Maid of the Mill, The

DESCRIPTION: Will has "kist and ... prattled with fifty fair maids" but prefers the maid of the mill to Phebe. Phebe says, "Young Harry's the lad for me." They describe their heartthrobs: "Her cheeks like the blossoms in May ..." "His cheeks are as red as a rose ..."
AUTHOR: Frances Brooke (1724-1789, per "Frances Brooke" in Wikipedia) (source: _British Drama_)
EARLIEST DATE: 1783 (_Rosina_ performed in Covent Garden, according to _British Drama_)
KEYWORDS: courting beauty dialog nonballad rake
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "MAID OF THE MILL, THE"
Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 184, "The Maid of the Mill" (1 text) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Ox 209)
ADDITIONAL: Mrs Frances Brooke, "Rosina," in _British Drama: a Collection of the Most Esteemed Tragedies, Comedies, Operas and Farces in the English Language_ (Philadelphia, 1832 ("Digitized by Google")) Vol. I, Act I, Sc. 1, p. 243, ("I've kiss'd and I've prattled to fifty fair maids") (1 text)
Roud #1276
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 907, "The Maid of the Mill" ("I've kist and I've prattled with fifty fair maids"), J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Firth c.18(48), "Maid of the Mill"
NOTES [101 words]: The description follows Rosina, in which William wants the maid of the mill, who is not Phebe; Phebe decides Will is too fickle and prefers Harry. In broadside Bodleian Johnson Ballads 907 Will and Phebe are unnamed; as a result, it appears to be a dialog between two lovers, Harry and the maid. The Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames text has two verses; the first is built from the last line of the broadside and the second changes the sex in the broadside to refer to the maid where the broadside refers to Harry. The effect is that Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames is entirely sung by the man. - BS
Last updated in version 6.8
File: WT184

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