Pastime with Good Company

«Pastime with Good Company», også kjent som «The Kynges Ballade», er en engelsk folkesang skrevet av Henrik VIII i begynnelsen av det 16. århundre, kort tid etter at han ble kronet. Det er den mest kjente av komposisjonene som med sikkerhet kan tilskrives kongen, og ble populær både i England og i andre europeiske land i renessansen.

Faksimile av originalnotene til «Pastime with Good Company», nå i British Library.

Den atten år gamle Henrik VIII, malt omtrent på den tiden hvor han skrev sangen.

Teksten

Originaltekst	Moderne engelsk tekst
Passetyme with gude companye,	Pastime with good company,
I love, and shall until I dye.	I love, and shall until I die.
Gruch who wyll, but none deny,	Grudge who likes, but none deny,
So God be pleeyd, thus lyfe wyll I.	So God be pleased, thus live will I.
For my pastaunce:	For my pastance:
Hunt, syng, and daunce,	Hunt, sing, and dance,
My hert ys sett!	My heart is set!
All gudely sport,	All goodly sport,
Fore my comfort,	For my comfort,
Who shall me lett?	Who shall me let?
Youth wyll have nedes dalyaunce,	Youth must have some dalliance,
Of gude or yll some pastaunce,	Of good or ill some pastance.
Companye me thynketh them best,	Company methinks them best,
All thouts and fansyes to dygest.	All thoughts and fancies to digest.
For ydleness,	For idleness,
Ys chef mastres	Is chief mistress
Of vyces all:	Of vices all:
Than who can say,	Then who can say,
But myrth and play	But mirth and play,
Ys best of all?	Is best of all?
Companye with honeste,	Company with honesty,
Ys vertu, vyce to flee.	Is virtue, vice to flee.
Companye ys gude or yll,	Company is good and ill,
But ev'ry man hath hys frewylle.	But every man has his free will.
The best ensyue,	The best ensue,
The worst eschew,	The worst eschew,
My mynd shall be:	My mind shall be:
Vertue to use,	Virtue to use,
Vyce to refuse,	Vice to refuse,
Thus shall use me!	Thus shall I use me!