[In the following essay, Wright and Wright describe and discuss a previously unpublished ballad by Prior.]

In the most recent edition of Prior's works, the editors asserted their confidence that, while Prior was a parliamentary prisoner, he composed a poem reflecting some of the circumstances of his confinement and his first acquaintance with Elizabeth Cox, the mistress of his later years.¹ However, the only vestige of such a poem known to the editors was a set of nine untitled stanzas that Joseph Moser had contributed to The European Magazine in 1803.² Since Moser explained that the poem had come to him through its recitation by a relative who had learned it from Prior when she was a child, and since he confessed that he could 'only recollect a few verses …, and those perhaps not quite correct', the editors were obliged to relegate this fragment to a place among 'works of doubtful authenticity'.³

This situation is now, however, remedied by the discovery in the British Library of a text of undoubted authenticity, which extends the poem from nine to eighteen stanzas. This manuscript, Harl. 6907, has for over two hundred years rested unrecognized among the papers the British Museum acquired at its founding from the heirs of Edward Harley, second Earl of Oxford. It is a fair copy in the hand of Prior's secretary, Adrian Drift, who together with Harley was co-executor of the poet's will. Both before and after Prior's death in 1721, Drift was occupied in making copies of Prior's works which constitute a large portion of the Prior papers that went to Harley in accordance with that will. The presence, therefore, of Drift's transcript of this poem among the manuscripts that belonged to Harley justifies its unconditional acceptance into Prior's works and its publication here in its fullest expanded form, only half of which has previously been printed, and that from a defective text.

A principal reason for this manuscript's having been heretofore overlooked is that it was preserved with the antiquarian collection purchased for the British Museum in 1753, not a likely location for such a ballad to appear. On the contrary, one would have expected to find it with the private papers of the Harley family that included the largest body of manuscripts of Prior's literary works. These were not sold to the Museum, but were transferred to Bulstrode by Harley's daughter, the Duchess of Portland, whence many of them were later taken to Longleat House by his granddaughter.⁴

Having arrived at the Museum in an unlikely collection, the five unbound leaves of the ballad then passed through hands that gave them so little attention they not only failed to recognize Drift's distinctive hand, they also missed the identification of the speaker as 'Mr: P … r' and the date '1715' as relating the situation of the speaker to Prior's circumstances in that year. As a consequence, the manuscript was catalogued anonymously as 'A few Sheets containing a Ballad, made in 1715'.⁵ Then its obscurity was rendered more secure by its being bound into a slim volume in which it is preceded by two other short manuscripts entirely unrelated to it: Harl. MSS. 393 and 4659.

In order to fit Harl. 6907 into this small quarto binding, the first three sheets have been folded up from the bottom and then in from the right side; the fourth sheet has been cut off at the bottom and folded in from the side; the fifth sheet (blank) has been cut off at both bottom and side. When unfolded, to what appears to be the briginal size, each of the first three leaves makes a folio leaf of high-quality paper bearing the watermark of 'A RIBERONNE'. The poem is inscribed on the rectos of the first four leaves, their versos and both pages of the fifth leaf being left blank. The folio numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 have been pencilled in by a later hand.

At the top of the first page are several library identification numbers, including the Harleian MS. number '6907' and three numbers of uncertain origin: two press marks (probably Harley's) '161.A.8' and 'm?A' and what appears to be an early item number '126'. With the exception of the numerals of either foreign or uncertain origin, all the writing in Harl. 6907, from the title to the final flourish, was unmistakably inscribed by Adrian Drift in his most formal italic hand, the hand he regularly used for creating a calligraphic fair copy of a written text. It shows no corrections or erasures, with a possible exception in the last stanza; and there is nothing to identify the manuscript from which the secretary was copying. It could have been a Prior holograph that he asked Drift to copy for presentation to Robert Harley, or one that Drift found after the poet's death and copied for Edward Harley. There is even the possibility that Drift's copytext was not derived from any manuscript written by Prior, but from a recorded memory of Prior's recitation of the verses—either Drift's own memory or someone else's. Even if that is all Drift had, his text of the poem carries greater authority than Moser's second-hand recollection because Drift set it down at least sixty-seven years closer to Prior's lifetime.⁶

The date '1715' on the first page of Drift's manuscript is so placed it may have been intended not as a part of the title but as a dating of the situation described in the ballad and perhaps of its composition as well. When Prior returned to England in 1715 after years in Paris, he found that the Whigs, who had come into power after the death of Queen Anne and the downfall of the Tories, who were responsible for the peace with France, condemned him and the Tories for achieving the Treaty of Utrecht. In particular, the Secret Committee of the Parliament was eager to impeach and convict the Earl of Oxford for being a traitor to the nation. The Committee sought to squeeze from Prior evidence of the Tories' having acted in a way favourable to the French. Its failure to obtain such evidence caused it to order Prior's parliamentary confinement without any specific charge. The Serjeant at Arms, Thomas Wybergh, was to arrange for him to remain captive in a private house under observation by John Hollingshead. The only freedom allowed Prior during this period, 9 June 1715 to 26 June 1716, was the privilege of evening walks in the company of Wybergh.⁷ It is his confinement and his evening privileges that the two texts of the ballad describe.⁸

According to Harl. 6907, this poem is entitled 'A Ballad, To the Tune of a Begging we will go'.⁹ To indicate the refrain, Drift hassimply written 'And a begging &ca' at the end of each stanza. Moser's version, however, plays variations, chiefly between T and 'you', on the lines 'Since a prisoner I must lie, must lie; / Since a prisoner Imust lie'. These lines would, of course, be sung to the tune of 'A Begging We Will Go'; and they serve as a constant reminder of the poet's unhappy situation. The essential elements of that situation are delineated in the nine-stanza version of the poem. The house where Prior is detained is in Brownlow Street; its owner is 'witty Jack' (John Hollingshead). Prior wastes the mornings of his imprisonment in sleep, but studies his books all afternoon. The Serjeant at Arms arrives at night; and when he has no news of Prior's hoped-for release, they repair to Betty Cox's tavern where Prior can wash away his grief. At the inn greetings are exchanged, drinks are prepared, one final drink is demanded so that a toast can be drunk to Nan, and payment of the bill is deferred until tomorrow when Betty will call on Prior at home, where she is sure to find him 'Since a prisoner you must lie, must lie; / Since a prisoner you must lie'.

The fuller text expands the poem in several ways, while maintaining the basic structure and chronology of the shorter version. Five of the additional stanzas are middle stanzas which elaborate the scene at the tavern. Stanza three describes the occasional walk in the fields, apparently the fields around St. Giles's Church in which parish the house in Brownlow Street was located.¹⁰ It also laments the absence of Nannet. Nannet and the poet's confinement from her are mentioned in stanza one as well, which provides a suitable opening for the poem, summarizing the narrator's plight and establishing the context for the remaining verses. The references to Nannet, as she is also called in stanza fourteen, are important in clarifying the identity of the woman. Moser mistakenly identified the 'Nan' of his version as Queen Anne. H. Bunker Wright has already argued that she must have been Anne Durham, who preceded Betty Cox as Prior's mistress.¹¹ The additional references to Nannet, describing the poet's sense of personal grief that he cannot be with her, substantiate that view.

The fuller version's stanza four, corresponding with Moser's stanza two, clarifies a point often misunderstood. Both versions have the Serjeant coming at night, but Moser's line 'When home the Sergeant comes at night' tends to confuse the Serjeant with Hollingshead. Drift's transcript does not have the reference to 'home'; and although his line is irregular in metre (as are other lines in both texts), it maintains the verifiable distinction between 'witty Jack' Hollingshead and the Serjeant, Wybergh.

The remaining two new stanzas are the last stanzas of the poem. They continue Betty Cox's farewell to her 'Friend'. The penultimate stanza is important first for its ironic jab at Lord Coningsby, an especially unfriendly member of the Secret Committee who declared Prior's confinement to be necessary 'for the Safety of the Nation'.¹² This stanza is important, secondly, for its hope for 'a Speedy Prorogation'. It was the prorogation of Parliament on 26 June 1716 that finally brought about Prior's release.¹³ The poem concludes, then, with Betty's admonition, 'Pray never seek a Wife'. The reader, with hindsight, sees the irony of the warning, coming as it does from the woman who would be Prior's last mistress and who, being widowed about one month before Prior's death, apparently was ambitious to be his wife.¹⁴ Prior's own fearful attitude toward marriage may be reflected here; and he may enjoy the irony of having a woman, married herself, take the long-suffering man's view of the situation. However we interpret that aspect of the last stanza, the stanza provides one final intriguing question in the line 'The Serjeant has You for a Year'. The term of Prior's confinement, not specified at its imposition, was just over one year when the prorogation of Parliament ended it. Does the reference to 'a Year' in the custody of the Serjeant at Arms indicate that Prior wrote this poem in 1716, after his release; or is 'Year' merely a good rhyme for 'Clear' and, coincidentally, accurate as well? The poem is written from the perspective of the prisoner, not the released man; and it seems likely that composition occurred over the entire period of Prior's confinement. Whether he continued to work on it after his release it is impossible to say, but we do know that he did not think enough of the ballad to include it in his Poems on Several Occasions (1718). A product of imprisonment and no doubt boredom, it chronicles a period of his life that perhaps he came to feel was not worth celebrating. We, however, can be grateful for the ballad's survival, especially in the fuller version in Harl. 6907, precisely because it does celebrate that pivotal time.

Drift's Text

        A Ballad. (1715.)
To the Tune of a Begging we will go.

That, I'm an humble Pris'ner
 You in my Song will find,
From house and home, & Man & Maid,
 And from Nannet Confind.
  And a begging &c:^a

The Serjeant took me by the back,
 And high for Brownloe Street;
There to Converse with witty Jack,
 And with his Spouse so sweet.
  And a begging &c^a

Sometimes we Walk into the Fields
 To take a little Air,
But what care I what Nature yields
 If Nannet is not there.
  And a begging &c^a

I lye Abed all Morning,
  'Till five on Books I muse,
The Serjeant comes at Night
 But, Gods-bud, he knows no News.
  And a begging &c^a

No News say 1, why what a pox
 Must I lie here for ever?
Then let Us go to Betty C..
 And wash Grief from our Liver.
  And a begging &c^a

Here here let Martha light You,
 Will, Will, make up the Fire:
Your Servant Mrs,: Betty,
 Your Servant Mr: P … r.
  And a begging &c^a

See here, sweet Madam C.., I add,
 How Iow my Hatt I move,
What not One Curtzey to be had
 For Mony nor for Love.
  And a begging &c^a

Says She, pshaw pshaw, to such as You
 My Knee it never bends,
Curtseys to Customers are due,
 And You are only Friends.
  And a begging &c^a:

She spoils the Fire with such a Grace,
 Who can her Charms withstand,
With a little pritty smudl'd face,
 And a Poker in her Hand.
  And a begging &c^a:

And now, She says, To-night at Ten
 Ye all to bed shal go.
Betty, my Child, what dost thou mean
 Thou'lt say so till tis Two.
  And a Begging &c^a:

But our Cares go to the Devil;
 And we begin to live,
When the smiling slender Sybill,
 Takes her Pitcher, and her Sieve.
  And a begging &c^a:

To make the Drink that chears our breast
 The Mystic Drugs are chosen,
The least of Lemmons are the Best,
 And Eleven make the Dosen.
  And a begging &c^a.

We neither Scale nor Measure try
 To make our Mixture right,
The mingling Goddess has an Eye
 As just as it is bright,
  And a begging &c^a

Go, Betty, make the t'other Bowl
 It is not Midnight yet,
Nay, nay, I'll haveit by my Soul
 For We have not drank Nannet.
  And a begging &c^a:

Now, Bess, the Reck'ning must be paid
 Else thou must beg or borrow,
Leave that To-night, the Gypsy said,
 I'll call on You To-Morrow.
  And a begging &c^a

But tell Me pritty Neighbor
 At what a Clock You'l come,
Said She, what need I name the Hour
 You'l be all-day at Home.
  And a begging &c^a

'Till Noon, I know, in Bed you lye
 (God save this happy Nation)
Praying for good Lord Coningsby,
 And a Speedy Prorogation.
  And a begging &c^a

Now good, Sir, hear when once Y'are Clear
 Pray never seek a Wife,
The Serjeant has You for a Year,
 She takes You in for Life
  And a begging &c^a:

Moser's Text

The Sergeant tapp'd me on the back,
 Then hie for Brownlow-street;
There to converse with witty Jack,
 And with his spouse so sweet:
Since a prisoner I must lie, must lie;
 Since a prisoner I must lie.

We doze away the mom so bright,
 From noon on books we muse:
When home the Sergeant comes at night,
 Ads'bud he brings no news!
So a prisoner I must lie, must lie;
 So a prisoner I must lie.

No news! I cry! Why? What the pox,
 Must I stay here for ever?
Do let me go to Betty Cox,
 And wash grief from my liver,
Since a prisoner I must lie, must lie;
 aSince a prisoner I must lie.

Here light the candles, Hetty,
 And, William, stir the fire:
Your servant, Mistress Betty:
 I am yours, Mr. Prior!
Tho' a prisoner you must lie, must lie;
 Tho' a prisoner you must lie.

When I attempt to ope the bar,
 My hat I humbly move.
With scorn she cries, "You come not here
 For money nor for love,"
Since a prisoner you must lie, must lie;
 Since a prisoner you must lie.

To make the bowl that cheers the heart
 The choicest drugs are chosen:
"Little lemons are most tart,"
 And eleven to the dozen!
Since a prisoner I must lie, must lie;
 Since a prisoner I must lie.

Come, Betty, fill another bowl.
 "Lard, Sir! the watch is set!"
Nay! nay, I'll have it, by my soul!
 I have not drank Nan yet:
Since a prisoner I must lie, must lie;
 Since a prisoner I must lie.

So now the reck'ning must be paid,
 I must either tick or borrow.
"No matter, Sir," the Gypsey said,
 "I'll call on you to morrow!
Since a prisoner you must lie, must lie;
 Since a prisoner you must lie."

But tell me, pretty neighbour,
 At what o'clock you'll come?
"I cannot lose my labour,
 "You'll be all day at home,"
Since a prisoner you must lie, must lie;
 Since a prisoner you must lie.

Notes

¹ H. Bunker Wright and Monroe K. Spears (eds.), The Literary Works of Matthew Prior (Oxford, 1971), pp. 1071-2.

² 'Vestiges, Collected and Recollected', xliii, pp. 9-13.

³Literary Works, pp. 785-6. Moser's text had previously been reprinted under the title 'Song in Prison' in R. B. Johnson (ed.), The Poetical Works of Matthew Prior, vol. ii (London, 1892), p. 384, together with Moser's unreliable annotations. The credibility of Moser's account of the oral transmission of the stanzas is discussed in H. Bunker Wright, 'Matthew Prior's Cloe and Lisetta', Modern Philology, xxxvi (Aug. 1938), pp. 17-19.

⁴ In due course, the Bulstrode papers went to Welbeck Abbey and then, in the mid-twentieth century, to the British Museum as the Portland Loan (Loan 29). In 1987 ownership was transferred to the British Library, and the papers became the Portland Papers (Add MSS. 70001-70523). The papers that went to Longleat House remain there in the possession of the Marquess of Bath.

⁵A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, vol. iii (1808), p. 447.

⁶ Drift died in 1737 according to J. L. Chester (ed.), The Marriage, Baptismal, and Burial Registers of the Abbey of St. Peter, Westminster (1876), p. 348.

⁷Calendar of Treasury Papers, 1714-1719 (1883; repr. 1974), pp.374-5, 454. For Prior's own account of his examination by the Secret Committee, see The History of His Own Time, 2nd ed. (London, 1740), pp. 416-35.

⁸ We display transcripts of both texts side by side, with parallel stanzas opposite each other in the double-column format. Where Moser indicated gaps in his recollection with rows of asterisks, we include those asterisks.

⁹ This tune was a popular ballad setting during Prior's lifetime. See W. Chappell (ed.), Popular Music of the Olden Time, vol. i (London, n.d.), pp. 345-7.

¹⁰ Wright, 'Prior's Cloe and Lisetta', p. 17 n. 45.

¹¹ Ibid., p. 18.

¹² Prior, History of His Own Time, p. 435.

¹³Calendar of Treasury Papers, 1714-1719, pp. 374-5, 454.

¹⁴ Wright, 'Prior's Cloe and Lisetta', pp. 15-16.