The flood comes flitting in full fast,
On every side it spreads full far;
For fear of drowning I am aghast;
Then, good gossips, let us draw near.
And let us drink ere we depart,
For often times we have done so;
For at a draught thou drinkest a quart,
And so will _I_ do ere I go.
The “Song” concludes with what is probably a portion of the original
trio. The other half stanza is unfortunately lost:--
Here is a pottle good and strong,
It will rejoice both heart and tongue;
Though Noah thinks us never so long,
Here we will drink alike.[40]
[40] With revised spelling the whole has a very modern “ring” about it.
The first two verses may have been sung as a solo and the last half
stanza as a trio.
A similar instance is the Ale-wife’s speech, which has been tacked on
to the end of the play The _Harrowing of Hell_.
In the _Resurrection_ play we have the following. It is one of the
finest speeches in the plays:--