| A. a. |
Title. A Noble Riddle wisely Expounded:
or, The Maids answer to the Knights Three
Questions.
She with her excellent wit and civil carriage,
Won a young Knight to joyn with him in marriage;
This gallant couple now is man and wife,
And she with him doth lead a pleasant Life.
Tune of Lay the bent to the bonny broom.
|
| c. |
Knights questions. Wed a knight ...
with her in marriage. |
| A. a. |
Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, I. Wright,
and I. Clarke. |
| b. |
Printed for W. Thackeray, E. M. and A. M. |
| c. |
Licens'd according to Order. London.
Printed by Tho. Norris, at the L[o]oking
glass on London-bridge. And sold by J.
Walter, in High Holborn. |
| |
In Rawlinson and Wood the first seven lines
are in Roman and Italic type; the remain
der being in black letter and Roman. The
Pepys copy has one line of the ballad in
black letter and one line in Roman type.
The Douce edition is in Roman and Italic.
|
| A. |
11, c, i' th' North: d, in the.
31. c, This knight.
51. a, b, c, d, The youngest sister.
71. b, d, The youngest that same,
c, that very same.
72. a, with this young knight.
92. d, sir knight, you marry me.
After 10, there is a wood-cut of the knight
and the maid in a; in b two cuts of the
knight.
112. c, I'll marry, d, I will.
121. c omits in love.
122. b, c, d, three questions.
141. d, a horn.
After 15: a, Here follows the Damosels answer
to the Knight's Three Questions: c,
The Damsel's Answers To The Knight's
Questions: d, The Damsel's Answer to the
Three Questions.
17, 18. b, c, d, thunder 's, hunger 's, poyson 's, devil 's.
182. d, the woman.
191. c, those.
20. a, b omit truly.
211. b, c, d, as 't is. |
| B. |
The burden is printed by Gilbert, in the text,
"Jennifer gentle and Rosemaree." He appears to take Jennifer and
Rosemaree to be names of the sisters. As printed under the music,
the burden runs,
Juniper, Gentle and Rosemary.
No doubt, juniper and rosemary, simply, are
meant; Gentle might possibly be for gentian.
In 2 H the burden is,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme:
curiously varied in I thus:
Every rose grows merry wi thyme:
and in G,
Sober and grave grows merry in time. |
| C. |
18. "Vergris in another set." M. |
| D. |
Manuscript before st. 1, "The Devil speaks;" before
st. 6, "The maiden speaks." |
