91  A pleasant new Song, betwixt/ The Saylor and his Love [Pepys 1.422-23]

To the Tune of ‘Dulcina’ (standard name)

The purpose of this section is to provide brief notes on the melody followed by detailed evidence relating to  its ballad 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

Notation for this melody was not often written down but examples can be found in two manuscript sources. It appears as a ‘Daunce’ in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book (late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries) and it can be found with an early version of A pleasant new Song in the songbook of Giles Earle (c. 1615). The two versions are very similar, and our recording draws on both of them.

In ballads and printed songbooks, the melody had various titles: ‘As at noon Dulcina rested’ or, more simply, ‘Dulcina’ (the dominant name); ‘Robin Goodfellow’; ‘I fancy none but thee alone’; ‘Forgo me now come to me soon’; and ‘Kiss and bid me welcome home’. The last of these derived from the hit song under discussion here.

Echoes (an overview)

‘Dulcina’ is a bright and interesting tune that became a steady favourite, though its popularity seems to have waned in the second half of seventeenth century. Its distinctive and variable metre meant that verses had to be very carefully constructed, and this may have prevented it from achieving an even higher level of success.

It was associated strongly with optimistic romance, and it is striking that many of the ballads listed below tell stories that involve a transition from emotional discomfort towards joy (good examples include An excellent new dyttye, wherein fayre Dulcina complayneth for the absence of her dearest Coridon and A delicate new Ditty composed upon the Posie of a Ring). A pleasant new Song, betwixt The Saylor and his Love also fits into this category, being one of the most successful of several songs in which love is in doubt at the start but triumphant by the end.

The uplifting nature of the tune injects additional brightness into many of the songs, and some are clearly intended to generate laughter (see, for example, A Proverbe old, yet nere forgot, Tis good to strike while the Irons hott, which advises young men to take advantage of the demographic climate and marry the many available widows). A Penny-worth of good Counsell inverts the usual narrative, probably with humorous intent, in presenting the sad tale of a woman whose husband, though initially promising, has turned out to be utterly useless in all imaginable ways (see also THE Downfall of Dancing, at the end of the series).

Interestingly, three of the romantic songs that play around with or even subvert the tune’s buoyant associations in this manner - A Proverbe old, A Penny-worth of good Counsell and The desperate Damsells Tragedy – were by the leading ballad-writer, Martin Parker, a fact that probably tells us something about his particular brand of creativity.

Only one song applies the melody to romantic tragedy, and the curious effect achieved – whether by accident or design – is rather poignant, like a reminder of lost happiness (The desperate Damsells Tragedy). Beyond this, the most interesting outlier is An excellent Ballad of the Birth and Passion of our Saviour Christ, which attempts to appropriate the positive associations of the tune and turn them towards religious, rather than romantic, devotion (‘Turn your eyes, that are affixed/ on this world’s deceaving things...’).

The ballads listed below are connected not only by their melody but also by a number of textual affinities. Listening to the songs in sequence generates a sensation of familiarity within variety, and the repetitive refrains that round off numerous verses in different ballads seem to be in conversation with one another: ‘I fancie none but thee alone’ (A delicate new Ditty ); ‘first kisse and bid me welcome home’ (A pleasant new Song); ‘Forego me now, come to me soon’ (An excellent new dyttye, wherein fayre Dulcina complayneth and An Excellent Ditty, called the Shepherds wooing Dulcina).

Pairs of rhyming words often appear at the same points in the melody. The True-Lovers Good-Morrow, for example, opens with the lines, ‘In the month of February,/ the green leaves begin to spring;/ Pretty Lambs trip like a Fairy,/ Birds do couple, bill, and sing’. The first verse of A Penny-worth of good Counsell is similar: ‘Of late it was my chance to walke/ for recreation in the Spring,/ Where as the fethered Quiristers,/ melodiously aloud did sing’. The word ‘love’ often appears in either line 2 or line 4, rhymed variously with ‘prove’, ‘dove’, ‘Jove’ and ‘remove’ (compare, for example, A pleasant new Song, betwixt The Saylor and his Love and A Proverbe old, yet nere forgot).

Presumably, these affinities served to reinforce the predominantly romantic associations of the melody and encourage comparison, whether conscious or unconscious.

[See 'Postscript', below, for additional notes on this melody].

Songs and Summaries

A delicate new Ditty composed upon the Posie of a Ring: being, I fancie none but thee alone... To the tune of Dulcina (H. Gosson, 1601-40).  Roxburghe 1.80-81; EBBA 30055.  Emotions – love; Gender – courtship, masculinity, femininity.  Gender – courtship, masculinity, femininity; Emotions – anxiety, love; Bodies – looks/physique; Religion – ancient gods. A man appears to fear that the woman he loves has turned away from him, so she reassures him in fulsome terms.

The desperate Damsells Tragedy. OR The faithlesse young man. To the tune of Dulcina (H. G., 1601-40). Roxburghe 1.86-87; EBBA 30060. Gender – courtship, masculinity, femininity, sex; Death – suicide, tragedy, heartbreak; Emotions – love, despair; Violence – self-inflicted; Morality – romantic/sexual; History – ancient/mythological, romance; Bodies – injury; Environment – flowers/trees, birds; Recreation – walking; Religion – ancient gods. A maiden commits suicide, having been driven to despair by a man who declared his love, took her maidenhead (‘My dearest Jewell’) and then abandoned her.

The mad-merry prankes of Robbin Good-fellow. To the tune of Dulcina (H. G., 1601-40). Roxburghe 1.230-31; EBBA 30163. Humour – extreme situations/surprises, deceit/disguise, domestic/familial, scatalogical; Environment – fairies, landscape, flowers/trees, animals; Gender – courtship; Recreation  - food, alcohol, dance, music; Employment – female. Robin Goodfellow, sent from Fairy Land, describes his nightly travels through the world of humans and the multifarious mischief that he visits upon them.

An excellent new dyttye, wherein fayre Dulcina complayneth for the absence of her dearest Coridon... To the tune of Dulcina (copied out by hand, 1603-16). Shirburn Ballads XIII. Gender – courtship; Society – rural life; Employment – agrarian; Bodies – clothing; Emotions – sorrow, longing, love, joy; Environment – landscape; Recreation – music, dance, weddings; Religion – ancient gods. Dulcina pines for her beloved and there is great joy when at last he turns up to marry her.

An excellent Ballad of the Birth and Passion of our Saviour Christ. The tune is Dulcina (copied out by hand, 1603-16). Shirburn Ballads XI and XII. Religion – Christ/God, Bible; heroism; Family – pregnancy/childbirth; Emotions – joy, sorrow; Death – execution, godly end; Violence – punitive; Places – extra-European.  A religious ballad that connects the beginning and the end of Christ’s life on earth and urges listeners/readers to think about both (picture placement: it appears on the right, alongside an image of the Madonna and child).

An Excellent Ditty, called the Shepherds wooing Dulcina. Tune is, Dulcina (probably registered 1615; F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and J. Clarke, 1675-80). Roxburghe 2.402-03; EBBA 30834. Gender – courtship, femininity, masculinity, sex; Employment – sailors/soldiers; Emotions – longing, love; Religion – ancient gods.  A shepherd courts a maiden whose initial reluctance is eventually replaced by enthusiasm.

A Proverbe old, yet nere forgot, Tis good to strike while the Irons hott... To the Tune of, Dulcina (Francis Grove, 1623-62).  Pepys 1.386-87; EBBA 20179. Gender – courtship, femininity, sex, Cupid; Humour – domestic/familial, bawdry, satire; Society – old/young.  Young men are advised that many widows are currently available for marriage, presenting opportunities that should not be missed.

A pleasant new Song, betwixt The Saylor and his Love. to the tune of Dulcina (John Grismond, 1624-38). Pepys 1.422-433; EBBA 20198. Gender – marriage, masculinity, femininity; Employment -  sailors/soldiers; Environment – animals, crops, birds, sea; Religion – ancient gods; History – ancient/mythological; Recreation – music; Places – travel/transport.  A sailor returns home after a long time away and persuades his wife not to be resentful.

The true hearted L[over]... To the Tune of, I fancy none but thee alone (John [?Wright, 1634-58]). Houghton Library, Gen (*60-911). Gender – courtship, masculinity, femininity, Cupid; Emotions – love, anxiety; Religion – prayer. In the first part, an anxious man declares his love for a woman, and in the second she reassures him that his feelings are reciprocated.

A Penny-worth of good Counsell. To Widdowes, and to Maides... To the tune of Dulcina (no imprint, c. 1638).  Roxburghe 1.312-13; EBBA 30215.  Gender – courtship, marriage, masculinity; Emotions – frustration; Bodies – clothing, nourishment, physique/looks; Recreation – walking, music, games/sports, dance, food, alcohol, theatre;  Environment – birds, seasons.  A woman complains that the handsome, vibrant man she thought she was marrying has turned into a thoroughly unpleasant and useless husband who ‘hath no fore-cast in him’.

The True-Lovers Good-Morrow... The Tune is, As at Noon Dulcina rested (F. Coles, T. Vere, and Wright [sic], 1665-74). Rawl. 566(125). Gender – courtship; Recreation – fairs/festivals; Emotions – love; Morality – romantic/sexual; Environment – animals, birds, flowers/trees. On Valentine’s Day, a man meets a woman and persuades her to marry him.

THE Downfall of Dancing; OR, The overthrow of three Fidlers, and three Bagg-Pipe-Players... To the Tune of, Robin Goodfellow (J. Deacon, 1671-99).  Pepys 3.188; EBBA 21201.  Recreation – music; Gender – adultery/cuckoldry, marriage, masculinity, sex; Violence – interpersonal; Humour – bawdry, deceit/disguise, mockery; Employment – crafts/trades, female/male; Emotions – anger; Morality – romantic/sexual. A piper and a fiddler belong to the same band but a true rock ‘n’ roll fight breaks out – complete with the smashing of instruments – when the piper plays ‘Uptails all’ with the fiddler’s wife.

Postscript

The melody was also called for in several songs that appeared in chapbooks of the period. In Richard Crimsal’s CUPID’S Soliciter of LOVE (1680), for example, ‘The Maids Song in praise of her Love’ is to the tune of ‘I fancy none but thee’. This is a thoroughly romantic piece, but it is interesting to note that the melody was also used for several Christmas carols. It seems that festive piety managed to establish itself as a secondary resonance of the melody, despite the infrequency with which the broadside ballads considered religion (see, for example, ‘A Carroll for Innocents day’ in Good and True, Fresh and New, Christmas Carols, 1642, and ‘A Carrol for Christmas-day in the morning’ in NEW Christmas CARROLS, c. 1662).

The tune’s potential for pious devotion is also reflected in William Slatyer’s decision to nominate it for the singing of psalm 16 in his metrical version, though it should be noted that his general strategy of setting sacred songs to ballad tunes attracted criticism from his ecclesiastical superiors (see Slatyer and Marsh, below).  He considered it a ‘common, but solemne tune’ but the authorities were not impressed!

Occasionally, the melody was also nominated on white-letter ballads with political subject matter (see THE Bare-faced Tories and A NEW SONG, both issued in the early 1680s). It is noticeable that the lyrics do not fit the melodies as comfortably as those of the ballads listed above, perhaps suggesting a view that, in these more expensive and politically sophisticated pieces, the music was not quite such a central consideration.

Christopher Marsh

References

Richard Crimsal, CUPID’S Soliciter of LOVE (1680), A6v.

Giles Earle, Songbook, British Library, MS Add. 24665, fo. 35v (transcription in Simpson).

The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, ed. J. A. Fuller Maitland and W. Barclay Squire, 2 vols (Leipzig, 1894-99), vol. 2, p. 268.

Patricia Fumerton, The broadside ballad in early modern England (Philadelphia, 2020), pp. 80—112.

Good and True, Fresh and New, Christmas Carols (1642), A7vr-v.

Christopher Marsh, Music and society in early modern England (Cambridge, 2010), pp. 196, 420-1.

NEW Christmas CARROLS (c. 1662). A2r-3v.

Claude Simpson, The British broadside ballad and its music (New Brunswick, 1966), pp. 201-205.

William Slatyer, Psalmes, or songs of Sion turned into the language, and set to the tunes of a strange land (1631), table at back.

Standard woodcut name: Women fighting or dancing?

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 woodcut appears only occasionally on surviving ballads of the 1620s and 30s, and the small number of extant sheets makes it difficult to discern any consistent associations. The images that appear on the ballads listed below all seem to have come from the same woodblock, and the damage it sustained during a period of only a few years probably indicates that it was also used on other songs, now lost.

Patricia Fumerton, a sharp-eyed scholar, notes that the woman on the right in this image holds a barely visible dagger, while the individual on the left appears to have had a sword removed from her right hand (the traces of its blade crossing her left arm are still visible). Fumerton argues convincingly that these and other features of the picture – the feathered hats, short hair and manly body language – suggest a connection with the Jacobean controversy about women who adopted male fashions and affected mannish manners (on The Map of Mock-begger Hall, the woodcut can thus be taken to illustrate the new-fangled fashions that are criticised in the text). It seems clear, therefore, that, the original woodblock presented a manly blade-fight between two women (so far, no image from this unaltered block has been found).

Interestingly, Fumerton also shows that the middle woodcut on A pleasant new Song had certainly featured in the gender controversy, having appeared on the title page of Hic mulier: or, The man-woman in 1620. She further argues that those who recognised the images and/or remembered the earlier debate may have felt encouraged to hear and see the song as a confrontation between the sexes in which the woman emerged on top.

We should also note, however, that the proportion of consumers who were in a position to apply this kind of specialist knowledge to the ballad may have been fairly small (books were significantly more expensive than ballads). Moreover, the ballad-makers clearly did what they could to stifle such associations by minimising the visibility of the weapons. Indeed, it seems possible that they were seeking to promote a new view in which the two women were actually dancing rather than fighting. In The Countrey Lasse, for example, there is a reference to dancing just beneath the woodcut, though the eponymous maiden participates in this recreation ‘with young men neatly’ rather than with other women.

On A pleasant new Song, this interpretation might also fit with references in the closest portion of the text to the woman’s admirable chastity during the sailor’s absence. Both of the verses positioned immediately beneath the woodcut emphasise her chastity, and single-sex dancing was, of course, the form of the art much preferred by moralists of the period precisely because it reduced sexual temptation. Under this interpretation, the woman in the ballad may have been taken as admirable for her exemplary moral conduct. - at least by those consumers who did not recall the picture's intriguing past.

We therefore face the fascinating possibility that different viewers may have processed the woodcut very differently and interpreted the song accordingly. As always, it all depended on what each individual brought to the encounter.

Songs and summaries:

A pleasant new Song, betwixt the Saylor and his Love (John Grismond, 1624-38).  Pepys 1.422-23; EBBA 20198. Gender – marriage, masculinity, femininity; Employment -  sailors/soldiers; Environment – animals, crops, birds, sea; Religion – ancient gods; History – ancient/mythological; Recreation – music; Places – travel/transport.  A sailor returns home after a long time away and persuades his wife not to be resentful (picture placement: they illustrate the ‘second part’ of the ballad on the right side of the sheet). 

The Countrey Lasse (missing imprint, 1624-47?).  Pepys 1.268-69; EBBA 20124.  Gender – femininity; Recreation – dance, fairs/festivals, hospitality, good fellowship; Employment – agrarian, female/male; Environment – animals, birds, flowers/trees.  A country woman describes the modest, wholesome pleasures of her life (picture placement: they appear over the third and fourth columns of text).

The Map of Mock-begger Hall, with his scituation in the spacious Countrey, called, Anywhere (Richard Harper, 1633-52).  Roxburghe 1.252-53; EBBA 30174.  Society – criticism; History – ancient/mythological, nostalgia, medieval; Environment – buildings; Morality – social/economic; Bodies – clothing; Places – travel/transport; Recreation – fashions; Economy – extortion; Religion – charity; Emotions – sorrow. The present age, characterised by vanity, greed and corruption, is compared unfavourably with the past (picture placement: they appear over the third and fourth columns of text).

Christopher Marsh

References

Anon, Hic mulier: or, The man-woman (1620).

Patricia Fumerton, The broadside ballad in early modern England (Philadelphia, 2020), pp. 80-81, 99-103 and 106-08.