Daphne - A 17th Century English Song

Daphne tells the story of the god Apollo who has fallen in love with the Nymph Daphne. He pursues her, begging her to give in to his advances. She rejects him however, and flees from him, wanting to keep her virginity. She asks the goddess Diana for help, and to stop Apollo ever achieving his amorous aim, Daphne is promptly turned into a bay tree - 'Diana heard her pray, and turned her to a Bay.'
Since the renaissance, educated sections of society became interested in Classicism and ancient Greek and Roman mythology, so would have understood the subject matter of this song.
The melody for this song first appeared written down in John Playford's Dancing master in 1651, although it is believed to be much older than that date and was popular in Elizabethan times.
The setting for this video is in Stang End Cottage, at Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton Le Hole, on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors. It is a fine example of a cruck framed dwelling, a style of building which dates it to pre - 1700. The museum saved the building from dereliction and lovingly reconstructed on the site of the museum. Carved into the original fireplace can be seen a 'Witch Mark' which was carved to keep evil out of the house!