The Children in the Wood. I clasped the prattlers to my breast, And cried, "Come both and live with me, I'll clothe you, feed you, give you rest, And will a second mother be. And God shall be your father still, 'Twas he in mercy sent me here, To teach you to obey his will, Your steps to guide, your hearts to cheer." 117 ANONYMOUS. THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD. POW ponder well, you parents dear, A doleful story you shall hear, A gentleman of good account Sore sick he was, and like to die, And both possessed one grave. In love they lived, in love they died, The one, a fine and pretty boy, The father left his little son, As plainly doth appear, When he to perfect age should come, And to his little daughter Jane, For so the will did run. "Now, brother," said the dying man, Be good unto my boy and girl, My children dear this day; You must be father and mother both, And uncle all in one; God knows what will become of them, When I am dead and gone." With that bespake their mother dear, "O brother kind," quoth she, "You are the man must bring our babes To wealth or misery. And if you keep them carefully, The Children in the Wood. 119 With lips as cold as any stone, They kissed their children small : "God bless you both, my children dear ;" With that their tears did fall. These speeches then their brother spake To this sick couple there : "The keeping of your little ones, Sweet sister, do not fear. God never prosper me nor mine, The parents being dead and gone, And brings them straight unto his house, He had not kept these pretty babes A twelvemonth and a day, To make them both away. He bargained with two ruffians strong That they should take these children young And slay them in a wood. He told his wife an artful tale: He would the children send To be brought up in fair London, Away then went those pretty babes, Rejoicing at that tide, Rejoicing with a merry mind, They should on cock-horse ride. They prate and prattle pleasantly, To those that should their butchers be, So that the pretty speech they had, Yet one of them, more hard of heart, Because the wretch that hired him, The other won't agree thereto, And he that was of mildest mood, The babes did quake for fear! He took the children by the hand, And bade them straightway follow him, And look they did not cry; And two long miles he led them on, While they for food complain : "Stay here," quoth he, "I'll bring you bread, When I come back again." These pretty babes, with hand in hand, Went wandering up and down : But never more could see the man Approaching from the town: The Children in the Wood. Their pretty lips with blackberries Were all besmeared and dyed, And when they saw the darksome night, Thus wandered these poor innocents Did cover them with leaves. And now the heavy wrath of God Upon their uncle fell; Yea, fearful fiends did haunt his house, His conscience felt an hell: His barns were fired, his goods consumed, His cattle died within the field, And nothing with him stayed. And in the voyage to Portugal And to conclude, himself was brought He pawned and mortgaged all his land The fellow that did take in hand Was for a robbery judged to die, 121 |