minstrel: Be pes!

[Martha Krieg]

The copy I have of the lefthand words (and 3-part music) below has a 
citation at the top: Musica Britannica: A National Collection of 
Music. Volume 36. Early Tudor Songs and Carols. John Stevens, Editor. 
London:Stainer and Bell, Ltd. 1975.
My personal interpretation from knowing just the first verse was that 
the scenario was a dialog between serving wench with her hands full 
of steins of beer  and a patron by whom she was being 
propositioned/molested ...(saw a picture of a German beer garden in 
National Geographic once that matched this perfectly).... Those bits 
of the second verse make that seem even more likely...

>
>
>>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
>
>
>
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-- 
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Martha Krieg   mkrieg at rc.net  in Michigan