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                <text>English Execution Ballads</text>
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    <name>Execution Ballad</name>
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        <name>Set to tune of...</name>
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            <text>&lt;a href="https://omeka.cloud.unimelb.edu.au/execution-ballads/items/show/1134"&gt;Fortune my foe&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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            <text>U Nhappy she whom Fortune hath forlorn,&#13;
Despis'd of grace, that proffer'd grace did scorn,&#13;
My lawless love hath luckless wrought my woe,&#13;
My discontent, content did overthrow.&#13;
My loathed life too late I do lament,&#13;
My woful deeds in heart I do repent:&#13;
A Wife I was that wilful went awry,&#13;
And for that fault am here prepar'd to dye:&#13;
In blooming years my Fathers greedy mind,&#13;
Against my will a match for me did find,&#13;
Great wealth there was, yes, gold and silver store,&#13;
But yet my heard had chosen one before.&#13;
Mine eyes dislik't my Fathers likeing quite,&#13;
My heart did loath my Parents fond delight:&#13;
My greedy mind and fancy told to me,&#13;
That with his Age my Youth could not agree.&#13;
On knees I pray'd they would not me constrain,&#13;
With tears I cry'd, their purpose to refrain:&#13;
With sighs and sobs I did them often move:&#13;
I might not Wed whereas I could not Love.&#13;
But all in vain my speeches still I spent,&#13;
My Mothers will my wishes did prevent,&#13;
Though wealthy page possest the outward part,&#13;
George Strangwidge still was lodged in my heart.&#13;
I Wedded was and wraped all in woe,&#13;
Great discontent within my heart did grow:&#13;
I loath'd to live, yet liv'd in deadly strife,&#13;
Because perforce I was made pages Wife.&#13;
My chosen eyes could not his sight abide,&#13;
My tender Youth did loath his aged side,&#13;
Scant could I tast the meat whereon I fed,&#13;
My Legs did loath to lodge within his bed.&#13;
Cause knew I none, I should despise him so,&#13;
That such disdain within my heart did grow:&#13;
Save onely this, that fancy did me move,&#13;
And told me still George Strangwidge was my love.&#13;
Lo here began my downfal and decay,&#13;
In mind I mus'd to make him straight away:&#13;
I that became his Discontented Wife,&#13;
Contented was he should be rid of Life.&#13;
Methinks the Heavens cry vengeance for my fact,&#13;
Methinks the World condemns my monstrous act,&#13;
Methinks within my conscience tells me true,&#13;
That for that Deed Hell fire is my due.&#13;
My pensive Soul doth sorrow for my Sin,&#13;
For which offence my soul doth Bleed within,&#13;
But mercy Lord, for mercy still I cry,&#13;
Save thou my soul, and let my body dye.&#13;
Well could I with that page enjoy'd his life,&#13;
So that he had some other to his Wife:&#13;
But never could I wish of low or high,&#13;
A longer life than see sweet Strangwidge Dye.&#13;
O woe is me that had no greater grace,&#13;
To stay till he had run out natures race:&#13;
My Deeds I rue, but more I do Repent,&#13;
That to the same my Strangwidge gave consent.&#13;
You Parents fond that greedy minded be,&#13;
And seek to graft upon the Golden tree:&#13;
Consider well, and rightful judges be,&#13;
And give your Doom, 'twixt parents love &amp; me.&#13;
I was their Child, and bound for to obey,&#13;
Yet not to love where I no love could lay,&#13;
I married was in muck and endless strife,&#13;
But faith before had made me Strangwidge Wife.&#13;
O wretched world whom canker'd rust doth blind&#13;
And cursed men who bear a greedy mind:&#13;
And hapless I whom Parents did force so,&#13;
To end my Days in sorrow, shame, and woe.&#13;
You Devonshire dames, &amp; courteous Cornwal Knights,&#13;
That here are come to visit woful wights,&#13;
Regard my grief, and mark my woful end,&#13;
But to your Children be a better friend.&#13;
And thou my Dear which for my fault must Dye,&#13;
Be not afraid the sting of Death to try:&#13;
Like as we liv'd and lov'd together true,&#13;
So both at once let's bid the World adieu.&#13;
Ulalia thy friend doth take her last farewel&#13;
Whose soul with thee in Heaven shall ever dwell,&#13;
Sweet Saviour Christ do thou my soul receive,&#13;
The World I do with all my heart forgive.&#13;
And Parents now whose greedy mind doth show,&#13;
Your hearts desire, and inward heavy woe:&#13;
Mourn you no more, for now my heart doth tell,&#13;
E're Day be done, my Soul shall be full well.&#13;
And Plimouth proud I bid thee now farewel,&#13;
Take heed you Wives, let not your hands Rebel,&#13;
And farewel life wherein such sorrow shows,&#13;
And welcome Death that doth my Corps inclose.&#13;
And now sweet Lord forgive me my misdeeds,&#13;
Repentance crys for Soul that inward bleeds,&#13;
My Soul and Body I commend to thee,&#13;
That with thy Blood from Death redeemed me.&#13;
Lord bless our King with long and happy life,&#13;
And send true Peace betwixt each Man and Wife:&#13;
And give all Parents Wisdom to foresee,&#13;
The match is marr'd where minds do not agree.&#13;
&#13;
The lamentation of George Strang- &#13;
widge, who for consenting to the Death of Mr. &#13;
Page of Plimouth, suffered Death at  &#13;
Barnstable . &#13;
T He Man that sighs end sorrows for his sin,&#13;
The Corps which care &amp; woe hath wraped in:&#13;
In doleful sort records her Swan-like Song,&#13;
That waits for death, and loaths to live so long.&#13;
O Glansfield cause of my commited Crime,&#13;
So wed in Wealth as Birds in Bush of Lime:&#13;
What cause had'st thou to hear such wicked spight&#13;
Against my Love and eke my hearts delight.&#13;
I would to God thy wisdom had been more,&#13;
Or that I had not entred in thy door:&#13;
Or that thou hadst a kinder Father been&#13;
Unto thy child, whose Years are yet but green.&#13;
The match unmet which thou for me didst make,&#13;
When aged page thy Daughter home did take;&#13;
Well may'st thou cue with tears that cannot dry,&#13;
Which is the cause that four of us must die.&#13;
Ulalia more brighter than the Summers Sun,&#13;
Whose beauty has for ever my Love won:&#13;
My soul more sobs to think of thy disgrace,&#13;
Then to behold my own untimely race.&#13;
The deed late done in heart I do repent,&#13;
But that I lov'd I cannot yet relent:&#13;
Thy seemly sight was ever sweet to me,&#13;
Would God my Death could thy excuser be.&#13;
It was for me alas thou didst the same,&#13;
On me by right they ought to lay the blame:&#13;
My worthless love hath brought my life in scorn,&#13;
And woe is me that ever I was born.&#13;
Farewel my love, whose Royal heart was seen,&#13;
I would thou hadst not half so constant been:&#13;
Farewel my Love, the pride of plimouth Town,&#13;
Farewel the Flower whose beauty is cut down.&#13;
For twenty Years great was the cost I know,&#13;
Thy unkind Father did on thee bestow:&#13;
Yet afterwards so sowre did Fortune lowre,&#13;
He lost his joy and Child within an hour.&#13;
By wrong and woe to God I do commit,&#13;
Who was the cause of matching them unfit:&#13;
And yet I cannot so my guilt excuse,&#13;
We gave consent his life for to abuse.&#13;
Wretch that I am, that my consent did give,&#13;
Had I deny'd, Ulalia still should live:&#13;
Blind fancy said, this suit do not deny:&#13;
Live thou in bliss, or else in sorrow dye.&#13;
O Lord forgive this cruel deed of mine,&#13;
Upon my soul let beams of mercy shine:&#13;
I n justice Lord do thou no vengeance take,&#13;
F orgive us both, for Jesus Christ his sake.&#13;
&#13;
The Complaint of Mrs. Page for &#13;
causing her Husband to be Murthered, for the love &#13;
of George Strangwidge , who were execu- &#13;
ted together. &#13;
I F ever woe did touch a womans heart,&#13;
Or grief did gall for sin the outward part:&#13;
My conscience then and heavy heart within,&#13;
Can witness well the sorrow for my sin.&#13;
When Years were Young, my father forc'd me wed&#13;
Against my will, where fancy was not fed:&#13;
I was content their pleasure to obey,&#13;
Although my heart was linkt another way.&#13;
Great were the gifts they proffered in my sight,&#13;
With wealth they thought to win me to delight,&#13;
But Gold nor gifts my mind could not remove&#13;
For I was linkt whereas I could not love.&#13;
Methought his sight was loathsome to my Eye,&#13;
My heart did grudge against him inwardly :&#13;
This discontent did cause my deadly strife,&#13;
And with his wealth did cause a grievous life.&#13;
My constant love was on Young Strangwidge set,&#13;
And woe to him that did our welfare let:&#13;
His love so deep a root in me did take,&#13;
I would have gone a beging for his sake.&#13;
Wronged he was through fond desire of gain,&#13;
Wronged he was even through my Parents plain:&#13;
If faith and troth a perfect pledge might be,&#13;
I had been Wife unto no man but he.&#13;
Eternal God forgive my Fathers Deed,&#13;
And grant all Parents may take better heed.&#13;
If I had been but constant to my friend,&#13;
I had not matcht to make so bad an end.&#13;
But wanting Grace I sought my own decay,&#13;
And was the cause to make my Friend away;&#13;
And he on whom my earthly joys did lye,&#13;
Through my amiss a shameful Death must die.&#13;
Farewel sweet George, always my loving friend&#13;
Needs must I laud and love thee to the end:&#13;
And albeit that Page possest thy due,&#13;
In sight of God thou wast my Husbandtrue.&#13;
My watry eyes into the Heavens I bend,&#13;
Craving of Christ his mercy to extend&#13;
My bloody deed do me O Lord forgive,&#13;
And let my Soul within thy Kingdom live.&#13;
Farewel false world, and friends that fickle be,&#13;
All Wives farewel, example take by me.&#13;
Let not the Devil to murder you entice,&#13;
Seek to escape such foul and sinful vice.&#13;
And now, O Christ to thee I yield my breath,&#13;
Strengthen my faith in bitter pangs of Death:&#13;
Pardon my faults and follies I thee pray,&#13;
And with thy blood wash thou my sins away.&#13;
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        <name>Language</name>
        <description>Language ballad is printed in</description>
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            <text>English</text>
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      <element elementId="55">
        <name>Date</name>
        <description>Date of ballad</description>
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            <text>1684-1686 </text>
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      <element elementId="59">
        <name>Printing Location</name>
        <description>Location the ballad pamphlet was printed.</description>
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          <elementText elementTextId="4587">
            <text>Printed for J. Clarke, W. Thackery, and T. Passinger. </text>
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      <element elementId="74">
        <name>Method of Punishment</name>
        <description>Method of punishment described in the ballad.</description>
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            <text>burning, hanging</text>
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      <element elementId="62">
        <name>Crime(s)</name>
        <description>Crime or crimes for which the person in the ballad is convicted.</description>
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            <text>murder</text>
          </elementText>
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      </element>
      <element elementId="63">
        <name>Gender</name>
        <description>Gender of the person being executed.</description>
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          <elementText elementTextId="4591">
            <text>Multiple</text>
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      <element elementId="65">
        <name>Execution Location</name>
        <description>Location the condemned was executed.</description>
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            <text>Barnstaple, Devonshire</text>
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      <element elementId="78">
        <name>Composer of Ballad</name>
        <description/>
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          <elementText elementTextId="4593">
            <text>Thomas Deloney</text>
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        <description/>
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          <elementText elementTextId="4594">
            <text>&lt;a href="http://www.glanvillenet.info/eulalia1.htm" target="_blank"&gt;Eulalia Page&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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        <name>Image / Audio Credit</name>
        <description/>
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          <elementText elementTextId="7440">
            <text>Magdalene College - Pepys Library, Pepys Ballads 2.170-171, (cf. Roxburghe 3.742-743, EBBA 31453; Roxburghe 3.744-745, EBBA 31455); &lt;a href="https://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/20787/image" target="_blank"&gt;EBBA 20787&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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      <element elementId="88">
        <name>Related Ballads</name>
        <description>Ballads that are related to this item (tune, artwork, event or ballad)</description>
        <elementTextContainer>
          <elementText elementTextId="7441">
            <text>&lt;a href="https://omeka.cloud.unimelb.edu.au/execution-ballads/items/show/912"&gt;The Lamentation of Master Pages Wife of Plimmouth&lt;/a&gt; - virtually the same (Pepys 1.126-127)</text>
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      <element elementId="93">
        <name>Subtitle</name>
        <description/>
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          <elementText elementTextId="7893">
            <text>Who being forced to Wed against her will, did consent to his Murder, for the love of George Strangwidge. for which Fact they suffered Death at Barnstable in Devonshire.</text>
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          <name>Title</name>
          <description>A name given to the resource</description>
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            <elementText elementTextId="4581">
              <text>The Lamentation of Mr. Pages Wife of Plimouth, </text>
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      <name>burning</name>
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      <name>hanging</name>
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      <name>murder</name>
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