
The words and music of this song are preserved in a manuscript of the time of
Henry VIII., formerly in Eitson's possession, and now in the British Museum
(Add. MSS., 5665) ; in which it is entitled The King's Ballad. Ritson
mentions it in a note to his Historical Essay on Scotish Song, and Stafford Smith
printed it in his Musica Antiqua in score for three men's voices. It is the first of
those mentioned in Wedderburn's Complaint of Scotland, which was published in
1549 : " Now I will rehearse some of the sweet songs that I heard among them
(the shepherds) as after follows : in the first Pastance with good Company" &c.
The tune is also to be found arranged for the lute (without words) in the volume
among the king's MSS. before cited (Append. 58), of which "Dominus Johannes
Bray" was at one time the possessor. This may be considered as another proof
of its former popularity.
In moderate time
Song by Henry VIII.
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Pas-time with good com - pa-ny I love, and shall un - til I die ;
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Grudge who will, hut none de - ny, So God he pleas'd this life will I : For my pastance, Hunt,
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sing and dance ; My heart is set. All good-ly sport To my comfort, Who shall me let?
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Youth will needs have dalliance,
Of good or ill some pastance ;
Company me thinketh the hest
All thoughts and fantasies to digest,
For idleness
Is chief mistress
Of vices all :
Then who can say
But pass the day
Is best of all ?
Company with honesty
Is virtue, — and vice to flee :
Company is good or ill,
But ev'ry man hath his free will.
The hest I sue,
The worst eschew :
My mind shall be
Virtue to use :
Vice to refuse
I shall use me.