minstrel: Be pes!

[Stephen Fryer]

Greetings to all.

I pray that this message find you all well and of good cheer.

Your assistance has made me of good cheer indeed, though not quite so 
conclusive as one might like - but that's research for you!

I originally did a Google search for "Be peace! Ye make me spill my ale" and 
found a message sent to this list about four years ago, in which words were 
cited from memory, with an indication that an improved version might be 
forthcoming when the poster had chance to go home to the book.  The words 
given in that post included two verses:

> 1. Be Peace!  Ye make me spill my ale
> Now think ye this is a fair end
> Lets go, I say, straw for your tay
> Let what the devil gone away
> Ye that everybody list to pay
> Abide a while, what have ye haste
> I trout your lord [something]
> Ye will not mend to put away
> 
> 
> 2. Come kiss me play by god ye shall
> By christ I will what says the man
> Ye heard my lady since the war
> ?
> ?
> ?
> Now ye have laid me on the floor,
> but had I wist when ye began,	
> by Christ, I would have shut the door.

I received from this list now two versions of the words which seem to differ 
mainly in spelling:

> Be peace!  Ye make me spill my ale! 	Be pes!  Ye make me spille my ale!
> Now thin ye this is a fair ray? 	Now thyngke ye this is a farye ray?
> Let go, I say! Straw for your tale! 	Let go, y say!  Straw for yeure tale!
> Leff work a twentyadevil away! 	Leff werke a twenty adevell away!
> Ween ye that ev'rybody list to play? 	Wene ye that ev'rybody lest to play?
> Abide a while! What have ye haste? 	Abyde awhile!  What have ye haste?
> I trow for all your great affray, 	Y trow for all youre gret affray,
> Ye will not make too huge a waste.	Ye will not make to huge a waste.

A MIDI file of the tune is at 
http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/emusic/midi/bepeace.mid for any that be 
interested.

If any of you find the words to the second verse or any other information 
about the song, I would be very much interested to hear.

Stephen of Hunmanby JdL