Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: FAIR ROSAMOND. A DRAMATIC SCENE. The following scene is chiefly taken from the popular ballad of the same name in Bishop Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry. Some anachronisms will, I fear, be found, besides those contained in the beautiful legend which forms the groundwork of my story ; but at an age so remote, and with a subject, to say the best of it, apocryphal, a strict adherence to.the old tradition will hardly be demanded. CHARACTERS. Henry The Second, King of England. Queen Eleanor, Fair Rosamond. Constance, i , f .Rosamond's women. Mabel, 3 Archers, Sfc, attending on the King and Queen. Scene, An Apartment in Rosamond's bower at Woodstock, FAIR ROSAMOND. Enter Constance meeting Mabel. Constance. Alone, good Mabel ? Hath not our fair lady Won homeward from the chase ? Mabet. But now I left her In the great hall, prattling right merrily To Pierce the white-haired forester, the old And merry forester. Hark ! thou may'st hear Her sweet wild laughter now, echoing along The gallery. Hark! hark! How like a gay And reckless child ! and how the old man's voice Comes chuckling in between! Constance. What makes he here ? Mabel. He came to warn our lady to retire Within her secret bower, and triply guard The outer gate. He dreads a quick surprise From powerful foes. Constance. And Reginald Fitz-Urse, The valiant captain of the guard, hath gone This very morn to Warwick, to attend His dying father. None remain save raw And ignorant striplings. What hath scared old Pierce ? Mabel. A clerk of Oxford passing through the chase Brought tidings that last night a royal train Reposed within the city, he believed The Queen herself—but Lady Rosamond Had yester-eve fond missives from the king Whom she expects at noon; and mak...