Various - Notes and Queries, Number 184, May 7, 1853

I have very recently become possessed of a curious printed fragment, which is worth notice on several accounts, and will be especially interesting to persons who, like myself, are lovers of our early ballad poetry. It is part of an unknown edition of the celebrated poem relating to the adventures of Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly.

There are (as many of your readers will be aware from Ritson's small volume, Pieces of Ancient Popular Poetry , 8vo. 1791) two old editions of Adam Bell, &c. , one printed by William Copland, without date, and the other by James Roberts in 1605. The edition by Copland must have preceded that by Roberts by forty or fifty years, and may have come out between 1550 and 1560; the only known copy of it is among the Garrick Plays (at least it was so when I saw it) in the British Museum. The re-impression by Roberts is not very uncommon, and I think that more than one copy of it is at Oxford.

When Copland printed the poem, he did not enter it at Stationers' Hall; comparatively few of his publications, generally of a free, romantic, or ludicrous character, were licensed, and he was three times fined for not first obtaining the leave of the Company. Nevertheless, we do find an entry of a "book" called "Adam Bell," &c., among the memoranda belonging to the year 1557-8, but it was made at the instance, not of Copland, but of John Kynge, in this form:

"To John Kynge, to prynte this boke called Adam Bell, &c., and for his lycense he geveth to the howse"—

What sum he gave is not stated. Again, we meet with another notice of it in the same registers, under the date of 1581-2, when John Charlwood was interested in the undertaking. I mention these two entries principally because neither Ritson nor Percy were acquainted with them; but they may be seen among the extracts published by the Shakspeare Society in 1848 and 1849.

No impressions by Kynge or Charlwood having come down to us, we have no means of knowing whether they availed themselves of the permission granted at Stationers' Hall; and, unless I am deceived, the fragment which occasions this Note is not from the presses of either of them, and is of an earlier date than the time of Copland; the type is much better, and less battered, than that of Copland; at the same time it has a more antique look, and in several respects, which I am about to point out, it furnishes a better text than that given by Ritson from Copland's edition, or by Percy with the aid of his folio manuscript. I am sorry to say that it only consists of a single sheet; but this is nearly half the production, and it comprises the whole of the second, and two pages of the third "fit." The first line and the last of the portion in my hands, testify to the greater antiquity and purity of the text there found; it begins—

and it ends,

It is " wonderous well" in Copland's impression, and palace is there spelt "pallace," a more modern form of the word than palays . Just afterwards we have, in my fragment,

instead of Copland's

Comen is considerably more ancient than "come nowe;" so that, without pursuing this point farther, I may say that my fragment is not only an older specimen of typography than Copland's impression, but older still in its words and phraseology, a circumstance that communicates to it additional interest. I subjoin a few various readings, most, if not all, of them presenting a superior text than is to be met with elsewhere. Speaking of the porter at the gate of Carlisle, we are told—

Copland's edition omits faste , and it is not met with in Percy. In another place a rhyme is lost by an awkward transposition, "he saide" for sayd he ; and farther on, in Copland's text, we have mention of

instead of "a quest of swerers ," meaning of course the jury who had condemned Cloudesly "there hanged to be." Another blunder committed by Copland is the omission of a word, so that a line is left without its corresponding rhyme:

The word I print in Italics is entirely wanting in Copland. It is curious to see how Percy ( Reliques , i. 157., ed. 1775) gets over the difficulty by following no known copy of the original:

Cloudesly is made to exclaim, in all editions but mine, "I see comfort," instead of "I see good comfort." However, it would perhaps be wearisome to press this matter farther, and I have said enough to set a few of your readers, zealous in such questions, rummaging their stores to ascertain whether any text with which they are acquainted, tallies with that I have above quoted.

Observing that you have lately admitted some articles on witchcraft, it may be interesting to make a note of two or three original papers, out of some in my possession, which were given to me many years ago by an old general officer, who served in the American war, and brought them with him to England about 1776. I send exact copies from the originals.

Rectory, Clyst St. George.

Whereas several persons, being by authority comitted to Ipswich Goall for fellony and witchcraft, and order being given that search should be made carefully upon their bodyes, to see if there nothing appeared preternaturall thereon: for that end, on July y e4 th, 1692, a Jurie of one man and eight women were sumoned to attend, and sworne to make dilligent search, and to give a true account of what they found, viz t.—

Doctor Philemon Dance,

Mrs. Johana Diamond, midwife,

Mrs. Grace Graves,

Mrs. Mary Belcher,

Mrs. Gennet Pengery,

Ann Lovell,

Francis Davis,

Mary Browne,

Who, after search made in particular, give this account, viz t.—Upon the body of goodwife Estue they find three unnaturall teats, one under left arme, and one on the back side of her sholder-blade, one near to her secret parts on one thigh, which, being pricked throw with a pin, remained without sense, and did not bleed.

2. Upon y eveiwing and searching y ebody of Sarah Cloice, there was nothing unnaturall appeared on her.

3. Upon searching y ebody of Mrs. Bradbury, there was nothing appeared unnaturall on her, only her brest were biger than usuall, and her nipples larger than one y tdid not give suck, though her body was much pined and wasted, yet her brests seemed full.

4. Upon y esearching y ebody of y ewife of Giles Cory, there was severall darke moulds, one of which was upon one of her buttocks, and being pricked with a pin, it was without sence, and did not bleed.

5. Upon y esearching y ebody of Widow Hoer, nothing appeared on her unnaturall, only her body verry much scratched, and on her head a strange lock of haire, verry long, and differing in color from y erest on her head, and matted or tangled together, which she said was a widow's lock, and said, if it were cutt off she should die.