Recording: Save a Theefe from the Gallowes
Save a Theefe may have been related to an actual murder case but we have so far failed to identify either George Sanders or his home town of Shugh in Herefordshire. The fact that other editions sometimes located him in ‘Sugh’ or ‘Hugh’ in ‘Hertfordshire’ may imply that the ballad-makers of London were also confused by George’s address. The proverb that forms the title of the ballad is much easier to find, for it was very well-known in early modern England. The most common version differs from the ballad’s title, however, predicting that the rescued thief will cut the throats of his deliverers rather than hanging them.
The familiarity of the proverb may have been a selling point, though it is interesting that the ballad was twice listed by seventeenth-century publishers as ‘George Sanders’ rather than ‘Save a Theefe’, perhaps suggesting that the human angle had proved its most marketable feature (Rollins). Certainly, this was a successful song from the 1620s to the 1680s, though the song's popularity seems to have faded after this. There were few if any editions in the eighteenth century and there is no evidence that the ballad survived into the modern era as a folk-song.
Save a Theefe has been little considered by historians, and those who have studied it seem unimpressed. Ian Green noted its success and quoted a few lines from the second half, but he commented, ‘The quality of the theology was no better than that of the verse’. As so often, our challenge is to understand the clear success of a song that may not be pleasing to modern ears. It is not a lively number, and the second half is little more than a list of Scriptural celebrities, yet this ballad lasted for decades and was re-issued repeatedly.
At one level, it may have earned a place in English hearts because it was a tense family drama that connected with commonplace experience. This claim may sound surprising, given that the ballad features a selfless man whose uncontrollable son murders his own uncle for material gain and then attempts to pin the crime on his father. Several underlying themes, however, must have felt much more familiar. The boy’s mother, for example, is already dead at the start of the song and her absence, interestingly, is said to lie at the root of the trouble because single fathers have a tendency to ‘cocker’ (spoil) their sons. The story therefore reflected the common early-modern experience of family breakdown as a result of early death.
It also tapped into concerns about the unstable intentions of the young. People of the seventeenth century were taught to understand the period of youth as one of great hope but also of great danger, during which the stakes were high and important choices were made. The story of a young man who, in his ‘blooming years’, became ‘a wonder of these times’ by committing all seven of the traditional deadly sins may therefore have been highly compelling. Not surprisingly, the song’s first line calls for the attention of ‘disobedient children’. In reality, however, one suspects that their parents formed the core audience (see also A most excellent Ballad, of an old man and his wife and An Excellent Ballad of the Mercers son of Midhurst for evidence of powerful adult anxieties about the love and loyalty that were owed but not always offered by offspring).
The song also dealt with sin, repentance and salvation, suggesting strongly that there was an enthusiastic market for these themes. The fact that George demonstrated his ‘gracelesse’ state while misbehaving in his youth added to the sense of high and divine drama. Indeed, ‘grace’ runs through the story and is mentioned repeatedly. Only when George opens his heart to God and is granted ‘so much grace’ does it become possible for him to repent, hereby rekindling his hopes of reaching heaven, despite his terrible sins.
Divine intervention combines with personal receptivity to transform the narrative. Sanders, having claimed regretfully to be a living fulfilment of the titular proverb, suddenly emerges as its living refutation (a twist in the tale). He saves his father from the rope and prepares to take the punishment himself. He hereby hastens his own death but vastly improves his prospects in the life beyond. To early modern minds, this was clearly a turnaround that commanded attention.
George’s second song may not be theologically sophisticated – few single sheet songs were designed with this in mind – but it did demonstrate to consumers what heartfelt repentance might look and sound like. His ‘confession’ packs around twenty-five references to distinct Biblical characters and stories into twelve short verses (see Related texts). This suggests that young George, in prison awaiting his inevitable execution, devoted himself to God and acquired a formidable knowledge of the Scriptures in a remarkably short space of time (or perhaps he remembered things that, before his conversion, he wilfully suppressed). The highly repetitive use of ‘I sinned have...’ and ‘Shall David [and others] weep...’ creates an impression of single-minded spiritual self-scrutiny.
And as we listen, the second woodcut also allows us to look at George, chained to a wall but holding his Bible or psalter and apparently adopting the stance of a preacher. The role of the second inmate is not explained in the text, presumably because the picture was recycled from another source; we might consider her to represent George’s captive audience.
Christopher Marsh
References
Anon, A letter from a gentleman in London (1681), unpaginated. This renders the proverb as ‘Save a Thief from the Gallows, and he’le cut your Throat’.
Broadside ballads from the Bodleian Libraries: http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/
English Broadside Ballad Archive: https://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/
English Short Title Catalogue.
Ian Green, Print and Protestantism in early modern England (Oxford, 2000), p. 463.
Paul Griffiths, Youth and authority. Formative experiences in England 1560-1640 (Oxford, 1996).
Hyder E. Rollins, An analytical index to the ballad-entries (1557-1709) in the Registers of the Company of Stationers of London (1924; Hatboro, Pennsylvania, 1967), nos. 958 and 2374.
To the tune of ‘Fortune my Foe’ (standard name)
The purpose of this section is to provide brief notes on the melody followed by detailed evidence relating to its career, paying particular attention to the ‘echoes’ (inter-song associations and connections) that may have been set up if it was nominated for the singing of more than one ballad. In the list presented in the ‘Songs and Summaries’ section below, we have endeavoured to include as many of the black-letter ballads that used the tune as possible, under any of its variant names. Titles from our chart of best-sellers are presented in bold type (these are also in colour when there is a link to the relevant ballad page on the website). It should be noted that it is extremely difficult to date many ballads precisely and the chronological order in which the songs are listed is therefore very approximate (we have drawn on previous attempts to date the ballads, making adjustments when additional evidence can be brought into play). In most cases, we list the earliest surviving edition of a ballad, though in many instances there may have been earlier versions, now lost.
Versions and variations
‘Fortune my foe’ was so well known that notation appears in dozens of sources, both printed and manuscript. There are instrumental settings for lute, virginals, cittern and lyra viol, and several of the period’s most celebrated composers – John Dowland and William Byrd, for example – applied their talents to the tune. This was a remarkably solid melody, and renditions are striking in their consistency over time and space.
Examples can be found in the following sources (and in many more besides): William Ballet’s lute book (c. 1600); the Fitzwilliam virginal book (late sixteenth and early seventeenth century); Clement Matchett’s virginal book (c.1612); William Barley’s New Booke of Tabliture (1596); and William Corkine’s Ayres, to Sing and Play (1610). The melody was also well known on the continent, where its English origins were recognised. An unusual variant in a major key appears in Oliver Pygge’s Meditations (1589), where the melody is nominated for a song about England’s deliverance from the Spanish Armada. The version used on our recording can be found in Robert Creighton’s virginal book (probably compiled in the 1630s).
Other titles for this melody included ‘Aim not too high’, ‘Doctor Faustus’, ‘A lesson for all true Christians’, ‘The Virgins ABC’, ‘The Young Mans ABC’, ‘The godly mans instruction’, ‘A letter for a Christian family’ and ‘Kings Tryal’.
Echoes (an overview)
‘Fortune my foe’ was almost certainly the best-known melody in seventeenth-century England, with the possible exception of a few of the most common psalm tunes. Almost eighty different songs are listed below, all of them designed for singing to this extraordinarily successful four-line composition. These include seven from our list of best-sellers. Equally remarkable is the thematic consistency of the texts for which the tune was chosen.
The titles listed below fall into two main categories. The ballad that generated the original tune-title was a romantic song entitled A sweet Sonnet, in which a forlorn male lover is reassured by his no-nonsense sweetheart. This song remained popular for over a century, and a small number of other ballads also adopted the romantic theme (see, for example, The Young-Mans A. B. C.).
In numerical terms, however, the melody’s original mood of romance was overwhelmed by dozens of ballads that focused on sin and repentance. The predominance of this theme explains why authors sometimes referred to ‘Fortune my foe’ as ‘that solemne Tune’ (The penitant traytor) or ‘that preaching tune’ (Brome, Rump). The tune feels intrinsically sober and serious, and it seems likely that this must have helped to drive the development of sternly moral associations alongside those already established.
The dangers of sin and the pressing need for repentance were emphasised in several different and often overlapping ways: by describing the providential judgements that were visited upon individual sinners; by introducing us to dying Christians who demonstrated how to make a good exit or, in some cases, how not to; by stressing the immorality of society in general terms and advising everyone to reform their conduct immediately; by describing meteorological ‘wonders’ and interpreting them as warnings from God; and, most notably, by portraying named convicts as they awaited execution and, more often than not, putting words in their mouths that highlighted the errors of their ways and urged others to take heed. Save a Theefe was a particularly successful example of this last approach. Taken together, these songs amplified one another to a remarkable extent.
The Lamentation of Master Pages wife of Plimmouth appears to have played a crucial role in blending the themes of love and sin, thus opening the way for a transition – never quite complete but striking nonetheless – from one to the other (indeed, the ongoing success of the song may have owed something to its capacity to resonate in both areas).
As time passed, and as the songs piled up on top of one another, the reputation of ‘Fortune my foe’ as a ‘hanging tune’ must have ensured that it conveyed a mood of doom even when applied to other sorts of song. When, for example, The Godly Mans Instructions are sung to the tune, the text’s many moral injunctions are arguably backed by a melodic reminder concerning the consequences of disobedience. And on the rare occasions when the ballad was named for more optimistic ballads about the deeds of exemplary individuals, it is as if we are simultaneously being encouraged to imitate a positive role model and warned about the dangers of failing to do so. There is also the interesting possibility that a performance of the romantic Sweet Sonnet in c.1670 would have felt rather different from a rendition of the song in c. 1570 because of the steady accumulation of doom-laden associations in the intervening decades.
There are also some direct intertextual echoes that connect the songs together, though they are perhaps not as precise and numerous as those that marked the careers of some of our other tunes (‘Chevy chase’, for example). The influence of the original Sweet Sonnet over subsequent songs can be seen in the occasional habit of referring to ‘Fortune’ in the opening line. The Araignement of John Flodder and his wife, for example, kicks off with the words, ‘Brave Windham late, whom Fortune did adorn’, an opening gambit that itself recalls the start of The Lamentation of Master Pages wife: ‘Unhappy she whom Fortune hath forlorn’. This line was also echoed in A Looking-Glasse for Maids, which begins, ‘Unhappy I, who in this prime of youth’.
Several songs also follow A sweet Sonnet in including a verse, usually somewhere in the middle, in which the same words are used repetitively to begin several successive lines. The second part of Save a Theefe carries this device to a new level, and six out of eight lines in two consecutive verses open with the confessional expression, ‘I sinned have...’
An excellent song shares with The Young-Mans A. B. C. and The Virgins A. B. C. not only a tune and an alphabetic structure but an approach to the letter Q: the relevant lines are ‘Quench fond desires and pleasures of the flesh’,‘Quench thou the flames of this my burning breast’ and ‘Quench in thy self all lusts inflaming fires’. Beyond these examples, there is a general feeling of intertextual connection in the placement of words such as ‘lament’ and ‘amend’ at the ends of lines, often rhymed with recurring and equally sober terms like ‘repent’ and ‘end’.
[See 'Postscript', below, for additional notes on the melody].
Songs and Summaries
A sweet Sonnet, wherein the Lover exclaimeth against Fortune for the loss of his Ladies favour... To the Tune of Fortune my Foe (Registered 1565-66; J. Wright, J. Clark, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger, 1682-84). Pepys 1.512-13; EBBA 20243. Emotions – despair, joy, love; Gender – courtship, masculinity, femininity. A man sings in sorrow because he thinks his sweetheart has abandoned him, but she responds with a message of reassurance.
A mournfull Dittie on the death of certaine Judges and Justices of the Peace... To the tune of Fortune (William Wright, 1590). British Library, Huth 50.(62.). Death – illness, burial/funeral; Emotions – anxiety; Employment – professions; Religion – Christ/God, sin/repentance; Morality – general, social/economic; News – sensational; Politics – Royalist; Royalty – praise; Places – English. This describes the mysterious deaths of several eminent judges and gentlemen, and warns us of all of the need to administer justice fairly to all.
The Lamentable and Tragicall History of Titus Andronicus... To the tune of Fortune my Foe (registered 1594; F. Coles, T. Vere, and W. Gilbertson, 1661-63). Folger Library L252a. History – ancient/mythological, heroism; Politics – domestic, power, plots; Family – children/parents, siblings; Gender – adultery/cuckoldry, sexual violence, femininity, masculinity; Crime – murder, rape, false witness; Violence – interpersonal, sexual, punitive, between states; Bodies – injury; Death – warfare, unlawful killing, suicide; Disability – physical; Emotions – anger, hatred, love, despair; Employment – sailors/soldiers; Environment – landscape; Places – European, travel/transport, nationalities. This tells the bloody story of Titus Andronicus, the war-hero who returned to Rome only to become locked in a deadly feud with the nasty new Empress and her malevolent minions.
A Godly Song, entituled, A farewell to the Worlds... To the Tune of, Fortune my Foe (Henry Gossen, 1601-40). Roxburghe 1.136-37; EBBA 30084. Religion – Bible, body/soul, Christ/God, faith, heaven/hell, sin/repentance, church; Death – godly end; Bodies – health/sickness; Recreation – music; Family – children/parents; Gender – marriage; Places - English. A parish clerk prepares to meet his maker, demonstrating the composure, repentance and faith that define a good death.
Saint Bernards Vision. OR, A briefe Discourse (Dialogue-wise) betweene the Soule and the Body of a damned man newly deceased... To the Tune of, Fortune my Foe (J. Wright, 1602-46). Roxburghe 1.376-77; EBBA 30253. Religion – body/soul, angels/devils, Christ/God, heaven/hell, sin/repentance; Death – result of immorality, burial/funeral; Bodies – health/sickness; Emotions – anger, despair, hope; History – ancient/mythological; Recreation – music; Morality – general. The narrator, recalling a dream, describes an acrimonious encounter between a corpse and the immortal soul that previously inhabited it, each blaming the other for the death and damnation that they have suffered.
The Judgment of God shewed upon on Jhon Faustus... TO THE TUNE OF Fortune my Foe (surviving printed copies are later in date but the song was transcribed by hand in 1603-1616). Shirburn ballads, XV. Religion – conjuration, angels/Devils, body/soul, sin/repentance, Christ/God, heaven/hell; History – recent; Emotions – greed, despair; Violence – diabolical; Death –diabolical; Environment – wonders, buildings; Places – European, travel/transport; Employment – professions; Society – education. A German doctor of divinity turns away from Christ and pledges his soul to the Devil, with horrific consequence.
A Joyfull new Ballad of the late victorye obtained by my Lord Mount Joy... TO THE TUNE OF Fortune my Foe (printed copies have not survived but the ballad was transcribed by hand in the early seventeenth century, 1603-16). Shirburn ballads, XXXI. This celebrates Mountjoy’s recent victories against the Earl of Tyrone and his Spanish allies in Ireland, and thanks God for fighting on the English side.
The Lamentation of Master Pages wife of Plimmouth... to the tune of Fortune (composed 1590s; H. Gosson, 1609-40). Pepys 1.126-27; EBBA 20054. See also Shirburn ballads, XXVI and XXVII. Crime – murder, punishment; Death – execution, unlawful killing, godly end; Emotions – sorrow, anger, love, longing; Family – children/parents; Gender – courtship, marriage, femininity, masculinity; Society – old/young; Morality – romantic/sexual, familial; Bodies – looks/physique; Religion – Christ/God, sin/repentance; News – convicts/crimes; Places – English; Violence – interpersonal. Three songs on one sheet in which Eulalia Page and her lover, George Strangwidge, explain why they murdered Eulalia’s husband and prepare themselves for execution.
[The] complaint and lamentation of Mistresse Arden of [Fev]ersham in Kent... To the tune of, Fortune my Foe (C. W., 1610-38). Roxburghe 3.156-57; EBBA 30458. Crime – murder, punishment; Death – unlawful killing, execution; Gender – marriage, adultery/cuckoldry; Bodies – looks/physique, injury; Employment – apprenticeship/service; Family – siblings; Places – English, travel/transport; Recreation – food, hospitality; Society – neighbours; Violence – interpersonal, domestic. Mistress Arden describes how she killed her husband for the love of another man, aided by two rather incompetent assassins called ‘Shakebag’ and ‘Black Will’.
Save a Theefe from the Gallowes and hee'l hang thee if he can: / Or, The mercifull Father, and the mercilesse Sonne... To the tune of, Fortune my Foe (Edw[ard Wright], 1611-56). Manchester Central Library Blackletter Ballads 1.56; EBBA 36258. Family – children/parents, kin, inheritance; Violence- interpersonal, punitive; Crime – murder, general; Death – unlawful killing, execution, result of immorality; Religion – Bible, sin/repentance, faith, Christ/God; Morality – familial; Emotions – greed, despair; Society – old/young; Places – English. Two repentant songs by a young gentleman who murdered his uncle and framed his own loving and kind father for the crime.
The Araignement of John Flodder and his wife, at Norwidge... To the tune of Fortune my foe (John Trundle, c.1615). Pepys 1.130-31; EBBA 20056. Environment – buildings; Places – English; Crime – arson, punishment; Death – execution; Emotions – sorrow, anger, horror; Society – rich/poor; Employment – begging; Religion – church, charity. The town of Windham in Norfolk speaks out against the wandering beggars who set fire to it, causing catastrophic damage.
Anne Wallens Lamentation, For the Murthering of her husband... To the tune of Fortune my foe (Henry Gosson, c. 1616). Pepys 1.124-25; EBBA 20053. Crime – murder, prison, punishment; Death – unlawful killing, execution; Violence – domestic, punitive; Gender – marriage; Society – neighbours, urban life; Emotions – anger, sorrow, guilt; Religion – sin/repentance, Christ/God, prayer; Employment – crafts/trades; Morality – familial; Places – English; Recreation - alcohol. A woman, awaiting execution, expresses her remorse for the murder of her husband and urges other women to learn the lessons and control their tempers.
The lamentable burning of the Citty of Cork (in the Province of Munster in Ireland) by Lightning... To the tune of Fortune my foe (E. A, c.1622). Pepys 1.68-69r; EBBA 20267. Religion – divine intervention, sin/repentance, Christ/God, church; Places – Irish; Emotions – fear, horror, confusion; Morality – general; Environment – buildings, weather; Family – children/parents,siblings; Gender – marriage; Society – urban life. This describes a lightning strike and subsequent fire in Cork, interpreting it as a warning from God of the need for us all to repent and turn to Him.
An excellent song, wherein you shall find, Great consolation for a troubled mind... To the Tune of, Fortune my Foe (registered 1656, but the tune title that derived from the ballad, ‘Aim not too high’, was in existence from c. 1625, so the song must have been in circulation by this date; F. Coles, T. Vere, and J. Wright, 1665-74). Pepys 2.63; EBBA 20688. Religion – moral rules, sin/repentance, charity, prayer, Christ/God, heaven/hell, angels/Devils, Bible, body/soul, general; Morality – general, social/economic; Society – rich/poor. An ABC ballad that offers extensive instruction on living a godly and moral life.
An example for all those that make no conscience of swearing and forswearing, Shewing Gods heavy Judgement upon a Maid-servant in London… To the tune of, Aime not too high (J. W, c.1625). Folger Shakespeare Library. Religion – sin/repentancy, Bible, body/soul, Christ/God, divine intervention, faith; Bodies – health/sickness; Crime – robbery/theft; Employment – apprenticeship/service; Society – criticism; Morality – general; Death – result of immorality; Emotions – wonder; Environment – buildings; News – sensational; Places – English; Recreation – sight-seeing. A warning against swearing and forswearing, centring on the example of a thieving servant who is now rotting in prison as a result of her sins.
A discourse of Mans life. Comparing him to things that quickly passe... To the tune of Ayme not too high (H. G., c. 1625-29). Roxburghe 1.70-71; EBBA 30049. Death – general; Environment – animals, birds, flowers/treesk crops, weather, seasons; Religion – prayer, pilgrimage, Bible; Employment – crafts/trades; Royalty – praise. A meditation on the transitory nature of life, concentrating on imagery drawn from the natural world.
By the directions of the Scriptures, and the examples of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ... To the Tune of Ayme not too high (Francis Grove, 1625-62). Manchester Central Library - Blackletter Ballads 1.5; EBBA 36014. Morality – social/economic; Religion – Bible, charity, Christ/God; Society – criticism, rich/poor; Bodies – clothing, nourishment, health/sickness; Crime – prison; Economy – hardship/prosperity; Family – children/parents; Emotions – sympathy. This complains that the rich are failing in their charitable duties to the poor, and urges everyone to follow Jesus’ example in looking after those who are suffering.
The Despairing Lover, Whose minde was much tormented, Because of his True-Love Hee thought hee was prevented... To the tune of, Aime not too high (F. Coules, 1625-80). Roxburghe 1.82-83; EBBA 30057. Gender – courtship, masculinity, femininity; Death – suicide, heartbreak; Environment – animals, sea, weather; Places – European, extra-European, travel/transport; Emotions – despair, joy, love. A man feels rejected by his sweetheart and prepares to kill himself, but she intervenes in the nick of time and a loving outcome is assured.
The godly end, and wofull lamentation of one John Stevens... To the tune of Fortune my foe (H. Gosson, c. 1632). Roxburghe 1.490-91; EBBA 30327. Crime – treason, prison, punishment; Death – execution; Violence – punitive; Employment – apprenticeship/service; Politics – treason; Family – children/parents; Religion – Christ/God, sin/repentance, faith, Bible; Emotions – sorrow; Bodies – injury; Places – English, travel/transport; Royalty – praise. A young man, awaiting execution for high treason, expresses deep remorse and warns others to avoid wickedness.
The lamentation of Edward Bruton, and James Riley... To the tune of, Fortune my Foe + Another Bloody murther committed neere Ware... To the same Tune (H. G., c. 1633). Roxburghe 1.486-87; EBBA 30324. Crime – murder, robbery/theft, punishment; Death – execution, unlawful killing; Violence – interpersonal, punitive; Family – pregnancy/childbirth; Religion – sin/repentance, Christ/God, Catholic/Protestant, heaven/hell; Emotions – guilt, sorrow; News – convicts/crimes; Places – English. The first song presents the repentant words of two murderers as they await execution, and the second tells the story of a gang of robbers/murderers who meet the same fate.
[Title missing]... pitty, to all people that shall heare of it… To the tune of, Aime not too high (imprint missing, c. 1633). Manchester Central Library, Blackletter ballads, 1.50; EBBA 36041. Environment – buildings; Emotions – fear, horror; Family – children/parents; Gender – marriage; History – recent; News – general; Places – English; Religion – prayer. The text is damaged but its clear purpose is to describe a recent fire that caused panic and destroyed numerous properties on London Bridge.
The Young-Mans A. B. C.... The Tune is, Aim not too high (registered 1634; J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger, 1684-86). Pepys 1.508-09; EBBA 20241. Gender – courtship, femininity, masculinity; Emotions – despair, hope, confusion, hatred, disdain; Bodies – health/sickness. A male youth is in terrible romantic torment and begs his insensitive sweetheart to ‘Resolve me off or on/ and there’s an end’.
Death’s loud Allarum: OR, A perfect description of the frailty of Mans life with some admonitions to warne all men and women to repentance... To the tune of, Aime not too high (John Wright the Young[er], 1634-45). Roxburghe 1.78-79; EBBA 30054. Religion – sin/repentance, Christ/God, divine intervention, heaven/hell; Death – general; Emotion – anxiety; Family – children/parents, siblings; Morality – general; Recreation – alcohol, food; Society – rich/poor; Violence - divine. A reminder that death can strike at any minute and that it is therefore vital that all people prepare themselves and amend their sinful lives before it is too late.
A wonderfull wonder, Being a most strange and true relation of the resolute life, and miserable death of Thomas Miles... To the tune of, Aime not too high (John Wright junior, c. 1635). Roxburghe 1.482-83; EBBA 30320. Death – result of immorality; Recreation – food; Religion – prayer, Christ/Jesus, sin/repentance, divine intervention; Morality – general; Bodies – nourishment, health/illness; Environment – wonders, weather; Places – English. This warns us against swearing and forswearing, using the example of a man who expressed an opinion, hoping never to eat again if it wasn’t true, and then choked to death at his next meal.
A cruel murther committed lately upon the body of Abraham Gearsy... To the tune of Fortune my Foe (John Wright Junior, c.1635). Roxburghe 1.488-89; EBBA 30326. Crime- murder, punishment; Death – unlawful killing, execution; Economy – money; Emotions – horror; Violence – interpersonal, punitive; Religion – angels/devils, Christ/God, sin/repentance, prayer; Family – children/parents; Morality – general; News – convicts/crimes; Society – friendship, neighbours; Places – English. The tale of two brothers, executed for the murder of a man to whom one of them owed money.
Youths Warning-peice. In a true Relation of the woefull Death of William Rogers of Cranbrooke in Kent an Apothecary... To the Tune of Doctor Faustus (A. K, 1636). Roxburghe 1.434-35; EBBA 30294. Religion – Christ/God, faith, clergy, church, heaven/hell; Bodies – health/sickness; Employment – apprenticeship/service, crafts/trades; Death – result of immorality; Economy – money, livings; Emotions – sorrow, horror; Family – children/parents; Morality – general, social/economic; Society – education; Places – English; Recreation – alcohol; Royalty – praise. A cautionary tale about a promising and godly young apothecary who fell into bad company, turned away from religion, and died in a state of panic regarding the future of his immortal soul.
A Lamentable List, of certaine Hidious, Frightful, and Prodigious Signes… To the tune of Aime not to high (Thomas Lambert, 1638). Wood 402(67, 68). Environment – wonders, animals, birds, weather; Religion – divine intervention, Christ/God, sin/repentance, Bible; Places – European; Bodies – health/sickness; Emotions – fear, wonder; Violence – divine; History – recent; Morality – general; News – international, sensational; Recreation – music. A musical list of all the strange happenings in Germany during the last twenty years, and a warning to all Christians of the need to repent.
A Description of this age… The Tune is, Aim not to high (Richard Burton,1640-79). Douce Ballads 1(60b). Society – criticism, friendship, neighbours, rich/poor; Morality – general, familial, romantic/sexual, social/economic; Religion – body/soul, Christ/God, sin/repentance, church, charity; Bodies – clothing, health/sickness, adornment; Death – general, godly end; Economy – money, hardship/prosperity; Emotions – anxiety, frustration; Recreation – alcohol, fashions; Employment – professions, prostitution; Family – children/parents, siblings; Gender – marriage. The author expresses alarm at the sinfulness of the age and urges repentance, while reminding all people that they are destined to die.
A Looking-Glasse for Maids. OR, The Downfall of two desperate Lovers... The tune is, Aim not too high (Tho. Vere, 1644-82) Euing 163; EBBA 32063. Gender – courtship, femininity, masculinity; Morality – romantic/sexual; Death – duelling/jousting, tragedy; Violence – interpersonal; Recreation – food, music; Environment – birds; flowers/trees; Bodies – clothing, nourishment, injury; Emotions – jealousy, anger, horror, despair, shame; Family – children/parents; Religion – Christ/God, prayer; Places – English. A warning against wantonness and pride in a tale of two men who died fighting over a woman on Isle of Wight.
Three horrible Murthers... To the Tune of, Aime not too high: or Fortune my Foe (John Hammond, 1646). Manchester Central Library, Blackletter Ballads 2.12; EBBA 36111. Crime - murder, theft; Death - unlawful killing, tragedy, execution; Violence – interpersonal, punitive; Justice - execution, imprisonment; Employment - sailors/soldiers, Emotions – fear, horror sorrow; Family – children/parents; News – general; Places – English. A violent house-robbery near Winchester is thwarted by some passing soldiers, but not before several members of the family have been murdered.
The penitant traytor or the humble Confession of a Devonshire gentleman, who was condemned for high treason, and executed at Tyborne for the same, in the Raigne of King Henry the third… You may sing this if you please. To the Tune of, Fortune my Foe (no imprint, 1647). BL Thomason, 669.f.11[35]. Politics – controversy, dometic, Royalist, treason, plots, elections, parliament; Crime – treason; Death – execution; History – medieval, villainy; Humour – satire, deceit/disguise; Places – English. This is a black-letter ballad written in the satirical style that is more commonly associated with white-letter songs, and its tale about the treason of a medieval gentleman is really an attack upon current parliamentary politics.
The manner of the Kings Tryal at Westminster-Hall... The Tune is, Aim not too high (c. 1648; W. Thackeray and T. Passinger, 1687-88). Pepys 2.204-05; EBBA 20816. Crime – treason, punishment; Death – execution, godly end; Politics – controversy, domestic, treason; Royalty – authority, criticism; Violence – punitive; Emotions – sorrow; Family – children/parents. An account of the trial and execution of Charles I, setting out the charges laid, the king’s response, and his speech on the scaffold.
A True Relation, Of The great Floods that happened in many parts of England in December and January last... The Tune is, aim not to high (J. Clark, 1651-86?). Roxburghe 3.236; EBBA 30875. Religion – Bible, Christ/God, divine intervention, sin/repentance, charity, church, prayer; Morality – general; Society – criticism, rich/poor; Death – result of immorality; Environment – wonders, weather, buildings; Economy – hardship, prices/wages; Violence – divine/diabolical; Emotions – fear, guilt; Families – pregnancy/childbirth; Recreation – alcohol; Bodies – adornment, nourishment; Places – extra-European. The recent floods are described in graphic detail and interpreted as a warning from God that England must repent its sinful ways if it is to avoid even worse suffering.
The Virgins ABC, OR, An Alphabet of Vertuous Admonitions, for a Chast, Modest and well governed Maid... The Tune is, The young Mans A. B. C. (registered 1656; F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and J. Clark, 1675-80). Euing 370; EBBA 31981. Gender – femininity, courtship; Morality – general, romantic/sexual. A set of instructions on moral living, aimed at young women.
A Looking-Glass for all true Christians... The Tune is, Aim not too high (registered 1656; J. Wright, J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger, 1682-84). Pepys 2.47; EBBA 20671. Religion – sin/repentance, Bible, Christ/God, heaven and hell, moral rules; Morality – general; Society – criticism, rich/poor; Emotions - sorrow. A comprehensive and urgent call to repentance for sinners of all sorts.
Dying Tears, OR Englands Joy turned to mourning for the loss of that Vertuous Prince, Henry Duke of Glocester... To the Tune of, Aim not too high (Charles Tyns, c.1660). Euing 65; EBBA 31748. Death – illness, burial/funeral; Royalty – praise; Emotions – sorrow; Politics – domestic, foreign affairs, Royalist; Religion – mortality,Family – siblings, children/parents; News – political; Bodies – physique/looks. This laments the death of Charles I’s third son, heaps praises upon him and reminds all listeners that they, like the dead duke, will pass away and must prepare urgently for eternity.
A most wonderful and sad judgement of God upon one Dorothy Mattley late of Ashover... The tune is, Fortune my Foe (W. Gilbertson, 1660-62). Wood 401(177). Death – providential; Economy – money; Emotions – horror, wonder; Religion – divine intervention; Violence – divine; Environment – landscape; News – sensational; Employment – female; Crime – robbery/theft; Places – English. A woman forswears herself, hoping that she will be swallowed into the earth if she stole money from a boy, and, because she is lying, the ground duly opens up and consumes her.
Newes from Hereford. OR, A wonderful and terrible Earthquake... The Tune is, Aim not too high (F. Coles, T. Vere, and W. Gilbertson, 1661). Wood 401 (179). Environment – weather, buildings, crops, animals; Places – English; Emotions – horror, wonder, fear; Religion – divine intervention, Christ/God, sin/repentance, church; Violence – divine; Family – pregnancy/childbirth; Morality – general; News – sensational, domestic; Death – providential. A call for national repentance, inspired by the extreme weather, unprecedented apparitions and peculiar births that have recently been afflicting Hereford.
The poor man put to a pinch... To the Tune of, The Description of this Age, or, Aim not to high (J. Conyers, 1661-92). Pepys 4.299; EBBA 21961. Economy – hardship/prosperity, money, livings, trade; Employment –crafts/trades, unemployment; Religion – Christ/God, prayer; Society – rich/poor; Family –children/parents; Emotions – anxiety, sorrow, hope; Bodies – nourishment. A plea on behalf of the suffering poor, asserting that the difficult economic conditions are caused by our sins and that only God can make things better.
A Sad and True Relation of a great fire or two... To the Tune of, Fortune my Foe, or Aim not too High (E. Andrews, 1662). Wood 401(189). Death – accident; Emotions – horror, sorrow; Environment – buildings; News – domestic; Places – English; Recreation – general; Religion - mortality; Employment – professions, crafts/trades; Family – children/parents. This tells the sad story of a devastating house-fire that killed a rich merchant, his family and their guests as they slept in their beds on a December night.
Truth brought to light. OR, Wonderful strange and true news from Gloucester... To the Tune of, Aim not too high (Charles Tyns, 1662). Wood 401(191). Crime – witchcraft, murder, robbery/theft; Death – execution; Violence – interpersonal; Family – children/parents, siblings; Gender –femininity; Employment – apprenticeship/service; Economy – money; Emotions – horror, wonder; Religion – conjuration/witchcraft, Christ/God; Society – friendship; Environment – sea, landscape; News – convicts/crimes; Places – English, extra-European, travel/transport. This presents the strange-but-true story of a Gloucestershire man who was presumed dead at the hands of a widow and her two sons, but who then reappeared, having instead been bewitched by the widow and transported by supernatural means to a rocky island off the Turkish shore.
A Warning for Swearers... Tune, Aim not too High (W. Thackeray, T. Passenger, and W. Whitwood, 1666-79). Roxburghe 3.38-39; EBBA 30391. Religion – divine intervention, angels/devils, Bible, Christ/God, sin/repentance; Bodies – health/sickness; Crime – robbery/theft; Death – result of immorality, providential; Disability – physical; Emotions – horror, wonder; Employment – female; Morality – general; News – sensational; Places – English. Two cautionary tales about a man and a woman who, in separate parts of the country, forswore themselves and were instantly afflicted with terrible punishments by God.
A Lesson for all true Christians... Tune of, The Letter for a Christian Family (this song generated a new name for the tune - ‘A lesson for all true Christians’ - and must therefore have been in circulation before this additional title was used by others in 1670-79; J. C., W. T., and T. P., 1684-86). Pepys 2.48; EBBA 20672. Religion - Christ/God, Bible, prayer, sin/repentance, heaven/hell, moral rules, church; Death – illness; Bodies – health/sickness; Family – children/parents; Crime – robbery/theft, prison; Gender – marriage, sex; Economy – trade; Society – old/young; Recreation – alcohol. A ballad in ABC format that offers wide-ranging advice on religious, moral and social duties.
The Kentish WONDER: BEING A true Relation how a poor distressed Widow, in the Wild of Kent, was by the Providence of the Almighty, miraculously preserved in her Necessity... To the Tune of, Aim not too high (P. Brooksby, 1670-98). Crawford 1392; EBBA 33918. Religion – prayer, divine intervention, Bible, Christ/God, faith; Family – children/parents, kin, siblings; Gender – femininity; Bodies – nourishment; Society – criticism; Economy – hardship/prosperity, household; Morality – social/economic; Crime – robbery/theft; Places – English. A poor widow prays to God and is miraculously enabled to keep her seven children alive for seven weeks on a single loaf of (burnt) bread.
The Godly Mans Instructions: OR, The Dying Mans last Words to his Children... To the Tune of, Aim not too High (Philip Brooksby, 1670-98). Beinecke – Michell-Jolliffe, 2000 Folio 6 272; EBBA 35932. Religion – moral rules, Christ/God, body/soul, heaven/hell, sin/repentance; Society – old/young; Death – illness; Family – children/parents; siblings; Morality – general; Recreation – alcohol. A dying man warns his children and everyone else of the need to avoid the sins that abound in society if they are to hope for a place in heaven.
The Disturbed Ghost: OR, The Wonderful Appearance of the Ghost, or Spirit of Edward Avon... Tune Aim not two High, or Kings Tryal (Philip Brooksby, 1670-98). Douce 1(56b). Crime – murder, robbery/theft; Death – accident; Family – children/parents, siblings, kin; Religion – ghosts/spirits, sin/repentance; Violence – interpersonal; Economy – money; Emotions – anxiety, guilt, shame; Morality – general; Environment – flowers/trees; News – sensational; Places – English, travel/transport; Recreation – tobacco. The troubled ghost of a recently deceased man returns to Marlborough, where he asks his relatives to settle a monetary debt and also confesses to a murder that he committed several decades earlier.
A Godly Guide of Directions for true penitent Sinners in these troubled times… Tune is, Aim not too high (P. Brooksby, 1670-98). Roxburghe 2.189; EBBA 30660. Religion – Bible, Christ/God, heaven/hell, sin/repentance, charity, church, mortality; Death – general, godly end; Emotions – frustration, anxiety, hope; Morality – general, social/economic. A song that expresses extreme concern about the sinfulness of society and urges everyone to mend their ways, leave their sins and turn to God.
The Great Assize; Or, Christ’s certain and sudden appearance to Judgment... To the Tune of, Aim not too high (P. Brooksby, 1670-98). Roxburghe 1.132-33; EBBA 30082. Religion – Christ/God, heaven/hell, sin/repentance, angels/devils; Death – general; Family – children/parents, kin; Bodies – health/sickness; Environment – animals, flowers/trees; Recreation – general. A song that urges us not to love the things of this world, but instead to prepare for death, repent our sins and turn to God in the hope that we will end up in heaven rather than hell.
Great Brittains Arlarm to Drowsie Sinners in Destress... The Tune is, Aim not too high (P. Brooksby, 1670-98). Roxburghe 2.203-03; EBBA 30669. Religion – Christ/God, mortality, prayer, divine intervention; Death – general; Morality – general, social/economic, romantic/sexual, familial; Society – criticism, old/young, rich/poor, neighbours; Emotions – frustration, sorrow, hope; Family – children/parents; Environment – flowers/trees, animals; Recreation – alcohol; Economy – money. This presents a stern warning about sinfulness, and argues that we can only avoid further heavy judgements from God if we repent and reform.
The Troubles of these Times, OR, The Calamities of our English Nation... To the Tune of, A Lesson for all true Christians (P. Brooksby, 1670-98). Roxburghe 2.456; EBBA 30930. Religion – Christ/God, divine intervenetion, sin/repentance, prayer; Economy – hardship; Emotions – anxiety, guilt; Morality – general; Politics – foreign affairs; Society – criticism. A song that laments England’s current troubles – particularly warfare and economic hardship – and urges everyone to turn to God in true repentance.
The YOUTHS Guide... Tune of, A Lesson for all true Christians; Or, My bleeding heart (P. Brooksby, 1670-98). Crawford 1014; EBBA 33629. Death – illness, godly end, providential; Religion – sin/repentance, Christ/God, Catholic/Protestant, heaven/hell, Bible; Society – old/young; Employment – apprenticeship/service; Family – children/parents; Gender – sex; Morality – general; Places – English; Politics – plots; Recreation – alcohol. A young man on his deathbed exhorts us all, particularly those who are youthful, to heed the signs that God has recently sent, fly from sin and prepare for Judgement Day.
A Recollection of the Times. OR Englands Looking-Glass... The Tune of, Aim not too high (E. Oliver, c. 1672-85). Bodleian 4o Rawl. 566(69). Religion – Christ/God, divine intervention, heaven/hell, sin/repentance, church; Violence – divine; Environment – buildings; Bodies – health/sickness; Death – illness; Economy – trade, extortion; Emotions – frustration, sorrow; Family – children/parents; Morality – social/economic; Places – English. This points out that God has sent England numerous warnings in the form of fire and pestilence but there is little evidence that people are endeavouring to repent their sins and lead more moral lives.
A Letter for a Christian Family. Directed to all true Christians to Read... To the Tune of, The Godly Mans Instruction (registered 1675; J. C., W. T., and T. P., 1684-86). Pepys, 2.33v; EBBA 20657. Religion – moral rules, sin/repentance, Bible, Christ/God, church; Family – children/parents; Morality – general; Society – criticism, old and young, rich/poor; Recreation - fashions. Comprehensive moral and religious guidance for all sorts.
The Hartford-shires Murder. OR Bloody news from St. Albans… Tune of, Aim not too high; Or, Fortune my Foe (F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and J. Clarke, 1675-80) . Bod Wood E 25 (103). Crime – murder, robbery/theft; Death – unlawful killing; Violence – interpersonal; Bodies – injury; Employment – agrarian; Environment – landscape, animals; Economy – money, trade; Emotions – fear, horror; News – convicts/crimes; Places – English, travel/transport; Religion – Christ/God. A gang of robbers attack two honest farmers, one of whom dies, and the criminals remain at large, despite the fact that the surviving farmer managed to raise the alarm.
A Discription of Plain-dealing, Time, and Death, Which all Men ought to mind whilst they do live on earth... To the Tune of, A Letter for a Christian Family (F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and J. Clarke, 1675-80). Crawford 564; EBBA 32998. Death – general; Emotions – sorrow; Employment – professions; Society – criticism; History – nostalgia, medieval; Morality – general; Gender – sex; Recreation – alcohol. This presents speeches by Plain-Dealing, Conscience and Time, each of whom complains that people nowadays pay them no attention, and it concludes with a stern address from Death who warns that all of us ‘to the Grave must go’.
A godly song for all penitent sinners In these Sinful Times... To the Tune of, A Lesson for all True Chrisians (F. Coles, T. Vere. J. Wright, and J. Clarke, 1675-80). Pepys 2.50; EBBA 20674. Religion – sin/repentance, Christ/God, mortality, church, Catholic/Protestant, prayer, charity, faith, heaven/hell; Society – criticism; Death – general, accident; Emotions – frustration; Family – children/parents; Morality – social/economic, general. This argues that England has never been better served by preachers, yet the sins of society continue unabated and repentance is urgently required.
God’s great and wonderful work in Somerset-shire, the charitable Farmer miraculously Rewarded... The tune is aim not too High (F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and John Clarke, 1676). Wood 276b(101). Environment – crops, wonders; Religion – charity, divine intervention, Bible, heroism, Christ/God; News – sensational; Economy – prices/wages, hardship/prosperity, rural/urban; Society – rich/poor, rural life;Employment – agrarian; Emotions – wonder; Places – English; Bodies – nourishment; Family – children/parents; Morality – general. A song about a generous farmer who sells his wheat below market price in order to help the suffering poor, despite the scorn of other wealthy men, and God rewards him with a bumper crop.
The Young Mans Counsellor... Tune of, Aim not to high (Richard Hardy, 1676-85). Roxburgh 4.47; EBBA 31330. Society – friendship, neighbours; Gender – courtship, marriage; Econony – prices/wages, extortion, money, trade; Employment – agrarian, apprenticeship/service; Family – children/parents; Recreation – alcohol, games/sports; Religion – Christ/God; Morality – general. This offers extensive advice on moral living to young men who are just setting out in the world.
A Looking-Glass for Traytors, OR, High Treason Rewarded… Tune of, Aim not too high, Or, Fortune my Foe (F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and J. Clarke, 1678-80). Bodleian Library, Wood E25 (33). Crime – treason; Politics – plots, Royalist, domestic, treason; Religion – Catholic/Protestant, Christ/God, sin/repentance; Death – execution; Violence – punitive, political; Royalty – praise; Places – English; Emotions – anger, relief. A ballad about the trial and execution of Edward Coleman, convicted of high treason following his alleged involvement in the Popish Plot.
A Looking-glass for all true Protestants... To the Tune of, Papists aim not too High (F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and J. Clarke, 1679). Pepys 2.68; EBBA 20692. Politics – plots, controversy, domestic, Royalist, treason; Religion – Catholic/Protestant, Bible; Royalty – general; Emotions – anger, fear, patriotism; Crime – treason. This offers thanks to God for deliverance from the Popish Plot and calls on all Protestants to be vigilant and repentant.
A Ballad of the Strange and Wonderful Storm of Hail, Which fell in LONDON on the 18th. of May 1680... To the Tune of, Aim not too High (F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger, c. 1680). Pepys 2.137; EBBA 20757. Environment – weather, wonders, birds, flowers/trees; Religion – divine intervention, sin/repentance, Christ/God, Bodies – injury; Violence – divine; Emotions – horror, wonder; Family – children/parents; News – domestic, sensational; Places – English. This interprets an incredibly violent hail storm as a warning from God of the need to repent urgently and prepare for death.
A Caveat for Young-men... Tune, Aim not too high (M. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, J. Clark, W. Thackery, and T. Passenger, 1680-81). Pepys 2.36; EBBA 20660. Death – general; Gender – masculinity; Religion – mortality, Christ/God, sin/repentance; Society – old/young, rich/poor. A warning to everyone – young men in particular – that death can strike without warning at any stage of life, and it is therefore essential to make spiritual preparation through repentance.
THE Dying Christians friendly Advice... To the Tune of , Aim not too high (C. Dennisson, 1680-95). Pepys 2.43; EBBA 20667. Religion – Christ/God, sin/repentance, heaven/hell; Death – general; Crime – murder, immorality; Morality – general; Recreation – alcohol; Gender – sex; Society - friendship. A ballad that urges us to turn from sin and place our whole trust in Jesus, knowing that he will prove a friend to those whose prayers are sincere.
ENGLANDS Miseries Crown’d with Mercy... To the Tune of Aim not too High (J. Wright, J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger, c.1681). Pepys 2.225; EBBA 20837. Crime – treason, punishment; Politics – plots, treason, domestic, Royalist; Royalty – prasie; Violence – political; Emotions – horror, relief, patriotism; Religion – Christ/God, divine intervention; Family – siblings; Places – English, travel/transport; Death – execution. This expresses relief that God has intervened by preventing ‘the late horrid Plot’ against Charles II and his brother from achieving its terrible objective.
Witchcraft discovered and punished... To the Tune of, Doctor Faustus: or, Fortune my Foe (no imprint, 1682). Roxburghe 2.531; EBBA 31034. Religion – conjuration/witchcrafts; angels/devils, Christ/God, divine intervention; Crime – witchcraft; Death – unlawful killing, execution; Violence – diabolical, punitive; Gender – femininity; Emotions – horror, relief; Bodies – physique/looks; Family – children/parents; Environment – animals; News – convicts/crimes; Places - English An account of three condemned witches who have, for many years, been causing death and destruction in Devon.
THE Bloody-minded Husband; OR, The Cruelty of John Chambers... Tune is, Aim not too high (J. Deacon, 1684). Pepys 2.169; EBBA 20786. Crime – murder, punishment, prison; Death – unlawful killing, execution; Violence – interpersonal, domestic; Gender – masculinity, adultery/cuckoldry; Morality – familial; Religion – sin/repentanceEmployment – apprenticeship/service; Bodies – injury; Places – English. This tells the story of a vicious and lascivious husband who commissioned the murder of his wife because he preferred his harlot.
CRIMINALS CRUELTY... Tune is Aim not too high (J. Deacon, 1684). Pepys 2.153; EBBA 20771. Crime – murder, prsion, punishment; Death – unlawful killing, execution; Bodies – injury; Violence – interpersonal; Emotions – horror; Gender – masculinity, femininity; Morality – general; Environment – buildings; News – convicts/crimes; Places – English; Religion – divine intervention, sin/repentance. This describes the crimes of John Wise who robbed and murdered a widow who lived alone in a cellar but is now brought to justice following the dying confession of one of his accomplices.
The Bloody VINTNER: OR, Cruelty Rewarded with Justice...To the Tune of, Aim not too high (no imprint, 1684). Bodleian Library, Douce Ballads 1(23bv). Crime – murder, punishment; Death – unlawful killing, execution; Violence – interpersonal; Gender – marriage, masculinity; Emotions – horror; Employment – apprenticeship/service, crafts/trades; Bodies – injury; Morality – romantic/sexual, general; Religion – sin/repentance, Christ/God; News – convicts/crimes; Places – English. We are all warned to fear God by the example of a vintner who brutally murdered his young wife and who now faces execution.
Sad news from Salisbury... To the Tune of, Aim not too High (P. Brooksby, c.1685) . Euing 159; EBBA 31877. Environment – weather, landscape; Death – tragedy, accident; Religion – divine intervention, sin/repentance; Employment – crafts/trades, apprenticeship/service; Family – children/parents; Bodies – injury; Disability – physical; Emotions – horror; Morality – general; News – domestic; Places – English. Freezing conditions have killed numerous people in the west country, and this ballad interprets the extreme weather as a warning to us all of the need to reform our sinful lives.
DISNY’S Last Farewell... To the Tune of, Fortune my Foe (J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passenger, 1685). Pepys 2.154; EBBA 20772. Crime – treason, punishment; Death – execution; Politics – plots, treason, Royalism, obedience, domestic; Family – children/parents. William Disney expresses his remorse for having supported the Monmouth rebellion and prepares to face execution.
THE Young-Mans Repentance, OR, The sorrowful Sinners Lamentation... Tune is, Aim not too high (J. Back, 1685-88). Pepys 2.37; EBBA 20661. Religion - sin/repentance, church, Christ/God, saints, faith, heaven/hell, prayer; Death – illness; Gender – sex; Society - old/young; Emotions – sorrow; Morality – general. A man who has lived an immoral life now faces death in a mood of profound regret, and he is keen to warn others about the folly of his ways.
The Downfal of Pride... To the Tune of Aim not too High (P. Brooksby, J. Deacon, J. Blare, and J. Back, 1688-96). Pepys 2.59; EBBA 20683. Family – children/parents, siblings, kin, inheritance; Gender – femininity; Morality – familial; Economy – hardship/prosperity, money; Emotions – disdain, love; Bodies – adornment; Crime – prison; Employment – professions; Society - education. A wealthy couple dote on their oldest daughter while treating the younger one like a servant, but in the end she rescues her mother and sister with exemplary kindness when her father dies and the family falls on hard times.
GUN-POWDER Plot... To the Tune of Aim not too high (P. Brooksby, J. Deacon, J. Blare, J. Back, 1688-96). Pepys 2.370; EBBA 20990. Politics – plots, parliament, treason; Religion – Catholic/Protestant, divine intervention; Crime – treason; Violence – political; Emotions – horror, relief, patriotism; History – recent, villainy; Royalty – praise. This recounts the story of Catesby and his fellow ‘Roman’ plotters, who attempted to blow up king and parliament during the reign of James I.
The Bedfordshire Prophesie... To the Tune of Bernard’s Vision, or, Aim not too high (no publisher named, 1690) . Pepys 2.69; EBBA 20693. Death – godly end, illness, providential; Politics – domestic, foreign affairs, Royalist; Religion – Christ/God, prophecy, sin/repentance, divine intervention; Royalty – praise; Family – general; News – sensational; Bodies – health/sickness; Places – English. A godly man dies for twelve hours but is then restored to life for seven days so that he can urge repentance and reassure the English that King William will prove victorious in Ireland.
Englands Tribute of Tears, On the Death of his Grace the DUKE of GRAFTON... Tune is, The Watch for a Wise Man’s Observation: Or, Aim not too high (J. Millet, c.1690). Pepys 2.365; EBBA 20984. Politics – foreign affairs, Royalist, obedience, celebration; Death – warfare; Violence – between states; Emotions – sorrow, pride, patriotism; Employment – sailors/soldiers; Gender – masculinity; Royalty – praise; Bodies – injury; Religion – Catholic/Protestant, heaven/hell, heroism; News – international, political; Places – Irish. This brings the sad news of the death in battle of the Duke of Grafton, and it recounts his great deeds in the war in Ireland.
The Bloody Murtherer: OR, The Sorrowful Lamentation of James Selbee... To the Tune of, Aim not to High (P. Brooksby, J. Deacon, J. Blare, and J. Back, 1691). Pepys 2.200; EBBA 20814. Crime – murder, punishment; Death – unlawful killing, execution; Emotions – sorrow; Gender – adultery/cuckoldry, sex, marriage; Employment – alehouses/inns, prostitution; Recreation – alcohol, hospitality; Religion – Christ/God, sin/repentance, prayer; Morality – romantic/sexual, general; Places – English. The repentant last words of a debauched man who murdered the landlady-prostitute with whom he had just had drunken sex.
The Distressed gentlewoman; Or, Satan’s Implacable Malice... The Tune is, Aim not too High (Imprint damaged: P. Brooksby, J. D and [?], c.1691). Pepys 2.74; EBBA 20698. Religion – church, Bible, angels/devils, clergy, Christ/God, prayer; Bodies – health/sickness; Employment – professions; Emotions – anxiety, hope; Gender – femininity; News – domestic; Places – English. This describes the on-going ordeal of a godly young woman who is currently possessed by a devil and prone to blasphemous outbursts that upset all witnesses.
A Looking-Glass for a Christian Family... The Tune is, Aim not too High (no imprint, later seventeenth century). Roxburghe 2.283; EBBA 30740. Religion – moral rules, sin/repentance, heaven/hell, divine intervention; Morality – general; Family – children/parents; Society – criticism. A call to repentance, emphasising the sinful state of the English nation.
Postscript
An intriguing additional ballad that may well have been sung to the tune is Martin Parker’s The honest plaine dealing Porter: Who once was a rich man, but now tis his lot, To proue that need will make the old wife trot (c. 1630). The melody is here named ‘the Maids A.B.C.’ and our best guess is that this derives from an early and now lost edition of The Virgins ABC (listed above). If so, then it seems likely that Parker took the unusual step of deploying the melody for satirical effect. The mood of misery that was carried by ‘Fortune’ adds dark humour to a text in which a lowly London porter explains that, despite having fallen from wealth into poverty, he is entirely happy with his lot. Parker, a prolific ballad-writer, hardly ever wrote songs to the tune of ‘Fortune my foe’, and this therefore looks like a bubble-pricking comic intervention.
The melody was also nominated occasionally for the singing of white-letter ballads such as A Miraculous Cure for Witchcraft Or Strange News from the Blew-Boar in Holdborn (1670) and A New Scotch Ballad: Call’d Bothwel-Bridge (1679).
In addition, the tune was used for several songs that appeared in printed books. See, for example: ‘The most cruell murther of Edward the fifth’ in Richard Johnsons Golden Garland (1620); ‘On the death of King JOHN who was poisoned by a Monk’ in the 1674 edition of Thomas Deloney’s Royal Garland of Love and Delight; and ‘A song against Fortune and those that have or doe defend the same’ in John Rhodes’ The Countrie Mans Comfort. Or Religious Recreations fitte for all well disposed persons (edition of 1637).
The last of these is the most interesting in that it confronts directly the reliance on fortune that is expressed in the original, romantic song. Rhodes, a clergyman, urges singers and listeners to trust in God instead. The trajectory of the melody during the seventeenth century, from romance towards religion and morality, would therefore have pleased him.
Another churchman, William Slatyer, set two metrical psalms to ‘Fortune’, noting that it was one of ‘the most noted and common, but solemne tunes, every where in this Land familiarly used and knowne’. And Richard Corbet, yet another man of the cloth, recommended that one of his poems was ‘to be sung or whistled, to the tune of the Medow Brow by the learned, by the unlearned to the tune of Fortune’, though his humorous intent is suggested by the fact that the lyrics do not fit our tune at all comfortably (Certain elegant poems, 1647). Ross Duffin has also shown that playwrights of the period sometimes composed songs for the stage that were probably intended for the melody.
Not surprisingly, references to this tune are also found in many other forms of literature. In Richard Brome’s The Antipodes (1638), a character called Joyless demonstrates his joylessness by merely whistling the melody. In 1682, a character quoted by Alexander Oldys noted the shame experienced by miscreants when they were ‘sung about the Streets in a Ballad to the tune of Fortune my Foe’ (The Fair Extravagant). And Aphra Behn’s play, The Roundheads (1682), includes a scene in which a group of Royalists humiliate two former parliamentarians to the tune of Fortune, forcing one of them to dance (this is surely a black joke, for ‘Fortune’ was never a dance melody).
The tune’s romantic associations seem to be in play when a character in D’Avenant’s Love and honour (1649) commends the woman he loves for her skill on the virginals, adding ‘I’d wish no more of heven/ Than once to hear her play Fortune my foe/ Or John come kisse me now’. Interestingly, the same pair of tunes was mentioned more disparagingly by the composer Matthew Locke, who scorned another musician’s new-fangled scheme for tuning the viol because it restricted players to ‘such lean stuff as Fortune my Foe, or John come kiss me now’. To Locke’s refined ears, this exceptionally successful melody clearly had its limitations.
Christopher Marsh
References
William Ballet’s lute book, Trinity College Dublin, MS 408, pp. 14 and 111.
William Barley’s New Booke of Tabliture (1596).
Aphra Behn, The Roundheads (1682), p. 56.
Alexander Brome, Rump, or, An exact collection of the choicest poems and songs (1662), p. 56.
Richard Brome, The Antipodes (1638), G1r.
Richard Corbet, Certain elegant poems (1647), p. 47.
William Corkine, Ayres, to Sing and Play (1610), F2v.
Robert Creighton, virginal book, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, MS Conservatoire Rés. 1186, fo. 24.
William D’Avenant, Love and honour (1649), p. 7.
Thomas Deloney, The Royal Garland of Love and Delight (1674), A5r-6r.
Ross W. Duffin, Some other note. The lost songs of English Renaissance comedy (Oxford, 2018), pp. 200-01, 395 and 536.
The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, ed. J. A. Fuller Maitland and W. Barclay Squire, 2 vols (Leipzig, 1894-99), vol. 1, p. 254.
Richard Johnson, The Golden Garland (1620), E3r-5r.
Matthew Locke, Observations upon a late book, entituled, An essay to the advancement of musick &c, written by Thomas Salmon (1672), p. 33.
Clement Matchett’s virginal book, ed. Thurston Dart (1957), p. 11.
Christopher Marsh, Music and Society in Early Modern England (2010), p. 238.
Alexander Oldys, The Fair Extravagant, or, the Humorous Bride (1682), p. 82.
Oliver Pygge, Meditations Concerning Praiers to Almighty God (1589), E2r.
John Rhodes, The Countrie Mans Comfort. Or Religious Recreations fitte for all well disposed persons (edition of 1637), B8v-C1r.
Claude M. Simpson, The British Broadside Ballads and its Music (New Brunswick, 1966), pp. 225-31.
William Slatyer, Psalmes, or songs of Sion turned into the language, and set to the tunes of a strange land (1631), table at back.
Back to contentsStandard woodcut name: Old man on scaffold
The purpose of this section is to provide evidence relating to the career of the image under discussion, paying particular attention to the ‘reflections’ (inter-song associations and connections) that may have been set up if it was chosen to illustrate more than one ballad. The list given below includes all ballads from the Pepys and Roxburghe collections that feature this woodcut or a close variant (these are the two largest collections, including approximately 3300 sheets, in total). References to ballads from other collections occur only when the featured edition of the song under consideration here (or the featured edition of another song from our list) comes from such a source. Ballads from our chart of best-sellers are presented in bold type, and they also appear in colour where there is a link to another song in the database. Please note, however, that the editions of hit songs listed below are not necessarily those for which digital images are presented on this website. Cross-references to other examples of our featured woodcuts are also presented in bold. It is extremely difficult to date many ballads precisely and the chronological order in which the songs are listed is therefore very approximate (we have drawn on previous attempts to date the ballads, making adjustments when additional evidence can be brought into play).
Reflections (an overview)
This image was clearly designed specifically for Save a Theefe, and it appears on all surviving editions from the seventeenth century. Clearly, the woodcut was an important feature of the song and must have contributed to its success. All surviving copies seem to have been produced from the same woodblock, but it is noticeable that the unusual speech banners, present on our featured edition, did not appear on later versions. They may have been filed away after sustaining some damage, though we cannot be sure.
The removal of the banners reduced the specificity of the image, but not enough to encourage significant deployment of the image on other ballads. When people looked at this famous picture, they knew that the man on the gallows was innocent and that the man in the crowd was confessing to the murder just in the nick of time. This made it difficult to use the picture in relation to other narratives, and only one additional title is listed below. This too presented the repentant words of a murderer who had betrayed the trust of a family member. It is difficult to look at A Warning to Murtherers without thinking automatically of its more successful cousin. Given that there is no miscarriage of justice in the second song, the woodcut’s deployment is also a little confusing. Perhaps this is why the experiment was not often repeated.
[See 'Postscript', below, for additional notes on the woodcut].
Songs and summaries:
Save a Theefe from the Gallowes and hee'l hang thee if he can: / Or, The mercifull Father, and the mercilesse Sonne (Edw[ard Wright?], 1611-56). Manchester Central Library Blackletter Ballads 1.56; EBBA 36258. Family – children/parents, kin, inheritance; Violence- interpersonal, punitive; Crime – murder, general; Death – unlawful killing, execution, result of immorality; Religion – Bible, sin/repentance, faith, Christ/God; Morality – familial; Emotions – greed, despair; Society – old/young; Places – English. Two repentant songs by a young gentleman who murdered his uncle and framed his own loving and kind father for the crime (picture placement: the scene appears beneath the title).
A Warning to Murtherers: OR, [?The sa]d and Lamentable Relation of the Condemnation, [?], and Excecution, of John Gower Coach-Maker (J. Wright, I. Clarke, W. Tha[ckeray] and T. Passinger, 1682-84). Pepys 3.358 ; EBBA 21374. Crime – murder; Death – execution, result of immorality, godly end; Gender – marriage; Morality – familial; Religion – sin and repentance; Emotions – sorrow; Places – English. An account of Gower’s murder of his wife, and of the repentant spirit in which he faced execution (picture placement: the image, without the speech banners, appears immediately beneath the title).
Postscript
Several editions of this ballad feature the same woodcut but without the speech banners. See, for example, Roxburghe 3.28 (EBBA 32059).
Christopher Marsh
Back to contentsThe first song does not seem to be related to other sources, and it has nothing to do with publications about the wealthy London merchant named George Saunders who was famously murdered in 1573.
Clearly, the second song on the sheet references the Bible in almost every line. Most of the Scriptural stories are identified through extremely concise summaries rather than actual quotations, making it difficult to be sure which version of the Bible was in use. And where there are quotations – the man in the picture recites part of Psalm 142, for example – they could come from almost any of the available versions.
There are a couple of points to note, however. First, the reference to the blinding of Tobit (Tobias) by ‘swallowes dung’ appears to indicate familiarity with the Bishop’s Bible (printed in 1568, 1572 and 1602). The Geneva Bible and the King James version both identify the offending birds as ‘sparrows’, rather than swallows.
Second, the final verse paraphrases Psalm 84:3 but none of the most widely available Bibles of the period explicitly mentions the singing of the birds. The very well-known metrical psalms, however, do endow the birds with voices, and the specific expression ‘sit and sing’ appears both here and in the ballad (see The Whole Booke of Psalms). It is as if George is working from memory, constructing a new and composite version of the text for himself. More broadly, it is striking that George’s selections from the Scripture include a surprisingly high number of ornithological references (ravens, swallows, larks and sparrows all flap across the sheet). The reasons for this are not entirely clear.
Christopher Marsh
Texts (in chronological order)
The Bible in Englishe, according to the translation of the great Booke (1539; edition of 1553).
The Bible and Holie Scriptures (Geneva, 1561).
Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins, The Whole booke of Psalms (1562).
The holie Bible, conteynyng the olde Testament and the newe (1568)
The Holy Bible. Quatercentenary edition… of the King James Version… published in the year 1611 (Oxford, 2010).
Save a Theefe from the Gallowes and hee’l hang thee if he can (registered 1624; edition of c. 1635).
Save a Theefe from the Gallowes and hee’l hang thee if he can:/ Or, The mercifull Father, and the mercilesse Sonne.
To the tune of, Fortune my Foe.
[Play each verse by clicking anywhere within its text. Full verses in square brackets do not feature on the recording].
And at my timelesse end take warning all. Against my owne deare Father have I done A deede the like did never gracelesse Sonne.
Ere I perceiv’d what danger lay therein: And so from day to day, unto this houre, To leave the same I had not any power.]
As men will doe when motherlesse we be, And nothing then he thought for me too deare, Which brought me thus into a gracelesse feare.
By wicked courses got I timelesse woe: Each vaine delight belonging to young men, Deceived me, and brought my ruine then.
Without more grace hath lost my joyes in heaven: From first to last of those most cursed crimes, Have made me now a wonder of these times.]
I went the wrong, and left the waies of right: [Wh]ich to maintain, my father being grown poore, [For]getting God, I daily rob’d for more.
[Three ti]mes he cast himselfe in debt for mee, [Three times] he set me up in good estate, [In hope to k]eepe me from untimely fate.
[Who save a] theefe from gallows, finds it deare: [For saving me, I sought his dear life’s woe, My gentle Fathers timeless overthrow.]
Put me in mind to doe a hatefull deede, And seeke by blood the highway unto sinne, Who wanting grace I soone grew perfect in.]
Being dead, as next of Kin they were mine owne: The which I wrought with these accursed hands, To be the heire of all mine Uncles lands.
Into the field which he did much frequent: Where meeting him with mine own fathers knife, Which I had stoln, I tooke full soone his life.
That all might see my Uncle therewith dide, And challeng’d it my Fathers knife to be, When people came the murthered corps to see.
Like Caine, to seeke my dearest Fathers blood: My owne deare Father being thus betraide, I his owne childe the evidence was made.
The Lord in mercy did the same forbid: For as he was to execution led, A world of torments in my bosome bred.
From which before (good man) he saved me, I could not chuse but tell what I had done, And so confesse my selfe a wicked sonne.
Dear Father I have [slain him, let me dye, O let me dye, and set my Father free, Or else like Judas damned shall I be.]
The confession and repentance of George Sanders, Gentleman late/ of Shugh in the County of Hereford, who unnaturally killed his Uncle, and accused/ his owne Father for the murder: but by Gods providence being discovered, he dyed for the/ same. Where he writ this Song with his owne hand. To the tune of Fortune my Foe.
There praised God that gave me so much grace, To quit my Father from that crying sin, Where I with blood=red streams am drowned in.]
Where now I live with many a sad lament: Which when you heare, you cannot chuse but say, Repentance comes before my dying day.
His repentance in Prison.
To the same tune.
In lowest prison cast with Jeremy,
Fed with Elias by the Ravens fell,
And placed with Jonas [‘Judas’ in later editions] in the maw of Hell.
Dumbe with old Zachary silent do I talke,
Afflictions bread with Micha is my food,
And with the Prophet drinke I sorrowes flood.]
Despis’d with Lazarus in great misery,
Banisht with David from my native land,
Cast up with Jonas on the Ninivitee sand.]
And with poore Joseph cast in prison strong,
I weepe with Mary who had lost her Master,
And run with Peter who should run the faster.
I sinned have, for sinne the world was drown’d;
I sinned have, sinne Sodome set on fire,
Also for sin did AEgypt feele Gods ire,]
I sinned have, sinne caused Davids crie;
I sinned have, and for sinne Satan fell,
From an high Angell to a Divell in Hell.
Shall Mary weepe, and shall my eyes be dry?
Shall Esau weepe, and shall not I weepe more?
Did Peter weepe, such teares let me have store.
Did Martha weepe for sorrow toucht full neare?
Spring eyes with teares to wash his sacred feet,
That for my sinnes did shed his blood most sweet.]
Desiring pardon of my Heavenly King;
Past worldly hope, now like the theefe on tree,
I onely fixe my faith and hope on thee.
Speake to my soule as to the theefe more sweeter,
Oh spie me out with Zache in the tree,
And with good Bartholomew call me lord to thee.
A saving Ram that Isaac may not die;
Oh let me live for to sound out thy praise,
That I may shew thy mercy in my dayes.]
That Swallow-like I may there sit and sing,
O let me in thy Temple keepe a doore,
That I may praise thy name for evermore.
George Sande[rs]
FINIS.
Printed at London for Edw. [Wright?]
This ballad is included according to the criteria for List A (see Methodology).The evidence presented here is accurate, to the best of our knowledge, as of 1st January 2024.
Shirburn ballads: not included.
Appearances on Ballad Partners' lists: Pavier and partners, 1624 (as 'George Sanders'); Coles, Vere, Wright and Clarke, 1675; and Thackeray, 1689 ('George Sanders').
Other registrations with Stationers' Company: none.
No. of known editions c.1560-1711: 10
No. of extant copies: 9
New tune-titles generated: none.
Specially-commissioned woodcuts: Old man on scaffold on featured edition (and other editions); and ?Chained man with religious book on featured edition (and other editions).
Vaughan Williams Memorial Library databases: 3 references, with no evidence of later collection as a folk-song (Roud no. V32266).
POINTS: 0 + 30 + 0 + 20 + 9 + 0 + 10 + 0 = 69
This box will be used to highlight any new information on this song that might come to light after the launch of the website.
Back to contents