Saturday, March 28, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
16th Century
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Texts
3. King Cophetua and the Beggar-MaidKing Cophetua and the Beggar-Maid — the tale of an African king who falls in love with a beggar-maid, a perennial theme of love that transcends station.4. King Leir and his Three DaughtersKing Leir and his Three Daughters — the ballad source of Shakespeare's King Lear, telling the old story of a king who tests his daughters' love.5. Fair RosamondFair Rosamond — the tragic ballad of Rosamond Clifford, beloved of King Henry II and destroyed by Queen Eleanor's jealousy.6. Phillida and CorydonPhillida and Corydon — a pastoral love dialogue in the Elizabethan tradition.12. Young WatersYoung Waters — a Scottish ballad of jealousy and betrayal at court.13. Flodden FieldFlodden Field — a ballad commemorating the Battle of Flodden (1513) and the death of King James IV of Scotland.14. Helen of KirkconnellHelen of Kirkconnell — a Scottish ballad of devoted love and violent death.24. The Lament of the Border WidowThe Lament of the Border Widow — a Scottish ballad of a wife whose husband is slain by the king's men.DaemonologieKing James VI of Scotland's philosophical dialogue on witchcraft, sorcery, and demonic spirits, written in response to Reginald Scot's skeptical Discoverie of Witchcraft. Published in Edinburgh, 1597.The Discoverie of WitchcraftReginald Scot's groundbreaking 1584 treatise against witch persecution — the first English book to argue systematically that witchcraft is superstition, and that accused witches are victims of ignorance and cruelty.The Discovery of GuianaSir Walter Raleigh's account of his 1595 expedition up the Orinoco River in search of El Dorado and the golden city of Manoa — one of the foundational documents of English encounter with South America.Works of King Henry VIIISongs, poems, and letters of the Tudor king — courtly love, companionship, and the pleasures of youth from a Renaissance monarch.