Gutenberg's printing press had a large screw which moved the upper part down against paper laid over type or a woodcutting on the the bed.  The earliest newspapers were published in the late 15th century in Germany.  England did not have a “newspaper” until 1620.

Ballad writers took advantage of this medium, utilizing it to publish broadside ballads.  The term broadside came from the size of the paper, roughly equivilant to our tabloid size, 147/8"x 11". Crude (but lovely all the same) woodcuts often accompanied the text of the Broasides.  These ballads were sold from stalls or were hawked  on the streets by Ballad-Mongers.

Broadside ballads became a chief method of learning popular songs, if one could read.  They enabled every literate person to be able to entertain without inviting (and paying) a singer to come to their home.  More importantly, the people of 16th century England utilized broadsides as a quick way to spread information.  Broadsides were often distributed for political reasons.  There are many Papist, anti-Papist, Lutheran, and anti-Lutheran examples.

The tunes were usually mentioned but not given.  In several instances a broadside mentions “to a pleasant new tune”.  Unfortunately, in this case, there is nothing we can do to find the original tune.  We are lucky to have a few Lute and Virginal books which have presevered many tunes along with their titles.

We frequently find people singing ballads found in the Child collection.  However, only 13 of the ballads in the Child collection can be proven to have been in existance before 1600:  #22, #23, #111, #115, #116, #117, #119, #121, #161, #162, #168A, #178,  and #273A(II).

A worthy Mirrour, wherein you may Marke,

An excellent discourse of a breeding Larke.

Simpson has documented both the text and the tune to the 1580’s.  This is one of three ballads of the decade that used the tune of Rogero (also known as new Rogero).

The ballad here is transcribed from Collmann’s Ballads and Broadsides Cheifly of the Elizabethan Period.

The tune is from Simpson’s The British Broadside Ballad and its Music, he took the tune from a Cittern arrangement in Cambridge University.

A worthy Mirrour, wherein you may Marke,

An excellent discourse of a breeding Larke.

To the tune of new Rogero

By reading whereof, preceiue well you may,

What trust is in friends, or in kinsefolke to stay.

A Larke sometimes did breed,

within a field of Corne:

And had increase when as the graine

was ready to be shorne.

She wary of the time,

and carefull for her nest:

Debated wisely with her selfe,

what thing to doo were best:

For to abide the rage,

of cruell Reapers hand:

She knew it was to perilous,

with safetie for to stand.

And to dislodge her broode,

vnable yet to flie:

(Not kowing whether to remooue)

great harmes might hap thereby.

Therefore she ment to stay,

till force constraind to fleet,

And in the while for to prouide,

some other place as meete: